New changes were also taking place in another place far away in Kai. After receiving the guarantee from the medical expert Quunaoze Moruma, the Kira family's ninja army mobilized a secret line lurking in the Kingdom of Kai and contacted Nagata Tokumoto. It happened that he led
The medicine boy went out to collect the medicine, saving him the trouble of taking the old medical sage out of Tsuzakikan.
After five or six days of searching, he finally found the old medical sage walking in the Kai Mountains in a certain mountain in the county. After hearing the letter from his nephew and the invitation from the Kira family, Nagata Tokumoto was still a little hesitant.
When he refused, the Kira family ninja pretended to be a messenger and quietly told him that this matter was related to the great cause of the shogunate and the saving of thousands of civilians, so he must be invited to go to Echigo no matter what.
As for the Takeda family, there is a child with a letter to send to Dr. Takeda Daizen. As for some of the medical consultation supplies, books, medicinal materials, and seeds that he often uses, someone has already packed them for him and will soon transfer them to Echigo.
, the two medicine boys he brought along followed him on the road to Echigo.
Nagata Tokumoto was finally moved. He entered Saku County from Shinshu Pass and then turned to Nishi-Ueno. He then crossed Mikuni Pass and took a boat in Yuzawa via the Uono River and Shinano River. He took the same road as Kira Yoshihide back to Kasugayama Castle.
, when Takeda Harunobu learned that his royal physician was missing, it was already half a month later. Takeda Harunobu was almost angry to death. He poached Echigo's corner but failed to achieve any results. Instead, Echigo poached a royal physician in the blink of an eye.
Doctor, this business is a huge loss.
He immediately called the leader of Tohoku and reprimanded them, angrily scolding them for accidentally letting go of an important doctor. Does this mean that you don't respect the health of my family governor? The samurai of Tohoku were all embarrassed and vowed to do it.
Give Echigo a good look. Of course, such harsh words are usually not believed. Takeda Harunobu was the first one not to believe it.
Seven days passed unknowingly in the busy Kasugayama Castle. Nagao Kagetora's condition gradually stabilized. After receiving initial treatment, Echigo no Ryū couldn't wait to hold the evaluation meeting again and looked at Kagetora sitting on the four-wheeled car.
Nagao Kagetora looked normal, and the Nagao retainers also quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The next topic is a headache. The order of the king is unquestionable. Those who are in charge of medical treatment are Honjo Shino, Nagao Kagenobu, Nagao Masakage, Nagao Fujikage and others. The generations have expressed their support for the king.
This one-sided support rate shocked many people. The wealthy families who had been secretly resisting this order had no choice but to remain silent.
But Nagao Kagetora still came up with a new idea and said word by word: "Torahime... has no experience... Yoshitoki! You must... take over... the responsibility of the country's leader!"
"Yoshitoki understands that it is my duty to act on behalf of the country, and leave the rebellion to me to resolve!" Yoshitoki Kira had long expected that Nagao Kagetora would never back down just because of a little difficulty. He promised Yoshitoki Kira to do his best to cooperate with the treatment.
But Echigo's situation would never have been able to control the situation without Kira Yoshitoki's cooperation, so he readily agreed.
He also found that Nagao Kagetora was in very good condition and could speak intermittently. It seemed that his condition was really not serious. Torahime, who was sitting beside him, was at a loss as he watched his brother smile at him, feeling a little small in his heart.
The tension disappears.
"Torahime! Sit over here!" Kira Yoshitoshi took Torahime's cold little hand and slowly walked to the seat belonging to the king and sat down. Nagao Kagetora smiled at the two of them and nodded, and asked Biwajima Yashichiro
Pushing the four-wheeled cart and leaving slowly, there were more treatments waiting for him. The most important one in the doctor's instructions was to think less and worry less, which was also the fundamental reason why he couldn't wait to hand over his position as the leader of the country.
With Kira Yoshi, the famous shogunate general, in charge, the war was no longer a problem, and Echigo's development was no longer a problem. Nagao Kagetora could also accept the next comprehensive treatment with peace of mind.
Kira Yoshitoki and Torahime watched their brother go away, and after a while they said: "The next step is to march out of Hojo Castle! What you all should do is to immediately return to your territory to organize troops to resist the rebels."
"May I ask Wuweidian, who will serve first?" Ganzao Jingchi also asked the thoughts of many people. The warriors are most concerned about the first formation. Those who are first are the easiest to perform meritorious service. If they perform great merits, they will be rewarded. The warriors rely on
Granting rewards and enfeoffing territories expands influence.
However, Kira Yoshitoshi had other ideas, so he said solemnly: "Considering that it would take a month for you to call for military service, it is obviously too late, so this time the Kira family will be the main force for the battle in Hojo Castle. I will take this opportunity.
You can recruit troops to sweep away the nearby rebels and conduct wild ambush. Please make sure that all streets and ports are controlled by your own side and be careful of military intrusions from outside Echigo."
"I understand!" Although they were very reluctant, the current situation did not allow them to return to the territory and slowly mobilize military service, so they could only nod bitterly.
While the people of Echigo returned to their respective territories, what happened in Kasugayama Castle quickly spread throughout Echigo. When I heard that Nagao Kagetora had a wind disease and was bedridden, Hojo Takahiro's first reaction was to be overjoyed, and Nagao
Torahime being the head of the country and Kira Yoshitsune being the acting head of the country was completely nonsense. Echigo must have been in chaos when he was done like this. He excitedly summoned his retainers to announce the news.
"We are right to rebel! Nagao Kagetora has become a useless person, and Honjo Mino and Nagao Kagenobu actually lost their minds and let those two children become the leaders of the country together! Can you imagine it? Hahaha!"
Hojo Takahiro raised his head and drank heavily. He did not have the drinking capacity of a drunkard like Nagao Kagetora. He usually did not drink alcohol. He would only take out the wine and drink a few drinks on very happy occasions, because this time it was not a family rebellion.
They have support from within Echigo, Dewa, Mutsu, and even Shinano.
"I heard that Daikuma Dangoshou is also planning to launch an attack from Etchu. From now on, we will be besieged on all sides!" Hojo Takasada is the younger brother of Hojo Takahiro, and he assists in the government affairs of the Hojo Territory when Hojo Takahiro is away.
"According to Honjo Eshimatsu, the people of Shimotsu have promised us that as long as we don't trespass into their territory, they will not oppose us!" Hojo Takamasa is the youngest of the three Hojo brothers. He is only twenty-six or seven years old and has been staying there.
He studied government affairs with his two brothers in Hojo Castle.
The Echizen Mushi he mentioned was the title of Honjo Nobunaga. Also called Echizen Mushi were Nakajo Fujisaki and Nagao Masaki. It is quite common for a country to have two nationals occupying the same official position at the same time, such as the Takeda family.
There are three Danmasachu, who are respectively called Attacking Danmasa, Fleeing Danmasa, and Gundam Masaru. Ninety-nine percent of these people claim official positions, and the remaining few are all guardian daimyo or famous nobles. Obviously, except for Echigo
No one except Nagao Kagetora is eligible to enjoy official posts in the imperial court.
"I think your lord should be more careful, things are going a little too smoothly." Hojo Yoshihiro is the uncle of the three brothers. He is an old man in his fifties. When he was young, he also followed the three brothers' father, Hojo Kosada. Nagao had fought hard for King, and of course he knew that the strength of the Echigo Nagao family was extraordinary.
"Uncle, are you too worried?" Hojo Takamasa laughed wildly, as if he was mocking his uncle's timid mentality. When he made the decision to rebel, Hojo Yoshihiro, who was in charge of Nanjo Castle, strongly opposed it and let the three The brother was very dissatisfied. Now that he learned that Nagao Kagetora was seriously ill, he still did not dare to take action, which made him feel contempt from the bottom of his heart.
Hojo Yoshihiro looked at the disapproving expressions of the three brothers and could only sigh: "It's better to be more cautious!"
Hojo Takahiro decided to attack several insignificant cities in order to test the resistance of the Echigo people. The success of several attacks gave him great confidence. He then rejected Odagiri Danzheng's plan to join forces and led Hojo alone. , Nanjo's thousand troops attacked Kashiwazaki Minato, an important town in China and Vietnam.
This time he suffered a quick defeat. At the same time, he was jointly attacked by Sanjo Castle Nagao Kageaki, Tochio Castle Honjo Sano, and Sakajo Naoe Mitsuna. Faced with the three-sided attack of two thousand troops from the three families, he quietly returned to the territory. Honjo, who was inside, took the lead and rushed into the Hojo phalanx, causing this light and unprepared army to collapse on the spot. Hojo Takahiro saw that there was nothing he could do and fled with his cronies without even showing his head.
A farce-like defeat caused the Hojo family to lose hundreds of people. Hojo Takahiro could only retreat to Hojo Castle with his retainers to engage in a trapped beast fight. This time, not only did he lose his troops, but he also vomited out all the land he had eaten. , it can be said that it takes no effort at all.
Of course, he was not idle after escaping. He wrote to his sect Yasuda Keimoto to persuade him to rebel together, and he also wrote to Takeda Harunobu of Kai, asking him to immediately send troops from Northern Shinano to Kasugayama Castle to carve up Echigo. While contacting Honjo Shigenaga and planning to divide Echigo's great cause, he was really confident. He had just lost a game and could still plan for Echigo's great cause with peace of mind. It was really a death-defying rhythm.
Takeda Harunobu is in a very upset state, and a bunch of retainers are making a fuss. Post-disaster reconstruction and general service are still tangled issues. Each family is unwilling to share the other family's general service, but the total of Kaibi is less than 200,000. There are only 220,000 people, including the dozens of miner slaves who plundered Shinano. Where can they find other people to share the labor force? The two sides still have to discuss working together. This is what gives him a headache. Several factions are entangled in each other. They were quarreling all the time. He didn't have the ferocity and courage of his father, so he could only grit his teeth and endure it.
By the time he received the news of Echigo's rebellion, it was already more than half a month later. He didn't even think about sending troops to separate Northern Shinano and Echigo. It was all nonsense. It was difficult for Echigo to pretend that he didn't know? At first glance This letter showed that Hojo Takahiro's strategic level was at a scum level. In his and Takabasai's plans, there was no plan to send troops to Echigo this year, so this letter was burned directly.
This farce did not affect the fermentation of the Nagao family's troubles. Not only did the entire Echigo region learn the news that the king was seriously ill and unable to attend work, Shinano, Dewa, Aizu, Ueno, Etchu, and Kai successively received the news, and some People began to think of sexual harm, especially when the Echigo rebellion broke out.
“I didn’t expect that after a few months, I would be back again!”
Standing in front of the Ignorance Gorge, Daxiong Chaoxiu felt proud and proud, followed by five hundred Jinbo troops. This was the maximum force that the Jinbo family could provide under the constraints of the Shiina family. He firmly believed that as long as he had these troops, he could
Killing back Echigo to take revenge on Nagao Kagetora and Honjo Sano.
Da Xiong Chao Xiu said fiercely: "You must take back everything you owe me!"
"Bizen-den, we can set off!" Shiromasagi was all covered in armor, and his high-spirited look was extremely majestic. Once upon a time, his Shiro clan was also a famous family among the Bando Hachihei clan, and the reputation of Itama Gozen was not high.
Second to Tomoe Gozen, he was called "Baban'e" during the Genpei era and was also the most powerful representative of the Hime Warriors at that time.
"Okay! Let's set off! The target is Kasugayama Castle!"
…
In Kasugayama Castle, Kira Yoshitoki and Torahime exited the castle tower. Nagao Kagetora had just received today's treatment and was resting. Mr. Shijubumi's medical skills were indeed impeccable. It only took a few days to formulate a set of medical rehabilitation plans.
The plan is much more professional than the crude plan of Suminao Moriuma.
Various methods including accompanying psychological counseling, medicine and stone treatment, massage, acupuncture and physical therapy were used. Within a few days, the speed of recovery was significantly improved. Now Nagao Kagetora can move his hands without any hindrance, and now he can sit up.
, according to Mamoru Naose, he will be able to eat by himself within the next month. This recovery speed can only be described as fast.
It was almost late at night, and the two of them were walking hand in hand in the silent corridor. The bright moonlight fell on Hu Ji's face, as if a layer of silver was wrapped on her fair skin, holding her unshakable willow waist.
, kissed her gently on her smooth forehead and said: "The city will be left to you. Master Jiang will lead a thousand people to help you in Zhijiangjin. My brother is recovering well, and I can go out into battle with peace of mind."
Hu Ji blushed and took out a white sachet from her underwear, with pink cherry blossom petals embroidered on it. The girl handed it over coquettishly: "This is the sachet that Hu Ji learned to make. There is something in it that Hu Ji learned to make."
A lock of hair!"
"Oh! It's so good!" He took the girl's small sachet, smelled the rich aroma of spices in the sachet, and the familiar body fragrance of the girl, and looked at her big watery eyes filled with worry and expectation.
Pan, gently brushed away the frown between Hu Ji's eyebrows, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I will be back soon. You must eat and sleep on time, and be obedient!"
"Yes!" The girl nodded obediently, snuggled into his arms and quietly closed her eyes, enjoying the short-term happiness.
The afterglow of the morning has not yet dissipated, and teams of samurai are ready to go. Yamamoto Tokiyuki, dressed in military uniform, stands outside Otemon's door to cheer for his colleagues. He has other tasks and cannot go out with the army, but the thousand Omi people are not disappointed. Kira
Yoshitoki told them: "New news has been received from the Yuezhong direction. Daxiong Chaoxiu and the Divine Protection Army have a total of 600 cavalry. How to defeat these people with as little loss as possible depends on you."
"Please rest assured, Master! We will capture the big bear Chaoxiu alive and make the city a real asset!" Miyabe Tsurujun shouted, slapping his chest, and the Omi people behind him started making noises not to be outdone: "We will definitely capture the big bear alive and capture the city alive!"
"Then I'm looking forward to your performance, remember not to be careless." Kira Yoshi smiled slightly, and then told Yamamoto Tokiyuki: "It doesn't matter if you can't catch the big bear Asahide, the loss of the army must be minimized.
"
"With the help of Ueno Ienari's 500 troops, it won't be a big problem to take down the big bear Asahide!" Turning around and looking at the sun, Yamamoto Tokiyuki said to him: "It's getting late, Master, you can set off!"
The four flags danced in the wind, and the long team began to move slowly. There were more than 3,300 Kira troops in this team, and a thousand Nagao troops. The leader was Nagao Kagetora, who was not only Nagao Kagetora
The leader of the direct reserve team is also the brother of Nagao Kagetora. His father, Nagao Mishige, is Nagao Kagetora's younger brother. It can be said that he is Nagao Kagetora's most reliable candidate.
"In this battle, we will try our best to assist the Buweidian to put down the rebellion." Nagao Kageren was only in his early twenties. Of course he knew his own weight. As a fierce general, he was among the first-class in Echigo. The way of battle and personal bravery had nothing to do with it.
Multiple connections require wisdom, vision and skill, which most Echigo samurai, including him, lack.
"Jing Liandian is so polite."
The two chatted a few words along the way, and their relationship was not as unfamiliar as before. Nagao Kageren was a simple fierce warrior, and it was easy to get along with him. In fact, Kira Yoshitoki didn't bother to talk to him at all. He was thinking more and more.
For future planning, it would be the best choice not to bear the title of Lord of Echigo on his head. Morally, he does not want to owe others.
His debt to Ashikaga Yoshiteru has been paid off long ago, and in turn he helped the shogunate regain Kyoto and stabilize the situation. Now the shogunate owes him, and Nagao Kagetora allowed him to go to Echigo, so he owed the Nagao family's favor.
Before repaying these sentiments, he will never be able to sit as the leader of the country openly. In essence, he is a different kind of person from the country-stealing thief Saito Michizan and his like.
Assessing the rebellion for the Nagao family is the first step, and the land transformation plan for Echigo is the second step. Before completing these, he is unwilling to give others the authority, otherwise how will he use his name to order the people in the future? The Kira family formulated
The laws of the Wu family must first be strictly followed by the family governor himself as an example. Only then will the retainers and subordinates be willing to abide by the laws you set. This is the principle that people cannot establish without faith.
With the end of the autumn harvest, a summer of flooding has also passed. However, there are still many difficulties in marching in China and Vietnam with rivers crisscrossed by rivers. The Ashigaru can only walk forward stepping on the mud on the river beach. The shallow river is no more than seven or eight meters deep.
meters wide, and the deepest point is just below the thigh, but no one wants to risk crossing the river at this season. The tamaru worn by the ashigaru is not afraid of getting wet, but the clothes underneath are not. The cold and damp water sticks to the body, and it will definitely be wet at night.
Get ill.
In Echigo, where transportation is not very developed, you need to find a way to go around to a farther ferry or find a way to cross the river yourself. Normally, no one goes to such a place, so you have to take a shortcut just because you are in a hurry.
This can cause a lot of headaches for the Ashigaru people. There are no boats on this small river and they can cut down trees and build bridges by themselves.
When Ashigaru saw the cool river water, he couldn't help but want to scoop up water. The samurai kicked him over and yelled: "Do you understand the rules? Om? If you drink this cold river water, you will still want to drink it tomorrow.
Join the team!"
"Don't be stunned and cross the river quickly! We are about to enter the Hojo Territory ahead!" Echigo's horse-riding samurai shouted to the ashigaru to get up quickly, because at this time, more than half of the Kira Army's three thousand troops had crossed, and a thousand of them were waiting to arrive.
Now less than a third of the river has been crossed.
At this time, Kira Yoshitoshi on the other side of the river received new news: "Odagiri Dan is leading eight hundred troops to bypass Tochio Castle and march towards Hojo Castle. The specific movement is unknown."
"Who leads the little Tuohe team?"
Honda Toki was serving as a military advisor for the first time, and he was still a little nervous. When he heard the governor's inquiry, he quickly said: "His Royal Highnesses Mitsui Tokaka and Suzuki Shigeji led a bodyguard of 300 people, 500 civilians, and 200 pack horses."
"Um."
"Take precautions." He dropped the words and continued to ride forward. Hojo Castle is very close to Kasugayama Castle. In less than half a day, he had touched the edge of the Hojo Territory. Standing on the hillside and looking at the distant mountains, there was a green forest standing in it.
The gray fortress is Hojo Castle.
There was chaos in Hojo Castle. The samurai were scolding the civilians who were busy preparing for war. Teams of ashigaru were also busy preparing arrows for arrows and oars. The Otemon Gate was closed because Hojo Castle was a mountain city with only a few villages at the foot of the mountain.
If it doesn't reach the level of a castle town, he doesn't have to worry about the damage caused by fire.
"Hurry up! Hurry up!" Hojo Takahiro walked around impatiently. He didn't know how many troops the Nagao family would dispatch this time. He didn't know if the 1,500 people in his two cities would be enough.
The most abominable thing is that the Yasuda family refused to follow him and raise the flag of rebellion. Otherwise, with three cities and more than 2,000 troops, there is no need to fear the long-tailed army.
"Brother!" Hojo Takamasa ran over and pulled him and asked, "When will Odagiri Tansei's army arrive?"
"How do I know!" Hojo Takahiro scolded: "Why are you running around? Hurry up and keep an eye on the civilians. Let them sneak around and delay the time. I'm not polite!"
Driving away his obstructive brother, Hojo Takahiro climbed up the stairs and looked at the streets between the mountains. There were the Sino-Vietnamese streets leading to Hojo Castle and even Kashiwazaki Minato. At this time, he suddenly saw a group of red armors and black armors appearing in the field one after another.
Above, the fluttering flag seal was definitely not the Jiu Yao Ba he was familiar with.
At this time, a large cloud came from the sky to cover the sun, giving him a sense of gloom. Many civilians who were working also saw the strange army. It was completely different from the chaotic team with Echigo flags. Their movements were marching in an orderly manner.
The speed was so fast that those who saw it even noticed that the Ashigaru was wearing leather shoes similar to those of a samurai.
"That flag is..."
"It doesn't seem to be the Nagao family, right?" The samurai of the Hojo family asked at the same time. They vaguely remembered that there was a group of brave cavalry at the beginning of the year, and they were walking in the dense forests of the Echigo mountains under this kind of flag. Could it be that that army was not successful?
?
While everyone was still hesitating, a group of about a thousand red cavalry suddenly broke away from the army and began to accelerate. The red cavalry was like flowing blood, bringing up wanton flying dust. The leader of the cavalry, holding a big red gun, took the lead.
, another person held a big bow and shot an arrow the moment he rushed up the hillside.
Suddenly, an exclamation came from beside him: "Lord, be careful!" (To be continued.)