Knowing that defeat is inevitable but still insisting on fighting is the basic samurai morality of a samurai. Hojo Tsunari worked hard to lead the army to retreat towards Otemon, trying to use the assault force of this formation to rescue the Hojo clan. The loyal and brave Hojo samurai
He resisted the fierce attack of Kira's army and bought more time for the Hojo clan.
In order to rescue the Hojo clan, which was under heavy siege, Hojo Tsunari sent his general Yokoi Echizenmomo out. This veteran general was older than Hojo Tsunari. When he was young, he followed the Hojo clan in the Kanto campaign and relied on his ability to shoot arrows with one hand.
With his skills, he has earned the reputation of being the unparalleled powerful bow in the eight states of Kanto.
Even though the veteran can no longer draw a strong bow and can only rely on his rich combat experience and accurate half-shots to kill unwary samurai, his accurate and powerful bow skills are still a big threat. Yokoi Echizen defends
Before the special forces entered the city, they received bad news. The Hojo Clan was captured alive by a group of samurai from the Kira Army. This news was an unexpected and major blow to the Hojo Army.
In the final analysis, Hojo Ujikuni was too young and too impulsive to hack wildly with a tachi in the narrow terrain of Otemon of Tabami Castle. He didn't understand that slashing with a tachi in a crowded and small space was a good idea.
This is a very dangerous thing that not only threatens the enemy but also threatens oneself. Hojo Ujikuni demonstrated the standard ending of threatening oneself on the spot.
Relying on his young, strong and fearless spirit, the Hojo clan slashed seven or eight soldiers of the Kira Army with his tachi and successfully accidentally injured several subordinate samurai. He also stumbled and blocked several fatal stabs and slashed the sharp tachi.
Curling their swords, many warriors from the Kira family took advantage of the moment when he discarded his sword and drew out his ribs to swarm him and capture him.
Losing the Hojo Clan meant losing the chance to escape. Hojo Tsunari learned the news that the Hojo Clan had been captured alive. Without saying a word, he led dozens of brave samurai on horseback to launch a desperate assault on the Kira Army's main formation. Hojo Tsunari
Cheng shouted at the soldiers behind him: "Generals, listen to my orders! Surrender immediately after my death and do not resist! Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed!"
"General!" The infantry warrior who had not caught up with the pace knelt on the ground and lamented: "If the general dies in battle, we will definitely follow the general to Hiraozaka!"
One general mourned and all the generals cried together. In just a short moment, thousands of Hojo troops outside Tianbame City threw away their weapons and knelt on the ground crying. They cried loudly regardless of whether there was any movement of the Kira army around them. They
It was not only the general Hojo Tsunage who controlled the Goshikibei who was crying, but also the Sagami Hojo clan who had shown kindness to them.
"This is the power of the human heart! What Yoshitoki said is right! The Hojo family is definitely not simple. Letting them become a climate is a huge threat to our Ashikaga family!" Seeing thousands of people seeing off dozens of warriors on horseback, Uesugi Teru
Tiger was also moved by this: "I will tell you, General, to capture Hojo Kamisuke alive at all costs!"
Hundreds of cavalrymen came out at the command. They carried spare lassoes and rushed towards the dozens of mounted samurai of the Hojo Army. At the moment before the battle, they turned around and ran out of the lasso. The mounted samurai of the Hojo Army hurriedly
They raised their tachi and slashed wildly, but unfortunately there were too many lassoes, and their tachi was also lassoed in a few strokes. The horse-riding samurai who lost his weapon was lassoed, pulled off his horse, and fell heavily without any suspense.
Hojo Tsunari watched the warriors around him being pulled off their horses one by one by the lasso. The anger in his heart was beyond words, and he shouted: "Despicable people of the Kira family. You don't even give the samurai a chance to die with dignity. You are so sorry."
The dignity of being a warrior! You shameful warriors, how dare you challenge me, Tsusadero!"
"I like to fight with a horse, let me go to Chao Xin! I will capture him alive!" Saito Chao Shinobu didn't even finish his words before he rushed out at the lead, holding up a large gun made of fine steel and shouted: "
I, Saito Shimono Mamoru! I have heard of your reputation as Dihuang Hachiman, so come and fight me here!"
Hojo Tsunari laughed and said: "It's exactly what I wanted! Killing Ghost Saito before he dies is worthy of my reputation in Tsunari!"
During the Genpei era, the Ikkidou period was a very glorious thing. During the Ikkidou period, no one was strictly allowed to interfere or influence. However, with the changes of the times, Ikkidou gradually faded out of people's sight in the late Kamakura period and entered the Warring States period.
Ikkidō are usually only seen on special occasions.
For example, this time Hojo Tsunari fought against Saito Asanobu's Ikkidou. The weapons used were not the bamboo bows of the Kamakura period but the sharp weapons in their hands. When the two of them galloped, the two guns collided and sparked a spark.
, the war horses gradually took off their impact and turned around for the second round. Every collision was a battle of wits and courage. If one was not careful, one of them might be stabbed to death.
Even someone as strong as Saito Asanobu would not dare to stand up to an opponent of comparable strength. He was sure of stabbing Tsunari Hojo to death without injury, but he was not sure of capturing him alive without injury. In this world, he could capture Tsunari Hojo alive in a single attack.
There is no such person yet, and neither Saito Asanobu nor Takikawa Tokiyoshi can do it.
The two were in a stalemate for more than thirty rounds. Saito Asanobu, who was waiting for work and had a good meal, felt that there was not much change. However, Hojo Tsunari, who had not eaten a grain of rice from the morning to this evening, was a little unable to hold on.
The numbness in his right hand, which was already sweating after the tenth round, reminded him that he was about to reach his limit.
Hojo Tsunari suddenly laughed and said: "How about the final round determines the outcome!"
Saito Asanoge caught a glimpse of Ueno Ienari giving him a thumbs up from the corner of his eye, and responded loudly: "That's exactly what I meant!"
The two of them charged on horseback again. Hojo Tsunari's arm holding the big gun trembled slightly. He smiled bitterly in his heart knowing that he still didn't persist to the end. He gently lowered the gun blade to slow down the horse's progress without getting close to him.
People also know that Hojo Tsunari was about to give up the idea of committing suicide.
At this moment, he suddenly heard someone shouting from behind: "Uncle!"
"Ujibuni?" Hojo Tsunari was stunned and just about to turn around, he saw Saito Asanobu's big gun slashing at him. He subconsciously raised the big gun to resist the huge pressure of the moment and the long gun flew away.
, Hojo Tsusunari sighed: "Ushikuni is still alive and has not been killed. Even if he dies, he can feel at ease!"
Just when Hojo Tsunari was about to close his eyes and wait for death, Saito Asanobu put away his gun and stood up laughing: "The guardian of Anfang is safe and sound, so there is no need to die for Kamizukeden! Why didn't Kamizukeden quickly dismount his horse and accept the surrender?"
.To save the lives of these seven thousand Hojo troops?"
Hojo Ujikuni was tied up and sat on a horse. He could only tilt his head anxiously and shout: "Uncle! You can't die! My father and brother will be sad if you die!"
"So your plan is to capture me alive!" Hojo Tsunari was silent for a moment. His whole body seemed to suddenly look older: "I...will surrender!"
Hojo Tsunari's defeat and capture was a major event that affected the development of Musashi. On the small side, it was the only eight thousand elites in North Musashi who had the power to resist were defeated and captured. On the big side, it was the disappearance of the strongest military group in the Musashi Kingdom.
It was a huge blow to the Hojo family, especially the Hojo family samurai in the Musashi Kingdom.
But before that, Uesugi Teruhu was determined to hide the news. With many years of experience in commanding troops, he quickly discovered that this was an excellent opportunity, so he made a military adventure that he had never thought of before and sent out several troops.
The reconnaissance knight disguised himself as the envoy of the Hojo family and asked for help. He tried to use the strategy of luring the snake out of the cave to defeat the remaining Hojo troops in the Musashi Kingdom.
His bold adventure was completely beyond the expectations of the Hojo family. The Hojo Uteru of Takiyama Castle and the Hojo Clan of Iwatsuki Castle didn't know it was a trick and hurried to Tabami Castle with their troops to ask for help from Hojo Tsunari and the Hojo clan.
Such a hasty dispatch of troops was naturally blocked by the Kira army who scattered around Kitamusashi.
Hojo Uteru is only a twenty-two-year-old young man, and the even younger Hojo Ujiki is still a seventeen-year-old boy. When he saw the murderous Kakizaki Keie and Saito Asanobu, his legs became weak with fear.
In order to buy time for the two boys to escape, the Kanadai retainer took the initiative to block the knife. Faced with the frontal assault of the two Echigo Musou generals, it was indeed not something that the two young boys could resist. They had only one way to escape.
It took dozens of brave Hojo samurai to fight the Hojo family out of the heavy siege. When they turned back, they found that their home city had already become the territory of the Kira family. The remaining retainers were either killed or surrendered and became the guide of the Kira family.
.In just a few days, the situation suddenly changed, and there was no longer any place for the two of them in Musashi Country.
A great defeat extinguished the ambitions of the two young men, and making achievements and becoming famous in Kanto all became extravagant hopes. When they were hesitating whether to withdraw to Odawara, the two brothers Hojo Ujiteru and Hojo Ujiki were on the way to escape.
When they met, the two brothers looked at each other's embarrassed and dejected appearance and cried silently, hugging each other with tears in their eyes.
The two counties immediately formed a force of 6,000 troops and tried to move closer to Kawagoe Castle. However, the reaction speed of Kira Army was completely beyond their expectations. They set up a hasty obstacle near Kawagoe Castle to prevent the two men, who had 6,000 troops, from approaching Kawagoe Castle at all.
Fortunately, Daidoji Masashige was not a fool who did not understand military strategy. He actually led two thousand remaining troops to break out of the encirclement of Kira's army.
Daidaiji Masashige was very ugly when he saw the two Hojo brothers. Instead of feeling lucky, he beat his chest and lamented that the Musashi Kingdom was over. The two brothers looked at each other speechlessly and could only lament that the current situation had deteriorated to this point. Daidaiji Masashige had no time to spend with Hojo.
The two brothers exchanged views on the current situation, and they had to find a way to get rid of the tens of thousands of Ji Liang's troops who were following behind him.
"Your Highnesses, please leave Musashi Province as soon as possible! Kawagoe Castle is no longer safe, and Edo Castle and Koji Castle are not necessarily safe either. For now, we have to return to Odawara Castle and make plans! I am willing to divert Kira's army for your two Highnesses.
Please, your two highnesses, please set off as soon as possible!" After saying these words, Daidoji Masashige led his army to the south.
Hojo Uteru took Hojo Ujiki and fled to the southwest without stopping. Along the way, he encountered several small groups of cavalry from the Kira Army and almost got caught by the main force of the Kira Army. After going through many difficulties and dangers, he escaped from the encirclement of the Kira Army.
In the middle of the night, I only dared to stay overnight on Mount Takao in the southwest of Musashi Province. I didn't even dare to enter the small machine city not far away.
The hard life for several consecutive days caused Hojo to suffer a lot. For a seventeen-year-old boy, the journey of life is just the beginning of a short journey. He still has an extremely bright future. He should work hard
We should enjoy the wonderful life of the green years instead of eating ashes and suffering in the wilderness, let alone suffer the huge blow of a disastrous defeat.
Thinking of what he had experienced these days as if he was having a nightmare, Hojo Ujiki murmured to himself sadly: "What happened? Why did you change your appearance so suddenly? I always thought that Musashi Country did not belong to my Hojo family."
Territory, but when I saw that all my former retainers and countrymen had betrayed me, my heart ached...were we all wrong?"
"Don't think too much, it's not our fault..." Hojo Uteru shook his head tiredly: "The Kira Army is too powerful. It's so powerful that it's completely beyond our expectations. Uncle Ujikuni and Tsunagi are missing and are probably dead.
Tianbamu Castle. We are defeated!"
Hojo Uteru is slightly older, second only to his eldest brothers Shinkuro and Hojo Umasa who died at birth, and is the second among the living brothers. He is more mature than Hojo Ujiki, who has been a hostage in the Imagawa family for several years.
Duo, despite suffering a series of dazzling blows, was still working hard to appease his younger brother and his morale, which was on the verge of collapse.
The two brothers did not expect that the Kira Army, with tens of thousands of tiger soldiers, would dare to carry out a series of military adventures. The dazzling methods were completely beyond their expectations, causing the Musashi Kingdom's defenders to suffer blows again and again. The people belonging to the Hojo family
This set off a wave of rebellion and became a glorious leader.
For example, the Katsunuma clan led by the lord of Katsunuma Castle, Mita Masabute Tsunahide, Moro Soshige, Okabe Hirosada, Hirayama Tsunakage, Shioka Hidemitsu, Kanuma Shuryo and other gangs, and another example is the old corps reactivated by Ohta Shimasa.
Iwatsuki Shou, Oishi Ishimi Mori Norishige, Komiyayama Danshozaemon, Asaba Shimotsumo, Kasuga Settsu Mamoru, Hirosawao Hari Mamoru, Hamano Shuiyoshi, Kato Hyobu Shaosuke, Honma Kogoro and others rushed to invest.
Accompanied by Kira Jun.
Narita Shimonoseki Shosuke Yasu wears the kinship talisman Ozo Shoshou Choyoshi, Narita Ōzouchei Chouchi, Narita Echizen Shou, as well as generational retainers Tanaka Shikibe Shaosuke, Nozawa Hayato Sa, Beppu Jibu Shaosuke, Suga Tosa Mamoru, and Hato
Ino Notogawa, Honjo Zaoei Monsa, and Yamada Bungo Mamoru served as the vanguard to attack Kawagoe Castle.
At the same time, Yasushi Ota also instigated a rebellion against the remnants of Edo Castle in Edo Castle. This group of popular samurai had been in a very bad situation since their master, Yasushi Ota, was exiled and the Ota family was killed in the Mifuneyama battle. Taking advantage of Kira,
When the army entered Musashi Province and caused a huge turmoil, under the leadership of Dr. Itamiemon, Asakura Heijiro, they quickly started a riot and waited for an opportunity to seize Edo Castle.
Kira ninjas took advantage of the chaos and sneaked into the city to cause chaos. Yamanaka Yoriji, one of the six Hojo Yuio families, was unfortunately killed in the raid by the rebels. Seeing his relatives being killed, the culprit Yasushi Ota brought his former genealogy with him.
The retainers aggressively attacked the Hojo army in the city without killing anyone. The current lord of Edo Castle, Tamba Toyama, Shoumasa Kage, took the remnant party across the sea and fled to Odawara Castle.
Minamimusashi only had a small machine castle left to resist, and the other castles fell one after another in just half a month. Seeing this situation, the Hojo clan was furious and quickly ordered the Hojo army on the Hosui Peninsula to hold on. The territory cannot be carried, and the Hojo Army of Shimosu Province must cooperate with Furukawa Lord Ashikaga Fujimasa and Chiba Yintomi to resist the attack of Kira Army.
It can be seen from his attitude that the Hojo family still has not given up the Musashi Kingdom and the further territories of the Upper and Lower Shuns. However, his Kira army's advance was too fast, and it had already digested the huge Musashi Kingdom before it was even three months old. Once in the sky, looking north from the small machine city, one can see the entire Musashi Kingdom with Ashikaga fubiryo flying everywhere, making travelers who don't know the truth think that Koga Koga is once again in power.
On March 24, Teru Uesugi led a large army to gather at the foot of Koji Castle and surrounded Minamimusashi Fort, which was only guarded by 3,000 people. After a month-long invasion of Musashi, Teru Uesugi's troops were attacked and killed. More than 2,000 Hojo troops were injured and more than 9,000 people were captured. It was a tragic defeat for the Hojo clan.
Almost all the pro-Hojo forces in the entire Musashi Kingdom were uprooted. The Musashi control network that the Hojo family had worked hard for two generations to manage was torn to pieces. The most important losses were the Hojo Clan and Hojo Tsunage. The prisoners, as well as nearly half of the eight thousand troops under Hojo Tsunari's command were members of the Goshikibei. These were all from the Sagami Kingdom and the Izu Kingdom's elites who had fought many battles. They were captured in an unfair battle. It was enough. It made Hojo Masaru so painful that he couldn't sleep well for several nights.
While the strength of the Hojo Army was being eliminated, the Kira Army led by Uesugi Terutora was also rapidly expanding, from the original strength of 45,000 troops to the current strength of 51,000 troops, with an increase of more than 6,000 troops. , almost all the neutral and anti-Hojo military forces in Musashi Kingdom were brought under his command, leaving only two groups of people in Musashi Kingdom, one is the remnant of the party that supports the Hojo clan, and the other is the vassal army that supports the Kira clan.
Kira Yoshitoki also started to mobilize troops at this time. He ordered Nagao Nagao of the Ashikaga Nagao family, Nagao Nokage of the Shirai Nagao family, and Nagao Sokage of the Suisha Nagao family to lead an army of 5,000 people. Ueno Kingdom stayed behind, Nagano Yasumasa was the vanguard general and led 5,000 troops as the vanguard. He personally led 10,000 troops out of Hirai Castle, aiming directly at Odawara Castle in Sagami Province.
At this time, the dull Kanto people finally realized that the situation seemed not good. Kira Yoshitoki was trying to crush the Hojo family to death, so Anbo Kunisato met Yoshihiro, Hitachi Kuni Satake Yoshiaki, and Shimono Kuni Utsunomiya Hirotsuna. , Sakai Yinji and Yamamuro Katsunobu of the Upper Sui Kingdom, and Takajo Yinji of the Lower Sui Kingdom took advantage of the situation and raised troops in response to Kira Yoshi's general's order to attack the Sagami Hojo clan.
In the blink of an eye, 60,000 troops gathered all over the Kanto region. They were not trying to attack Odawara Castle, but were targeting the territory occupied by the Hojo family in the Lower and Upper Kingdoms. When they took advantage, they always rushed out. In the words of the Kanto people, it would be stupid not to take advantage of it.