Chapter 910 The decisive battle that determines the future! 【5400】
Sekigahara - located within the territory of Nobi, a basin of four kilometers from east to west and two kilometers from north to south, surrounded by Mount Ibuki to the north, Mount Sasao and Mount Tenman to the west, Mount Matsuo to the southwest, and Mount Nangong to the southeast.
It is an important thoroughfare connecting the Hokuriku Road to the northwest and Ise to the southeast. It is also an excellent venue for field battles.
The division between Kanto and Kansai in Japan is mainly based on Kanhara as the boundary. The east is called Kanto and the west is Kansai.
Therefore, from a geographical point of view, Sekigahara is truly a place that divides the world!
When Qingteng pointed at the place, the reason why everyone was so surprised was because Sekigahara was so special.
Just two hundred and sixty years ago, in the fifth year of Qingchang (1600), an earth-shattering war broke out here, the famous Sekigahara Battle!
Regarding the beginning and end of this war, we must first start with the establishment of the Toyotomi regime.
In the tenth year of Tensho (1582), Akechi Mitsuhide killed his lord Oda Nobunaga, thinking full of replacing him. In the end, all his efforts were used as wedding clothes for Hashiba Hideyoshi.
In the Battle of Tennoyama, Hashiba Hideyoshi defeated Akechi Mitsuhide and accumulated unprecedented prestige.
In the Battle of Shidake, Hideyoshi Hashiba eliminated the Shibata Katsuie and became the actual leader of the Oda family in one fell swoop.
At this point, Hashiba Hideyoshi inherited almost all of Oda Nobunaga's political legacy.
Oda Nobunaga was only one step away from unifying the world, and Hashiba Hideyoshi made up for this final step for him.
Relying on the profound knowledge accumulated by the Oda family over the years, as well as his excellent military capabilities and sophisticated diplomatic methods, Hashiba Hideyoshi quickly unified the entire Japan.
At this time, Hashiba Hideyoshi was only one title away from being the leader of the world.
However, because he was not a descendant of Genji, he was unable to establish a shogunate.
Therefore, he found a new way and no longer sought the position of "General of the Conquest of Barbarians". Instead, he was granted the title of "Guan Bai" and established a new political system.
Guan Bai originally means "statement, report", which comes from the "Book of Han Huo Guang Jin Rixiu Biography" "Everything must be Guan Bai Guang first, and then reported to the emperor", which means that any important matter must be stated or reported to Huo Guang first.
Then it was reported to the emperor.
The term was introduced to Japan by envoys from the Tang Dynasty, and gradually became an important position for the Japanese emperor to assist Prime Minister Wanji after he came of age, which is equivalent to the prime minister in ancient China.
After the shogunate era when the samurai family took power, Guanbai became as nominal as the imperial court.
In the thirteenth year of Tianzheng (1585), Hashiba Hideyoshi was granted the title of Guanbai and became a recognized "man of the world".
In the fourteenth year of Tensho (1586), the imperial court gave him the surname "Toyotomi", and Hashiba Hideyoshi changed his name to "Toyotomi Hideyoshi".
In the 19th year of Tensho (1591), Toyotomi Hideyoshi abdicated the throne and gave up the position of Guan Bai to his nephew Toyotomi Hidetsu, calling himself "Taiko" (the honorific title of the former Guan Bai).
From then on, Taikaku has almost become the exclusive title of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. When people talk about "Taiko", they must first think of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
In this way, the period when the Toyotomi clan was in power was referred to as the "Taiko Period" or the "Toyotago Period".
Becoming the master of the world as a commoner... Although Toyotomi Hideyoshi established unprecedented great achievements, he had a very fatal flaw, that is, he had fertility problems.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a famous old pervert. Ever since he became successful, he frequently took concubines and married one concubine after another.
However, no matter how many women he married, he never had any offspring of his own.
The heirs he had finally hoped for died early due to backward medical technology and parenting concepts.
It was not until he entered his old age that his side chamber Asai Chacha finally gave him a son who grew up healthy and became the second generation head of the Toyotomi family: Toyotomi Hideyori.
However, when Toyotomi Hideyori was born, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was already very old and had only a few years to live.
Therefore, in order to maintain the dominance of the Toyotomi family, Toyotomi Hideyoshi established several Tuogu ministers just like Shibaei in the late Five Dynasties.
He ordered the five most powerful daimyo under the Toyotomi regime to jointly assist Toyotomi Hideyori.
These five Tuogu names are collectively called the "Five Elders".
They are Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie, Ukita Hideie, Mori Terumoto, and Uesugi Keimori.
In essence, the purpose of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's establishment of the "Five Elders" was to check and balance Tokugawa Ieyasu.
At that time, Tokugawa Ieyasu was one of the most powerful daimyo under the Toyotomi regime.
Its strength was so powerful that Toyotomi Hideyoshi was extremely afraid.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi once tried to conquer Tokugawa Ieyasu through military means, but was defeated in the Komaki-Nagakute Battle (1584).
There was no other way but to use diplomatic means to subdue Tokugawa Ieyasu.
From then on, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attitude towards Tokugawa Ieyasu was "I wanted to kill him immediately, but I was always helpless".
In order to prevent Tokugawa Ieyasu from rebelling, Toyotomi Hideyoshi ingeniously set up the "Five Elders" so that the other party would not be able to dominate one family.
Facts have proved that humor is indeed an important background of history.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi followed Shiba Rong's example and appointed several ministers of care, thinking that this would be foolproof.
Unexpectedly, his final outcome was exactly the same as Chai Rong's - unfortunately, all attempts were made but in vain.
Among the "Five Elders", the only person who can compete with Tokugawa Ieyasu is Maeda Toshiie.
The other three people are either too young and have no qualifications, or they lack talent and have no ability.
Just the year after Toyotomi Hideyoshi passed away, Maeda Toshiie passed away.
In other words, the "Five Elders" on whom Toyotomi Hideyoshi had high hopes ceased to exist in name only not long after his death.
As we all know, one of the secrets of becoming an old artist is longevity. As long as you outlast other capable people, you will naturally become an old artist - it is really appropriate to apply this sentence to Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, who relied on his extremely long lifespan to survive the deaths of Imagawa Yoshimoto, Takeda Shingen, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Maeda Toshiie and other great figures, finally ushered in his own spring. There is no one like him in the country.
Opponents of the same level.
Just when Tokugawa Ieyasu began to show his wild ambitions, a loyal minister in the Toyotomi family took action, his name was Ishida Mitsunari.
Ishida Mitsunari is a direct descendant of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and is loyal to the Toyotomi family.
After realizing Tokugawa Ieyasu's disloyalty, he immediately set out to form an anti-Tokugawa coalition.
In terms of identity and status alone, Ishida Mitsunari, whose personal estate is only 200,000 koku, cannot be compared with Tokugawa Ieyasu.
But he relied on various means to forcibly build an alliance that could compete with Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The conflict between Ishida Mitsunari and Tokugawa Ieyasu is increasing day by day.
Finally...the two major groups inevitably meet at war!
In the fifth year of Keicho (1600), an 80,000-strong army led by Ishida Mitsunari and a 100,000-strong army led by Tokugawa Ieyasu met on the narrow road of Sekigahara - the Sekigahara War began!
In this battle, both sides mobilized nearly 200,000 troops. It was the largest civil war in Japan since the Onin Rebellion and was known as "the war that will determine the world."
Fight a decisive battle in a place that divides the world into two parts to decide who belongs to the world...Fight the most special war in the most special place.
Because the Ishida Army was deployed to the west of Sekigahara, it was referred to as the "Western Army".
In contrast, the Tokugawa Army was deployed east of Sekigahara, so it was referred to as the "Eastern Army".
It would not be surprising for a decisive battle of this staggering scale to last ten days and a half, or even a year and a half.
Unexpectedly... this battle only lasted one day before the winner was decided - the Eastern Army was completely victorious!
Just looking at the formation, the Western Army had an almost overwhelming advantage.
The Western Army occupied Nangong Mountain, Songwei Mountain and other highlands, forming a overwhelming force against the Eastern Army.
Anyone who knows something about military affairs knows the importance of high ground.
Logically speaking, with such a huge advantage, we can't say that we are sure to win, at least we won't lose before we can last even one day.
The Western Army was not so much defeated by the Eastern Army as it was defeated by itself.
From the beginning, the Western Army was a large-scale grass-roots team, and there were always serious factional disputes within it, and people were divided.
Tokugawa Ieyasu cleverly exploited this weakness of the Western Army and successfully won over some generals of the Western Army.
Among them, the one that hurt the Western Army the most was Hideaki Kobayakawa's rebellion.
In the Battle of Sekigahara, the Kobayakawa Army was deployed on Mount Matsuo, with 15,000 troops. It was one of the most important units of the Western Army.
Not long after the war began, the Western Army gained a significant advantage and once overwhelmed the Eastern Army.
At this critical moment, Hideaki Kobayakawa suddenly switched sides, stabbed Ishida Mitsunari in the back, turned around and attacked his former allies.
Kobayakawa Hideaki's rebellion on the battlefield caused the Western Army's flanks to open wide, which directly reversed the battlefield situation. The Western Army quickly collapsed, and Ishida Mitsunari and other generals were captured alive.
Judging from the results, Kobayakawa Hideaki can be regarded as taking the most credit for the Eastern Army's victory in the Sekigahara battle.
What's funny is that even if this guy "sells himself", he doesn't get a good price.
Just two years after the Sekigahara War, Kobayakawa Hideaki died of illness. Because he had no heirs, Tokugawa Ieyasu ruthlessly confiscated the territory, and the Kobayakawa family perished.
Even today, "Hideaki Kobayakawa" has always been synonymous with traitor and idiot.
Three years after the Sekigahara War, in 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu paid homage to the general who conquered the barbarians in Edo and established the Edo shogunate.
To sum up, for the Tokugawa family, the Battle of Sekigahara has a very special significance.
After the Sekigahara War, the Toyotomi family was no longer able to compete with the Tokugawa family, which laid the foundation for the Tokugawa family to rule the world.
In other words, the victory of the Sekigahara War led to the Edo Shogunate today.
Fighting a battle that determines the future in a place that once determined history... No wonder everyone at the scene was so shocked!
Interestingly, the army belonging to the Tokugawa family became the Western Army this time, while the army opposing the Tokugawa family became the Eastern Army this time.
Todo Heisuke stared blankly at the map in front of him, then turned his head, looked at Aomori, and swallowed hard:
"Mr. Tachibana, are you sure? Do we really want to start a battle with the Choshu Army in Sekigahara?"
Qingdeng nodded and replied without thinking:
"Without a doubt."
"Perhaps at this moment, the Changzhou Army has received the news of the return of King Ni and is dividing its troops to the west without stopping."
…
…
Suruga Kingdom, the main formation of the Choshu Army——
"...What a coincidence, Shuten Doji, you and I thought we would be together."
Takasugi Shinsaku said suddenly.
I saw him folding his arms and saying slowly and expressionlessly:
"My thoughts are the same as Shuten Douji's."
"If you are the enemy of a benevolent king, you must never be careless."
"If we don't try to stop the Shinsengumi's advance, God knows what kind of action Nioh will take next."
The two bosses of the Fa Zun Party and the Qi Force Team both spoke, and the rest of the group did not dare to say more even if they had different opinions.
After pondering for a moment, Katsura Kogoro muttered:
"But the question is...how many troops do we have to stop the Shinsengumi? And who will lead the troops?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Takasugi Shinsaku said loudly without thinking:
"I'm going!"
Instantly, everyone, including the general Shutendouji, cast surprised glances at Takasugi Shinsaku.
Facing everyone's surprised looks, Takasugi Shinsaku continued his words unhurriedly:
"Split out 1,500 people from the Raiders."
"As long as I have the 1,500 members of the Qi Force at hand, and with Sekigahara's geographical advantage, and with enough luck, I am confident that I can block the Shinsengumi for 3 to 7 days!"
Shuten Doji blinked, looked at Takasugi Shinsaku up and down several times, and then changed to a half-joking tone:
"Takasugi-kun, you actually took the initiative to ask for help. This is really beyond my expectation."
Takasugi Shinsaku said calmly:
"Although I am very reluctant to do so, I have to admit that the 'Slavic Legion' of your Fa-Zhu Party is an indispensable combat force for the capture of Edo."
"After weighing the pros and cons, sending the team of surprise troops to block the newly selected team is the current optimal solution."
"The Qi Force is a force that I built with my own hands. It's only fitting that I personally command it."
"What's more, I've long wanted to compete with the Shinsengumi."
Having said this, Takasugi Shinsaku paused briefly.
When he spoke again, his tone became sonorous and forceful:
"Now that things have happened, we are already grasshoppers on the same rope. There is no point in distinguishing you and me."
After listening to Shuten Dozi, he nodded seriously:
"Yes, Takasugi-kun is right."
"As of now, you and I have become a close alliance in which we both prosper and suffer."
"However, let me confirm with you - you only bring 1,500 troops, is it enough?"
Takasugi Shinsaku grinned:
"Enough!"
"If we were to have a head-to-head battle with the Shinsengumi on an open plain, I wouldn't dare to boast about Haikou."
"But if we just try to delay the Shinsengumi's advance in Sekigahara, then this force is enough!"
"I want to ask you instead. After I took away the 1,500 troops from the Qi Corps, your remaining troops were only 2,000 from the 'Slavic Legion' and 500 from the Qi Corps. With such a small number of troops, you are sure to capture Jiang."
Hucheng?"
When the drunken boy heard this, he couldn't help but smile:
"Although it's a bit reluctant, I still have enough confidence - provided that you help me hold off the Shinsengumi for as long as possible."
…
…
Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi, military conference room——
"...If this happens, that's not good."
Nagakura Shinpachi said in a deep voice while checking the map:
"It is very difficult for us to catch up with the Changzhou Army."
"Now we have to spend more time to defeat the enemy troops who came to intercept us."
"Mr. Tachibana, is there any way we can protect Edo before the Choshu Army does?"
Qingden lowered his eyelids:
"Normally speaking, this is really difficult."
"However...as long as the Eight Princes and thousands of people can delay the advance of the Choshu Army for a long time, then we will still have a chance to rush to Edo's aid."
Hachioji, a thousand people are united - upon hearing the name of this unit, everyone at the scene subconsciously turned their eyes and looked at the Hachioji area marked on the map.
The Hachioji area is located at the junction of the Kanto Plain and Kai Country, and is a must-stop for those heading to Edo along the Tokai Street.
In other words, as long as the Changzhou Army continues to move eastward, it is bound to run into the Eighth Prince's Thousands of People Concentric!
If the Eight Princes' thousands of troops were not defeated, the Choshu Army would not be able to approach Edo.
Toudo Heisuke looked straight at the Hachioji area marked on the map. After a while, he said quietly:
"Let the Eighth Prince and a thousand people work together to intercept the Changzhou Army...Mr. Orange, I am not trying to increase the enemy's prestige and destroy our own morale, but...is it too heavy a burden for the Eighth Prince and a thousand people to work together?"
"..."
Qingdeng was silent.
Neither affirmed nor denied.
When thinking about how to return aid to Edo, Seito had already figured out that the key to it was the unity of the Hachioji who guarded the key points.
Therefore, long before the start of the "Second China Return", Qingteng sent a fast horse to convey an order to the Eight Princes and thousands of people, asking them to immediately evacuate civilians and build trenches, fences and other field fortifications in place to prepare for the coming war.
Make preparations.
Even without Toudou Heisuke's reminder, Aoto, who is the eighth prince and the heart of thousands of people, also knows that it is too reluctant to let this army face the menacing and astonishing Choshu Army alone...!
Although with the efforts of him and Tokugawa Iemo, today's Hachioji Senrenshindan have been equipped with advanced guns and artillery, they have not yet completed the relevant training. At best, they are nothing more than "ancient armies using guns and artillery as weapons."
What's more, there is no favorable terrain in the Hachioji area to rely on, so thousands of people can only face the Choshu Army head-on on the open plains.
Facing the fierce offensive of the Changzhou Army... they may not be able to survive even half a day!
Unless... you send someone who is proficient in military affairs, good at dispatching troops and generals, and has enough prestige to command thousands of people!
If this is the case, there will be a chance to turn corruption into magic, allowing thousands of people to work together to gain enough power to hold back the Changzhou Army.
So, who under Qingdeng has such ability?
In fact, there is no need to think about this issue at all.
When this question passed through Qingdeng's mind, a name immediately emerged - don't think of anyone else besides him!
It's strange to say that at this moment, Qingdeng's thoughts seemed to be seen through by the other party.
"Tangerine, let me go."
He said seriously every word.
Aoto instinctively followed the sound and met Hijikata Toshizo's eyes.
Hijikata Toshizo stared closely into Ayoto's eyes and repeated:
"Tangerine, let me go! Who else would you rather take on this task than me?"
"I was born in Tama, and I'm a farmer's boy. I'm half a descendant of Thousand People Together."
"It's perfect for me to command thousands of people working together!"
After saying that, Hijikata Toshizo raised the corners of his mouth and smiled:
His relaxed tone... seemed as if the mission he promised to take was to go on an outing in the countryside, rather than to fight a vicious battle with a near-death outcome.
Qingteng looked deeply at Hijikata Toshizo with complicated eyes:
"Sui San, this task is not easy. Are you aware of it?"
Hijikata Toshizo chuckled a few times:
"Tachibana, who do you think I am? I am the 'Deputy Commander of Demons' Hijikata Toshizo!"
"...How many people do you need to take away from me? You can choose the people."
"I alone am enough. However, I'd better let Ichimura Tetsunosuke help me. I'm used to his service. Without him, I'm afraid there will be big problems in my daily life!"
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PS: The science section of this chapter is a little long, but there is nothing we can do about it. If we don’t explain clearly the special nature and sense of ritual of starting a battle in Sekigahara, the subsequent plot will not be easy to unfold.