Time goes back to last night, midnight on September 29, the 9th year of Tianwen (1540).
The Imagawa army was holding torches along the Yahagi River and looking for a place to cross the river, but Tsuchi Atonsune suddenly rushed back as if facing a formidable enemy:
"Your Highness, there is an army approaching from the north!"
"Are you from the Matsudaira family?" Imagawa Yoshimoto looked at the squirming army in the darkness, and his expression became serious. "Instead of rescuing Anxiang City, did you come to chase me? So cruel? There is really no way...
…Only by fighting.”
However, before Imagawa Yoshimoto could order the archers to attack, the team on the opposite side lit up their torches. Under the light of the fire, it could be vaguely seen that the flag behind them was not Matsudaira Mitsuha Aoi, but instead belonged to the Yamaguchi clan of Narumi Castle.
Family crest - that's a member of the Oda family.
Imagawa Yoshimoto didn't know what was going on, but he still signaled to his subordinates not to be anxious. Not long after, he saw a man and a horse from Yamaguchi's army marching out and arriving in front of Imagawa Yoshimoto's formation.
"I, Yamaguchi Kyoutsugi, have the audacity to meet with His Highness Imagawa. I wonder if I can give you a favor?" Yamaguchi Kōtsugi held a torch and whispered very humbly, as if a waiter was entertaining guests.
"I'm here." Imagawa Yoshimoto responded from behind the formation, "What's going on?"
"There are many people, and I would like to talk to His Highness alone." Yamaguchi Kyoutsugi asked again, "Your Majesty has a large amount. Is it possible for you to do it conveniently?"
"Then you come to our army." Imagawa Yoshimoto responded cautiously.
"Then it's natural. Your Highness Imagawa is of noble birth. How can you be a guest in this unknown low-class army?" Yamaguchi Kotsugi replied with a smile on his face, "You are willing to honor me."
Entering the Imagawa family's army is already a great favor for me!"
Afterwards, Yamaguchi Kagetsugi did not hesitate and immediately rode alone to the Imagawa Yoshitsune army, turning a blind eye to the Imagawa family's sword. It is hard to imagine that a flatterer could display such courage.
"I wonder what His Majesty Yamaguchi wants to talk about?" After setting up an area in the army, Imagawa Yoshimoto asked Yamaguchi Kotsugi in a low voice.
"Talk about business." Yamaguchi Kotsugi smiled and rubbed his palms, "I am a businessman, so naturally I only talk about business."
"What kind of business are you talking about?" Imagawa Yoshimoto thought that the person in front of him was a bit funny, "The war is fierce and the war is dangerous. Now I am in danger of being destroyed. How can I have time to talk about business?"
"His Majesty Imagawa Mingjian, this is what we are talking about." Yamaguchi Kotsugi lightly presented him with a tall hat, and then continued, "His Majesty Imagawa is also pressed for time, and I guess you don't have time to chat with me here, so why don't we just be more direct?"
"You said it." Imagawa Yoshimoto nodded.
"To be honest, according to the information from the Oda family, the Matsudaira army did not come to Anxiang City at all. His Highness Imagawa's plan of chasing tigers and devouring wolves and fishing in troubled waters seems to have been seen through by Matsudaira Izumo (Matsudaira Nagauchi)."
He calmly stated what Imagawa Yoshimoto was thinking, and also told him an astonishing piece of information, "If what I have predicted is correct, the main force of the Matsudaira family has already set up an ambush on the other side of the Yahagi River, and is waiting for you, Your Highness, to fall into your trap."
Imagawa Yoshimoto fell into silence.
"But I am here just to help His Highness Imagawa solve his problems!" Yamaguchi Kotsugi smiled and bowed, "The Yamaguchi family and the Imagawa family have no enmity, and naturally they have no intention of becoming enemies of the Imagawa family. If His Highness Imagawa doesn't
If you don't like it, the Yamaguchi family is willing to exchange flags with the Imagawa family. Yamaguchi is going to cross the river here to deceive the Matsudaira family's ambush, and His Highness Imagawa can go upstream and cross the river directly. However, I will not fight with the Matsudaira family, I will only take responsibility.
Delay them for a while and then withdraw."
"Oh? There is such a good thing?" Imagawa Yoshimoto shook his head in disbelief, "The Yamaguchi family wants to help us escape from danger for no reason?"
"As I said, I'm here to do business, so of course I need to be paid!" Yamaguchi Kotsugi's smile did not change, "After His Highness Imagawa returns and takes control of Okazaki Castle, please make it easy for me! I expect that I will be here
Anxiang Castle will be captured within 3 days, but my lord’s reinforcements are estimated to take 10 days to arrive. Before then, Imagawa-sama, please restrain the Matsudaira family’s troops and not come to take back Anxiang City.”
"Why?" Imagawa Yoshimoto was confused by the conditions proposed by Yamaguchi Kotsugi, "Anxiang City is a strategic location, how could the Oda family hand it over to a foreigner like you? Even if it is defeated, it will not be yours."
"Yes, yes, His Highness Imagawa is right. I am naturally self-aware. How can a small place in Narumi City be worthy of a major town like Anxiang City?" Yamaguchi Kotsugi immediately agreed after hearing this.
Every word is flattering, "So I just want to use the city to claim credit, so that my lord can give me some territory on the Chita Peninsula south of Narumi Castle in exchange. The Chita Peninsula is a barbaric land, and my lord has to deal with many things every day, so naturally
If you can't take care of it, leave it to a little person like me to take care of it, that's the most appropriate thing!"
"As far as the conditions are concerned, I can't refuse. The sacrifice is the interests of the Matsudaira family, but the exchange is my own life." Imagawa Yoshimoto also agreed very honestly, but there is still a question, "
It’s just that several branches of the Matsudaira family still have territories to the west of the Yahagi River. Once Anxiang Castle is lost, the territories of these branches will be in danger. After all, I am an outsider of the Imagawa family. How can I restrain them from taking back Anxiang City?"
"Haha, what His Highness Imagawa said is true, but I have been prepared for it." No matter what Imagawa Yoshimoto said, Yamaguchi Kyoutsugi could always maintain the businessman-like professional smile on his face, "Internal news, Your Highness Imagawa
Don’t tell others. Mizuno Shimomomo (Mizuno Tadamasa), the governor of the Mizuno family, has been having a lot of trouble with the Oda family recently, and it’s all because of his stinky son Mizuno Toshichiro (Mizuno Nobumoto).”
"Although Toshichiro is not old, he is not a light-hearted person. He has a bad relationship with his father on weekdays, and the retainers have begun to take sides in groups. One side supports the governor and the other side supports the young master, but generally speaking, he still supports Mizuno Shimono.
There were more guards. But when Toshichiro saw that he couldn't compete with his father, he secretly got into a relationship with the owner of the Oda family, and they had an affair. Even the word "xin" in his name was given by Oda Nobuhide.
Toshichiro also relied on his master’s foreign aid to fight against his father, making Mizuno Shimono Mamoru very angry.”
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Mizuno Shimono Morimoto is also a minister of the Oda family, but after being teased like this, he began to doubt that he was from the Oda family, and worried that Oda Danmasa (Oda Nobuhide) would support him
My son has usurped the throne. I have some friendship with Mizuno Shimomori on weekdays, so he came to me in private to complain. I am a charitable person and helped him come up with a good idea."
"Taking advantage of the Oda Dansho army's personal visit to Anxiang Castle - the current plan of the Matsudaira family's archenemy, he came to the aid of the Matsudaira family. He married his daughter to the unmarried Matsudaira family governor, His Majesty Hirotada, and the Mizuno family also turned against them.
Return to the Matsudaira family. With this help in times of need, the Matsudaira family will probably not pursue the Mizuno family's past betrayal. And with Kariya Castle as a support, the Matsudaira branch territory west of the Yahagi River is also protected. The Oda bomb is in a dilemma.
We had no choice but to leave some people to garrison Anxiang City and retreat."
"Great idea." Imagawa Yoshimoto said sincerely.
"Don't dare, it's just some cleverness of a businessman, how can it compare with His Highness Imakawa's great wisdom?" Yamaguchi taught him shaking his head repeatedly, and then thanked him, "When His Highness Imakawa controls the situation in Okazaki Castle and wins back His Highness Hirotada,
I will arrange for the Mizuno family to send my daughter here. Your Highness, please be sure to restrain the troops before then, so that I can safely control Anxiang City and dedicate it to the lord. Everyone gets what they need, wouldn't it be beautiful?"
"As you wish." Imagawa Yoshimoto naturally had no room to refuse.
"Deal!" Yamaguchi Kotsugi laughed with satisfaction and extended his hand to Imagawa Yoshimoto. After shaking hands with Imagawa Yoshimoto, he turned around and left to arrange for Yamaguchi to exchange flags with the Imagawa family.
Then Imagawa Yoshimoto raised his hand and smelled it. The strong smell of copper on his hand almost made him breathless.
The plan was executed smoothly. On the morning of September 30, the 9th year of Tenmon (1540), the Imagawa army had successfully crossed the Yahagawa River to the north of the Matsudaira family's ambush, blocking the Matsudaira family's army on its way back to Okazaki Castle. Yamaguchi taught
Jiye left with his army and rushed to besiege Anxiang City.
"Hurry up and send someone to contact Kotobi in Tojo Castle!" Imagawa Yoshimoto quickly formed a formation on a hillock on the east bank of the Yahagi River and the south bank of the Oto River, preparing to meet the Matsudaira army returning to aid Okazaki Castle.
The locals sent Okabe Mototsuna and Asahina Taito with people to convey the order, "Have them come over immediately and attack the Matsudaira army from the north and south with us. Then notify Takeohmaru and rush back from Yoshida Castle. But he is too far away, so he is probably
That's too late."
Imagawa Yoshimoto's arrangement was correct. Although he had successfully crossed the Yahagi River, he only had 1,200 troops. In contrast to him, Matsudaira Nagauchi had nearly 3,000 men. He crossed the river not to choose the battlefield, but to
Hurry up and contact reinforcements.
At the same time, Matsudaira Nagauchi was leading the army towards the northeast, and saw the Imagawa Army arrayed on the high ground from a distance.
"You didn't run away? Do you think you still have a chance of winning?" Matsudaira Nagauchi, who was riding a horse, thought that Imagawa Yoshimoto had escaped long ago and fled back to Yue River. After seeing that Imagawa Yoshimoto had not left, he immediately changed his worries.
He was so happy that he laughed and said sarcastically, "The cooked duck flew away? No, it just flew onto the dinner plate and saved me a lot of effort. Did he think he would have reinforcements?"
Matsudaira Nagauchika commanded the Matsudaira Army to attack in full force and rush towards the defense position. Osawa Motoyin relied on the terrain to defend vigorously, and for a time resisted the enemy's offensive. However, as the number of Matsudaira Army engaged in the battle line increased, more and more
, the outnumbered Xi Dunbei also gradually fell into decline.
"Aren't you going to leave any reserve team?" Imagawa Yoshimoto looked at the almost empty main formation of Matsudaira Nagachichi, who was determined, and he was already sure of victory. When Kotobi arrived later, Matsudaira Nagachichi could only attack from the front and back.
It's about to collapse.
Soon after, in the southwest direction, smoke and dust could be seen faintly rising. Upon seeing this, the soldiers of the Imagawa Army cheered and celebrated the upcoming victory. But to their surprise, the Matsudaira Army was not at all chaotic, and even
There is no intention of adjusting the formation to support our own formation.
When the reinforcements in the distance came into view, everyone was dumbfounded - they were not under the banner of the Imagawa Army, but the troops of the Saijo Kira family - the reinforcements of the Matsudaira family!
"What is going on... where is Kotobi?" Imagawa Yoshimoto was shocked, and at this moment, Okabe Motsuna and the group of messengers could be seen escaping towards the main formation after a long detour -
Behind him were more than a dozen pursuers of the Matsudaira Army. Imagawa Yoshimoto quickly sent the cavalry platoon of the shield guard to meet them and brought Okabe Motsuna back.
"Let me tell you a joke, Your Highness, there are not even any reinforcements as promised, but there are quite a few enemy troops." Okabe Momotsuna was hit by an arrow in his right leg. While breaking the arrow shaft, he said to Imagawa Yoshimoto, "East
There is no sign of Kotobi in or around the castle. According to Mr. Tominaga who stayed behind, they left for Yoshida Castle two days ago."
With Kirabei joining the battle, the Imagawa army's strength disadvantage reached an astonishing 1:3. Even the Shoudunbei, who was good at defending, could not maintain the front line with such a strength difference. Osawa Motoin had to command
The troops retreated slowly and formed a circular formation to avoid being outflanked. Upon seeing this, the Matsudaira Army immediately bypassed both sides of the mountain, trying to make dumplings for all the Imagawa Army.
"Your Highness, I will hold your position to buy you time. You and your cavalry can withdraw first! Before we are surrounded!" Seeing that the situation had become extremely bad, Osawa Motoin yelled at Imagawa Yoshi.
Yuan shouted, "When you come back with reinforcements from Yoshida Castle, you can help me relieve the siege!"
"Without a city and a stronghold, how can you defend it?" Imagawa Yoshimoto moved his injured shoulder and took out Ryuumaru in his hand, ready to go into battle himself.
"Your Highness will hold on for as long as you want!" Daze Jiyin shouted for orders, "Your Highness, withdraw first!"
"If you want to retreat together, I will lead the horse to clear the way." However, Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't help but rejected the opinion. Just when he got on his horse and prepared to charge into the battle himself, the situation changed again.