"Then teacher, is this battle we fought in vain?" Imagawa Yoshimoto couldn't help but said in frustration when he thought of the current situation, "Have we missed the most effective opportunity for the honor that we have worked so hard to win?"
"Yes, not only did we not get back Toe, but we also lost the area around Kabara Castle. After we fight back to Kabara, we have to take the narrow official roads around Hamaishi Mountain, Jinkasa Mountain, and Nakao Mountain. The Hojo family can leave some soldiers behind.
It was hard for us to survive. Moreover, the troops suffered heavy losses and could not recover for a year. But when we recovered, Imagawa Yoshima also recovered. Fortunately, Imagawa Yoshima and the Hojo family were also seriously injured and could not launch an attack.
, otherwise we won’t even be able to maintain our capabilities.”
"Why is this happening..." Imagawa Yoshimoto found it a little hard to accept, "Didn't we plan and launch the battle ourselves..."
"Isn't it all your fault, you brat?" Taiyuan Xuezai hit Imakawa Yoshimoto hard on the head, "You didn't even need to come to rescue me at that time! You only needed 6,000 people to completely take advantage of Yuanjiang.
After pacifying it, they would then bring 1,000 people back to support Imagawakan and set up a defensive line at Yokoyama Castle. If the Hojo family wanted to fight from Jundong, they would have to take the extremely narrow official road between the mountains and the sea. That road was not accessible at all.
The supplies that support the army have been consumed for a long time. Even if he has thousands of troops, he can't defeat it. Once you have settled in Yuanjiang and then return to Suruga, great things will happen."
"In the end, you had to give up the Yuanjiang River that was within easy reach. Even if you kept 2,000 or 3,000 people to regain a few cities, how about it? You had to come back with the whole division to rescue me, and you would fight with the Hojo family and lose both sides. Isn't it like trying to draw water from a bamboo basket?"
"If I don't come back, old man, you are dead, who can still stand here and preach to me?" Imagawa Yoshimoto curled his lips and replied angrily.
"You brat, do you look down on my teacher so much? Even if you don't come, my teacher will still have a way out!"
"It's up to you, old man." Imagawa Yoshimoto turned away.
"You are such a brat. Didn't you want to strengthen the Imagawa family so that you can propose marriage to the person you like? Now that it's like this, the Imagawa family has no time to take care of itself. If you are not careful, it will be a disaster. Wait until next year's autumn harvest.
, Imagawa Yoshima also recovered, and the Hojo family marched into Suruga again. We were attacked from two sides and couldn't move. How could your father-in-law allow you to propose marriage to someone you can't even touch? There will definitely be strong support nearby.
I'm here to tell you a marriage. How could your sweetheart's family agree to marry their daughter to a shaky old famous family over the near and far away?"
The more Taiyuan Xue Zhai talked about Imagawa Yoshimoto, the more upset he became, and he even lost the interest in talking back.
"But we still have one last chance." Taiyuan Xue Zhai noticed his apprentice's disappointment, leaned into his ear and whispered, "The Hojo family must be lax at the moment. If we make a surprise attack at night, there is no chance of winning. If you have a good teacher,
With more than 600 fresh troops returning as the vanguard, the Hojo family may not be able to cope with a hard day's battle. If the Hojo army can be defeated here, the war in Kabara Castle and Kadong will turn around, and your marriage will be saved."
"Really?" Imagawa Yoshimoto asked in surprise.
"Really, but we need to prepare for the division's return to camp. You should also take a rest first. It looks like you are seriously injured." Taiyuan Xuezhai glanced at Imagawa Yoshimoto's bandaged legs and pancreas by the light of the fire.
Jinhaori, who was stained with blood, whispered with some distress.
Imagawa Yoshimoto walked back to the camp. He wanted to go back to the main tent to rest, but he was attracted by a faint cry in the middle of the night. Amidst the patter of rain, the cry was not that obvious, but still
Clearly discernible.
Crying in the military camp late at night is something that is strictly prohibited in all armies. There are countless poor people in troubled times. Who doesn’t feel sad? It’s better not to think about it, but if they hear crying, the soldiers will inevitably empathize.
It can easily lead to low morale and even riots and howls.
However, Imagawa Yoshimoto did not pursue his intention. He just dragged his injured leg with some curiosity and limped towards the source of the sound - which was the camp where the remains of the soldiers who died in the battle were placed. The rain suppressed the smell, but it was
This will make the smell in the camp less unpleasant - but once the rain stops and the water begins to evaporate, it will be so pungent that it will be difficult to get close to it.
Imagawa Yoshimoto followed the sound and walked into a camp tent. He found an elderly middle-aged soldier kneeling beside a corpse, carefully covering his mouth and crying. The sound of tears falling on the corpse was louder than the sound of rain.
It was dripping. He was obviously so sad that he did not notice the approach of Imagawa Yoshimoto. Through the dim light in the tent, Imagawa Yoshimoto could see that the face of the corpse was still very immature. It should be a young soldier, probably.
He must be this middle-aged man's son.
The middle-aged man was using his blood-stained sleeve to wipe the child's face repeatedly and in vain, trying to wipe away the blood clots on it, but it only became more and more stained.
Imagawa Yoshimoto sighed, but this sigh was heard by the middle-aged man. He turned around and found that the person who came seemed to be a noblely dressed samurai. He was immediately frightened to death. He knelt down and began to kowtow to apologize.
"It's okay." Imagawa Yoshimoto shook his head, feeling very weak. He groped in his arms, took out a clean handkerchief and handed it to the middle-aged man. The middle-aged man took it with fear and looked at it clearly.
After holding the handkerchief, he suddenly broke down and burst into tears.
"Please forgive me, sir... forgive me..." The middle-aged man cried and apologized at the same time. He knew that his behavior had violated military regulations, but he couldn't bear it. He could only kowtow, "My baby
Before my son left for this expedition, he had been thinking about using the reward to propose marriage when he returned home. The girl's family had agreed to the marriage, and the girl also gave such a handkerchief to my son... The girl's family had already agreed...
...We all agreed... We will get married when we return... But my baby is gone..."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Imagawa Yoshimoto felt a severe headache and couldn't bear to look at the middle-aged man in front of him. He turned around, only to find that the man on the straw mat next to him
The lying corpse was holding something tightly in its right hand.
Imagawa Yoshimoto gently opened the hand that was full of blood clots and scars, and found that the thing held inside was a sachet. The original color was no longer clear. It had been completely soaked with blood, and after drying it became
It became pitch black. But judging from the small appearance of the sachet and the cat pattern embroidered on it, it was obvious that it was the work of a clever girl.
Imagawa Yoshimoto knows that there is a custom in the Suruga area. After a woman is engaged by a man, she often returns a hand-sewn silk fabric as a token of love - handkerchiefs and sachets are very common choices.
Imagawa Yoshimoto's headache became worse, and his heart also ached. He straightened up, looked at the densely packed corpses lying inside the tent, and then looked at the dozens of morgue tents similar to this tent outside the tent.
, his eyes turned slightly red.
So many people died, and it was all my fault. It was me who brought them to the battlefield in order to save the old man, and to strengthen my family by marrying Ginkgo.
Each of them also has parents, children, their own dreams and happiness, and a sweetheart waiting for them to come home, and a fiancée waiting for them to marry...
But they are all dead and cannot go back. What kind of grief and despair awaits their families and loved ones?
This is all a war started by me.
Imagawa Yoshimoto felt a little hard to breathe. He staggered out of the tent, tore off the clothes on his chest, and breathed in the cold rain-stained air. However, he still felt more and more uncomfortable, and only the thought of "not long ago" echoed in his heart.
Former Ginkgo revealed her feelings when witnessing the war in Omi:
"All wars are unjust. Feng shui takes turns, and the offensive and defensive forces change, but no matter which side wins, it is the common people who suffer." Gingko couldn't bear to look at the hardworking people on the official road who were driven to leave their homes and live as slaves for life, but glanced coldly at them
The people in the store said, "Revenge and righteousness are just excuses for the Wu family. Whoever starts provocations or engages in war will be the sinner of the people."
…
"When I say that all wars are unjust, I don't mean that you can't resist. When the enemy comes to attack, you can only fight. But it doesn't mean that because you are forced to fight, your war is just. War means
Killing and war will kill people, and many innocent people will die. Killing and death cannot be just things in any case. When you start a war to protect your homeland, you are actually forced to do unjust things. Although
The fault is not with you but with the aggressors, but this war is not something to be proud of." Gingko shook her head and re-elaborated her opinion, "I just can't understand your attitude towards war. Just celebrate when you win.
, they will seek revenge if they lose. When will the war end if this continues? Everyone should consider war a crime. Even if they win, they will feel sad for the dead instead of cheering for victory."
All wars are unjust... The person who said this must have suffered a lot of pain, and he must be such a gentle person.
If I want to start a war again in order to marry such a gentle woman...if Ginkgo knew about it, what would she think of me?
Imagawa Yoshimoto stood up and walked quickly back to the main tent. Taiyuan Xuezhai had summoned some of the family's senior officials and was urgently arranging a night attack mission.
"Teacher, let's not fight." Imagawa Yoshimoto pressed down on the map and took the map away without any explanation, "Withdraw the troops. Let's go back and send back the remains of the dead soldiers."
Asahina Yakino, Okabe Chizuna and others were stunned. Just as they were about to persuade, Taiyuan Xuezai had already nodded. Under Taiyuan Xuezai's instruction, the retainers withdrew from the camp one by one, ending the evaluation meeting.
"It's up to you." Taiyuan Xuezai sighed, walked to Imagawa Yoshimoto, patted his shoulder, and helped him out of the tent to a deserted place.
Imagawa Yoshimoto lowered his head and did not look at Taiyuan Xuezhai. He just let his tears fall down mixed with the rain. He clenched his hands tightly to hold back all the crying.
"Even if you can't marry your sweetheart, does it not matter?" Taiyuan Xuezhai gently patted Imagawa Yoshimoto's back and asked softly.
"It's... it's really... there's nothing I can do..." Imagawa Yoshimoto gritted his teeth and held back his tears, pretending not to care, but in reality he whispered awkwardly, "In the troubled times of the Warring States Period, there was nothing we could do about this..."
"Good boy..." Taiyuan Xuezai slowly held Imagawa Yoshimoto in his arms, just like how he coaxed him when he was a child, and gently patted his head, "Good boy..."