The next day, at the foot of Xingshi Mountain, Sibo's army began to move and retreat.
Yuwu Lake is surrounded by mountains, making it difficult to maintain supplies for the army.
After occupying the Oiwa Mountain, Higashino Mountain and other passages into and out of the Kitaomi Plain, Yoshigan prepared to withdraw most of its troops to the Yanjin Castle area to receive follow-up supplies and reorganize the remaining troops.
Yoshigan was sitting in the main formation, having breakfast with dried matsutake mushrooms cooked in porridge to make a medicinal diet. Speaking of which, it was the matsutake mushrooms donated by Sanada Nobushige, which was very nourishing.
Yesterday, there was a big battle, and it rained again. In the evening, he was shocked by Sanada Nobunshige's murderous act. Yoshigan's body was really exhausted.
After all, he was not as physically strong as Samurai Ji, so the doctor accompanying the army prescribed a medicinal diet called pine mushroom porridge to replenish his body.
Yoshiyin was drinking this bowl of matsutake porridge and couldn't help but snorted coldly. He looked at the Kamo clan who was serving him beside him and asked.
"That guy is still kneeling outside the formation?"
Pu Shengshixiang nodded.
"Hi! I've been kneeling down since I came here at midnight yesterday.
Your Majesty, I look at her, she hasn't rested since yesterday's battle.
The clothes on my body were still on, I was caught in the rain, I was injured, and I knelt down all night. My iron-clad body couldn't withstand such an ordeal.
What if I can’t stand it anymore and something happens..."
Yiyin dropped his chopsticks and stopped drinking the porridge. He stood up and cursed.
"Can't stand it? You deserve to die!"
Isn’t she very capable? More than 2,000 people were buried even if they were asked to do so! That’s amazing! I don’t even dare to do that!
Since she is so capable, why should she kneel down? She can do whatever she wants!"
Before Kamao clan could reply, Sanada Nobushige's desolate shouting could be heard from outside the battle array.
"Sanada Nobushige was born as a Shiba, and died as a Shiba ghost!
I beg you to give me a chance to explain. If you still think that I am unforgivable, I am willing to commit hara-kiri!"
Yiyin pointed to the outside of the curtain and said to Kamao clan.
"Listen, she is full of anger, unrepentant, and looks like she is about to die? It will cause harm to her for thousands of years! She will not die even if I die!"
Kamojigo said in a low voice.
"Your Majesty, the Sanada army sent out 10,000 troops, but now there are less than 5,000 left. Almost all of them are wounded. They have become an army in mourning. Their leader has been kneeling outside your formation all night.
As the only members of the Kanto clan who have participated in recent battlefields, the Sanada people have made great achievements this time. If you don't even give Sanada Nobushige a chance to defend himself, there will be...some..."
Yoshigan glared at Kamaojigo. He knew that Kamaojigo spoke for Sanada Nobunaga out of public interest.
Up and down Xingshi Mountain, countless pairs of eyes were looking at how Yiyin handled this matter. If he were not careful, he would chill the hearts of the soldiers.
Yiyin was also very embarrassed.
He did not deny the contribution of the Sanada people and was willing to reward them generously. However, Sanada Nobushige's behavior of trapping and killing Oda prisoners was so bad that it affected his plan for peace talks with the Oda family.
It's not appropriate to punish the meritorious officials heavily. If we want to balance the merits and demerits, it's not appropriate to not reward the Sanada clan because so many people have died.
This group of mountain people from the Koshin Mountains were originally a source of instability in Kanto, but this time they fought sincerely for the Shiba family, resulting in heavy casualties.
If the Shiba family becomes resentful because they are not rewarded for their service to the public, then the land of Nishi Ueno will be unstable and troubles will arise again.
The Wu family values profit over righteousness and does not have many moral constraints.
At the beginning of the samurai regime, Minamoto Yoritomo obtained the right to allocate land from the court, and granted it to his subordinates as samurai warriors in the form of imperial favors, thus forming the imperial family system.
To put it simply, you kill people for me, and I give you rewards to reach a contract that is acceptable to both parties.
Five hundred years later, although the imperial family system has long since declined, the cornerstone of the Wu family, the public reward, has become the core value of the Wu family regime.
The Sanada people fought tooth and nail for the Shiba family, half of them died, and they managed to break through the Oiwa Mountain defense line and force Oda Nobunaga back. This contribution was so great that Yoshihiro had to reward it.
If he refused the reward on the grounds that the Sanada people massacred prisoners, it would be difficult to convince them. Sanada Nobunshige's attitude was so good that he knelt obediently all night, which made Yoshigan find no reason to get angry.
After thinking about it, Yoshiyin said to Kamo clan.
"Let that bastard get out of here. I want to hear how she wants to explain it."
Kamojigo breathed a sigh of relief, bowed and hurried out.
Yiyin rubbed his temples, not knowing how to deal with this wild monkey who couldn't get enough food or salt.
When Sanada Nobushige really came in front of him, he was mortified, depressed, his body was stained with blood, and the scratches from swords and guns were clearly visible, which was really pitiful.
Yiyin looked soft and said with a hard tone.
"Why are you pretending to be pitiful when you come in front of me wearing a heavy armor? Someone, take it off for her."
Sanada Nobushige shook his head and said.
"Your Majesty, it's not that I'm being pretentious on purpose.
It's just that the blood has dried completely and cannot be removed without splashing hot water. Besides, there are some wounds inside that are connected to mine, and now they have scabs. If I forcefully remove them, it will bleed again."
Sanada Nobunshige spoke so carelessly that Yoshigan felt his heart tighten. If even the general was in such miserable condition, the entire Sanada army must be even more miserable.
He was silent for a while and then said.
"You fought well, but this is no reason for you to act recklessly. A merit is a merit, and a fault is a fault. Don't think that you can do whatever you want after you have made merit.
Killing has been ominous since ancient times. You killed more than 2,000 people at once without even screening them. You didn't even give Ji Ji a decent ritual of seppuku. It's unjust and disrespectful! You are worse than a beast!
The world's samurai families are one, and I oppose Oda for the sake of the future of the samurai family and to advocate the great cause of a community with a shared future for the samurai family.
It's better for you to bury two different people in the same soil, do you have any brains?"
What Yoshigan was most angry about was that Sanada Nobushige played a trick on everyone's equality and killed the Hime Samurai and the Ashigaru together.
The Battle of Shiba Oda was a battle between Yoshigan and Oda Nobunaga.
Yoshigan accused Oda Nobunaga of destroying the samurai tradition and subverting the samurai world. This is unquestionable political correctness.
If Sanada Nobushige singled out the Hime Samurai and gave him honorable seppuku, this matter could still be explained.
But these mountain people did not change their minds and directly buried the Hime Samurai and the Ashigaru together. This was a serious political mistake!
The Hime warriors of the Oda family are also the samurai family, and they are also the ones that Yoshigan wants to unite with.
Ever since the Battle of Shiba-Oda, there have been voices among the Oda retainers who did not want to be enemies of the Shiba family.
Because Oda Nobunaga's interests were not consistent with those of the samurai family, the Oda Hime Warriors also criticized Oda Nobunaga's innovative policies.
Shibata Katsuie and other Owari faction powerful warriors were actually passive and sabotaged overtly and covertly.
It's just that Oda Nobunaga was more skilled and used the temptation of interests to force Shibata Katsuie and other Owari generals to send them to Echizen Kingdom to block the sword.
Yoshigan has been using the righteousness of the samurai family to divide the fighting will of the Oda family and increase Oda Nobunaga's mobilization costs.
After the battle at Yuwu Lake, the Oda family definitely didn't want to fight anymore. Oda Nobunaga's troubles had just begun.
At this critical juncture, Sanada Nobushige launched a trap and killed everyone without discrimination. Can Yoshihiro not be furious?
Is it difficult to screen them? Is it difficult to commit seppuku with dignity? You must use the most humiliating method to kill the noble Samurai Hime and the lowly Ashigaru together. Isn't this a slap in the face?
Faced with Yoshigan's anger, Sanada Nobunaga drooped his head, looking pitiful and willing to be beaten and scolded.
After scolding for a while, Yoshigan felt a little tired, so he sat back on the mat, looked at Nobushige Sanada who was pretending to be a dead dog, and snorted.
"Why don't you speak? Don't you want to defend yourself?"
Sanada Nobunaga kowtowed to the ground, almost bowing to the ground, and said feebly.
"Your Majesty, the Sanada people fought twice at Mount Saiga, twice at Mount Oiwa, and in four battles, the casualties exceeded 50%. All the officers and men in the army were injured, and almost every family was mourned.
Their resentment and anger... To be honest, I only found out about the entrapment and killing after the fact, but even if I knew about it in advance, I wouldn't dare to stop it.
Before attacking Dayan Mountain, I ordered no one alive on Dayan Mountain to boost morale, but... I really had no intention of killing the prisoners.
Don’t I know your temper? It’s okay for me to cause such a big trouble for myself. Am I sick?”
Yiyin glared at her and cursed.
"Don't you do enough random things? You are just sick!"
Although he was scolding fiercely, Yiyin's tone was a little loose.
Everyone is a leader, and many things can be revealed at a glance, and it is indeed difficult for Sanada Nobushige to handle.
In ancient times, military discipline was enforced by beating and killing.
If you leave the queue casually, twenty army sticks will be thrown at you. If you retreat during the battle, you will just show your head in public regardless of the reason.
Normally, you have to count the time when you urinate. If the time is exceeded, you will be served with military sticks. Ten people will sit together, one person will run away, and the remaining nine will be tortured together.
In this environment where humanity is extremely suppressed and military discipline is maintained solely through violence, people can easily be driven crazy.
Therefore, it is necessary to give soldiers a channel to vent their anger from time to time, such as slaughtering a city for several days without sealing the knife.
The Sanada Army fought four deadly battles in one day, with more than half of the casualties, but it did not collapse and actually won. This is a miracle beyond imagination in any country.
But within the army, the accumulated negative emotions must have reached the extreme. Facing the Oda prisoners who once killed their own colleagues, it is not surprising that the Sanada people would do anything.
At this time, let alone Sanada Nobushige, even if Shiba Yoshigan himself was present, there was no absolute certainty that he could restrain this group of killers.
After all, this is an island country. Under the feudal system, the commander-in-chief does not have strong control over the army.
In other words, Sanada Nobunaga was unjustly taking the blame.
Yoshigan was still silent, but Sanada Nobunshige had already taken out a blood letter and presented it with both hands.
"Your Majesty, the Sanada people know that they are guilty, and this is the list of officers and soldiers who have asked to commit seppuku.
The Sanada people did not dare to ask your Majesty to forgive their sins, but they only asked Your Majesty not to offset the merits and demerits, and to spare the reward of 200 Sibo.
We can kill people, and it doesn’t matter if we die a few more times, but Si Bo is in charge, please be merciful and don’t deny it to us.”
When it came to the emotional part, Sanada Nobunaga fell to the ground and was choked with tears.
Yoshigan looked at Sanada Nobushige who was shrunken and looking cowardly, but there was a chill in his heart.
This group of mountain people was more terrifying than he imagined. Half of them were already dead, but they could still face death calmly, just hoping that the reward would remain unchanged.
In their eyes, rewards are more important than life. What kind of life do these people live in the mountains, and they think their lives are so frivolous?
He shook off the bloody book, and the seven-eight-foot-long strip of cloth fell directly to the ground and rolled far away. The spread out white cloth was densely covered with fingerprints. At a glance, Yiyin couldn't tell how many people there were.
It's terrible, it's terrible.
Don't look at Sanada Nobunshige being submissive and begging for mercy, but in fact, the gift of money with the blood letter in his hand is a hot potato.
If Yoshigan really said not to forgive and deprive him of his reward at this moment, he could hardly imagine what would happen to the Sanada people.
At this time, Yoshigan's eyes looked at Nobushige Sanada a little differently.
At first I looked a little worried about the wild monkey, causing trouble for himself every day. Now I look at it, why does this man become more pleasing to my eyes?
The Sanada clan occupies the land of Nishi Ueno, which spans the Koshinobu Mountains. On the other side is the Matsushiro area where Yoshihiro was awarded Sanada Nobushige, and their influence is very wide.
The mountain people have unique beliefs and are strong in clinging together. The Shino clan is accelerating to move closer to Sanada Nobushige, a developed fellow villager.
In this war, the mountain people really tried their best, and the Sanada people showed a terrifying fighting will, worthy of the reputation of being the best soldier in the world.
This group of smelly, tough and unafraid of death mountain people hold a useful sharp knife in their hands. But this knife has a double edge. While hurting the enemy, you must also be careful not to hurt yourself.
Yoshigan sighed. Fortunately, Sanada Nobunshige was loyal to him, so there would be no problems with Sanada's sword for the time being.
As for the hidden dangers in the future, it is ridiculous to say that there are not many long-term problems around Yiyin? Focus on the present first and deal with them slowly.
After weighing the pros and cons, Yoshigami signaled the Kamao clan with his eyes, rerolled the blood book on the ground, and placed it in his hand.
Yoshigan stood up, tapped Nobushige Sanada's pocket with a cloth stick rolled in blood, and cursed.
"Sanada people have worked hard and have done a great job. I will naturally give you the reward you deserve. I will definitely give you the two hundred Sibo braid. Don't cry and cry like a little man. It makes me feel uncomfortable all over."
You haven't had any rest for more than a day. Go down and have a good meal and take a nap. If you need anything else, wait until you wake up and regain your energy.
Go to Pu Shengshi Township, take her down to tidy up, boil some hot water for her to remove her armor, find a doctor to check her injuries, and arrange for a rest."
The Kamao clan bowed and accepted the order, and Sanada Nobunichi thanked him profusely, looking like he was crying with gratitude.
But Yiyin felt helpless.
He seems to be a man of his word and majestic, but in fact, he just looks intimidating and is actually cowardly.
Regarding the killing and surrender of the Sanada people, one can only hold one's nose and pretend to be confused, and wait and see what the Oda family's reaction is before making any plans.
———
Yoshigan was very frightened, and so was Oda Nobunaga.
In the combined battle at Yuwu Lake, Oda's 60,000 troops faced off against Spo's 30,000 troops. All the traps and advantages were exhausted, and they were unable to defeat them, so they had no choice but to retreat.
Although Oda Nobunaga was clamoring for more mobilization and war, he was actually very uneasy in his heart.
Originally thinking that Yoshigan Shiba didn't want to continue the fight and would come to negotiate with him later, Oda Nobunaga pretended to be confident but also calm.
However, when the news came that Shiba's army had killed more than 2,000 Oda prisoners, Oda Nobunaga was confused.
What is Yoshigan Shiba doing? Did he agree to fight to promote talks? What does killing prisoners mean? Do the Shiba family really want to fight to the death with the Oda family?
Oda Nobunaga, who was confident at first, suddenly lost his confidence. She couldn't figure out Yoshigoshi Shiba's thoughts, and she also became timid.
It is the mentality of the two masters, Yoshigan Shiba and Nobunaga Oda.
They are said to be the two giants with the most power in the world, but in fact only they know the depression in their hearts.
The more you control, the more trouble you will have, because you can't control people's hearts. If something goes wrong, the tallest person will take the biggest blame.
As the name suggests, with greater power comes greater responsibility.