Kofu Castle is the administrative seat of the Kofu Domain. It is located on the Nakasendo Road, about 100 kilometers west of Edo and north of Mount Fuji. It is also the only way to reach Kyoto from Edo.
Kofu Castle was successfully attacked by the Chinese army, which meant that the return route of the shogunate army was cut off by the Chinese army, and all the logistics, grain, grass and materials transported from Edo were not sent to the shogunate army in Sekigahara.
The ones who made a surprise attack on Kofu Castle were the 14th Division of the Ninth Army of the Chinese Army and the First Squadron of the Beiyang Fleet.
After learning that the shogunate's army was dispatched from Edo, Shang Yi led his army to attack Hikone Castle, accompanied by the entire army of the 11th Army, the 4th Brigade of the 9th Army, the Special Forces Brigade, and the 14th Division of the 11th Army and the Beiyang Fleet The First Squadron also set out from Osaka, entered the Pacific Ocean through the Kii Channel, bypassed the Kii Peninsula, and headed northeast. Three days later, it reached the sea near Shizuoka in Suruga Bay.
At this time, all the daimyo forces in the Kanto region of Japan and near Edo were mobilized to the Sekigahara area to fight the Chinese army. Therefore, the defense in this area was very empty. The Chinese army did not encounter any resistance and successfully succeeded in quietly Okafuke landed, bypassed Mount Fuji, and captured Kofu Castle, thus cutting off the connection between Edo and Sekigahara.
Because Kofu is only over a hundred kilometers away from Edo, Edo was the first to receive the news of the fall of Kofu. After Masayuki Hoshina, who stayed in Edo, learned about it, he couldn't help being shocked. Of course he knew the importance of Kofu. , so he also hurriedly mobilized his troops to prepare to recapture Kofu.
After Sakai Tadakatsu led his army to attack, there were still more than 50,000 troops staying in Edo. Because of the lessons learned from the last time the Chinese army raided Edo from the sea, the people in Edo have been preventing the Chinese army from committing suicide. The trick was repeated. Not only were they heavily guarded, but they also built a row of city walls along the coast of Edo to protect the safety of Edo. Unexpectedly, although the Chinese army also crossed the sea this time, they did attack Kofu instead, causing the Tokugawa shogunate to once again Miscalculation.
Just when Masayuki Hoshina was calculating how many troops Edo could dispatch to recapture Kofu Castle, the First Squadron of the Beiyang Fleet sailed into Edo Bay again, came to the seaside of Edo Castle, bombarded Edo Castle, and More than 200 Tomahawk rockets were fired at Edo Castle. Although Edo Castle built a wall on the seaside, it could not stop the Tomahawk rockets, so most of the Tomahawk rockets fell into Edo Castle. .
Fortunately, Edo City was fully prepared this time, and more than 200 Tomahawk rockets were indeed not many. Therefore, this attack did not cause much damage to Edo City, and the Chinese army also Did not go ashore to attack Edo.
But this attack still brought huge pressure to Edo City. People in the city were panicked and order was in chaos. After all, the Chinese fleet was parked on the sea, looking at it with eager eyes, and it could attack at any time. Launched a landing attack on Edo, so Masayuki Hoshina did not dare to send any more troops to rescue Kofu, so he had to leave all the troops to guard in Edo City. It was important to hold Edo first, and at the same time send people to bypass Kofu and notify Sakai Tadakatsu. Let him allocate some troops from the Sekigahara front line to retake Kofu.
At this time, Sakai Tadakatsu was at his wits' end. After receiving the letter from Masayuki Yasukina, he was even more shocked. Unexpectedly, the Chinese army actually attacked Kofu at this time. Not only was the entire army's retreat route cut off by the Chinese army, but also He was also surrounded by enemies from both sides. It was only at this time that Sakai Tadakatsu truly understood the horror of Shang Yi.
Therefore, Sakai Tadakatsu first ordered that the news should be strictly guarded and not leaked, so as not to shake the morale of the army, and he immediately summoned the main daimyo to gather at the main camp of Nangong Mountain to discuss countermeasures.
After all the lords gathered together, when they heard that Kofu was attacked and the return route was cut off, they all became furious and asked Sakai Tadakatsu to immediately send troops to rescue Kofu. The lord of the Kofu clan, Tokugawa Tsunashige, heard this. He said that his main city had been attacked by the Chinese army, and he was anxious at that time, because in Kofu City he had the property he had accumulated over the years, as well as several of his beautiful wives and concubines, and they made a big fuss in the big tent at that time , he even pointed at Sakai Tadakatsu’s nose and yelled, demanding that Sakai Tadakatsu immediately retreat from Sekigahara to rescue Kofu.
Sakai Tadakatsu is troubled now. After listening to Tokugawa Tsunushige's words, he can't help but feel annoyed. However, although the Kofu clan is not among the three royal families, Tokugawa Tsunshige's identity is different from others. He is the shogunate. The son of General Tokugawa Iemitsu and the elder brother of the current shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna, he is only eighteen years old this year. The two brothers grew up together. Sekito is very close to Hiroshi and cannot be offended, so he had to control his temper and said: "Your Highness Tsunazhong, please calm down for a moment. We will discuss this matter in the long run."
Tokugawa Tsusushige was a typical official of the generation, and he always said the right thing in the Kofu Domain. In his opinion, when he made a request, Sakai Tadakatsu should immediately comply with it, but he actually said that he should take a long-term view and that he should take it easy. As soon as he initiated sexual isolation, he dared to make a fuss even in front of Tokugawa Ietsuna, let alone Sakai Tadakatsu, so he immediately jumped up and said: "What are you planning to discuss? If it's too late, There is one tael of silver missing from the warehouse of my Jiafu, and you must pay the compensation..."
Just as he was talking, he suddenly felt a hard slap on the back of his head. The blow made Tokugawa Tsusushige stagger forward and almost fell to the ground. Naturally, he couldn't help but feel angry. He was about to have an attack, but turned around. At first glance, he suddenly dwarfed him by half, because the one who hit him was none other than Tokugawa Naoyoshi.
Sakai Tadakatsu saw it and breathed a sigh of relief. On this occasion, only Tokugawa Naoyi could control Tokugawa Tsunashige, because Tokugawa Naoyi was not only the head of the three imperial families, but also the senior member of the current Tokugawa clan. The tallest one, he is the youngest son of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Counting Tokugawa Tsusushige, he is called grandpa. Of course, in fact, Tokugawa Naoyoshi is not too old, only fifty-three years old. Therefore, when Sakai Tadakatsu divided his troops in Nangong Mountain, Tokugawa Tsusushige was specially assigned to Tokugawa Naoyoshi's side, just hoping that the old man could control the young man.
I saw Tokugawa Naoyoshi saying sternly: "Tsunashige, what kind of place is this? I can't let you mess around here, why don't you step aside."
As expected, Tokugawa Tsusushige did not dare to argue with the only ancestor of the Tokugawa family, so he had to sit aside and endure it.
After finally getting the young man to calm down, Tadakatsu Sakai wiped his sweat before continuing the discussion.
Tokugawa Yorinobu said: "My lord, although Tsunashige was a little impulsive just now, what he said is not entirely wrong. Kofu is related to our retreat and food supply, so of course we cannot ignore it. Therefore, the best way to recapture Kofu now is It is urgent, so I agree to return the troops to rescue Kofu."
Tokugawa Naoyoshi frowned and said: "If we return to rescue Kofu, what will happen to Sekigahara? Could it be said that we will lose this battle without a fight?" Because Tokugawa Naoyoshi is the daimyo of the Owari clan, Sekigahara is If Hara is lost, then Owari will be the first to bear the brunt. Therefore, he absolutely does not want the shogunate army to retreat from Sekigahara. The big reason why he jumped out to stop Tokugawa Tsunashige is that he does not want to withdraw his troops.
Sakai Tadakatsu also said: "Yes, if we return our troops, the rebels will definitely attack later. I'm afraid we will be overtaken by the rebels before we reach Kofu."
Everyone listened, and many people nodded, because the retreat of the army is a very difficult thing, because retreating under the eyes of the enemy is the easiest to be attacked by the enemy, and if you don't do it well, you will be beaten. The whole army was shattered and completely defeated.
Abe Masaharu said: "My lord, I think this is a good opportunity. Although the rebels have attacked Kofu, it also shows that their forces in Sekigahara have been dispersed. Therefore, we might as well send troops immediately and attack the rebels with all our strength. As long as the rebels are defeated in Sekihara, Kofu will naturally be saved."
Sakai Tadakatsu was also moved in his heart. What Abe Masaharu said did make some sense. But after thinking about it, Sakai Tadakatsu couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. After all, he didn't have enough confidence in taking the initiative to attack, and he didn't know yet. How many troops were used in the assault on Kofu? How many troops were left in Sekigahara? It would be too risky to rashly launch an attack on the defeated Tokugawa army.
At this time, Tokugawa Naoyoshi came out again and said: "My lords, everyone, I don't think we need to be so nervous here. Although the rebels attacked Kofu and cut off our food routes, at least the food and grass in our army are still there. It can last for more than ten days, and there is still a lot of food in my Owari Domain. In a month, our army will not be in danger of starving, so the situation is far from being out of control. , at this time, we must not get into trouble."
After everyone heard this, they all felt relieved. After all, they were ancestors, and their knowledge and calmness were superior to others. Tokugawa Naoyoshi continued: "This battle of Sekigahara is related to the survival of the shogunate. It is not a last resort. When the time comes, we cannot give up easily, and Kofu has to be rescued. Therefore, in my opinion, it is better to send some troops to recover Kofu first. The army will still be stationed in Sekihara and stand still against the rebels until Kofu is recovered. After that, when the troops return, they can try to attack rebels again. If Kofu cannot be recovered, it will not be too late to consider sending more troops or withdrawing the troops."
After hearing this, Sakai Tadakatsu nodded repeatedly. As expected of a fourth-generation veteran of the Tokugawa shogunate, this suggestion was prudent and prudent, and he did not take risks rashly. It took care of both ends. It was indeed a good idea. The other daimyo also thought that Tokugawa Nao This method of justice is good. After all, there is still more than a month of food and grass, so there is no need to be so short.
Seeing that everyone agreed with Tokugawa Naoyoshi's opinion, Sakai Tadakatsu also immediately ordered that Tokugawa Yorinobu and Tokugawa Tsuna, who were stationed south of Nangong Mountain, join forces with a total of 60,000 troops to rescue Kofu. At the same time, he ordered Matsudaira Tsunataka to lead the three troops. Ten thousand men and horses, and 15,000 men and horses were transferred from Tokugawa Naoyi's tribe to supplement the strength of the left wing.
On August 21st, Tokugawa Yorinobu and Tokugawa Tsusushige led their troops to leave Sekigahara to rescue Kofu.
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