Not only was Hojo Ujiyasu powerful in combat, but his internal political management was far superior to that of the Kanto samurai who violently conquered and extorted money.
Odawara Castle has sufficient supplies and the family is united. The core territory of Izu and Sagami, the local samurai's heart is towards Hojo.
To conquer such a huge city, the only way is to use countless money to siege and despair people's hearts. But who has so much gold, silver and food, enough to kill the deeply entrenched Hojo family?
At the foot of Odawara Castle, Yoshigan Shiba reached out his hand to catch a crystal snowflake. He frowned and looked to the sky. The first snow this year came later than usual.
Hojo Ujiyasu didn't care about his face and wrote letters to various samurai families to plead for time. They also kept the walls clear and turned a blind eye to the actions of the Kwantung Allied Forces that wreaked havoc on the territory.
She had been waiting for this belated winter snow. Although it was a little late, it finally made her wait. This time it was really troublesome.
Yiyin was staring blankly at the huge city under the snow, thinking about something on his mind, when there was a sound of footsteps behind him.
"I can't find you anywhere, so you are here to watch the snow."
Yoshigan turned around and saw Terutora Uesugi approaching with a smile on his face. He asked directly without being polite to her.
"How did things go?"
Uesugi Teru's face froze and he said unhappy.
"Of course the original verdict is upheld. Who does Narita Chotae think she is? There is justice in everything. I uphold justice and will not accommodate one family."
Yoshigan sighed, knowing that Terutora Uesugi chose to use brute force to suppress public opinion. He came out to look at Odawara Castle from afar, but he was troubled by the dispute between Uesugi Teruhu and Narita Choyasu and didn't want to get involved.
As the Kanto samurai family raised troops to follow Terutora Uesugi, the military strength became larger and larger, but the internal conflicts became more and more acute.
For example, this time, a head-on conflict broke out between Narita Choyasu, the Ninja Castle of North Musashi, and Uesugi Terutora over the ownership of the Hanyu Territory.
The Tone River flows north-south in the central and northern part of Ueno Province. After entering the south, it begins to flow southeast, becoming the natural dividing line between Ueno and Musashi.
From west to east on the north bank are the territories occupied by the Echigo army, including the Kanayama territory of Roshige Shige and the Tatebayashi territory of Ashikaga Tocho. The location of this conflict was Hanyu Territory on the other side of Tatebayashi Territory.
The Narita family of Ninja Castle in North Musashi saw the defeat of Hojo's army, so they took advantage of the situation and raised their troops to join Uesugi Terutora's camp.
The goal of his family governor Narita Chotai after he went out was Hanyu Castle near Ninja Castle. She quickly captured the fertile land of Hanyu Territory and expanded her power in Kitamashi on the south bank of the Tone River.
Uesugi Teruhu did not want too strong a force to appear along the Tone River where Ueno Musashi and the two countries handed over.
Yura Shige on the north bank has made her feel very uncomfortable, and Narita Nagayasu on the south bank has expanded rapidly, which naturally makes her unhappy.
Terutora Uesugi used the excuse that Hanyu Castle belonged to the Hirota family before the invasion of the Hojo family, and asked Narita Choyasu to withdraw from the Hanyu territory and return the property to its original owner. When the Guangtian family saw that there was such a good thing, of course they wanted it.
Narita Chotai provided money, food and military strength, and finally won the Hanyu Territory. Uesugi Teruhu asked her to hand it over, and he went crazy on the spot.
The two sides were very unhappy.
Although Terutora Uesugi is the leader recognized by the coalition forces, the Narita family of Ninja City is also a powerful samurai family of North Musashi. If one issue is not handled well, it will affect the ideas and positions of many small and medium-sized martial artists.
But it's really hard for Sibo Yiyin to interfere in this matter. Nominally, this is the Kanto leader training his people, and he represents the shogunate. It is not good to mediate, so he might as well come out to make trouble.
Yoshigan glanced at the proud Terutora Uesugi, knowing that she finally chose to force herself, and couldn't help but sigh.
The Kanto samurai family are all slippery people who don't get up early for no profit, and Uesugi Teruhu has a domineering temper. There will be more and more conflicts in the future.
Ninja Castle Narita Choyasu took advantage of the Kanto War to expand territory. This was not an isolated case, but something that Kanto warriors from all over the country were scrambling to do.
Teruhora Uesugi can hold down one, but can he hold down everyone? She felt it was unfair to only suppress one person, Narita Chotae, and wanted to make a fuss. Suppress them all, and a group of people will feel that Echigo is suppressing Sekihashishu.
Sibo Yiyin also feels troubled by these local snakes. It doesn’t work if you don’t use it, it will cause trouble when you use it. If we really want to suppress it violently, the death of the rabbit and the fox will weaken the morale of the army.
But sometimes, I still can't get used to the Kanto martial arts family. They had taken away all the benefits. Why did Uesugi Teruhora and Shiba Yoshigoshi come to the Kanto Plain? Doing charity? How to appease the Echigo samurai family?
Yoshihiro was also conflicted. It was inappropriate to accuse Uesugi Teruhu of being too tough, but it was also inappropriate for the two sides to continue to have conflicts.
Uesugi Teruhora didn't think as much as Shiba Yoshigan. She looked at Odawara Castle and sighed.
"When I went south, I never thought that the Hojo family would build such a huge city. It would be really troublesome."
Yiyin said.
“Information says that Odawara Castle is a majestic and difficult-to-break fortress, but I still half believe it.
Now it seems that the idea of taking over Odawara Castle in one fell swoop is difficult to realize, so we can only try to do it slowly. "
Teruhora Uesugi frowned, and she heard a hint of retreat in Shiba Yoshigan's words.
"Mr. Kenshin, I am not willing to go back empty-handed after you and I finally reached Odawara Castle."
Yiyin looked at her and advised.
“The purpose of retracting your fist is to swing it out more powerfully next time.
The first snow of winter has arrived, and the following snow season will be even more difficult. Once the river is frozen and water transportation is blocked, what will happen to the logistics and supplies?
It's better to stop here and fight again next spring. "
Spo Yiyin wanted to withdraw his troops mainly for two reasons.
First, this time going south, Echigo has already gained a lot of territory. Military achievements must be calculated, rewards must be distributed, and territory must be divided.
Everyone comes out to fight and seek benefits. Do it all at once, second time tired, third time exhausted. Seeing only victory but no division, military morale cannot last long.
For a long-term plan, go back first to distribute the benefits, rectify the Echigo samurai group, and fight again in the spring of next year, which will better mobilize the fighting spirit of the Echigo army.
Secondly, the army traveled a long distance through Ueno and Musashi to reach Sagami Country to fight. The cost of maintaining this logistical supply line was too terrifying.
The Kwantung Allied Forces were claimed to be one hundred thousand, of which less than ten thousand were Echigo. This time Echigo went all out to move south, and the number of troops who crossed the Echigo Mountains was about 12,000 soldiers.
The Numata Territory in the northern part of Ueno Province is the gathering point for dispatching troops, and the Ubashi Territory in the middle has become an advance base. These two bridgeheads extending from Echigo to Kanto must be guarded.
Therefore, there were less than 10,000 Echigo warriors following the march, and the rest were miscellaneous soldiers mobilized by samurai families from various places.
In order to win the hearts and minds of the Kanto people with the Hojo family, Yoshigan Shiba purchased a large amount of grain for the Kanto strategy during preparations for Echigo.
However, this food was only enough to supply the Echigo army. The samurai families from various places who followed the battle had to prepare their own military supplies.
There is a severe drought in the Guandong Plain this year, and the harvest is less than half of previous years, and in many places there is even no harvest. These Kwantung warriors were able to mobilize so many troops just to find food.
If there was no food to eat at home, everyone would rush to the Hojo family's territory to search for it. The Hojo family was famous for being good at internal affairs, and their territory was the most prosperous in Kanto.
Wherever the army goes, at best it is said to be feeding the enemy, at worst it is to grab whatever it goes.
The Hojo family clung to the city and the villages outside the city turned into a hell on earth. Yoshigan Shiba couldn't stand it anymore.
He knew that he had done his best, at least the Echigo army was not involved. But wherever he glanced, he saw tragedies in the world, and how could he bear it.
With the arrival of winter snow, water transport supplies were in danger of being frozen, and Odawara Castle was difficult to conquer. Then it would be better to withdraw the troops and go back to rest and wait until next spring to fight again.
The Echigo side had the upper hand, and the Hojo family territory was again ravaged and destroyed. Just one winter, Hojo Uyasu couldn't get over it.
But Teru Uesugi's idea was different, she said.
"Mr. Qianxin, have you ever heard of King Chu of the Celestial Dynasty?"
"Xiang Yu?"
"Exactly."
Terutora Uesugi pointed at Odawara Castle and said.
"Hojo Yasuya is old and strong, cunning like a fox, and is a formidable opponent. Give her a winter and spring, and God knows what tricks she will come up with.
Back then, the King of Chu showed mercy to Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty. As a result, he was ambushed from all sides. He returned to Jiangdong shamelessly and had no choice but to commit suicide.
Now that I am besieging Odawara Castle with an army of 100,000, it is time to destroy the Hojo family in one go. Retreating at this time is to give Hojo Ujiyasu a chance to breathe.
The alliance of the Takeda, Imagawa, and Hojo families collapsed, the Sano leader was defeated, and the Hojo family had no soldiers and no strong reinforcements from the outside. If you don't defeat it while it's weak, it will be even more difficult to deal with in the future.
Food from Umbashi Castle is still being delivered continuously, and the Tone River, Tama River, Sagami River, and Hojo Castle along the rivers only dare to defend. Before the water transportation was frozen, the military supplies were enough to sustain us.
Don't miss this opportunity, Mr. Qianxin. "
Teruhora Uesugi could still clearly see the little thoughts of Shiba Yoshigan. After all, his sweetheart was a man, and he was soft-hearted and could not tolerate the cruel strategy of feeding the enemy.
Uesugi Teruhora compromised in Echigo. All the food and grass for the Echigo army were transported by water, which showed the Kanto samurai family's strong financial resources and upright image, and it was also a big gain.
But it is one thing to accommodate your sweetheart, and another thing to be kind to your husband.
Others are robbing food and doing her dirty work? Others burned, killed, looted, and did her dirty work? The current situation is a once-in-a-lifetime situation, and Uesugi Teruhu doesn’t want to miss it.
Most of Hojo's elite were left in the Sano Territory by Hojo Ujiyasu's prodigal daughter. The Hojo family's allies, the Imagawa family, almost lost their territory, and the Takeda family turned against each other.
Hojo Ujiyasu looked around and saw that no one could rely on him. He only had a bad hand.
The Kwantung Allied Forces are a mob. These people are more likely to fail than succeed, but they are also powerful in numbers. As long as a hundred thousand troops were still in the Hojo family territory, Hojo Ujiyasu would not dare to leave the city.
The villages outside the city were tortured by these Kanto warriors for a whole winter, and Hojo Ujiyasu's hard work in cultivating the territory over the years was all in vain.
Without the reinforcements from the Imagawa family and the Takeda family, why would Uesugi Terutora retreat after being surrounded for a few days. She could take her time and reduce the core territory of the Hojo family to ruins.
Anyway, this blame will be shouldered by the evil Kanto samurai family. The Echigo army is a righteous army with logistical supplies. Uesugi Teruhu's reputation and image will not be damaged.
Teruhora Uesugi kept mumbling the reasons for his objections, but refused to retreat. Shiba Yiyin's heart was cold, and the snowflakes hit his face and turned into a few drops of water.
Uesugi Teruhora always looked like a flattering dog in front of him, but deep down, she was still a ruthless samurai family daimyo.
In her heart, she did not regard the villagers in the village as human beings at all, and the lives of untouchables were worthless in the eyes of these famous people.
Four words came to Yiyin's mind: people are like grass. His stomach suddenly turned upside down, and he almost wanted to vomit, but he couldn't vomit it out.
Uesugi Teruhu asked with a worried look on his face while supporting him.
"Mr. Qianxin, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell?"
Sibo Yiyin gently broke away from her hand and looked at her sincere eyes, filled with a sense of absurdity in his heart.
This same person could care deeply about me, but turn a blind eye to the tragedies happening dozens of miles around.
Yiyin looked up at the sky and smiled. Humans are really complex animals.
"It's okay, I'm just a little nauseous."
The tearing feeling in Yoshigan's heart became stronger and stronger. From the standpoint of the samurai family, Teru Uesugi's decision was correct.
But this correctness is based on the hell of countless civilians wailing. Since ancient times, fame, fortune and wealth have all been the bones of untouchables in dire straits.
The people are prosperous and suffer. If they die, the people will suffer.
The utilitarianism and humanity in Yoshigine's heart were still at war. At this moment, several war horses came running from a distance and rushed straight towards Yoshigashi Shiba and Terutora Uesugi.
The Hatamoto Hime samurai who were on guard around them nervously approached the two masters and blocked the intruders.
In front of the 100,000-strong army camp, the two lords were not worried that the coming people would be detrimental to them. But the war horse came closer and saw Warrior Ji clearly on the horse, and they both frowned.
Ishida Mitsunari and Naoe Kanetsugu reined up their horses and jumped off their horses almost at the same time, walking in front of the two lords and saluting, their expressions solemn.
Yiyin's heart beat faster and he became more and more uneasy.
When going into battle, the most important thing is logistical supplies. The Echigo army had to cross the Echigo Mountains and enter the Kanto Plain to fight. The logistics stretched for hundreds of miles, which was the top priority.
Echigo's unique dual-headed political situation made the logistics composition unique.
The Kanto Servants' Office, headed by Ohkuma Asahide, and the Uesugi Servants headed by Naoe Keizuna, the elder of the Uesugi family, are responsible for managing the logistics line.
As their adjutants, Ishida Mitsunari and Naoe Kanetsugu bear very important responsibilities. What happened that requires these two people to come together to see it?
The two of them bowed to the ground and bowed, and Yiyin couldn't help but ask.
"Why are you two here?"
Ishida Mitsunari glanced at the audience, stepped forward and whispered.
"Please, my lord, step aside first."
Yoshiyin raised his hand, and the Kamo clan sent out more than ten steps of guard with all the guards. Terutora Uesugi nodded towards her leader, and she followed suit.
Ishida Mitsunari said eagerly when he saw that everyone had dispersed.
"Urgent news came from Kyoto. Miyoshi and three others went to Luo and captured Nijo Castle. General Ashikaga was killed in the battle."
"What!"
Shiba Yiyin felt cold all over and couldn't help but tremble.
The wind and snow outside the city were getting bigger and bigger. He was messy in the wind, his mind was blank, he had lost the ability to think, and he just repeated questions.
Ashikaga Yoshiteru is dead? That arrogant general. . The woman who said she wanted to marry me. . Is she dead?
After a brief blank period, countless thoughts collided and exploded in Yiyin's mind, giving him a splitting headache. Yiyin couldn't help but lower his head, and two lines of tears flowed down his cheeks.
This arrogant guy, as long as she puts down her weapon, who would dare to kill General Ashikaga? Just be patient and wait for me to go back. Wait for me to go back and help you, you big idiot!
