Sagami Terrace, Yoshiin Honjin Formation.
As the sun sets, the beautiful scenery is picturesque. Yiyin is still in a leisurely mood in the battle formation. Appreciating the beauty of this spring is naturally because everything goes well.
The troops in the middle and lower reaches of the Tone River continue to move closer to him, and their number has exceeded 2,000. They will arrive faster and faster. Within five days, 10,000 people are expected to come to see Juyi.
On the other side of the Furukawa Territory, there was still no movement from Satake Yoshige. It had been fifteen days. This general, known as the Ghost of Kanto, had not noticed anything unusual yet, which made Yoshige feel contemptuous.
Naomasa Ii has already returned from the Imperial Palace in Echigo Province on horseback. The round trip only lasted fifteen days. This little girl was really hardworking. Three of her horses were killed. She was eating, drinking, and sleeping on the horse.
The most important thing is not her loyalty and uprightness, but her perfect performance in provoking generals in the Imperial Palace Council, which instantly ignited the common hatred of the entire Kanto Palace Warrior family.
Kenshin Uesugi made the trap completely ineffective for Yoshigan, and he had to follow the general trend and mobilize south to rescue Yoshigan.
Yoshigan felt happy, no matter how unruly and cunning you Uesugi Kenshin was, you used your daughter to irritate me. In the end, you just bowed your head and drank my foot-washing water. If you have the ability, don't love me and leave me alone.
The defeated Yoshigan welcomed the Hojo envoy from Edo Castle again. Daidaiji Temple was prosperous and mature. He respectfully stated that he would obey the saint's will and be ready to cross the river at any time to cooperate with Yoshigan to attack Fangso's coalition forces.
Kirikage Saizo has found out that the Boso coalition forces besieging Taicheng, the national capital, have Satomi Yoshihiro as the general, and their military strength is about 12,000 people.
The Hojo family's current strength in Edo Castle is almost 10,000 men. This is the figure after the strength was reduced by half due to insufficient mobilization during the spring plowing season.
As for Yiyin, it is expected that the number of troops will reach tens of thousands or even 15,000 within five days. The two combined have already doubled the strength of the Fangzong coalition.
Yoshihiro was in a good mood now, and after only waiting for four or five days, he went south to Changsaku and forced Satomi Yoshihiro, who was besieging Taicheng, the national capital, to fight to a decisive battle.
As long as Satomi Yoshihiro is quickly defeated and all the military forces in the southern part of the Lower Kingdom are unified, the more than 20,000 troops in Yoshigan's hands will be enough to fight to the end with the Oriental Army's northern front troops led by Satake Yoshige.
When the spring plowing was over, reinforcements from all walks of life in the Kanto Palace arrived, making it easy to defeat the Dongfang army.
Yiyin was admiring the sunset and thinking about sweet dreams. The rice ball in his hand seemed to be more fragrant, and he happily ate his dinner.
At this moment, rapid footsteps came from outside the curtain, making Yiyin frown slightly and put down his dinner.
The Tongxin people who were guarding the outside rushed in with a beleaguered envoy. The man kowtowed to the ground and was panting.
Naomasa Ii, who was serving Yoshigan, stepped out and scolded.
"What's going on? Why did you disturb the Holy Master and show your disobedience to the Emperor?"
The man kowtowed and apologized.
"I'm very sorry! But the military situation is extremely urgent, and the foreign minister dare not delay at all!"
Yiyin took a closer look at the man's face, which was covered in dust and dirt, and felt that he looked familiar.
"Are you... the Mamiya sent by the Hojo family before?"
"Hi! Foreign minister Mamiya has met the saint!"
"What's wrong? What happened?"
The man seemed to be speechless and sighed.
“Sage, something big has happened.
Hojo Yasunari and Hojo Yasuge refused to obey the rules and united with part of the Edo Castle army to attack without authorization and crossed the Edogawa River at Yagiri.
They want to start a war with Chiba's army in Taicheng, the national capital, and the allied forces of Bosou.
Master Daidaiji Shengmao received the news later and hurriedly led people to pursue reinforcements, but was forced to engage in a fierce battle with the Satomi army at the ferry.
Unexpectedly, the enemy had already ambushed us. When our army was halfway across the river, all the ambush troops came out and attacked us halfway across the river. Our army suffered heavy casualties and was forced to retreat to Edo Castle. "
Yiyin stood up from the horse all of a sudden. Because he stood up too fast, he felt dizzy due to lack of oxygen in his brain. One word echoed repeatedly in his mind: "下克上".
The Hojo clan is infatuated with him, and the top leaders of the Hojo retainers are in awe of him, but this does not mean that the Hojo family has completely surrendered to Shiba's divine power.
It had only been five or six years since Yoshigan led his troops to kill many important officials of the Hojo family in Sano Territory. However, the husbands and children of these people were still there, and even their children had grown up and were on their own.
Yoshihiro also knows the internal situation of the Hojo family and knows the dissatisfaction of the Hojo Young Faction.
But the Hojo family has always been known for its unity, and the young faction has always been suppressed by the steady old people, so Yoshihiro didn't pay much attention to it.
As long as the Hojo clan and the higher-ups are willing to move closer to Yoshigan and then give birth to a Shiba god descendant who belongs to the Hojo family, then the integration of the Hojo family into the Shiba theocratic system is a sure thing.
This is beneficial to both parties. When the young people get older and have more interests, they will naturally let go of the obsession of young people and make more rational choices for the future.
But Yoshigan never expected that Daidaiji Shengmao would be unable to restrain these turbulent Hojo Young Boys and cause such a huge defeat at this time.
Knowing the news of the disastrous defeat of the Hojo family, the alarm bells in Yoshigan's heart rang, and worries about near and far came to his mind.
Recently, the Chiba Army in Kokudai Castle did not know that Yoshigan had secretly arrived at Sagamidai and was gathering troops.
The national capital of Taicheng was willing to insist. It was because they had sent envoys to ask for help from the Hojo family and knew that the Hojo family's reinforcements were outside, so they unswervingly defended the city.
But now, the reinforcements of the Hojo family were defeated miserably at the ferry. The Chiba army, which was preparing to join forces inside and outside the city, suffered a lot of losses and its morale was greatly reduced.
Once the Chiba family loses their fighting spirit and chooses to surrender to Satomi Yoshihiro, Yoshihiro will be in great trouble.
The island country lacks siege weapons, so sieges focus on siege and attacking the heart. Taicheng, the national capital, is an important town with tight defenses.
Once the Chiba family is shaken, Kaesong surrenders, and Boso's coalition forces enter Taicheng, the national capital, there is no guarantee that Yoshihiro Satomi can be defeated in a short time.
Field battles and sieges were completely different in terms of difficulty and time consumption. Behind Yoshigina, there was also the presence of Yoshige Satake who might notice something was wrong at any time.
If Yoshigan is wasted at the foot of the national capital, Yoshige, and when Satake Yishige discovers something is wrong and goes south to join the war, Yoshigan will have to face the embarrassment of being flanked.
If Yoshiyin had no choice but to retreat from Edogawa, this anticlimactic battle for the righteousness would severely damage his invincible image.
But if they are forced to face the enemy on both sides and start a war with the Eastern Army on the north and south lines led by Satake Satomi at the same time, the risk will be too great.
It can be said that the failure of this adventure of the Hojo family's young faction has completely disrupted Yoshigan's wishful thinking.
This is just a short-term worry, there are also long-term concerns.
If the young faction of the Hojo family takes a risk and returns with a disastrous defeat, they will inevitably be severely suppressed by the Hojo retainers, and may even be devastated.
Don't think that the weakness of the young group is a good thing for Yiyin.
In fact, Hojo Ushimasa himself was also a fourth-generation young man, but he was more tolerant than the radical young men of Hojo Yasunari.
The Hojo family has been in business for four generations, and many hidden dangers have been highlighted. The second and third generations hold the power in the family, and the fourth generation has difficulty in getting ahead. There is a gerontocracy in the family, which is lifeless.
Hojo Ujiyasu was a hero of the generation. When she was alive, she could bridge the differences between the old and the young and control the big ship of the Hojo family, but the politics of the Hojo clan was far behind.
Even though he and Hojo Ujimasa had slept together and had a close relationship, Yoshigan still believed that as the governor of the house, Hojo Ujimasa's methods were far inferior to her mother's sophistication.
Yoshigan wants the Hojo family, a divine descendant, to be a Hojo family under the control of himself and the Hojo clan's masa's heirs, rather than a weak and strong minister controlled by the Hojo retainers.
The Hojo retainers threw out the Hojo clan's political affairs and wanted to take advantage of the Shiba Goddess, but Yoshigan also hoped to occupy the magpie's nest and let his children lead the future of the Hojo family.
After all, the Hojo clan was governed by the fourth generation, and it was also a legitimate family governor. The resentment of the young faction could be bribed and resolved with benefits. If the benefits were in place and implemented slowly, there would be no unsolvable political knots.
Therefore, the confrontation between the old and the young in the Hojo family is a good thing for Yoshigan and the Hojo clan. On the contrary, it will completely destroy the young faction. The old man will dominate the family, which will be a disaster in the future.
The recklessness of the young group made Yiyin fall into anxiety about long-term and immediate worries. He was thinking about how to deal with it when there was another commotion outside.
Kirikage Saizo rushed into the formation, knelt in front of Yoshiyin, fell to the ground and shouted.
"Saint! Something happened?"
Yiyin sighed.
"what happened again?"
"At noon today, Satake Yoshige has occupied Edogawa Terrace and is approaching Kogane Castle. All crossing points along the Edogawa River have been harassed and attacked.
Satakeyoshi sent cavalry to harass and burn supplies along the way, disrupting the rhythm of subsequent river crossings. The horses of each family lacked command and it was difficult to form a joint force. They were in chaos on the other side and could not cross the river. "
Yiyin grabbed Wuying Caizang, stared into her eyes, and asked sternly.
"Why did Satake Yishige suddenly go south? Why didn't you get any information from your side? Did she fly here? Bastard!"
Yiyin threw Wuying Caizang to the ground, Wuying Caizang kowtowed.
"I'm very sorry. The latest intelligence shows that Satake Yoshige discovered something was wrong five days ago. The large group of troops had already withdrawn from Furukawa City and was lurking in Sekisuku City in the south.
Satake Yishige ordered a small number of troops to wave the flag and set up camp under Furukawa Castle. He also sent people into the city several times to negotiate, but Furukawa Castle did not notice at all.
By the time we discovered that the camp below the city was empty yesterday, it was already too late. The ninjas on the northern front rushed to send back the information, but it was still delayed for a day.
Sekijuku Castle is a transfer station for supplies in the middle reaches of the Tone River. There are so many people coming and going these days, so few people are alert. Satake Yishige attacked the city in a surprise attack and captured it in one fell swoop!
After taking Sekijuku Castle, Satake Yoshitaka led his troops directly south, crossed Edogawadai, and directed his troops towards Kogane Castle. The ferries along the way were destroyed by raids, making it difficult for the rebels to cross the river!
Everyone in Xiaojincheng is already in panic, please ask the saint to make a quick decision! "
Yiyin took a deep breath. The situation took a turn for the worse. Something went wrong in the north and south at the same time. It was really fatal.
After the defeat of the Chiba Army in Taicheng, the national capital, their morale was low, and they didn't know how long they could hold on.
The Gao Chengjun in Xiaojincheng was already weak in fighting spirit, and now they might be secretly discussing surrender.
The Hojo family's army in Edo Castle had just suffered a defeat. Yoshigami only had 2,000 men in hand, and the subsequent rebel army would not be able to get through.
The right time, the right place, the right people, and neither of them are on Yiyin's side. He is in big trouble!
what to do? what to do!
Yiyin slowly exhaled. He knew that the matter had come to this, and it was not all Wuying's fault.
Satake Yoshige is worthy of being called the Ghost of Kanto. It only took ten days for him to realize that Yoshigan was not in Furukawa City. He secretly attacked Chencang and caught Yoshigan off guard.
The Kanto Secrecy Team only had fifteen days to establish military intelligence. The southern front was blocking the Monogami Ninjutsu of the Bosou coalition, and the northern front was still busy investigating Yoshige Satake's movements.
Yoshigami asked for too much and bit off more than he could chew, so the tragic defeat of the Hojo family and the unusual movements of Satake Yoshige were not detected.
Sighing, Yiyin lowered his body, patted Wuying Caizang's shoulder, and said.
"Thank you for your hard work. I asked too much, so I shouldn't blame you."
Kirikage Caizou was moved to tears.
The Ninjas are generally not looked down upon by the Wu family. The treatment and status of the Shiba Ninjas are already at the top of the Ninjas of each family. Now that something has gone wrong, the Sage does not blame him, but blames himself and embarrasses others.
Wuying just crouched on the ground and kowtowed.
"The saint is not wrong, but his subordinates are incompetent and have failed to live up to the respect of the saint!"
Yiyin shook his head and said.
"Satake Yishige has not yet arrived at Xiaoganicheng, and you are already standing in front of me to report this urgent military situation. You are meritorious."
After saying that, Yoshigami turned his attention to Banma Palace, the envoy of the Hojo family who came to report, and said in a deep voice.
"What are the losses to the Hojo family?"
Mamiya bowed and said.
"There were probably more than 10,000 troops before the Edo Castle war. We haven't counted the casualties yet, but they should be no less than 8,000.
Hojo Yasunari and Hojo Yasuzhong's Huangban Red Banners were all elites and their losses were not big. The main reason was that the Edo people who were instigated were killed a lot and their fighting spirit was low.
In addition, because of this defeat, Lord Daidaiji Morimasa has launched a military meeting in Edo Castle to severely punish the rebellion of the underlord. The whole army is panicked and morale is low. "
Yiyin nodded.
The Hojo Army did not hurt its muscles and bones, but its people and morale. In particular, the direct lineage of the Hojo clan acted without authorization and overpowered the superiors, severely damaging the morale of the army.
Come to think of it, there is still a chance.
Yiyin looked at Pu Sheng's hometown and said in a deep voice.
"Ujigo, the situation is urgent. I want to cross the river to Edo Castle immediately. You can lead the troops here for me to go north to Kogane Castle."
Pu Shengshi said anxiously.
"Sage, Satake Yoshitaka is heading south. The coast of Edogawa is no longer safe. You cannot take risks."
Yiyin shook his head.
"No matter how fast Satake Yoshige's cavalry is, they will not have reached the downstream coast. I took a few followers to cross the river quickly, so safety is not a problem.
Don't worry about me yet. I have a difficult task for you, which is related to the success or failure of this battle and my safety. "
Pu Shengshixiang immediately knelt down and said to the ground.
"I am willing to go through fire and water for the saint, no matter what!"
Yiyin nodded.
"good!
The rebels in the middle and lower reaches of the Tone River were blocked by Satake Yishige and found it difficult to cross the river for a while. I'm going to Edo Castle to reorganize the Hojo army and wait for an opportunity to fight again with Boso's coalition forces.
I will hand over all the two thousand rebels that have been assembled in Sagamidai to you, and you will take them to Kogane Castle. I want you to guard Xiaojin City for me and block the enemy forces on the northern front until the war on the southern front is over.
I grant you full authority. Regardless of whether the Gaocheng family in Xiaojincheng is weak in will or the rebels in the periphery are not listening to the command, you can act cheaply and kill first and then report later! "
Yiyin has no choice now. He has no soldiers in his hand, so he can't rush to Fangzong's coalition forces alone to open Wushuang, right?
The Hojo family has not suffered any injuries. As long as they can bridge the differences between the old men like Daidaiji Morimasa and the young men like Hojo Yasunari, they will still have the strength to fight again.
But if Yiyin wants to turn the tide on the southern front, it must ensure that the enemy troops on the northern front cannot go south.
Satake Yoshige has arrived at Edo Kawadai. After she clears the river bank and blocks the rebels' crossing, she will definitely continue south, capture Xiaojin Castle, and fight to the national capital Taicheng.
Xiaojincheng is far not as big as Guofutai City Wall Gaocheng, but Yiyin needs Xiaojincheng to hold on. Even if Xiaojincheng’s Gaocheng retainers want to surrender, that won’t work!
Kamao Clan Village must lead the 2,000 rebels assembled here in Sagamidai to suppress the capitulationists in the small village of Kogane Castle, a place they are unfamiliar with, and withstand an onslaught of ten times more enemy troops.
If it weren't for the last resort, Yiyin would never have made this decision and pushed the men such as the Kamo family and other close men, as well as the Miaoyin monks, into that dangerous situation.
But Yiyin has nothing to do at this moment and can only fight hard.
Kamao clan obviously understood this, biting his index finger and swearing to the sky.
"Don't worry, saint, our Kamao clan is still alive, and Satake Yishige can't even think of crossing Xiaojin Castle!"
