At the same time, Geshan City.
Chibei of the Hojo family pushed the siege equipment built in two days in front of the east gate of Katsurayama Castle and attacked the city in a devastating manner. Not long ago, Kazuyama Bei was a subordinate of the Hojo family. He had just defected due to the defeat and was about to fight against his former colleagues under the command of the new temporary family governor, Kazuyama Ukiyoshi. Whether it was morale or fighting spirit, Ge Shanbei was extremely depressed. After a few hasty resistance, he was rushed into the city. The flags of the Imagawa clan's horsemen that were planted all over the Castle of Katsurayama did not have the effect of creating false suspicion at all, and seemed a bit ironic against the continuous influx of Hojo's scales.
"How did they know His Highness would leave today? If he hadn't left, these hundreds of soldiers would have died if they came to attack the city." While commanding the troops to resist, Katsurayama Ukiyo also had to be wary of the pro-Hojo faction under his command taking the opportunity to cause trouble. , already very worried, "Has His Highness's people not come back yet? Where are our messengers?"
"When the messengers arrived at Ashigarayama, His Highness had already rushed into the formation. We couldn't contact our people, so we had to leave one to wait, and the other came back first!" Katsurayama Ujikiyo's attendant looked solemn, "Sir, we really can't do it. Just evacuate.”
"How is that possible?" Ujikiyo Katsurayama loudly refused without hesitation, "If we withdraw, what will happen to Katsurayama Castle that has been passed down from generation to generation? The Hojo family has occupied Katsurayama Castle, but they cannot produce any heirs of the Katsurayama family. If I inherit it, won’t Katsurayama Castle fall into the hands of others? If that’s the case, it’s better to let my brother and the pro-Hojo faction regain power, and at least keep the family crest and territory of the Katsurayama family!”
"Why haven't you come back, Your Highness? If you don't come back, the city will really be lost..." The Kazuyama clan was sweating profusely. They looked at the mountain road to the northeast again and again, but they never saw the returning red bird horse seal. At this time, Akabe of the Hojo family had already captured the East City, opened the East City gate, and launched a massive attack on the Katsurayama Castle Castle Tower. The remnants of the defeated troops of the Kazuyama family had no choice but to gather around Honmaru and linger, waiting eagerly for Imagawa Yoshimoto's return - but they didn't know that Imagawa Yoshimoto was still far away on the mountain road.
"Bite your teeth and bear it! Your Highness will come back!" Katsurayama Ujikiyo stood at the top of the Honmaru Castle and personally fought with the Hojo family's Akabi who was rushing up. At the same time, he shouted: "If we lose here? Aren't all those who died before been in vain? do you died?"
However, no matter how hard Kasama Ujikiyo tried, Kasama Bei still retreated steadily in the face of Chi Bei's attacks, and soon even Honmaru's position was lost. Katsurayama Ujikiyo had no choice but to lead his subordinates to retreat into the castle tower in an attempt to make a last-ditch effort - and many samurai who were originally pro-Hojo faction seemed to have begun to prepare for an uprising on the battlefield. The family surrendered.
At this critical moment, the Hojo family's offensive suddenly stalled. Immediately afterwards, people continued to retreat from outside the castle tower, turning around and running towards the east of the city. Katsurayama Shikiyo was pleasantly surprised and quickly climbed to the top of the castle tower to take a look. Only then did he realize that an army had come out of the northwest mountainous area at some point - that was from the direction of Kai, under the banner of Takeda Hishi!
The group of people who arrived had about 200 riders. They rushed out of the mountain road without hesitation and headed directly for the auxiliary troops of the Hojo family Akabe. The Hojo family obviously did not set up sentries on the official road from Suruga to Kai, and were caught off guard by this turn of events and had no preparation. Before Akabi's soldiers could evacuate from the city, the Takeda family's knights had already rushed into the Hojo army's auxiliary troops and killed them indiscriminately, easily dispersing all the auxiliary troops.
This knight of the Takeda family did not covet the head or military exploits at all, and was not interested in the auxiliary soldiers who were fleeing in embarrassment. They turned their horses and charged towards the Hojo family soldiers at the east gate of Katsurayama Castle with great speed. The leader was not even close to the weak crown, but he was already heroic, charging forward with his sword in hand, and shouted loudly when he entered the Hojo family formation:
"I am Shirou Itogenshiro, the personal guard of the great master of the Kanto region! Among you Kanto rats, do any of you dare to fight with me?"
"People from the Takeda family?" Hojo Tsunaka couldn't help but gasped when he saw this, "How could it be so fast? The support from the Imagawa family has not yet arrived, but the people from the Takeda family have arrived? Are they from Fujiyoshida Castle?" Or from Tsugasakikan?"
Afterwards, he quickly walked up to Ninomaru's castle tower and looked towards the mountain road in the northwest direction - on the way of the Takeda family's reinforcements, large swaths of smoke and dust were faintly visible, whether it was suspicious soldiers or a large number of reinforcements.
"Takeda Daisen is unfathomable. Maybe he had anticipated the Katsurayama Castle Incident, and he might have arranged for troops to be stationed at Fujiyoshida Castle."
The samurai of Momo have always been quite afraid of Takeda Harunobu, and Hojo Tsunadaka is no exception. Thinking of this, he decisively ordered to his subordinates: "Break out to the south and join our reinforcements."
After Hojo Tsunaka's flag was waved, the red soldiers scattered in Katsurayama Castle turned and evacuated towards the south gate. Iitomi Genshiro obviously had no intention of letting them go. He led the knights of the Takeda family to chase and fight fiercely, biting the tail of the Hojo family's Akabi and not letting go. Hojo Tsunadaka felt cold sweat break out on his back - if this continues, when they retreat to the plain outside the city, with the more than 50 cavalry in his hands, there is absolutely no way they can cover under the hooves of the 200 Takeda family cavalry. The infantry and the dispersed auxiliaries were all evacuated.
"Leave one part behind." Hojo Tsunaka gritted his teeth and issued an order that was tantamount to sending his subordinates to death. However, the Hojo family samurai did not hesitate after receiving the order. They turned over and fought back to the Ninomaru neighborhood with their troops to buy time for the main force to evacuate.
"You spineless Sagami man, you would rather abandon your friendly forces and die than stay and fight to the death? With more than 300 soldiers in hand, don't you even have the courage to fight with 200 of me?" Genshiro Iitomi said to Akabe of the Hojo family. He decided to scoff, not even interested in commanding his subordinates to outflank him. He directly drew the knife in his hand and launched a fierce attack from the front towards the Hojo family's Akabe who had left behind. In about two quarters of an hour, all the Hojo Chibei who resisted were wiped out.
"Tch..." After the victory, Iitomi Genshiro looked disdainfully at the body of the Hojo family's Akabi lying on the ground. He waved his hand and signaled his subordinates to start cleaning the battlefield - these captured weapons and weapons were of great use to the poor Kaidu. It's quite a bit of income. He casually threw a bunch of heads tied around his waist to the army for inspection, while he knelt down and rummaged through the red and red robes on a bare corpse. I tried to untie it twice but could not untie the rope. Iitomi Genshiro simply pulled hard and pulled off the shoulder armor of the body with his arms. Regardless of the blood splashed all over, he took off all the body armor from the corpse.
Genshiro Iitomi picked up the red tuna, weighed it, and struck it twice with the back of the knife. Then he lifted it up with satisfaction and looked at the bright red blood flowing down the texture against the sunlight.
"The color of this foot is good, like blood." Iitomi Genshiro smacked his lips, and then looked at the broken arm and limbs on the ground, "But the person wearing the foot is not very good at wearing it, so it can't show the majesty of this foot."
·
In the evening, Imagawa Yoshimoto finally hurried back to Kazuyama Castle. On his way back, he received a warning from Katsurayama Castle and thought that Katsurayama Castle had been lost. However, he unexpectedly discovered Takeda Hisi's flag and Takeda Harunobu's own horse seal at the head of Katsurayama Castle.
"Is he pretending to be a suspicious soldier?" Imagawa Yoshimoto secretly speculated, but after entering the city, he immediately saw Takeda Harunobu himself in the castle tower.
"Torachiyo, why are you here?" Imagawa Yoshimoto was startled.
"Master Yukisai asked us for help, saying that our place is close to Katsurayama Castle." Takeda Harunobu crossed his arms, tilted his head and looked at Imagawa Yoshimotochi, "What do you mean, Goro, you are on the front line, I didn't expect you to really On the "front line". "
"Yeah, I'm exhausted. Half my life is gone." Imagawa Yoshimoto glanced at the dirty clothes and armor on his body and wished he could take a shower immediately.
"I heard from your Imagawa family retainers that you used that iron cannon?" Takeda Harunobu looked over Imagawa Yoshimoto's shoulder to the dark barrel of the gun carried on his back, "Use it on horseback? To harass the opponent's infantry. To slow down the march?”
"It's not all on horseback. It's just on horseback when maneuvering. If you really want to reload, you still have to stop, and to shoot, you have to dismount." Imagawa Yoshimoto touched the barrel of the gun behind his back, which still had some residual warmth.
"Then when someone chases you with cavalry, what do you do? Do you fight back with bows and arrows?" Takeda Harunobu seems to be quite interested in these questions, and he has the momentum to break the casserole and ask the truth.
"Don't talk about this for now. I'll talk to you in detail another day." Imagawa Yoshimoto waved his hand, and then pointed to the garrison of the Takeda family in Honmaruchi, "You only came with 200 horses?"
"Yes, there are cavalry running on the mountain road behind with broomsticks tied to them, deliberately causing smoke and dust." Takeda Harunobu nodded matter-of-factly, "If you ask for help in a hurry, how can you mobilize the army? The main force behind wants to come to Hedong, at least Got ten
Day and half a month. "
"Then you're not afraid of being stuck in this lonely city alone?"
"What are you afraid of?" Takeda Harunobu dismissed Imagawa Yoshimoto's worries, "This Katsurayama Castle is the chessboard. With Katsurayama Castle in your hands, the Hojo family will no longer have a foothold in Kadong. If nothing else, he It is difficult for the two armies to join forces now, and they are completely separated by the Katsurayama Castle. If the lion is wise, he should retreat by himself. How can he dare to fully siege the city? Otherwise, as soon as the Imagawa family's army arrives from the south, the Hojo family can be Half of the army is blocked on the mountain road south of Geshan Castle."
"Is it really as useful as you say?" Imagawa Yoshimoto frowned doubtfully, "My teacher also said that this Kuzuyama Castle is extremely important, and I must protect it at all costs."
"Of course, Kuzuyama Castle is the most important link in the mountain road around Hakone Mountain. Taking Katsurayama Castle is equivalent to cutting off this road around the mountain. From now on, the Hojo family will be unable to attack on two fronts, and the two armies have no way* **He. And if the troops from Sagami all go south, the traffic in Hakone is so limited, his army will have to be delayed on the road for a long time. Even if he enters Suruga, he will not dare to go north to besiege Katsurayama Castle, otherwise he will be defeated by you The troops marching east from Suruga cut off their retreat. If they leave Kuzuyama Castle alone and go directly west to the hinterland of Suruga, they may be cut off by the people heading south from Kuzuyama Castle." Takeda Harunobu pointed to the stacked peaks of Hakone to the east. Mountains, Imagawa Yoshimoto continued to gesture:
"If Sagami's troops all take the northern route to Ashigarayama, then he will not be able to obtain food and grass from Izu. The supply volume on the mountain road next to Ashigarayama is not enough for the army to move, and they still will not have enough strength to capture Katsurayama Castle. But instead Come here, if your Imagawa family wants to attack Katsurayama Castle, it will be equally difficult. You will also face the risk of being cut off by the troops from Izu and Sagami. So, this Katsurayama Castle is a nail, firmly nailed to the city. The border between Suruga, Sagami, and Izu is difficult to capture by military means, and can only be achieved through maneuvering. Whoever can capture Katsurayama Castle will control the initiative on the entire border."
