Chapter 8 Chapter Eight: Loyal and Brave Katagiri

Katagiri Katmoto went to the military camps at Mount Chamo and Okayama to deliver victory speeches, and then returned to his military tent near the Kuromon Gate.He ordered Zhemu to be moved outside the tent, and sat there motionless, staring at the scorched city of Osaka.His face was thin, his hair was disheveled, and he was as frantic as a ghost.This is definitely not because of the fatigue of fighting for days, but because he has been thinking hard all day about how to keep Toyotomi, and his heart is anxious. Katagiri was regarded as a traitor by Osaka City, and he was accused of colluding with the enemy, and everyone wanted to kill him quickly.Falling to this point, he felt worried and angry, and really envied You Le's open-mindedness.

Weaving You Le Zhai returned to the capital from Junfu, obsessed with the tea ceremony, and became a spectator of world affairs.However, Katagiri Kazumoto couldn't be so calm. The more you act, the more you will be misunderstood.He understands this very well, but still stays around Ieyasu, fighting against his will time after time with a knife and gun in his hand, unable to let go, this is his fate! In some people's eyes, Katagiri is an ordinary person who flatters Ieyasu, and lives by stealth in order to save his life.In this sense, Youle is much smarter and more comfortable than him.However, even for Youle, Jiakang protects him in every possible way.This makes Qiyuan hopeful-Ieyasu will not take Xiu Lai's life.

Love again In today's world, generals are in charge of government affairs as the pillars of samurai. Therefore, as long as they are samurai, no matter who they are, they should obey the orders of the shogunate.When the Taige was in power, although Ieyasu had a territory of 2,557,000 shi and a huge army, he still served the Taige as the elder.But now, as a daimyo, Hideyori cannot live outside of his father-in-law's rule... Although this is an easy-to-understand truth, emotionally, it is not easy to accept. From the winter campaign to this battle, Hideyori has raised the rebel flag twice.Not to mention that he is Toyotomi, even Tokugawa himself, there is no reason to forgive him.

The night sky overhead was still red. "Asusaku, I'll entrust Ashi to you!" Hideyoshi's voice seemed to echo faintly between the heaven and the earth. This is all because of Qi Yuan's incompetence!If you have enough ability to convince everyone in Toyotomi, let them understand the changes in the current situation, how can these tragedies happen now?Even during the battle of Sekigahara, Osaka Castle was spared, but now it has turned into scorched earth.This city was built by Taige, and it also entrusted Qie Yuan's dream in the past. They gave their lives to every cornerstone of this city.Now, the castle is gone, but Hideyori is still alive!

Qi Yuan put away the memories of the past, looked up at the sky, tears flowed down like broken beads... Taige's great achievements were all reduced to ashes.That being the case, why did Katagiri Kamoto survive?Qi Yuan felt that he had no reason to live: I should die, and when Taige passed away, I should go with him.In my life, the era of Hashiba Chikuzen may be over.At that time, Qiyuan lived every day so simply and fulfillingly.But, after Hideyoshi died, everything changed.Qiyuan seems to be a leader, but in fact, his shoulders are sore every day due to the heavy burden that fell, and finally, he had to throw away the burden... But, for Xiu Lai, he still hurriedly visited Chamo Mountain today, and in Gang Shan flatters Hideo...

"Father, what are you looking at?" His son Izumomori Kori came to him at some point. It was almost four o'clock at this time.Qi Yuan hurriedly wiped away tears, "When did you come from Okayama?" "Father!" Xiaoli screamed, then looked around and lowered his voice, "something seems to be wrong with your lord." "My lord? You mean the general?" Qi Yuan deliberately pretended to be confused—of course he was referring to Xiu Lai, he knew it very well, but out of vigilance, he still asked this question. "No, it's Lord Youfu."

"I'm fine, you don't need to call him an adult anymore." Xiaoli was a little angry, "The general seems unwilling to pay attention to Miss Qianji's request. The lady's request was forwarded to the general through Honda Sado, but he was scolded by the general. The boy happened to be next to him and saw it with his own eyes. This scene." "Oh, what did your lord general say?" "Master General said that wives should go to death with their husbands, and asked Ah Qian why he didn't go to death with Xiu Lai, but escaped from the city alone. It's really unexpected! He also told Miss Qian Ji to let her die on her own."

"This is just lip service, not necessarily from the heart." "No, I don't think so." "Is Honda Zhengshin responsible for spreading the message?" "Don't worry. Honda knows the thoughts of the Ogosho very well. The Ogosho will definitely feel the loyalty of Miss Chihime and spare the lives of Hideyori and Mrs. Yodo. Just wait and see how things change." "But we can't wait any longer!" Xiaoli said resolutely, "The general has already ordered to search every unburned courtyard early tomorrow morning, and no corner should be spared. For those who have not surrendered, Shoot or kill!"

"Kill?" Qi Yuan changed his expression, "Is that what the general said?" "That's true." Xiaoli said decisively, and suddenly tilted his head, "That's right, right, speaking of this, my child remembered that before this, the general asked me a question." "Question... what's the problem?" "My lord general asked: The fire is still burning, and I don't know what will be left in the end. You often go in and out of the city, so you should know what kind of buildings there are. There is no Hideyoshi in the body of the Senjo Hall. Do you think Hideyoshi will hide there?" Where are you going?"

Qie Yuan's face twitched, but his voice was unexpectedly calm: "So, how do you answer?" Xiaoli shook his head and said: "My boy said that if he saw that he was about to lose the battle, he would go from the Tianshou Pavilion to the Qianjo Hall to cut seppuku. Other than that, I really can't think of any hiding place." "Oh. So how did the general say that?" "He said that there were people watching closely by the river, so Hideyori must still be lurking in the city now. After he said that, he called Ii Naotaka and ordered him to go and search carefully."

"Who was there at the time?" "There are Abe Shoji and Ando Masanobu." "Abe and Ando?" "Why did father ask this? Could it be that father..." Xiaoli lowered his voice, "Do you know the hiding place?" Qie Yuan shook his head vigorously, and reprimanded: "How would I know! What nonsense are you talking about!" "Father, please forgive me. The father, like the child, has always been fighting outside the city. But if they can't find it, they may ask the father to search for it." Qi Yuan closed his eyes and didn't answer right away.Every city will have some secret rooms and secret passages for emergency use.Katagiri and his son are the only ones who know the secret rooms and secret passages of Osaka Castle.Even the amount of gold stored in Osaka City recently is clear to Yuan. "Shoshin Honda also found the maid beside Miss Chihime, asked many questions, and tried to find out where Hideyori was hiding. But it is said that Miss Chihime and the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice came out of the castle tower, and before leaving the city, they also met with Hideyoshi. Lai together, but later I don't know where they went." "If it was a father, where would you take him? The son just wanted to ask." "Xiaoli, I'm going to see the general. The general hasn't rested yet, right?" After speaking, Qi Yuan stood up, his face was burnt yellow, and then he coughed violently. Seeing that the cough was unusual, Xiao Li hurriedly turned to his father's back to beat his back.After coughing for a while, Mu Yuan felt as if something was blocked from his chest to his nose. "Father, cheer up!" Xiaoli hurriedly beat his back for his father.Qi Yuan spat out something, and the warm liquid dripped from the hand covering his mouth to Xiaoli's hand. "Is it poisonous food? Go back to the tent and lie down!" Xiaoli raised his dirty hand and touched his father's forehead. It was horribly hot. Is it a cold or malaria? Xiaoli helped his father into the tent, looked under the lamp, and was stunned: what my father just vomited was a puddle of black blood!Because Xiaoli touched his father's forehead, neckline and shoulders, and Yuan's body was covered with blood, which was horrible. "Come on! Bring water!" And Yuan Ji became ill from overwork, and his life was about to come to an end.A large amount of blood almost blocked his throat, making him unable to breathe.In the narrow tent, Xiaoli hugged his father's body, wiped the blood for him, and Yuan closed his eyes, he knew that he had coughed up countless blood. "Son..." After a while, Qi Yuan opened his eyes and let out a long sigh. "Father, please rest for a while." "I'm afraid I won't be able to go to the Okayama barracks today." "Or, let the son go instead of the father?" Qi Yuan slowly shook his head, "Tomorrow morning, tomorrow morning, I will go!" "Then father should take a break." "No, I still have something to say." "explain?" "Yes. I'm going to die soon. I know it, and it doesn't matter." "Father, what are you talking about!" "My lord..." "Your Excellency? Father means Lord Youfu?" "I know, I know where he's hiding." "Father……" "When the blood clot blocked my throat, I always felt that the late Taige pinched my mouth and nose and yelled at me: You useless thing, die!" "Father, don't say such stupid things..." "No, it's okay... At that time, I will also resist. I will tell him: Just take a look, Katagiri Kamoto will not just watch Shaojun go to death...Just now, I won, and I broke away I took his hand... Tomorrow morning, I will go to Gangshan, just to persuade the general to spare the life of You Fu." Then, Qie Yuan paused, coughing softly again, "But, if I have any chance , you should go for me." "There will be no contingencies, you have to be confident!" Even though he said this, since Qiyuan had already vomited black blood, Xiaoli also knew that his father was seriously ill.So, he signaled his servants to step back, and carefully wiped his father's cheek and forehead with cold water again. "Your Excellency must be hiding in the barn in Lutian Garden." Qi Yuan let his son wipe his body, and said, "I also said before that if the enemy invades the city, there are two places to hide ..." "Two places?" "One of them blocked the exit from the outside when Chenghao was being filled, and it is now unusable. Therefore, the only thing left is the barn in Lutianyuan." "..." "In that barn, I ordered two pairs of golden screens to be put in so that my lord could be surrounded at that time. A samurai should be cautious in his work, and those pair of golden screens must come in handy tonight." "Lu Tianyuan... how to get out from there?" "Cross the river and take a boat. It doesn't matter if you load rice or miscellaneous grains and wild vegetables, as long as you put something on it and cover it with soil and straw mats, no one will think that someone is hiding in the boat. If you go down the river like this, there will be Shimadzu's boat pick-up... This is a last resort method I devised." "Father is saying, you can assert that Lord Youfu is currently lurking in the barn?" "There is no other way. Besides, those foreign believers in the city are still dreaming of Ban Guo military ships coming to rescue. Therefore, they will first send the adults to Satsuma, hoping to wait for reinforcements there." "Is, is this really possible?" "Hey! The matter has come to this point, everything is just a dream! So, I want to confess to you, if I do anything wrong, you can report it to the Great Imperial Palace. Listen carefully, it is to the Great Imperial Palace!" Xiaoli was a little puzzled, "Father, didn't you just say that you were going to visit the General in Okayama?" "Exactly. If you are a father, you must go to the general, and you must go to the imperial residence. Do you understand? The general refused to forgive the Youfu. Therefore, my father wants to go to intercede. If you go, you must not persuade the general Therefore, you go to the Great Imperial Palace, tell him the hiding place of Youfu, and ask him to save Youfu's life. You tell him that this is what his father ordered before he died, and he will not blame you, and it may be true. I will spare Youfu's life. Do you understand, when the time comes, what you are going to is the camp of the Great Imperial Palace." Xiaoli nodded, and Qiyuan fell into a drowsy sleep.His breath was weak, and it was hard to imagine that he was still galloping on the battlefield in armor and armor two days ago. On the morning of the eighth. Katagiri Izumomori Xiaoli stayed up almost all night, waiting by his father's side with his clothes untied.He didn't take a nap until dawn.When he opened his eyes, his father had already woken up.Although Qi Yuan's face was still pale, he could no longer tell that he was the person who had confessed his last words last night.He seemed to have heard something from someone, held the censer in his hand, lit the incense, and said very calmly: "It seems that the Imperial Palace still intends to forgive the Youfu. He Zuo Zhongcheng and Toyoshima Criminal Department took the letter to Osaka Castle and ordered him to write down the names of the survivors." "He? Who is he? Everyone should be hiding with You Mansion, right?" "Yes, the recipient is the governor. Someone must know where they are hiding, and he must have seen this before sending the envoy." After speaking, Qi Yuan showed a wry smile on his face, "The wisdom of the Great Imperial Palace is different from that of ordinary people. I heard that things really happened as he expected, and the two bureaus left the city with the list of survivors." "Second Bureau?" "That's right. The governor also wanted the two bureaus to intercede for the mother and son of the Youfu. But, how can he compare with the wisdom of the Great Imperial Palace? The two bureaus are just a generation of women. If they are detained in the military camp of the Great Imperial Palace and tortured for a while, they will soon I will reveal the hiding place of the Youfu. In this way, my painstaking efforts will be in vain." Xiaoli seems to understand but not understand what his father said.After Qi Yuan finished speaking, he put his palms together, as if he was praying for something.Then, he stood up and said, "There shouldn't be any fighting today, but we should pay attention to the surrounding situation and rest our soldiers and horses." Although the city continued to emit thick smoke, most of the flames had been extinguished.The smog near the castle tower rose feebly, and the charred arrow tower wood was scattered everywhere, like a child's plaything, it looked extraordinarily small. After Qiyuan took the sedan chair to Okayama, Xiaoli suddenly understood what his father meant.Before the two bureaus leaked the hiding places of Xiu Lai's mother and son, he had to personally report to Xiu Zhong, making people feel that he was always loyal to Tokugawa, and then asked Xiu Zhong to spare Xiu Lai's mother and son. Since the two bureaus will reveal the hiding place sooner or later, it is better to report it in Yuanqian.But just this point, if it spreads, Qi Yuan will forever be stigmatized as a traitor who betrayed his lord.But Xiaoli doesn't want to go to stop him, knowing his father is like a son, he understands his father's miserable situation. Qi Yuan arrived at the Gangshan military camp and came to Xiuzhong.Xiuzhong, Doi, Jingyi, Ando and the others were huddling around a map, using a Chinese ink pen to mark off the burned courtyards one by one. They heard that they were planning to send bayonet teams to search the scorched ruins. "Oh, Shizheng, come here." Xiuzhong stopped talking, and turned to Qiyuan with a happy face.He probably knows and understands the purpose of coming here. "I'm about to go to Chamo Mountain to send a congratulatory speech to the Emperor." After speaking, he asked the servant boy next to him softly, "What time is it?" "About Mao time." "It's still early, you can go before the time of day. I heard that Ohno Xiu sent two bureaus to the camp of the Great Imperial Palace. Oh, yes, you have worked hard." Xiuzhong seems to be very talkative today, "Last night, the Great Imperial Palace also praised Xiuzhong , It’s really unprecedented... There must be deficiencies in this battle, but the Imperial Palace told me that the morale is high and the command is proper. From now on, we must govern the world well. In the next three years, we must not let the daimyo restore the Osaka Castle. We must be sympathetic to all the soldiers here Hard work in battle and so on." "Master Dayusuo has always been kind and generous." "I mentioned you at the time. It said that you suffered a lot, but there will be no more riots in the future. In Shancheng, Yamato, Hanoi, and Iquan, I will choose one to receive you, and you will receive 40,000 stones, so you can rest assured." "This...thank you for your kindness, General." As he listened, Qi Yuan's tears flowed down his cheeks.He wasn't picking for himself, Xiuzhong must have known this, so he nagged and tried to gag him. "Among these four places, there are three cities. You might as well choose one to live in peace and enjoy your old age." "Excuse me for taking the liberty... I have something to tell you." "Oh? What's the matter?" "Did the two bureaus tell you about the hiding place of the Youfu?" "No, I haven't heard of it yet." "Well, here are some clues." "Oh, that's great!" Xiuzhong secretly gave Jing Yizhi a wink, "Yes... the city has lived in the city for a long time, so it should be familiar with every corner of the city." "Yes. If my guess is correct, they should be hiding in the barn in Lutian Garden..." Beads of sweat oozed from his forehead to his neck: Lord Taige, forgive Qi Yuan, the incompetent Qi Yuan Won is going to put on a play now... Xiuzhong's reaction was unusually flat, and he said coldly: "Oh, the barn..." "Yes, there will be no mistakes. Therefore, please let me go and capture it, and the general will agree to my request." Xiuzhong secretly turned his gaze to Jingyi Naotaka again, and slowly shook his head, "Thank you, someone has already taken care of this matter." "Is someone there? What does the general mean..." Qi Yuan asked impatiently. Jing Yizhi said coldly: "That area has been entrusted to me. My people must have already left." "Already set off?" Qi Yuan was extremely frustrated, turned to Xiuzhong, and said anxiously, "My lord general, please let me take charge of this matter...or else Qi Yuan...will become disloyal...unfaithful Righteous people!" "You don't have to worry about this matter." Doi Toshikatsu interjected, with compassion in his tone, "The general and the Imperial Palace are very clear about the loyalty of the city. You came here early this morning to tell us about Hideyori's mother and son. The hiding place is enough to prove that your loyalty is extraordinary. Originally, the Imperial Palace also saw your loyalty and decided to seal you so that you can enjoy your old age..." "Master Da Cook!" "how?" "Your ridicule is too ruthless, you don't know the friendship of a samurai at all... If so, Katagiri Kamoto..." Li Sheng said sharply: "Mr. Shi, you should be careful! You are in front of the general now." "yes." "I might as well say it bluntly: you're afraid you're going to be disappointed." "disappointment?" "Even if you don't come to report, we have roughly guessed the hiding place. You can't forget the future of Katagiri's family by relying on the favor of you from the Imperial Palace." "But……" "You still want to argue? You are really a person without decision. You know, Shizheng, if you can make a decisive decision when it is time to make a decision, there will be no two wars. But you are hesitant, which eventually leads to big battles. Bancheng has reached the point it is today." "That's why Qi Yuan wants to make such a request..." "No!" Li Sheng yelled again: "It's time to go." Then he saluted Xiuzhong and urged him to leave for Chamo Mountain, then turned around and comforted Qi Yuan in a low voice: "It's enough to do something wrong once, and the city is Both the general and the Imperial Palace are thinking about the future of Katagiri’s family, so you can no longer be indecisive and deliberately let it all down. You are exhausted physically and mentally, and it’s time to take a good rest, understand?” These words were like a sharp knife, mercilessly piercing Qi Yuan's chest. Everyone stood up. "Ah..." Qi Yuan stood up and staggered forward suddenly.He hurriedly covered his mouth and coughed violently. If he vomited blood here, his life might be over. "Wait...wait...wait a while..." Qie Yuan covered his mouth, repeating this sentence in his heart, then fell on the ground and cried silently.