Chapter 15 Chapter Fifteen

Fujido Takatora and Katagiri Katomoto were appointed as vanguards, and Takatora's army quickly entered Hanoi and stationed in the area from Guofu to Xiaoshan.By the time the news reached Yukimura Sanada, who had already entered Osaka Castle, it was already the evening of October 25th in the 19th year of Keicho. Just as the ministers and daimyos continued to visit Nijo Castle where Tokugawa Ieyasu was located, ronin from all over the country also poured into Osaka Castle in a steady stream.Among them, there are those who want to truly repay Toyotomi's kindness, and those who don't ask right and wrong and only want to solve the hardships of life.Such a large number of people, accompanied by the continuous expansion of the number, unexpectedly mustered up their fighting spirit inconceivably.

"Rather than sit and wait for death, it is better to stain the battlefield with blood!" There are such bloody old warriors and young people who have made every effort. "If you join forces with Kanto, you will be ridiculed by future generations. Even if you cut off your head, you can get at most a hundred and eighty shi. But once the Toyotomi family wins the world, it will be at least three thousand shi. If you make military exploits, you may become a What about the daimyo?" Sanada Yukimura deliberately put his cronies in the crowd to spread such rumors. "A complete mob!" When Arakawa Kumazo heard something and dismissed it, Sanada Yukimura first scolded him severely, and then said: "It is the ultimate art of war that turns a stone into a soldier. But what kind of words make you so underestimate? "

"Someone actually spread the word, saying that it is better to shoot cold arrows at one's own generals in the face of failure. It is not worth dying in such a place. The future of the Toyotomi family is lost. Why not do fifty stones or one hundred stones? For the sake of livelihood and life, there is really no need to sacrifice your life for such a general." Then, Arakawa Kumazo patted his forehead with his bear-like hand, and said, "Oh, why did these useless young men come in?" Young people are so forthright!Yukimura is neither smiling nor surprised, in fact, this kind of frankness is also born of Taiping.Born in Taiping, Taiping will last for a long time, and the world will speak their hearts without restraint.But how did peace last so easily?I'm afraid that in the near future, this straightforwardness will turn into negligence, and become a sharp knife stabbing at him.If Arakawa Kumazo was not Yukimura's confidant, but the Ono brothers' watcher, he would have been beheaded on the spot.Young people under the sun, how can they know what the battles experienced by old warriors are like.

On the tenth day of October, Sanada Yukimura entered Osaka Castle according to plan. He originally wanted to call on Chief Ono first, and proposed to go out of the city to meet the enemy.But now, he has given up on this idea, because none of his team has experienced field combat experience, so many people don't even know how to advance and retreat in battle, so they must start from the law. War is a cruel game in which people's lives and fates are gambled.Because of this, fully tempering a person's resilience is the first step in a general's training.Therefore, Yukimura's calculation is to first order the main force with the Seven Hands as the core to garrison the area from Uji to Seta.

Yukimura didn't really want to start a decisive battle in Seta, nor did he have to let them take Fushimi Castle, he just wanted the team to practice outside the city, so that they fully realized that this battle was closely related to their own fate, and then returned to the city , to stick to. But Ono Zhichang strongly opposed it.Field battles are the Kwantung Army's forte.If the striker withdraws, it will inevitably leave an impression of "defeat", which will greatly affect morale.Therefore, it is best to rely on the "undefeated belief" of raising soldiers in Osaka City, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, from the very beginning.It is because of him that the governor advocated so. He doesn't trust the ronin, and dare not let them out of the city, because once a fierce battle breaks out, who can guarantee that they won't take away their military pay and leave?

Seeing the restless and indecisive Ono Masaru, Yukimura felt that he had to re-examine this person.Xu, the governor, wanted to gather a large army and use this as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Kanto.Once so, the problem is quite different.Therefore, Xingcun no longer compares the importance of going out of the city to face the battle and retreating to defend it, but builds a fortress near Chenghao, so that the more than 1,000 people who left the city and the 5,000 soldiers who stayed here are all dressed in red. When the situation is critical, you can break out of the formation at any time.

This red team was established in imitation of the "Ii Chibei Army" that shocked the world during the Sekihara War.From the flags to the small banners, armors, and helmets used for decoration, they are all dyed red, and the horse seal looks like a Tang Dynasty hat.This is mostly a demonstration. In this way, Yukimura finally gave up his claim and built a barrier.Just completed the deployment, Ieyasu's army has arrived.At this time, Yukimura thought of another worrying person.It was none other than Mrs. Yodo's younger sister, the widow of Kyogoku Chang Gaoyuan. Chang Gaoyuan not only went in and out of his sister Mrs. Yodo, but also often went in and out of Onoji's long formation, and often had secret talks with Oda Yurakusai.In fact, as far as her identity is concerned, this is not very unusual, but what is suspicious is that she frequently visits Hideyori's wife Chihime at the same time, and recently even paid frequent visits to Okuhara Shinjuro, who is in charge of guarding the inner court.This can't help but make Yukimura very suspicious.

There are heated discussions in the city every day.Everyone gathered together, Chang Zeng and our tribe's Sheng relatives came, Xianshi Rendaozongye, Akashi Saobu's assistant Shouzhong, Mao Lifengqian Shoushengyong, etc. also arrived.In addition, even the Ishikawa Yasunaga and Kang Sheng brothers who were expelled from the territory in the Okubo Changan case also arrived.They all bet their fate on this battle.Among them, Akashi Sobe is a fanatical believer in foreign religions. He even invited Paul and Torres who came to Osaka with the Ishikawa brothers, who are also believers, to give lectures and pray for the victory of Osaka.

Everyone firmly believed that when they guarded the city, the large military ship of Emperor Philip, who had never met before, would come to rescue them.If a large warship arrives, most of the Tokugawa will divide their troops.Needless to say, most of these must be Date Masamune and Matsudaira Tadaki who was instructed by him.If this department turns against the enemy, will the Uesugi department not be able to remember the grievances during the Sekihara war?Then, the battle becomes a sacred battle of faith. When the fighting spirit was in full swing, the high court persuaded Mrs. Dian, eroded the fighting spirit of the chief general Ono Zhichang, and then recruited Oda Yurakusai to have an affair with the enemy... The most worrying thing is that after defending the castle to the death At that time, the enemy was suddenly led into the city by his own family.If so, everything will be wiped out, and the impenetrable Osaka Castle will be renamed Tokugawa in an instant.

Must go to see Shinjuro Okuhara.Yukimura has long heard that Okuhara Shinjuro persuaded the country samurai in Kishu Kumano to enter the city, not so much to repay Hideyoshi's kindness, but to repay Hidecho's kindness. Okuhara Shinjuro is now ordered to guard the inner court and is responsible for the communication between Hideyori's mother and son.Therefore, if Chang Gaoyuan has other thoughts, he must be clear about it. On the twenty-sixth, Yukimura paid a visit to Hideyori, and after reporting the enemy's armaments and progress, he visited the duty room of Okuhara Shinjuro outside the Hyakukan Corridor.

"Yukimura has something to ask to see Okuhara-sama." "My lord is not here." The soldier on duty replied coldly. "Where did he go?" "This... is Mrs. Qianji..." Before finishing speaking, the soldier faltered, "Where did your lord go, I really don't know." "Your Excellency, you don't want to go outside the city, do you? I'll just wait here and borrow money." So, Yukimura sat on the folding machine that the soldiers brought for him, squinting at the late autumn sky. The sky is so blue!All the brilliance seemed to be sucked into the deep blue.Yukimura closed his eyes, savoring the beautiful scenery. Two quarters later, Okuhara Shinjuro came back late, holding a bunch of chrysanthemums in his hand. "Oh? It's Sanada-sama!" He stepped forward and saluted Yukimura with flowers, "Mrs. Chihime summoned me and asked for a bouquet of flowers. If you like it too, let's share some to decorate the tent." "Thank you very much. I just want one." Yukimura put his nose on the coming chrysanthemum, and asked nonchalantly, "Young Madam, how are you?" "Okay. The young lady is worthy of being the general's daughter, she is very calm." "She called you to come because..." "I heard that the Great Imperial Palace has arrived at Erjo City, and the young lady wants to ask if there is any panic in the city." "Oh?" "Not only that, but the young lady also strictly ordered the personal maid who followed from Kanto, if the Great Imperial Palace really arrives, no one will be allowed to go out from now on, and it is strictly forbidden to send letters to Edo." "As soon as the Great Imperial Palace came, they became enemies. Hey, the young lady can tell each other apart!" "That's right, it's admirable. What a granddaughter of the Imperial Palace, granddaughter of Asai Nagamasa!" "Master Okuhara, do you often see Chang Gaoyuan?" "Yes. Mrs. Chang Gaoyuan sometimes comes to our place." Shinjuro smiled faintly, "At present, I am afraid that she is the most distressed. It is no wonder that among the three sisters, two of them are hostile to each other. No matter who wins, the end will be different. I can't bear it." Yukimura nodded, and quickly advanced the topic: "So, the Chang Gao Court must be worried about whether there is still room for peace talks?" Shinjuro suppressed his smile and shook his head, "Madam seems to have given up." "Oh? Did she reveal that?" "Yes. In fact, I also persuaded you. The matter has come to this point, and there is no other way but to fight. Master Oda Yurakusai also persuaded her in the same way, so she gave up." There was a sharp light in Yukimura's eyes.Although Shinjuro's answer was quite natural, it was obvious that he was very clear about Yukimura's thoughts. "Master Okuhara." "Speaking." "I heard that my lord is the master disciple of the sword sage Yanagyu Ishizusai. When does my lord think the outcome of this battle will be decided?" Yukimura wanted to test the opponent. Okuhara Shinjuro unexpectedly lowered his head and pondered, with a very serious expression, "This... at least half a year later." Although the answer did not surprise Yukimura, but at present, such an answer does require courage.No one else was around.The pebbles under my feet were warmed by the sun, making it hard to imagine that it was the season of frost.Yukimura pretended to be surprised and said, "Oh? The winner can be decided in half a year? Everyone said it will take two years." "Two years? It's not that you can't hold on, if you want to hold on..." "If you wish?" "If the enemy attacks, we will neither fight nor retreat. We only propose peace and deal with others..." "Good idea! Don't draw your sword to face each other, but greet him with your tongue." Xingmura echoed, while secretly sighing: Guo is not an ordinary person! There is no gap between the two, if it is not for the same mind, it will never be like this. "Master Okuhara, have you ever talked to Youle Zhai about this?" "No one has ever said it." Toyomasa replied heartily, "I'm afraid even if I tell him, he won't understand. Playing the piano to a cow is no different from asking questions." Yukimura changed the topic indifferently, but he was very embarrassed in his heart: This person clearly saw the end of this battle, but deliberately entered this dangerous city, why? "Master Okuhara..." "Master Sanada." "As for the outcome of this war, my opinion is no different from that of adults. If we can persist for two years, reinforcements will come from unexpected places. However, this is all the naive hope of foreign believers, which is not the case. At most, there are many people. Persist for half a year, and after half a year, if you still have no intention of winning, people will flee one after another." "yes." "Since that's the case, I have a question to ask my lord: If Daban loses, what will my lord do? My lord must have plans. If it's convenient, can you reveal one or two things?" Shinjuro Okuhara looked at Yukimura in surprise.This question caught him off guard. At least, Xingcun, who was welcomed into the city as a military adviser, is the backbone of the entire army. Unexpectedly, he would say such discouraged words today. Shinjuro held the bouquet and waved it into the house, "Can you please come in and have a cup of coarse tea?" "Excuse me." Yukimura stood up from the chair, his heart was shaken: there are extraordinary people in this extraordinary place! The duty room is constructed of log brackets covered with curtains, with a couch inside and a brown bear skin on top.Next to the knife holder is an ancient kettle from Iga with flowers in it, and beside the kettle is an incense burner that is burning incense.Lying on the small book table is a copied book, which seems to be a military book. "Please come this way first." Shinjuro led Yukimura to the cushion first, while he sat by the tea kettle and started to boil tea.Rather than saying that he wanted to treat Yukimura with all his heart, he said that he was trying to stabilize his mood. Yukimura looked around the room for a week, staring at Shinjuro's every move coldly.This person is unusual, what kind of words would he say? "What your lord said earlier..." Shinjuro put the tea bowl in front of Yukimura, and regained his previous calm, and said, "My teacher Yagyu Ishishusai is my uncle." "Oh?" "Yagyu Munemo from the General Shogunate is my cousin." Yukimura couldn't help but patted his knee lightly.Yagyu Munemo has an inseparable relationship with Tokugawa. Yagyu is a family well versed in the art of war, and also a family of great weapons that has attracted the attention of the world's famous names. "It's Zong Ju, who visited the humble house this spring and sent me to the city..." Yukimura couldn't help but be dumbfounded, what a bold and self-confident confession this is! "So, Your Excellency entered the city under Mr. Yagyu's orders?" Toyomasa Okuhara shook his head slowly, "What I obey is not the order of my cousin, but the admonition of my mentor." "Oh?" "The mentor once taught his disciples: life is involuntary, only life and death." "Life and death?" "Yes. Life and death are the only things we can't decide on our own no matter how much we bother." "Ok." "You can't live when you want to live, and you can't continue to live against the destiny when you must die. In life and death, no one has freedom, and they are all subjects of heaven. Master always admonishes us, and we must keep it in mind." "A courtier of heaven, interesting." "Therefore, a person should not serve two masters at the same time. No matter who is the master, he is the retainer of heaven. If the retainer forgets his duty and serves two masters with one body, he is disloyal to heaven. Only one master is enough, absolutely not To serve two masters is to become a slave." Yukimura couldn't help taking a step forward, the words of the sword master hurt his heart, and Toyomaa Okuhara surprised him even more. "Master Okuhara, since life and death are decided by heaven, then there is no need for a lord in this world?" Yukimura asked impatiently. Toyomasa Okuhara shook his head slightly, "I regard this as the strict self-discipline of my mentor, no, it should be the family motto of Yagyu Ichiban, and it is the cornerstone of the mystery that the entire Yagyu clan should uphold, so I have made an oath, Follow the teacher's instructions." "So, your lord is serving Toyotomi instead of receiving a salary?" "Exactly. Heaven will neither create a superior person nor a subordinate person. All people are brothers, and they are all the sons of heaven who are united with the sky through life and death. Only when you understand this truth can you get the blessing of your mentor." Truth." Sanada Yukimura patted his knees again, took a sip of tea, "It's my honor to hear the mystery of Yagyu for the first time." He put down his tea bowl, and said, "So, my lord doesn't want to serve the Toyotomi family, but Did you enter the city because you had aspirations?" "Exactly." Toyotomi nodded vigorously, and smiled, "In my opinion, this battle is not a battle between Toyotomi and Tokugawa." "Oh?" "This is a war between foreign believers and ronin who are dissatisfied with peace. Whether they want it or not, it is the sad Taiko survivors who have been brought to the forefront for no reason. My cousin Yagyu Munemo can see this very clearly. "Sanada Yukimura only felt that he was stabbed severely in the chest.Just as Toyomasa said, Yukimura himself is afraid that he is also the one who deliberately involved the Taiko survivors in the vortex. "However, I didn't accept my cousin's order and decided to go to the city. My cousin is the general's servant and is close to Tokugawa. Toyomasa just wants to experience more." "I really want to hear it. Within half a year at most, Daban City, which will surely decide its fate, can attract adults to come?" "In a nutshell," Toyomasa smiled, "it is to rescue people who have nothing to do with the war. Lord Sanada must also know that, needless to say, in the Right Mansion, how could Mrs. Yodo like war? And that noble Chien Mrs. Ji, those ignorant princes and ladies, how could they expect to fight? Rescuing those who have no intention of fighting is the most precious thing for a military practitioner who is a servant of the sky. The voice of the master always echoes By the ear, I just brought people into the city." Sanada Yukimura stared at Toyomasa Okuhara, dumbfounded. In such a mortal world, it was the first time that Sanada Yukimura saw such a benevolent military strategist. How could ordinary people know his level? Toyomasa also seems to have seen Yukimura's character clearly, there is no trace of hypocrisy in every word, and it is full of humility and sincerity of a person who considers himself a "vassal of heaven". Speaking of which, this battle is indeed not a battle between Hideyori's mother and son and Ieyasu.So, who is fighting whom?Toyomasa Okuhara Shinjuro put it bluntly: This is a challenge to Taiping jointly launched by the uneasiness of foreign believers and the grievances of ronin.But is it really just these?Wouldn't the war never end?Because, if you want to get rid of all uneasiness and injustice from the world, it is tantamount to dreaming.But such a concise assertion still made Yukimura envious.If you have such an assertion in your heart, you will have a clear basis for action. "Master Okuhara wants to rescue those three people?" Shinjuro Toyomasa smiled again and remained silent. "So, it's time to fight in this ownerless city where there is neither Youfu's mother and son, nor Mrs. Qianji..." Xingmura laughed at himself, half-joking, half-testing, "However, in a The battle in the city without a master is really a bit bizarre. If I drive Okuhara-sama out of the city...what will happen to you, my lord?" "At that time..." Feng Zheng tapped his neck lightly, "Your servant of the sky, you will have to surrender your life to the sky." "Your Excellency seems to be full of confidence." "Hey." Fengzheng chuckled, "Have another cup. Although it's tasteless, the chrysanthemums sent by Mrs. Qianji are so gorgeous. Your Majesty, please drink tea with them. Oh, the flower protector who has been living in Yamato's deep mountains. It's really lonely without flowers." When Toyomasa said this, Yukimura noticed that the chrysanthemums were mixed with the chrysanthemums in the pot. The white and yellow looked extremely calm and integrated with the texture of the pot. Xingcun suddenly had a strange feeling: the siege of the Kwantung armies outside the city was getting tighter and tighter. Soon, this place would become a battlefield full of swords and guns, but there was an incredible "flower protector" in front of him drinking tea leisurely Gossip, I firmly believe that the three masters can be rescued. "That's right, since you are a flower protector, you must not waste flowers. Although what Yukimura learned is the art of murder, how dare you face the flower protector with a sword?" Sanada Yukimura uttered a confused sigh...