Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Wandering Mt. Matsuo

Mt. Matsuo is in the southwest of Guanyuan, with a height of nearly 100 zhang. It can be reached by walking south from Matsuo Village on Balipo Road.On the mountain, there are still remnants of the fortifications built by Oda Nobunaga and Asai Nagamasa during the fierce battle. The flat land on the top of the mountain is ten rooms long from east to west, and twelve rooms from north to south, which is very narrow.There are still several flat areas on the mountainside. Climbing to the top of the mountain, looking around, you can have a panoramic view of Sekigahara and the surrounding area.To the east is Taopei Mountain, and to the north is Tianman Mountain.This is the best place to overlook the Sekigahara-dori from the vertical well to the west and the plains extending from both sides of the avenue.

Kobayakawa Hideaki arrived at Ogaki Castle on September 14th, discussed with Sancheng and others, and after completing the military deployment, he led 8,000 soldiers to quickly set up camp on the mountain. Kobayakawa Hideaki is the nephew brought up by Kodaiin. Before the bloody battle at Fushimi Castle, his brother Kinoshita Katsutoshi was also in the castle.Shengjun proposed to Torii Yuanzhong to defend the city together, but Yuanzhong flatly refused.Xiuqiu is only twenty-four this year, but he is already in the middle class, and he is five years younger than the Ukita Hideka who is also in the Nakayan—as long as Mori Terumoto does not go out, the Ukita Hideka will be the coach of the Western Army.Although he is young, Xiuqiu is full of heart and spirit, and he is never reconciled to the Ukita Hideka being bossed around in front of him.Needless to say, of course he hated Sancheng very much.During the Korean War, he was brave and good at fighting, but his territory was confiscated because of Sancheng's slander.

"There is no weapon for a general!" Xiuqiu, who was in his early twenties, was reprimanded by Hideyoshi. This kind of humiliation is unforgettable, and he will never forget it.It was Ieyasu's mediation and Hideyoshi's death that made him turn the corner.Previously, he had sent secret envoys to Ieyasu several times, expressing his intentions repeatedly.But Ieyasu seemed to have no response. Ieyasu's indifference made this reckless young general dissatisfied and helpless, "The inner government must have doubts about me." If Kodaiin did not support Ieyasu, there would be no peace in the world, and the survival of the Toyotomi clan would be impossible.Every time he saw Xiuqiu, Gaotaiyuan always reminded him that in order to inherit Taige's behest, he must never break the contact with Jiakang.But how could the young Xiuqiu understand the true meaning?

For Xiuqiu, Gaotaiyuan is like her own mother.He believed that Mrs. Dian was the one who had brought great shame to Gao Taiyuan, and Sancheng was in collusion with Mrs. Dian.Out of this understanding, his hatred for Sancheng grew deeper.Now, he believes that Ieyasu doesn't trust him, and his dissatisfaction and helplessness are deepening day by day. Ukita Hideo's family had invited him to go with them when they went to Ise, but he did not heed the advice, and marched into Omi on August 17th and stationed in Shibu.As his doubts deepened, he even became a little self-defeating, trying not to join any party as much as possible, and just sit on the sidelines and watch the tigers fight.

While he was in a state of hesitation, on August 28, his close friend, Yukunaga Asano from the Tokugawa side, and Nagamasa Kuroda jointly wrote him a letter. The letter jointly signed by Asano Yukunaga and Kuroda Nagamasa finally shook Xiuqiu's heart completely.The letter reads: "... I have written to express my heart before, and I am writing again today. Now is the critical moment for my lord to show his loyalty. The inner government will arrive in two or three days. Your lord's decision to stay or stay is a painful decision. The two of us acted like this only to comfort Madam Gaotaiyuan. Please reply as soon as possible. Please order the envoy to pass on the details..."

This letter was written by Asano and Kuroda from the Akasaka camp to Hideaki Kobayakawa.Xiuqiu lied that she was sick and needed to recuperate, and went to Ishibe, Suzuka, and Omi in the name of hunting, and finally stayed in Takamiya, Aichigawa.The letter was then sent here. Between the lines, there is not only Asano and Kuroda's trust in Xiuqiu, but also said that it is for Kodaiin.This made Xiuqiu greatly shaken.The letter actually wanted to say: The two of them did this to reassure Gaotaiyuan, and Jiakang will arrive at the front line in a few days, so, before that, Xiuqiu must be clear about his resolve.

Therefore, the premise of everything is: Ieyasu was ordered by Gaotaiyuan to confiscate 30%.Since Gaotaiyuan and Jiakang are on the same journey, there is no objection, Xiuqiu should also be loyal to Gaotaiyuan.The matter is not whether Xiuqiu supports Ieyasu, but that Ieyasu wants to fight for Gaotaiyuan. The dissatisfaction caused by being underestimated by Ieyasu disappeared immediately, and the young Xiuqiu's spirit was lifted.Even so, he had been pretending that only Sancheng and Ukita Hideo's family followed suit, so of course he couldn't openly vote for the Eastern Army.Once the matter is revealed, the Western Army will definitely do its best to destroy him first.

Seeing that the decisive battle between the two armies is approaching, Xiuqiu chooses his position on Mt. Matsuo after much deliberation. He wants to use this opportunity to join forces with the Eastern Army through Asano and Kuroda.In case the Eastern Army fails and retreats, he can just watch from the sidelines. Seeing Xiuqiu set up camp on Mt. Songwei, rumors spread among the Western Army immediately. "Jinwu Zhongnayan really doesn't want to join the war." "No, maybe he already has an affair with Ieyasu." Therefore, Dayuan City immediately sent an envoy to Xiuqiu, asking him to enter the city immediately to discuss matters.But Xiuqiu didn't accept this at all, and said: "I have not recovered from my illness, so I came here to recuperate. There are many rumors in the world, and I can't clean them up, so I have to fight the Eastern Army first to eliminate suspicion."

Xiuqiu wanted to fight the Eastern Army first, and then go to Dayuan City to discuss matters. This reply made the people in the city very confused. They no longer knew whether to defend the city or fight in the field. Hideaki Kobayakawa led 8,000 men, and his combat effectiveness must not be underestimated.If he hasn't gone to the battlefield and can't make it in time for the decisive battle, it's fine, but if he has already arrived at the battlefield, he doesn't even know what he's thinking, it's too scary.What should he do if he gets ready to defect when the battle is at its most critical?

Otani Jiji was worried about this, and he dared not sit idly by Xiuqiu.If the news of Ieyasu's arrival was false, Ji Ji would not make such a decision.But Ieyasu has arrived, but Mori Terumoto has not come out for a long time. If you don't understand Kobayakawa Hideaki's true intentions, how can you talk about a decisive battle lightly?Therefore, he personally rushed to Xiuqiu's camp, and when he arrived at the end of Songshan Mountain, it was fourteen days and night. The taciturn Jiji never speaks much in front of Sancheng, but his determination is already rock-solid.Even though his eyes were no longer visible, he continued to push himself to be carried to Mt. Matsuo.He has made up his mind that if he realizes that Xiuqiu is really rebellious, he will splatter the blood on the spot.Fortunately, due to his illness, his face was covered with bandages, so he didn't have to worry about being peeped at his thoughts.

Ji Ji had asked Sancheng to write an affidavit, signed it with all the generals, and brought it to Xiuqiu.The affidavit listed the following four items: 1. If you can be loyal in this battle, Xiuqiu will take the position of Guan Bai before Shaojun is fifteen years old. 2. Seal the entire territory of Banzhou, and protect Chikuzen and Chikugo. 3. One hundred thousand stones to Omi, and one hundred thousand stones each to Inaba Uchisho and Hiraoka Ushiemon. 4. Give three hundred ingots of gold, three hundred ingots each for Inaba and Hiraoka. The affidavits were signed by Ukita Hideke, Konishi Yukinaga, Nagatsu Masaka, Ishida Mitsunari, Angukukji Keiqiong, and Otani Yoshitsugu.No matter how you look at these conditions, they are all bait, as if they are playing with a child. Ji Ji went through the newly built gate and arrived at Xiuqiu's big tent safely.But it was not Hideaki himself who came out to greet him, but the two important ministers Inaba and Hiraoka. "I want to see Lord Jinwu and hand over the affidavit to him face to face." Masanari Inabauchi and Hiraoka Ushiemon looked at each other, and said, "This... my lord just severely reprimanded me for waiting, and now I just fell asleep." After Inaba's words, Hiraoka Laisheng also added fuel and jealousy: "Recently, I don't know if it's because of poor health, adults often drink too much, have a bad temper, and don't even want to talk much." Dagu Jiji realized that they didn't want to see Xiuqiu at all, but if they returned without success, their hearts would be farther and farther away from the Western Army, so he said with patience: "My lord, the wind and cold have not recovered yet?" "Yes. Your Excellency is very concerned about all kinds of rumors in the world. After the fever subsided a little, he went hunting, but the disease relapsed again. Repeatedly, it never gets better." "So, you are in charge of Lingqi?" "Don't dare. This will affect morale. In short, I only advise you to rest." "Since that's the case, there is no need to call him. The results of the discussion must have been communicated, but later, Masuda-sama sent a message from Osaka." "Master Masuda?" "Explain that tomorrow, Master Mao Li will finally set off from Osaka with the young master." This is completely a big lie that Otani Yoshitsugu withdrawn casually.He is in the northern country, how can he know the details of Osaka? I don't know who spread the rumors, and now in Osaka City, it is said that Michimada Nagamori has had an affair with Ieyasu.This is not completely impossible, Otani Yoshitsugu thought, because Masuda Nagamori was not as hostile to Ieyasu as Mitsunari was, but he was unknowingly involved in it only under Misunari's persecution.But this kind of thing is spreading in Osaka City, and it is tantamount to drawing a salary from the bottom of the pot for the Western Army.Because Mori Terumoto ignored the rumors and resolutely set off from Osaka, it was unimaginable.Under the lobbying of Hui Qiong of Anguo Temple, Mao Li, who finally became the commander-in-chief of the Western Army after a half-push, is now caught in a dilemma. If Mori took Hideyori out of the Osaka region, and Masuda Nagamori raised the rebellion flag on his back, what would happen to Hideyori?Staying in Osaka City, he was still the orphan of the late Taige, but once he left Osaka, he became a child with no strength to restrain a chicken.Moreover, once Osaka Castle and Sawayama Castle were captured, Hideyori would immediately become a vagrant without a city.From this, it can be said that the rumors of Masuda Nagamori's affair with Ieyasu played a decisive role in nailing Mori Terumoto to Osaka. It is impossible for Huiyuan to come out, Otani Jiji is clearly aware of this, but he still lied.He wanted to use this to test whether Kobayakawa's veterans really kept in touch with Hui Yuan. At this moment, Ji Ji nervously waited for the other party's reaction. "Oh, Maori Zhong Nayan has left the teacher?" The two were very surprised. "That's why I asked them to write this affidavit. If Lord Jinwu doesn't read it, how decent is it? I think so, you two read it first, how about passing it on to Lord Jinwu after he wakes up?" Yoshitsugu gently placed the silk bag in front of Inaba Masanari.For Inaba and Hiraoka, the book also promised them one hundred thousand shi. How much interest would they show in this attractive condition? "Then, let's read it first." "Please." After seeing it, Inaba seemed quite shocked.After reading it, he silently handed the affidavit to Pinggang Lai Sheng, saying: "It is said that before Shaojun turns fifteen, the position of Guan Bai will be handed over to my family's adults." Ji Ji deliberately wrote lightly: "Master Jinwu is Shaojun's brother, who in the world can have any objection to this?" A smile flashed across Hiraoka Lai Sheng's face: "This is all after the war. We will definitely report to the Lord in detail." Hearing this, Ji Ji felt as if a sharp knife had been stabbed into his chest. "This is all after the war." It seems that Kobayakawa's important ministers had long since given up hope for the victory of the Western Army, so they unknowingly showed uneasiness.From this point of view, as long as there is no fundamental change in the battle situation, Hideaki Kobayakawa will continue to stay here, watching the fire from the other side. "My humble farewell first. Lord Jinwu is young after all, I hope you two will remind him not to act rashly." "We know that." "If you old ministers misled the Lord, made the Young Master feel worried, and made Feng Chen feel difficult, Lord Jinwu would become the target of public criticism. In short, I hope that the Lord will come down from the mountain tomorrow to participate in the decisive battle." "Yes. Tomorrow is an excellent opportunity for my lord to avenge his shame. My lord can't hold back for a long time. The first battle will definitely impress you." "So I'm relieved. Let me go." Ji Ji stood up with the support of his servants.Although he said he was relieved, his mood was just the opposite: it seems that Guan Yuan is buried, how can Sancheng have the prestige to command the army in actual combat? After Ji Ji got into the sedan chair, the two elders saw off the guests and laughed loudly at the same time: "Give up the position of Guan Bai to your lord, what about Mao Li and Ishida?" The two came to Xiuqiu together. Xiuqiu was still drinking.For him, tonight was a sleepless night.Before Fushimi fell, Torii Motochu made him angry, so he gritted his teeth and joined the Western Army, feeling extremely depressed.Gaotaiyuan had repeatedly told him not to interrupt his contact with Jiakang.Taiko's long-cherished wish is to unify Japan and realize peace, and the one who inherits Taiko's behest is Ieyasu, and only Ieyasu is the one entrusted by Taiko with his great cause. At first, Xiuqiu was convinced of this.But because Ieyasu kept him at a respectful distance, he was gradually bewildered by Sancheng, Xiujia and others, and fell into confusion unknowingly, and fell into the abyss step by step. Are all the words of Gaotai Academy from the heart?Sometimes, Xiuqiu even had deep doubts about Taige: Is his wish really for the peace of the world as Gaotaiyuan said?Is he really that great?No, not necessarily, he might just be doing it for his own glory and success.Kodaiin just described Ieyasu as a peerless hero for the purpose of beautifying her husband. Xiuqiu thought, how different is Tokugawa Ieyasu from the late Taiko?On the surface, Ieyasu is more humble, more tolerant, and more able to endure hardships than the late Taige. He speaks about the world but keeps his mouth shut. But besides wanting to take the power of the world into his arms, what else does he have in mind?Compared with this, I have always been open-minded, but what should I do to help Ieyasu?Is it true that as Gaotai Institute said, people are born to pursue lofty aspirations? Sometimes, Xiuqiu even has doubts about the friendship between Ieyasu and Kodaiin: Just like Mrs. Yodo and Ono Xiuliang having an affair, is there also a scandal between Aunt Kodaiin and Ieyasu?But soon, he blamed himself for purely delusional thinking. When Xiuqiu was very depressed, Hiraoka Raisheng and Inaba Masanari came to him with an oath.Xiuqiu said: "Has the Ministry of Punishment gone back?" "yes." After receiving the affidavit, the pale Xiuqiu smiled, "This is the true face of a person. Have you ever seen such a tempting 'painted cake'?" "Yeah. It seems that they are getting more and more outrageous." Xiuqiu sneered, and threw the affidavit to the ground: "Thirty percent of the food and fodder are in short supply, and the money bag is upside down. I heard that he is forcing Masuda Changsheng to pay the money." "That's right, that's why the rumors that Changsheng was connected with the inner government came into being." "This is by no means just a rumor. Once people are desperate, they want to drive others into a desperate situation. Gaotaiyuan also has this problem..." Xiuqiu was stunned for a while, and continued, "Didn't Gaotaiyuan leave Osaka City with nothing? What she said was all empty..." Recently, Xiuqiu has often expressed her dissatisfaction with Gaotaiyuan, which is not uncommon.Inaba Masanari and Hiraoka Lai Katsu became uneasy, and now, once Xiuqiu's will is broken, things will be difficult to clean up.In any case, they have already sent letters back to Asano and Kuroda to show their goodwill. "I wonder if the Ministry of Punishment has seen through my thoughts?" The two breathed a sigh of relief, and said in unison: "We have prepared for this." "Once the Ministry of Criminal Justice sees through, they may attack us at some point. The big worry is not with the Eastern Army, but behind us." "My lord!" Inaba Masanari scanned the surrounding vigilantly, Fang said, "Your lord, think twice before speaking!" "Haha, are you afraid that I'll slip the tongue? Well, I understand. This world is indeed dangerous: while throwing bait at you to force you to submit; at the same time sharpening your sword and showing off your power." "grown ups!" "Hehe... the world is just like this. No matter who wins the world or who sits in the world, it's the same. The world is still as dirty as before, and it will never become as pure as dew." "Can I remove the wine?" "Withdraw the wine? Is this wine so annoying? Only Jinzun knows I am pregnant, and once drunk, it will eliminate eternal sorrow!" "My lord, please cheer up, the time will come..." "Haha... Let me have another drink. Hideaki Kobayakawa is standing higher." "Your Excellency is talking about positions?" "It's not just about positions. This is a battle between thieves and bandits anyway. I will fight whoever wins. The world will definitely laugh at me again, but I will laugh at the world again." Said, Xiuqiu stuffed the wine glass to Zhengcheng, Fill it yourself, "After you drink, give Ushiemon a cup. Am I wrong? Since it is the same for everyone, why should I join the defeated gang? I saw it through when I was hunting in Suzuka Pass .” "Good regards, my lord." After a few drinks, Xiuqiu seemed to be even more drunk, and the alcohol made him even more wild. Although the young lord was full of longing for life, after witnessing all kinds of filth and ugliness in the world, he finally lost confidence, and the world in front of him turned into a doubtful wilderness.It was in this wilderness that he climbed Mt. Matsuo with great doubts.He doesn't believe in Ieyasu, he doesn't believe in 30%, and he doesn't even care about himself.While laughing at himself, he quietly watched the battle that determined the ownership of the world.Seeing the two sides fighting in full swing, he would look up to the sky and laugh loudly: "It's really a crowd of demons dancing in the world!" He wanted to wait until both sides were injured and exhausted before going down the mountain... "My lord, let's drink the wine here. Maybe Dayuan City will send someone over." Saying that, Lai Sheng Pinggang put the wine glass upside down on the table, Xiuqiu nodded obediently and said: "Okay, I won't drink. Then, I want to ask you two: It is stated in the affidavit that Shaojun will give each of you a drink in Jinjiang. One hundred thousand stones, are you really not tempted?" "My lord, don't be joking. Don't talk about giving each of us 100,000 shi. Master Zhibu will lose his own territory." "Hey, don't be angry, inner craftsman, people's abacus is really ridiculous. How can Omi have so much leeway? Giving me a salary that is nothing, is it any different from talking about it? Hahaha... the villain's tricks, and they want to use it Are you kidding me? Still gossiping in front of Taige, saying that I am not a weapon of a general!" Xiuqiu put the jug on the high seat lacquer plate, stood up, "go to inspect the place again and rest. You come with me." Saying , he staggered out. He insisted on taking the two veterans on tour, probably just to show his existence—Xiuqiu harbored a low self-esteem deep in her heart. "For patrolling the camp, the two of us are enough." "No. To see the jokes of wise generals, stupid generals must be well prepared." Walking out of the gate, he loudly reprimanded the guards: "How can this bonfire be enough? Burn it hard! It must be enough to show the fighting spirit of King Wu Zhong Nayan... Tonight, I will let the flames illuminate the sky all night!" He beat the fence with the whip in his hand Gate, go to the hilltop to the east. "What is that? Someone is moving over there!" As soon as we got to the top of the eastern hill, a fire that was moving north along the road came into view. "How can someone be going there? Is it an enemy or a friend? Send scouts there immediately." Just after giving the order, he laughed at himself again, and said, "Is it an enemy or a friend? This sounds so awkward. Where am I? If there are enemies, where can there be friends? Hahahaha." "My lord, be careful." "Okay, okay, just confirm whose people it is. There can't be many people in that area." Masanari Inaba immediately sent someone to investigate.It turned out that Yoshitsugu Otani, who was going down the mountain, was always worried about Xiuqiu, so he asked his generals Wakisaka, Kuchiki, Ogawa, Akaza and others to camp along the foot of the mountain to closely monitor Xiuqiu's movements.Xiuqiu didn't know anything about it. The advance and retreat of Hideaki Kobayakawa who was stationed at Mt. Matsuo became an important pawn in the decisive battle, but he sat on the mountain and watched the tigers fight. "Forget it, it doesn't matter if you don't go. No matter who it is, no matter what the situation of the battle is, I, a fool, just watch silently, haha... let's go back to the camp." The sky, which had just cleared up, cleared the clouds, cleared the mist, and filled the sky with stars, became dark again. After a while, the drizzle was misty, and the Guanyuan area was shrouded in heavy mist again...