Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

While Yoshitsugu Otani quietly rushed to Mt. Matsuo to lobby Hideaki Kobayakawa, in the dusk, a small team went to inquire about the enemy and fled back to Ogaki Castle in embarrassment.There was a sudden chaos in Ogaki City. The lord of Ogaki Castle is Ito Moromasa.From the time when the generals of the Eastern Army set up camp in the Akasaka area, because he was worried that some people would have an affair with the enemy and make trouble, he took all the big merchants outside the city into the city as hostages.After hearing the news of Ieyasu's arrival, the hostages panicked even more than the samurai.Some people even suggested that if they were to die anyway, they might as well set the city on fire...

"Study the countermeasures while surveying the enemy's situation. If possible, scare the enemy to boost the morale of our army." Sancheng said with confidence.The situation was grim, and he had to order the skilled old minister Dao Zuojin to fight an outpost.Tsutsui Clan Ronin, who was attracted by 20,000 shihoulucai, had a deep friendship with Yagyu Ishishusai, who was known as the best military art in the world at that time, and it was rumored that he was especially good at field battles. Shimazukon and Gamo, who is also the elder of the Ishida family, joined forces to lead the Eastern Army's Nakamura to a battle, but the result was a draw, and the people in the city were even more panicked.

"Before leaving, you still boasted, saying that you will not return to the division unless you wipe out the enemy completely, and you still suffered heavy casualties and fled back in despair?" "It seems that we can only stick to the city." "Once the castle is destroyed, wouldn't we die here in vain? Shima Sakon and Gamo Bitchushou are Ishida's right-hand men, and even such generals are no more than mediocre." "It seems that they have been fooled by the inner government." "I also think it is very suspicious. Ishida swore that the Uesugi is fighting hard in Oshu. Moreover, Satake, Sanada and others have already raised their troops to attack, and the Neifu can't catch up here. Now it seems that the Uifu will be in charge Akasaka."

"It's really unreasonable!" The crowd was noisy and noisy, Ukita Hideka and Konishi Governor came in and out with red eyes, and the restlessness and panic of the business was passed on to the subordinate officers and soldiers. "The matter has been discussed for a long time, but there is no result! Is it to fight against the city, or go out of the city to meet the enemy?" "Don't worry. Anyway, our army is far superior in numbers." "Maybe there won't be a decisive battle tomorrow. The flag of Edo Nagon has not yet been erected." In such a chaotic atmosphere, after repeated consultations, the Western Army finally decided to conduct a field battle.

In fact, even if the Western Army wanted to occupy the city for a battle, it would be a long way to go, because retreating to the city from the very beginning would be like a tiger entering a cage.Moreover, Hideaki Kobayakawa, who was stationed at Mt. Matsuo, showed no signs of going down the mountain to enter the city, and Changshu Zhengjia and Huiqiong of Anguo Temple were also stationed at the south of Nangong Mountain. The two obviously acted according to the wind. It was already night when Shimadzu Yoshihiro's nephew Toyohisa Shimadzu arrived on Pegasus. "Toyohisa Shimadzu came to ask for orders from Shaosuke Jibu." Toyohisa shouted loudly, with a scary expression like a red ghost.

The Shimadzu Division and the Otani, Ukita, and Konishi Divisions lined up on the north side of Mount Tenman.Hearing that Feng Jiu came in a hurry from the front line, Sancheng immediately invited him into the hall. In the hall, everyone was discussing the matter of starting the war around Shima Sakon and Gamo Bitchu who had just returned from the outpost.Since they can't stick to the city, Ishida's tribes must go out of the city to camp tonight. The location should be westward along the Hokuriku official road from Sekigahara, towards Koike and Koseki, and north of the Shimadzu tribe.

"Master Shimadzu, please take a seat." Fengjiu felt ridiculous when he saw the heated discussion among the people.He sat in front of Sancheng, his armor rattling, and said: "I heard that tomorrow a field battle will be launched to determine the outcome. Is this decision irreversible?" "Exactly." Sancheng hadn't figured out the purpose of Fengjiu's trip, so he responded, and quickly took a look at Shimazuo Kin, "The formation is completed tonight, and the fate depends on tomorrow's battle. Compared with the enemy, we We are more familiar with the terrain in the Guanyuan area, so before the enemy attacks Ogaki Castle, we will be able to seize the opportunity and wipe it out in one fell swoop."

"The enemy doesn't move, so we just wait?" "What do you mean by that?" Shimazu Konji next to him interjected, "Battles are alive, and the enemy stays put. We can either lure them or harass them directly. What, Master Shimadzu has another clever plan?" Toyohisa Shimadzu glared at Sakon Shimadzu, but did not answer him, "My humble opinion, the information we have obtained so far is really ridiculous." "Huh?" Sancheng asked coldly. "We should have thought that the Inner Palace would come to supervise the battle. But until yesterday, our army firmly believed that the Inner Palace was fighting hard with Uesugi and Satake and others. We had too many omissions, otherwise, how could the Inner Palace be caught off guard?"

Facing Fengjiu's questioning, Sancheng was speechless.In fact, from the moment the Eastern Army marched to Akasaka, then stopped attacking and watched quietly, he felt that something was wrong.He wasn't dull enough to be unaware of it, he just couldn't tell because he was suffering. "Jiakang has arrived." If he said that, the Western Army would become more disorganized.Even if Jia Kang didn't come, everyone would have their own ghosts, let alone Jia Kang did come! "We all know that the key to war is to seize the opportunity to win. But now, this opportunity has been snatched by the inner government. We have lost the opportunity, which will inevitably affect the morale of the whole army, and things will become more serious by then. Your Excellency thinks What?" Toyohisa asked loudly.

"So, what do you think should be done?" "Night attack! Take advantage of this night to launch a surprise attack and drive out the inner mansion. We have no other choice." Feng Jiu stared at Sancheng, as if he had a well-thought-out plan. Sancheng didn't answer right away.He also had no objection to night raids, if possible.But for Toyohisa Shimadzu's proposal, can the generals of the Western Army agree?Do they have such a strong will to fight? What surprised Sancheng the most was Hui Qiong of Anguo Temple who had vowed to invite Terumoto Mao here no matter what.However, instead of attracting Mao Li Huiyuan, the bald donkey hid with Changshu Zhengjia in Nangong Mountain and stood on the fence to watch.Even Huiqiong only wants to be wise and safe, and Mao Lixiuyuan, who took the place of Yoshikawa Hiroka and Huiyuan to go to the battle, does he need to say more?Not only that, Sancheng even felt that the closeness of Masakaya Nagatsuka and Hui Qiong seemed to have something to do with Masuda Nagamori, who was rumored to have an affair with Ieyasu in Osaka Castle.

Hideaki Kobayakawa was not to be relied upon from the very beginning, and now, apart from Yoshitsugu Otani, the only ones who can go through fire and water for Ishida Mitsunari are Hideaki Ukita and Yukiko Konishi.Under such circumstances, if you have no strong soldiers, why attack at night?For Toyohisa Shimadzu's proposal, Sancheng was moved to the point of tears, but he was speechless... "What do you guys think? The Inner Palace has just arrived, and our foothold is not yet stable. Tonight is an excellent opportunity for us to attack." Feng Jiu said without fear. "I'm afraid it's just Shimadzu-sama's wishful thinking." Shimazu said sarcastically. "how do I say this?" "The so-called surprise attack was originally an extraordinary method that was used just now when we had to fight less for a longer period of time. Now our army far outnumbers the Eastern Army, why deliberately take such a big risk?" "What kind of talk is this!" Fengjiu's forehead was full of blue veins, "I am not someone who doesn't understand battle formation. Before I came here, I also fully understood the enemy's situation. After a small battle with our side this evening, the enemy let go With a sigh of relief, they were all disarmed and rested. Therefore, if we launch a night attack, the main formation of the inner palace in Okayama will be in chaos. Please think clearly." Toyohisa ignored Shimazakaki's objection and stared straight at Thirty percent. Sancheng nodded slightly, and said: "Thirty percent understands your feelings very well. It's just...just..." Tears almost flowed down before the words were finished.He once made up his mind that he would fight Tokugawa Ieyasu to the end even if there was no one to help him, and now he couldn't help but be moved by Toyohisa's steadfast friendship.Sancheng choked with sobs and said: "The collegiate committee has made a unanimous decision, and the ministries are deploying. Once the order is changed, it may cause dissatisfaction, so..." He turned his face away. Feng Jiu was startled, and swallowed the following words into his stomach. Thirty percent seem to be worried about whether the night attack will be successful.Feng Jiu wanted to insist, but reason stopped him.30% must be worried that no one will listen to his command.If this is the case, it will not help if there is only Shimadzu.Even if the night attack disrupted the enemy, without reinforcements, it would be nothing but thunder but no rain. "Then, are you betting everything on tomorrow's decisive battle?" "Since it has been decided, all departments have been prepared, and this is the only way to go. But no matter what, Sancheng is deeply moved by Mr. Shimadzu's friendship..." Feng Jiu no longer listened to what he said later, and said directly: "Excuse me!" After speaking, he gave Shimazuo a close look and left indignantly. "My lord," Zuo Jin chuckled softly, "Do you think we missed a good time?" "what do you mean……" "As expected of Shimadzu. It would be great if we had 10,000 people like this, but..." Sancheng raised his hand to stop Zuo Jin: "You always wanted to attack at night too?" "Listen to your lord's orders." "Tomorrow, tomorrow...will it be sunny?" "It must be sunny. We must achieve a great victory under the blue sky. Don't be anxious, my lord. Just wait for the good news." "No, I'm not worried. I know that." Shimao Zuojin smiled softly, added some oil to the lamp, and sighed: "People are naturally timid." "yes." "That's why you are full of desires, and with desires, you will become strong." "Yes, but everyone has less desire now." "Preserving your life is the most important thing. In fact, this is also a kind of desire. Yagyu and Shi Zhousai once wrote an interesting letter to me." "I heard that Yagyu Tamaru is working hard for Ieyasu?" "This person doesn't have the idea of ​​the enemy and the enemy in the eyes of ordinary people. He said in the letter that the decisive battle is approaching, and if the Eastern Army is defeated, please take care of it." "The Eastern Army was defeated?" "Yes. On the contrary, he will also take care of me. This person has always valued righteousness over righteousness. My lord also..." "Easy desires and righteousness?" "Yes. Maybe righteousness is also a kind of desire." At this time, the veteran Wu Bingwei came and said: "The preparations are complete. Please leave, my lord." "Okay, Zuobei will go first." Ujikasakubei, who was dressed the same as Mitsunari, bowed and saluted, and left the hall.Needless to say, he is Sancheng's stand-in... Not long after, the whole city screamed. All the way from Osaka Castle to Ogaki Castle, Sancheng's state of mind kept changing. At the beginning, everyone's thoughts, which were not fully understood, are now clearly understood.He once thought that as long as he mastered Naoeyama Castle Guard of the Uesugi Clan and Anguoji Huiqiong who had a deep connection with the Mori family, it would be enough to make Ieyasu into a mess.In order to master these two, the most important thing is to pull Otani Kichitsu into his camp, he thinks so and does so.But now it seems that only Dagu Jiji is devoted to him 30% of the time, and the rest of them all have ghosts in their hearts.He had previously boasted to the daimyos: "Even if ten Ieyasu come, I will defeat them in one fell swoop!" Thirty percent said so, not just rhetoric.In the face of desire, people are as weak as babies.His bait is naturally more attractive than Ieyasu.For the Uesugi family, he promised to Guanbazhou; for Maori, let him rule the world.He also asked Otani Yoshitsugu to monitor everyone, and used Mino and Owari to lure Oda Hidenobu... Konishi Governor has Kato Kiyomasa as his old enemy, and Ukita Hide's family has an attempt to occupy Kinki—as long as he does not reveal himself Showing ambition is enough to manipulate you and others. But once the war started, 30% of their wishful thinking would come to naught one by one.It's not because everyone has no desire, but their appetite is far from what he imagined.They don't want to be willing to risk their lives for their desires.Although they salivate over the bait, they are all timid in the face of danger. For their own mistakes, 30% have only realized in the past few days.Although the enemy had advanced to Akasaka, it was puzzling that they did not move.Sancheng mistakenly thought that they would not attack Ogaki Castle, and just wanted to take down their base camp Zuohe Mountain Castle in one go, so they hurriedly retreated.But the enemy still didn't move. The trembling and terror he felt when he was on Mount Sawa was still churning in his mind. Let Ieyasu figure it out!They must be waiting for the arrival of Jiakang! After Sancheng suddenly realized, the hairs all over his body stood on end.The arrival of Ieyasu shows that Uesugi Jingsheng did not jump at him for the good bait as expected.But after the fear, he finally understood everything, but this did not lead him to the bright road.He fell into despair and made a mistake. Sancheng sent out the substitute first, and sorted out his thoughts again: Jingsheng Uesugi did not take the bait, and Terumoto Mori also hid in Osaka. Why?Could it be that the bait wasn't enough to make them risk it?Do they no longer have the blood of warriors? If Sancheng was an ordinary person, he would immediately die down after realizing the huge gap with Ieyasu.But he is an extraordinary person, how can he give up easily?From the very beginning, he knew very well that Ieyasu's strength was far superior to his own, but he still tried to fight against it to the end. Stubbornness plunged Sancheng into an abyss of despair. Is it because I don't have enough equipment?Thirty percent often ask themselves.In fact, he has always used benefits to seduce people, and he has never sincerely respected and convinced others.Even Hideyori, who is so lovable, pitiful, and sympathetic, Sancheng has never regarded him as the real master.In Sancheng's eyes, Mrs. Dian is nothing more than a competitive woman who likes to play tricks.Mitsunari couldn't help but doubt: I, Ishida Mitsunari, am I just an ordinary boy like Ohno Suishyo?What about Uesugi Kekatsu, Mori Terumoto, Ukita Hideka, and Konishi Yukinaka? Among all the people, 30% respected Yoshitsugu Otani, who is affectionate and righteous, and was in awe of Yoshihiro Shimadzu's bravery.Thinking about it carefully, there are only a few people who support him unswervingly.All the people he trusted were helping, and those he despised were getting worse one by one, but the people he counted on were not so much. Everyone has their own strengths.If you don't see this point, you will only make yourself despise and despise others by comparing your own strengths with those of others. Before Sancheng's eyes, he was chased by seven generals and fled to Fushimi Castle.At that time, Ieyasu may have sincerely protected him, but the seven generals who were reprimanded by Ieyasu are willing to smash their bodies to pieces for Ieyasu today.well!Stop it!Thinking of this, Sancheng was stunned and couldn't help feeling ashamed of himself. Whether it is Mori Terumoto or Uesugi Kekatsu, they are just Sancheng's tools. He has never considered their sincerity, nor has he confided the truth to them.Why can't I respect and respect Otani with sincerity like I did with Otani Yoshitsugu?Could this be the biggest reason that caused them to doubt Sancheng today and finally sit on the fence?Sancheng was thinking about it, only to feel chills all over his body. Today's 30% have finally begun to deny shallow views and transcend humble habits.He once boasted that he was extremely talented and wise, and that he conceited that his strategy was meticulous and seamless.However, his decades of career seemed to be repeated upside down.To rule the world, one should have the capacity to accommodate the world.In the rivers, seas and lakes, tolerance is the greatest, and it was supposed to let the world's famous names show their strengths, but he despised his wisdom and underestimated his strength, and finally made himself into a lonely situation. It was too late for Sancheng to realize this, even though he wrote a long letter of truth to Masuda Nagamori on September 12th.But this letter was not sent to Changsheng, but fell into the hands of the Eastern Army.In this letter, he wrote unabashedly: "Dayuan City has fallen into chaos. Changshu Zhengjia and Anguosi Huiqiong are in Nangongshan, and they are all watching from the sidelines..." Sancheng abandoned the previous tyranny and told Changsheng that now the allied forces are afraid, and instead of going to the countryside to raise food and grass, they transport food from the near river instead.It's time for Changsheng to donate his gold, silver, and rice... As for the hostages, three or five of them must be executed, so there is no need to worry about morale dropping, and there is no need to worry about someone being the enemy's internal support.Dajin's Jing Gaoji, his younger brother is in the camp of the Eastern Army. If he is not severely punished, it may be difficult to uphold military law.Hideaki Kobayakawa's position is also quite worrying.The only people who can be trusted are Ukita Hideka, Shimadzu Yoshihiro, and Konishi Setsumori. If things go on like this, there will definitely be dissent within the Allied Forces... Such an undisguised confession of distress is unique for Sancheng. Even though he understands it, there is no way out now.Sancheng walked into a dead end, feeling sad in his heart.Between the lines, there is worry and worry everywhere.This kind of distress is much more painful than those generals who are unaware of it.At the end of the letter, Sancheng still couldn't help urging Mori Terumoto to go out.But this does not mean that he still has hope for Maori, nor does he hope that after reading his long letter, Changsheng will have the idea of ​​living and dying with him. He just couldn't help but want to write something.Two days later, Ieyasu came. Sancheng sat there cross-legged, contemplating, not moving at all, and even forgot to pick off the lanterns.Now he no longer thinks about the outcome of the war, he only thinks about what it will be like at the moment of his death.Who will fight, how will fight happen?At this time, San Cheng even acted like a bystander.He wanted to see how Ieyasu would attack, and how Toyotomi's former general would act.Who will have an affair with the enemy, who will hesitate, and who will bravely participate in the decisive battle?All these thoughts are far from his attachment to fighting to the death - he is getting rid of it.There is only one thing that Mitsunari feels ashamed of and regrets: this battle is a contest of ambition, a contest between Ishida Mitsunari, who despises others, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who knows people well... The city of Ogaki gradually fell silent, and the autumn rain knocked on the railings. Almost all the men and horses left the city.Because it was a secret operation, it was impossible to light the torches or make the horses neigh. Coupled with the falling autumn rain, the march became more and more difficult.Even if the road near Sekigahara is dry and flat, the newly built camp may turn into a mud field. Listening to the sound of rain outside the fence, Sancheng laughed at himself.I don't know when, the fear and impatience have completely disappeared. To his disbelief, even the feeling of sadness seems to have disappeared.The decision made at the collegiate meeting in the evening seemed to have completely become the business of the other family. Ieyasu did not deliberately hide his marching route.No matter how Sancheng moves, Ieyasu will pass through Sekigahara and head west. With regard to Ieyasu's step-by-step approach, the Western Army's countermeasure was to cut off his return route, attacking him from the north and south first, and then from the east and west.There is no omission in this arrangement.But the problem is, although there are no omissions in the formation, who can guarantee that it will be executed without any omissions? If everyone works together, if there is no business trip, the situation between the two sides will be reversed tomorrow.Ieyasu's vanguard will be wiped out from the gate to the mountains.Kobayakawa and Otani Yoshitsugu cut off the advance of the Eastern Army from the south, while Otani, Ukita, Konishi, Shimadzu, and Ishida's divisions took turns to attack it.In this way, the Eastern Army, which had been cut off, had no way to advance, and no way to retreat.Then lure the enemy into Sekigahara, headed by Mori Hidemoto, Yoshikawa, Anguoji, Chosou and other armies pressed down from Nangong Mountain to Taijing and Fuchu. In this way, Ieyasu became the turtle in the urn.Then, the battle was transformed into a general attack squeezed from the east and west sides to the middle.If morale is high, maybe Ieyasu will become a prisoner tomorrow. The Eastern Army is said to have 75,000 men, while the Western Army has dispatched more than 108,000.Therefore, as long as the morale is maintained, it is only natural that Ishida Mitsunari will be the one to play the triumphant song. Thinking of this, Sancheng suddenly smiled.How will future generations evaluate this battle of Sekigahara?They will definitely regard this battle as a decisive battle that will determine the general situation of the world.If he only counted the people on both sides, he would be unprecedented, but... Sancheng shook his head again, now is not the time to think about the result.He asked people to call Fukuhara Changyao who was staying at Ogaki Castle. Not long after, Chang Yao came. "It seems to be raining harder and harder, have all the generals set off?" Sancheng asked, his heart gradually brightened. When people are about to die, they always seem to become wise.But the irony is that when wisdom is most needed, people may not be wise.Now Sancheng's state of mind is completely different from the state of mind when he was always against Ieyasu. He has become an outsider.Previously, he firmly believed that manpower and strategy were "power", but now it seems that it is really naive, and he even pities himself. Although the Western Army has a total of 108,000 people, once its morale is low, its strength is not half as strong.Not only that, the riots and dissatisfaction that are easily triggered may still rise. While consuming the food and grass of 100,000 people, it also consumes the fighting spirit of 100,000 horses... If it is more serious, its power will be ten thousand Not one. Thirty percent had never calculated these before.He has never paid attention to people's hearts and morals, and only uses tricks to make up the number of people.At this point, he succeeded-Tokugawa Ieyasu had only 75,000 soldiers, but Ishida Mitsunari had an army of 108,000.However, among these 100,000 troops, how many are truly reliable? Things have come to this point, no matter how calculated it is useless. Seeing the uneasiness on Fukuhara Changyao's face, Sancheng put on a smile and said, "This rain will stop before dawn." "Otherwise, it will be brought to the army..." "It will be sunny. The rain will continue. Although it will increase our difficulties, it will also delay the enemy's advance. Have you all left the city?" "Yes. The first is Lord's Department, the second is Shimadzu's, the next is Konishi-sama, and the fourth is Ukita-sama. When they left the city, the rain was not so heavy." "I'm relieved. I'm leaving too." "But the rain is so heavy..." Chang Yao thought that 30% wanted to avoid the rain, so he would leave at dawn, so he whispered, "The quilt has been laid for the adults." "Fukuhara," Sancheng was still smiling, "Is Sancheng an unreliable person?" "Why did your lord say that?" "It's good if you don't think so. But today, I have to visit everyone and apologize to them." "Apologize?" "Yes, actually it is to supervise the battle. Ieyasu has already gone straight to Sekigahara, and I must go to inspect it. Once the battle starts, so that the generals can fight the enemy bravely. This is my duty." Chang Yao was very puzzled, he didn't understand what San Cheng meant. Sancheng had already met Changshu Zhengjia and Anguoji Huiqiong, so the ones he was going to visit were Kobayakawa Hideaki and Otani Yoshitsugu. When Chang Yao was puzzled, San Cheng had already got up and left the table, went out, got on his horse, and disappeared silently into the drizzle of the autumn rain...