Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Fighting on the Fence

On September 15th of the fifth year of Qingchang, except for Nangong Mountain and Songwei Mountain, everyone in Guanyuan was screaming and killing. Katsushiro Shimazawa was seriously injured and dealt a heavy blow to Ishida Mitsunari.Thirty percent trust Dao Zuojin very much, and sometimes even treat him like a teacher.But as soon as the battle started, he fell under Kuroda's bullets. Shimazu Konmo suddenly disappeared from the battlefield and disappeared forever in history.There are different opinions about his disappearance.Some people said that he had been helping Sancheng all the time; others said that he was still alive when he was shot, and died shortly after; others said that he survived and went to live in seclusion in an unknown place...

Shengmeng's daughter later became the wife of Liusheng Shizhouzhai's grandson, and gave birth to the sword master Lian Yezhai and the Ruliuzhai Lifang brothers. His blood has long flowed in the world.This is for a later story, not a table. Misunari was stunned by Shimazu Katsuki's injury, and another ominous news came, saying that Konishi Yuki seemed to have no intention of fighting, which caused neighboring Shimadzu Yoshihiro and Shimadzu Toyohisa to only take defensive positions. Chief Konishi Settsu's army has a total of nearly 7,000 troops, together with Ishida's subordinates and Ukita's troops, they are the three main forces that Sancheng puts high hopes on.

When the four teams of Terasawa, Ichiyanagi, Togawa, and Ukita Naomori of the Eastern Army launched an attack, the vanguard's vanguard resisted tenaciously at first, but after the governor's inspection, the soldiers actually relaxed.In fact, the president is not a cowardly general.During the Korean War, he fought with Qingzheng to be the vanguard, and he was extremely brave.Perhaps ever since he advocated guarding Ogaki Castle and waiting for Mori Terumoto to come to the rescue, but was rejected by Sancheng, he was angry and dissatisfied, and he began to feel slack. Matsunari rode in person to the direction of the East Army Commando, and sent envoys to Shimadzu Toyohisa, Konishi Yukaka, Otani Yoshitsugu, Kobayakawa Hideaki and others to urge them to fight.

At this time, the Fujido, Kyogoku and other ministries stationed in Shibai also launched an attack on Otani Yoshitsugu and Kinoshita Yoshitsugu.But Fujido Takatora did not fight hand-to-hand from the beginning like Fukushima Masanori. While making people shoot the enemy with bows and arrows, he kept attacking the Wakisaka, Kuchiki, Ogawa, and Akaza factions stationed at the foot of Mount Matsuo and on the left side of Nakasendo. Going to the emissary, needless to say, is to persuade them to defect. Just as Kobayakawa Hideaki expected, the Mt. Matsuo where he was stationed was indeed an excellent place to watch the decisive battle.From the moment the fog dissipated, all the movements of the two armies down the mountain were in sight.It is clear who has high morale and who is hesitant and retreats.Hideaki Kobayakawa seemed to be overjoyed by his own foresight, and laughed and clapped his hands, laughing at the stupidity of the people at the foot of the mountain, but this may not be the case in reality—the two sides are evenly matched. .

Although he was sitting on a mountain watching tigers fight, his face was pale and sweat was breaking out on his forehead, and he was more nervous than the people on the battlefield. Under the eyes, Wakisaka, Kuchiki, Ogawa, Akaza and others of the Western Army showed no signs of moving.They must have been instructed by Yoshitsuji Otani to monitor him here.Kobayakawa had already thought of this, but what he never expected was that besides these people, there were two other people who raised their sharp knives and stared at him.One of them is Ieyasu's retainer Okuhira Tōbei Sadaharu, and the other is Kuroda Nagamasa's retainer Okubo Inosuke.

Since Kobayakawa Hideaki was persuaded by Kuroda Nagamasa to never betray Kodaiin, it was naturally Kuroda Nagamasa who kept him in touch with the Eastern Army.In order to prevent Kobayakawa from breaking the promise, Changzheng had secretly sent a killer to him.Not only that, Ieyasu also sent Okuhira Tenghe in the name of contact to watch Dandan from the sidelines.It's really pitiful when I think about it, Hideaki Kobayakawa, who sat on the mountain and watched the tigers fight, hoping to play by ear, got the distrust of everyone. While Xiuqiu pretended to be a wise man, she felt very painful inside.Although the important ministers Hiraoka Ushiemon and Inabauchi Tomasari did not arrange the two of them by Hideaki's side, they were only separated from him by a curtain.

Like Xiuqiu, the two were watching the situation at the foot of the mountain.By the time Okubo Inosuke rushed to Xiuqiu's side with pale face and impatience, it was already four o'clock.Ieyasu has always been very cautious in selecting candidates, and the Okuhira Fujibei he selected has an incomprehensible expression, as if he firmly believes that Kobayakawa Hideaki will definitely follow the Eastern Army.Perhaps, he stabilized Xiuqiu first, and if things changed, he would splatter five steps of blood and end Xiuqiu's life with one blow. Okubo Inosuke and Hideaki have been acquainted for a long time, and he was used by Kuroda Nagamasa only after Hideaki's recommendation.Because of this, he was in a dilemma: if Xiuqiu did not vote for the Eastern Army, it would not only directly affect the outcome of the decisive battle, but also damage the face of Kuroda Nagamasa; at that time, even if Kuroda Nagamasa wins, he will not be able to hold his head up in front of Ieyasu.

"What do you want to do?" One person hurriedly grabbed Inosuke's sleeve, this person was Kobayakawa's vassal Hiraoka Yoshinori. "Get out of the way! I have something to say to Lord Jinwu." "If you have something to say, just let me report it. You look suspicious, what are you going to do?" "If you stop me again, don't blame me for losing my face!" Xiuqiu was close at hand, and Okubo deliberately yelled, "If this continues, there will be no victory or defeat in the afternoon. Why doesn't Master Jinwu make a move? Now go down the mountain and defeat Otani in one fell swoop." Ministry, victory or defeat will be judged. If you push it three times and block it four times, you will be deceiving my lord."

"Calm down. This is in the formation!" "Don't stop me! It turns out that all the promises made by Mr. Jin Wu are lies, so shameless! Get out of the way, I have something to tell him!" "No noise! ​​Who broke the appointment? As for the order to dispatch troops, I, Hiraoka Ushiemon, will issue it on behalf of the Lord." At the beginning, Sancheng lured Hiraoka Laisheng with 100,000 shi, but he was unmoved, and now he firmly stopped Inosuke. "Your Excellency is right, but you can just wait..." "Shut up!" Lai Sheng patted his chest and said, "When it's time to make a move, I will naturally make a move. Just leave this matter to me, Lai Sheng."

At this time, Okupira Sadaharu interjected: "Okubo-sama, leave everything to Jinwu-sama. With such an outstanding elder in Zhongnagon, how could he deceive Neifu and Kuroda-sama?" It's hard to decide whose words are more reasonable, but one thing is certain, that is, Kobayakawa Hideaki, who is listening to their conversation, has an embarrassing expression on his face.He was trembling all over, staring down the mountain nervously. "Since Okuhei-sama said so, I'll leave it to you." Inosuke didn't shut up immediately, "I was carefully selected by Mr. Kuroda, and my lord also has high hopes for me. He said that if something changes, we must not stand idly by." He said Coercing Xiuqiu.

"Haha." Okupira Sadaharu smiled, "Yes, I am the same. If I were at the foot of the mountain, I would have already won many enemy heads at this time, but now I am here to watch the battle bored. Alas, in case there is a sudden change in the situation, the next How can you go down the mountain empty-handed?" The Eastern Army sent people to monitor Xiuqiu, but Otani Yoshitsugu and Sancheng didn't realize it.If the Western Army sent people to monitor Xiuqiu first, what would happen?Jiji and Sancheng were indeed negligent.Xiuqiu, who thought she was extremely clever and tried to follow the wind, had to taste the bitter fruit at this time.When Hideaki Kobayakawa on Mt. Matsuo was still hesitating, what about Mt. Nangong? On the top of Mt. Nangong, Hiroe Yoshikawa, Hidemoto Mori, Kamune Shishido, Hirotoshi Fukuhara and others lined up facing the north side of Tarui.At the foot of the eastern mountain, Changshu Zhengjia, Anguosi Huiqiong, Changzeng Webu Shengqin and others lined up vertically. Of course, Yoshikawa and Mori on the mountain did not move.But the situation at the foot of the mountain is completely different, because Ikeda Teruma, Asano Yukunaga and other departments are pressing on them.The most flustered one was Anguo Temple Huiqiong.Sancheng has sent people to his formation several times to urge the battle, and at the same time asked Yoshikawa and Mao Li why they did not move.It's no wonder that Huiqiong will be blamed. When Sancheng decided to launch this war, he had vowed that he would definitely lure Mao Li out.At that time, Huiqiong was full of confidence. He thought that people on the battlefield were different from usual.As long as there is a war, the young Xiuyuan will not be able to hold back.And as long as Xiuyuan accepts the challenge, everything will be fine. But when Xiuyuan saw Hui Qiong, he said listlessly: "The young general is still young and cannot command the entire Maori army, so I have to entrust it to Mr. Hiroshi Yoshikawa." Huiqiong fell into depression.It is not difficult to imagine the anxiety in a very hungry person who is not allowed to take a bite of delicacies placed in front of him.This morning Huiqiong was in this mood. In fact, it was Hui Qiong who made Maori stationed in Nangong Mountain.He firmly believes that even if Mori Terumoto does not go out in person, it will still be Mori who decides the outcome of this war.It's just that he didn't expect Ieyasu to go west, and even if Ieyasu came, he never thought that he would be defeated. Once the war starts, Maori must be allowed to participate in the war.As long as you have this kind of self-confidence, you can make Sancheng anxious for a while.Therefore, in order not to depreciate the value of these delicacies, Huiqiong tried to prevent Maori from entering the small Ogaki City, and did not let them rush to attack Akasaka, but left them on the top of Nangong Mountain, hoping to sell them at a good price at the right time.Hui Qiong's calculations were correct, because Sancheng was jumping in a hurry, and all the generals of the two armies also turned their expectant eyes to the top of the mountain.By now, all parties have realized the value of the Maori army.After the war, Mori Terumoto will hold a heavy handle in his own hand, and he is waiting to be touched by Huiyuan's light.At that time, the status of Anguo Temple will naturally rise. Hui Qiong is both a general and a holy monk. The Hiroshi Yoshikawa family has always caused Anguosi a headache. Although he is from the Maori family, he obviously has a heart for Ieyasu.At this moment, when Xiuyuan heard that Xiuyuan was going to shift the responsibility to Hiroshi Yoshikawa's family, Huiqiong was anxious: "What kind of talk is this? In today's battle, the adult represents Zhong Nayan, who is the adopted son of the late Taige, and also represents Shaojun. Commander-in-Chief of the two armies, huh? On the occasion of this decisive battle, you want to hand over the power of command to Lord Yoshikawa. How can you do it! In case of failure, you will be willing to kill yourself? At that time, the world will definitely say that Your Excellency is cowardly and cowardly. The power of command was transferred to others, and finally fell into the hands of the enemy, and was ridiculed by others. Is your lord willing to endure this shame and humiliation?" Being able to speak eloquently is Hui Qiong's best skill.Under Hui Qiong's repeated questioning, Xiuyuan could not speak properly, so she had no choice but to agree to send troops: "It was my fault. I will send troops immediately and attack the enemy from behind." "That should be the case. Ieyasu has already reached out to Sekigahara. You attack from behind, and Kingo Chunagen attacks from Mt. Matsuo's flanks. In this way, we can win a big victory." Hui Qiong's words are indeed reasonable and not exaggerated, but they are just talking on paper.Not only Kobayakawa Hideaki on Matsuo Mountain did not go down the mountain, but Hideo on Nangong Mountain also stood still. As a result, Huiqiong herself became the target of Ikeda Teruma and Asano Yukunaga. It is no exaggeration to say that Hui Qiong likes to use his tongue.His insights and calculations, his sincerity to the Mori family, and his kindness to the Toyotomi family are impeccable.However, under the fierce attack of Ikeda and Asano, all his unremitting efforts came to naught. Hearing the gunshot, Hui Qiong stood up from the bed with a bloodless face. The only thing he could do was to rush to the Changshu Zhengjia position in a panic. Originally, he didn't think much of Chang Shu Zheng's family.Although Masakaya changed the ancient area measurement unit "reverse" from 360 pings to 300 pings, resulting in a considerable increase in the number of Japanese territories, but this is nothing more than a little cleverness.As a dignified general, he is only a second- and third-rate role at best. Hui Qiong ran to Changshu Zheng's house, begging Zheng's house to persuade Xiuyuan to go down the mountain.Huiqiong's urgency is the danger of the Zheng family, so the Zheng family agreed and immediately sent the retainer Konishi Zhizaemon up the mountain. At this moment, Xiuyuan still didn't move.He did not deceive Huiqiong. In fact, after agreeing to Huiqiong, he expressed his intention to go down the mountain to Yoshikawa on the spot, but Yoshikawa flatly refused. Yoshikawa's reasons are impeccable: "We had already made an appointment with Sancheng to be responsible for resisting the Eastern Army near Dayuan City. However, Sancheng broke the agreement without authorization, and in order to keep his old Wozuo and the mountain city, he sent the whole army to Guanyuan. This is his own fault. What are we doing? Why should we let soldiers die in vain?" Yoshikawa's words are not unreasonable. When the decision to send troops to Sekigahara was made, no one from the Mori clan was present—"When the Mori clan is needed, let us be the generals, but when making decisions, we will use all kinds of dirty tricks. I will never let the soldiers Go and die!" Xiuyuan was speechless. After being rejected by Yoshikawa, Xiuyuan was severely reprimanded by the emissary of Nagatsu Masakaya: "We trust you so much, don't you have the heart to sit idly by? We are about to start a hand-to-hand battle with Ikeda and Asano." Listening to the envoy's cry, Xiuyuan gradually became irritable. He paced back and forth in the big tent angrily, and then walked outside angrily.Konishi Jizaemon was about to chase after him, but stopped again.No matter how hard they press each other, Xiuyuan will definitely fly into a rage. After stepping out of the big tent, Xiuyuan wandered around on the wet grass, her eyes fixed on her toes.Not long after, he returned to the big tent angrily, and said to Xiao Xizhi Zuowei: "I have an idea. You go back and report, and say that I will let the soldiers eat immediately, and then go down the mountain immediately." "Dinner?" "Yes. Go down the mountain immediately after eating." Because of Xiuyuan's painstaking reply, a proverb was born in the future, which was handed down to later generations: to participate in the meal of your lord—it is unnecessary. But mortals, minds are always changing, and the torrent of selfishness and emotion often breaks down the embankment of the oath.Mao Lixiuyuan originally had no affection for Sancheng, but he was willing to work for Toyotomi.Therefore, when Hui Qiong persuaded him, he already planned to go down the mountain.But after the emissary of Changshu Zhengjia came, this idea disappeared again.He understood that no matter what, the ministers headed by Hiroka Yoshikawa would never take any action. In fact, they have no possibility of action.The Hiroshi Yoshikawa family had long been carrying Hidemoto on their backs, and had discussed with Fukuhara Hirotoshi, Shishido Karamune and other important officials of the Mori family, and last night, the four generals Mukai I Naomasa, Honda Tadakatsu, Fukushima Masanori, and Kuroda Nagamasa went to seek peace. Even the affidavit was sent. At this moment, this affidavit is probably in the hands of Jingyi Naomasa.How Naomasa negotiated with Ieyasu is unpredictable, but as long as Mori does not take the initiative to go down the mountain, the main force of the Eastern Army, Ikeda Teruma and Asano Yukunaga, will not attack Nangong Mountain. The content of the affidavit is almost the same as what Hiroshi Yoshikawa said to Xiuyuan: "Thirty percent broke the agreement and sent troops from Ogaki Castle to Sekigahara for their own self-interest, but they actually wanted to harm others. Mori had no intention of going to war, nor This is responsible." This is probably the secret strategy that Yoshikawa Hiroe, who had a good impression of Ieyasu from the beginning, thought hard for Mori's sake.Xiuyuan also seemed to be aware of this, so he said "soldiers need to eat". The emissary of Changshu Zhengjia was speechless and left disappointed.As soon as the envoy of the Zheng family returned, under the instruction of Hiroshi Yoshikawa, Xiuyuan's envoy immediately rushed to Huiqiong and Changshu's camp, saying: "Xiuyuan wanted to go down the mountain a long time ago, and he gave orders repeatedly, but Yoshikawa, Fukuhara, Shido, etc. No one has any intention of sending troops. Xiuyuan is not very clear about the reason. Please act according to your own circumstances, and don't place too much hope on our department." Is there a crueler word in the world than this?Isn't Xiuyuan the commander of the Mori family?Huiqiong's great ambition was shattered by Hiroshi Yoshikawa's whip. The enemy approached step by step, and his position was swept away by a hail of bullets.Not only Huiqiong, but Changshu Zhengjia and Changzengwo Shengqin are also facing the same dilemma.At the beginning, the attackers still had some scruples, observing the movement on the mountain while attacking, but now, they seemed to have completely ignored it, and attacked violently with all their strength. When the two armies meet, the strong wins, but the strong does not participate in the battle, and the outcome is self-evident.It was almost noon, and the Guanyuan area was in a melee, who had the time to think about these things? The dry grass is stained red with blood, and the battlefield is full of crazy killings. These people who know self-restraint in ordinary life, besides Mouri and Kobayakawa Hideaki, are there any rational people?Of course there is.One of them was Yoshihiro Shimadzu who was meditating silently in the formation, and the other was Yukio Konishi. What was Shimadzu Yoshihiro thinking about at this time? Sancheng sent people to urge him one after another, but Yoshihiro didn't even see him. Even if his nephew Toyohisa or important ministers came, he didn't say a word.Perhaps he had other plans in his heart, as long as Ji Chuan and Mao Li on Nangong Mountain did not move, he would not send troops.But he is quite different from Yoshikawa and Mori. Yoshikawa and Mori are bystanders, as long as they don't go down the mountain, they won't lose a single soldier, but Shimadzu Yoshihiro is not like that.He has been deeply involved in the vortex of the flames of war. No matter whether he moves or does not move, his soldiers will continue to suffer casualties, and his number of troops will only continue to decrease.If he sits here and does not move, it is as if he will die without a fight, and he will only be killed meaninglessly.Even so, he sat silently. Even if he stopped fighting, the Shimadzu family would not be safe, and the soldiers would not be rescued.His subordinates are fighting bloody battles.And he sat here quietly, ignoring the loyal subordinates who died in battle one by one. President Xiaonishi was weak in the battle.His back and right are backed by mountains, and his left is Shimadzu's position. Only in front of him is an ant-like enemy, but he has 70% fake battle and 30% real battle.What was his reason for making such a decision?Right now he has no way out, he can only watch helplessly being forced up the hill by the enemy, losing troops and generals.Even though Sancheng's opinion of sticking to Ogaki Castle was rejected by Sancheng, he was dissatisfied; he should not sit still.What exactly suppressed the fierceness of a brave general? At noon, the physical strength of the soldiers on both sides had reached their limits, and people fell down one after another on the muddy ground...