Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Four

Ieyasu Tokugawa advanced the battle twice. In order to observe the movement of Kobayakawa on Mount Matsuo, Ieyasu ordered someone to move the coach's bed from the east end of Guanyuan to the center. "Kobayakawa still hasn't made any movement?" He asked Honda Masakami sharply. "Yes. I asked Kuroda Kaishu-sama's subordinate Oon Rokuzaemon to rush..." "Who is Da Yin?" "I served Lord Jinwu before, and we ordered him to closely monitor Jinwu Zhongnayan until he raises his troops." "Well. What time is it?" "Noon."

"Xiuqiu, that bastard!" Jiakang suddenly stood up from the bed and bit his right nail hard. "If you see adults biting your nails, you should run away quickly. Maybe the adults will draw out their knives at any time." Honda Tadakatsu often tells people half-jokingly.Ieyasu had said that the winner would be decided at noon. By noon, all the soldiers' physical strength had reached their limits, but Kobayakawa Hideaki still had no intention of going down the mountain. Ishida's army retreated steadily, and Ukita's men also fled in embarrassment.At this time, if Kobayakawa's men descended from the sky and attacked Otani's flanks, the two armies would collapse immediately.Knowing this, Ieyasu was extremely anxious.

Okupira Sadaharu and Okubo Inosuke will be putting pressure on Hideaki frequently.Moreover, Kuroda Nagamasa sent Oon Rokuzaemon, so Ieyasu expected that Kobayakawa would go down the mountain sooner or later.But he didn't expect Kobayakawa to be so hesitant.If this continues, the result will only increase casualties on both sides, and Ieyasu can't bear it. "This bastard! Indecisive, what a waste!" Ieyasu was furious, gnawing his nails, and kept turning around the bed. In order to divert Ieyasu's attention, Honda asked the people next to him softly: "The person who went to Nangong Mountain hasn't come back yet?"

"Just came back." Nakubojima Son Heiwei answered. "What's going on with Maori?" "Some suspicious people frequently come and go to the positions of Hui Qiong, Chang Shu and others." Honda was startled, and hurriedly looked at Ieyasu.If Nangongshan is abnormal, Jiakang will be more and more troubled. Sure enough, upon hearing Sun Bingwei's answer, Ieyasu stopped abruptly, "There is something suspicious about Maori?" "Yes. He is sending envoys down the mountain frequently." "It's all because of that bastard standing still!" Ieyasu cursed, then calmed down again, and sat back on the bed.He may have suddenly realized that this is a critical moment, and as the coach of one side, he must remain calm as usual.

Zhengchun also heaved a sigh of relief. "Sun Bingwei, wait a minute." Ieyasu raised his eyes and called to Kubojima Sun Bingwei who was about to go. Honda Masazumi gasped and stared at Ieyasu.He understood Ieyasu's worry and anxiety very well. Kobayakawa Hideaki's reluctance to go down the mountain was all due to his indecisive temperament, but his actions gave the Maoli Department of Nangongshan an illusion, there is no doubt about it. "Jinwu doesn't move, which shows that the Eastern Army is in a bad situation." Once such a judgment is made, under the accusation of Huiqiong and Sancheng, Mao Lixiuyuan may not go down the mountain.

Hideaki Kobayakawa went down the mountain to help Ieyasu; and Hidemoto Mouri came down to attack Ieyasu's back with a promise of 30%.If Mori Hidemoto went down the mountain first, Kobayakawa Hideaki would probably ignore the agreement with Kuroide Nagamasa, kill the messenger, and turn against Ieyasu as an enemy.As a result, the situation is extremely unfavorable to the Eastern Army.Ieyasu has clearly calculated all this keenly.He kept cursing in his heart: You bastard! "Maori really sent an envoy to the foot of the mountain?" Ieyasu suppressed his anger. "yes." "Sun Bingwei, hurry up to give Sun Bingwei's office and tell him that Tokugawa Ieyasu has run out of patience, so let him aim at the mountain and fire a few shots."

Like Sun Bingwei of Kuboshima, Sun Bingwei of Busi is also the proud leader of the Musketeer Battalion under Ieyasu. "Aim at Jin Wu?" "Bastard! It's not killing him, it's scaring him. If you kill the horse, can you still ride it?" "yes!" "Wait, Sun Bingwei... Only our guns are not enough to bluff people. Go to Fukushima and let him shoot me too." "Obey!" "If he dares to fight back, he will never be spared! Tell Fukushima that Xiuqiu dares to act rashly, so he will attack!" "clear!" "Pure!"

"exist." "Reward Sun Bingwei with the chrysanthemum green horse that Kobayashi Genzaemon gave me. After firing the gun, carefully observe the fellow's movements, and then come back and report to me immediately. I will make a decision based on that." Honda comprehended it purely, and rushed to the racecourse with Sun Bingwei, handed the chrysanthemum green horse to Sun Bingwei, and watched him gallop away. It's gone." Ieyasu just nodded slightly, still biting his nails angrily.In order to win this battle, he worked hard.Although he is sixty years old, he is still high-spirited and murderous.

Calculations on the battlefield are completely different from ordinary thoughts.If you bring your usual thoughts to the battlefield, you will become indecisive, timid and cowardly; on the contrary, if you use the decisiveness on the battlefield to deal with daily affairs, you will become a violent person who silences thousands of people.Nobunaga is an excellent example.On the battlefield, Ieyasu is also a fierce general, and his decisiveness is by no means inferior to that of Nobunaga.He had already made up his mind that once Hideaki Kobayakawa remained motionless after firing his gun at Mt.Premonitioning that the moment of decision is approaching, Ieyasu will instinctively calculate, and then quickly issue orders. This is his style in battle.Even where Sun Bingwei Kubojima went and what the situation was at this time were all in his calculations.

Sun Bingwei of Kubao Island galloped all the way on horseback. As soon as he arrived at the Musket Camp, he shouted: "Sun Bingwei!" "What is it?" "We want to fight Mt. Matsuo. Bring twenty muskets to Mr. Fukushima." "clear!" "It's urgent!" After saying that, Sun Bingwei of Kuboshima galloped towards the regular position of Fukushima like a whirlwind.A few words are enough to boost morale, which is the strength of Ieyasu's cronies. But when it comes to Fukushima, things are not so simple.Meet Zheng Zheng, convey Jiakang's order, Zheng Zheng nods and agrees, once the words don't match, he is very likely to turn his face.Masayoshi Fukushima attaches great importance to face, even to the point of stubbornness.

But today's Zhengzheng was surprising, he responded quickly, and ordered loudly: "Call Hota Kanzaemon!" When the leader of the Musket Battalion, Hotita Kanzaemon, arrived, Busch Sun Bingwei also arrived with a pungent musket. "Aim at Mt. Matsuo's main formation, hit me! Go!" At this time, the armor worn by the musketeer is made of several layers of cowhide, painted with paint, with a five-inch square iron chest guard in front, and a Western iron wide-brimmed hat painted with black paint on the head, so there is no need to worry about being shot by the enemy. , There is no need to be afraid of big knives and long guns. Forty musketeers lined up, carefully aiming at the mountain. "Ten shots each time, let me release them!" Fushi Sun Bingwei and Horita Kanzaemon proudly ordered. Bang bang bang... bang bang bang... After eight hundred bullets passed, everyone's attention was immediately attracted.When people figured out that the bullets were fired at Kobayakawa on Mount Matsuo, Fukushima, Fujido, and the Western Army's Otani, Toda, Akaza, Kuchiki, Ogawa, Wakisaka and other units were all shocked on the spot. Soon, the gunfire stopped. Ieyasu was still gnawing his nails angrily in the base camp, quietly counting the hours.This is the breaking point of breaking the balance of power, and it is also an attack that shows Ieyasu's determination. At this time, Otani Yoshitsugu, who was blind in both eyes, was waiting nervously for the situation to change. Of course, the most shocked people were the people on Mount Matsuo.Hearing the gunshot, Kobayakawa Hideaki suddenly jumped up from the bed, unable to even speak.Just how panicked he is can be seen by looking at the three envoys glaring at him. "My lord is finally going out." Hiraoka Lai Sheng's voice trembled. On the other hand, Sadaharu Okupira laughed loudly: "Hahaha! It seems that my lord is going to use his personal soldiers too. Of the 30,000 personal soldiers of your lord, there is still one unused." Dai Oto Rokuzaemon and Okubo Inosuke sent by the Kuroda clan did not laugh, but fanned the flames: "Look, the inner government has finally been angered." "The matter has come to this, what is your lord's plan?" Hiraoka Laisheng trembled. After pondering for a long time, Hideaki Kobayakawa finally stammered and replied: "Send... the messenger, send the messenger... hurry!" "Your Excellency is determined to fight side by side with the Imperial Palace?" Before Hiraoka Yoshinori could answer, Okupira Sadaharu asked first.For such irony, Lai Sheng was speechless. The spectators on Mt. Matsuo had no choice but to step into the quagmire of the melee. Inaba Masanari rushed over, and Hiraoka Laisheng quickly issued an order to the messengers: "Let's go down the mountain together and defeat Otanibe in one fell swoop." Kobayakawa Hideaki stood there, sweating all over his face, without saying a word.Is he regretting his late decision, or is he still confused about the future? Xiuqiu's vanguard, Master Matsuno, turned pale and rushed over, saying: "My lord, you ordered us to attack Lord Ogu, is this your sincerity? Where is the morality?" "Daoyi? Hmph!" Hiraoka Lai Sheng hastily stopped him. Matsuno's main horse did not back down: "What did we say when Master Dagu came here on purpose last night? When the fire came, we immediately went down the mountain to attack the camp of the Inner Palace. But now, instead of attacking the Inner Palace, we Instead, I want to attack Dagu... My lord is so duplicity, so you are not afraid of being ridiculed by future generations? My lord, please think twice! Think twice!" The lead horse suddenly fell at Xiuqiu's feet. "Calm down, Matsuno, we are not traitors. From the beginning..." As soon as Hiraoka opened his mouth, Matsuno stopped him: "Shut up! I'm talking to my lord—my lord!" He grabbed Xiuqiu's leg armor and shook it vigorously: "My lord, you have received the late Taige's great favor, and it is The governor of the Kobayakawa family who is well-known as a samurai. How could Kobayakawa rebel? If he rebelled, it would be too thoughtless. You can stay on this mountain forever..." Xiuqiu roared, "Bastard!" and kicked Matsuno's horse in the chest like crazy.The lead horse retreated quickly, and Xiuqiu scolded again: "You know what! The Xiaobaochuan family and the Taige are all militants who are fighting for self-interest! Today, Xiuqiu will show the world. If you dare If you disobey my order, you will be shot to death!" This roar was Xiuqiu looking for courage for herself. "Matsuno, this is in the formation, and the order is prohibited, don't you know? What do you intend to do by breaking military discipline?" If Matsuno's main horse hadn't objected so much, Kobayakawa Hideaki might not have a place to vent his anger.Although he knew that he had to go down the mountain to join the battle, he still lacked fighting spirit and was extremely distressed by it.It was Matsuno's disobedience that ignited his anger. "Youbingwei, you tied the main horse to me, and you dare to violate the military order." After a moment of pause, Xiuqiu said loudly again. Murakami Youhei hurriedly took Matsuno's main horse down.If the entanglement continued, Xiuqiu would most likely draw her sword. The main horse was pulled out, Xiuqiu stomped his feet, and ordered loudly: "Blow the horn! Lead the horse! I will never go back to Mt. Matsuo! Destroy Otani's troops in one fell swoop, and attack Yuxita from behind!" Until then, he had completely Abandon distracting thoughts and fight high. Not long after, the Musket Battalion pointed their guns at the Dagu Army at the foot of the mountain and fired violently.Shouts that startled both armies sounded from Mt. Matsuo... Under the persuasion of Murakami Youhei, Matsuno returned to his own camp, and then quietly went down the mountain, but did not shoot Otani.After the war, he immediately withdrew to Heigu in the capital, and then imitated Kumagai Naomi to live in seclusion.But his actions had no effect on the battle of Sekigahara. Kobayakawa Hideaki possessed 600 muskets, and, unlike other units of the Western Army, he did not march in the rain, and none of the ammunition was wet by the rain. The chaos of the Otani army that was suddenly attacked can be imagined-their own troops fought back in front of the formation, and the best muskets were all aimed at them. At this time, Otani Yoshitsugu was leading 600 troops and carrying 400 A musket, guarding the north side of Zhongshan Road.When he learned that Ieyasu was attacking Mount Matsuo, he had a premonition that something bad was going on, and Xiuqiu was going to rebel.Xiuqiu is pathetic, and Sancheng is really pathetic, Jiji has always thought so, but how can he be better?Although suffering from leprosy, he had to stand in the battle line and fight.And Xiuqiu was between Hideyori and Ieyasu, between Mrs. Yodo and Kodaiin, between Sancheng and Mori, and was squeezed out of shape! When the poor Xiuqiu brazenly attacked Dagu's camp, Dagu was shocked and furious.In this decisive battle, he was completely dragged down by Hideaki Kobayakawa, and Kobayakawa's hesitation left him in a dilemma, unable to move.He was skeptical about Xiuqiu and hesitated all the time. In the end, he was hit in the back. After thinking about it, the Western Army has no chance of winning anyway.Even so, Otani has no regrets.He had made up his mind a long time ago, as long as Xiuqiu did not rebel, he would drag his sick body to the end, enter Jiakang's headquarters, and stain the battlefield with blood.He is willing to die for 30% of his friendship.He knew that if he took the initiative to attack, it would speed up Xiuqiu's rebellion, so he remained on the sidelines.But everything is not as he expected, appeasement makes him a delicious meal on Xiuqiu's plate. Ji Ji was furious, and quickly put on a small-sleeved silk gown, covered with a black butterfly painting, wearing vermilion knee pads and a face armor, wrapped his face with light yellow silk cloth, and sat in the swan. "Where is Jinwu's flag printed?" Ji Ji's voice was gloomy. "Go straight down the mountain and attack our troops." The answer was Gosuke Yuasa, who had been with Kichitsu since his blindness and acted as his eyes and ears. "Oh, it's finally here." Ji Ji gritted his teeth, "Order all the soldiers not to chop off the head of the shameless traitor Hideaki Kobayakawa, Otani Yoshitsuki will die with peace! Concentrate all forces and point at Xiuqiu!" Ji Ji slapped his hands like crazy Order by sedan chair.It was only now that he suddenly realized that what he really hated was neither Ieyasu nor the generals of the Eastern Army, but the ignorance, ignorance and dishonest despicable behaviors that permeated the world.Therefore, he went up the mountain on purpose last night.He has done all the benevolence and righteousness to Xiuqiu, but Xiuqiu's important ministers have the brazenness to deceive him again and again. "Obey!" Wuzhu hurriedly left. Although the enemy's attack was extremely violent, our side never responded vigorously.Otani's troops, in addition to Yoshitsugu's Honjin, also included Hiratsuka Inaba Morihiro, Toda Musashi Morima and his son, Yoshitsugu's second son Otani University, and Kinoshita Yoshitsugu. They were divided into five teams.There were nearly 400 muskets, but because they were assigned to each team, even if they fought back under the superior firepower of the opponent, it would be useless, so they simply did not place high hopes on them. Kichitsugu waited nervously for Yuasa Gosuke's return. "Five assistants are back." "The order delivered?" "Yes. Hiratsuka Inaba and Toda Musashi have launched an attack on Kobayakawa from the left and right flanks." "Okay. You don't leave my side." "clear!" "You dare to take half a step away from me, the Fa-rectification on the spot! The enemy is approaching, give me a signal immediately." "yes!" "Don't hesitate, so as not to miss the opportunity. Interpose me when I cut seppuku, and never let my head fall into the enemy's hands!" Wuzhu only felt the murderous aura piercing into his chest like a sharp cone.He looked up, and the return fire began. "how?" "Inabamori has already been killed..." Wuzhu hadn't finished speaking when a deafening shout suddenly sounded.Otani Yoshitsugu's subordinates were shouting loudly, and the other troops of Sekigahara also shouted together, launching a new offensive. "Did other people also kill them?" "Yes. Fujido and Kyogoku came first." "anything else?" "Hachisuka, Yamauchi, and Arima also followed." "How is our army doing? Where is my son?" "He is trying his best to get into Kobayakawa's formation." "Oh." "Kobayakawa's troops began to retreat, and our army gained the advantage." "Okay, push my sedan chair forward, quick!" Then began a brutal hand-to-hand combat.If Otani Yoshitsugu could have seen it, he would have smiled and clapped his saddle and applauded. Wielding the cross-word spear, Hiratsuka stabbed from left to right in the enemy formation, fighting with all his might.Toda Shigemasa took the lead, swearing to the death with his proud sword.Otani University and Kinoshita Yoshitsugu have long understood Jiji's thoughts, and they have no plans to survive from the beginning of the war. Faced with Otanibe's fierce counterattack, Kobayakawa's troops retreated steadily, and Fujido's troops also stopped attacking. "Gomachi... Kobayakawa retreated to Gomachi!" "Okay, continue to attack, and move my sedan chair one more town!" Ji Ji smelled the battle situation from the shouts, and gave another order, "If the enemy is approaching, all of them will rush up, leaving only the five assistants. If this is the case, Xiuqiu will definitely come up first." "My lord, Jin Wu prevented the team from retreating." "I'm right. It's time for him to fight himself... What, is there any movement?" "No more retreat. Jin Wu is waving the command flag to motivate the guards." "Hmph! Move my sedan chair forward..." "The enemy has come back again, and is fighting back desperately!" Yuasa Gosuke waved his hand vigorously, signaling his subordinates to move the sedan chair back a little. "Don't retreat!" Jiji sensed something was wrong and slapped the sedan chair angrily. "The enemy has already retreated more than five towns. Even if they fight back, they will only advance one town at most. After that, they will definitely retreat again. Shout out and cheer." ! Beat the drum! Kill me! Kill!" At the end of the sentence, another burst of shouts rushed to Ji Ji's ears, and he asked angrily, "Who is that?" Wusuke didn't reply immediately.He saw it clearly, Gao Hu's horse seal danced wildly four or five times among the main force of Fujido who had stopped attacking for a while.This must be some kind of code, but Wusuke doesn't know what it means.On the left front of the Fujido Department is the four teams of Wakisaka Yasuji, Ogawa Yutada, Akaza Naoho, and Kuchiki Mototsuna under the command of Otani. They have been defending Kobayakawa and have not moved. "What's the matter with the shouting just now, Gosuke?" "Yes... it's Wakisaka, Kuchiki and the others..." "What do they want?" "It looks like I'm going to... defect." "What? Explain it to me!" "Yes! They are attacking their own people..." For a moment, Otani Yoshitsugu froze—even the people he arranged to monitor Kobayakawa betrayed? Then, there was a burst of shouts, earth-shattering... Otani Yoshitsugu didn't want to ask anymore.The combined forces of Wakizaka, Kuchiki, Ogawa, and Akaza amounted to more than five thousand.Once they echoed Fujido Gaohu and turned to attack their six hundred soldiers, what would happen?As a result, the plan to capture Ieyasu's base camp fell through, and the oath to cut off Kobayakawa's head naturally became a ridiculous dream.Yuasa Gosuke also seemed to understand everything, and fell silent. "Wuzhu... Wuzhu, are you still there?" Otani Kichitsu groped and shouted. "Here... Wusuke is by your side." It took a long time for Wusuke to reply, his voice was full of despair, "My lord, the winner has already been decided..." Yoshitsugu was unexpectedly calm: "Tell me what you saw. What happened to Musashi and Inaba?" "Yes...the figure is no longer visible." "Why, caught in a melee?" "yes……" "Okay, let the sedan chair withdraw. According to your own judgment, withdraw appropriately." "Follow orders! Pull back one or two towns..." At this moment, Wusuke uttered a mournful cry after hearing "Ah". "how was it?" "Toda Musashi died in battle..." "Are you sure?" "yes." What Wusuke saw was not Toda Shigemasa's body, but a group of people galloping towards him holding Toda's head high.Gosuke had no way of knowing who killed him.In fact, Toda was first shot by Gentaro Yamazaki, a retainer of Oda Kawachi Shoshinari, and then fought with Shinnari, and was later decapitated by Gentaro. The two sides fell into a melee. "Five assistants, do you want to retreat? Already defeated?" "not yet." "Can you see Hiratsuka Inabamori?" "No, I can't see anything." Wusuke replied, wiping away tears desperately.Before the war, Gosuke and Weihiro made an appointment, and if the battle situation was unfavorable, Hiratsuka Inaba Mamoru Hiroshi would notify Gosuke first, and then the master Kichitsukai, but now even Weihiro's shadow was nowhere to be seen. It turned out that Wei Hiroshi had been shot down by Kobayakawa Hideaki's close attendant Yokota Kohansuke.However, Kohansuke was also seriously injured and fell to the ground, so Hiro's head and the cross-word spear he was proud of were handed over to Kenjing Shohei, a retainer of Ogawa Yutada, and then passed away. "Why is it quiet? How is my son?" "The two lords of University and Shancheng are gathering the surviving soldiers by the river." Ji Ji whispered: "Stop the sedan chair." He already understood that everything ends here, his life ends here.The surroundings suddenly fell silent, either because all his troops had been wiped out, and the enemy turned to Ukitabe again, or he had lost his hearing. In order to find out what was going on, Jiji held his breath and listened to the movement around him, and then he relaxed again. He only felt as if he was in the faint sunlight. Otani Yoshitsugu was once known as the unicorn under the banner of Taige, as if even the sun rose for him.However, since he contracted leprosy, his life has taken a turn for the worse like the setting sun.Although he was determined to stick to his faith in the dark, the lucky sunshine never visited him again.Thinking about it now, even following 30% was all because of inner despair.At the very beginning, he was invited to a luxurious feast, and then he was pushed from this feast to the abyss that would never see the sun. Who on earth pushed him into such an abyss of misfortune?Could it be that he committed sins in his previous life and was destined to repay him here? Sancheng once sat beside him and tasted the strong tea he, a leper, had used without paying attention.At that time, no one wanted to sit with him.Perhaps, it was the emotion at that time that dragged him to today's battlefield. But today, when Jiji laments that everything is about to end, life seems to surpass everything inconceivably, even he himself can't believe it-he finally feels a ray of sunshine lightly shining on himself. "Gosuke, is the sun coming out?" "Yes... yes. But it's raining again." "Okay, let's end it against the sun. Jiecuo will be handed over to you." "Zunyi... obey!" "You must follow my instructions and bury my head deep in the soil, so that it will not fall into the hands of the enemy." "yes." "I don't want the world to see my ugliness. It's not just for my ego. I'm worried that being ugly will be unpleasant." "yes." "Let's do it." Otani Jiji groped and drew out his sword, "Siye is quiet. The battle is over." Amidst the deafening gunshots, light rain began to patter again, and Otani Kichitsu calmly stabbed his sword into his abdomen...