Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Xuanfan's Defeat

When Sakuma Shengzheng was dreaming a sweet dream, waiting for Shigeharu Kuwayama to obediently hand over the position of Chiyake to himself, unexpectedly Niwa Nagahide's reinforcements suddenly appeared, and Kuwayama's troops who had once retreated down the mountain also killed their carbine.In desperation, Sheng Zheng had to give up the attack that night. Due to the fierce mountain battle that started at dawn, Sakuma's men were exhausted.In addition, Maeda Toshiie's men were also weak in combat.Sheng Jia wished he could withdraw all his troops, because he had no intention of sending troops to the plain.

Therefore, the troops decided to camp at the foot of Mt. Dayan, wait until dawn the next day, and then withdraw from Mt. Mt. Iwasaki, Mt. Mt. Mt. Mt.That night, the troops went to bed early. In the middle of the night, there was a sudden noise and commotion all around.When I listened carefully, it turned out that it was the miscellaneous soldiers talking loudly. "It's strange. Look, the fire dragon over there is like the lights of the Wandeng Festival. I think something big is going to happen." "It seems to be a large army coming to reinforce. Such a big momentum, how many people must there be!"

"The person who can lead so many troops is not an ordinary general. Could it be Hideyoshi's men? Perhaps, he did it for us to see in Mino, and he really hid somewhere." "What nonsense are you talking about. Hideyoshi has indeed sent troops from Ogaki to march eastward. Even if he spreads his wings, he won't be able to come back tomorrow. But what happened to the torches on Mino's official road?" "Does your lord know?" "Probably someone has already told your lord." Hearing these whispers, Sakuma Shengmasa sat up suddenly. "Come on, hurry up to the observatory and see what's going on." As he spoke, he went straight out of the tent and boarded a big rock on the left.Sure enough, as the soldiers talked about, there was a sea of ​​torches in front of them.Something really happened!

"Hideyoshi is back to join the battle!" A soldier with a long knife came to report in a panic.When Sheng Zheng heard this, he broke out in a cold sweat. "Nonsense! Hideyoshi is not a god. It's such a long way from Ogaki to here, how could he come back so quickly? Did you scare Hideyoshi to death!" Although he was sternly reprimanding him, he couldn't help but feel hairy, and immediately sent someone to inquire. "Zuo Jin, you should immediately send a smart person out to investigate, find out who is coming for reinforcements, and report to me immediately!"

"Obey!" Zuo Jin hurriedly took the order and left.Sheng Zheng was still staring at the ocean of torches alone in a daze, remorse mercilessly biting his heart. "After defeating the enemy, you must withdraw your troops immediately. You can act only if you agree to this condition." His uncle advised him repeatedly, but he refused to listen, and even set up a night battle without authorization.If this was really Hideyoshi's reinforcements, he would have no choice but to wait for the moon to come out and withdraw his troops. Just when Shengzheng was full of emotion, Yasui Sakon came back. "Report to my lord, the inquiring person has returned."

"Let him come here quickly." Sheng Zheng responded loudly, and rushed forward impatiently, "Zuo Jin, is it really Chikuqian Shou?" "Your guess is not wrong at all." Zuojin seemed to be afraid of being heard by the people next to him, so he deliberately lowered his voice. "Is the news reliable?" "It's absolutely true. It's unbelievable... I heard that Hideyoshi has returned to Kimoto, and he climbed Mount Tiangami without even wiping off his sweat." Tiangami Mountain is located in the north of Kimoto, on the eastern edge of the Northern Official Road, and is an important place to monitor the movements of the Northern Army. When Hideyoshi is away, Hashiba Hidecho is guarding it.Hideyoshi must have gone up to Tianshangshan to check the formation of the North Country.But how exactly did he show up?Sheng Zheng was puzzled.Moreover, Hideyoshi was not the only one who rushed back, tens of thousands of troops had already arrived, pressing towards the mountains.

"Zuojin, is the moon coming out soon?" "yes." "How's morale?" "I'm afraid..." Zuo Jin lowered his head, faltering. "I think it will be like this... The old monkey is always inseparable from his army." "What your lord said is very true. Originally, even if Hideyoshi was not there, their strength was far greater than ours. In addition, Niwa Chohide came over from the lake again. Hideyoshi led a large team to kill..." "Ah!" Sheng Zheng's eyes were bloodshot, and he cried out incessantly, "Call Hara Hikojiro here. It seems that he must go to my brothers Sheng Zheng and An Zheng—ah, why is there a beacon fire over there?" He said Put your hand on your forehead and look toward the northeast sky.

I saw a column of fiery red smoke rising into the sky in the area around Tianshang Mountain.On the left side of the smoke column, two more fire dragons shot straight into the sky... "Ah!" Sheng Zheng sighed, "That's where Maeda and his sons and Fupo's position was, unexpectedly they also rebelled!" At the beginning, he felt that the words of the insider from Nagahama City were a bit suspicious, and he even reported Hideyoshi in a serious manner. After leaving the base camp, we set off from Ogaki at dawn on the 20th to attack Gifu... "Zuo Jin, order the entire army to retreat immediately, as soon as the moon comes out! Let the soldiers prepare!" Sheng Zhengfei seemed to get off the rock as he said.He wanted to fight Hideyoshi to the death at dawn, even at the risk of annihilating the entire army.Just frightened by Sheng Jia's order, he hesitated a little.But since you want to retreat, there is no delay.Once the decision was made, Sheng Zheng immediately became the veritable "Ghost Xuanfan". "As soon as the moon comes out, the teams immediately retreat westward along Yuwu Lake!"

After hastily dispatching envoys to the positions of Hara Hikojiro, Haigo Gozaemon, Shibata Katsumasa, and Tokuyama Gobei, Shengzheng led the horse alone and stared at the sky, impatiently waiting for the moon to appear. When the moon finally rose slowly over the northern side of the Ibuki Mountains, Hideyoshi hurried down from Tianshang Mountain, and then climbed Chausu Mountain to check the enemy situation of Dayan Mountain and Kidake.In fact, he had already planned how to contain the winners who sent troops to the fox mound and set up a camp there.Moreover, Hideyoshi has long seen that Sakuma will retreat sooner or later, so once he starts to retreat, Hideyoshi will immediately launch a pursuit.

If the main force of Sakuma Shengzheng and his younger brother Shibata Shinzaemon is eliminated, it will be like cutting off the right arm of Satsuki.However, at this time, the main force of Singer came out, and Hideyoshi would have to face two battles.Therefore, he planned to send about 10,000 soldiers to attack Higashino and Foxzuka with about 10,000 soldiers, and he himself pursued Sakuma on the west bank of Yuwu Lake, trying to annihilate Sakuma. . "The moon is out, have the people and horses in Sakuma moved?" As soon as Hideyoshi climbed Chausu Mountain, he urged his horse to the northwest end of the mountain, looking down at the depression filled with silver-white mist.

"My lord, look, they are moving." "Well, yes, it really started to move. They stopped their flags and drums, and it seems that they want to retreat to Mount Onoji quietly." Surrounded by young guards, Hideyoshi stood there quietly, concentrating on counting Sakuma. speed of retreat. "How can I put it this way, Sheng Zheng is also a pathetic person." He seemed to be talking to himself, but he actually said it to his subordinates on purpose, "This stupid pig is exactly the same as the young Singer, and he obediently hit me trap." "Even so, his retreat formation is still orderly, without the slightest loophole." "Who? Who is this talking?" "Reporting to the lord, it is Toranosuke Qingmai." "Oh, Toranosuke, today I will teach you a trick. See, you must not wait until the moon comes out to start withdrawing troops." "Why?" "This is different from launching an attack when the moon comes out. If you are advancing, you may feel that the more you are under the moonlight, the higher the morale. But if you are retreating, it is completely different. No matter how orderly it looks, the soldiers I am also panicking in my heart, and I will definitely show my flaws. What time is it now?" "It's probably an ugly time." "Who is interrupting again?" "Fukushima city pine." "Ichimatsu, in your opinion, at the current speed, where can the enemy retreat before dawn?" "From my point of view, before dawn, they at most withdrew to the ditch on the left side of Jianyue." "That would be great. Anyone near the trench?" "Sanzaemon, Shengzheng's younger brother, wins politics." "Who is responsible for the succession of Shengzheng? Oh, isn't this Hesuke (Ishikawa Sadatomo)? Tell me what you think." "I guess it's still Hikojiro Hara. Everyone was still talking about it just now." "It's similar to my idea. Susaku (Kagiri Katagiri) judging from the enemy's retreat, when should we start chasing him?" Hideyoshi seemed to be in high spirits, and kept asking the young man for advice. Katagiri Kazumoto was very cautious and buried himself in thought. "I think that since the enemy has already moved, we might as well secretly move towards Jianyue, lie in ambush quietly, and attack the enemy at dawn. I think this is a surefire plan." "You mean, we don't attack them first, but go around and ambush north of Jianyue, right? Toranosuke, what do you think?" Qingzheng leaned forward to explore the tall body, and said: "I think the idea of ​​the assistant is not bad." "Your answer seems a bit hasty. Ichimatsu, how about you?" "I think the troops should be divided into two groups. According to what Susaku said, a group of troops went around to the foot of the mountain in the north to ambush, and the other group of troops immediately pursued it, so that the enemy would be terrified from now on. If we shrink back, we will never win victory." "Okay!" Hideyoshi slapped his thighs happily after hearing this, and then looked back at the people around him, "Then I'll follow Ichimatsu's idea and immediately pursue from behind, while the other team rushes to the north of Jianyue Mountain, where they will be killed." When the enemy is defeated, give them another blow! Did you hear that, all the people whose names I called just now, lead their subordinates and set off first." Hideyoshi seemed never to tire. It took him only a few hours to complete the hundred-mile journey from Ogaki to Kimoto, and without a moment's rest, he immediately rushed from Tianshang Mountain to Chausu Mountain to challenge the enemy. "Everyone cheer up! The enemy fought hard for a whole day yesterday, and before they had time to catch their breath, they are now retreating like walking on thin ice. Usually, I have strict requirements on you, and you are not allowed to act without authorization. Today, I can be extra merciful and allow you to give full play to your ingenuity. .Anyone whose name I just named, no matter what method they use, as long as they can make meritorious service, they should destroy the enemy as soon as possible. The sooner the enemy is eliminated, the sooner everyone will rest." "clear!" "Then, I'm calling the roll call. Anyone whose name I call, shout 'to' and stand to the right. Fukushima Ichimatsu." "arrive!" "Toranosuke Kato." "exist!" "Kato Soroku, Katagiri Assistant." "arrive!" "Yasuji Wakisaka, Choyasu Hirano." "arrive!" "exist!" "Sasiya Sueemon...helped Emon?" "Report, Suemon is in the grass for convenience." "Huh? Okay, if you need convenience, do it slowly. After the convenience is over, tell everyone not to be late." "Yes, I understand!" "Then, Ishikawa Bingsuke, Bingsuke's younger brother Chang Song." "exist!" "The nine of you are all Hideyoshi's personal bodyguards, shouldering the mission of defending your own honor, and you must do your best to avoid being laughed at by other retainers." "yes!" "Has Suemon come here?" "Suemon is still there..." "That's fine. Everyone, listen, before dawn, Hideyoshi will charge into battle with everyone and personally command everyone to fight. Let's go!" "yes!" "yes!" "yes!" I saw these selected warriors one by one raised their arms and shouted under the moonlight, gearing up and scrambling to get on their horses. At this time, the enemy below the mountain was still retreating quietly. As Hideyoshi expected, the generals who ruled out Sakuma Shengzheng were the lord of Koshi Nakahara Mori, Hara Hikojiro, and the lord of Daishoji Temple in California, Baixiang Gozaemon. In order to allow Shengzheng's troops to retreat safely to the highlands of Xingshi Mountain, Shengzheng's younger brother Shengzheng led 3,000 soldiers to stand in formation on the east and west sides of a trench about 50 rooms wide in the northwest of Jianyue to prevent the enemy from following.For Sheng Zheng, once this retreat fails, not only will he lose face to see General Winner, but his commanding ability will also be doubted by others.Therefore, he is doubly careful.Surprisingly, this retreat under the moon turned out to be extremely smooth. Shengzheng let the broken troops tenaciously resist the pursuing Hideyoshi troops, while retreating quickly along the shore of Yuwu Lake in an orderly manner. Finally, at dawn, the brigade troops safely withdrew to Quanxianban. Why didn't Hideyoshi attack Shengzheng?Its target is obviously Sheng Zheng's men and horses. Could it be that they want to avoid the dense fog at dawn? After retreating to Gongenzaka, Sakuma Shengmasa immediately ordered the two teams covering both sides of the trench to join forces and retreat quickly so as not to fall behind.As soon as the order was conveyed to Shengzheng, he immediately organized a retreat. However, at this time, he fell into the trap that Hideyoshi had set up long ago. In fact, Hideyoshi's troops had already circled here and quietly completed the encirclement of the enemies on both sides of the trench.When Shengzheng began to retreat, the warriors who had long been unable to restrain themselves rushed towards the enemy like tigers descending the mountain. Kato Kiyomasa, Fukushima Masanori and others——the world-famous Qiyue seven guns, attack the enemy like Asura. The time is April 21, the twelfth year of Tianzheng, at four o'clock in the morning. All of a sudden, heart-piercing screams, earth-shattering gunshots, shouts of exchanging names, and loud orders and scolding, spread from the valley to the village, and from the village to the foot of the mountain... Of course, Shengzheng's army and the latter's army did not think of this, but they just successfully escorted Shengzheng's main force to retreat, so they were naturally a little relaxed. Coupled with the fatigue that had not rested all night, the troops didn't even have time to catch their breath. , unexpectedly encountered an enemy attack, the confusion of the soldiers can be imagined. Once the opponent is in a mess, Hideyoshi's warriors are even more invincible. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make meritorious deeds. How can I give it to others!" Even Ishikawa Bingsuke Zhenyou, who always only considers the interests of the entire army and doesn't care about personal fame at all, is uncharacteristically, "Anyway, the lord has already said , I can be extra merciful today." Wielding a three-foot-four-inch saber, he dashed from left to right, and dashed into the ranks behind him in one breath. "I'm Hashiba Chikuzen, who is the assistant of Ishikawa Bingzhu, who is in front of the tent. Let you have a taste of my three-foot-four-inch sword!" With Ishikawa's cry, eight horses fell down on the enemy's side in the blink of an eye.Then, Ishikawa urged his horse to come in front of an enemy general. "Don't act wild, Echizen Yasui Zakon's brother Shiro Goro is here, just let the horse come over!" As soon as the voice fell, the general raised his spear with his right hand and stabbed towards him. "Ah!" Before Shiro Goro could withdraw his gun, he was slashed in the chest by Ishikawa, blood splashed on the spot immediately, and he fell down. Hesuke was sprayed with blood and became like a red ghost.But he didn't care to wipe it off, and went to kill the general on horseback, swiping his knife and slashing. "I am Hashiba Chikuzen's guard servant Ishikawa Bingzhu Zhenyou, today I will let you taste my sword." The opponent's general was wearing purple-brown armor, riding a peach blossom horse under his crotch, and holding a cross-word spear, majestic and majestic.At the moment when the soldiers slashed across with the long saber, the war horse also rose into the air, but the opponent twitched the rein skillfully and flashed to the left. "Boy, you still dare to announce your name. I am the lord of Kaga Daishoki, Gozaemon Jiuying. Boy, come here!" As soon as the words fell, the spear had stabbed over.Bingsuke originally planned to dodge to the left, but it was too late, the point of the opponent's spear had already penetrated his right shoulder, and the pain suddenly hit. "You!" In the blink of an eye, Haixiang Gozaemon withdrew his big gun, and the military assistant was bleeding profusely, and his body slammed into the opponent's horse.The war horse was frightened, and its front hooves jumped into the air, knocking off Bingsuke's long sword. "My lord, kill him!" "Kill this fellow!" More than 20 retainers rushed forward at once, and surrounded the injured Bingzhu with a whoosh.These vassals in charge of the rear had just successfully escorted Sakuma to retreat. They hadn't suffered much yet, and their morale was very high. Amidst the screams, Bingsuke rolled around desperately like a fish in a fish basket, and was soon cut to pieces by the beast-like retainers, and his life quietly disappeared in the morning fog. "Where are you going, stop!" Another man with a gun chased after Gozaemon, "Matsumasaka, Fukushima City, is here to avenge Ishikawa Heisuke." "Oh. I am Gozaemon, the worship village of Daishoji Temple." Before the words fell, Fukushima Ichimatsu urged the horse to rush up.Suddenly, a cloud of dust and smoke billowed, blocking people's sight.It turned out that this area is the red dirt road on the shore of the lake.In the dust all over the sky, people shouted and horses neighed, and swords, lights and swords were shadowed.Suddenly, the war horse let out a long whine, and galloped towards the north, leaving only a headless corpse lying in the middle of the road. It was Haixiang Gozaemon. "Hashiba Chikuzen's close attendant, Fukushima Ichimatsu, cut off the head of the Gozaemon of the Daishoji Temple..." Soon, the two sides started a melee, and the positions were frequently taken away and recaptured again and again. In this stalemate, the battlefield gradually moved to the north.The number of the Northern Army was also gradually decreasing. At this time, Kato Toranosuke Kiyoshi was desperately chasing Yamaji Shogun, and finally caught up when he arrived at Komatsushita at the mouth of Shimizu Taniguchi. "Where to run, you coward!" Qingzheng stepped on the stirrup with both feet, rushed in front of the opponent, and shot him in the head. "Hashiki Chiku's personal bodyguard Kato Toranosuke Kiyoshi is here, who are you?" "Oh, you don't even know me? I am the prisoner of Shanshan Road, let me come here!" "Who's afraid of you!" Qingzheng responded with his hoarse voice, and jumped off the horse. There is no dust here before, and every move of both sides can be seen clearly.At this time, the defeated soldiers were like an unstoppable torrent, only these two were still fighting back and forth. "It's not suitable for fighting alone, go there and fight it out." "Okay, I will accompany you to the end!" The two fought back and forth under the pine tree. In the end, the head of General Yamaji was cut off by Kato Toranosuke. The bright morning sun has risen, shining on the tender green leaves.The breeze is coming, and the surface of Yuwu Lake is sparkling.Everything is so beautiful, only people are still fighting cruelly, and tragedies of hell on earth are still being staged.From the hillside to the valley, from the road to the grass, there are red blood dripping everywhere. When he retreated to the vicinity of Quanxian Mountain, Sakuma Genbo Shengzheng finally breathed a sigh of relief, and he could retreat to Xingshi Mountain from time to time.After Sheng Zheng planned to withdraw, he would join forces with his brother Sheng Zheng and seek a counterattack.When the order to withdraw troops was conveyed to Shengzheng, and Shengzheng was preparing to retreat, the situation changed unexpectedly. Hideyoshi, who had been ready to go before, blew the horn of attack in time, and immediately all guns were fired, and thousands of troops rushed towards the enemy like tigers descending the mountain, cutting the enemy's team into several sections in the blink of an eye. Shengzheng's army has been fighting hard since yesterday, and it has also taken on the task of covering Shengzheng. The whole army was exhausted to the extreme, but when they decided to withdraw, they were suddenly attacked.For a while, the warriors could barely fight, but the miscellaneous soldiers had already lost their fighting spirit. If Sheng Zheng knew that he had fallen into Hideyoshi's trap, he would have gritted his teeth with hatred. At four o'clock, the fog in the bushes and valleys has dispersed. The news kept coming, but it was all bad news about the death of one's own general. "Report." A servant came to report in a panic. "Who died in battle?" "No, the big thing is not good. Maeda Toshiie and his son who were originally stationed in Mushan abandoned their positions and began to move in the direction of our army's retreat." "Maeda Toshiie and his son... isn't this a betrayal?" "Exactly." "Nonsense! How is this possible! How could Maeda and his son..." Saying this, Sheng Zheng hurriedly ran out of the big tent to take a look. Sure enough, as the guards said, Maeda's troops had already descended from Mount Mao and were moving north. "Alas!" Sheng Zheng bit his lips tightly and let out a desperate scream, "Unexpectedly, victory or defeat is determined outside the battlefield! This is what my uncle has been worried about..." He immediately stayed there, like a rock. Sheng Jia repeatedly ordered him to withdraw his troops because he was worried about this kind of thing.Sheng Zheng naturally understood, but now, it was too late.Right now, Maeda's army has completely abandoned their positions and is descending one after another, apparently intending to follow the valley of Mt. Wenshi to point directly at Yanjin.The situation turned sharply, and even Sheng Zheng's main force had no intention of fighting.Not only that, but there was something even worse-a series of bad news came one after another, like a sharp knife piercing Sheng Zheng's chest again and again. "The troops of Kuwayama Shigeharu and Niwa have already come down from Kiyake's fortress and joined the pursuit." "Another three thousand new troops came to pursue us." "The enemies of Shenming Mountain have already dispatched their nests, trying to cut off our army's retreat." As the urgent reports came one after another, Sakuma Yoyomasa didn't say a word, and suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed.In retrospect, Maeda's army seemed indifferent from the start.Although Maeda and his son obey Shibata Katsuie, they have deeper feelings for Hideyoshi. If this is the case, he will not lose a single soldier for either side.He must withdraw to Echizen before the outcome is decided, and then seek a solution to the aftermath. Moreover, Hideyoshi's army was approaching from the top of Shenming Mountain in one go, and it was likely to cut off Sakuma's retreat.Although Maeda Toshiie and his son did not hit Shengzheng from behind, it was enough for Hideyoshi, and he had already benefited from it-Maeda's behavior was no different from a betrayal. "Hahaha..." Sheng Zheng laughed like crazy again.Now, everything is clear: Maeda and his sons may not be the only ones who steer the rudder according to the wind and wind on the battlefield. Kanemori Nagaoka, Buba Shengguang, and Tokuyama Wubingwei Xiuxian of Komatsu City may also have the same intentions as Maeda and his sons. ambition... "My lord, it's dangerous here! The enemy is pressing on our army from three directions." "Of course I understand!" Sheng Zheng withdrew his smile, and spat in disdain, "My ghost Xuanfan is really blind, and actually regards these people with ulterior motives as his own. Shengzheng, Anzheng, come with me!" Said After that, Sheng Zheng suddenly pulled the rein from the hand of his valet, steered the horse towards the enemy, and landed on the high ground of Quanxianban in a swift motion. As a result, the entire Sakuma army completely collapsed.Some continued to follow Sheng Zheng, some sneaked into Maeda's army and fled quietly, some hid in the valley, and what's more, they simply rolled up the banner and surrendered to the enemy on the spot. Soon, Hideyoshi's mighty cavalry rushed towards the north like raging waves facing the bright sun.How long will such a brilliant attack last?Perhaps, he will always be like this, with an overwhelming force, and kill Echiqian in one breath. However, when all the troops gathered at Mt. Bunshi and took down the mountain in one go, and drove the enemies off the mountain, Hideyoshi, who was chasing all the way to Jifukujizaka without stopping, suddenly ordered the troops to stop the pursuit. It was nearly noon, and Hideyoshi stopped on a small hill at the foot of Mt. Bunshi. "Okay, everyone, take a good rest and prepare for dinner!" Hideyoshi, who had been tired for a few days, immediately asked someone to set up the tent and fix the seats, then took off the helmet and handed it to the attendants. "It's not noon now, so it's still morning... Hahaha, we finally achieved our goal in the morning." While speaking, the warriors who showed their might on the battlefield rushed over one after another.Soon, from the forest to the village of Jifukujizaka, all the resting soldiers were lying there.Because everyone was full of pride and courageous military exploits before, they didn't feel too tired.But once they rested, all the people felt extremely exhausted physically and mentally, as limp as a ball of cotton.