Chapter 20 Chapter Twenty

On the seventh day of March in the twelfth year of Tensho, Tokugawa Ieyasu learned that Oda Nobuo had beheaded the three elders through a secret report from Mizuno Tadashige, the lord of Kariya Castle. After Nobuo beheaded the three elders, he immediately handed over the Matsushima Castle of Yoshito Tsukawa to Saburo Takikawa for guarding, handed over the Hoshizaki Castle of Shigetaka Okada to Tadashi Mizuno, and handed over Yi (Yi) of Asai Tamiyamaru. He Cheng was handed over to Saburo Morihisa. Of course, it is impossible for Hashiba Hideyoshi to be ignorant of these changes. Before the battle started, Nobuo broke his arm, and Hideyoshi was so happy from ear to ear behind his back.Moreover, as soon as Ieyasu heard the news, Hideyoshi had already ordered Horio Mosuke Yoshiharu: "Immediately make preparations to send troops to Kita Ise."

On the eighth day of the eighth day, Hideyoshi issued the same order to Yataro Tsuda. On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, Hideyoshi himself entered the capital from Osaka, and on the eleventh day, rushed to Sakamoto Castle in Omi.The speed of his actions is the long-awaited proof of this battle. Ieyasu did not express any opinion on Nobuo's beheading of the three elders, but immediately held a military meeting in Hamamatsu Castle.Originally, Ieyasu and Nobuo rushed to Owari together, but things unexpectedly changed. "Now let's take a closer look at how capable Chikuzen Mori is." After everyone rushed to the hall, Ieyasu smiled calmly, "In the past, our army's shout was 'Go!' Now we have to change it. "

Ieyasu suddenly said such inexplicable words, which made everyone, Monk Zhang Er, puzzled. "My lord's meaning is, can't you just say 'Come on!'?" "Yes, this time the opponent is Hashiba Hideyoshi. Therefore, pass on my order and change the shout to 'Go up, go up!' The final sound must be firm and powerful. Shouting like this is a sign of victory." Everyone couldn't help but looked at each other and laughed dumbfoundedly.As for the specific strategy, there is no need to discuss it. After Ieyasu set off from Hamamatsu, his previous acquaintance with various parties immediately had a powerful effect.Narumasa Sasa of Hokuriku agreed to attack Hideyoshi's neighboring country Kaga.The head of Shikoku, Sogabu Yuanqin, immediately dispatched troops to Awaji.Kii's Mr. Sugawara Right raised the flag of righteousness to attack Hequan and Hanoi.Yasomasa Yasuda, who lived in Kii after being defeated in the Battle of Kidake, successfully lobbied Master Nelai to attack Hanoi.In addition, Ieyasu also instigated the disciples of Honganji Temple who had been occupied by Hideyoshi in Osaka, as well as the disciples of Nelai and Zaga, and promised them secretly that once the work was completed, the two lands of Kaga and Osaka, which were now owned by Maeda Toshiie, would be given away. return.

"We will definitely surprise Hideyoshi of Sakamoto Castle and catch him off guard!" After everyone arrived, Ieyasu asked someone to bring out the pre-battle meal, drank some cold wine himself, fondled the children's heads reluctantly, and flew onto his beloved war horse at the gate of the city. Around the end of the seventh day of March, that is, less than an hour and a half after the news that Nobuo beheaded the three elders came, Ieyasu made all the preparations for the war. In order to be able to enter Qingzhou to fight, Ieyasu immediately moved his base camp to Okazaki.He seemed very calm, and there was nothing abnormal in his expression or manner, and he was even more excited than going hunting.In fact, Ieyasu is not as calm as it appears on the surface.This is a decisive battle with Hideyoshi Hashiba Chikuzen, an outstanding ghost. If there is a slight mistake in command, it may bring disaster to the Tokugawa clan.

Ieyasu initially mobilized 35,000 troops.Among them, 8,000 people directly participated in the battle, and the rest were left to guard the cities of Ko, Jun, and San - Hamamatsu Castle was guarded by Okubo Shichiroemon Tadayo, and Okazaki Castle was guarded again by Honda Sakuzaemon , Futamata Castle was guarded by Sakai Kawachi Mamoru Shigetada, Kuno Castle was guarded by Kuno Saburo Zaemon, Kakegawa Castle was guarded by Ishikawa Hinata Moriya, Kofu Castle was guarded by Hiraiwa Nananosuke Kichi, and the county castle was guarded by Torii Hikoemon Mototada , Suruga Tanaka Castle was guarded by Takari and Sozaemon Kiyonaga, Fukasawa Castle was guarded by Miyake Soemon Yasuzaki, Nagaho Castle was guarded by Makino Ma Ryo Yasunari, and Numazu Castle was guarded by Matsudaira Zhou Defender Yasushige , Komoro Castle was guarded by Ashida Shimono Shounobu, and Sakai Zaemon Wei Chuji of Yoshida Castle followed. Ieyasu went out, no other guards were stationed here, and Nishio Castle was guarded by Okubo Tadayo of Hamamatsu.

The vanguard is the Chibei Army of Imachiyo Naomasa, who is known for his bravery. The banner generals include Okuheira Nobumasa, Matsudaira Matashiro, Kanbara Kodaira Taiyasu, Honda Heira Hachiro Tadakashi, Okubo Tadaki, Honda Keiko, and Matsudaira Iechu. , Yingmao Dingying... On the 8th, entering Okazaki Castle, Ieyasu ordered the entire army to temporarily station near the Yahagi Bridge, while he waited here for the warriors from Iga and Yamato to come.On the 9th, Ieyasu advanced to Aye.On the 10th, Ieyasu ordered Tadashi Sakai, Iechu Matsudaira and others to attack Narumi.On the twelfth, Ieyasu went to Yamazaki near Atsuta.From about this time onwards, the rain continued, and the warriors of Iga and Yamato continued to gather around Ieyasu in colorful fallen flowers.

While Ieyasu dispatched troops and generals, Hideyoshi did not relax in the slightest.He kept sending envoys to Katsuto Ikeda of Ogaki Castle, asking Katsuto to be the vanguard. "If you cooperate with Hideyoshi and win the victory, you are willing to give Mino, Owari, and Mikawa Three Kingdoms to you in return. Please hurry up!" Not only that, Hideyoshi also invited Mori Musashi to join, and at the same time, frequently seduced Kariya's Mizuno Sobei Tadashige and Niwa Kansuke.The two did not come.Ujiji scolded Hideyoshi's envoy and drove them away; Mizuno Tadashige immediately delivered Hideyoshi's letter to Ieyasu.The content of the letter is roughly: After the matter is completed, Hideyoshi is willing to present Mikawa and Enjiang to Tadashige as a gift.Faced with such a lucrative bait, the two remained unmoved.Perhaps they have also seen that it is far from easy for Hideyoshi to win the duel with Ieyasu.

In this way, the east and west armies continued to rush from the mountains of Mino and Owari to Northern Ise. On March 13th, when Ieyasu entered Kiyosu Castle to meet with Nobuo, the flames of war had spread to Kita Ise, and in the Omi area, Ikeda Katsuto and Morimusashi had already marched towards Inuyama Castle.However, this is only the skirmish before the decisive battle.Although Hideyoshi and Ieyasu racked their brains, they couldn't figure out the real intention of the other side's battle.Hideyoshi probably wanted to attract Ieyasu's attention through the battle in Kita-Ise, and then, taking advantage of his unpreparedness, attacked from Inuyama Castle to Owari in one fell swoop. In this case, Hideyoshi seems to have already succeeded in half.

At noon on the 13th, Ieyasu led important ministers such as Sakai Tadaji, Ishikawa Susho, Matsudaira Iechu, and Honda Tadakatsu to discuss the military situation with Nobuo in the hall of Kiyosu Castle. At this time, the dark clouds of war hanging over Kita Ise could no longer allow people to watch, because four days ago, that is, on the ninth day of March, Nobuo's general Kobe Masaobu had already left Kobe Castle and launched an attack on Kameyama Castle.However, the guards Seki Yashou Shengxin Rendo Mantetsu and his son Issei resisted tenaciously and repelled the attack of Kobe Masaobu. After receiving the support of Gamo's village, the battle situation became more and more stalemate.

Nobuo's side also immediately sent Masakatsu Sakuma and Shigemasa Yamaguchi into Mine Castle in Suzuka County to support Masao Kobe. However, at this time Hideyoshi's reinforcements had already entered Kita Ise in a steady stream.On the surface, Hideyoshi's party seems to be aiming at Mine Castle, but in fact, apart from Gamo's village, Hasegawa Hideichi, Hori Hidemasa, Hineno Hiroyuki, Asano Nagayoshi, Kato Mitsuyasu and the local generals Takikawa Kazumashi and Seki Wan Iron and others work together to cut off Nobuo's power in the north and south of Ise. Hearing what Nobuo said, even Ieyasu began to think seriously.Ieyasu naturally did not expect that Hideyoshi would directly attack Mino and Owari from Sakamoto.In order to drive Hideyoshi back to Osaka quickly, Ieyasu has been closely monitoring his movements.However, Hideyoshi, who has always been good at winning with a large number of generals, will definitely station a strong garrison in Osaka and come in person soon.If this is the case, there must be two offensive routes for Hideyoshi: one is to attack Mino and Owari from Omi, and the other is to attack from Kita Ise.

"Number positive, do you think Hideyoshi will come from Ise?" Ishikawa Shusho couldn't help but glanced back at Tadashi Sakai, and didn't answer directly: "You must not be careless about this." "Hideyoshi's strategies are often unexpected." "Hey!" Nobuo suddenly interjected, "Anyway, Owari is a territory that has been passed down from generation to generation in my family, so Hideyoshi decided to start with the relatively weak Ise." "Lieutenant General." Sakai Chuji suddenly turned to Nobuo, his eyes widened, and he said with emphasis, "Are you hiding something from us?" "Ah, conceal..." Although Nobuo said so, his face changed obviously. "When I went out for convenience just now, I accidentally heard something worrying." At this point, Tadashi suddenly turned to Ieyasu, "Just now I heard a miscellaneous soldier say that Fengcheng fell last night. Chikuzen has withdrawn Osaka." "The fall of Fengcheng?" Hearing this news, Ieyasu seemed to tremble, "This matter is so important. Even if it is discussed in private by miscellaneous soldiers, it should be investigated clearly, lieutenant general." "I know... I know." Nobuo tried his best to be calm, but his cheeks couldn't help but twitched. "Lieutenant General, do you want to lure my lord to Ise? In Ise, there are not only the troops of Hidecho Hashiba and Hidekatsu Hashiba who are coming, but also the superior forces of Yasushi Tamaru, Yoshitaka Kuki and others. Once Mine Castle falls, the enemy will immediately attack Matsushima Castle." Chuji said with a mocking tone. Ishikawa Shumasa muttered again: "This matter cannot be sloppy. In this way, the only way for Minamiise to get in touch is by sea." Ieyasu just stared at the two of them, silent.In fact, he knew very well what Nobuo was planning.Owari surrounds the Kiso River, and was originally the territory of the Oda family. Therefore, it is not surprising that Nobuo felt that the enemy would be difficult to break through, and asked Ieyasu to stop the enemy in the Ise area. However, it was inconvenient for Ieyasu to dwell on this issue at this time.In any case, no one but Ieyasu could stop the enemy at Hideyoshi's exit.Therefore, if Hideyoshi invades Ise, or kills Mino, he must confront him.Even so, Ieyasu was still deeply surprised by Nobuo's attempt to conceal the actual battle situation and try to lure him into sending troops to Iseji.If Nobuo just keeps playing tricks, he is not only unreliable, but also a trouble around him. "My lord, in my opinion, we can't leave Owari easily," Chuji said. Ieyasu didn't answer, but just turned his gaze to the door.It turned out that a miscellaneous soldier came in at this time, and his face was very pale. "Lieutenant General, is it groundless?" "This..." Nobuo seemed extremely excited, "It's not entirely groundless. Shiro, tell the truth about what you've seen and heard." The miscellaneous soldier was physically strong, but looked like a cow, without masculinity. "Yes, Fengcheng has indeed fallen." "Last night?" Shuzheng asked, "Where are the guards of the castle, Masakatsu Sakuma, Shigemasa Yamaguchi, Kanzaemon Nakagawa, and others?" "Sakuma Masakatsu and Yamaguchi Shigemasa said they wanted to retreat to Owari, so they abandoned the castle. As for Nakagawa-sama, I heard from the villagers that he seemed to have died during the retreat." "Has Nakagawa died?" Nobuo yelled with red eyes when he heard that.It seems that he is also hearing it for the first time.Kanzaemon Nakagawa was the lord of Inuyama Castle, and Nobuo sent him to Kita Ise, mainly as a reinforcement to keep Owari under pressure on Gifu. Hearing the bad news, Ieyasu couldn't help leaning out: "If Zhong Chuan really died, it would be a little troublesome. But, we should verify the news." "You don't have to be scruples, just speak up if you have something to say! Report to Master Tokugawa in detail what you saw and heard!" Nobuo was trembling with anger, and yelled at the miscellaneous soldiers. The miscellaneous soldiers were a little startled. "The villain heard it from the people when he ran away in a panic... Whether it is true or not, the villain can't figure it out." "You don't know the truth, why are you talking nonsense?" "The villain didn't expect that this word would reach the ears of the lord. He just heard it from hearsay..." The miscellaneous soldier curled up, trembling uncontrollably. Ieyasu nodded slightly: "Okay, since you only know this, then step back. Lieutenant General..." "Don't retreat!" Nobuo roared again, and turned to Ieyasu, "Once the news of Nakagawa's death spreads, the situation will be extremely unfavorable to us. We should immediately send people out to investigate." Ieyasu didn't make a sound.Even if this is punishing the general during the battle, it is enough to surprise him to ask the Lord of Inuyama Castle to go to support Ise.If there are enemies in Gifu who are coveting Owari, Inuyama Castle will immediately become the front line of the battle... "I'll send someone to investigate the situation now, what do you think, Lord Tokugawa?" Ieyasu didn't answer, but closed his eyes and meditated.Nobuo asked again: "How?" "This... Lieutenant General please avoid it for a while, I have something to discuss with my subordinates..." Nobuo hurried out.Sakai Chuji sighed exaggeratedly. "If so, I think our partner is really unreliable." "Chuji, we may have been tricked by Chikuzen Mamoru." "That's not a good word." "You go and prepare immediately, and leave for Kuwana immediately." "Go to Sang Ming?" "Go and get in touch with our allies in Ise. If I send someone else, I don't feel relieved. You have to go hard." "So, you have already seen that Chikuzen really came straight to Gifu, and then Iriowari..." "It may be too late for us to do this now. Don't you think it's too easy for Chikuzen to retreat from Sakamoto to Osaka?" "What does that mean?" "This is the strongest evidence that Katsuto Ikeda and Musashino joined Chikuzen. If my judgment is correct, Katsuto may already be on his way to enter Inuyama Castle." "My lord is wise! What a sudden change!" "Also, you go and tell Hattori Hanzo, let him go to Nanyise immediately." "My lord, you want to send him to Matsushima City?" "Yes, Hanzo will definitely cooperate." "So, my lord...where are you going?" When Chuji asked, Ieyasu closed his eyes again. "I'm thinking about this question... I guess I should go to Xiaomu Mountain." At this time, Nobuo returned to the hall with a changed expression, his face was like pale pottery, only his eyes were shining with blue light. "Big... The big thing is not good." At this time, Nobuo was not so excited as he was embarrassed and angry, and he couldn't even control his tongue. "What's the matter?" Seeing Nobuo like this, even Ishikawa Susho, who is usually calm and experienced, felt chills on his back.He had a hunch that something extremely bad had happened.Nobuo just stood there, trembling all over. "Tell me, what happened?" "Unexpectedly, no one is reliable." Nobuo gritted his teeth again and said, "The enemy's vanguard has entered Inuyama Castle." "The enemy... has entered Inuyama Castle?" "yes." "So, Inuyama Castle has fallen?" "yes……" "Lieutenant General, it's unbelievable to talk about it." Zhongji chased after him. "Wait a minute!" Ieyasu quickly stopped Tadashi, "It's not that I haven't thought about it. Is the person who entered the city Katsuto Ikeda?" "It's Katsuto and Musashi." "Beside Katsuto, there is a man named Hioki Saizo, who used to be the town magistrate of Inuyama Castle. This man has a lot of contacts with merchants. He must have asked people to find out all the details of the castle." "I didn't expect it to be so!" "Therefore, the Lieutenant General sent Nakagawa Zhencheng to Ise, and they have already known it. It must be a surprise attack while the city lord is away... Katsuto would think so, and I would do the same if it were different. The defense of Inuyama Castle is by Who is in charge?" "Nakagawa Kanzaemon's uncle, the monk Kiyozo. Before he left, Nakagawa repeatedly told him not to be careless..." "What's the use of talking about it now! Siege of cities and villages is their specialty. Their numbers must be far greater than ours." Before I knew it, night fell.People's expressions blurred. "It's getting more and more interesting, isn't it, Zhong Sheng?" Only then did Ieyasu turn his body to Honda Heihachiro Tadakatsu, "Our tactic is to give the enemy a sap in the first battle to make the enemy dizzy. In this way, we have the advantage from the beginning. It has always been like this before, yes Bar?" "That's not true, it scared the enemy out of their wits from the very beginning." "If the enemy's vanguard is Morinaga Kakashi nicknamed 'Oni Musashi', then that's fine. I want to see whether the Oni retainer from Chikuzen is stronger, or my Oni retainer from Tokugawa Ieyasu is better. Haha... really It's getting more and more interesting, Zhong Sheng." "The lord is wise. We must drag the enemy into the field and kill him to death." "Hahaha..." Ieyasu laughed again, then turned to Nobuo, who was still pale, and said, "This will make the situation clear. We must not take a step back. Let's see who dares to set foot on the land of Owari! Therefore, I will not go any further." It's time for Ise, we must first beat this group of enemies and flee..." The result of the first battle was certainly not satisfactory to him.But through various signs, he roughly figured out Hideyoshi's intentions.A series of actions taken by Katsuto Ikeda, who occupied Inuyama Castle, has unknowingly exposed Hideyoshi's thoughts.In this battle, Ikeda Katsuto was eager to seek merit in front of Hideyoshi, but behind the scenes, Hideyoshi's order must be hidden. Hideyoshi must have thought that he would first start the war in Kita Ise, make a big attack, and then take advantage of the situation, occupy Inuyama Castle in one fell swoop, and further attack Nobuo's base camp Kiyosu.Siege is Hideyoshi's best trick.After encircling Qingzhou City, Hideyoshi went to Gifu City in person to take command. Knowing this, Ieyasu has a countermeasure.In fact, he was secretly worried that Hideyoshi would commit suicide in Iselai himself.Nobuo's influence in Ise is far greater than his influence in Owari, and this will add a huge risk-Hideyoshi will increase the power of the navy.In addition, there is another thing that worries Ieyasu. Once the first battle goes well, Nobuo will have more say, which is very likely to hinder Ieyasu's command and control of the overall situation.On the surface, although this is a battle between Nobuo and Hideyoshi, in fact, it is a decisive battle that determines the survival of Hideyoshi and Ieyasu.Therefore, Nobuo's defeat in the first battle makes Ieyasu secretly happy. "Lieutenant General, don't get too excited, sit here first." Ieyasu smiled and pointed to the seat.Knowing the news of the accidental fall of Inuyama Castle, Nobuo has been agitated and has not yet calmed down.Ieyasu continued as if nothing had happened: "Xiao Pingta, open the map." Yasumasa Kanbara unfolded the military map in front of Ieyasu.Ieyasu ordered again calmly. "Bring the lamp." After a while, the hall lit up.Ieyasu put the military fan in his hand on his knees, looked at the map carefully, and remained silent. Honda Heihachiro Tadakatsu laughed just now, because when he was still in Hamamatsu, everyone discussed these possible situations, for example, if the enemy launches an attack from Inuyama Castle, how to deal with it.The lord, Ieyasu, has become deeper and deeper into the city. "Xiao Pingta." Ieyasu called out, as if he had forgotten Nobuo's existence, "What do Chikuzen hate the most?" "defeat." "Haha...Xiao Pingtai, you are talking nonsense again. Who doesn't hate losing a battle? My Ieyasu hates it even more than Chikuzen. I'm talking about other aspects." "This……" Kang Zheng lowered his head and pondered, "It should be the slogan of crusade against rebels. When he crusade against Guangxiu, he used this banner." "A traitor? Makes sense, good! Not only do they occupy the former master's family business, but they also want to drive out the former master's orphans one by one. This kind of rebellious and immoral deed is rare no matter in Kaidao or Daming." After hearing Ieyasu's impassioned speech, everyone else was smiling, but Nobuo stared at Ieyasu, speechless. "This is really an evil deed that both humans and gods hate. If you just sit back and do nothing about such inhumane evil deeds, what is the reason for it?" "Well said!" Xiaoping praised, "Then, what should we do next?" "That goes without saying, of course it is to crusade against traitors! Tokugawa Ieyasu resolutely raised the banner of rebellion and vowed to seek justice for Mr. Oda Nobuo, the orphan of Lord Nobunaga. If there are still righteous people in the world, come and join me in justice immediately battle, to punish the traitor Hashiba Chikuzen..." "My lord, do you mean to issue a proclamation?" "Exactly." Ieyasu nodded lightly, and his voice became soft again, "The words and sentences of the proclamation must be carefully considered and carefully considered, so that people's blood will boil after reading it. As for the place to post, it is Inuyama City first. Hurry, hurry Hurry to the north of Xiaomu Mountain." "Oh……" "Hurry up and post, the more the better! After posting in this area, don't hesitate to cross the river and rush to Meinong, and continue posting wantonly." "Obey!" "Chuji." "exist." "You have to make a trip too, rush to Kuwana immediately, and tell Hattori Hanzo to rush towards Nanyise immediately. Otherwise, Nanyise will change hands." "What do you do?" "Pack up tonight and prepare to move to Xiaomushan. If we are one step late, Qingzhou City will be in danger. Hurry up!" Honda Heihachiro smirked again with his mouth crooked, the lord is becoming more and more decisive and wise... A series of orders made people overwhelmed, and even Nobuo didn't have a chance to intervene. "Master Tokugawa wants to go to Xiaomaki Mountain in person?" "There is no other choice. If there are other places that can stop Katsuto from advancing, I will not go there either." Ieyasu simply replied, then turned around and shouted at Zhongsheng, "You have to act quickly, Resolutely stop Katsuto and Mori Musashi." "Don't worry, my lord, just leave this matter to me..." Zhongsheng patted his chest in response. Ieyasu turned to Nobuo: "These proclamations are a magic weapon to quickly lure the rebels into Mino." "Oh, it's really wonderful..." "Also, we post announcements to appease those confused people." "Does your lord think that the people in the territory will be confused?" "This... Anyway, Inuyama Castle has been occupied by the enemy, and soon, the battle situation in Kita Ise will be known to the world. As long as we can do it, we must go all out. This is not a trifling matter, but war." "My lord, I'm going now." Chuji said solemnly. "Then go quickly." At this time, Nobuo's emotions were also high, his eyes were red, filled with tears of gratitude. The military meeting finally ended with the departure of the Tokugawa clan's retainers one after another.Nobuo retreated to the inner room, and Ieyasu and Ishikawa Shumasa returned to the college that Nobuo had prepared for a long time ago.When he was passing through the corridor, he turned his head and glanced at Shuzheng, and said, "Is the tea house here?" Without waiting for an answer, he smiled again: "It's exactly as I expected." "My lord's words are very true. There seems to be little difference in the thoughts of the people in the world." "It would be great if I could quickly lure Chikuzen into a field battle with me." "I think my lord should listen to the teahouse's report first." "Okay. But, starting today, don't call him a tea house for a while. Matsumoto Shiro Jiro Kiyonobu is Ieyasu's adviser." Shuzheng nodded slightly. "The Matsumoto Shiro Jiro that my lord mentioned has arrived, and he has a more detailed understanding of the situation in the Osaka area." At this time, people were shouting and neighing everywhere inside and outside the city. Looking out of the window, I saw piles of bonfires from inside and outside the city, reflecting the night sky red. "My lord, will Katsuto Ikeda come to set fire near Komaki Mountain?" "So what?" Shuzheng asked the guards to open the door of Ding Academy.Ieyasu walked in without saying a word.At this time, Shuzheng finally understood Ieyasu's true intention of asking Kamihara Yasomasa to post the announcement.One, of course, is to annoy Hideyoshi, everyone knows this.Second, I am afraid that it is to make Shengren mess up. Katsuto knew that Hideyoshi hated to call him a traitor the most. If someone posted such a notice around the surrounding area, even if the person attacked in the notice was not Masato but Hideyoshi, Katsuto would probably be very angry.Once people are aggressive, they will expose many weaknesses.If Katsuto really went crazy, got hotheaded for a while, rushed forward recklessly, and burned and killed all over Owari, it would be right for Ieyasu. The first priority of the war is to obtain the strong support of the local people.Whether it is obtaining news or raising food and grass, it is inseparable from the local people.Hideyoshi knew this well.Therefore, it is necessary to lure Shengren to burn, kill and loot, arouse the resentment of the people, and then let Jiakang go to appease him.In this way, we can get twice the result with half the effort. Ieyasu smiled and sat down. "Shiro Jiro came before noon, and has been waiting for your lord." The tea house hurriedly stood up and saluted.Today he wears his helmet and armor, majestic and majestic, with the heroic spirit of a warrior.Ieyasu nodded in satisfaction and winked at the guards.The four guards had a tacit understanding, and immediately stood up and retreated to the outer guard. "How's the atmosphere in Sakai Port and Osaka?" Chaya Shiro Jiro bowed his head respectfully, "Although the businessmen hold their own opinions and cannot be generalized, there are many people who don't think highly of you." "Are they worried that the world will fall into chaos again?" "Some people are worried about this, and some people think it is unfounded." "They think Chikuzen's power is stronger?" "Exactly. But there are also people who disagree. They think that your lord has never been a rash person. Since you have raised troops, you must be confident." "Who said that?" "It's Nawujiaoan and others." "What else?" "There are also people who think that Chikuzen and the adults had an agreement from the beginning, and there must be ghosts in it." "What does this mean?" "This... Please forgive me for speaking bluntly, saying that Chikuzen and you are collaborating to deceive people." "Could it be that Chikuzen and I joined forces to eliminate Nobuo?" "Exactly. They said, just wait and see. Chikuzen and Tokugawa will shake hands and make peace soon. At that time, Nobuo will have no place to stand and will kill himself." Hearing this, Ieyasu's face darkened, and he hurriedly looked around.The person who spread such rumors was none other than Hideyoshi. "Chikuzen is really not to be underestimated." "Your Excellency is wise, we must not be careless." "This trick is really clever. If people really think that I have reached a dirty agreement with Chikuzen behind the scenes, no matter whether it is the allies of the four countries or the rioting people, they will leave me. Chikuzen is really great, although he is my enemy ..." Ieyasu suddenly lowered his voice, "You have to be careful, don't let these rumors reach Nobuo's ears." "Yes, I have considered it." Chaya understood, and Ieyasu breathed a sigh of relief: "You should be careful with comments in the world. As you said just now, people who use rumors to confuse people are the most terrifying." "Yes, there is nothing more worrying..." "No, don't worry. Let me ask you again, do you know who is spreading these rumors?" "It's a swordsman named Sorori Shinzaemon. This man is a bit clueless. No matter what happens, it takes a long time to explain it to him, otherwise he won't be able to figure it out even if he dies." "Does this person often go in and out of Chikuzen? In your opinion, who will Chikuzen leave to guard Sakai Port and Osaka?" Shiro Jiro, who has regained his samurai qualities, has the most important mission to inquire about Hideyoshi's military equipment near Osaka.Through his eyes, knowing when and where Hideyoshi will mobilize his main force, Ieyasu can make a more accurate judgment.Hideyoshi, who always advocated positional attack tactics, would never come to Mino if his old nest could not be stabilized. "This..." Shiro Jiro became nervous, "According to Hideyoshi's move to send Nakamura Kazushi to Kishiwada Castle, I feel that the defense of Osaka is very likely to be handed over to Hachisu Kahikoemon Masakatsu." "The defense of Kishiwada Castle is Nakamura Kazushi?" Ieyasu suddenly frowned, "If that's the case, Hachisuka will be the one guarding Osaka." "It seems that they have been keenly aware of the movement of the Kishu uprising. It's no wonder that Nelai and Zaga's disciples often go to the streets of Sakai Port to buy muskets, and they may not be able to hide it." "Probably so. Everyone hates war. When war is about to break out, people will smell the smell of war keenly in the air. Oh, Hachisuka is staying behind in Osaka..." Ieyasu muttered again, expressing his gratitude to Shuzheng said quietly at the side, "Do you think there is still time?" "My lord said..." Shuzheng said. "I've asked you for that." "Please..." Shuzheng muttered, suddenly, his face changed drastically.Although Ieyasu didn't point it out, Shuzheng felt like a knife was twisting his heart.Ieyasu's intention was nothing else, but to pretend that he had been tricked by Hideyoshi and send a secret letter to Hideyoshi.In order to weaken Ieyasu's power, Hideyoshi deliberately spread rumors, saying that Hideyoshi and Ieyasu had reached a deal to get rid of Nobuo in partnership.In this case, Ieyasu simply acted like he was caught. "Ieyasu really has no desire to go to war. He is trying to find an opportunity to shake hands with you." If Ieyasu's close ministers sent such a secret letter to Hideyoshi, he would definitely be shaken. "The number is positive, how high is the height of Xiaomu Mountain?" "About two hundred and eighty feet." "Oh. In the northwest, fortifications should be built at Mitsui, Shigeyoshi, and Kozuri to defend against the enemies of Inuyama. Shiro Jiro, what do you think?" "Very good." "Inuyama Castle has been occupied by Katsuto Ikeda. Therefore, from tomorrow morning, the defense will be changed. Well, you are tired enough, go and rest. I also want to take a nap." As he said that, Jiayasu told the right way, "Don't miss it. Tomorrow I will take the lieutenant general to Mount Xiaomu."