Chapter 7 Chapter Seven

Kofu.In spring, envoys from the east came one after another; in autumn, envoys from the west came in an endless stream. Takeda Rendo Shingen, who is entrenched in Kai and always looking for opportunities to enter Beijing, has a deadly enemy, none other than Echigo Uesugi Kenshin.He seems to take pleasure in fighting Shingen, and it can also be said that he is always inadvertently hindering Shingen's way to Beijing. For more than 20 years, whenever the snow and ice in the mountains and plains of the northern country melted, Kenshin Uesugi would always come to challenge him.He neither accepted any benefits from the Takeda family nor ignored demands for peace.Uesugi, who believes in Zen, is aggressive, which makes Shingen feel disheartened.

In the fourth year of Yonglu, Uesugi even rode into the Takeda camp on Kawanakajima alone, trying to kill Takeda Shingen with his favorite knife "Adzuki Dou Changguang". His weird style made the world dumbfounded. At that time, Shingen managed to escape with Western military equipment, but his wrist and shoulder were injured.And instead of being stabbed once or twice, he was stabbed eight times in a row.The speed of Uesugi's sword was as fast as lightning, and even Shingen's proud Suwa helmet was hit three times.Shingen, who had always wanted to enter Beijing, had to divide his troops into two.

Whenever the dead trees spit green and the snow melts, Takeda has to prepare for the Eastern Front; and when the snow is falling and thousands of miles are frozen, Shingen starts to rush to Beijing.The messenger of spring comes from the east, and the messenger of winter comes from the west. All this seems absurd, but it is also the fate of Shingen.Shingen will not be afraid of Kenshin in the east and thus give up his ambitions; it is also impossible to ignore the existence of Kenshin and enter Beijing easily.If it weren't for Kenshin, Shingen would have entered Beijing during the Yoshimoto War in Jinchuan.

Shingen is in his early fifties. At the age of sixteen, when he first entered the army, he took the head of Shinshu Sakujo Hiraga Xuanzhen. Since then, he has continuously accumulated experience in warfare and has become a giant of the samurai family.With his outstanding political ability, he helped the people live a prosperous life; he had sharp eyesight, insight into the interests, and made friends from far and near; relying on strong force, he seized every opportunity to expand his territory.Now, he has owned: the whole territory of Kai, 250,000 koku; most of Shinano, 510,000 koku; the whole of Suruga, 170,000 koku; part of Yuanjiang, 10,000 koku; 40,000 koku; the Ueno part, 160,000 koku; the Hida (da) part, 10,000 koku...

All together, he has a huge territory of nearly 1.2 million shi.Based on the 250 soldiers supported by the 10,000 shi territory, he already has an army of about 30,000.But God still didn't give him the opportunity to go to Beijing. At this time, Shingen was sitting quietly in his bedroom in Kai Castle, with half-opened eyes, looking at the red leaves on the vital mountain.He seemed devoid of thoughts.Fifty-two years of military career, his life is as thick as a mountain.He is thinking deeply. Several retainers came to the door, saw Shingen in meditation, and immediately went away quietly.

The sound of the shrike kept breaking the tranquility of the autumn garden. The third person to come to the bedroom was his beloved son Shiro Katsuyori.Seeing his father contemplating, Katsuyori wanted to leave, but finally sat down.He wanted to wait until Shingen woke up.But after waiting for a long time, Shingen didn't move.Katsurai sat quietly, looking at the courtyard in late autumn.His father is as majestic and majestic as an iron tower, while Katsuyori is as gentle as a woman. "It's Katsuyori?" After a while, Shingen finally said, "Has Kaga's emissary arrived?"

Katsuyori finally understood what his father was thinking just now. "No, the people we sent to Oda have returned." "How about Nobunaga?" "While coercing the general, he stepped up preparations and wanted to attack Hanoi, Settsu, Yamato, Omi and Echizen." Shingen stared at Trust with wide eyes, and said in a low voice, "The time has come..." "As you expected, the Miyoshi Sanyo, Yamato's Matsunaga, Echizen's Asakura, Omi's Asai, Ise's Kitabata (zai) people, and the Sasaki Rokkaku family all sent oaths. I look forward to my father coming to Beijing."

"Katsuyori, let Nobuharu Baba of Tanaka Castle and Masake Yamagata of Ejiri Castle spread the above situation to Tokugawa territory." "You want Ieyasu to surrender?" Katsuyori asked seriously. Shingen shook his head lightly, "He won't surrender, he is an ignorant person." A smile appeared on Katsuyori's face, as if he didn't take it seriously.But he still replied obediently: "Son, let's do it now." "However, the alliance between Nobunaga and the Tokugawa family is stronger than we thought." "That's why I asked people to spread rumors. Knowing the strength of the enemy may bring two results. One is to shrink back because of it, and the other is to become more cautious. When Kaga's envoy arrives, notify me immediately. Before that , don’t come to disturb my peace.”

Katsuyori nodded, but didn't intend to get up immediately, his father's attitude made him sullen.Nothing is perfect in the world. General Yoshiaki has sent secret envoys to urge his father to go to Beijing many times, and the anti-Nobunaga alliance has also been formed.Katsuyai also believes that Nobunaga's tyranny is making him lose popular support. In September of the second year of Motoki, Nobunaga set fire to Mount Hiei, shocking the world.Mount Hiei is a holy place that guards the royal castle.However, Nobunaga burned down all his fundamental middle halls and the Twenty-One Society of the Three Kings, and massacred monks, thus gaining the notoriety of enemies of the Buddha.

All in all, now is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to eliminate Nobunaga.Faced with such an excellent opportunity, his father has been holding back for so long. What is he thinking? Katsuyori moved forward: "Father!" Shingen didn't answer, but closed his eyes.In fact, like Katsuyori, he thinks now is a good time.After fifty-two years of war, exhausted methods and painstaking efforts, his ambition to go to Beijing has never wavered, so he should be more careful at this time to ensure nothing goes wrong. "It's as fast as the wind, as slow as the forest, as plundering as fire, as immovable as a mountain." This is a famous saying in "Sun Tzu's Art of War: Military Struggle". Shingen specially wrote it on the flag to mark the wind of war.His current contemplation is like the silence before the strong wind is approaching, and it is also like the tranquility of a mountain staring at the rushing water.

Everything is ready.The Eastern Front has firmly contained Wei Ming, Satake, and Satomi; the Western Front alliance is also perfect.Shingen also gathered the ronin of Beibata (zai) and let them make trouble in Ise; and prepared to let the navy attack Nobunaga from behind. Except for Shingen, no other generals can do anything about arranging a huge battle line from Ouyu to Shikoku.But Shingen is still uneasy, he is most worried about Echigo's Uesugi Kenshin. The wind and snow in winter can block Uesugi's attack for him.But he can't leave Kofu rashly because of this.He is now planning the Yixiangzong riots in Kaga and Etsuchu, and he is waiting for them to set off riots to stop Kenshin's progress.All is ready except for the opportunity. For Shingen, this is probably the only trip to Beijing in his life.He will put fifty-two years of experience and painstaking efforts into battle.If he restrains Kenshin as he wishes, winning is almost like taking something out of his pocket. Shingen's main wife is the daughter of Sanjo Dainagon.Her younger sister married into Ishiyama Honganji Temple.Shingen had to take advantage of this relationship.It is because of this that he can control the Ichigo sect in Kaga and Etchu; if he knows that Shingen is going to Beijing, the monks of Ishiyama Honganji will definitely attack Nobunaga from Osaka. "Father." Katsuyori said again.Shingen still didn't open his eyes.But Katsuyori knew that he must be listening, so he continued: "Since you are so worried about Kaga and Etsuchu, why don't you just send an envoy to investigate carefully?" "..." "If you let this opportunity go, you will have to wait until next year... Nobunaga has consolidated the Yamato, Hanoi, and Settsu areas during this period, so there will be no more chances." "Katsurai, you are also twenty-seven years old this year, you have to learn to be calm." "Do you not believe in Yixiangzong's power?" Shingen closed his eyes half-closed, and shook his head gently: "The flames lit by outsiders are easy to extinguish. I am waiting for them to ignite the flames of riot spontaneously. Only in that way can Kenshin be stopped." Xinxuan's tone was heavy, he was worried, and then Full of hope. Sheng Lai was speechless, gave a salute, and left. Although Katsuyori looks very much like his mother, he thinks that his personality is similar to that of his father Shingen.Still, he felt a little resentful towards his father.It's not because his father killed Katsuyori's grandfather at the banquet. This kind of murder between father and son is not uncommon in troubled times.Katsuyori's maternal grandfather, Suwa Yorimo, was Shingen's uncle.Therefore, Lai Mao's daughter, Katsuyori's biological mother, Mrs. Suwa, and Shingen are actually cousins. His mother was favored by Shingen, and Katsuyori was more favored by his father than his son, Taro Yoshinobu.Therefore, Taro Yoshinobu conspired with Imagawa of Suruga in an attempt to get rid of Shingen, but instead was sent to prison and was eventually killed.Katsuyori officially became the heir of the Takeda family.That happened when Katsuyori was twenty years old.At that time, he paid homage to his father. Katsuyori didn't understand why he was so favored by his father, so he could only think that his intelligence was more like his father.But lately, he's getting confused. Did his father really think that he was the only one who could manage the Takeda family well when he made him his heir?It now appears that a re-examination is required. Father's goal, of course, is to go to Beijing and realize his long-cherished wish of commanding the world.And Katsuyori, the heir of the Takeda family, should also have the qualifications to command the world.But, is this the truth?You are the person who will command the world in the future—does father really see Katsuyori in this way? Katsurai's answer is no.My father abandoned Taro's Yoshinobu and chose Victory, probably out of consideration for the convenience of "orders".Compared with his older brother Yoshinobu Taro, whose biological mother was born in the family of a royal family, his father felt more at ease in letting Katsuyori, who was of Shinano Suwa blood, inherit Takeda.When Katsuyori realized this, he was extremely chilled. Katsuyori thought of this, perhaps because he saw that Shingen seemed to be too scheming on the issue of marrying Oda.Katsuyori's wife Yukihime, married from the Oda family, died shortly after giving birth to Takeomaru.When Yukihime gave birth to Bamboo Maru, Shingen seemed to be full of joy, and even held a grand banquet.All these victories are unforgettable, but Shingen seems to have completely forgotten about them. In this chaotic world, if you don't do this, you can't survive.But it is too cruel and chilling to think that life is all about survival, and to exhaust all scheming.After entering Beijing, will his father take him to the capital, or stay in Kai to contain Shinano? From now on, you have to control your own destiny.Katsurai already has another goal in his heart, which is very different from his father's. On the one hand, the father and son recognize each other, and on the other hand, they regard each other as competitors... What does this mean?Shingen, who is brilliant in foreign strategy, miscalculated in the family. Katsuyori is not worried about Kaga and Etsuchu.The monks of the Ichigo sect will definitely stop Kenshin's attack with all their strength according to the order of Ishiyama Honganji Temple.The real thing to worry about is the first enemy on the way to Beijing-Tokugawa Ieyasu from the Sanhe area of ​​the Yuanjiang River. Seeing the discord between the head of the Imagawa family and his ministers, Ieyasu and Shingen signed a secret treaty in February of the 11th year of Yongroku to divide the two domains of Suruga and Enjiang, with Oigawa as the boundary.However, Shingen broke the treaty and sent Shinshu Iida and Akiyama Nobutomo to invade the Mikawa and Toe areas, using the lord of the Toe Inuju City, Amano Kagekan, as an internal response.At that time, the castle lord of Toe Kuno, Kuno Zonno, the lord of Mafuzuka, Ogasawara Nagatada, and the lord of Mikawasaku, Okupira Sadano, fought hand-to-hand with the army of believers, and it was a fierce battle. The bloody Ieyasu was furious, and immediately led his troops to repel the attack of Akiyama Shintomo, and sent a letter of condemnation with strong words, and the secret treaty between the two families was invalidated.This is the first month of the twelfth year of Yonglu. Hearing this, Shingen didn't grit his teeth with hatred, but just smiled; Ieyasu rushed to drive the famous Takeda clan Masakaya Yamagata out of the cherry-blossoming Shifu. After Ieyasu drove away Changjing, he did not act arrogantly. After expressing the momentum and position of "I am here", he quickly retreated to Hamamatsu without waiting for the Kai army to counterattack.Katsuyori was deeply impressed by his vigorous and resolute actions.Didn't Yoshimoto Imagawa underestimate the power of Oda Nobunaga, and Tian Lewa lost his life in the first battle on the way to Beijing? Tokugawa Ieyasu should not be underestimated!Therefore, the problem is not Etchu and Kaga, but how to get through the Mikawa and Enjiang areas. Shingen believes that as long as he goes to Hamamatsu and spreads rumors that Kai's army is fully prepared, the shrewd Ieyasu will put down his face and let him pass quietly.But Katsurai thinks it's not that simple.He believes that his father's move will bring the opposite result, which may arouse Ieyasu's resistance.Did the father hit the mark, or did the son have more insight?Katsuyori wanted everyone to know that he was as talented as his father. Shenglai returned to his bedroom and ordered his servants: "Call Jiajing to come." Shenglai's bedroom was shrouded in the autumn sun, and the shrike outside the house was noisy.He stood by the window, looking melancholy at the rolling mountains in the distance. "Young master, the doctor has reduced his respect." "Oh? Let him in." Katsurai turned his head away, his eyes suddenly lit up, a beautiful woman of thirteen or fourteen years old was cautiously following behind Su Jing. "King, you came just in time. Who is she?" Katsurai asked lightly. "It's Hinata Yamatomori's daughter." "Changshi's daughter?" "Yes. In fact, she is not the daughter of Madam Yamato, but a concubine. Because the wife of the main house hates her, I feel sorry for her, so I keep her by my side." "Oh. It's really pitiful." Katsurai felt that the girl's face resembled his own mother, and couldn't help feeling a pang in his heart. He turned his head and asked, "What's your name?" "calamus." "Oh. He really lives up to his name. How old is it?" "Fourteen." "Oh, Makoto, are you going to take this woman to Okazaki Castle?" "Yes. Since I adopted her as an adopted daughter, I should keep her with me at all times. This is also good for her." Katsurai nodded.The thirty-five-year-old Kokichi was secretly dispatched by Katsuyori to Mikawa.Now he purposely took this woman to Okazaki, and Katsuyori had guessed his intentions.There is no doubt that this woman will come in handy. Calamus seemed to understand this matter, when she was brought in front of the well-known handsome man Katsuyori, she lowered her lovely clear eyes and blinked from time to time. "Regardless, we don't have to avoid her, do we?" "Yes. I brought her here just to let her hear these things." "So, what about the others?" "Oh." Jia Jing got up vigilantly and walked around the next room, "Don't worry." "Then, is there an opportunity for the Tokugawa clan to take advantage of it?" Minority smiled slightly: "There is only one thing, and that is the feud between Tokugawa and his wife, Zhushan." "Oh?" "Yes. Madam is the niece of the late Imagawa Yoshimoto, and she has many conflicts with Ieyasu." "So……" "Ms. Tokugawa is depressed, often in depression, and yells that her waist is sore and her back hurts. So, after thinking hard, the villain came up with a plan..." "Can you get close to her?" "Yes. There is someone who is very popular with Mrs. Tokugawa." "Could it be that there is chaos in the inner court of Okazaki?" "Yes. There is a surveyor named Ogami Shiro... this person, the young master must remember." "Ogami Yashiro...I remember." "This person will definitely become ours. I would like to ask the young master to inform Mrs. Tokugawa, Ieyasu and Shinyasu about the departure tomorrow." Katsuyai nodded emphatically, "So, what about Iris?" "She is a wedge inserted between the Oda and Tokugawa families." Minaka said blankly, looking back at Ayame.Su Jing will undoubtedly send this little girl to Okazaki Castle.But what can she do?Katsurai is puzzled.Because Calamus still looks innocent and childish. "Wedges? I don't understand. Can calamus work?" "No problem." Minato smiled meaningfully, "Xinyasu from Okazaki Castle happens to be fourteen years old this year." "Oh." "Xinkang's wife, Mrs. Oda, is also 14 this year. She and Xinkang are very harmonious, like glue." Hearing this, Katsurai frowned slightly.He thought of his wife Xue Ji, who also married from the Oda family.Xue Ji was born beautiful, and Sheng Lai was handsome and romantic. Everyone said that they were a match made in heaven.When their first child was born, even the father smiled and said, "He's going to be the baby of our family." He also deliberately named the baby Takeomaru, an ancestral name for the Takeda family. "You want to put the calamus between the couple who are like glue?" "yes." "...Is there no other way?" "That doesn't sound like the young master's words." Jia Jing raised his head deliberately with a stern expression, "The young master who is braver than the master, must not lose the big because of small things. This is the only weakness of Okazaki Castle, and it must not be let go." "You said Ieyasu's wife was jealous of the harmony between Xinyasu and his wife?" Jiajing smiled and nodded: "Gong Yiyuan was headed by the Oda family, so Madam Tokugawa was very dissatisfied with this marriage from the beginning." "Oh." "It's not so much a strategy as it is a matter of following nature. Even if we don't send calamus there, Mrs. Tsukiyama will send other women to Xinkang." Katsuyori frowned slightly again: "Iris." "Yes." She looked up at Katsurashi in surprise. "Are you mentally prepared to serve Xinkang?" "Yes Yes." "Oh... that's good. If Xinkang decides to submit to us with his mother, you will always serve him well." Katsurai said these words to comfort himself. Calamus looked serious, knelt down on the ground and said: "Slaves are not tolerated by the family. I will definitely follow Mr. Jia Jing's orders." This girl who was driven out of the house by her aunt's voice was as low as the sound of insects in the afternoon, mellow and sad. Katsurai looked away.Just as Kokichi said, now is not the time to lament the tragic fate of a woman... Even so, Katsuyori still feels very sad when he thinks of sending this woman to destroy the young couple and the turmoil that will be stirred up afterwards. Chilling. "You can't stay in your own home anymore." Katsuyori said to himself while turning around and said respectfully, "Father wants Ieyasu to get out of the way and pass through the Sanhe and Yuanjiang areas without bloodshed..." Minority shook his head lightly.His thinking seems to be the same as Katsurai's. "But I don't think Tokugawa can easily borrow the way? But once you have set off, you can't stay on the way for a long time. Even if you leave a part of the army to deal with Ieyasu, you must quickly enter Beijing. Are you listening?" "Keep it in mind." "Father's long-cherished wish can only be realized with the internal support of Okazaki Castle. You must be careful to ensure nothing goes wrong." "I understand!" "Calamus, you have to listen carefully to the words of reducing respect." "yes." After the two went out, Katsuyai called the person sent to Odawara, who was a blind musician.The Takeda clan and the Odawara Hojo clan were allies, and they borrowed 2,000 troops from Odawara for this operation.Katsuyori sent spies to find out whether the Hojo family really helped the Takeda family. "He has no dissent." The blind musician said, "They think that Takeda will be successful in entering Beijing this time, so they sincerely support us." Just when Katsuyori asked the blind musician about the support of the small feudal clans on the way to Beijing, Zuo Tengta, the child servant, came over. "Kaga's emissary has arrived." "Kaga Secret Envoy?" Katsurai's eyes lit up.He quickly ended the conversation and went to the living room.In the future, Kagami will report the news of the Yizong riot that his father has been waiting for.How the father makes a decision depends to a large extent on this report.Katsuyori couldn't help but feel his blood boil. "Satota, you step down first." Katsurai wanted to talk to the envoy first, and then let him go to see his father.Opening the partition with a picture of a tiger, he entered the guest room: "Thanks for your hard work. Is it going to snow in the Hokuriku area? I am Katsuyori. What's going on with Etchu and Kaga?" "You are Mr. Sheng Lai?" The secret envoy glanced at him.One can tell at a glance that this person is a monk, but he deliberately wears long hair and dresses up as a doctor.He has a terrifying appearance, and in his left hand is twisting a prayer bead that symbolizes faith. "The villain is a secret envoy sent by the abbot of Honganji Temple. Please let me go to see Lord Shingen first." After speaking, he ignored Katsuyori's existence and proudly turned his gaze to the courtyard. Katsurai was stunned.Apparently, Honganji doesn't like Katsuyori, who is in the same line as Suwa.But since this person already knew who he was, he didn't report his name, what a deception!Katsurai tried his best to control his anger, and said with a smile: "Since there is something important, I will report it immediately. May I ask the master's name?" "You have already seen that I am not a Buddhist." "Indeed, you are not wearing vestments, but common clothes. Then, your name..." "Even if you give your name, you may not know it. But since you asked, I might as well tell you. I am Fujino Katsura, the doctor of Kaga Antaka's family. Amitabha." "Fujino Katsura? You wait." Katsurai's brows trembled, and he left the door angrily. People who support Xinzhou generals will definitely not please the capital; those who please the capital will definitely not be welcomed by the leaders and generals.Katsuyori suddenly thought of what happened after his father's death.After the death of their father, the monks of Honganji Temple probably would not act rashly.So, for the sake of the future of the Takeda family, I still hold back my anger... Shingen still faced the critical mountain and sat peacefully. "Father, Kaga's emissary has arrived." Shingen opened his eyes slightly: "Who is it?" "He called himself Fujino Katsura." "Fujino...then it's the Fucheng family." Shingen nodded thoughtfully, "Understood, let him wait." Katsurai felt embarrassed.He thought that Shingen would jump up when he heard the messenger was coming, "Let him wait?" "Since he's here, the matter must be settled. I want to think about it for a while." "At this time, you still have to think about it? This doesn't look like your style..." Shingen opened his eyes suddenly: "We won!" "You mean—" "Since the secret envoy has arrived, it means that the monks of Echigo and Kaga have blocked Echigo's attack for me this winter." "So, you should hurry up..." "No, I'm thinking about the future now, Katsuyori...there are probably fights other than wars in the world." "A struggle other than war?" "I mean, everyone has a fate in their life. After victory, how many years can I live?" "This... this..." "You don't know, and I don't know either. Before you die, you have to keep fighting. Even if you die in battle, you will not complain or insult. This is what I am thinking about now. Kai is destined to send troops. So, let me think about it for a while .Tell the emissary to let him eat first." After speaking, Shingen gently closed his eyes again.The autumn sun slanted to the west, and the red leaves dyed the cloudy sky in the evening.