Chapter 9 Chapter Nine: The Battle of Sanfangyuan

Takeda Shingen led the army to leave Kofu on the third day of October in the third year of Motoki. After leaving Ina, Shinshu, Shingen ordered Sanlang Bingwei Changjing of Yamaxian County to leave Yuanjiang from Dongsanhe to join the main force and enter Yuanjiang on the tenth day of October.Shingen marched steadily, but quickly and smoothly captured Tatara and Iida, and approached Kuno Castle.Meanwhile, Ieyasu led his troops to Tianlongchuan.Although there were still retainers who opposed the war, they were flatly rejected by him. On October 13th, Shingen received information from Tone's spies, and decisively approached Edai Island, and began to attack Nakane Masahiro in Futamata Castle.On the other hand, Yamagata Saburobei attacked Yoshida Castle from the direction of Higashi Mikawa, quickly occupied Ihei, and cut off the channel for reinforcements that Oda might send.

Of course, Ieyasu sent envoys to Gifu Castle.In the last battle of Anegawa, Ieyasu took the initiative to lead troops to the Omi area to assist Nobunaga. Even this time to block the Takeda army, it was not entirely for the benefit of the Tokugawa clan.But Nobunaga's reinforcements were delayed. The footsteps of winter were getting closer and closer, and the dark clouds of war gradually shrouded Hamamatsu Castle.Shingen didn't expect that Ieyasu would risk his family's life and face the Takeda army. "Let Nobuyuki Akiyama attack Mino and surrender the defender Oda Katsunaga. In this way, Oda Nobunaga who caught fire in the backyard will not be able to divide his troops to support Ieyasu." If he knew that Oda's reinforcements would definitely not come, Ieyasu would undoubtedly avoid Fight, and let the Kofu army pass smoothly.

Shingen ordered Akiyama Harunobu and Amano Keiruki to start operations in the northern part of Sanhe on October 27.By pretending to attack Tianfeng, Sakushou, and Nagashino Castle, he tried to make Ieyasu of Hamamatsu Castle succumb. His meticulous use of troops is really admirable.If the above-mentioned three cities fall, the Tokugawa retainers will inevitably be shaken, so they will be devastated. "Just wait and see. Ieyasu is avoiding the battle out of fear." People seemed to see Shingen's arrogant appearance in the team.It is true that the age difference between the age of fifty-two and thirty-one began to be clearly manifested in the formation arrangement.Don't be in a hurry, you must wait for Oda's reinforcements.Ieyasu kept blaming himself for his anxiety, but he said in his mouth: "What are you whispering? Now that I am here, will I retreat? If you are determined to avoid the war, I will immediately become a monk. Do you want me to become a monk? Let me abandon the world and ignore it?"

At a critical juncture, news finally came that Nobunaga's reinforcements were about to arrive.Three generals, Sakuma Shengmasa, Hirate Banhide, and Takikawa Kazuyoshi will lead 3,000 soldiers.Ieyasu was determined to fight a decisive battle on the day when the reinforcements arrived, so he sent spies to Yuanjiang and Mikawa to spread rumors: "Oda's reinforcements have 12,000 people, and they have come to Yuanjiang." In early December, 3,000 reinforcements Finally arrived, the decisive battle that will determine the fate of Ieyasu is gradually approaching. Futamata Castle, the frontal defense point of Hamamatsu Castle, fell on December 19th.The defenders are Nakane Masahiro, Aoki Yoshitsugu, and Matsudaira Yasuan, but the Takeda Army's offensive was very tenacious and wonderful, and Futamata Castle was finally lost.

Takeda Katsuyori, Takeda Nobutoyo, Anayama Umeyuki and other generals in the Takeda family were in charge of attacking Futamata Castle. Shingen also came to order the storm from time to time, but finally failed.Finally, the suggestion of Shan County and Machang was adopted, and the method of cutting off the water source was used instead. Futamata Castle built a tall reservoir on the Tenryu River that flows through the west of the city, and used pulleys to draw water from it, just like drawing water from a well.Takeda Fang placed many rafts upstream, covering the water surface, making it difficult for the water slide to fetch water smoothly.Once the water source is cut off, no brave soldier can continue to fight.

In order to prevent the castle from falling, Ieyasu personally led 2,500 troops to reinforce it, and advanced to Kamatsu Village, but when he learned that the castle had fallen, he immediately withdrew to Hamamatsu Castle. Hamamatsu City has been completely exposed to the enemy. The next day, in the tent of Jiakang in Hamamatsu City, the generals gathered to discuss the military situation.In addition to Sakai Tadaji, Ogasawara Nagatada, Matsudaira Iechu, Honda Tadakatsu, and Ishikawa Suzumasa, three generals from the Oda side also attended the meeting.Frankly speaking, Tokugawa's morale was very low.In the first Battle of Ichikanzaka, thanks to Honda Tadakatsu's vigorous efforts, he finally retreated without losing a single soldier.

"Today's way of doing things is not like Heihachi's style, but like the incarnation of Hachiman Daibodhisattva. You should make long-term plans and not waste your troops, otherwise you will be stupid." Ieyasu praised Heihachiro's retreat, but that Not a victory.It happened after the fall of Ermata City, and it is very rare to be able to retreat safely. According to the information received this morning, it seems that Shingen still has no intention of going to war with Ieyasu.Perhaps it was due to the rumors of Nobunaga's continuous arrival of reinforcements, which played a role to some extent. It is said that Shingen had crossed Nakagawa and Iiya from the Ministry of Justice and came to Mikawa to the east.

"Nine of Oda's reinforcements have arrived in Hamamatsu, and I heard that there are still many Oda troops active in the Okazaki Shirasuma area. Even if Hamamatsu Castle is captured, Nobunaga's reinforcements will be launched when we are exhausted. Attack. Instead of doing that, it is better to avoid Ieyasu and go straight forward." Shingen expressed his opinion in this way, so is it necessary for Ieyasu to have trouble with them? The Takeda Army has about 30,000 troops; and Mikawa, including the Oda Army, has no more than 10,000 people.As a result, signs of instability of people's hearts gradually appeared in Hamamatsu City, people were generally worried, and it was a foolish move to take the initiative to challenge.Listening to the whispers of the generals, Ieyasu said in an unquestionable tone: "Tomorrow, the Takeda people will set off from Nobe, cross the Tenryu River, and head straight for Mikatahara. That is where our decisive battle will take place. Waiting for their arrival north of the Rhinoceros Cliff. The generals will obey orders." Ieyasu took the roster presented by Yubi, and first cast his sharp eyes on Sakai Chuji.He was no longer the usual Ieyasu, and his serious and mighty expression made people fearful.

Mikata was originally north of Hamamatsu Castle.Ermata City is closely connected to the Rhinoceros Cliff to the north. Sanfangyuan is located on the Rhinoceros Cliff. It is 24 miles long and 16 miles wide. It is a barren land full of bushes.Ieyasu is going to fight to the death here.Under Ieyasu's sharp gaze, Sakai Zaemon Wei Chuji couldn't help avoiding it. "Chuji, I make you the right wing!" Chuji replied.Had he been appointed only to the right, he would indeed have neither reason to object nor express an opinion.He couldn't speak easily until the formation was all over.

"The number is positive, you are the left wing!" "Understood!" Ishikawa Shuzheng tensed his face, biting his lips as if angry. "Next, is the arrangement of the main force. Takikawa Kazuyoshi is on the left of Tadaji, Hirate is on the left of Takikawa Kazuyoshi, and the three generals of Sakuma and Oda Fang are on the left of Hirate." "clear." The three generals of the Oda side, who have seen the mighty style of the Mikawa people in the Omi area, know that this is not a place for them to intervene. "On the left side of the number, Heihachi will defend." Honda Heihachiro Tadakatsu smiled and nodded.

"Iehachi is on the right side of Heihachi." The tone of Ieyasu's order was so severe that Matsudaira Iechu couldn't refute it at all. He glanced at Heihachiro and replied happily: "Yes!" "Ogasawara Nagatada is on the right side of Iamada. I am in the center. Shiro is the standard bearer on the left. This is a war with no retreat, and we must fight to the death." When Ieyasu said this, Torii Shirozaemon Tadahiro finally spoke.He said softly, "My lord, do you want to set up a crane wing formation on the Sanfangyuan?" "Yes. There are cliffs in front, back, left, and right, and there is no retreat." Zhongguang is silent.It's not that he doesn't understand Ieyasu's mind, but he is very disturbed inside.Facing the 30,000 army of the Takeda family, no one would set up a long snake formation to fight against it.Once a hole is torn open, the consequences will be disastrous.But as Ieyasu said, there is no retreat in this battle.There are cliffs on all sides, either the whole army is wiped out, or a big victory is won.If Ieyasu's formation was to cheer up the demoralized Oda reinforcements, I would agree; if not, it might lead to a tragic end.Because the three generals from the Oda side were present, Tadahiro Torii didn't ask any more questions. "If you understand everything, step back immediately and prepare separately. Also, Hanzo." "Yes." Watanabe Hanzo Shouzuna replied casually. "Go and find out the situation of the enemy. In addition, each team must show up in Sanfangyuan with high morale tomorrow morning. Do you understand?" Everyone stood up in awe and took the order to leave, but they couldn't believe Ieyasu's arrangement. Once it is breached by Takeda, one's own side will fall into annihilation of the entire army.How can this kind of crane wing array face Takeda's 30,000 horses? Ieyasu doesn't think about anything now. If there was anything else to consider, it was that no matter what happened, Ieyasu had to show Takeda that he existed as a samurai.No, not just to Takeda.No matter who the opponent is, no matter how many troops he has, and what strategy he uses, as long as he goes against his wishes, he will never surrender to the opponent.In this sense, this battle is Ieyasu's ability to show the world his unyielding destiny and standing between heaven and earth.If the martial arts are not prosperous, all of them will die in battle.It is better to die in battle than to let the retainers live as useless and shameless servants.This is the arrangement of the gods... Ieyasu has the determination to die. Inspired by Ieyasu's unusually stern expression and words, the team set off towards Mikatahara. On the morning of the 22nd, the Takeda Army gathered more than 27,000 people.Shingen led this huge team across Tianlong River and headed towards Sanfangyuan.He marched very cautiously. After arriving at Iiohara, he stopped advancing for a while, waiting for the exact military situation.At this time, Shingen still didn't believe that Ieyasu would come to the battle with the mentality of "I would rather break the jade than destroy it". "If he dares to resist my army, it can only show that he is more stupid and inferior than I imagined." Katsuyori's opinion is exactly the opposite: "Ieyasu will definitely stop us. Even I will never let the enemy pass without a knife or a shot..." The winter morning mist has not yet dissipated, and Shingen burst into laughter in the morning mist: "Then, you and Ieyasu are schemers! Hahaha!" At this time, Uehara Notoshou, who was sent to inquire about the enemy's situation, returned in a hurry.He is Nobushige Koyamada's subordinate, and he was ordered to go deep into the Rhino Cliff the night before yesterday, carefully spying on the movements of the Hamamatsu Army. "If you can ascend and guard, you will report what you see and think." "Yes." Uehara answered, tilting his head unconsciously, "The people of Hamamatsu have formed a crane wing array, a total of nine teams." "Is the situation true?" Shingen leaned out in surprise, and the seat board creaked. "Yes. Flags everywhere." "Father!" A smile appeared on Katsurai's dignified face, "Am I not mistaken?" "Hmph!" Shingen whispered.Ieyasu actually set up a crane wing array in front of him, blocking his way.He seemed to understand everything, and said: "Then, he just wants to die." "After all, he's too young." Shingen was a little impressed by Ieyasu's courage and courage, and smiled slightly, but he couldn't help but say that it was a reckless move.War is not determined by the determination and courage of a general alone.In front of Takeda's army, that kind of formation couldn't echo each other at all. Facing Ieyasu's crane wing formation, Shingen formed a column like fish scales.With such an arrangement, even if one of the teams is defeated, the enemy cannot easily rush into the central army. The vanguard is Koyamada Nobushige, followed by Yamagata Masakei, Naito Masatoyo on the left, Takeda Katsuyori on the right, Kobata Nobusada behind Katsuyori on the left, and Shingen's main force led by Baba Nobuharu.If you advance in this formation, Ieyasu's Crane Wing Formation will immediately fall apart.Shingen was both disappointed with Ieyasu's youth and intrepidity, but also secretly pleased. "Let's have a decisive battle." Baba Nobuharu said, "Since the opponent came here to die, we don't have to bypass him." Shingen was still smiling. "Are you sure you can win?" he asked intentionally.He seemed to be asking Xinchun, but he was actually testing Katsurai. He wanted to hear his son's opinion. "No problem. If we don't fight decisively, we will lose our excellent opportunity." As expected by Shingen, Katsuyori spoke up. "What proof?" "The proof is very simple, it's like cutting a thin gauze with a short knife." However, Shingen still didn't give an order for the decisive battle immediately, and said simply: "Call Shihe Xinjun to come." Among the generals around Shingen, Xinjun is the most cautious person. After Xinjun was called, he said, "I will take Yuan Neng on guard and go to investigate. During this period, the team can make stoves and cook. Whether fighting or marching, the most important thing in winter is to fill our stomachs." The morning fog is still thick.Of course it is impossible to make a fire here.After the whole army finished eating and drinking, Shi He Xinjun came back. "As Uehara Noto said, I believe that the war can be started immediately." "Oh, even you said that? Katsuyori, let's start the battle. Nobushio Koyamada will attack first. Don't attack by force. If you feel strong resistance, immediately retreat and replace with other teams. Take turns to attack." "Yes." All the generals answered in unison, commanding the team to move forward one after another. In fact, Shingen was ready for a decisive battle from the moment he knew that the opponent was forming a crane wing formation.He did not issue an order immediately, but deliberately pretended to be cautious, on the one hand to admonish Sheng Lai, and on the other hand to remind the whole army not to take it lightly. The huge fish scale array started to move.At the same time, Torii Shirozaemon Tadahiro finally made up his mind to come to warn Ieyasu for the last time.Ieyasu lit a bonfire in front of the audience, clasped his hands proudly, and closed his eyes slightly.The temperature dropped suddenly.The sky is always full of haze, and there is no ray of sunshine.Morning mist crept into the tent from time to time. "Report." Torii Shirozaemon Tadahiro entered the tent. "What is it?" Ieyasu asked in a stern tone, his eyes still slightly closed.Torii Tadahiro is the younger brother of Yuan Zhong, he is not inferior to his elder brother in terms of bravery, and his resourcefulness is as good as his father Zhongkichi. "My lord! You look very ill." "Don't gossip, what's the matter?" "Shiro had to tell the adults what he saw and thought: today's battle will not be good for us..." "Know." "The enemy has a large number of troops, and they are coming prepared. Even if we defeat them, reinforcements will continue to come, and it will be difficult for us to support in the end." Ieyasu has no answer.His eyes were still slightly closed, but the muscles on his cheeks were shaking. "My lord! In my opinion, it is better to retreat to the castle, and Shingen will leave without a fight." "Bastard!" Ieyasu opened his eyes suddenly, "I already knew about that kind of thing half a year ago. Don't play tricks!" "My lord, Shiro just asked you to return to the city, and didn't say to let them pass through smoothly." "what?" "I mean, instead of fighting to the death here, it is better to pretend to retreat, avoid this dangerous place, and choose to launch a fierce attack from behind when the enemy is about to reach the vicinity of Hota. Although this does not guarantee victory, it is enough to show our Okazaki warriors Strength." "Shut up! Do you think Tokugawa Ieyasu is the kind of person who makes decisions easily? Coward!" "That doesn't sound like what your lord said. Since when did I, Shirozaemon, escape from battle?" "It does not prove that you are a warrior. You are a coward if you doubt my deployment when the army is overwhelming. If we are even shaken, can Oda's reinforcements still fight? You bastard!" Shiro fell silent.He stared at Ieyasu resentfully.There is no one more impulsive than Ieyasu, he must be bewitched by something!Shiro thought.And Ieyasu thought, how can this guy understand my thoughts?He was so sad. People can only try their best to think and do it, and the outcome can only be decided by God.Instead of just being a city lord, it's better to pray to God to let him die in battle.Although Ieyasu could not clearly express this state of mind to everyone, it can be said that he has matured to the point where he can fight against fate. "My lord, it seems that you have made up your mind. Whether I am a coward or not, you just wait and see. I will definitely make you change your mind." After Zhong Guang finished speaking in a low and forceful manner, he stood up abruptly and walked out of the tent. Time passed little by little in the bitter cold wind.It's past noon. Takeda's army marched solemnly against the cold wind, and pressed heavily on Sanfangyuan without any haste.Okubo Tadayo's younger brothers Tadashi and Shibata Yasuchu came to Ieyasu: "Master! The enemy is only half a mile away from us, please prepare to give orders!" "Oh." Ieyasu replied. The two of them walked out of the tent with their heads held high, and opened their mouths to call: "Little ones—" "Wait!" They were stopped by Watanabe Hanzo. "It's all at this juncture, what are you waiting for?" "Wait." Hanzo repeated, "Is my lord still insisting on his own opinion?" "Is there any general who doesn't insist?" "It's really strange." Hanzo lowered his voice and tilted his head, "Look carefully, the enemy's formation is like an iron wall, but we are so weak. We must try to stop the lord..." "Hanzo, are you trying to hit morale?" "It's not about morale. I'm worried about my lord. I want to remind him again, do you think it's okay? Zhong Zuo..." Hanzo's voice seemed to reach Ieyasu's ears. "No, Hanzo." Ieyasu came outside the tent suddenly, and slowly raised his head to look up at the sky.The wind blows the banner, whistling, and I can feel the breath of winter snow. "It's going to snow soon. It's up to the sky to win or lose. It's a fight to the death." "Yes." Hanzo knelt on one knee, as if he had something to say. "Are you as timid as Shiro Zuo?" Ieyasu said awe-inspiringly.Hanzo stared at Ieyasu for a while, then stood up resolutely. "Zhong Zuo!" Ieyasu shouted. "exist." "Continuing on like this, we can't fight. You and Shibata go to the front first, and Ishikawa is preparing muskets in front of the formation." "yes." "Using the gunfire as a signal, I will also lead the personal guards forward. Everyone must be prepared to die in battle. Go!" "yes." The wind was getting louder and louder, and the sky was as dark as dusk.Okubo and Shibata led about 200 ashigaru warriors and set off first.The other generals had to follow suit. Tom Tom Tom!Tom Tom Tom!As a signal, the sound of musket fire was first fired from the left-wing Ishikawa Shuzheng Army to Takeda's vanguard, Oyamada Nobumo.Both sides uttered huge shouts, and the sound of the trumpet overwhelmed the sound of the wind and whined.The battle flags of both sides are rapidly approaching.The seemingly invisible powder snow is flying in the wind... Ieyasu sat on his horse and watched the battlefield quietly.There is an enemy army rushing towards Ping Fanxiu's team.The howling of the cold wind and the neighing of war horses interweave above Sanfangyuan... "Report!" "Report it." "Kumasa Ishikawa has launched an attack on Masashige Toyama and Oyamada." "it is good!" "Report!" "Report it." "When Ishikawa was about to defeat the Oyamada Army, Watanabe Hanzo attacked from the rear right, and the Oyamada Army had collapsed." "Okay, tell Hanzo not to take half a step back." "Report! Koyamada's army was defeated, and the enemy replaced Baba Nobuharu's team." "Understood. Immediately order Ping Hachi to approach the opponent, and never take half a step back." Time was approaching Shen Shi.The snow gradually became thicker, and the vision became more and more blurred, but the military situation sent to Ieyasu was not so tragic.It seemed as if God began to take care of him! "Report! Honda Tadakatsu, Kanbara Yasomasa, and Okubo Tadise have teamed up to defeat Baba Nobuharu." "it is good!" "Report!" "Report it." "Pingshou Fanxiu was attacked by more than 300 enemy stones and asked for reinforcements." "What? Use stones... Oda's reinforcements are about to collapse?" Ieyasu looked to the right, "Let Chuji go rescue it." He said so, but Ieyasu was shocked inside.On the left side of the tie is Sakuma Yoshimasa. Once he is defeated, the enemy will go straight to his personal guard. "Okay, I'll go too. Blow the horn." "yes." Just as the guards were answering, in the wind and snow, a warrior galloped forward like a snowman and shouted: "Wait! Wait..." The man got off his horse in front of Ieyasu, "Please invite the lord to watch the battle, and never let the personal guards advance." When Ieyasu saw clearly that the person who came was Sakai Zaemon Wei Chuji, he immediately reprimanded: "Why did you leave the team? You bastard!" "Please reprimand me. But my lord, don't continue to advance. It's almost dusk, and the wind and snow make it difficult to distinguish between the enemy and us. We have already regarded this place as a place of death. Please don't get involved, my lord, and continue to watch the battle." "Report!" At this moment, a cavalry staggered and dismounted. "The Sakuma and Takigawa armies were forced to retreat under Oyamada's attack." "Withdraw?" Before Ieyasu could speak, Chuji called out first. "Chuji, you return to the team immediately." "The Oda reinforcements are really useless!" "Stop talking nonsense! I'll go too and blow the horn." Ieyasu shouted, and finally joined the melee. Seeing Ieyasu's flag moving, Takeda Fang immediately dispatched the famous general Masakae Yamagata.Shanxian led the Sanfang people of the Shan family who arrived in the Dongsanhe area first, Zuoshou, Changxiao, and Tianfeng three parties, stood out in awe. The snow is getting heavier and heavier, and the world is gray.Ieyasu and the guards rode straight forward: "Don't retreat, go forward!" The three parties of the Shan family shouted and surrounded Ieyasu, and Ieyasu raised his spear angrily.Heavy snow fell on the helmet one after another, and it was all white. "My lord!" "Protect the lord!" Okubo Tadayo and Kanbara Yasomasa jumped on their horses and came in front of Ieyasu.The vanguard of Takeda Seven Hands gradually showed signs of collapse. "Now is the time to defeat them, hurry up!" Ieyasu stood up abruptly, waving his horsewhip. "My lord, it's dangerous! Don't go deep into the enemy's formation." When Yasuo was about to block Ieyasu, Ieyasu's mount rushed into the enemy's formation like an arrow from the string.He seemed to say "keep up" but the sound was drowned out by the howling wind.The Takeda army was split in half by the sharp offensive of the Okazaki people. At this moment, another group of Fish Scale Army suddenly appeared in front of them.The horse seal written in black characters on a white background and white characters on a black background is undoubtedly Takeda Shiro Katsuyori. "It's a well-deserved reputation!" Ieyasu couldn't help admiring on horseback.Although many teams were defeated and retreated, the overall formation was still orderly, and it was indeed an extraordinary formation. Sheng Lai had about 4,000 horses, and Iekang reined in his horses, ready to retreat.At this time, the people from the mountain county who had been dispersed for a while suddenly blocked the way and charged towards him.Looking to the right, I saw that Sajing Chuji's men and horses had also been blocked and began to collapse. Of course Shingen would not let go of this great opportunity.He shouted in the military tent: "Call Ganli Yubu!" After Ganli Jiqing's death, the Yubu was led by Mi Cangdan's descendants, who had been responsible for transporting grain and grass until now. "Danghou, don't worry about food and grass, pick up your spear immediately. Today's battle is coming to an end." Not long after Tango went out, the sky darkened.Amari Yube's spear made the victory of the Takeda people more clear. "Push them to the edge of the cliff, and gather the generals." Shingen ordered while listening to the chaotic fight against Lu. At this time, Ieyasu's figure had disappeared.Torii Tadahiro shouted loudly: "My lord! Do you think I, Tadahiro, is a coward?" After that, he died in a heroic battle; then, Matsudaira Yasujun also dyed the white snow red with young blood.Yonezawa Masanobu died in battle, and Naruse Masayoshi also died.After dropping about 300 corpses, the Tokugawa army was dispersed.Ieyasu frantically rode his horse to the edge of the rhinoceros cliff, and the only one following him was Okubo Tadashi. "My lord! Don't stop." Zhongdu yelled, "The enemy is pressing up, there is water behind you, Zhongzheng, run, run!" Ieyasu deliberately stopped his horse and looked behind him.His expression was terrifying, his eyes were burning with flames, his face was tense, and his voice seemed to be dry and cracked: "Is the broken one loyal?" "Exactly." Zhongshi replied. "I'm worried. I'll go and see." "My lord!" Zhongshi stood in front of Ieyasu with a stern expression.Under the light of the snow, the space between the sky and the earth is very bright, and people can be seen moving around, and many people have fallen off the cliff. "You are not like usual. I will withdraw to the city immediately with you." "No!" Ieyasu roared again, feeling sad and pitiful. Suddenly, three black shadows stood in front of Ieyasu. "Bastard!" Ieyasu yelled, raising his spear and stabbing at one of the shadows.Okubo Tadayo took the lead in attacking the other two shadows. "My lord, let's go!" "No!" Ieyasu thought his fate was doomed, he seemed to have made up his mind, and he didn't back down a step.Two more black shadows rushed over from the edge of the cliff. "Oh, is that your lord?" Okubo Tadarin and Naito Masashige, the sons of Tadashi who were the bodyguards of Ieyasu's cavalry, both left their mounts and rushed here on foot.Their armor and helmets were stained with blobs of black, probably blood clots. "My lord...Honta Tadoma has already died in battle." "So, who is the queen?" "It's Nobushiro Naito. My lord, retreat quickly!" Ieyasu stood there in a daze for a moment, motionless.He was even more determined not to back down.Is your life over?His blood boiled suddenly: "Loyal Neighbor, Zheng Cheng, return immediately! Help Xin Cheng!" "My lord!" Zhong Neighbor shouted again, "Your lord is really confused. Zhongzhen and Xincheng fought desperately because they wanted you to get back to the city safely. Don't you understand?" "Loyal neighbor, shut up." Zhongshi reprimanded, "My lord, please quickly withdraw to the city!" Just as Zhong Shi took the reins of the horse, a sound suddenly came from the bushes on his right hand.It was the ambushes of Takeda Fangbaba and Kohata. "Tokugawa is here! Don't let him escape." Ieyasu looked back.At this moment, a "bang" gunshot shook the surroundings.The projectile whizzed past the horse's head and hit the cliff.The horse neighed and soared into the sky, like a towering tree.Hearing this signal, arrows rained down in the direction of Chengyi'an. The cavalry warriors and personal bodyguards have fallen into a melee with the enemy, and it is indistinguishable from the enemy.Ieyasu threw away his spear and drew his sword abruptly.Just as he was about to jump off his horse, a man ran towards his horse, yelling. "My lord! I am late." Ieyasu couldn't see each other clearly.In the darkness, he found that his voice was almost inaudible: "Who?" "Natsume Masakichi came to welcome you back to the city." "Shut up!" "My lord! I have brought twenty-five cavalrymen. They must be able to stop the enemy. Please return to the city immediately, my lord!" "No! Do you think I'm going to get by? Bastard!" "What?" Zhengji suddenly opened his eyes wide, "I'm really dizzy. Is your lord just a pawn?" "What? You say I'm a pawn?" "Yes, pawn!" Natsume Masakichi roared angrily, trembling all over his body, "My lord only cares about his loyalty for a while and forgets the great responsibility of commanding the whole army. Isn't this a pawn?" Ieyasu trembled, but couldn't make a sound. "Don't hesitate. I'll pretend to be you. Hurry up!" Masakichi violently turned Ieyasu's horse's head towards Hamamatsu Castle, swung his spear and stabbed the horse's tail. The horses galloped along the snow-covered road beside the cliff.Ieyasu seemed to be still roaring, but his horse was whipped by the father and son of Panyanagi and Okubo who followed him, and kept galloping forward.After his figure disappeared, Natsume Masakichi jumped onto the horse's back. "Tokugawa Ieyasu is here, come here if you don't want your life!" His voice echoed on the snow, he raised his spear, and picked two enemies off their horses in a blink of an eye. "This is my last battle. Let's go!" Twenty-five knights rushed into the enemy's formation together.In less than half a moment, Natsume Masakichi and twenty-five people went to another world. The Takeda army was still pursuing persistently.In the meantime, Amano Yasuke once caught up with Ieyasu, and Naruse Kokichi once surpassed Ieyasu.Tadashi Okubo disappeared, only Tadashi remained by Ieyasu's side.In order to inspire everyone, Gao Mu Jiusuke deliberately ran around on the way.He held up the head of a monk he got from nowhere: "Gaoshu Jiusuke has taken the head of Takeda Shingen..." Ieyasu stopped in front of the big Kusu tree in Hamamatsu Hachimansha. At this time, he was extremely tired, and his war horse was trembling in the cold wind.He got off his horse and rested for a while, then entered Hamamatsu Castle expressionlessly.This battle can be said to be a crushing defeat. Only Takagi Kusuke was still shouting loudly in the darkness: "Takagi Kusuke has taken the head of General Takeda Shingen. My lord has returned to the city. Open the door!" Flying snowflakes enveloped the city of tragedy.