Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Tokugawa will win

On August 20th of the first year of Tianzheng, Tokugawa Ieyasu captured Nagashino Castle, and Okuhira Misaku and his son also miraculously escaped the pursuit of the Takeda army and crossed Mount Iwasaki into Takiyama Castle.Takeda Katsuyori who came all the way from Kai to support, because of Ieyasu's tenacious blocking and the strategy of Okuhei and his son, the army was dispersed, and they couldn't look at each other from head to tail.During this period, Numashin Hachiro, the main manager of Changxiao City, threw away his helmet and armor, and fled to Fenglai Temple in a hurry. Ieyasu orders Matsudaira Geji Zhongchang to immediately enter Nagashino Castle, and asks Matsudaira Main Palace Assistant Yichu, Hiraiwa Nananosuke Kinkichi, and Honda Bungo Mori Hiroko to go to Takiyama Castle to support Okuhei and his son.

Therefore, in the first battle of Nagashino, the Tokugawa army was completely in a dominant position, which greatly inspired Shinyasu, who led the troops in Assuke and Takeshi.Xinkang, who had captured Assuke Castle, was heading for Wujie Castle around the foot of Biyue Mountain. Ohgaya Yashiro, who wanted to lead Takeda Katsuyori's army to Okazaki Castle, escorted food and grass, and followed Xinyasu without leaving.Yashiro gambled his entire life on this journey, but the emissary he sent to realize the conspiracy may not be the right person.The object of Mrs. Tsukiyama's remarriage has been determined, and the status of Yashiro after welcoming the Takeda Army to Okazaki Castle has also been clarified.Next, as long as the secret envoy Yamada Hachishigehide can hand over the secret letter to Shimojo Izu, who gave up his help and kept the martial arts festival, it will be considered a success.

Yamada Hachishigehide managed to avoid Xinkang's team and arrived at the city of Takeshi.The sky was fine yesterday, but it is raining today.Dominated by the harsh climate, the temperature in the mountain city dropped suddenly, as if a severe winter was ushering in, Chongxiu thought of his wife and children in his hometown from time to time.He came to the city gate and was about to raise his mouth when he didn't want the warriors patrolling behind him to shout: "Who?" He was taken aback, and immediately knelt down on the ground: "I have something to come." The other party didn't want to listen to his explanation at all. "Suspicious guy, wandering around outside the city, I have been following you for a long time."

The warrior's physique was similar to Bazang's, but the spear in his hand was thicker and longer than Bazang's, and his terrifying eyes made people shudder. "I want to see Takeda Katsuyori-sama!" Bazang tried hard not to be overwhelmed by the other party. "Are you crazy?" The other party rolled his eyes and said, "Do you think the Katsuyori Guild is in such a small mountain town?" "Then...then...I want to see Mr. Izu next." "Master Izu hasn't come here yet." "Then, Kakino should be there, right? It's Kakashi, the doctor who came back from Okazaki Castle."

"Come back from Okazaki Castle... This guy is getting more and more suspicious." At some point, Ba Zang was surrounded by soldiers with spears. Yashiro Ohgami miscalculated.Both Yashiro and Yamada Hachiko thought that Kakino had arrived in Kai safely, and led Katsuyori to the mountain city.But Kataka had been killed by Goro Shigemasa, who was sent by Shinyasu, and his head was quietly buried in a corner of the city.Therefore, the soldiers in this mountain city didn't know any respect at all. "Don't you know how to reduce your respect? He is lurking in Okazaki Castle under the secret order of Sheng Lai."

Frightened by the spears beside him, Bazang yelled loudly again. "What did you say?" "When we meet, you will understand. I have something important, please let me see him." The samurai tilted his head and mocked: "You are crazy." He pointed his head and looked back at the soldiers, "It's common in wars, and cowards are so frightened crazy." "What are you? I'm not crazy..." "If you are not crazy, then we have to kill you, okay?" "You... you guys... really know how to joke. I am very important to Katsurai."

"The more you talk, the more outrageous you are. You're crazy. Well, let him go!" "So rough..." "It's not rudeness, it's compassion!" After the warrior finished speaking, he went straight into the city gate.Those soldiers didn't want to listen to Ba Zang at all, and even if they did, they couldn't understand it.Holding their spears, they pointed at the chest of Bazang, who was dressed in plain clothes, and cursed: "When we count to five, get out immediately. Otherwise, you will die." "No... extremely rude!" "Hahaha, if you say it's rude, then it's rude. Everyone close your eyes. Start counting, count to five. Okay, one, one, three, four..."

Ba Zang fled away immediately.There are such stupid things in the world!He is the emissary who decides the fate of the Takeda family.He didn't expect to be ridiculed and ridiculed by this group of lowly soldiers... He didn't know who was manipulating all this, so he had to run for his life.If you don't even have your life, how can you talk about getting ahead and being promoted?He looked back at the laughing soldiers. "I will come again. When the time comes, don't regret it!" Bazang cried, and finally ran wildly, "Just wait and see!" The rain became colder and colder, soaking his back, and the valley in the evening was covered with a thick layer of fog.Yamada Hatzo Shigehide got into the woods, looking for a dry place in a panic, crying loudly.

Ba Zang cried for a while, and suddenly felt hungry, remembering that the rice balls made at the common people's house in the morning were still hanging on his waist, so he sat down under the fir tree and quickly took out the rice balls.The rice ball was covered with seaweed and broke in half, and his stomach immediately growled.Go again after eating!He felt that he was failing because hunger caused anxiety, and he began to wolf down.Suddenly, a voice came from behind: "It's really a commoner." Ba Zang turned his head back in horror.In the rain, a monk was leaning against a thick vertebral tree, raising his feet, waiting for the sky to clear. "Ah, it turned out to be a monk. I was taken aback." Bazang swallowed the rice ball hastily and asked, "What time is it now?"

"It's about four quarters. You don't look like an ordinary person." "You...how did you see it? How do you say this?" "The poor monk has learned to read faces, bones and palms, and can predict events between heaven and earth. You are a warrior with great ambitions... right?" "Oh, it's so strange." Bazang looked at the monk again.The bamboo hat he wore on his head was in tatters, his wrists were thick, his mouth was wide and thick, and his age was about twenty-seven or thirty-five or sixteen. "Monk, do you know my fate?" "Not only that. Sitting here, the poor monk knows that someone is about to appear in this forest due to the fate of the previous life, and he offered me alms because someone told me."

"Who... who told you?" "It is the Buddha whom I have devoted all my life to serve." "Alms for you... Then, monk, you are also hungry?" "Yes." The monk nodded proudly, "But, until you understand the meaning...I will not accept your food." "Did I tell you I wanted to beg for you?" "yes." Ba Zang broke open the second rice ball puzzled, and there were seven rice balls left. "Grandmaster." "What's wrong?" "Probably no one will come to this deep mountain and old forest. Can't you treat me as a Buddha?" "Maybe." "Okay, I'll give you two rice balls first. Can you do the math for me?" "Since you opened your mouth, I can't refuse. Because the Buddha ordered me to eliminate all troubles in the world." Bazang Shigehide nodded, stood up holding the rice ball, put it in front of the monk, and added one as if he suddenly remembered something. "Excuse me, what should I call the Master?" "The poor monk is the monk Suifeng who roams the world and makes his home all over the world." Suifeng picked up the rice ball without any politeness, and quickly threw it into his mouth.He seemed to be hungrier than Bazang, and he ate two of them in one go. "You said you would give me two, but you gave me three. You still have kindness." Suifeng said in a serious manner, and the third rice ball disappeared in his mouth in a blink of an eye. Bazang Shigehide was stunned by the way the other party ate. After eating three rice balls, he quickly wrapped up the rest and tied them to his waist. "Master, you just said that I have great ambitions?" "I did. But your ambitions are now clouded." "Heavy clouds?" "Dark clouds. You can understand it as the initiator of today's downpour..." "Oh?" Bazang nodded and said, "You mean that my ambition cannot be realized because of dark clouds?" "It's a layman, you should not simply understand the vast and boundless Buddha's meaning. Sometimes, failure is the true meaning of my Buddha's mercy." Suifeng finally showed a smile on his face, "But you have a good face and a kind heart, and you are destined to be accepted by the Buddha. bless." "Buddha bless..." "Yes. So, you don't have to doubt, you have to believe that all this is the arrangement of the Buddha. You just need to move in the right direction and readjust your mind." After his stomach was full, Suifeng became an eloquent person again .It took him little effort to persuade this simple warrior to change his mind.It's getting dark, and in this woods, I can find someone to talk to, and I can't help talking with the wind. "In short, it is the fate arranged by the Buddha that you and I can meet here. We should cherish it. Few people have the opportunity to see me and talk to me. Every word of the poor monk is the voice of the Buddha. You just need to listen to me. I know astronomy at the top and geography at the bottom, and I know everything in the world like the palm of my hand." "Oh," Bazang sighed, "Then, I want to ask Master..." "What's up?" "Who do you think will win this war? Takeda from Kai, or Tokugawa from Mikawa." "Ah, this matter. There is no suspense... The poor monk does not know which two parties you support. Please forgive me if my words offend." "clear." "This is the voice of the Buddha. Listen clearly, the Buddha said that Tokugawa will win." Bazang turned pale immediately: "Why?" "Because Lord Shingen has gone west on the crane. Katsuyori and Ieyasu are not the same in stature. They have different faces and bones... No, more importantly, the merits and virtues of their ancestors for generations are different...the victory and defeat of this life, the honor and disgrace It's all based on this. But the eyes of ordinary people can't see these..." Sui Feng suddenly became wild and unconstrained, and suspected that he was talking nonsense. It was still raining, and the surroundings gradually became dark. "Where are you staying overnight?" Suifeng asked suddenly, looking at Yazang Shigehide who fell into silence. "If the poor monk is not mistaken, you are now at a turning point in your life. The poor monk had some feelings about this, but it is getting dark now, so let's go to sleep separately." He did not stand up, but stared at the trapped Pensive Bazang. Bazang's bushy beard was trembling slightly. The simple words "Tokugawa will win" shocked him who was always cautious.He failed to enter Wujie City today, perhaps as Suifeng said, it was the blessing of gods and Buddhas.The confident face of Yashiro Ohgami seemed to appear before his eyes again.If this secret letter is sent, Takeda still ends in failure, what will he do?Of course, he could escape to Kai to save his life, but what about his wife and children who stayed in Okazaki Castle?Yashiro Ohga is eloquent.He will definitely say Bazang is a traitor, and then execute Bazang's wives and children... Thinking of this, Bazang regretted it too much. Suifeng saw that Bazang was so confused, and started to say those far-fetched prophecies again.He wanted to find out where this stupid man with rice balls was staying tonight. "Please take care of it. If you take a wrong step, you may fall into the abyss. One must always pay attention to every step under one's feet. It is getting late, let's just say goodbye." Suifeng got up and took a few steps, but nothing happened. Unexpectedly, Bazang Shigehide stopped him immediately: "Master, wait a moment." "Ah, what else do you want?" "I'm looking for a place to stay, and I still have some things I want to ask the master." "Oh, since that's the case, I'm counting on you. We meet here, it's fate." Suifeng twirled the beads as if nothing had happened, and nodded to Bazang.Ba Zang stood up and took the lead to stride out of the woods. Wujie City in the rain was filled with thick fog and was pitch black.Bazang walked towards the south opposite to Wujie City.Crossing the small stream, there are five or six families in the small basin at the foot of the left-hand mountain, with a few lights flickering faintly. "Stay here overnight? It's very close to the battlefield..." Sui Feng asked. Ba Zang nodded and touched his chest. "It's okay, I have money with me." "Amitabha, we are really destined." "Master!" Ba Zang cried, his eyebrows and beard were drenched by the rain, and his face was like that of an urchin who just cried.People's fragility is most obvious when they are confused, and now Bazang is very much like a lost dog. Although Suifeng, a strange monk from Mt. Hiei, turned into a rice ball from Bazang and asked him to find a place for him, he didn't feel ashamed at all.For confused people always need hints.Suifeng knew that he didn't need to understand the other party's confusion at all, but just gave him a little hint as usual.This is the wisdom of famous monks. "Let's not just stand around and talk in detail in the room. It's easy to damage the body if we get wet." Hearing what Suifeng said, Bazang nodded like a tame domestic dog, and walked into a house.The family was not surprised to see a monk standing behind Bazang. "Chestnuts have been prepared in the humble house, please stay here for one night." The hostess in her forties readily led the two to the stove.It seems that the dark clouds of war have not yet brought much fear to the people in this area. Bazang dried his clothes, took out some money and handed it to the woman, and put some Nanlian silver in front of Suifeng. "These are for the master." "This—this—may the Buddha bring good luck to the donor." "Grandmaster." "You don't have to be polite. The poor monk will definitely tell the Buddha's true intentions." "If I want to choose a master, who is the right one?" "Oh, it turns out that this is the matter. The poor monk said just now that Mikawa Tokugawa Ieyasu will win. You can choose any of Ieyasu's retainers at will." Bazang stared at Suifeng closely and sighed.A certain retainer of Tokugawa...wasn't Shigehide Yazang the one who served Ieyasu directly? "If I give up the Tokugawa family, who is better?" "So, you escaped from Tokugawa's house?" "No, no," Bazang panicked immediately, "I just have doubts in my heart, so just ask." "Oh, if you're not Ieyasu's retainer, go to Mino and join the Oda family." "Isn't... Takeda not suitable for me?" Suifeng finally understood Bazang's heart and almost laughed. "It's better for you to give up Takeda. They are like the setting sun, and they are about to disappear. They look powerful because of the afterglow reflected by the setting sun of Shingen. The most important thing is that you are at odds with them. You have to choose A master who understands your integrity and how to put you to good use." Just as he was talking, another person came to stay. "I'm lost and caught in the rain again, can I stay overnight?" Ba Zang followed the prestige, and suddenly let out a low moan, panicked. The man at the door also seemed surprised when he saw Bazang and Suifeng.The visitor was about twenty-five or sixteen years old, and he looked like a peddler, but he was actually an Iga samurai hired by Ieyasu when he attacked Himono.Bazang crouched, fiddled with the ashes, and listened carefully to the conversation between the woman and the man. The woman said that there was no bedding or food at home, and the first two people just slept on the ground. "It's okay. I came from Xinzhou, and the journey was very hard. On the way, I encountered the retreat of the Takeda army." The man said casually, "Please let me stay overnight." "Did you meet the Takeda army retreating?" Suifeng, who likes to talk to people, could tell at a glance that this person was not a merchant. "Then, Changxiao Castle has finally been captured. If not, the Takeda army would not abandon Wujie Castle and ignore it." .” "Yes. I heard from the soldiers transporting grain and grass that Changxiao City fell on the 20th." "Oh, that's expected." Suifeng seemed to have a long chat with that man, "Then, Sanhe Shoujia Kanggong must have sent an envoy to Xinkang." "Oh!" The other party stared at Suifeng coldly.Maybe he was the emissary, "monk, how do you know this?" "Hahaha... Poor monks don't have the desires of ordinary people. So, the Buddha taught me how to judge people's actions, and let me know what decisions people will make under what circumstances?" "So, what mission does that messenger have?" "Of course, let Xinkang immediately withdraw to Okazaki. But if you give up Wujie like this, you will leave troubles later, so probably let Xinkang set fire to Wujie Castle, and then retreat quickly. Is that right?" "Oh, set fire?" The man's eyes lit up, but Xuan returned to his businessman's appearance, took off his gloves, and put them on the fire, "Do you want to set fire to that city that was built so hard?" "Yes, the Tokugawa Army has no more troops. They can only burn down this mountain city, rescue the poor people nearby from the flames of war, and move the main battlefield in the future to the vicinity of Changxiao City, which is beneficial to them... This is also considered a merit Infinite." "When will this city be burned down? You won't know it, will you?" "How could I not know?" Sui Feng smiled, "Earlier is tonight, later is tomorrow night. If the Wutian army stationed in Wujie City can retreat smoothly..." Shigehide Yamada Hachizo remained silent.He thought hard about how to prevent this Iga samurai from seeing his identity, and kept his head buried. What am I for?Thinking of this, he almost cried. "I'll rest first." He left the stove and lay down on the dirty mat with his back to everyone. Not long after Yamada Hachiko lay down, the Takeshi Castle was in flames.The barking of the wild dogs startled five or six families nearby, and people shouted: "Fire! Fire! Wujie City is on fire!" Hearing the shouting, Bazang Shigehide immediately ran into the yard.The rain has lightened, but it is still blurry from a distance.Amidst the misty rain, the northern sky was glowing red with the flames.That monk is really scary!Bazang's knees were trembling violently, and he deliberately avoided Suifeng and the others.Now he has no doubts about Suifeng's words.When Bazang was expelled by the guards of Wujie City, the soldiers in the city seemed to have decided to retreat and were only waiting for the evening to come.Suifeng said, the failure was because of my Buddha's mercy, if I successfully entered the city and handed over the secret letter, what would it be like now?Bazang couldn't help but feel his hair stand on end.Suifeng also said that Ieyasu, who captured Nagashino Castle, sent envoys to order Xinkang to set fire to the castle and quickly retreat to Okazaki, which seemed certain.Bazang stamped his trembling feet anxiously.What should I do next? Dahe Yashiro told Bazang that the Takeda Army would undoubtedly win.He also said that Sheng Lai must have led the main force to come, and Jiang Jing must be in Wujie City.But this mountain city is now burning. Bazang began to hate Yashiro.Yashiro changed from an ashigaru samurai to a subordinate official in charge of twenty villages, and was later promoted to be a family elder. He even tried to betray Ieyasu by revenge.He deserved what happened to him!This is God's punishment for him.Comparing Yashiro's words with Suifeng's words, Bazang couldn't help gnashing his teeth with hatred, almost crying.The Buddha told him that there is only one way out now, and that is: immediately return to Yuankazaki City and tell Xinkang about Mishiro's conspiracy. He could say that he was aware of Yashiro's conspiracy, so he pretended to be involved in it and inquired about the situation... No, it should be said that from the very beginning, the Buddha ordered him to approach Yashiro to uncover the conspiracy.I am not a villain!I have not been abandoned by gods and Buddhas... The sky is getting redder and redder, looking at the raging flames, Bazang muttered to himself.