On the third day of July in the first year of Koji (1555), early in the morning. After a night of turmoil, the Dow Residence City Futian Wakayama Castle finally regained its calm a little, and the gate that had been prepared to be blocked with stone bars was also cleared and opened with a bang under the gaze of thousands of people.

Tao Tsuru Shoumaru, who had been in Tomita Wakayama Castle for less than five days, walked out of the city gate with his head bowed in one step at a time under the arms of his mother Mrs. Naito, and the three-year-old Tao Tsuru Shoumaru did not mean to defeat the army, and looked up curiously around.

He was followed by the remaining city generals Wentian Longsheng and Yuanzhu Fangqing, as well as a cadre of Tao retainers, and in addition, all the soldiers defending the city gave up their swords and feet as required, and were isolated in single clothes to prevent them from approaching.

The experiences of Takamori Wakita and Kiyoshi Gakubafang are different, Takamori Wakita was originally the guardian of Iwami Province, and with the Date clan entering Iwami Province, he was driven back to Zhoufang, and was slightly injured under the attack of Kumagai Takanao and stayed in Wakayama Castle, picking up a life.

Gakuzu Fangqing is even more bizarre, he carried the heads of Ouchi Yoshinaga and Miura Fangqing all the way to fight, with the help of Lei Yu, he successfully escaped and escaped to Wakayama Castle, and stayed in Wakayama Castle at the request of Mrs. Naito, and Tsuru Takamori served as a guard together.

The 3,500 soldiers of the Date Army have completely controlled the large and small cities of Ruoshan Castle, and all the buildings are controlled in the hands of the Date Army, without missing a single loophole, Ruoshan Castle has completely become the city of the Date Army, and for a long time in the future, Ruoshan Castle will become the center of Zhou Fangguo.

From the beginning of June to the beginning of July, most of the time was half a month. and destroyed a medium kingdom. This made everyone in the Date army feel honored. The ashigaru who were specially selected were all in good spirits, armed with three spears, all of them holding their chests up, and with their raised chins and nostrils, they rushed towards the Tao monarchs who were hunched over.

Zhengheng was dressed in armor and stood at the gate of the city on horseback, and hundreds of retainers on his side were waiting for the arrival of the Tao monarch and minister, the status of Wakayama Castle in the Ouchi clan. In particular, Yoshinaga Ouchi's position after taking office is quite clear. Like the current Tsurushou Castle of the Date family and the future Okayama Castle, it was the political center and the capital, and the fact that the capital of a regime fell into the hands of an enemy indicates the complete decline of the regime.

Lady Naito finally walked in front of the surrendered generals, fell to her knees with a thud, and the crowd that followed her also treated the people of the Date family with great courtesy, but one of the people in the crowd stood there abruptly and did not move.

Ask Tian Longsheng to see that the Yuan Zhu Fang Qing next to him looked calm and righteous, and his face turned pale with fright. Hurriedly tugged at Yuan Zhufangqing's sleeve and scolded hysterically: "What do you want to do." If you want to kill everyone, get down on your knees, hurry up. ”

Zhengheng's face changed, he walked past Mrs. Naito, looked at the man, and asked, "Who are you, why don't you kneel down and beg for mercy?" ”

Hirochu Takabo, who followed behind, whispered: "It's Gaki Fangqing, I heard that it was he who escaped with the head of Ouchi Yoshinaga on his back. Yuanzhu Fangqing glanced at Hongzhong Longbao, and bowed his head to Zhengheng noncommittally: "In Xiayuan Zhufangqing, meet your lordship." ”

Zhengheng looked at this Gakuzubo Kiyoshi who fled with the head of Ouchi Yoshicho, and his heart was still quite pertinent about his performance, although because Ouchi Yoshinaga's head had not been found, he once doubted whether Ouchi Yoshicho was dead or not, and later Hirochu Takaho and other generals identified Ouchi Yoshinaga's body from the corpse and confirmed that Ouchi Yoshinaga was dead. Now, Yuan Zhu Fangqing behaved abruptly, but Zheng Heng felt a little disgusted with him, since he failed, he had to admit defeat, and instead acted heroically, why didn't he commit suicide and die in the city.

Zheng Heng snorted coldly and said, "It's all this time, and he is still pretending to be heroic and lucky." ”

Yuan Zhu Fangqing originally wanted to behave heroically, so that the political and political balance who had always been a corporal of Lixian could take a look, but when he heard such a question, where could he stand it, he shouted loudly: "I have nothing to say, I just hope to be beheaded soon." ”

Zhengheng pretended to be surprised, looked at him and asked, "Why did you say such a thing, you want to live and die with Yoshicho Ouchi......

As soon as he heard that Zhengheng seemed to have repentance, he was happy in his heart, and immediately behaved gloomily, and replied: "That's exactly the ......" but he was repeatedly praying in his heart that Zhengheng could persuade him, and then he objected, and in persuasion, he came and went, and then surrendered, which not only showed his nobility, but also showed Zhengheng's courtesy corporal.

The abacus played loudly, and he didn't hear the disgust in Zhengheng's words at all, he shook his head and said, "It's really lucky that Ouchi Yoshicho can have such a loyal minister as you." Well, I will fulfill your wish and let you die with him, and after death I will bury your head with him. ”

Yuan Zhu Fang Qing never thought that Zheng Heng really wanted his life, and he burst into tears when he was unable to ride a tiger, and shouted loudly: "If there is an afterlife, I will definitely worship under your door, but in this life I will follow the ......" said and prostrated on the ground and kowtowed twice.

Zhengheng didn't have the slightest intention of retaining, he ordered the guard Takei to supervise and said: "Take this loyal minister of Ouchi Yoshicho to find a place for him to make mistakes, and the head and the head of Ouchi Yoshicho will be put into a wooden box together, and buried in Katsueiji Temple, and it can be simply buried." ”

Yuan Zhu Fang Qing still wanted to speak, but Takei escorted the prisoner away with Yuan Zhu Fang Qing. A small episode could not change the development of the general trend, and the bankruptcy of the Yuanzhu House made those generals who originally wanted to follow the drama of Corporal Lixian immediately prostrate respectfully and respectfully begged for the forgiveness of Zhengheng.

Mrs. Naito prostrate on behalf of Tao Tsuru Shoumaru and said: "The sinner girl Naito, with her son Tsuru Shoumaru, unfortunately as a son of man, the sin is in the body, today the Date army is conscripted, and I am willing to surrender the city in order to ask for forgiveness from the adults." Tao Heshoumaru was only three years old, and when he saw his mother prostrate on the ground, he actually cried.

Zhengheng didn't care about this, and he didn't mean to step forward to help, with his current power, he didn't care about Yuanzhu Fangqing's little tricks, and similarly, he didn't have a special feeling for Mrs. Naito's words, looking at Tao Heshoumaru, he had the idea of cutting the grass and eradicating the roots.

Tao Heshoumaru is now young and ignorant, but there will always be an adult one day, and his identity determines his tragic life. His maternal family is the Naito clan. The paternal family is Tao. At one time, he was intended to be inherited to the Ouchi clan, so he was also called Ouchi Tsurujumaru.

The political balance hastily pacified the two countries of Zhou Fang and Nagato, and the Ouchi clan ruled the two countries for more than 300 years, and there are still many old and young people in the territory who cherish the old master, and if Tao Tsuru Shoumaru is alive, they will use him as a banner to raise the flag again, which is greatly detrimental to the rule of the Date family.

Of course, the political balance will not be started yet, and the two countries will be calmed down. Pinching his submissive doll to death is as easy as pinching a bug. Masahiro's eyes kept scanning Mrs. Naito and the retainers left behind her, back and forth.

Zheng Heng's eyes flickered, and he answered, "Got it!" He glanced at Tao Heshou Maru, who was crying loudly, and said to Yamazaki Xingsheng: "Except for Mrs. Naito, Tao Heshoumaru, and Takamori Tsuruta, the rest of the people are all escorted to Katsueiji Temple, and you will interrogate if there is any news of Jiang Liang Xianxuan, who has escaped from Numajo." ”

Yamazaki Xingsheng heard the name of the enemy, answered, and escorted everyone away.

It's the day. Hongzhong Takabao hurriedly took his son Hongzhong Takao, as well as more than thirty Hongzhong family samurai. Riding his horse towards a nunnery near Wakayama Castle. At present, if the mountain city has just fallen, there are many unwilling people, and the risk of accidents is still very high.

In the nunnery, a young woman dressed in noble clothes, accompanied by two maids, sat upright. Among the two maids, one is old and one is young. Hongzhong Takabao walked into the nunnery with red eyes, and the two maids knew him, so they hurriedly retreated to the side and knelt on the ground.

The young woman was none other than Ayaka, the daughter of Hirochu Takabao, the main lady of Tao Changfang, who raised her head and looked at her father, tears raining down, and said, "Father! Since the news of Ouchi's defeat and death came, she thought that her father had also died in battle, and in one day, her father-in-law, father, and husband all died, and all the pillars collapsed. So she went out of the city and went to this nunnery to practice.

Hongzhong Takabao looked at Ayaka, his eyes were full of tenderness, but he didn't know how to speak, he had sold her to Zhengheng again, and she would become Zhengheng's concubine, which should have been a happy thing, but now it is difficult to talk when he sees his daughter.

Hongzhong Takao was infected by this emotion, and also shed tears, and said in a low voice: "Sister! "There is not much difference in age between the two, they have grown up with their sister since they were children, and it can be said that the relationship with their sister is quite good, and he also knows that his sister is going to marry as a concubine.

The three of them had their own thoughts and hugged each other. Hongzhong Takabao finally told the truth, Ayaka's soft face was full of shock, she didn't know why her father was so cruel, and even let her marry the enemy who killed her father-in-law and husband when her husband's life and death were uncertain, her body couldn't help but tremble, and she sat on the ground, looking ahead in a daze.

In order to achieve his goal, Hongzhong Takabao had to use lies to link Ayaka's matter with the life and death of their father and son, and if they didn't agree, their father and son's lives would be lost. Ayaka looked at her brother and prayed to know something different from his mouth. Her doted brother was excited, and when Hiroka Takashi was excited, he said to his father: "Father, don't embarrass your sister, let's run away with my sister!" ”

Ayaka finally agreed to her father's plea. The moment she agreed, the beautiful young woman fell unconscious, just as a chain of beads had broken and scattered on the ground.

Ouchi's Mansion is not a castle, but more like a garden-style mansion. Since the construction of Ouchi Hiroyo, it has suffered only once in the past 190 years, and the Ouchi Clan's building was destroyed by fire in the pottery of the Daichi Yoshidai minister. After the Taolongfang was renamed Ouchi Yoshinaga and inherited the Ouchi clan, he strengthened and heightened the Tsukiyamakan, the other residence of the Ouchi clan, and changed the building to a castle, and the Tsukuyamakan was renamed the Ouchi Clan, also known as Yamaguchi Castle.

The once flowery Yamaguchi area, with a war has long been what it used to be, and after the martial and disgusted Yoshicho Ouchi came to power, he rebuilt the Ouchi Clan Pavilion, and the former cultural capital became a complete military city.

One of the two auxiliary ministers, Ikaga Taka, was hurriedly crossing the porch, not caring about punishing the deserted soldiers, on weekdays, Ikaga Takashi always tried his best to be elegant and calm of the ministers, always looked calm and relaxed, and walked in a regular manner, a little hasty as now, and it could even be said to be anxious.

Sanmaru and Nimaru both look like a military city, and when you arrive at Honmaru, you will have a feeling of sudden enlightenment, Yamaguchi Castle was expanded from the Tsukiyamakan, the residence of the Ouchi clan, and the core area of Tsukiyamakan where Honmaru is located, except for the addition of a castle tower, the rest has hardly changed.

The size of the Yamaguchi Castle Honmaru Nariya living room and living room is no worse than that of the Imperial Palace, and the bronze utensils and lacquered wood carvings on display are even more numerous and valuable than those of the down-and-out Celestial Emperor, who is fostered by others.

Ikaga Takamasa was not at all interested in looking at the beautiful furnishings, he came to the dormitory where Ochi Sadaaki lived, and since Ouchi Sadaaki returned from the Atsutogawa, he had been hiding in the dormitory, and the specific affairs of Yamaguchi Castle were handed over to Era Fang Rong and Ikaga Takamasa.

What followed was the news of the fiasco, Ouchi Yoshinaga was killed in battle, Tao Nagabo was killed in battle, Miura Boqing was killed in battle, died in battle, died in battle, and the people of Yamaguchi Castle fell one after another, and as the news of the military generals continued to die in battle, one city after another fell.

Every time the battle report came, Yamaguchi Castle shook up. Ouchi Sadaaki didn't want to come forward anymore, he had been frightened by the continuous bad news, and he just thought that there was wine today and drunk tomorrow, and he hid in the dormitory and spent all day drinking.

As of that day, a total of 436 generals and more than 5,000 soldiers had been killed in the battle, but the battle reports were still coming in a steady stream. Every time a new name is added to the war dead roll, the widowed woman drowns in sweat and tears.

The advance of the Date army has reached Yamaguchi Castle and will reach Yamaguchi Castle in the near future.

Ikaga Takashi is hurrying here, wanting to ask Ouchi Sadaaki if he wants to withdraw from Yamaguchi Castle, if Yamashiro has opened the castle without blood, he will arrive at Yamaguchi Castle today and tomorrow, and if he does not retreat, there is not much time left. He finally came to Ouchi Sadaaki's bedroom, and a foul sound came from the bedroom.

He showed a disgusted expression on his face, and muttered in a low voice: "What a big internal loser, he is still doing such a stubborn thing when his family and country are defeated, hey, the unparalleled general of the Western Kingdom would actually let such a defeated son inherit the Ouchi family business, if Tao Changfang had not died in battle." (To be continued......)