In the early morning of July 25, the twenty-third year of astronomy (that is, 1554), Ouchi Yoshicho issued an order, Jiang Liang Fang Rong was anxious to show Xiàn, and Jiang Liang Xianxuan was eager to make meritorious contributions, Jiang Liang and his family, as one of the most important ministers under Ouchi Yoshicho, had many people who flattered him, and there were many people who did not want to offend him. The mobilization efficiency was exceeded, and in just three days, a team of 1,200 elite soldiers was selected from 12,000 soldiers.

Neither Yoshicho Ouchi nor Eira Fusakae wanted to prevent the news from leaking, and as soon as they got on the ships of the Yashiro Island Navy Detachment, they raised the military flag representing the Marukami character of Noshima Murakami on their sails, and the bow of the ship beat the war drums of the marching troops, and marched in a linear line along the Seto Inland Sea in the direction of Numatawaso, announcing the horn of the march.

In a small walled castle not far from Sakurayama Castle, Iwagen Kanbei stood beside Kiyokawa Henghide, explaining the situation of Sakurayama Castle to the latter, and Kiyokawa Hengxiu looked at the situation in the Fukamachi Valley, which was flat but overgrown with artemisia grass.

Qinghe Hengxiu pointed to the deep town valley and said lightly: "Before leaving, the lord once said that when Ouchi Yoshicho heard that Date was coming, he would definitely launch an attack on Numata Sho, and Takayama Castle had a thousand new reinforcements, and with Miyazawa-kun's ability, it would take ten times and twenty times the price to be able to forcibly break through Takayama Castle, then there would only be Sakurayama Castle." ”

After a pause, Kiyokawa Hengxiu said: "Kanbei, since Kumagai Takanao has surrendered, then let him continue to send a letter urging Maori Longjing to come to help, you might as well spread the news of my arrival, and you can also make Maori Longjing nervous." ”

On that day, Kumagai Takanao led 30 remnants of his army to flee into Sakurayama Castle and was besieged by Iwane Kanbei. After being forced into the Jedi, he endured the humiliation and surrendered to the Iwagen Kanbei. The daily letters urging Maori Longjing to come to his aid were written by him. Otherwise, how could Maori Longjing be a cronie.

Qinghe Hengxiu smiled, pointed to the Fukamachi Valley, looked back and said lightly: "Most of you have experienced the battle of the Takayagawa Gorge last year!" Look at this deep town valley again, how similar the two are, the lord can defeat the Mori Motosho in the Takayagawa River Gorge, and we can also let the Ouchi vanguard kill and return. ”

As soon as the generals heard what Kiyokawa Hengxiu said, and then took a closer look at the situation in the Fukamachi Valley, it was very similar to the Takayagawa Gorge. Moreover, the range is wider and longer than that of the Takayagawa Gorge, as long as you chase into the canyon and then block the canyon entrance by Sakurayama Castle, I am afraid that there is only one dead end.

Iwane Kanbei bowed his head lightly and asked, "If the Ouchi army does not pursue and asks to be stationed in Sakurayama Castle instead, I am afraid that it will immediately show its face, what should I do?" "Obviously, Iwane's question is also a question for everyone, after all, the battle of the Takayagawa Gorge is unrepeatable and difficult to imitate.

Qinghe Hengxiu saw that someone refuted him. He was not angry, and said with a smile: "Kanbei." Your opinion is very correct, but you forget that the Mori family and the Ouchi family are not really monolithic, and Mori Takakei and Ouchi Yoshinaga are not the same thing. ”

Iwagen Kanbei reacted a little, looked at Qinghe Hengxiu and said, "You mean? ”

Qinghe Hengxiu smiled, patted Iwane Kanbei's shoulder, and said, "As you said, as soon as Yoshicho Ouchi entered Aki Province, he successively captured several castles such as Kusatsu Castle and Sato Ginzan Castle, and included Saeki County in his pocket at once, do you think Mori Takakei will be happy?" Externally, Sakurayama Castle has always been in the hands of Maori Takake, this is his bargaining chip with Ouchi Yoshicho, he will silently let Sakurayama Castle fall into the hands of Ouchi Yoshicho, even if Maori Takakei Ken, is Kumagai Gao Zhiken? As he spoke, he turned to Kumagai who was huddled behind, told him to come closer, and asked, "Did you say that?" ”

Kumagai Takanao said a little frustratedly, "Yes, what your lord said is very true. ”

The corners of Qinghe Hengxiu's mouth cracked slightly, and he said to Kumagai Takao: "Hyogo, I know that you are not convinced, thinking that it was Horitachi Naomasa who betrayed you and made you lose the battle of Sakurayama Castle, hehe, if you really think so, then you can only be a frog in the well, and you can't see the majestic strategy of my lord." Do you really think that with the plans of Yoshicho Ouchi and Mori Takakei, as well as Takeshi Murakami, you can really deceive my father-in-law, hmph, it's really a fool's dream. ”

When Kumagai Takashi heard Kiyokawa Henghide say about Murakami Takeshi, his face showed some puzzlement, obviously Maori Takakei even hid him from him, for fear that he would leak his mouth. Qinghe Hengxiu saw Kumagaya's incomprehensible gaze, and he didn't say anything. After a few words of encouragement, he directly ordered: "Iwagen Kanbei, Kumagai Takanao, listen to the order, you and others lead three hundred and fifty people to garrison Sakurayama Castle, one hundred and fifty people are the defenders on the surface, and the other two hundred people are hidden in the dark, I will arrange the vicinity of Sakurayama Castle as a battlefield that has passed through the flames of war." But when they saw that there was a fire in the valley, they went out of the city and laid an ambush, and when they were defeated and fled, they were intercepted and killed along the way. ”

"Yes!"

"Guofu Shizheng, you led one hundred and fifty men to lie in ambush in the forest of Cangshan, but when you see a fire in the mountain, you will attack the ships left behind by the Ouchi army, and if the enemy is strong, beat the gongs and drums to scare them back." Guofu Ichimasa, from the Chinese background, subordinate to the Ishikawa family, was active in history as the deputy general of Shimizu Soji during the Takamatsu Castle Raider, and when he fell into the castle, he was the wrong Shimizu Soji, and then committed suicide.

"Yes!"

"Qing Shui is close to the left, you lead three hundred people to prepare more dry firewood, dead leaves, sulfur, fire and other fire-causing things in the valley, remember, you must be more camouflaged, don't be too easy to be recognized, and after the Da Nei army enters the valley, then set fire to the valley." Qing Shui Zuo is near, the name is known, and Qing Shui Zong is the eldest man, a concubine, a brave general, and is the elder brother of Qing Shui Zongzhi, a retainer of Zhengheng's cronies, and died with his younger brother Qing Shui Zongzhi in the old time and space, leaving a sentence of "Fang knows that in this world, flowers are also flowers and colors".

"Yes!"

Both of them were originally samurai from the Ishikawa family, but after Ishikawa Hisataka completely devoted himself to the Date family, he successively became a direct retainer of Date Masahiro, and after Kiyokawa Henghide became one of the three members of Bigo Province, he became Kiyokawa Yoshihide's powerful general at the behest of Masahiro.

Qinghe Hengxiu suddenly remembered something, and said: "The lord handed me fifty pieces of baked jade before leaving, Yangen Kanbei, you get twenty, Qing Shui Zuo is near, you receive thirty, use it properly, you must surround the enemy in the valley." ”

Qinghe Hengxiu waved his hand again, and the generals turned around and left, and then they each picked up their soldiers and left. He watched the generals leave, smiled at the five hundred people left behind, and said, "Then, let's start putting on a good show for the Ouchi family!" ”

At this moment, ten miles away from Sakurayama Castle, in the harbor under the Kurotaki Mountain, twenty ships and thirty small mornings slowly leaned towards the shore, more than 30 soldiers of the Mori family waved their arms to the people on the boat, and there was an abandoned castle not far from the shore, which was the former residence of Nami Sokatsu, Heyi Castle, since Miyazawa Heihachi killed the Ura (Nomi) clan, Heyi Castle was demolished most of the defenses and became a ruined city, but now it has once again played a role.

The boat approached the shore, and groups of soldiers disembarked from the boat, a large part of them with weak legs, apparently unfit for the boat. The samurai who came to pick up the Maori family said respectfully: "The foreign minister Tozaki Castle Lord Hiraga Hirosang, He Yi Castle has already sorted out a little, and I invite the two of you to move." ”

He Yicheng cleaned up briefly, Jiang Liang Xianxuan and Yamazaki Xingsheng happily went, and the three of them had a dinner that both sides did not know how to eat, Hiraga Guangxiang looked at the appearance of the two, and there was inevitably a trace of worry hidden in his heart, and he obviously had some worries about his grandfather's decision.

Jiang Liang Xianxuan seems to be much more mediocre than his younger brother Jiang Liang Fang Rong, and all the military affairs are handed over to Yamazaki Xingsheng, who is also a brave general under the command of Ouchi Yoshinaga, and he knows that every place he goes to first investigate.

As soon as dinner was swallowed, a dusty soldier strode into the tent, presumably a scout who was out to inquire about the military. As soon as Yamazaki Xingsheng saw him, Huo Ran stood up, ignored Hiraga Hirosang, beckoned the man to walk towards the side hall, and asked eagerly.

After a while, Yamazaki Xingsheng returned to the big tent with a calm face, but after talking with Hiraga Hiroshi for a while, he told him that he was tired from the crime, and he wanted to rest first, and drove Hiraga Hiroshi out.

The retainers who followed Hiraga Hirosho's side saw that their lord was humiliated and the lord was humiliated and his ministers died, and they could no longer hold back the anger in their chests, and were about to pull out the sword, but a powerful big hand pressed his wrist heavily, and remembered Hiraga Hiroshi's stern voice: "Don't be impulsive. Small setbacks can't be endured, how can they do big things, wait and see, one day, we will give them a taste of humiliation. ”

The retainer's expression perked, he instantly lowered his head and shouted, "Yes!" ”

Hiraga Hiroxiang looked directly at the direction of the big tent in Heyi Castle, and said calmly: "If my expectations are correct, tonight, the Ouchi army will launch an attack on the Date army besieging Sakurayama Castle. ”

The sky is getting dark, Jiang Liangxian Xuan relies on his younger brother's glory and does not know the military but hangs the name of the main general, Yamazaki Xingsheng is the actual commander of this army, he understands that the arrival of the Ouchi Army with great fanfare, although it shows the prestige of the Ouchi Army, but it also makes the Date Army know the situation, and loses the suddenness, once it is ready, it will be difficult to win a complete victory, and it is very likely to suffer heavy casualties.

Once the casualties are too large, Ouchi Yoshicho blames him, Jiang Liangxian has a good brother who says good things, and at most he will be punished for his duties, and Yamazaki Xingsheng, who has no one to cover, will be more responsible. This is why Yamazaki did not go to the mouth of the Numata River, but stayed in Heyi Castle, taking advantage of the night to attack the Date army besieging Sakurayama Castle, and it also had the effect of playing a time difference. (To be continued......)