Tokieda Castle of the Usa Omiya Tsukasa family in Usa County, Bunzen Province. To the east is Takada Castle of the Yoshisen-clan of Higashi-gun, Bungo Province, to the west is Myomiyagaku Castle of the Sugi family of Usa County, Bunzen Province, and to the north is Tsukashi Castle of Otamiya Tsukasa, Usa Omiya, Shimo-gun, Bunzen Province.

From the perspective of strategic location, as long as you control Tokieda Castle, you can divide the territory of the Usa Omiya clan into two, divided into two regions, Usa County and Shimo-gun. Judging from the layout of the entire Bunzen Province and Bungo Province, taking Tokieda Castle is equivalent to dividing the southeastern part of Bunzen Province into two parts, one part is Kamimo County and Shimo-gun, and the other part is Usa County. At the same time, it can also exert pressure on the neighboring Bunzen Province region. Therefore, taking this place is equivalent to driving a nail in the local area, thus dividing the local forces.

It's just that it's not easy to take Shizhi Castle, after all, the Usa Omiya family also knows the strategic significance of the location of the city, so there are at least hundreds of troops stationed in the city in peacetime. With these hundreds of defenders, even if they were attacked by several times their size, they would be able to support the arrival of reinforcements from all over the rest of the country. Therefore, in order to take the city, it is necessary to lure the defenders of the city out of the city.

And the first, third, and fourth armies of the Luo family went out this time, in addition to being responsible for attacking the areas along the way, it also played a role in luring the snake out of the hole.

The First Route Army, where Yoshida Shigemasa and Yamamoto Kansuke were located, was targeting Yamage-gun in Bunzen Province, which was very close to the eastern part of Shimo-gun, which was adjacent to Kamimo-gun. As long as the first army makes a big disturbance in the local area and shows a devastating trend, then Tian Tozaki Castle, which is an important town in the eastern region of Shimomo-gun, will definitely feel the pressure. They will even draw reinforcements from Shizhi Castle in the rear to help defend the city.

Kinoshita Masanao's Third Route Army. As long as the local movement is made bigger in the western part of Xiamao County. Then, as the eastern region of Shimo-gun, Tatorizaki Castle will also feel the pressure, and will also send reinforcements from Shieda Castle in the rear to help defend the city.

The Fourth Route Army, where Akuda and Kakukuma Ishizong are located, is the most important part of this plan to lure the snake out of the cave. Because the strategic target of this army is the Dragon King City, the home of the Usa Omiya Division. Ryuo Castle is located on the mountainside of Mt. Ryuo, which is high and steep in Usa Prefecture, with cliffs on three sides and mountain springs on the mountain, so as long as enough food is hoarded in the city, it is completely easy to defend and difficult to attack. At the same time, there are several fertile mountain basins scattered under the mountain, and it is also the location of Usa Shrine. It is the birthplace of the Usa Omiya family, so it has always been the residence of the Usa Omiya family.

Since Dragon King City is easy to defend and difficult to attack, Masara's strategic requirements for the Fourth Route Army this time are also very simple, that is, to implement siege tactics against Dragon King City, and at the same time make a fake appearance of preparing to bypass Dragon King City and then continue to go deeper into other areas of Usa County.

Of course, even if it's just a siege tactic, it's not easy to execute, because there are also Aoyama Castle of the Sugi family, Myoki Mt. Castle near Ryuwang Castle, and Tokieda Castle of the Usa Omiya Tsukasa family. These castles will be ready to support Dragon King City at any time. So during this period of time. The Fourth Route Army must hold on to the ground like a nail. In order to contain the forces of these areas (in the same way, the rest of the armies actually played a role in restraining the local forces while attacking).

In fact, just as Masarashi had predicted, after learning that his home castle was besieged, the defenders of Tokieda Castle immediately rushed to the Sugi family's Myomigake Castle, preparing to join forces with the Sugi family's forces in Myokandake Castle to support Ryuno Castle.

This time, the people who were in charge of leading the army to support were Miyanari and Sano, who were from the Usao Omiya family. The two of them led an army of more than 300 people from Shizhi Castle and marched all the way along the east bank of the Yuguan River under the city. In the early afternoon, they came to a place called Takamori, which was far away from Tokiki Castle, and there was still a long way to go from the Sugi family's Myokengaku Castle in front of them.

Just as the people of the Usa Omiya family were moving along the riverbank, there were arrows shining with cold light in the half-light and half-dark woods and half-human tall barren grass beside them.

These troops ambushed here are naturally the second Luo family army led by Murakami Grande. As early as when Shizhicheng began to mobilize the army last night, they received a report from the family detective who was mixed in the village outside Shizhicheng, and learned that Shizhicheng's army was mobilizing the army to prepare to support Dragon King City.

Although I don't know when the other party will leave, Murakami and the others have gathered the troops of the Luo family who were scattered nearby and pretended to be homeless overnight, and after everyone reassembled their weapons and armor, they rushed here overnight to ambush the place where they must pass to Dragon King Castle and Myomiyagake Castle.

After some discussion with Oyano Tanemitsu, Kamitsuura Tanekyū, Tsuruta Nao, Ariurazhen, Kankinkiyo and others last night, everyone decided to ambush the reinforcements rushing from Tokieda Castle to Ryuwang Castle here, and then, with the cooperation of the captives, pretend to be the military strength of the Usa Omiya Clan, and take Tokieda Castle first. Perhaps it was providence, but not long after the Luo family had just laid an ambush in the morning, Tokieda Castle rushed to Myokandake Castle (from the eastern region of Usa County to the western part of Myokendake Castle and Ryuo Castle, etc., all had to take this road, and since it belonged to the hinterland of the Sugima and Usa Omiya families, there was no guarded checkpoint here) The reinforcements arrived.

The army of more than 800 people of the Luo family was scattered among the woods and grass on the side of the riverbank, and after the reinforcements of more than 300 people from Zhicheng completely entered the encirclement, Murakami solemnly shouted immediately:

"Shoot!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh......" Hundreds of feathered arrows immediately shot like a rain of arrows towards the Zhicheng reinforcements who were on the march. Because this place is in the hinterland of their own family, these reinforcements never expected to be ambushed here, and many people were shot immediately. And this reinforcement team is also in disarray.

"What's going on? Where did these Luo family forces come from? Suddenly ambushed, Gong Chengkm, who was the main general of the support army this time, thought so in his mind, but knew that this was not the time to pursue this matter, so he began to shout loudly and order the soldiers to resist.

At present, the army of the Luo family is constantly fighting out of the forest, and the army of the Usa Omiya Sijia is walking along the river bank before, which causes the marching line to be too long, and it is impossible to concentrate the troops at all, and form a formation to counterattack. Gong Chengcheng held the sword in his hand, shouted urgently, and kept ordering the retreating ashigaru to turn back and kill back.

All of a sudden, the army of the Luo family and the army of the Usa Omiya family were very weak, holding spears and knives on the bank of the river, stabbing and slashing each other. Many soldiers of the Usa Omiya family who retreated in embarrassment slipped on their feet and fell into the muddy river beach, and then were stabbed to death in the river beach with spears by several soldiers of the Luo family who caught up.

In such a scene, the resistance of the ordinary Ashigaru peasant soldiers could not be counted on, and the samurai of the Usa Omiya family army risked their lives, and they all desperately stepped forward to counterattack, and after killing a few people, the army of the Luo family rushed to the spear formation formed by dozens of guns, and lost their lives in an instant.

The killing continued, and the sharp screams continued to come from afar, obviously not only here, but the forces of the Usa Omiya clan at the other two ends had already been defeated. Under the courageous offensive of the Luo family's army, the resistance of the Usa Omiya Sijia army was only a flash in the pan, and the Usa Omiya Sijia army lost its courage and collapsed instantly.

Gong Chengcheng was anxious and angry, his eyes were red, and he watched the army of the Usa Omiya Si family under his command, and he was able to escape, and he was killed, but he still held on to the local area with his men and horses, and refused to retreat. He even personally stepped forward and slashed a few deserters with a knife, but this did not have much effect, and when the Usa Omiya Sijia army saw this scene, they scattered in a hurry, bypassing the palace and fleeing from other places.

It's just that there are only more than 300 people, but they are surrounded by the ambush soldiers of the Luo family of more than 800 people from three sides, and there is a turbulent river behind them, and they have no way to escape.

After a fierce battle, more than 100 soldiers of the Great Palace Division, including the main general Gong Chengki, were killed, and the rest became prisoners of the Luo family. And the Luo family also paid the price of dozens of casualties.

"My lord, this person was identified by the captives, this time the general of the opposing army." At this time, his subordinates escorted a young general who looked only ten years old, but was extremely embarrassed, to the solemn front of Murakami.

"Oh? Who are you? Murakami asked immediately.

"Humph!" In the face of Murakami's solemn question, the young man snorted quite contemptuously. This person is none other than Sano Kindai, a retainer of the Usa Omiya family. He and his uncle Sano Takaju were originally retainers of Ouchi Yoshitaka, and after Ouchi Yoshitaka was killed by Tao Takabo, Sano Takaju took him and the Sano family to migrate to Bunzen Province while the war was raging. In order to expand the influence of the Sano family in the local area of Bunzen Province as soon as possible, Sano Takaju himself took refuge in the Sugi family, the guardian family of Bunzen Province, and Sano became a retainer of the Usa Omiya family at the recommendation of his uncle Sano Takai.

As a fledgling young general, this ambush battle is the first battle that Sanno has personally participated in, and it can be said that it is his first battle. But it was in the first battle this time that he got defeated, so he was very dissatisfied with the Luo family's sneak attack to defeat them, and he was even more contemptuous in his heart, and now he naturally has no good attitude towards the people of the Luo family.

"Hehe, take it down, and I'll leave it to you next." Seeing that Sano was so uncooperative, Murakami smiled slightly, and then said to a few people beside him. (To be continued......)