On the afternoon of October 4, 1560, Owari Province Narumi Castle.

Yu Qiuping arrived at Minghai Castle at noon with 214 soldiers, and his subordinates were divided into five platoons, each of which failed to reach its full capacity. There were also a dozen cavalrymen who were temporarily used as guards because they did not carry horses when they were in exile. At the same time, Oda Nobunaga also temporarily lent Yu Qiuhei 400 ashigaru auxiliaries. However, the level of loyalty and obedience of these people cannot be counted on at all. When Yu Qiuping was still at Imagawa's house, he was procrastinated and angry because of the actions of the auxiliaries in his territory, and he still relied on the deterrence of Amano Keitoku to barely maintain discipline. When he arrived at Oda's house, he was unfamiliar with the place, and these Owari people didn't buy his account at all, thinking that he didn't dare to do anything, so the marching speed was called slow, and he lost a lot of food.

As the overseer, Zuo Zuo Chengzheng followed Yu Qiuping step by step. The Sasa family was originally considered one of the important wealthy families of the Oda family, but they were greatly injured by the fight with Yu Qiuhei before, and they have not recovered to the level of two years ago, so they can only take out 50 soldiers and 100 auxiliaries.

In the early morning of October 5, Oda Nobunaga, who was stationed at Nakono Castle, sent an order to Akihei to immediately begin his southward march to reconnoiter Ōtaka Castle. Narumi Castle and Dagao Castle are only a few miles away, and even if you stand at the head of Narumi Castle, you can see the flags fluttering at the head of Dagao Castle. One of the southern gates of Owari Castle, Odaka Castle, also influenced the Oda family's control of Chita-gun on the southern peninsula. Therefore, Oda Nobunaga must recover Odaka Castle no matter what, and a battle with Uden Nagasho is inevitable.

"What should come is what is coming." Yu Qiuping sighed, straightened up against the wall, and moved his sore legs.

Last night, he sat on the city walls all night. Doing nothing, thinking about nothing, not saying anything, just quietly looking at the south, looking at the two flags flying high, the flags that recorded countless flags belonging to the Imagawa family. It was his last night, and he could gaze at it peacefully and with pride.

"Let's go," Yu Qiuping instructed several Ashigaru generals behind him, "Target..."

"Big High City."

·

The army slowly left Narumi Castle and marched south along the official road. Sasa Narimasa quickly led his troops to break away from Yu Qiuping's troops and stationed in Nakajima, so that he could calmly monitor the overall situation. Yu Qiuping took out the five horses in the post station of Narumi City and gave them to his cavalry to use as a reconnaissance force.

Yu Qiuping vaguely remembers that in the east and south of Dataka Castle, two rock towers were built, the Marone Fortress and the Washitsu Fortress. Originally, it was a stronghold used by the Oda family to besiege Odaka Castle and block the grain route in an attempt to cause a shortage of food in Odaka Castle. When Imagawa Yoshimoto went to Luo, he had already been conquered by the troops of the Imagawa family. As a result, these two rocks are now in the hands of the Imagawa family.

However, Yu Qiuping knew in his heart that in the hands of the pelican hall chief, there were at most 500 soldiers. Although Dagao Castle is a small city, it must have more than 300 soldiers, and more than 1,000 people can defend it including auxiliary soldiers. Therefore, there are at most 100 soldiers and about 200 auxiliaries in each of these two rock bars. These forces do not pose a threat to Yuqiuping's Tokiwa for the time being.

However, these two rocks have a great effect on the defense of Da Gao City. With these two rock bars, the security of access to the south gate and the east gate of Dataka Castle is guaranteed. If the troops in the city want to go out of the city to counterattack, they can rely on these two rock stones. If the attackers wanted to storm the gates, they would have to pull out the two rocks. Whether it is the bow and arrow cover at the head of the city, or the defenders inside the city who should join the outside outside the city, it will make the attackers afraid and difficult to deploy their troops. In the famous Osaka Winter Battle, it was Sanada Yukimura who built the Sanada Maru, a rock outside Osaka Castle, that caused the attacking shogunate to suffer.

However, Yu Qiuping doesn't understand this truth very well. At this moment, he was just riding the only horse he had brought from Suruga, the white horse Biwa given to him by Asai Nagamasa, and he was out of range of the bow and arrows of Otaka Castle, staring at the ashigaru who were waiting at the head of the castle for a long time.

In a trance, when he saw the troops of the Imagawa family waiting for him, the emotion that surged in his heart was not nervousness, but relief. In a trance, when I saw the two flags flying high, my heart was not the danger of the two armies facing each other, but the steadfastness of having friendly troops by my side. In a trance, he felt as if he was a deserter being chased all the way by the Oda family, and a few hundred meters in front of him was a safe friendly city.

It's all about the past.

·

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Oda Nobunaga led the main forces of the Oda family to arrive one after another. The camp built before Yuakihei was not large enough to accommodate such a large number of Oda troops. As a result, the Oda army, Ashigaru, who had arrived late, began to slowly outflank Odaka Castle from the east and west, and the auxiliaries began to build a continuous stream of large camps. There weren't many people left in the castle town. Many of the people who stayed here also fled early to avoid the rebellion. The Oda family also rightfully occupied the unoccupied houses in the castle town for the time being, and at the same time reassured the remaining residents of the castle town not to panic.

At the same time, Shibata Katsuie and Sakuma Nobumori were arranged to attack Washizu and Marune respectively. Needless to say, Shibata Katsuie's bravery is not mentioned, and Takigawa Kazuyi is also eager to be ashamed, and the two families launch a fierce attack on Washizsu and Marone before sunset. Because Otaka Castle was isolated outside the territory of the Imagawa family, there were no heavy troops inside and no reinforcements outside, so the fighting spirit of the Ashigaru people was very low. When they saw reinforcements approaching close to ten times their size, many ashigaru even had other thoughts. As Shibata Katsuie and Takigawa Kazuyoshi launched an offensive, Washizu and Marune were panicked, and many Ashigaru had no intention of resisting, and some opened the gate and surrendered. Not long after, before nightfall, the two rocks fell one after another, and hundreds of Imagawa troops surrendered.

And the long photo of the Pelican Hall in Dagao City seems to have looked down on life and death and understood his ending. Seeing this move, he didn't have any idea of counterattacking at all, but shrank his forces and waited for the decisive battle in Dagao City.

After nightfall, Yu Qiuping once quietly glanced at the captured Imagawa family ashigaru from a distance, which included both soldiers and auxiliaries. Yu Qiuping understands what their future holds. The families of these people are all in Suruga Toe, and it is impossible for them to serve the Oda family with all their hearts, and they will definitely find a way to escape back whenever they have the chance. As a result, they are doomed to not be able to obtain a free status, but to be relegated to slavery and live a life of darkness for the rest of their lives.

Yu Qiuping looked at those poor people. They were tied together in twos and threes, their hands tied upside down behind their backs, and they sat there dejectedly. There were sparkling bonfires around them, and a hundred heavily armed ashigari guarded them. They had just been stripped of their armor and better clothes, each wearing only rags that could not cover their bodies, and many were shirtless and shivering in the cold. Many of them still had the blood that had just been splashed off their bodies and their faces were covered with dirt.

They must have not eaten dinner yet, and they must be hungry and thirsty after tossing so late. There was a relatively young captive who seemed to be begging for a drink from an Oda family ashigaru, but was kicked to the ground with a merciless kick, blood flowing from the corners of his mouth. After him, no one ever raised the idea of non-separation. Everyone sat there in silence, bowing their heads in resignation. Faintly, there seemed to be sporadic cries and suppressed sobs—they probably knew their fate.

Yu Qiuping couldn't bear to look at it anymore, and as soon as he gritted his teeth, he was about to walk towards Oda Nobunaga's camp. He asked for mercy, hoping to let these poor people live. They also have wives and children, and they also have their own families and lives. They had no hostility towards the Oda family, and they had no affection for the Imagawa family. It may just be a strong man who was forced to bring in, and had to go out to fight in order to obey military service, but he was trapped in Da Gao City and could not go home. They don't seek fame or profit, they may never kill others, they just want to go home. If I don't do it, these poor people will be separated from their families forever, and they will become slaves under the fence for the rest of their lives. They're innocent...

Like the thousands of innocent people in the city of Yinma...

It's like...

Yinma City...

Yinma City...

In the midst of the electric light, Yu Qiuping's mind suddenly appeared a scene outside Yinma City. Thousands of civilians fled frantically in the night, crashing into their positions regardless of the recklessness. Because of the kindness of his woman, Chang Panbei was wrapped up in the chaos of the people, and collapsed beyond control. The Ashgaru of the Okabe family took a knife and a gun, and one by one he chopped down his loyal and brave subordinates and the people to the ground. Rivers of blood flowed and corpses were strewn all over the field.

It's all my kindness... It was because I couldn't give up my kindness that I killed so many subordinates, and then I killed His Royal Highness Sena... So many people and I have been displaced.

Do you want to do it all over again? Have you forgotten what you came to the Oda house for? Is it for your kindness?

Yu Qiuping stopped abruptly, took several steps back as if afraid, and then turned his body again, forcing himself not to look in the direction of Oda Nobunaga's camp. It seems that if you look at it again, you can't help but plead again.

If it was me in the past... I will definitely go without hesitation.

Because I can't give up the lives of those poor people... But this will cause me huge trouble. The Oda family fought for many years and the population was insufficient, so they needed these slaves as labor. Shibata Katsuie and Takigawa Kazuki, who captured them, would not let their loot be returned by Yu Qiuping. His request will definitely be rejected, and it will anger Shibata Katsuie and Takigawa Kazuyi, and even Oda Nobunaga will suspect that he is thinking about his old master, which will bring about death.

Those who can't give up anything can't save anything. This time, I made my choice.

I'm sorry...

Yu Qiuping raised his head, looked at the somewhat dim crescent moon in the sky, and was speechless for a long time. Until all the slaves were imprisoned in the repaired makeshift cells, until the cries died down completely, until the dead of night.

"Your Highness... I made a choice..."Unconsciously, Yu Qiuping had already walked to the door of his camp.

Will I regret it...