Shibata Katsuie inflicted heavy losses on Matsuyama Shigeharu, Kinoshita Hideyoshi repelled Kato Mitsuyasu, and then finally it was Akechi Mitsuhide's turn to mount and continue the attack on the last stronghold along the riverbank, killing about seventy enemy soldiers.

Kasai Naganobu had already received the news of the loss of friendly forces, and he honestly retreated without too much entanglement.

From early morning to mid-morning, as a result of three skirmishes, as many as seven or eight hundred bannermen of the Western Army were killed, one army was broken and lost its formation, and two armies were wounded and retreated.

Then the Oda army completely occupied the river bank, and the follow-up troops gradually crossed the river under the leadership of Takigawa Kazuyoshi and others, and Oda Nobutada remained in the main camp.

During this period, the Hirate Honjin, which was only a few dozen towns away from the front line (that is, a few kilometers), did not know what the reason was - perhaps they were unwilling to leave their positions to engage in a field battle, so they showed no sign of sending troops at all, and sat back and watched both sides of the middle Ishikawa be occupied by the Eastern Army.

With this as the center, the surrounding Asai Nagamasa, Takenaka Shigeji, Tokugawa Nobuyasu, Nagamune and other soldiers and horses, either active or forced to helpless, gradually entered the battle.

Everything is expected in advance.

The situation is gradually tilting in a good direction, the Eastern Army has the advantage in hand, turning the crisis into safety, Shibata Katsuie, Kinoshita Hideyoshi, Akechi Mitsuhide and others are all elated, playing the crown to celebrate, and then the nervous heartstrings relaxed, the tiredness can not be suppressed, and they all began to yawn for a long time, and they felt heavy eyelids.

Only Oda Nobunaga, who was theoretically in the worst health, only smiled faintly, and his relief was fleeting, not to mention the slightest hint of fatigue. He just stood calmly on the makeshift position, pursed his lips tightly, and looked solemnly in the direction of the flat hand, occasionally giving some instructions in concise words.

Some of the small characters around are cheering, using exaggerated language to express their excitement.

"The Tie Punishment Department has such a big reputation, and today I learned that it was just a false name! In front of us, Oda Danmasa, I didn't even dare to go out of the door. ”

"Maybe you're shivering in the high house city right now, hugging your head and running around!"

"Sitting back and watching the friendly forces retreat one after another, actually hiding in the rear and holding still, I can't imagine that it is our samurai who went out of Obari! It's a complete disgrace, a disgrace! ”

"I'm skeptical about how this kind of person got into the mix."

"It's probably all flattery, intrigues! I've heard before that the Hirate Punishment Department is more of a Kyoto person than an Owari person. ”

"I heard that his father is still the teacher's teacher, and he married the lord's own sister...... What a waste! ”

"In the past, Shibata-sama, Kinoshita-sama, as well as my father and uncle, always talked about how powerful this tie punishment department is, I think it is to grow the morale of others and destroy their own prestige......

"Ahem, this one is a bit ...... Logically, I agree with you, but ...... quietly."

Many people who don't know the height of the sky and the thickness of the earth, and have never met with the flat Tsunohide, talk exaggerated here, point out the country, and look down on the heroes, some are from Kyoto, some are Omi people, and some are Owari people.

The slightly older people are all angry when they hear it, but because of the occasion, it is not good to refute it too much, so they can only shut up and sulk.

Oda Nobunaga heard it, but he laughed, turned around and shouted at everyone: "That's right, that kid is nothing, there is no need to be like a big enemy!" Gonroku, Fujiyoshiro, and Shibei, you guys are all very good, but you're a little too cautious! ”

Shibata, Kinoshita, and Akechi were originally very angry, but when they were named by the lord, they couldn't afford to resist at all, and they were embarrassed to humbly admit their mistakes.

Then as soon as he turned around, Oda Nobunaga's face suddenly changed again, and he summoned Takigawa Kazuyi with a cold face, and ordered: "You take 3,000 men, pretend to attack the enemy's main formation, you don't have to really fight, but you must be careful to ambush." Then he ordered to the bee house Lailong and the golden chief: "You and others will each lead five hundred troops, go to the vicinity of Gaoya City, find a conspicuous place, and set fire to the forest!" ”

While expressing optimism in front of everyone, he carefully arranges the tasks of the team. This is probably the so-called "strategic contempt for the enemy, tactical attention to the enemy."

In fact, Oda Nobunaga's heart did not dare to ignore it.

On the surface, it is undoubtedly cowardly to shrink around Gaoya Castle and not rescue the riverbank defense line at all, but it may not be considered in combination with the specific situation.

After all, even if you cross the river on a rainy night, successfully break the confrontation situation, gain the initiative, or even surround Gaoya City, it does not mean that you can win immediately, and you will never be able to jump over the last step.

Prior to this, the Eastern Army still had to face serious difficulties in the shortage of grain and grass.

If the campaign is not concluded before the deadline for the autumn harvest arrives, and the wealthy families are allowed to return to their hometowns to farm, the difficulties may be exacerbated next year, and even cause devastating consequences.

In this sense, with its own Japanese spring and Kai-cho in the back, it was possible to quickly and easily buy food from the commercial circles of the Seto Inland Sea and send it to various bases, and if it held out for another month or so, it could be won without a fight. Therefore, in the face of a risky choice, it is reasonable to prefer to abandon the river bank and retreat.

Oda Nobunaga, despite his fearlessness, was not blindly confident. With his own direct forces, it is not very likely that he will overcome the firearms advantage of the Hitei family in the short term, and conquer Takaya Castle. Especially the kind of heavy rain last night, which is not very common in autumn, cannot be expected to have a second time.

However, he could pin his hopes of victory on another scenario.

After some time, at the beginning of Shinshi, news came back that Takigawa Kazuki had advanced unhindered under Takaya Castle and launched several rounds of tentative fire with the defenders. The bee house Rylong and the golden long have also succeeded in lighting fireworks on several small hills on the left and right.

There is still no sign of going out of the city to face the tie.

So Oda Nobunaga also ordered the men and horses of the headquarters to end their rest and move forward for reinforcements.

By the time of the day, the sun had fallen late, and it was reported that the Tokugawa Army in the west of the southern front was moving closer to the center, and less than half of the Takenaka Army in the east had made an attack posture, and the rest had not moved for the time being. On the east side of the northern front, one part of the Asai Nagamasa Army launched a cross-river attack, the other part moved towards the middle road, and the west side of the Nagamune army did not behave much for the time being.

Seeing this, Oda Nobunaga finally burst out laughing.

When an ignorant young guard asked, Nobunaga had the rare patience to explain: "Crossing the river on a rainy night today has not yet been able to defeat the Western Army in one fell swoop, but it is a demonstration of my determination. This will make the hesitant neutrals lean towards the Oda clan, and the princes who had originally supported the Hirate clan hesitate, if so, even if Takaya Castle is defeated, the enemy chieftain will not be spared, and I will have won a nine-point victory. ”

The questioner was still confused when he heard this, but unfortunately Nobunaga ran out of patience and stopped explaining.

The old man was concentrating on the war again, and he gave orders one after another.

Shibata Katsuie was sent to the north to receive the Asai Nagamasa army (and of course to be on guard in secret) to ensure that Chomune Ibu and others, who were not very war-willed, could not support Takaya Castle. It would be better to sit back and watch the Asai Army consume each other.

Akechi Mitsuhide moved south, preparing to take the "proper" way and "meet" Tokugawa Nobuyasu's troops. If you succeed in making them turn against you as agreed, you can bring them to the main camp of the Tie family, which can greatly damage the morale of the enemy.

Kinoshita Hideyoshi's mission was to go to Shigeharu Takenaka to report on the current situation and make a request to "participate in the final siege together". I believe that the "Meino Kirin" should be a person who knows the current affairs and knows the general situation.

Oda Nobunaga himself, on the other hand, would join forces with Takigawa Kazuki and put pressure on Hinohide in Takaya Castle.

It is not necessary to rush to take the city, but to fully demonstrate the superiority of one's military position, and to use this to influence the hearts and minds of the people, and gradually deter the princes who participate in the war, is the first priority.

Whether the city can be recovered in one fell swoop is not the most critical place.

After all, the little guy who tied with Shizaemon still has a little skill, and it is not realistic to completely defeat it in one fell swoop.

Nobunaga gave several instructions in one breath, but the only thing that made him hesitate was the arrangement for his son.

Since the Hinata Army was so conservative, was it still necessary for Oda Nobutada to stay in the rear just in case? Or should it be better to pull to the front and brush up on a little record and prestige?

Thinking of his physical condition, he looked at the sky again, and finally Oda Nobunaga made a decision and ordered: "Let Wonder Maru lead his troops across the river to participate in the siege after dawn tomorrow morning." ”

After the arrangements were made, Nobunaga stared in the direction of Takaya Castle for a while, looked back and thought about Kyoto, Gifu Castle, Komakiyama and Kiyoshu, and couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, closed his eyes and shook his head, and finally a peaceful and tired look appeared on his face, and his feet were weak and almost unstable.

But in an instant, he quickly shook his head, patted his cheek, pinched his temples for a long time, and then opened his eyes suddenly, and instantly returned to a cold and solemn state.

。 m.