Outside the gate of the West City, ten ladders were surrounded by hundreds of auxiliaries and carried to the city wall, and the auxiliaries shouted neat trumpets to meet the sunlight and march quickly.

"Ten ladders at once, what a big stance." Yu Qiuping, who was standing on the top floor of the castle tower, watched the progress outside Xicheng City, and couldn't help but sweat, "Wave the flag and let Charlie start shooting." ”

The thirty or so archers were able to do little to prevent such a large formation, and soon six ladders were erected on the walls, and the soldiers began to climb them. The archers of the Oda clan quickly approached under the castle walls, and the watchtowers were pushed up. However, the Oda family's expected confrontation did not materialize, and the archers of the Imagawa family on the city wall quickly withdrew before they could shoot their bows and arrows.

At the same time, Mori Kecheng and Takikawa Kazuyi in the north and south are also confused.

Nanjo's troops were basically Oda Nobunaga's direct troops, and Takigawa Kazuki was only in command. However, at this moment, the city wall in front of him was empty. The archers watched in a daze, as the ladder had been erected on the top of the city without resistance.

"What does this mean? Is it yesterday's trick again! Takigawa Kazuki remembered what happened to Sasa's team yesterday, and he couldn't help but feel nervous. He glanced in the direction of the West Castle Gate, and it seemed that archers were hindering the main force of the Oda family from ascending the castle.

"Is that so, do you want to let me go to the city first, and then give priority to the south?" Takigawa Kazuyi thought he had figured out the joints, "Withdraw!" Don't attack right away! "Takigawa Kazuyi waved his flag, and the Oda army, which was preparing to climb the ladder, paused." When we have made progress in the West Side, we will go back to the city. Send a messenger and report to the lord! ”

At this time, Sen Kecheng of Beicheng also had the same concerns, and the troops of the Sen family in Beicheng also stopped attacking.

The rain and autumn flat in the city are even more inexplicable than Mori Kecheng and Takigawa Kazuyi outside the city.

"What does this mean? The attack on the southern and northern cities stopped? Yu Qiuping listened to the herald's report in surprise, "Originally, I planned to repel the Xicheng troops first, but I was still worried that the southern and northern cities would soon extinguish our flames and pose a threat, wouldn't they help me a lot if they didn't attack?" ”

"I think it may be that the commander of the Oda army in the south and north of the city felt that there was no resistance in front of him, and suspected that we were deliberately letting them go up the city wall, so the offensive was suspended." Amano speculated.

"That's right!" Yu Qiuping suddenly reacted, "If we want to let the troops of Xicheng go to the city first, shouldn't we let the archers block the southern and northern cities first, how can I send the archers to the western city?" I'll go, the command is wrong. ”

"The blind cat has met a dead mouse, Lord Yuqiu!" Mizenzaki Nakahide laughed, "Now the troops of the southern and northern cities dare not attack. ”

"Is this the judgment of Sanzaemon and Hikoemon?" Oda Nobunaga listened to the report of the heralds of Mori Kasei and Takigawa Kazuyoshi, "This is the routine of the Imagawa army to defeat the Sasa family yesterday." ”

"Then tell them to wait for Yu Dengcheng before starting the attack." Oda Nobunaga waved his folding fan and sent the herald away. He frowned slightly, and suddenly thought of something.

"Order, let the archers also get to the city quickly." Oda Nobunaga watched as the other 200 Ashigaru prepared to ascend the castle and stopped them from ascending the ladder. "Let Jin Mori take the archers and go to the city in the second batch. The Imagawa family tried to repeat the old trick and blocked us at the city gate. ”

By this time, the first Oda army had already climbed the city walls. However, they were surprised to find that the walls were empty. However, there were still a large number of ashigaru on the ladder behind them, waiting for them on the castle wall to get out of the way, and they had to rush down the stairs to the castle tower.

As they were walking up the stairs, a burst of feathered arrows suddenly came from the side, and seven people were shot at once, and one samurai was killed by Naokamimi. They hurriedly looked in the direction where the feathered arrows were flying - the castle tower. On the short 50-meter road from the castle tower to the castle wall, there are several wooden fences and horses that are blocked by horses, and two trenches have been dug. Various barricades have also been set up on the paths between the surrounding houses. And in the line of defense on this main road, they saw dozens of Imagawa troops defending. These are the troops of Yoshioka Katsumasa. Ogawa Yuto's troops, on the other hand, were placed in the houses and paths in the northwest and southwest of the castle, preparing to attack the Oda army by taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain. The troops of Yasunari Fukushima and Nakahide Omaezaki remained in the castle tower as reserves. The pro-guards, with ten javelinmen, were ambushed in a three-story inn in the southwestern house.

While the Oda Army hesitated, another rain of arrows struck, and several Oda soldiers fell to the ground again in pain, and another samurai was killed by Naokami.

"Thompson, good play." Yu Qiuping waved his fist excitedly, "Just shoot at those people with good armor!" They were all knights in the array. ”

"What are you doing! Let's go and open the gates! A samurai hushed on the stairs shouted angrily, "Open the gates and let them in!" ”

The ashigaru, who had come back to their senses, were urged to rush down the stairs and meet under the city gate. However, they found that the gates had been blocked by large rocks and all kinds of stone bricks and wood.

"Nani!" The samurai who commanded everyone to open the door was at a loss, and before he could say the next word, he shot straight at the door again. A few more ashigaru shots were made around.

"Don't be shot here for nothing!" Masasumi Asai, who had been appointed commander of the advance force, shouted, "Go storm the castle tower!" "Asai Masasumi commanded a steady stream of ashigaru men who were climbing the castle to fight the Imagawa family's defense line on the main road. He had already noticed that the other party seemed to have a powerful archer who was constantly sniping at his own samurai, so he took a rattan card and protected it in front of him. More than 200 pioneers have basically climbed the castle wall, and the next group to ascend the castle is 50 archers.

As soon as the Oda family's Ashigaru began to attack the defensive line, the archers' attention was drawn. The Oda family on the stairs was under light pressure and immediately hurried into the fight. The Oda army Ashigaru who walked in the front found that the Imagawa family's defense line seemed to be poorly repaired, and it was not completely sealed, so it was possible to find a narrow gap and bypass it. However, usually one of these notches is on the far left, and the next one will appear on the far right. The Oda army twisted through the obstacles, and a large number of ashigaru were clogged in the road.

And the few ashigaru who walked in the front would be hit by the archers of the Imagawa family, so the ashigaru in the back row was unwilling to rush to the front to die, pushing each other and trying to squeeze behind their companions, and the whole team squirmed bloated on the main road, and finally rubbed to the front of the trench. Across the trench is the team of Yoshioka Katsumasa. They used fences and trenches as cover, and constantly stabbed the Oda army on the opposite side with their bamboo guns. The Oda army was unable to spread its formation due to the crooked and twisted ranks, and often the first few people had to face the attack of a dozen people on the opposite side, and they fell one after another, while the archers of the Imagawa family on the castle tower continued to attack the Oda army on the main road, causing them a lot of casualties. The wounded were crammed into the line and unable to retreat, and once the shaft of the arrow inserted into the body was squeezed by their companions, they would let out a painful howl like killing pigs.

At the same time, the Oda Army in the southern and northern castles also began to resume the offensive. Waiting on the edge of the stairs, the Imagawa family, holding a torch, patiently watched their progress.

"Are you fools!" Finding that the team was willing to go around the other party's wooden fences and fences, rather than destroying the improvised fortifications, Asai Masasumi was so angry that he stomped his feet, "Tear down those fences!" Don't go around! How can a group of people fight a war when they are crowded there! ”

Oda Ieshigaru, who suddenly came to his senses, began to reflexively dismantle the fence that was mixed in with the team, throwing the dismantled things to the side. Yu Qiuping sighed, and his little trick was quickly seen through.

The Oda Army, who had dismantled the barricades, adjusted their formation and began to fight against the Imagawa family again, this time not falling behind. The troops who arrived later were arranged by Masasumi Asai to make a detour to the castle tower from the houses on both sides.

At this time, the troops of the Oda family in the southern and northern cities also ascended to the top of the city, and the first few people were knocked to their feet by the potholed front without paying attention, and the follow-up troops began to clear the obstacles with great difficulty. Then, they discovered that there seemed to be quite a lot of slimy liquid on the city walls.

However, before the Oda army that saw the friendly troops landing on the city cheered, the blazing sound of flames suddenly sounded on both sides, only to see two walls of fire rising into the air, and at once the few people on the city walls on both sides of the city were already in pain, and the follow-up troops hurriedly retreated on the ladder to avoid the flames, and a few unlucky people who walked in front quickly rushed towards the ladder, and several people unfortunately fell off the city wall. The feet and calves that are sticky to the oil burn uncontrollably. After removing the city wall, he desperately threw off his shoes and pants and rolled on the spot, but both legs were already burned very badly.

These two walls of fire immediately hindered the attack of the Oda family, and Oda Nobunaga outside the city was also taken aback. "Burn your own walls!" He smiled incredulously, "This kid named Yu Qiuping has a very good appetite for me!" ”

At this moment, the archers of the Oda family also quickly climbed to the top of the castle, stood in a line on the castle wall, and began to shoot at the Imagawa army in the defensive line. The morale of the Oda army, who had been passively shot for a long time, was boosted, and several brave Ashigaru jumped directly out of the trench and began to work hard to dismantle the fence.

At this moment, the guards on the third floor of the post station suddenly rushed to the roof with the javelinmen, and after aiming at the archers at the head of the city, they quickly and vigorously threw the bamboo spears in their hands. The bamboo spears stabbed at the head of the city at a rapid pace, except for two that were thrown too high and flew directly over their heads, and one that was thrown too low and smashed on the city wall. The other seven bamboo spears all hit the Oda archers who were only twenty meters away. Before the Oda archers could react, they quickly threw two more rounds of bamboo spears, and the Oda archers who were the first to go to the castle suffered heavy casualties at once, and they hid behind the battlements with their waists bent, not daring to continue shooting. In fact, they didn't know that there were only more than fifty javelins in total, and most of them had already been used.

At this time, the Imagawa family, who was in ambush in small alleys and houses, took advantage of his familiarity with the terrain and began to ambush the Oda family's roundabout troops. The advantages of street fighting over the defending side are beginning to show.

Oda Nobunaga, who learned that the offensive was not going well and was blocked by the Imagawa family in all aspects, angrily threw his folding fan, and despite the obstruction of the surrounding horses, he took the second group of archers and 100 ashigaru to climb the ladder to the city wall in person. Two soldiers of the stables carefully shielded their lord with planks and rattan signs that they had found out of nowhere.

Oda Nobunaga glanced at the battlefield and saw that the walls of the southern and northern castles were burning with flames, and the Imagawa family was blocking the Oda family's advance with street fighting. The archers on the castle tower were condescending and shot non-stop. The first batch of 200 Oda troops who entered the city suffered nearly two percent casualties, and at this moment they were already defeated and retreated towards the city wall. If you want to withdraw these troops who are unable to fight anymore from the city, you must occupy the ladder, and the subsequent attacking troops will not be able to continue to enter the city.

"Good boy, some means." Oda Nobunaga glanced at the castle tower on the other side and the ashigaru people with the autumn leaves, "Do you like arson?" You reminded me! Oda Nobunaga sneered, "Order, let Asai Masasumi and his men withdraw from the city first, and don't attack blindly again." ”

"Next attack," Oda Nobunaga coldly glanced at the boy with the red leaves on the third floor of the castle tower, "I want the life of your entire army." ”