"Matsuchiyo, what are you doing, we're going to evacuate!" Asahinai Taichao watched his younger brother suddenly ride his horse away from the group, and said angrily.

However, as if he hadn't heard, Asahina Taehyung ran towards the city gate without looking back. Although Asahina Taehyung is often rebellious, this time the feeling makes Asahina Taichao feel a little strange. After he ordered a few of his retainers to reorganize their troops, he rode his horse and immediately pursued his brother.

Finally, at the gate of Sunpu Castle, Asahina Taichao stopped Asahina Taiheng, grabbed his reins, and whispered in some angry voices, "Matsuchiyo! What are you doing! We must quickly withdraw to Kakegawa Castle! If you don't obey discipline like this again, what should you do if the Takeda Army chases after you? ”

"I'm not leaving, brother." Asahina Taehyung's attitude this time was also unusually tough, and without even a word of justification, he snatched the reins from Asahina Taichao's hand and said bluntly: "I want to stay in the Shoujun Mansion!" ”

"What kind of mansion to keep? What do you keep? Annoyed by his brother's ignorance and naivety, Asahina Taichao raised his horsewhip and pointed to the east, "There are 20,000 men in the Takeda army, and we only have 800 on hand now, how can we hold the Sunfu?" Hurry back to Kakechuan City and gather the troops in Yuanjiang is the right way! ”

"I don't need your brother to keep someone for me, I'll come to guard the Jun Mansion alone!" Asahina Taiheng grabbed the whip raised by Asahina Taichao and pulled it with all his might, almost throwing Asahina Taichao off his horse.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Asahinai Taichao laughed angrily, and his tone gradually became stern, "That's going to die!" ”

Asahina Tai Chao thought that Asahina Taiheng would continue to quarrel with him loudly at Mai Mangdi, however, after Asahina Taiheng heard the phrase "send to death", he seemed to suddenly calm down, and the anger on his face quietly dissipated.

"I'm going to die." Asahina Taehyung casually threw the horsewhip he had just taken off to the ground, and said what should have been angry words in an extremely calm and firm tone.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment, causing the expression on Asahinata's face to change rapidly. He suddenly realized that he had brought up a younger brother who had been playing around since he was a child, and this time he was serious.

Is he going to be martyred?

So, he also panicked, and quickly asked with some unease, "Matsuchiyo?" What do you mean? Are you going to be martyred? Don't do stupid things, the Imagawa family still needs you! We need your ability to defend Kakegawa Castle! It's not like it's giving up on itself..."

"I am not a martyr, I am a martyr." Asahina Taihyung interrupted Asahina's words with some impatience, looked at him with very sad eyes, and asked softly, "The matter has come to this, do you think there is still hope for the Imagawa family?" ”

Asahina Taehyung's words suddenly stopped Asahina Taehyung. The corners of the latter's mouth twitched twice, and then he hung his head helplessly—a question he had been avoiding for a long time, and he already had the answer in his heart. It's just that yesterday's defeat made the answer to the question clearer.

With the fall of Kambara-jo Castle, the route of Hojo's reinforcements has been blocked. The entire Suruga was in no danger to defend at the moment, and it was destined to fall under the army of the Takeda family. And after Tokugawa Ieyasu got the news of the defeat of the Imagawa family yesterday, he would definitely send troops to Enoe to pick the fruits of victory. The Imagawa family is desperate.

"Yes, big brother, you actually know it in your heart." Asahina Taihyung looked at Asahina Taichao's appearance, smiled wryly and shook his head, "Our Imagawa family is already in a catastrophe this time. ”

"Then you can return to the country!" Asahina Taichao suddenly raised his head, and his voice suddenly raised, "What do you mean by giving up your life so casually?" Live well, and when the main family has a chance to return to the country, stand up as a relict and dedicate your loyalty! ”

"On the contrary, I wanted to die for the sake of the Lord's family to be able to restore the country one day." He smiled at Bina Taehyung and whispered as if he had looked down on life and death.

"I don't remember how long ago it was, but once I talked to my little brother about the return to China. I asked him why some of the countries that had perished since ancient times had been restored, while others had disappeared forever. ”

"He told me that because the families that were able to restore the country have never disappeared. Its spirit, its beliefs, and its soul have always been passed down in the world and exist in the hearts of every bereaved minister. This will sustain each of the remnants in their fight for the revival of the Lord's house. ”

"So big brother... If the Imagawa family is doomed, what do you think we should leave to the world? Asahina Taehyung shrugged his shoulders, laughed miserably, turned his horse's head, and looked helplessly at Junfu Castle and said, "Family civil war, exile Zhongliang." Perverse, Yuanzhou is deranged. Okabe Motonobu surrendered, Katsuyama Motomo surrendered, and Sena Nobuyi also surrendered. These are genealogies that have been deeply blessed by the Imagawa family! Now that the family is dying, but no one is martyred, how should the ancestors of the Imagawa family be faced under the nine springs? What will the world think of our Imagawa family! Kambara-Castle surrendered without a fight, Ejiri Port surrendered without a fight, if Sunfu Castle, which had been the residence of the Imagawa family for hundreds of years, surrendered without a fight, how should we face the ancestors of the Imagawa family under the nine springs? What will the world think of our Imagawa family? ”

"When the time comes, the family will perish, and all that remains in the hearts of the retained ministers and the world will be surrender, infighting, and fleeing without a fight! The world will look down on the Imagawa family, the Imagawa family will become a laughing stock, and the retainers will be ashamed that they were once the retainers of the Imagawa family! How can such a family be restored? Without the support of will, how can you survive this troubled world? ”

Asahina Taichao listened to his brother's talk in a daze... It was the first time in so many years that his younger brother had made him feel strange and mature.

"So big brother, I'm going to stay and guard the Jun Mansion, even if it's just me." Asahina Taiheng said as he clamped the horse's belly, rode his horse to Asahina's side, and took the katana from his waist that had been passed down from generation to generation by the Asahina family. Asahina Taichao was stunned for a moment, but did not object.

"I am a samurai of the Imagawa family tree, and even if I am the only one, I will defend the castle and never abandon the castle and flee!" Asahina Taehyung put the court cut on his waist and said in a sonorous voice: "What future generations will think of is that even if there is only one samurai of the Imagawa family, they are willing to fight to the death for the sake of the castle!" My will will will be passed on to future generations, to all the remnants of the Imagawa family, and to support them in the fight for the restoration of the country! ”

Looking at his brother's firm eyes, he was silent for a long time, and suddenly said:

"Let me stay and die, you accompany the lord to Hangchuan City. If Kakegawa Castle really can't hold it, he will find a way to escape to Hojo's house. As he spoke, he wanted to get Tenakiri back from his brother's waist, "You're right, the Imagawa family is going to die, and no one in the Asahina family will be martyred!" But you are still young, and this responsibility should be borne by me as the head of the family. ”

"No, big brother." Askina Taehyung turned around and pulled the horse to the side, staggering Ashina's hand. "Since I was a child, my brother and I have caused you a lot of trouble. Every time something troublesome will be pushed to you, do the easy things yourself. ”

"And now, it is so simple to die in the city, but it is so difficult to protect the lord and protect the blood of the Imagawa family all the way to exile, and to survive until the time of recovery."

"Please allow my brother to be willful again!" Asahina Taehyung bowed his hand respectfully to Asahina Taichao, and finally took a deep look at his brother. Then he grabbed the horse's belly, turned around and rode away, and rushed straight into the west gate of Junfu.

"Let me die, big brother, you go and take the hardest road."

·

At five o'clock in the afternoon of April 27, when the pursuers of the Takeda family arrived at the east of Sunpu Castle, they found that the east gate of Sunfu Castle was wide open, and there were no soldiers guarding the castle.

However, the two banners of the Imagawa family stood at the head of the castle, hunting in the wind.

In front of the city gate, there stood a young samurai who was not wearing armor, but wearing a samurai uniform. On that dress, the family crest of the Asahina family is clearly drawn. He stood alone in front of the city, in front of the army of the Takeda family, looking so small, but so powerful.

"What does that mean?" As the vanguard, Takasaka Masanobu frowned slightly when he saw this, and before he could send someone forward to ask, the samurai standing in front of the door had already shouted out the answer himself.

"I am the Asahina Taehyung of the Imagawa family tree generation Asahina family!" Facing the mighty army of the Takeda family, Asahina Taehyung opened his arms and shouted heroically, "Kai child! But someone dares to come and fight me to the death! If you win, you will be let into Junfu City! If you lose, don't even think about going through here! ”

"Empty city? A ride? Takasaka Masanobu had never seen such a situation, and he was a little surprised to take off the mask on his face, revealing his delicate face. In the army, he always used a mask to hide his feminine face in case his prestige was insufficient.

"Your Highness, please instruct." A retainer next to him respectfully asked, "How should I behave?" ”

"Ignore him, send reconnaissance cavalry to see if the other city gates are open, and by the way, reconnoiter the situation in the city and whether there are ambushes." Masanobu Takasaka pursed his lips and calmly ordered.

Soon after, the scout cavalry came back from the direction of the various gates, bringing the same information: all four gates were open, and there was no sign of army activity.

"It seems to be just the courage of a horseman." Takasaka Masanobu smiled slightly, slowly put on his mask, and ordered: "Order the whole army to advance, and those who resist will be killed." ”

"Hey, hey, Gensuke, what do you mean!" Just as Takasaka Masanobu's troops were about to be dispatched, Naito Masatoyo, as the commander of the second team, rode his horse to the front of the formation and waved his hand to stop Takasaka Masanobu's move.

"Your Royal Highness Changfeng, I don't know if you have any advice?" Although the status of the two sides is almost the same, Takasaka Masanobu still politely saluted Naito Masatoyo, who is older than him.

"Didn't that Asahina Taehyung ask for a ride? Why did you attack with all your troops? Naito asked in surprise.

"His Royal Highness the Pavilion Master, let us take Junfu City as soon as possible, and we must not waste time." Takasaka Masanobu meticulously recounted Takeda Shingen's order, "How can you delay an order for a ride?" ”

"But he's challenged, how can he not fight!" Masatomi Naito seemed to be a little dissatisfied with Takasaka Masanobu's behavior, and his voice raised slightly.

"His Royal Highness Changfeng. In the following opinion, the battle that can be avoided is naturally to be avoided. There's no need to fight an unprepared battle. Masanobu Takasaka, who has always had the reputation of being a general who escaped the bomb and avoided the war, said.

"But our Takeda family is a dignified Kai man, if we don't even dare to accept the other party's lone initiation, we will inevitably become the laughing stock of the martial arts!" Naito shook his head resolutely while waving his hand at his attendant. The attendant nodded in understanding, and then ordered one of the fierce generals in the army to also take off his armor, take his saber and walk towards Asahina Taehyung not far away.

"His Royal Highness Changfeng! If the fighter plane is lost, how can you explain it to the lord? Seeing this, Takasaka Masanobu was a little anxious and asked dissatisfied.

"Don't worry, Hara Saburo is a sharp soldier in my army, and it will be solved soon." Naito smiled nonchalantly, "It won't be delayed for long." ”