After Haibei Tsunade was cordial, Oda Nobunaga immediately went to the surrendered army to arrest people and draw a canvas defense map. However, the samurai and high-ranking officers refused, and even though Oda Nobunaga was forced to die, he remained unwavering.

"In the lower surrender, it is already ashamed of the lord. If the lord treats me like this, how can he take revenge in the future? Another samurai who had committed suicide under the pressure of the Oda army replied before he died.

Since the samurai were all hard bones, Oda Nobunaga started with the auxiliaries and the people. Who would have thought that these people, who are the most weak and deceitful on weekdays, also rejected the Oda family's requests one by one. However, in the face of the Oda family's torture and death, many people quickly couldn't bear it anymore and drew blindly on paper. None of the defense maps drawn by dozens of auxiliaries and civilians are the same—they are all obviously fooling the Oda family.

Oda Nobunaga was furious when he saw this, and ordered all the people who drew the picture to be executed. These people who surrendered originally thought of the good of the Asai family in their hearts, and they were very guilty of surrendering by stealing their lives. Now that they saw that they couldn't survive, they all rose with anger in their hearts, and they all resisted. However, as they surrendered without weapons, the rebellion was quickly suppressed. Even so, no one was willing to divulge information about Otani Castle.

"These are just surrendering troops, and they are still so loyal to the Asai family." Niwa Nagahide and Yu Qiupei were ordered by Oda Nobunaga to pacify the rest of the people, looking at so many soldiers who would rather die than say anything, Niwa Nagahide couldn't help but sigh with emotion, "How strong should the will of those people in the city who have made up their minds to fight to the death be?" ”

"A righteous samurai like Nagamasa, any hot-blooded man would want to risk his life to follow him." Yu Qiuping looked at the white eagle flag fluttering high at the head of Kotani Castle, and couldn't help but sigh with emotion: "Although the Asai family is doomed to fail in the face of such a huge disparity in numbers, the price paid by the Oda family will definitely not be small. ”

"Your Royal Highness Changxiu, does the lord still have no intention of persuading him to surrender?" Thinking of this, Yu Qiuping couldn't help but sigh and asked softly to Niwa Nagahide.

"No, we old guys have persuaded us several times, but the lord has not let go at all, but has become angry. Even the princess's favorite princess, Ashi, wrote a letter every day to persuade her, but she ignored it, and it seemed that the lord had made up his mind. Niwa Nagahide shook his head and said in a low voice, "You also saw how the lord dealt with the autumn leaves of the Asakura family, I guess..."

"It is estimated that the Asai family is also more auspicious..."Yu Qiuping heard the second half of Niwa Nagahide's words, and said softly helplessly.

"Moreover, Kita-Omi is a strategic location for the Oda family, ensuring the smooth flow between the and Ono strongholds, and the lord will never tolerate this passage of life being controlled by others." Niwa Nagahide pondered for a moment before whispering again, "Even if the lord is willing to persuade him to surrender, he will definitely ask the Asai family to hand over all the territory, and the history of the Asai family as a daimyo will come to an end." Momiji, you are most familiar with His Highness Asai, with his temperament, do you think you will accept such a condition? ”

"Nope." Yu Qiuping said with some difficulty the answer he didn't want to hear, "That idiot will definitely choose to die." At this time, he suddenly felt a little emotional. He had always thought about making it clear to Oda Nobunaga and asking him to forgive Asai Nagamasa. As everyone knows, such a result may be against the wishes of Asai Nagamasa himself. According to his meaning, even if he is martyred to the death, he will never surrender, right? Yu Qiuping's thoughts in the past three years may be just wishful thinking.

"I'm wondering if the casualties in the attack on Kotani Castle are too large, will it make the lord change his mind and think about peace." Niwa Nagahide suddenly spoke, and then shook his head again, "But with the temperament of the lord, if you can't come to the stage, you will definitely not be willing to negotiate peace." ”

"The casualties will certainly not be small." Yu Qiuping nodded, and looked at the white eagle banner at the head of Xiaogu City again, "There is a long government, there is an eagle, no matter what, it will not be easy to fall into the city." ”

·

Yu Qiuping did not expect badly, and the Oda family's attack was indeed met with resolute resistance. The fortified gates of Otani Castle made the ram completely powerless, forcing the Oda army to attack the castle with ants. The iron cannons and bows and arrows at the head of the castle brought heavy casualties to the Oda army that landed on the castle, and the Oda army stormed for a morning, but still failed to reach the head of the castle.

In the afternoon, the Oda army managed to make a breakthrough on several sections of the city wall, but the Oda army that ascended the city was defeated by the eagles, and there was no way to make any progress. Oda Nobunaga, who was on fire, ordered iron cannons and archers to attack the castle indiscriminately, and fought together with his own people and the Asai family, causing heavy casualties to the castle. The corpses piled up on the walls were almost as high as the battlements. However, the eagle of the Asai family did not retreat from the battle and once again repelled the Oda army.

The next day, Oda Nobunaga personally rushed to the castle to supervise the battle, and ordered the overseers to draw a line outside the city, and those who retreated from this line would be killed. Oda Nobunaga's urging efforts had a certain effect, and the Oda army, led by fierce generals such as Shibata Katsuie and Takigawa Kazuki, launched a frenzied attack on Kotani Castle. However, Asai Nagamasa led Qimoto to appear in person at the head of the castle at a critical juncture, and took the lead in fighting on the front line, single-handedly picking out more than a dozen samurai of the Oda family, which greatly boosted morale. Under Asai Nagamasa's counterattack, the next day's attack by the Oda army was still fruitless. The Oda family looked at the gates of Kotani Castle as if they were looking at an impregnable moat.

That night, on the night of May 7, the impregnable gates of the city suddenly opened. Oda Nobunaga, who received the report, immediately rode his horses to the camp with a group of retainers to see what was happening. I saw that at the gate of the city in the distance, three maids each held a little girl, and walked quickly towards the camp of the Oda family. The three little girls were lying on the maid's shoulders, struggling incessantly, trying to jump off the maid's shoulders and run back to the side of Kotani Castle. But as the gates of the castle slowly closed, the three little girls realized that they could never go back.

I can't go back to Xiaogu City, I can't go back to their home, I can't go back to their happy and warm life.

"Changzheng, is this the meaning of fighting to the death..."When Yu Qiuping saw Asai Nagamasa send out Chacha, Ah Chu, and Ah Jiang, the three daughters born to him and Ah Shi, he understood that he had given up the idea of living, and planned to die to make his will clear.

"But what about Ah Shi?" Yuqiu calmly looked at the three women who came over with the children in their arms, they were all Ah Shi's maids, and Ah Shi himself did not come out with the children.

"Where's Ashi?" Oda Nobunaga, who has been the most fond of Achi since he was a child, asked in a somewhat anxious whisper when the three maids walked to the camp gate with the crying girl in their arms.

"Back to His Royal Highness, His Royal Highness Asai also wants to send Princess Ashi out together, but Princess Ashi resolutely refuses." A maid bowed apologetically holding the child, "Princess Aichi asked the slave maid to tell Her Highness that she had made up her mind to live and die with His Highness Asai. If His Royal Highness refuses to forgive His Highness Asai, Princess Aichi will be martyred for His Highness Asai. ”

"Cut..."Oda Nobunaga snorted fiercely when he heard this, and the hand holding the folding fan also strained violently, and the folding fan made a "crunch" sound. However, when he saw the three little princesses he liked very much before, his anger also disappeared a lot. He took a deep breath, adjusted the expression on his face, squeezed out a kind smile, and took Cha Cha from the maid's arms with a smile, while comforting in a low voice: "Cha Cha, don't be afraid, uncle is here." ”

"Let go of me!" Who would have thought that Chacha was also a little girl who was almost 10 years old, and she had a little strength in her body, so she broke free from Oda Nobunaga's arms all of a sudden, jumped to the ground, and immediately turned her head and ran in the direction of the coming road, Kotani Castle, whimpering and crying as she ran: "I want my father, I want my mother!" ”

Oda Nobunaga's face instantly darkened - it was not easy for him, who was usually moody and violent, to pull down his face to coax the child, but Cha Cha actually toasted and did not eat and drink, and shook Oda Nobunaga's face in front of so many people. He immediately scolded: "Stop her! ”

When more than a dozen guards at the gate of the camp heard this, they immediately drew their swords out of their sheaths, and more than a dozen shiny katanas pointed at this helpless girl. Cha Cha looked at the bright sword, and was suddenly frightened and fell to the ground. The bright sword blocked her way, and she could only stare at the brightly lit Xiaogu City in the distance, at the direction of her parents, and at her home that she would never return to. The girl tried to hold back her tears, but she couldn't stop crying after a few moments.

Although she is still young, she is already sensible. In the past three years, the Asai family has deteriorated, although her parents don't say it, she has already seen the clues in everyone's reactions. Now that the army is pressing, although her two younger sisters still don't understand, Chacha already knows in her heart that the Asai family is going to perish. And Asai Nagamasa and Ah Ichi sent their three sisters out, and it is very likely that they have the intention of dying.

Asai Nagamasa and Aichi lied to the three of them, saying that they were going to their uncle's house to eat delicious food, and after a while, their parents would come to them. Ah Chu and Ah Jiang were still young and didn't understand this, but they vaguely sensed a trace of uneasiness in the atmosphere. Only Cha Cha knows in his heart that this parting may be the eternal separation between heaven and man. Before leaving, she hugged her father again and again and kissed her on the cheek. Every time, I would cry because it might be the last time, and then repeat it again. But she was worried about scaring her two younger sisters, so she kept her mouth shut from beginning to end, hiding all her grief in her heart, and finally couldn't help it at this moment.

"Dad... Mom! Don't leave me behind... I want to go home! I want to go home! I'm going to—" She cried and stood up, lunging towards the katana. The dozen or so guards at the door were stunned when they saw this, and they didn't know what to do for a while.

Suddenly, a small figure flashed, blocking between the katana and Cha Cha, and grabbed Cha Cha who rushed to her head and stopped her. However, when it comes to hugging, this hug is a little thin - because there is only one arm around the girl's back.

"Hmm."

Cha Cha was stunned for a moment, and her right hand that threw out suddenly touched the empty sleeve, and she suddenly realized who was in front of her.

"Brother Yan..." she tried to stop crying, but the crying still leaked out of her mouth, and tears also wet the placket on Yu Qiuyan's chest, "I'm so afraid..."

"Don't be afraid." Yu Qiuyan, who subconsciously blocked it, was just a stupid and taciturn boy, a girl who didn't know how to cry at all, but whispered a little woodenly: "I'm here." ”