The 1,000 soldiers under Takeda Katsuyori are all soldiers directly under the jurisdiction of Takeda Shingen, and their combat effectiveness is extremely high, and they are the leaders in the Takeda army, which is why they were selected as the vanguard by Takeda Shingen.

After hearing Takeda Katsuyori's order, they did not hesitate to charge again, rushing towards the Tokiwabi iron gunners at the top of the hillside. Seeing this, the 150 iron gunners immediately retreated like a tide, and in their place were 250 heavily armed ironclad pikemen. They quickly ascended from the north slope to the top of the slope, and then crossed the top of the slope to the south slope, occupying a commanding position. The first row crouched, and the second row poked spears out of the shoulders of the first row.

The few leading samurai of the Takeda Army who were rushing to the forefront frowned slightly when they saw this, realizing that it was not a wise move to attack such an elite spear formation from the back. They glanced back at the banner, only to find that Katsuyori Takeda had not changed the order. These Koshu samurai are all battle-hardened warriors, so naturally they will not cower in battle. They gritted their teeth and led their men to rush forward. They stared at the shiny tip of Tokiwa's spear in the sunlight—barely moving. But they knew that when they rushed to the tips of the spears, the two hundred or so spears would stab out like poisonous snakes. As the distance got closer and closer, they only felt that the sound of their heartbeat became stronger and stronger, which was the feeling they had experienced countless times on the battlefield - the feeling between life and death. Whether it's life or death, it's up to you to react in the next moment.

I don't know which person took the lead, and the charging Takeda soldiers also shouted loudly to give themselves courage. The roar of the Takeda Army was so earth-shattering that the entire battlefield was shaken.

"Thrust!"

As a loud Chinese command sounded, the pikemen of Tokiwa Bei, who had been motionless before, suddenly stabbed the spear in his hand neatly towards the Takeda army in front of him. Although the lone Chinese password at that time was drowned out in the roar of the Takeda army almost at the same time as it was shouted, the spear that followed it made the voices of the twenty or so Takeda soldiers who rushed to the front abruptly stop in an instant. But at this moment, the Takeda army, which had been lucky enough to avoid the spear thrust, rushed to the position of Tsunewabei, armed with katana and sword, and launched a fierce attack on the pikemen who were not conducive to close combat.

The Takeda Army's brave advance and tactical execution made Chang Panbei a little confused for a while, and more than a dozen pikemen in the first row were cut down in an instant, and the pikemen in the second row hurriedly coped with it, barely blocking this surprise attack. The Takeda Army, who was following in the back row, saw that the situation in front was very good, and immediately rushed towards the position of Chang Panbei. However, at this moment, the Tokiwabi iron gunners, who had retreated to the northern slope, climbed to the top of the slope again, stood behind their pikemen, and took advantage of the firing angle freed up by the difference in height of the hill to fire another volley at the Takeda army that was following down the hill.

"Oops! Careless! "At this moment, a Takeda Army samurai who was fighting with Tokiwa on the front line realized that something was wrong.

Although the iron cannon is very powerful, it is different from the bow and arrow, and can only be fired horizontally, not projectile. As a result, at the beginning of melee combat, the iron cannon has no effect, as he cannot shoot over his own head. This time, however, the battlefield erupted on the slopes, and the sloping angles of the hillsides gave the iron cannon Ashigaru the opportunity to fire constantly—and the salvo of the iron cannon was much more lethal than the bow and arrow projectile.

Sure enough, this round of salvo brought a lot of casualties, and it also led to a small disconnect in the Takeda family's formation. The second wave failed to keep up in time, resulting in the first wave of Takeda soldiers who had managed to rush into the spear formation being knocked down one after another.

"How can there be two people who don't use spears in this formation... Damn...", the last Takeda Army samurai in the lead complained unwillingly when he fell. There was a teenager and a young man mixed in the back row of Tokiwabei's spear, and both of them were quite good at samurai swordsmanship, and they worked together to solve four or five Takeda Army's sharp soldiers.

"Young master, please calm down!" At this moment, not only the new guard, but even the lieutenant general who had been following Takeda Katsuyori for a long time couldn't sit still, "In any case, please let the brothers fight again after putting on their armor, so the casualties are too great!" ”

"Cut." Takeda Katsuyori couldn't hold it on his face, but he also knew that he couldn't go his own way at this moment, so he had to spit viciously, and scolded in a very angry whisper, "Let those wastes be withdrawn, and inform the whole army to put on armor!" ”

·

"What? Resistance? Takeda Nobutoyo, who was following Takeda Shingen, was surprised to find that a fierce battle had broken out on the hillside in the distance, "Could it be... Our plans? ”

"Oh?" Hearing this, Takeda Shingen narrowed his eyes, straightened up slightly from the horse, and looked at the hillside in the distance, "That's... The banner of the Yuqiu Army is always prepared, since it is ...... cough cough cough cough ..."Before he finished speaking, Takeda Shingen erupted into a violent coughing sound.

"Lord, your body is important!" The little surname who followed Takeda Shingen hurriedly came over from both sides and supported Takeda Shingen. Takeda Shingen waved his hand, signaling that they didn't have to be so nervous.

"Minono, what do you think?" Takeda Shingen didn't make a direct judgment, but asked Nobuharu Baba, who was following by his side. His reserve team is at the rear of the Takeda family's main team, so he himself will stay in Takeda Shingen's main camp.

"There must be someone in the basin behind them." Nobuharu snorted coldly, "And the deployment hasn't been completed yet, so we sent people to guard the hillside to control the view, in case we snooped on their formation." ”

"I think it's the opposite, there's no one in the basin at all." Shingen Takeda smiled and shook his head, "But that's all my guess." Except when it is a last resort, I will not rely on speculation to decide the life and death of the whole army. ”

"When the young master takes down the hill and takes a condescending look at the basin, all doubts will be solved." Takeda Shinfeng didn't worry too much, "Anyway, there are only 400 soldiers at most on that mountain, and it's a quick matter." ”

"Don't be careless." Hearing this, Takeda Shingen shook his head, "Order the whole army to wear armor." The auxiliaries retreated to both sides of the official road, allowing the soldiers to follow. ”

"My lord?" Takeda Nobutoshi was stunned when he heard this, "We originally expected to wear armor after passing through the basin?" If you put on the armor now, not only will it take time, but your physical strength will also be ...

"Trust my judgment." Takeda Shingen shook his head noncommittally, "Let's put on our armor." ”

·

At the same time, the hillside at the southern end of the basin.

Chang Panbei set up a formation, the first three rows were pikemen, and the iron artillery stood on the top of the slope in two rows. Such a defensive position, which made full use of the condescending hillside terrain, made Takeda Katsuyori feel a little tricky for a while. The troops of Masanobu Takasaka and Masatyo Naito, who followed him, were already wearing armor and would continue to advance along the official road in the near future. If Takeda Katsuyori hesitates too long on the official road, the entire march plan will be delayed. Therefore, Takeda Katsuyori did not hesitate much and led the army to press again.

This time, Tokiwa did not have the advantage of a surprise attack. After the archers and iron gunners of the Takeda clan lined up at the bottom of the hillside, they began to shoot at Tokiwabei.

"Hmph, stupid formation, just want to occupy the position, but put the pikemen in front of the iron gunners." Takeda Katsuyori sneered, and looked at the samurai-looking Water Atom Sutra in the Joban Preparation Formation with contemptuous eyes, "When shooting like this, my archers and iron gunners will fight your pikemen." Those pikemen of yours, who stand and take beatings but can't fight back, use the iron gunners as meat shields, and soon their morale will collapse! Don't you have any common sense? If I shoot a few rounds, your people will collapse. ”

Of the 1,000 soldiers of the Takeda family, there were nearly 300 ranged soldiers, and the number of iron gunners in Tokiwa was only half of them. And the superiority of the iron gunners was also offset by the disadvantage of distance - because the ranged soldiers of the Takeda army only needed to fight the pikemen standing in front.

After the first round of fire, the ranged soldiers of the Takeda Army were killed by more than two dozen people. However, due to the dense formation of Tokiwa Station, even if the bow and arrow did not do much damage to Tokiwabi's armor, it was unbearable to be shot in the legs and face without armor protection, not to mention that Takeda Katsuyori still had dozens of iron cannons in his hands. With a volley, Tokiwa's pikemen also fell, and more than two dozen people fell.

"Hmph." Takeda Katsuyori smiled after seeing the good exchange ratio, and looked at the Water Atom Sutra again, "See what you do?" ”

The water atom saw that the twenty or so brothers in front of him fell straight down like that, and he only felt his heart sinking. In the battle just now, the second company of Chang Panbei had already fallen a lot, and the casualty ratio exceeded 10% in an instant. However, he understood that as a company commander, he could not waver in the slightest at the moment. So, he cleared his throat and gave the order in a deep voice: "Second row, make up the first row." ”

As soon as the words came out, Tokiwa was reflexively taken a step forward with his gun in the first row of more than two dozen gaps, and stood up straight again without wavering. This is already a move that they have practiced countless times during training, and there is no hesitation at all. The third row, on the other hand, strides forward to fill the gap in the second row.

"Call me again!" After Takeda Katsuyori saw that Tokiwabei's formation did not waver, he ordered a volley again. And the iron gunners who used to be prepared by Tokiwa also immediately fired a salvo back to color. After the roar of the iron cannon and the sound of bows and arrows leaving the strings, the ranged soldiers of the Takeda family fell again, and the pikemen of Tsunewabei also fell by more than two dozen people. This time, a few more people fell on the corpses of their companions, so they rolled all the way down the hill, and the blood trailed all the way on the yellow sand, and they didn't stop until they rolled to the Takeda family formation.

The water atom looked at it, and only felt that he had received another hammer in his heart. One of the people who rolled down just now was a subordinate he was very optimistic about. Originally, after this battle, he wanted to recommend him to Fukushima Yasunari to be the platoon commander. But the war was so cruel that the subordinates who were talking and laughing not long ago fell in an instant.

However, he also did not hesitate at all, and ordered again in a deep voice: "Second row, make up the first row!" ”

The soldiers of the second company of Joban still did not hesitate at all, and made great strides to fill the vacancy in front. However, the Water Atom Sutra noticed that there were a few columns left with only one row of ashigaru left, and the last two rows were empty.

The Water Atom Sutra understood what Katsuyori Takeda was doing, and he wanted to drain the morale of the pikemen. It is not that the army cannot tolerate casualties, and if the casualty figures gradually rise in the midst of a close fight, some armies can even translate this into high morale. However, it was a terrible feeling to stand up like this, not being able to fight back, and being constantly shot by the enemy. It was like being executed on the execution ground, and it was like falling down meaninglessly. Even if Tokiwa is very united, even if these pikemen understand that they have died to protect the iron gunners, even if they are disciplined, their hearts will inevitably be shaken!

The Water Atom Sutra also wanted his subordinates to retreat to the northern slope to avoid shooting, but that would give up the terrain. He clearly saw that behind the Takeda family's long-range soldiers, hundreds of soldiers were preparing to attack. As soon as he gets out of the way of this crucial high point, they will rush up and take the hillside away. Therefore, the Water Atom Sutra had no choice but to let his subordinates resist.

As the roar of iron cannons and the sound of bows and arrows resounding across the battlefield again, another twenty people in the Changban preparation formation fell with a bang. The Water Atom Sutra only felt that his heart was dripping blood—in just three quarters of an hour, Chang Panbei's second company had suffered nearly a hundred casualties, and the loss was close to thirty percent, which was a heavy casualty that had not been seen for a long time. These brothers who died in battle are not the cold numbers in the eyes of those great names, they are really the brothers of the Water Atom Sutra! On weekdays, they eat together, chat together, train together, and during the New Year's holidays, the families of these subordinates will also visit the Water Atom Sutra to thank him for taking care of his son. The vast majority of them can name the Water Atom Sutra. But right now, with every salvo, you can see more than two dozen familiar people fall like this, and the Water Atom Sutra only feels that his heart is about to burst.

"Second row! Make it up! The water atom tried to suppress the grief and anger in his heart, and once again gave the order ruthlessly. This time, even the most loyal subordinates were inevitably hesitant to move. Because of the first row on the top, he almost put his life in the hands of Hades, and there was no chance to struggle and resist, and whether he was dead or alive depended on whether the Takeda family could fight accurately. Still, the discipline and sacrificial spirit that Tokiwa had cultivated over so long had a role, and there wasn't a single gap that hadn't been filled.

"Good fellows." Takeda Katsuyori looked at the scene in front of him and couldn't help but be a little surprised, "Standing and being beaten and not fighting back, more than two hundred pikemen are about to fall, and the younger one hundred are still dying." No wonder my father attaches so much importance to the training method of rain and autumn red leaves. This soldier must be the elite of Chang Panbei. ”

"Then one more round!" Takeda Katsuyori roared violently, and his iron gunners and archers fired another volley, and smoke rose again from behind Jobanbei's position. After the smoke cleared, I saw that seventeen or eighteen people fell in the first row of Chang Panbei. In the first row of the earliest, there were few people standing.

"Damn..."The Water Atom Sutra was already red at this moment, the green tendons were bursting up, and the scars on his face that had been healed for more than ten years seemed to be about to burst. At their feet, more than a hundred pikemen had fallen horizontally, and their spears were scattered all over the ground. There were already several columns, and the three rows of ashigaru had been killed, and there was no one who could make up for it. The water atom was stuck in his throat for a long time and could not be shouted out by the order "second row, make up the first row", because this order did not help "the second row, come forward and die".

Still, he had to shout: "Second row, make up the first row!" ”

But this time, the subordinates were obviously much more hesitant. Everyone understands that this is an order to die and live. Even though they are loyal, brave, and disciplined, who can stand watching so many of their companions die in front of them, and they have no choice but to stand and be beaten to death? Chang Panbei's casualties have exceeded 30% at this moment, and he is about to lose the casualties. The weight of his heart has almost crushed the ashigaru of Chang Panbei, and except for three people who have made up for the first row, the other positions have not been filled immediately.

The water atom was seen in his eyes, anxious in his heart, and a wave of despair surged in his heart. If the Takeda family shoots one or two more rounds, the second company will collapse because of the collapse of morale. But if he let the top of the slope and let the Takeda army pass, the entire Yuqiu family would be finished, and he could only go down hard.

Just when everyone was almost in despair, a small figure suddenly jumped out of the third row and went straight into the center of the first row.