At noon on May 7, Horiuchi Zen and Ogasawara Tadashi, who were in charge of attacking the Miura Peninsula, joined forces on the banks of the Tsurumi River with 15,000 troops. Shingu Yukitomo (son of Horiuchi Zen, Kumano Besto) led 8,000 men to defeat the three castles of Koyu, Chiba, and Sakura, and rebelled against Ogasawara Hidemasa, the defender of Taijo, the national government, and completed the suppression of the five central prefectures of Shimoso, and then broke through the Tokugawa military defense lines of Edogawa, Nakagawa, and Arakawa, becoming the first of all the armies to arrive under Edo Castle. Follow? Dream?. lā

At this time, Honda Masashige and his party had just arrived on the east bank of the Tama River, and Shinagawa Minato was already close at hand. Although he had not encountered the Toyotomi army so far, Honda Tadahiro still suggested that Masayagge send someone to Shinagawa to investigate, after all, before arriving in Edo, there was only one important town like Shinagawa, and if this place was lost, all his previous efforts would be in vain.

Honda Masashige then sent his own guard Shigetani Shigeharu to investigate the surrounding area of Shinagawa, while he and the others temporarily took refuge in Ebara Shrine. Although he didn't want to introduce disaster to the shrine, he still felt compassion for Honda Masashige and his party who had traveled all the way and were disgraced, and placed them in the side hall to rest.

Although it was only a half-day walk, but along the way cautious, frightened, everyone was exhausted, as soon as they entered the hall, a group of people lay on the tatami mats and fell asleep, only Honda Masashige and Honda Tadahiro still had palpitations, did not dare to take it lightly at this critical moment.

After a while, Honda Masashi sat down beside Honda Tadahiro, and said worriedly: "I don't know what happened to Jade Rope City now, although I told Takiyama Masato to defend the city desperately, but I still can't rest assured in my heart, is it too selfish to do this." ”

"Your Highness doesn't have to blame yourself," Honda Tadahiro comforted: "You and I know what kind of person Takiyama is, if he is willing to keep it, it is certainly commendable, if he can't keep it, there is no need to be harsh." With more than 10,000 battle-hardened Toyotomi troops and strong ships and cannons all over Sagami Bay, it no longer matters what the outcome is. ”

"Could it be that Ma Shou also feels that he can't resist a day of kissing?"

"What do you think?" Honda Tadahiro asked rhetorically: "I have always been close to your side before, and suddenly let him command the soldiers to defend the city, and he is still facing a hundred times the strength of his own army, no matter who knows the result." With all due respect, even if he is the eldest son of the lord of Takiyama City, Takiyama Yuanqin, and learned the way of attack and defense with his father when he was young, but it was all on paper, and now in this case, unless the gods appear, there is no other way, maybe now he has already opened the city and surrendered...... Speaking of which, the old minister has something he wants to ask His Highness. ”

"But Ma Shou, please speak." Honda Masashi said.

"You left Takiyama in Jade Rope City, did you really want him to guard the city?" Honda Tadahiro seemed to be smiling rather than smiling, and there seemed to be a hint of banter hidden in his words.

Honda Masashige didn't know how to answer at first glance, but thinking about the way Tadahiro looked at him, he seemed to understand something: "But Ma Shou thinks that I didn't just keep him in Jade Rope City to defend the city?" ”

"Not to be exact, it's not for the sake of defending the city, is it?" Zhongguang's tone was very subtle, both like a rhetorical question and an emphatic question, which really made a few drops of cold sweat ooze from Zhengzhong's forehead.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Zhengzhong pretended to be calm.

"Okay," Zhongguang felt that the two of them were so foggy that they didn't know when they were going to be involved, so he said bluntly: "Your Highness, I am afraid it is your bitter ploy to let Takiyama stay to defend the city this morning, right?" It's a pity that Takiyama seems to be kept in the dark, and he may never be able to understand His Highness's hard work. ”

"But Ma Shou you ......" Zheng Zheng wanted to speak and stopped, but finally hung his head silently.

Tadahiro saw that Masashige was a little frustrated, and he also regretted it in his heart, feeling that he shouldn't have said it so bluntly, so he stopped there, patted Masashige's shoulder as an elder, and said sincerely: "This time we go to Edo, it will definitely be nine deaths, Takiyama is your cronie and friend, how could you suddenly let him stay in Jade Rope City to die?" Everyone on the face thinks that you are killing your relatives for the righteousness of the old minister, but in fact, you know in your heart that with Takiyama's character, you can only survive if you stay in Jade Rope City. The enemy army is getting closer and closer, and if one day the ammunition runs out of food, and Edochu Nayan asks for 'the whole city to be shattered', how can we live alone?

Although the old minister is sometimes very stubborn, he is not a stupid person, outsiders don't understand you, can the old minister not understand? It is precisely because he knows too well that he has not exposed His Highness's scheme, but when he thought that Takiyama might be angry with you because of this, the old minister really couldn't help it, so he had to complain to you now, and ask His Highness for forgiveness. ”

Zhongguang poured out his heart and lungs like this, which made Zhengzhong very ashamed, he thought that Zhongguang would use this matter to blackmail himself, but he never thought that he would spend the belly of a gentleman with the heart of a villain, and his heart suddenly surged, and his eyes were like smeared with mustard, and he couldn't help but leave two lines of tears.

"But Ma Shou, it was all my fault before, I knew that you were so open-minded, and Zhengzhong would not have made such a decision." Zhengzhong raised his head and looked at Zhongguang, but saw Zhongguang's smiling eyes, and his eyes were full of endless care and love as if he was looking at his own child.

"Your Highness is still young, and it is inevitable that some things are not well thought out, and the old minister can understand it. Your bitter plan is not a good idea, no, except for the old man, didn't everyone else see it, and they also applauded you for killing your relatives and eradicating traitors.

Lao Chen has followed the lord for decades, Zhengchun, you and Zhongchun are like Lao Chen's children, sometimes although they are naughty and do some foolish things, but they can't affect Lao Chen's feelings for you at all. The lord accompanied the inner government to fight Aizu this time, and his life and death were uncertain, and now the fall of the jade rope city was inevitable, and Edo Castle was also in danger, and the entire Kanhachi Prefecture was already full of holes and eaten up. This is a crisis that has never been experienced since the barrel narrow, you panicked because of this, and it is understandable to do some stupid things, the old minister does not ask for anything else, only ask you not to be depressed, the old minister lives for a day, and will definitely keep you safe for a day. ”

Honda Masashige was already in tears at this moment, his head recalled all kinds of past events with Tadahiro, and all kinds of feelings welled up in his heart, he tightly held Tadashi's vicissitudes of life, and poured out excitedly: "It was all my fault before, and please forgive me, if I can get out of Edo alive this time, please let me repay you well!" ”

Chunghiro's two sons were killed in North Korea, and he had lost hope for the future, but when he heard Masashige's heartfelt words, he smiled and nodded his head, patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's enough to have your words, you can sleep for a while, it's still early, we won't spend the night in Shinagawa tonight, and go directly to Edo." I went to talk to His Highness Besho, and it seems that I haven't seen each other for three or four years. ”

With that, Zhongguang stood up, stretched his long waist, walked out of the side hall lightly, and gently closed the door of the room. Zhongguang turned around and suddenly found a blooming bellflower in the corner of the garden, and his heart was both surprised and emotional: "At home in Jade Rope City, the scale of that bellflower is much larger than here, I don't know when we will be able to see each other." ”

At this moment, a rush of footsteps interrupted Tadahiro's thoughts, and he subconsciously pulled out his sword, his legs sideways in a fighting position, and his eyes fixed on the cave door at the end of the garden.