405

In fact, Date Masamune in history looks quite average, and he is still a short man (less than 1.6 meters), why do people now regard him as a handsome guy?

When Ryotaro Sima wrote "Warring States Bhasara", he only said that Date Masamune had a good temperament...... Well, everyone should be able to understand it, everything is evaluated in history books as having a good temperament, and generally it doesn't look good, if you are really good-looking, it's definitely worth it

Why do people jump over and talk about your temperament?

In the 80s of the last century, Japan wanted to make a Taiga drama about Date Masamune, which was later famous and the world's highest rated "One-eyed Dragon Masamune".

According to the tradition of Dahe dramas, the male number one is all handsome guys with handsome appearances. So the crew invited Tomokazu Miura, that is, the husband of Yamaguchi Momoe, who was a famous beautiful man in that era.

Originally, Tomokazu Miura and himself had already agreed to act, but I don't know what's going on, the production company suddenly decided to change its mind———— because Date Masamune is not good-looking, and it is not appropriate for the handsome and dashing Tomokazu Miura to act, so the company decided to change to a more ordinary-looking one

's actor, who was just maturing in acting at the time, but Ken Watanabe, who had a short debut time (Uncle Qian is actually not ugly, but he lacks highlights), had the opportunity to complete the first [main service] in his acting career.

"One-Eyed Dragon Masamune" was a huge success in the end, and Ken Watanabe not only became famous in one fell swoop, but also became the dream of many Japanese women.

And what about Tomokazu Miura? He didn't suffer a loss, but he was slightly wronged, and he was reduced from the first male to the second male one, and changed to the right-hand man of Date Masamune, Ita Togoro Narumi, that is, the man wearing a centipede helmet, the role is still very heavy, and it is quite popular after the TV series is released

Acclaim.

It can be seen that in the minds of the Japanese, Date Masamune is indeed not too good-looking.

When we look at the portrait left by Date Masamune today, we all feel a little disappointed, it's too ordinary, and I'm completely sorry for the handsome face in "Sengoku BASARA" and "Taiko Rishiki".

In fact, the painter at that time had already given face to [Twenty Years]———— [Twenty Years] was not only blind in one eye, but also had pockmarks on his face because of smallpox. None of the portraits are drawn, which is really interesting.

What does Date Masamune really look like? Anyway, it's not the same thing as the game and the comics.,But,There's nothing to say if he's ugly...... It's possible!

Haha, just kidding, just kidding, just liven up the atmosphere, don't scold me Masamune fans.

In fact, Date Masamune's appearance is not outstanding, but it is not particularly ugly, in the Showa era, the Sendai people made a bronze statue of Date Masamune riding a horse according to the portrait left behind, and the bronze statue materialized and authenticated Date Masamune's appearance to the greatest extent.

It was found that although Date Masamune had a mediocre appearance, his temperament was indeed very good, giving people a sense of solemnity of an iron-blooded soldier and a sense of awe of a hero. This is the real Date Masamune......

[Lord, what's wrong with you, you've been in a daze since just now, are you too tired during this time. 】

【…… Oh, it's okay, this level of exertion is nothing compared to the great cause of conquering the world, this is what I just heard someone scolding me for being a [dwarf] and [pock], it's really infuriating. 】

[Wow, there are such bold people! This guy must not want to live anymore, and now in the whole Echigo, who else dares to speak ill of the lord?! 】

Date Masamune took a sip of tea, and then looked at his good friend...... Oh no, good subordinate Katakura Kojuro Jingzuna looked at him and said:

[You guy, when did you learn to pat on the back? …… Now looking at the country of Echigo, there are many people who dare to scold me, and when I knock down Kasuga Mountain Castle, these people will obediently shut up...... By the way, has Tochio Castle been conquered? 】

[Not yet, the loss of the Ghost Court Boss is very large, and the adults of all departments have also participated in the battle, but unfortunately Namori Changke and Gan Ji Jingzhi are too tenacious, and Tozuo City has never been able to attack. 】

[Zuo Yue is really a waste! ] Isn't this guy too old to fight! It's a shame that he is still the military of his family, so soft, what's the use?! 】

Because the ghost court Satsuki has not conquered Tozuo Castle for a long time, he has incurred a scolding from Date Masamune.

Fortunately, Ghost Court Zuoyue himself is not here, and he is still working hard under the city to command the wartime. Otherwise, according to his fiery temper, he would have to quarrel with the young Date Masamune.

As early as the time when Date Uemune was in power, Oniting Satsuki was already a well-known military general, and when the astronomical chaos occurred, his martial name spread further. After Date Harumune's victory in the family war, he was greatly promoted. In the time of Date Terumune, it was even more incredible, straight

Appointed as a military commissioner, this is a position similar to that of a commander.

This is the pinnacle of the martial arts of Ghost Court Zuoyue's life, but it is also the starting point of his decline———— Date Huizong quickly gave up the position of the family to Date Masamune, and Date Masamune adheres to the principle of [a son of heaven and a courtier], and he is not interested in him as an old minister.

Although the geographical location of Tochio Castle is very important, it is not a difficult city to attack, the walls are not high, and there are no dangerous positions around to help defend it. Back then, the Nagao brothers turned against each other, and Nagao Harukei, who was the elder brother and the lord, sent troops to attack Tochio Castle as the mayor of the castle

Wei Jinghu did not choose to defend the city, but chose to go out of the city to meet the enemy, and the result was a complete victory.

So why didn't Ghost Court Zuoyue make any progress at all, in this way, the two people who defended the city, one was [Ghost Musashi], and the other was one of the [Four Heavenly Kings of Uesugi], and the two of them took turns to go out of the city to fight and minimize the losses.

And although Ghost Court Zuoyue is brave, don't forget that he is already seventy-three years old, and under normal circumstances, people of this age should not appear on the battlefield, because his energy is not as good as before.

[Lord, you don't have to be angry, the old man of the Oni Court has done his best, and the left-behind lord and Ishikawa-sama have already gone into battle, and they are currently fighting with Mori Naga under the castle, I believe that without the assistance of the Uesugi family, the castle will soon fall. 】

[Well, I hope so.] The Uesugi family fought such a big defeat, and Naoe Kaneji was a waste at all, and Uesugi Jinghu dared to let him be a general, hehe, is there really no one in the Uesugi family? 】

[That...... My lord, I've told you many times that the general of the Uesugi family is Akechi Kogoro, and Naoe Kaneji is just a prisoner. 】

[So what?] What if someone from the shogunate came to act as a general? It's not the same as being beaten like a dog by me, and he ran away, and that wise Kogoro is so young that he has already been touted as [Izumo Dragon], haha, he just beat the Maori family by luck, and

And because his colleague Hashiba Hideyoshi contained a large number of troops, he didn't do anything at all...... Huh, dragon? He really thinks he's Kenshin Uesugi?! 】

Although Date Masamune's mouth is full of contempt for Wise Kogoro, but in fact, the fierce scene of the Oda Army entering the Date Army's main camp yesterday, whenever I think of it, Date Masamune always feels a palpitation, and at that time, if it wasn't for his father's sudden help, then finally

The one who is defeated must be himself.

Although he was very unwilling, he had to admit that the military strength of the shogunate was really strong, far from being comparable to those Tohoku daimyo who were defeated by themselves. If you want to win the world, you should work harder.

[Although the Uesugi army was defeated, it will soon make a comeback, and before that, we must conquer Tochio Castle as quickly as possible, but Satsuki's efficiency is really disappointing! 】

In fact, the efficiency of Ghost Court Zuoyue is already very fast, but if you want to conquer a city guarded by 6,000 people in two days, it is really difficult for a strong man.

At this time, Ghost Court Tsunayuan ran over happily.

【Lord! Good news! 】

[What's the good news?] Has your father taken the city down? 】

[That's not ......]

[Then what are you doing here?] What other good news? Now that the war is urgent, we must take Tochio Castle as quickly as possible, and I am already a head or two big in order to think about the good plan to break the city, if you don't have anything important, let me be quiet

Will you be okay?! 】

Date Masamune's temper was not very good, which was a complete contrast to his father.

Although he was scolded by the lord, it did not weaken the good mood of the ghost court Tsunayuan, and he said excitedly:

[Don't be angry, my lord, although the city has not yet been taken. But there has been significant progress———— Gan Ji Jingzhi has been killed! 】

【Nani...... Is it true?! Is it true that Ganji Jingzhi is dead?! 】

Date Masamune's only remaining eye was so big and so big that it was a little scary.

[It's not completely certain, but according to our soldiers, they really saw that Gan Jijing was hit by the projectile of the iron cannon, bleeding all over, and was carried down by the soldiers of the Uesugi Army. 】

[In other words, your message is not 10% accurate, right?] It is not yet completely Gansu, Jingzhi has been killed by our army. 】

[Don't be angry, the lord, although I haven't seen whether Ganji Jingzhi is dead or alive, but now, only Sen Changke is the only one left who commands the war under the city, which shows that Ganji Jingzhi is indeed in trouble, great, the battle situation has completely fallen to our side. 】

[Hmm...... Yes, your father and son have done a good job, but what about it, the death of Gan Jijing does not mean that the city has been conquered by our army, and now there is only Sen Changke left, and we need to fight quickly. Otherwise, wait for the Uesugi army to recover,

If it strikes again, this battle will be difficult to fight, and it is even possible that the forest chief can cooperate with reinforcements to flank our army, which will be ......]

[Rest assured, nothing like that will happen!] Now that the morale of our army is booming, I will definitely take down Tochio City and dedicate it to you in one go! 】

【Good!】 Be ambitious! I'll take you seriously, Tsunamoto, don't let me down! 】

[Hi Yi! I'm going to war! Lord, you are waiting for my good news! 】……

In fact, Gansu Jingzhi did not die, but he did eat the [peanuts] of the Date Army, and now the situation is very bad, not only can he not command the battle, but he can't even stay sober.

Back then, the [Uesugi Four Heavenly Kings], who was as famous as Kakizaki Keijia, Usami Dingman, and Naoe Keizuna, has now fallen into this situation, which is really embarrassing.

Along with it, there is also the inevitable decline of the Uesugi family, and the mountains and rivers are declining.

And the decline of the Uesugi family reflects the prosperity of the Date family, which cannot but be said to be a great sadness.

Among the Northeast heroes, the most powerful is the Date Army. This is not to say that the Date army from the bitter cold land is particularly capable of fighting, nor is it to say how powerful the generals of the Date army are, not to mention that the weapons of the Shaanxi army are particularly advanced, in fact, although the Date father and son have hoarded iron cannons and iron cannons for many years

Jingtie, the weapons and equipment of the Date Army still can't catch up with the strong Uesugi Army and Hojo Army in the Kanto region.

Then why was Date Masamune able to use the power of this army to unify Aizu and Senhoku? And forced Mori Changke and Gan Ji Jing to this extent?

Rather, because the Date Army is composed of Mutsu people, and most of them are from Date County and Sanchun County, some of the colors of the local army are very similar to the [Qi Family Army] composed of most of the Yiwu people under Qi Jiguang of the Ming Kingdom in the same era, and its own cohesion is particularly strong.

And in the face of the old enemy Soma Army for many years, fighting all the time, facing death threats, and fighting several battles in a row, it can be regarded as experience.

Those who give up their lives live, those who are afraid of death die, those who have no ability, those who are greedy for life and afraid of death are dead, and those who have the ability and dare to play with their lives are alive.

The most important point is that the Date army is not fighting in their own homeland, but in Echigo, a foreign country, and in this case, they will not only face the enemy's army, but also the people of the enemy country will also be their enemies, so everyone maintains a strong sense of battle.

Finally repelled a wave of enemies again, and Mori Chang finally couldn't hold it anymore.

[There is no hope of holding this city, and it is only a matter of time before the city is broken...... Pass the order down and get ready to break through! Target Kasuga Mountain Castle! 】

In fact, from the very beginning, Mori Naga was not mentally prepared to fight this battle, originally in the plan of the in-laws Wise Kogoro, the work he had to do was very simple, he only needed to use it as reinforcements to flank the Date army, but now, Wise Kogoro has retreated, but left him here to fight desperately, which is different from what was said at the beginning!

Although there is still a slight dissatisfaction with Akechi Kogoro in his heart, Mori Naga, who is a professional soldier (samurai), will not have any complaints, from the first day of battle. He himself should have prepared for the horse leather shroud a long time ago, and he would not be afraid in the face of no matter how difficult the situation is, and it is a big deal to lose his life. Although seppuku suicide is the highest honor of the samurai in Japan, it is also respected for dying on the battlefield.

The only regret is that he did not complete the mission given to him by Akekogoro in the end———— before setting off again, the latter had already told him more than once the importance of this Tochio Castle, reminding him that he must not give up this castle until the last resort, otherwise, Kasugayama Castle and even the entire Echigo will be completely in danger.

Hehe, at this time, it should already be considered a [last resort], right? The number of the enemy army has reached 30,000, and the defenders of the city have been reduced to less than 4,000.

I've found a good reason to retreat, and when I return to Kasugayama Castle, the big deal is to be complained a few words by Wise Kogoro, the two sides are in-laws, will he still eat himself?

Besides, he is not a member of the Uesugi family, so why should he give his life to the Uesugi family, the reason why he fought so hard is just for the reward of 60,000 stone Shinbata Castle after the war.

And if you die here in such a daze, it will be too much to lose.

Therefore, not for anything else, just for the sake of your own future, you can't stay in this place for too long.

This is really Mori Changke's clearest idea at this time, different from his father who knew the last moment of his life, the second young master of the Mori family (Sen Kecheng's eldest son was Mori Kelong, who died in battle as early as 1570, earlier than his father. is so full of loyalty, do you say that Oda Nobunaga can not be good to the Mori family? It has always been a person who can fight and run, and he does not force anything to do, but only starts according to reality.

Therefore, in the historical [Koshin Ichichi Rebellion], this guy did not hesitate at all in the face of the pressure of the peasant rebel army and the Uesugi family, and simply gave up the Kaijin Pavilion, and after returning to, not only did he not lose anything, but he got a new territory of Kanayama Castle...... Sure enough, he is a realistic person, and he has a really clear grasp of the situation.

After strengthening his determination, the chief of the forest immediately ordered the city to be set on fire, while organizing an army to break out of the city.

【General! The enemy has opened the gates...... They set Tochio Castle on fire! Oops! They're going to break through! 】

[Nonsense! Do you still need to say it!? I've seen it for a long time! Don't be fooled around here, go up and stop them! 】

In the face of the interception of the Date army, Mori Chang was not ambiguous, and immediately transformed into a fish scale formation, ready to attack.

Mori Nagake's response was timely, and the whole process was very fast————

But the enemy was faster, and the Ghost Court Tsunayuan, who was half a kilometer away, had already led the cavalry and began to charge quickly.

The Date army still seized the opportunity, because speed was the biggest cost of the iron cavalry, and the vicinity of Tozuo Castle was almost flat, which made it even more advantageous to the Ghost Court Tsunamoto.

The biggest advantage of the Iron Cavalry Killing Ashigaru is that with its fierce speed, it violently breaks down Ashigaru's formation with the autumn wind sweeping away leaves. When the formation of the infantry was overwhelmed, then it was enough to wave the weapon and slaughter on a large scale.

The biggest advantage of Ashigaru against cavalry is to reduce the speed of cavalry. This was already well used by wise Kogoro in previous battles, and the cavalry that lost its speed was no different from cattle and sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

In addition, Mori Nagake has another factor that can be used———— he has more than two hundred iron cannons in his hands!

Victory and defeat are often between the first line, and whoever can grasp the opportunity to win will win.

Half a kilometer for the galloping war horse, although it is not an instant, but it is not a long-term distance, in Ashigaru just arranged the chariot array, the pikemen have just been arranged, the iron cavalry of the Ghost Court Army has impacted.

[Bang] [Bang] [Bang]

Under the roar of the iron cannon, more than a dozen Ghost Court cavalry who rushed to the front were knocked down, but even so, it did not stop the offensive of the murderous Ghost Court Army.

As soon as those iron gunners fired a shot or two, the iron cavalry of the Ghost Court Army was killed.

At this time, Date Masamune had not yet used iron cannons in his troops, and there was no so-called [cavalry iron gunner], but even so, the simple cavalry already had a terrifying impact.

[Date Masamune, you blind dog! Let the grandpas come and see what you look like! 】

Because Ashigaru was born as a farmer and has a very low cultural quality, it is not ambiguous at all to scold people, and this way of insulting has an idea to relieve the pressure in his heart, so why not?

When Ghost Court Tsunayuan heard that the other party was greeting his lord, he was so angry that the three corpses jumped, and immediately ordered his disciples to scold back what he had just said:

[You useless trash! What are you doing on the station and being embarrassed? Go back to Shinano and nurse your mother's arms! Fools! 】

In fact, this scolding is very problematic———— people are the ones who want to leave, and you are the one who stops them from leaving, right?

Soon, the spears of the Oda army and the Uesugi army were light, and they swung their spears and killed the cavalry of the Oni Court army, and the oni court cavalry was wielding the horse spear and the sword in their hands to kill wantonly. This is the collision of sword and fire ("Sword and Fire" is the author's favorite war-themed movie, I recommend you to watch it), the Ghost Court Iron Cavalry wants to break the coalition army's fish scale array, and the coalition army wants to reduce the speed of the Ghost Court Iron Cavalry, and then kill the knight.

There were many spears, and more than a dozen spears were neatly aligned, stabbing from all sides, making a crisp sound, hitting the armor of the cavalry and horses, making a deafening sound, and many of the ghost court cavalry were stabbed on the spot [through the heart, the heart is flying], but there are also many of them are blocked by the thick armor, and it is difficult to cause greater damage.

And the cavalry of the Ghost Court drove the horse, like the wind, and rushed forward, and the pikemen in front were either killed by the war horse or slashed by the cavalry's sword.

[Damn, is this the combat effectiveness of the Date Army? Could it be that Kogoro was defeated because of this?! 】

A cold sweat broke out on Mori Nagake's face. Ashigaru against cavalry itself has a huge disadvantage, Ashigaru can only form a tight formation defense, while the cavalry can attack at any time, fight if you win, run if you can't win, and the initiative of the war has always been in the hands of the cavalry.

In fact, when he was guarding the Kaizu Pavilion before, Morinaga, with the acquiescence of Oda Nobunaga, contained a large number of remnants of the Red Reserve and formed a considerable cavalry, and his combat effectiveness made Akechi Kogoro envious.

Originally, Akechi Kogoro hoped that Mori Naga might bring such a strong army to Echigo to fight. However, Mori Choke thinks that the war in Echigo will be easily won, and it is not worth sending his own [Chibei], besides, he is the one who will defend Echigo in the future, and if he loses the cavalry in his hand before this, it will be completely worth the loss.

Looking back now, Mori Chang regretted it, if he could have brought [Chibei] out, he would have beaten the Date army a long time ago, how could he still be pressed and beaten by them? What a fool I am!

The battle has reached this moment, and it has been completely chaotic.

From the moment the Ghost Court cavalry rushed in front of him, the ashigaru formation of the coalition army was completely chaotic and fell into chaos. lost the complete formation, and also lost the command of the superiors, just fighting instinct and fighting with the blood and courage in his heart, and killed the enemy one by one.

The iron gunner, who had already thrown away the iron cannon, no matter how good the accuracy was, no matter how strong the power was, it was useless, but picked up the dead soldiers from the ground, regardless of the enemy's weapons and killed the enemy.

The pikemen, on the other hand, wielded their spears to stab, avoiding the armor of the cavalry and stabbing at the places where the armor could not be covered.

And those with katanas, fighting their short bodies, kept burrowing into the belly of the horse, and then stabbed into the belly of the horse, and the blood shot rapidly, and they were trampled into flesh.

A pikeman swung his spear to stab at the enemy, the spear made a crisp sound, and it broke, at this time, the sword of the ghost court cavalry was sharpened, like lightning, and the pikeman subconsciously flashed, avoiding the vital point, but he was still honestly slashed.

A scream came, the spearman felt a heart-rending pain, his right hand waved subconsciously, and the broken wooden pole stabbed at the Jin Army's iron horse, pushing vigorously, the iron horseman's body deviated, instantly lost his balance, and fell off the horse.

A general beside him who was holding a sword, and he didn't know what level he was, waved the knife and cut it down, cutting off the head of the landed cavalryman.

At this moment, a ghost court cavalry quickly swung his sword and slashed at it, and the general's head flew up.

And with the chaotic battle, the speed of the Ghost Court Iron Cavalry also decreased, losing that overwhelming momentum, and fell into a fight.

In the chaotic battle, people kept falling, there were Date troops, there were coalition forces, but no one cared about these, stepping on the corpses on the ground, with blood on their shoes, and quickly moving forward to kill

A large number of cavalry swarmed up, forming an overwhelming momentum, and the pikemen in front of them lost their buffer, and almost in an instant, a large number of them were killed, and almost before they had time to react, the barrels of the guns made of wood were cut off by sharp long knives, and then the heads fell to the ground.

Almost instantly, a large number of iron cavalry broke through the already unshaped formation of the coalition army, and then in a short time, they routed the pikemen guarding the outside, the originally well-defended infantry formation.

The coalition is slowly showing signs of collapse.

After the battle has reached now, there is no superfluous thought, only fighting.

The chief of the forest can swing the sword, or slash, or stab, or draw, every move does not fail, and every move goes down, there is a block in front of him to fall off the horse.

I don't know how long the battle lasted, but Mori Changke could feel his arm tingling, and his originally burly and powerful arm emitted a feeling of soreness and numbness.

The blood had already scattered on the armor, like a hellish Shura, and the war horse under him was panting rapidly, when he was still carrying his master to continue fighting. Under the foot, sweat had already penetrated the underwear, and his head was dizzy, as if he was about to fall to the ground at any time.

[Damn! Originally, I wanted to take my career to the next level, but I really thought that the territory had not been obtained yet, and my whole person had already encountered such big trouble, could it be that I was really going to die here? 】

In a trance, Mori Chang thought of his father and brother, and maybe this time he really wanted to follow them.

[Woohoo! 】

At this moment, the war horse under him let out a whimper, fell to the ground, and could not get up again. The continuous battle had exhausted too much of its strength, and coupled with the sword wounds on its body, it was already like a dilapidated leaky ship that was about to topple at any time.

At this moment, the war horse finally fell.

【Juro...... Damn it!! 】

Mori Changke's heart ached. This war horse named [Shilang] is very important to him, almost his second life, once fought together, galloped on the field, repeatedly made war exploits, was his closest companion, but now it has fallen in such a place. Before he had time to grieve, a long spear with a bloody head came and stabbed it on the foot of his back, making a crisp sound.

Fortunately, the quality of the equipment was very good, and it was able to defend against the spear's assassination, but it only left a huge mark on the armor, but did not pierce it. However, the huge concussive power still penetrated the armor, making Sen Changke's five organs shock, and he didn't have time to react, almost subconsciously, the spear in his hand shook and stabbed backwards.

[Poof! 】

The sound of the tip of the knife entering the flesh was heard, and the ghost court army fell to the ground and died.

[Kill! 】

Sen Changke swung his spear and slashed at the Ghost Court Army again.

Among the samurai's fighting principles, fighting on a horse is the most majestic, but this does not mean that you cannot fight without a samurai without a horse. In the ancestral training handed down by the Mori family, there are conditions to fight, and there are no conditions to fight, which is the true nature of the samurai.

Although he lost his horse, Mori Chang did not panic at all, wielding his spear and killing constantly, completely using himself as a knight who dismounted.

And the surrounding coalition soldiers, watching the general fall off the horse, did not panic at all, let alone stepped forward to let the horse, as if they did not see it, and continued to fight. Because, this is a battlefield, a place where life and death are on the line, and there is no room for a trace of distraction.

The hearts of every coalition soldier were cold, the battle situation reached this situation, let the horse is redundant, let the horse's exercises, can already kill four or five enemies.

Date Masamune saw this scene from afar and was surprised———— it was terrifying that the shogunate had such a powerful army in addition to Achichi Kogoro.

I don't know how long it took, but a voice reached Mori Nagake's ears.

[Killed more than 20 of us, so brave, presumably Your Excellency is Lord Mori Choke who is called [Oni Musashi], right?] 】

[I'm Mori Changke, who are you? 】

[I'm Katakura Kojuro Keixuna of the Date family...... I've been in politics for a short time, so you may not have heard my name...... However, I'm here today to teach Mori-sama the art of war, so please give me advice! 】

[Katakura Kojuro Keixuna? Hum! I haven't really heard much of this name...... But your momentum deserves praise, come! Let me see the people of the Date family. 】……

The news that Mori Nagake had been killed in battle, and that Katsukashi Keiji had been captured by the Date Army in a coma with serious injuries reached Kasugayama Castle on the 12th of April, exactly ten days after Akechi Kogoro set out to leave the capital.

However, these ten days were not a day to be ignored for Akechi Kogo———— at first, he came to Echigo confidently, believing that with the strength of the shogunate and the strong army left behind by Uesugi Kenshin, the war would soon be over.

And the people of the Uesugi family also have great expectations for him, which is probably related to the consistent style of the Uesugi family———— era when the long tail is the scene, the affairs of the long tail family (Uesugi family) are the final say by himself, and the retainers only need to be responsible for the execution. When Uesugi Kenshin came to power, he became even more arbitrary, and hardly shared any power with his retainers. Fortunately, both father and son are still very wise monarchs, otherwise if they continue to manage like this, something will definitely happen to the country.

The sequelae of the dictatorship of the strong lord are very obvious, that is, the power of the retainers is generally not strong, and they are unable to do things independently.

After losing a large part of the territory, all the people of the Uesugi family, including Uesugi Jinghu, are looking forward to a person who has the ability to stand up to the scene to come out and take care of things. They put all their expectations on the wise Kogoro, who is a well-known dragon.

But now, even Akechi Kogoro has failed, which is really disappointing.

And Wise Kogoro himself was even more embarrassed, from the very beginning, he didn't understand why everyone valued him so much, and now everyone is disappointed in him, and then snubbed, which makes him feel very uncomfortable.

Especially after the news of Mori Nagake's defeat and death reached Kasuga Mountain Castle, he was even more stunned, except for the regret and guilt of Mori Nagake, a friend and in-law for many years, he felt that he could no longer face Mori Lan Maru.

【Wise Sir, how about the tea I made?】 Why don't you drink it? 】

Naoe's wife, that is, Naoe Jingzuna's daughter, Mrs. Afune, saw that Akechi Kogoro was not in a good mood, so she asked with concern.

When I came back to Echigo, Uesugi Keitora had originally invited me to stay in Kasuga Yamajo Castle, but he felt that it was a bit inappropriate to do so, because after all, he was still a guest. So he lived in Naoe's mansion.

Naoe's family is still very enthusiastic about him to this day, which makes him very useful. But people on the outside don't think so. The better people saw the heroic struggle of the wise Kogoro in Tsuenkawa, and although he lost the battle in the end, his whole performance still deserves to be recognized. But more people believe that it was the wisdom of Akechi Kogoro that caused the coalition to achieve a crushing defeat, and now that even Tochio Castle has been lost, he, as a military advisor, should be fully responsible.

Actually, the blame can't all be put on the wise Kogoro, and if the Uesugi family can work harder in Tsunakawa, maybe the war won't have been lost. However, people are selfish, and everyone wants to blame the other party for their own mistakes, and it is easy to forgive oneself and difficult to forgive others. In addition, Wise Kogoro was originally an outsider, so it was naturally easier for them to become the target of their [Lose the Black Cauldron].

By the way, speaking of the back black cauldron, there is a person whose black cauldron is much bigger than Akechi Kogoro, and now in Kasuga Mountain Castle, it is estimated that he is the most unpopular person besides me.

Who is this man? Honjo Honjo, who is originally from Honjo Castle on Mt. Honjo, is him!

He opened fire with the enemy in Obata without authorization, and in the end he lost a lot of troops, not to mention, and let Hojo Keihiro take his life, what is even more incomprehensible is that Hojo Keihiro died for him, and he himself returned safely. I really don't know whether to praise him for his good luck, or complain about Hojo Keihiro's bad luck.

Because the current situation is critical, the enemy will come to the city at any time, and it is the time to employ people in the city. Therefore, although Uesugi Jinghu was very dissatisfied with his assertions, he did not punish him too much, just a few symbolic scoldings, and the confinement for a few days was over.

And although the people of the Hojo family gritted their teeth with hatred for Honjo Fanchang, they didn't say much in the end, probably because this lord was saved by his own lord's life.

Honjo Fanchang knows that he is at a loss, or he himself is a face-saving figure (once people have status and status, they care more about their face), he doesn't go out much during this time, except for confinement, he is practicing martial arts at home, and it seems that he is planning to go to the battlefield to fight with Date Masamune, but then again, it is the time when there is a shortage of manpower in front of him, and he can do his best, naturally.

Let's not talk about others, let's talk about ourselves first.

[It's okay, the tea is good tea, and the person who makes the tea is still the noble-born Mrs. Naoe, what else am I not satisfied with? During this time, Tian is shameless, living in your mansion, and there is a lot of disturbance, I am really sorry. 】

[Eh, Mr. Wise, you have said this I don't know how many times, what bother, it is not too difficult to live in our house for a while, you can just live in peace of mind...... Actually, although I am a woman, I also understand, sir, you are troubled by the defeat of the war, it doesn't matter, victory or defeat is a common thing in soldiers, cheer up, the ship will naturally go straight ahead, there is no problem that cannot be solved. 】

In the end, she is a noble lady from a famous family, she speaks differently, and she can quote a few famous sentences. She is several years older than Akechi Kogoro, so she is also very mature when she speaks.

Wise Kogoro thinks it's very useful, and it is estimated that only the Naoe family still regards him as a trustworthy person at the moment.

At this time, Naoe Kanesu walked in with a tray full of leeks, and shouted in his mouth, "Ah Chuan, are you ready over there, it's time to eat!" He seemed to be in a good mood.

To say that this Naoe and the two of them are really interesting, one makes tea for himself, and the other cooks directly in the kitchen.

【Come!】 Come! Come! A mouthful! Mr. Wise, don't be polite to me, at today's meal, we don't talk about state affairs, just talk about family things. 】

Naoe enthusiastically poured wine for Wise Kogoro, and then served it with both hands. Although the two of them had a very good relationship before, I don't know why, Wise Kogoro felt weird today, maybe because the two of them were overly enthusiastic today.

What makes Akechi Kogoro feel even more strange is that the current situation is not optimistic at all, the Date army will invade Kasugayama Castle at any time, and the people in the city are now panicked, and even the people of the shogunate can't defeat Date Masamune, who else can be relied on?

Some rich people have already packed up their gold and silver, and are ready to run away as soon as Date Masamune arrives. Even many of the generals in the city began to secretly calculate their future and fate: some visited Akechi Kogoro in private and asked him implicitly if he could let himself under the shogunate, and some had already begun to secretly send Autumn Waves to Date Masamune.

The Uesugi family has encountered the biggest crisis in 30 years, I am afraid that when Uesugi Kenshin died, there was no such scene, when everyone was able to maintain the unity of the people in order to fight against the Oda family, under the call of the [Bi] character flag, and now, in the face of the murderous Date Masamune, the Uesugi family has lost the momentum and determination of the year. This kind of scene has also been seen by Akechi Kogoro, who was the Takeda family he saw during the [Koshu Expedition].

In this case, even he was thinking hard about whether he had a strategy to defeat the enemy, so the whole person behaved taciturn, and even a little negative and lost. And the person in front of him, at this point, can still laugh very happily, which is really incomprehensible.

[I can drink the wine, but I have to say what I need to say...... If you have anything to say to me, if you hide it like this, I won't be happy at all. 】

[Hahaha, why did Mr. Wise say such a thing, making me feel as if I had ulterior motives...... Well, now that you've picked it off, I don't have anything to hide. 】

Listening to my words, Naoe Kanesui behaved very happily, he laughed, and then said:

[Actually, it's not a big deal...... Ah Chuan, she is happy. 】

[Joy? What a happy event...... Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, look at my brain, I've been thinking about things for a while, and I haven't reacted for a while! It turned out that Mrs. Zun was pregnant with a son or a young lady, but Xi can congratulate and congratulate. 】

When I said hello to the two of them, I subconsciously looked at Ah Chuan's lower abdomen, but unfortunately, there was no bulge at all, probably because the pregnancy time was relatively short, plus the relationship between the cover of the kimono.

[Hahaha, it's not as good as Mr. Wise, I heard that Mrs. Zun is also pregnant with your third son, right? Rejoice, rejoice. 】

Listening to Ah Chuan's words, I can understand why Naoe is in such a good mood.

[When the child is born, I will definitely give a generous gift, and the adult, you and I are the same year, we are already twenty-four years old, this child, I'm afraid you have been waiting for a long time, right? 】

[Well, I've been waiting for a long time, so that Ah Chuan and I can be regarded as parents, and the Naoe family can be regarded as a successor...... However, if you want to become the heir of the Naoe family, it is not enough to give birth and raise this child well, you have to find a suitable teacher to guide his art of war and cultivation, cultivate his strength, and make him a qualified samurai, so that he can ......]

At this point, Naoe Kanesuke looked at Akechi Kogoro with hope and pleading, and the latter immediately understood what he meant.

[Hey, what a big deal I think it is, since you two think so highly of me, no! Then I'll be the child's teacher, but then again, Lord, you're a famous talent yourself, do you need to hand over the child to me? Besides, I'm in in the future, and you're in Aizu, so I'm afraid it's inconvenient to go back and forth, right? 】

[Haha, you don't have to worry about this, after the Uesugi family moves to Aizu, I will be stationed in Azuchi Castle and watch this child grow up with my own eyes. The reason why I want to trouble you, but I, the father, will teach it myself because I am worried that I will feel sorry for my child and will not be able to come out with a stern attitude. As a teacher, you can beat and scold when you should be beaten, and you don't need to care about my feelings at all, how about it? 】

[Okay, since you have said so, you can be regarded as looking up to me, then I have nothing to shirk, I will do this job next. 】

[Then thank you.] 】

Wise Kogoro thought that it was not much of an important thing to just be a teacher for other people's children, but he was far from expecting that the subsequent development of things would completely exceed his own expectations.

After the meal, the two of them began to talk about business again.

[Actually, as I said before, although the Date Army has a remarkable record and seems to be able to conquer cities along the way, in fact, the Date Army has reached its limit, and right now, Date Masamune is probably worried about whether to withdraw the army. 】

In fact, after the fall of Tochio Castle, many castles in western Echigo were already self-defeating, and many minor lords took refuge in Date Masamune.

However, the joining of these people is not entirely good for Date Masamune. First of all, the loyalty of these people is a problem, they all did [traitors] for their own survival, although the resources in their hands can slightly alleviate the increasingly embarrassing logistics problems of the Date army, but after all, it is still a drop in the bucket, and it can't solve the fundamental problem, and they have been loyal to the Uesugi family for many years, and when they turn around, it is difficult to guarantee that they will not do anything terrible, so they can't be allowed to go to the battlefield.

When it comes to logistics, I have to say that because the battle line is too long, logistics supply is a problem, although the new interior minister of the Date family, Suzuki Shigenobu, urgently raised 10,000 koku of food, but on the way to Echigo, he was attacked by the bandits and evil party.

These bandits were originally samurai of the Ashina family, and after the destruction of the Ashina family, they entrenched themselves in the mountains of the northeast and fell into the grass and robbed their homes. This time I met the old enemy Ida's family, can I not be black?

There were only more than 200 soldiers transporting grain, and they were not elite, so they were easily beaten by the bandits who were ambushed, and even Suzuki Shigenobu was injured and desperately fled back to Aizu Wakamatsu Castle, but all the grain was taken away.

[I also think it's time for Date Masamune to think about this problem, this will drag on the war in Echigo for too long, and Aizu only fought last year, and it didn't take much time to rectify, but he started a war with other countries, that kid has already committed a big taboo...... By the way, Mr. Akechi, I think it is time to send someone to Aizu to incite the old people of the Ashina family to rebel and revive the Ashina family, what do you think? 】