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There is such an allusion to the cooperation between the Oda family and the Uesugi family.

In the first year of Tensho (1573), Takeda Shingen raised an army to go to Beijing, and the Mikawa samurai, who were known for their martial arts, led by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the former general of Mikata, were slaughtered and defeated.

When the news of the defeat reached Mino, Oda Nobunaga was terrified, and at this time, he was too busy fighting with various princes in to deal with the Takeda family. Moreover, the Takeda Army was one of the few strong soldiers at that time, and it was difficult to defeat.

Just when Oda Nobunaga was cornered, someone suggested to him that he could ask someone to help contain the Takeda army ———— Kenshin Uesugi.

As early as the Eiroku period, Oda Nobunaga and Uesugi Kenshin had formed an alliance for the common purpose of fighting against Takeda Shingen, but in recent years, with the bitterness of Oda Nobunaga and the Ashikaga shogunate, the alliance has existed in name only.

Will he help this time?

After a little hesitation, Oda Nobunaga decided that it was unlikely, but he sent an envoy to Echigo.

Oda Nobunaga gritted his teeth and sent 10,000 taels worth of gold to Uesugi Kenshin, as well as 300 iron cannons.

His request is also very simple———— Uesugi Kenshin does not need to go south to fight directly with the Takeda family, as long as he makes a show, disturbs the territory of the Takeda family, and makes Takeda Shingen take care of the rear and postpone the march.

What was Uesugi Kenshin's reaction?

In fact, since Takeda Shingen sent troops, Uesugi Kenshin's nerves have been tense.

Once Takeda Shingen succeeds in Beijing, the blow to Uesugi Kenshin can be regarded as almost devastating, not only because of the enmity between the two families for many years, but also, as the only person in this world who can stand up to Takeda Shingen, his life is the biggest threat to the former.

However, knowing the stakes, why didn't Uesugi Kenshin do it earlier.

Because Takeda Shingen went to Beijing on the orders of the shogun, attacking Takeda was tantamount to making enemies of the shogunate, which made Uesugi Kenshin, who had respected the shogunate for many years, in a dilemma.

After receiving a gift from Oda Nobunaga, Uesugi Kenshin made a puzzling move———— he left the iron cannon behind, but instead transferred the gold to Echizen Asakura Yoshikage.

Asakura Yoshikei is an important member of the [Anti-Nobunaga Alliance], and over the years, because of the annual war, Echizen's finances have been empty, and he is anxious to use the money.

What is the purpose of Kenshin Uesugi?

Although Takeda Shingen's ascension to Beijing is not good for him, in the same way, if Oda Nobunaga gains a foothold in an emergency, it will still not be good for Uesugi Kenshin. Moreover, Oda Nobunaga disobeyed the general, which made Uesugi Kenshin very dissatisfied.

Not only that, but Asakura Yoshikei's actions were even more jaw-dropping———— after receiving the gold, he did not strengthen Oda Nobunaga's determination to fight to the end, but instead, the class master returned to the court.

Later, Takeda Shingen died before he could get out of school, and Oda Nobunaga escaped.

Could it be that Oda, Uesugi and Asakura had an ulterior secret agreement from the very beginning? There is no way to verify it......

The dawn of the morning had just driven away the night, and before the sun had yet to appear, the Uesugi and Oda armies, who had gathered in one place yesterday, had already gathered in the sound of drums and horns.

[Mr. Akechi, Naoe-sama, please get on board.] 】

[Well, are the rafts ready?] 】

[It's almost over, the people of the various reserve teams have already got the rafts, and Honjo-sama and Hojo-sama, as the pioneers, have already set off half an hour ago.] 】

The Kumi's words made Akechi Kogoro very satisfied, and it took about a week for the Uesugi family to make or collect a total of eight or nine hundred bamboo rafts, and you can imagine what it would be like to have so many floating objects on the river.

Although the Tsugawa River basin is long, stretching from Echigo to Aizu, the width of the river is not high, which makes it impossible for multiple boats to run in parallel, so Akekogoro thought of replacing boats with bamboo rafts.

And the bamboo raft is extremely fast and easy to operate. A bamboo raft can carry about five or six people, one person is responsible for rowing, and the rest are responsible for guarding.

Naoe Kanesu, who was in charge of supervising the battle, originally wanted to select stronger soldiers from the army to row, but Akechi Kogoro felt that it was better for the soldiers to have weapons in their hands, so that if the enemy attacked early, they could immediately counterattack.

So, according to the idea of Akechi Kogoro, Naoe hired a large number of fishermen to act as sailors.

Of course, the money is definitely not spent, but now that the country is ruined, the Uesugi family still cares about this little money, besides, this idea is good, and it is a kind of protection for the lives of soldiers.

In addition to the fishermen, many peasants were also mobilized, and about 800 people joined the army directly.

This is probably because of Naoe's propaganda, and the rest of Date Masamune's side of him have been completely demonized by the propagandists.

Of course, these people can't count on how many enemies they can kill at all, and their role is only to suppress the formation.

At the moment when the two of them were about to board the bamboo raft, Akechi Kogoro saw that the more than 800 farmers were divided into weapons under the arrangement of the Uesugi family's governor, and all of them were uneasy because of the battle that was about to break out, but there was a hint of excitement in this uneasiness.

Everyone knows that if the samurai go out on a campaign, if the war can be won, they will be promoted to the next rank when they return, and even the lowest-class ashigaru, if they kill the enemy, they will be rewarded with an acre of fertile land when they return.

Although farmers are not regular samurai, they cannot get official positions or good fields, but they can also receive good money and even ...... If you can kill or capture the enemy's generals alive, then ......

These people are all farmers who have been farming all their lives, and it is more accurate for them to serve than to join the army. And the rewards of the samurai are very clear.

Everyone is very envious in their hearts, for a farmer, the most precious thing is not the gold and silver silk, but the fertile land.

But Japan's feudal manor system, where land was firmly controlled by the lords and nobles, and it was not allowed to buy and sell, how could these peasants live better?

The young and brave among the peasants, although they were apprehensive at this time, fearing that they would lose their lives in battle, but more of them faintly looked forward to the appearance of the possible Date army.

The so-called precious danger is sought in danger, and it is impossible to get rich in a lifetime of farming, and only by fighting can you get rich in the shortest possible time.

Maybe this time they will be able to make a contribution with the light of the Uesugi Army, even if they are rewarded with half an acre of fertile land, it will be something they can't ask for. Half an acre of land, which can make the family less hungry.

[Seeing them like this, they want to beg for a living with their lives, I suddenly thought of Qu Yuangong's famous sentence: Chang Tai rests to cover his tears, and mourns the difficulties of people's livelihood! ] It's not easy to get into the world. 】

[Mr. Wise, Qu Yuangong I know, but what does this sentence mean? I don't understand. 】

[Naoe-sama doesn't understand, right, let's go.] 】……

Hojo Keihiro and Honjo were at the forefront as pioneers, and by noon they were less than thirty miles away from Tochio Castle. The two decided to temporarily dock on the shore and make a fire to cook.

may be because of the previous unpleasantness, so even if they are rectifying and resting, the two are far apart. It seems that Honjo Fancho is not going to deal with Hojo Keihiro who is competing with him anymore.

Hojo Keihiro didn't know if it was a loss, and he didn't have any contact with Honjo Shiranaga, so he made his own fire and cooked.

Hojo Keihiro sat alone in the main camp of the Hojo Army, staring motionlessly at the map showing the terrain around Tochio Castle on the desk.

[This battle must be fought well, once Tochio Castle is lost, then Hojo Castle may not be able to be saved. 】

He thought so, and after a while, a flag book walked in to report.

[Master, there is a military situation! ] 】

[Huh? Military? Found traces of the Date Army? 】

[Yes, in the forest less than ten miles away from us, the ninjas sent out found the traces of the Date army, the number of them was about five or six hundred, all of them were ashigaru, and the general who led the army was probably Goto Nobuyasu. 】

[Goto Nobuyasu? That's a great samurai, it's said that every time he fights, he wears yellow, are you sure it's really him? 】

[This...... Because the distance is too far, people don't see the clothes he is wearing, but they hear him speak in a loud voice, judging that he is very young, and the family crest of the Goto family is printed on the flag, so it ......]

[Okay, you don't need to say more, I generally understand, and immediately call all the adults in the army over, and I want to discuss this matter with you. 】

As soon as Qiben said [Hi Yi], he retreated, and after a meal, the retainers of the Hojo family came in one after another.

I want to explain a little here, the [Hojo family] where Hojo Keihiro is located, the [Hojo family] of the famous family of the peace clan has nothing to do with it, and the ancestor of Hojo Keihiro is Oehiromoto, that is, he is a distant relative of the Maori family, and even the family crest is [one character three-star].

The general Hamasaki Saoma Jielong also hurried forward after listening to Hojo Keihiro's preliminary introduction on military intelligence:

[My lord, I am willing to take a team of men and horses to investigate, and I will definitely capture those Date thieves who do not know whether they are alive or dead. 】

Hamasaki Ryuya's voice just fell, he was also a general, but another retainer who was much younger, Fukasawa Goro, this hot-blooded and reckless guy hurriedly jumped out.

[Lord, let me go, Lord Hamasaki is an important minister of the Hojo family, and he has made outstanding achievements, how can he personally go out with this small miscellaneous fish of 500 people? Just give me 500 men, and I'll kill all these guys who are hiding in the shadows. 】

Although Ryuya Hamasaki and Goro Fukasawa have been working together in the same tent all year round, the relationship between the two is not very good, and they always quarrel over the Hojo family's civil and military strategies, and sometimes even quarrels.

As soon as the words of the two fell, they were [despised] by Hojo Keihiro, who had just turned around.

Hojo Keihiro touched his forehead with a sense of powerlessness, and felt that if this war could end smoothly, he would definitely open a dojo when he went back and teach these two guys how to use the art of war.

Hamasaki Ryuya and Fukasawa Goro are not serious samurai backgrounds, as can be seen from their names, Fukasawa used to be a fisherman, I don't know what shit luck I was in, from a ashigaru to today's general, has stepped into the sequence of medium samurai, and Hamasaki Ryu is even more unbearable, it turned out to be a bandit and evil party, after surrendering himself, he has repeatedly made military exploits to get mixed up to today.

In terms of ability, these two people are not bad, [going into battle] and [rushing and killing] are indeed not bad.

But they still haven't adapted to the role of a samurai, they don't do things through their brains, samurai and ashigaru are different, ashigaru only needs to be responsible for killing, and samurai have to ensure the management of the entire army, which is different.

These two people came to lead the troops, which made Hojo Jingguang a little helpless, but under his own hands, there were countless such retainers.

[Zuo Masuke, Goro, I said, why don't you use your brains?! I am in the light, and the enemy is in the dark. We can't even be sure who the other party is, whether it's Goto Nobuyasu or not, and we don't know how many people he came...... Attack rashly like this, in case you lose the battle and fall into the enemy's trap, who will be responsible for the two of you?! 】

Fukasawa Goro was criticized by the lord like this, and immediately lowered his head and made a look of shame.

But Hamasaki Ryuya, who was born as a robber and has become an old fritter, doesn't care at all, and when he is criticized, he still looks like he has no heart and lungs, and he doesn't take Hojo Keihiro's criticism seriously at all, and he says with a big grin.

[So what should we do?] Lord, you can't just sit here and wait, can you? If the people of the Date family also found out about us, wouldn't it be a passive beating?

Looking at his completely indifferent virtue, Hojo Keihiro was even more angry.

[Then you still need to say it!] Of course, it doesn't mean that we don't do anything, I've already sent a few more teams to scout! 】

[It turns out that the lord has already had a countermeasure, but it's really my mouth. 】

[You all be honest with me! …… We are now waiting for news from them, and everyone in the camp must also be prepared to divide the people in the camp into two teams, one to rest and one to guard. 】

[Hi Yi! 】

[And all the battalions were reinforced, and all the peasants recruited before were urgently reorganized according to the art of war, and they could be trained as much as they could, and a few group leaders were sent to be captains. 】

[Hi Yi! 】

The retainers present listened to Hojo Jinghiro's orderly arrangement, and they all nodded with great satisfaction. Finally, one of them added:

[In addition to this, I think we should immediately pass on the news of the discovery of the enemy to Naoe-sama and Mr. Akechi, and let them judge it as well.] 】

[Well, it makes sense, I heard that the wise Kogoro is called [Dragon] like Kenshin Gong, but I want to see if this dragon is really capable...... Just do as you say. 】

With the last arrangement of Hojo Keihiro, then their Hojo Army will be invincible.

According to Hojo Keihiro's guess, even if there was really an Ida soldier hiding in the shadows, there would not be too many.

Now that the armies of the Date Army are in various cities, the remaining troops can only be transferred from the heartland of Yonezawa or Aizu.

And Yonezawa is still facing the attack of the Soma family and the Satake family, so even if it is transferred, it is impossible to send too many people to aid Date Masamune and them.

As long as they take it step by step, then their team will not worry too much about the other party's attack.

Hojo Keihiro discussed it for a while, and various orders began to be issued one after another. The camp, which had gradually quieted down to eat, was once again full of people, and one by one the heralds with flags planted all over their bodies were running back and forth in the camp.

In the Honjo camp not far away, Honjo Shiganaga was eating with his son Honjo Katsunaga.

While eating, the father and son also chatted about the war from time to time, because Honjo's eldest son, Honjo Kennaga, died young, so Honjo Katsucho became the new heir, which was also his first battle.

Because it was the first time for his son to participate in the battle, his father told him some tactics from time to time.

At this time, the herald came to report that in the forest not far away, traces of Date were found.

[How many enemies are there, are you sure that there are only five or six hundred? 】

[Yes.] 】

Honjo lowered his head and muttered for a moment, then asked:

[It can't be an enemy's trap, are there any other enemies around?] 】

[No other traces of Date's army have been found, but there is a strange situation.] 】

[What's going on?] 】

[The Date Army cut down trees in the forest, carried stones, and even dug mud in the ground, I don't know why. 】

[What's so strange about this, it means that they are going to build a city here and prepare to fight a defensive battle with us, it seems that Date Masamune also thought that Tsugawa is the key to the war and wants to own this place as soon as possible. 】

[Father, is this really the case? I think that if the city is really going to be built, how can the Date army send only five or six hundred men? Maybe Date Masamune's main force is around here. 】

[Haha, what you said makes sense, but these five or six hundred people won't survive tonight...... Gather your troops! Get ready for battle! 】

Honjo seemed to be very happy, and he gave the order to the herald to assemble and fight with great majesty, and Honjo Katsucho on the side was surprised that war was coming.

[Father, are you going to fight the enemy like this? Isn't that too rash? 】

[What?! You kid dare to call me rash?! …… Your father and I are currently the most relied on generals in the entire Uesugi family, do you think I will act rashly? 】

It seems to be relied on, and there is no rashness, the two have nothing to do with each other, okay, Honjo Shicho's dissuasion of his son is not useful, but a little angry, maybe a military general like him, all have this temper.

But then again, the Uesugi family has withered in recent years, and the [Uesugi Twenty-five Generals] have either passed away, or retired due to old age, and there are few people who are active on the front line, except for Ganji Jingzhi.

So the young and vigorous, dare to fight and dare to kill Honjo Fanchang, has become the new strength of the Uesugi family, but then again, the rebel who Uesugi Kenshin couldn't even look down on back then, has now become the pillar of the Uesugi family, in addition to making people feel that the Uesugi family is indeed [Shu Zhong has no generals, Liao has become a pioneer], and the Uesugi family has obviously declined, and the stars of the Long Tail and Uesugi Kenshin era shine and become strong, and they can no longer be seen.

[But father, I'm afraid it's not appropriate for us to start a war with the enemy like this, right? …… Didn't you also tell me before that before a big war, you must first determine the specific situation of the enemy? 】

[You'll memorize my words!] Of course, what I said is not wrong, but now that the enemy's situation is no more obvious, if we continue to hesitate and make interruptions, sooner or later we will have to delay the fight against the enemy! 】

The reserve of five or six hundred members of the Date Army was hidden in the forest not far from here, and they knew this information as the enemy, but the Date Army itself did not know it. If he leads a team of soldiers and horses to kill him now, he can annihilate these people without much effort. There is also his own son, who can also accumulate experience in killing the enemy through this initial battle, and lay the foundation for future officials.

In itself, it is indeed risky to start a battle without knowing the specifics of the enemy.

But now that he is fighting with 1,000 men against 5 or 600 men, or when the enemy is completely defenseless and sneak attacking, he believes that the troops and horses he has brought for many years under his command will definitely be able to complete this mission.

In this way, his son will be able to make a great contribution and succeed him as the pillar of the Uesugi family in the future.

Speaking of which, the main thing is to covet military exploits, and it is also for the sake of his son's fame and fortune. The more excited Honjo became, the more excited he was, and his whole eyes were full of excitement.

Seeing that his son was still questioning his thoughts, Honjo was a little unhappy, he patted Honjo Katsucho on the shoulder, and said in a rare and gentle tone:

[Now although you rely on your father's merits to enjoy glory and wealth, you are always unable to compare with those young people who have made meritorious contributions and are valued by the lord, for example, Naoe, who has soared in recent years.

Of course, Lord Naoe was able to ascend to the throne because he was outstanding in writing and was a good hand in domestic affairs. Even if we are fathers, we are not as good as ourselves, but we also have our own ability, which is to fight.

Now there is a great opportunity in front of you, if you seize it and make military achievements, then he will be impressed by you in the future, whether it is the lord or the Naoe-sama. With military merits, you will not be able to continue the glory of the Honjo clan like my father and me in the future. 】

Katsucho Honjo was still a little hesitant, but when he heard his father, who had always been brave and good at fighting and battle-hardened, he couldn't help but feel a little moved, after all, he was also worried about his future.

[Well, since my father already has such a plan, then as a son, I can only obey! ] 】

[Well, that's right, after a while, you only need to fight with the enemy's ashigaru, with your current cultivation of the art of war, you are not the opponent of those generals...... By the way, for such a big thing, I have to report it to Naoe! 】

While preparing to send troops, Honjo Shiganaga also sent a messenger to Naoe Kanesuke......

The forest where Goto Nobuyasu is located has become a hell since the arrival of Honjo.

The backs led by Goto Nobuyasu were only 620 men, so they were not the vanguard of the Date Army, and Goto Nobuyasu himself was ordered by Date Masamune to come here to carry out another special mission.

In the morning, when they found out that the Uesugi army was preparing to cross the Tsugawa River, they hid in a forest here, preparing to collect trees, stones, and mud while waiting for the rendezvous army.

In order to conserve his strength, Goto Nobuyasu pulled the troops to the open area in the center of the forest, and except for a few people who were on guard, the rest of them all worked on the spot.

Undoubtedly, this was to prepare for a surprise attack by the enemy.

According to his thoughts, the people of the Uesugi family, not to mention that they would not find out the whereabouts of the others at all, even if they knew, they could evacuate here with only five or six hundred people.

It's just that the plan can't catch up with the change, and they are soon discovered, and the Uesugi army, which is twice as large as them, is rushing in a fierce manner.

It's just that when Goto Nobuyasu, who was awakened by the sound of shouting and killing in his nap, looked at the enemy soldiers who rushed to kill everywhere, and looked at the soldiers who had lost their labor tools one by one, and even had no time to take their weapons, and they didn't have time to wear enough equipment, one by one just reacted.

When he was stabbed to the ground by a spear from the Uesugi army, he still didn't believe what was in front of him.

Even if he was discovered, but the large force of the Uesugi army was far away in Kasugayama Castle, and the garrison of Tochio Castle had already been monitored by the lord Date Masamune, so it was impossible for him to come here to fight, where did this army come from?

None of the Date family knew about Akekogoro's plan, so they were puzzled by this troop that had come out of nowhere.

In fact, Honjo didn't know how stupid his actions were!

Akechi Kogoro had planned to wait until he had crossed the Tsugawa River before fighting Date Masamune. And his own greed and recklessness made the whereabouts of the Uesugi army exposed in advance, and the whole plan was messed up.

[Don't mess around, everyone! Concentrate! Concentrate! Assemble and fight the enemy! 】

Although he didn't understand what was going on, the military situation was urgent at this time, and it was too late to think about the reason for this, so Goto Nobuyasu shouted loudly to his soldiers.

In a hurry, he didn't have time to put on his armor, so he rode a war horse bare-chested with a sword in his hand, and kept rushing back and forth, hoping to gather the soldiers who had been scattered in a panic by the Uesugi army.

However, in the era of cold weapons, it was attacked by an enemy, and it had successfully scattered those soldiers, and it was difficult to gather them again.

Although Goto Nobuyasu was heroic, he rushed to kill for a long time, and found that not only did the people around him not increase, but became fewer and fewer, and, worse, because of his activity, more and more Uesugi troops had already targeted him.

[Haha! I remember, you are the one next to Date Masamune, Goto Nobuyasu who is called [Huang Goten], and I, Yahachi Shinozaki, will take your life! 】

[Want to kill me? If you have the ability, you can try it! Nobody! 】

Honjo Fanchang was surrounded by more than a dozen flags, and he himself did not directly join the battle, but sat quietly on the Maza, watching the five or six hundred Date troops not far away fall one by one.

It seems that this battle, without any suspense, ended with your own victory.

He had a meaty face, but his smile was incomparably brighter.

It worked, and the Uesugi army finally succeeded. Not only because they managed to sneak up on the enemy, but they were completely victorious, and they did not pay many casualties at all.

Some time ago, because of the betrayal of the Shibata family, the Uesugi family was defeated in the battle of the Date family, so their victory was very precious.

Remembering that he would see Naoe Kanesuke in a few days, although he was afraid that he would be reprimanded for sending troops without authorization, but defeating the enemy was also indispensable for rewarding, he felt full of energy.

At this time, a herald came to Honjo's side and asked:

[Master, many Date soldiers have already knelt on the ground and surrendered and begged for mercy, do we want to ...... them]

[You don't have to! We have an important task ahead, the presence of these people, the command of our burden, kill them all! …… By the way, have you found out the origin of this army? 】

[It has been found out that the commander of this army is Goto Nobuyasu, who was formerly known as [Huang Goto], and it is said that he is a close confidant of Date Masamune...... However, sir, he has been killed by a group leader named Yahachi Shinozaki. 】

[Oh, yes, well done, that guy called Yahachi Shinozaki, give him the first credit, and when you see him, tell him that he is already the Ashigaru Shogun of the Banker!] 】

While praising the little-known soldier under his command, Honjo Shiganaga was also laughing at Goto Nobuyasu for being killed by a small soldier, and it seems that the [Huang Goto] is nothing more than that.

[Okay, let's retreat after killing all the enemies, this place is not suitable for a long stay, and we still have a mission to do. 】

Although it was a victory in front of him, Honjo Shiganaga forgot about it without being proud, and he knew that it was no accident that Goto Nobuyasu appeared here, and there might be other Date people nearby.

They have to fight quickly, and the sooner they get back to the shore of Tsugawa, the safer it will be. This is a great achievement, whether it is a scolding or a reward, he has to keep his life safe.

Honjo's long thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps, and in the dark forest, a group of soldiers rushed towards him with weapons in hand. And behind that, there seemed to be a louder footstep rushing to come.

In an instant, the first dozen or so people had already come to Honjo's side, and the first leader was his son Honjo Katsucho, who was defending outside the forest.

For various reasons, Katsucho Honjo did not participate in the direct battle, and not only that, but at this time, Katsucho Honjo's face was already as white as paper, and even the helmet on his head had fallen off, and his hair was still scattered, which was indescribably embarrassed.

[Why are you here?!] Didn't you tell you to guard the entrance to the forest to prevent the enemy from attacking?! 】

[Father, it's not good, Date Masamune's brigade is here! ] 】

【Nani! Are you sure it's Date Masamune's centaurs? 】

[It can be determined that it is the enemy, and there are at least thousands of men and horses.] The soldiers can't stop it, and they've retreated into the forest, father! Quickly send people to block the valley, or we won't be able to get out of here alive today!" 】

Honjo's face turned blue all of a sudden, and it was like falling from the clouds into a deep valley in an instant. A second ago, they rushed into the forest and killed the Date army in the forest, but now the incident immediately changed and they were blocked in the valley.

However, although he was stunned for a moment, he was also a general of a hundred battles, and it was not the first time he faced this situation, so he reacted immediately.

[Queue, everyone don't mess up! 】

[Give me the entrance when I came, and the rest of the people give me the speed to clear the Date army in the forest, hurry up!] 】

[Cut down a big tree for me again to block the intersection to prevent the enemy brigade from rushing in.] 】

[Now that the situation is urgent, we have to defend to the death, and I believe that it will not be long before reinforcements will come to save us. As long as we hold on, we will have made a great contribution today! 】

Honjo Fan Chang held the sword in his hand and issued orders loudly, although his soldiers were also a little flustered, but fortunately, everyone also understood the situation at this time, and they all began to get busy.

[Father, didn't you say that this matter is nine out of ten sure? Why are we like this now......]

In the face of his son's questioning, Honjo wiped the sweat on his forehead and said anxiously:

[What do you guys know!] Things on the battlefield are changing rapidly, and no one can be 100% sure! But don't panic, I see that the enemy is also new to the city, and he is not familiar with the terrain here, which is a blessing in disguise. 】

[In this case, we still have hope of escaping and ascending to heaven? 】

[What do you mean by [escape]?! We are the winners! …… Take a good look, this forest is full of trees, and there is only one exit from the place where we are, and the Date army has no other way but to attack from this place. And although these miscellaneous members of the Date family are very capable of fighting, in this densely wooded place, they can neither line up nor charge, so there is still hope for our army. 】

In the end, it is the old rivers and lakes, just a blink of an eye, Honjo has analyzed the situation of the enemy and the enemy in the war, how can a mediocre military general have this level?

[I understand, father, so although there are many people, it doesn't have much effect, in this narrow area, the fight is who is more courageous! Just right! Let these dogs see how powerful we are! 】

After his father's enlightenment, Honjo Katsucho suddenly became excited, in fact, the stronghold of the Honjo family, Honjo Castle, the residence of the northern people, had already been captured by the Date army, and under this great shame, he hated Date Masamune to the bone!

[Well said!] But don't get carried away! The current situation is mainly to preserve combat effectiveness, we do not need to fight the enemy directly, as long as we defend this forest with trees and bows and arrows, the Date army will definitely not be able to attack for a while. 】

For Katsucho Honjo, this kind of crisis was the first time he encountered it in his life, so he seemed a little flustered, but for Shigenaga Honjo, such a scene tonight was just a small meaning.

After so many years in the army, there have been more things than this hundred times more dangerous, and when Uesugi Kenshin besieged Honjo Castle, everyone thought that Honjo would definitely die this time, but in the end, people were still alive and well. So now, Honjo Shiganaga is confident that he can defend this intersection with more than 1,000 people in his hands, and for a samurai, and he is also a warlike samurai, the current scene makes his blood boil, this feeling has not been felt for many years.

【Victory!】 It's not a way for us to just hold on like this, you take a team of men and horses to break out and find Hojo Keihiro, so that he can come and save me quickly! 】

【Hojo Keihiro? No way! Father, this Hojo Keihiro had a very unpleasant quarrel with you before because of the matter of competing for the vanguard, how could he come to save people? 】

[What are you doing with nonsense?!] If you are told to go, hurry up! Delayed, actually, are you responsible?! …… Rest assured! In public and private, Hojo Keihiro will not allow me to fail! 】……

After Hojo Keihiro saw Honjo Katsucho again, the whole person was dumbfounded.

[What are you talking about?!] Honjo-sama went to fight against the people of the Date family without receiving orders from Mr. Akechi and Naoe-sama, and is still trapped in the forest? 】

That Zhuang Shengchang drank a bowl of water and buffered his emotions.

[Hojo-sama, since my father knew that there were five or six hundred Date soldiers and horses hidden in the forest more than ten miles away, he took us out of the camp two hours ago, and then we took advantage of his unpreparedness to raid the camp of Date Nobuyasu Goto. 】

Hojo Keihiro realized that the commander of the Date Army was called this name, and at the same time, he was a little glad that he was not stupid———— and went to fight against the Date Army without knowing the enemy's situation.

[Have you defeated the enemy?] Could it be that the guy named Goto Nobuyasu is flanking your father with reinforcements? 】

[That's not true, it's just that we just defeated those 500 people and killed Goto Nobuyasu...... However, somehow, the army of Date soldiers suddenly arrived, and I came to the rescue on the orders of my father, and when I broke through, my father had already led a large army to retreat into the forest, and now according to what I saw, there were no less than 2,500 Date troops, and the military situation was urgent. 】

When Hojo Keihiro heard this, he really understood everything at once.

This confused Honjo not only fought the enemy without receiving an order, but was so bold that when the enemy situation was unknown, he dared to take a thousand men to attack a battalion of five or six hundred people. …… Now, he ate five or six hundred people, but he also trapped himself. One thousand against two thousand five, it's too dangerous.

Barely hesitating, and after a very brief mutter, Hojo Keihiro said to Katsunaga Honjo, who was kneeling on the ground.

[I understand, don't worry, I am an official in the same dynasty as your father, do you have a deep friendship, how can you not save you when you die...... You've been injured all the way through, so let's go down and recuperate first. The rest will be left to me, and I will immediately raise troops to save people. 】

After Honjo Katsucho retreated, Fukasawa Goro came over and asked:

[Lord, do you really want to save it? Now we only have 1,500,000 soldiers and horses, and if we want to be prosperous in this village, maybe we will have to ride all of them. And we still have a task in our bodies, and we are about to arrive at Tochio City, so it is really not a good thing to delay at this time, and besides, this Zhuang Fanchang is carrying the army on the back of Lord Naoe, and this matter has reached the ears of Lord Naoe, and we will not be blamed for not saving us when we see death. 】

[Yes, lord, this Zhuang Fanchang insulted you in front of the general before, making you lose face, and now he is bent on death, why should we care?!] 】

Listening to the words of these two people, Hojo Jingguang suddenly raised his eyebrows———— why are these two people so ignorant?

[Shut up!] You two! If you dare to say more, I'll blast you out...... Listen to me, I owe him a favor because of the competition for the vanguard, and now I just want to pay him back! Do you understand?! 】

It's no wonder that Honjo Shiranaga thinks that Hojo Keihiro will definitely come to save him, [human favor] This thing is really wonderful.

After Hojo Keihiro also joined the battle, the tide of battle changed again.

What started out as a small-scale assault has now turned into a combined battle of thousands.

Echigo is rich in horses, and similarly, Oshu is also rich in good horses, although the production areas are not far apart, but the characteristics of horses are different, in terms of durability, Oshu horses can run for a long time, and in terms of speed, Echigo horses are faster.

However, this is a lush forest, not a vast and boundless prairie, and those who ride horses are not as agile as those who do not ride, so except for the infantry, the rest are dismounted cavalry.

[I'm Hojo Tango Shou Keihiro, Honjo Echizen Mamoru Lord, where are you?! ] Still alive?! 】

Hojo Keihiro shouted the name of Honjo Shigenaga while rushing to kill the enemy's soldiers, if Honjo Shigenaga had already died here, then his visit this time would not only be meaningless, but he would also fall into the situation of being besieged by the enemy.

But he never got a response, not that Honjo Fanchang has now returned to the West, but that this Jun is fighting with the enemy at this time, and he hasn't heard anything at all.

It doesn't matter to him here, but Hojo Jinghiro is getting more and more anxious, and he can't hear the long echo of Honjo, so that he has a kind of illusion that his friendly army died in battle and he is isolated.

This abominable Honjo, if he hadn't sneaked up on it in the first place...... Forget it, what's the use of blaming someone else? I came to rescue my allies, even if I die in this place, I'm afraid it won't cause any criticism, and if you die on the battlefield, you should take it as a reward for the lord's kindness to you.

Hojo Keihiro is worthy of being Uesugi Keitor's most relied on general, and under his charge all the way, there are already seven or eight Date soldiers who died under his four-foot-long katana, and basically all of them have been directly cut off their heads.

This can't be helped, no matter how thick the armor on the body is, it can't protect your neck, after all, once this part is also equipped with armor, then it is inconvenient to turn your head, and for the infantry on the battlefield, this is the most dangerous.

Hojo Keihiro's courageous performance attracted a lot of people, and he even began to surround himself with a lot of Honjo retainers, and gradually, Date Jun began to lose the absolute upper hand.

In the chaotic battle, Hojo Keihiro's high-pitched voice was particularly loud, and even the Uesugi soldiers, who were still a little afraid of the Date soldiers, recovered their spirits one by one. The morale of the cavalry throughout Goguryeo was much higher.

A military general of the Date Army, who looked like he was in his thirties, he saw that the enemy was so arrogant, angry, gritted his teeth, and didn't say anything, but a pair of eyes were already fixed on this arrogant guy, that is, Hojo Keihiro.

With a light touch of his legs on the good horse under his crotch, the mount increased his speed very spiritually, exerted force on all four legs, and came to the front of Hojo Keihiro.

[Are you the Hojo Tango Shoujing? I've admired your name for a long time, I'm Shiraishi Wakasa Mori of the Date family, so I'm here to ask you about your art of war! 】

[Another one to die, hahaha, let me send you back to the West...... Hahahaha, just come, I'll just treat you as if you were in a hurry to die. 】

Hojo Keihiro didn't care about this general, who had never even heard of his name, and even thought that he could take off his head in a short time, but in fact, on the contrary, a few minutes later, the person who had his head cut off was himself......

More than ten miles away, on the high mountain outside the forest, there was a team of men and horses watching the battle in the forest.

The leader is a young man wearing a helmet of the oblique moon arch.

The young man himself is ordinary in appearance and does not deserve attention, but he has an eyepatch on his right eye, which makes people can't help but look at him twice.

Date Misaku Masaku Masamu Tojiro Masamune.

[That forest, if I'm not mistaken, should be called [Obata], right? Xinkang, that guy is such a shit! It was so exposed under the noses of the enemy! This time he was afraid he wouldn't survive. 】

Date Masamune was a little angry, and a little helpless looked at another herald who knelt down in front of him.

Not long ago, he harassed large and small castles in central Echigo, and originally tried to lure the Uesugi family into sending troops, but to no avail.

So he changed his strategy and secretly went all the way west. Originally, I wanted to lurk under Tochio Castle, control Tsugawa by the way, wait for the time to be ripe, conquer Tochio Castle, and then go down the Tsugawa River, so that most of the castles in central Echigo will be in danger and will be self-defeating, and that Kasuga Mountain Castle, needless to say, will also be in his own pocket.

But now, once Goto Nobuyasu is discovered, the Uesugi family will naturally be vigilant, and the next battle may not be easy at all.

[There's no way, let's start a battle with the enemy in Tsugawa, in addition, you go and inform Zuoyue that the siege of Tochio Castle can begin! ] 】

[Hi Yi! 】