Trample! Trample! Trample! Trample! The Hosokawa army marched in orderly steps towards Toyota Castle in Funai County, where the Hatano family was in their sphere of influence.

The Hatano clan is a descendant of Fujiwara Hidego, who moved from the Kanto Ju clan to Tamba during the Heian period, and gradually became a powerful member of the Tamba Kingdom. Hidenaga Hatano joined Hosokawa Katsumoto's Eastern Army in the "Onin Rebellion", and repeatedly made military exploits in Kyoto, Omi and other places, and won the love of Katsumoto. After the "Onin Rebellion" subsided, Hidenaga Hatano was appointed as the guardian of Tamba by Masamoto (semi-general), the son of Katsumoto, and the Hatano family officially entered the stage of history.

Hidenaga's son, Uetsu, is the head of the Hatano family. In 1515, Uetsu presided over the construction of Yagami Castle, one of the ten fortified castles of the Sengoku period of Japan, as a residence city, proclaiming to the world the abundance of the Hatano family's human, material, and financial resources. In 1525, Uetsu took advantage of the Hosokawa family's "inner powder" and the Rebellion to expel the Hosokawa family's nail in Tanba, the guardian of Tamba, Naito Kunisada, thus monopolizing the country of Tanba, and transforming the Hatano family into a Sengoku daimyo.

However, Qingtong, the son of Zhitong, is a weak and mediocre person. In 1555, when Miyoshi Chokei exiled Hosokawa Harumoto and swept through at lightning speed, Harumi actually started a war with the Miyoshi family under the banner of "reviving the Hosokawa family", and the result was naturally that Miyoshi Nagakei and Matsunaga Shu were abused to cry and call their mother, and finally had to surrender to the Miyoshi family.

Qingtong's son Xiuzhi is brave and strategic, and he has the style of planting. In 1564, Miyoshi Chokei fell ill and died, and the Miyoshi family immediately split into four factions: Miyoshi Choji, Miyoshi Yoshitsugi, Matsunaga Hide, and the "Miyoshi Sanzhong", and was in turmoil again. Hideji took the opportunity to send troops to destroy all the pro-Miyoshi forces in Tanba, and once again dominated the country of Tanba.

Today, the Hatano family owns the Hoka-gun, Taki-gun, the eastern part of Amada County, and the northern part of Funai-gun, and the wealthy families such as the Shioi family, the Shiomi family, the Akai family, and the Fukui family all subordinated to him, creating the largest territory of the Hatano family.

In that year, when Oda Nobunaga welcomed Ashikaga Yoshiaki Kamiraku, Zenori came from the Oda family. Later, Ashikaga Yoshiaki launched the "Nobunaga Siege Network", although Hatano did not participate in it on the surface, but secretly instructed Uzu Yorishige, Naito Ruan, Akai Naomasa and other wealthy families to participate in the shogun. After Naito Ru'an defected, this matter was revealed to the world, and it was only later that Akechi Mitsuhide prepared to crusade against Tanba Province, which was instructed by Oda Nobunaga.

Eventually, Akechi Mitsuhide took advantage of the situation to rebel and launched the Honnoji Incident, which broke up the Oda family.

After Hosokawa Nobumoto's victory in the crusade against Akechi Mitsuhide, he once appealed to his ministers to follow the Oda family's external daimyo and not to break away from the Oda family, and this Hatano family was the first to declare independence, so he gave Hosokawa Nobumoto the pretext to attack.

"Lord, there is Toyota City in front, according to the ninja detective, the garrison in the city is lax, suitable for raids, please choose!" Hattori Masaaki ran over and reported to Nobumoto Hosokawa, who was riding on a horse.

"Got it, order the whole army to run! Take Toyota City fast! Hosokawa Nobumoto gave the order, and the whole army immediately rushed to Toyota Castle.

"Yawn...", the two guards of the gate slumped to the side of the road, bored to pass the time. This is the belly of the country of Tamba, surrounded by its own people, and it is hard to imagine any enemies.

"Kill!" Suddenly, a shout of killing came from a distance, and the ashigaru guarding the door lazily looked up, only to see a group of well-dressed soldiers, holding spears and knives high, rushing towards them with murderous energy.

"Huh? Yes? Yes? One of them, Ashigaru, was already stunned, and this sudden change made his head crash directly.

"What's up!" The other ashiki wailed, and ran in to report the news, and the door... But it's on...

"Ahh With a scream, the guard, who was already paralyzed with fright, was directly wiped by the swarming Hosokawa army, and stared in distraction as a large number of ashigaru poured into Toyota Castle.

"Lord of the Castle! Lord of the Castle! Oh no! There are a lot of enemies out there! Better! Better! ”

"What's going on! What a system of panic! There are no enemies around here! Hidesho Hatano walked out of the house and angrily accused the ashigaru, who was still wearing civilian clothes, and he was the second brother of the head of the family, Hideji.

"Kill!" The earth-shattering shouts of killing also came, and Hatano Hidesho was stunned for a moment, and walked quickly to the door of Honmaru, looking out.

Suddenly, whoosh! He was greeted by several arrows with the wind, and Hidesho Hatano shrank his neck in shock, and the arrows flew over his face and nailed to the door behind him.

"Holy! Hosokawa Matsukasa diamond pattern! Where did they come from! And also! What's going on at the gates! How did you let the enemy in so easily! Hatano Hidesho looked at the approaching Hosokawa army, and was so frightened that he quickly retreated and closed the gate.

"Uh... That one... Villain... Anxious to report... Door... Maybe it's not closed..."The reporter said Ashigaru uncertainly, wasn't there another person guarding the door at the time?

"Bastard!" Hatano Hidesho was so angry that he kicked the ashigaru out of the way.

Boom! Boom! Boom! The sound of the door banging was instantaneous, and he remembered that now was not the time to hold him accountable.

"My lord! What do we do? The gates of the city were lost, and the defenders of the city could not count on them. The samurai under his command crowded around Hidesho Hatano, panicked and out of order.

"Withdraw! Fall back! Come on! I can't get out any later! "By now, Hatano Hidesho has long understood that the city cannot be defended, and he must hurry out to send a message to the Lord.

"Yes! We are willing to swear to protect the lord and break out of the siege! All his men fell to one knee and pledged their loyalty.

"Good! Bring me my knife! It was too late to get dressed and hang his armor, so Hatano Hidesho took the knife and fled.

"Kill!" There was a one-sided slaughter in the city, and the bewildered Hatano army was cut down to the ground one by one by the sharp Hosokawa army.

"Whew... Call... It's finally out. Fast! Go and Communiqué to the Lord! Let's just say that the Hosokawa family is attacking on a large scale, and the number of people... The number of people is about... Well... Forty or fifty thousand! In the end, Hidesho Hatano made up a figure, which can only be said to be a huge enemy force, and he fought hard but had to tactically evacuate Toyota Castle. Otherwise, if the lord knows that he has lost the city without resistance, he must not be eaten alive.

Relying on their advantage, the Hosokawa army advanced quickly, attacking and breaking through the gates along the way, and the castles of Suchijo, Hatta Castle, and Nakamura Castle were taken one after another, and finally came to the gateway city of Taki County: Araki Castle.

The lord of Araki Castle, Araki Clan, stood at the head of the city, staring at the dense Hosokawa army under the city, his brows furrowed. The news of the sudden invasion of the Hosokawa family had reached the Hatano family, and an emergency mobilization was immediately launched in the territory, but now that it was the autumn harvest, the effect was not ideal.

As an important minister of the Hatano family, the Araki clan was tasked with delaying the attack of the Hosokawa army, so he had no choice but to forcibly recruit peasant soldiers, gathered nearly 2,000 people, and prepared to defend Araki Castle to the death.