On June 9, 1582, Kambara-jo Castle was conquered. The Tokugawa army lost about 300 more men, and Motonao Torii was killed in the process of breaking out.

The reinforcements coming down from the mountains to the north were quite low in combat effectiveness and morale, and before they could open their formation, they were fired at by the iron cannons of the Hidekiyo and Maori armies, and then a flank attack by the mixed cavalry of the Daimyo Banner, so it was over before they could use their strength. Fortunately, it was not far from the mountain, and most of the people turned around and ran back into the forest on the mountain, but they did not lose much manpower.

It's a pity that Torii Motonao, who had just withdrawn from Kambara Castle, didn't get any response and cover at all, and before the horse seal behind him could be unfolded, he was shot down by an iron cannon in the Nakamura army.

From the moment I saw the Eastern Army rushing down the hillside and appearing at the edge of the forest, I knew that I had succeeded and failed at the same time.

As a result, I was able to achieve victory in just half a day, easily taking the last valley castle in the Higashi Suruga Corridor, Kambara-jo. Isn't this a plain victory? My army achieved its objectives at a small cost, and won over the enemy's defenders, and the morale of the army was at an all-time high. For a while, the momentum was like a rainbow, and there was even an argument that the eight countries of Kanto would be pacified within a month.

The so-called failure was due to the fact that this attack had been anticipated by Tokugawa Ieyasu, and there were neither the armies of other eastern daimyo nor the elite of the Tokugawa family among the defenders and reinforcements. There are two reasons for this, first, Tokugawa Ieyasu has no intention of defending any castle on flat land, occupying Hakone for a long time, and naturally has other ideas in the future; Second, I want to show the other forces on the mountain: I, Tokugawa Ieyasu, have done my best, and it will be up to you in the future!

Shimazu Yoshihiro was stationed in Kambara, Nakamura and Ten Rivers were on the periphery, and there were big forces such as Ikeda, Kerr, Mori, and Otomo to respond at any time, so it should be foolproof. It took a day to finally arrange everything, and the previous fortifications were extended to Kambara-jo to form a new frontier. It is estimated that nothing will happen for the time being, and I plan to return to Shiratoriyama Castle in another day to coordinate and command the entire battle situation. Because the newly captured Kambara-jou Castle was too protruding and too close to the enemy army, I still stayed at Sanmebashi Castle this night.

At dinner, the daimyo troops who had made their achievements in battle today were verbally praised, and several junior samurai were rewarded with gold. Everyone's interest was high, and there seemed to be nothing to worry about in front of them, especially the few people who had been my hostile in the past, and it seemed that in this way those suspicions were gradually disappearing.

"Lord, you should rest early!" After some bits and pieces of business, the Gamo clan stood up and prepared to leave.

"You urge the front departments again, you must be careful and vigilant!" I felt a wave of tiredness hit me and couldn't help but yawn. "Although the Hojo clan may not dare to fight with us, especially in such a place, I think there will still be 'small actions'. This arrogant and self-righteous guy has been the leader of the Eastern Alliance for the first time to do such a face-saving thing, I'm afraid he will have to toss it! ”

"There are still a few famous generals under Hojo, but the first few are not in vain!" The Gamo clan smiled and said in a mocking tone: "Those guys have survived for so many years, they won't even see this, if they really don't understand, it's not a pity to die." As far as the vision of the Hojo clan and the layout of the general trend of the world are concerned, it is enough for him to be happy to achieve a little partial victory! ”

"Don't say that, the Hojo clan thinks very highly of himself!" Thinking of all that information about the Hojo clan, I couldn't help but laugh. "What is the Hojo family, the famous family of the Taira clan, it seems that he has now forgotten the identity of Hojo Sakumo's diner!"

"When you say that, I really have an idea!" He said to me with a wicked smile, "If you really want to provoke the Hojo clan to fight, just order someone to shout 'Ise Clan Masa' in front of the battle, and he will be furious!" ”

"You're really bad!" After the two of us laughed for a while, he walked out.

"My lord, His Royal Highness Hosokawa Fujitaka asks to see you!" I was about to go to bed, but Umechiyo came in to report. Even though I was already feeling sleepy, I invited him in.

"It's really presumptuous to come so late to disturb His Royal Highness Da Nayan's rest!" As soon as Hosokawa Fujitaka came in, he apologized to me.

"Hosokawa seniors don't have to be polite, I'm willing to listen to your advice at any time!" I have always had a good impression of Hosokawa Fujitaka, a man who is known for his diplomatic skills but rarely uses any intrigues. Of course, it may be due to a lack of ability to use, but this is indeed another way to keep quiet as a weak person in troubled times.

"I'm really ashamed to say it, His Royal Highness Da Nayan is really inexhaustible in repaying my kindness!" Hosokawa Fujitaka showed a certain amount of excitement, but it didn't look so contrived. "When the old man moved to Sanyin, it was originally a place where His Highness Da Nayan was occupied, but His Highness not only did not blame it, but helped him in many ways. If it weren't for His Highness's repeated support, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stand in San'in! ”

"It's all in the same boat, so there's really no need for that!" He must have come in the middle of the night not just to say a few kind words, but I waited for him to say what was actually going on.

"The old decay is meager, and it doesn't help His Highness, but he has some thoughts about the current battle situation!" As a diplomat, he is naturally well-versed in human affairs and sophistication, and does not have too much nonsense to cut directly to the topic. "Although our army has a large number of generals at the moment, the eastern army is also strong, and the other side occupies Hakone, so it is really not easy for our army to win quickly. The long-term confrontation with military spending is really unfavorable to our army! ”

"What about Hosokawa-senpai's Takaji?" I'd like to hear what he thinks. I knew this was going to happen before the war began, and I had a well-developed plan in place for a long time, but it's not a bad idea to listen to him now, and I can also use it to see some thoughts on annexing the daimyo.

"It's a little ......stupid," he said, looking at my expression, but couldn't find any hints. If you want to quickly break through the current deadlock, the only way to find an opportunity to break through on the outside is to break through! ”

"Oh......" Hearing this, my heart turned over, could it be that the plan I made with Hanbei and the clan was detected by him? But even then he shouldn't have come to me directly, wouldn't he be an idiot to the point of complete necrosis of brain cells. "If Hosokawa-senpai can come up with a concrete plan that is feasible, then it will be a great merit for the imperial court and the world!" I asked "excitedly".

"The old foolish opinion is about to ask His Royal Highness Da Nayan to cut it!" Perhaps taking the slight excitement I showed for excitement, Hosokawa Fujitaka became more confident. "This time, in order to fight against the imperial court's conquest army, the Hojo family brought almost all their forces out, and although they were able to confront His Highness Daina in Hakone, Odawara's defense was empty. Hitachi's Daimyo Satake family has been competing with Hojo for a long time, and when the doctrine is more important, he didn't come when the eastern army gathered this time, so it can be seen that he and those other people are not of the same mind! ”

"Phew......" I let out a long breath, finally relieved. It turns out that Hosokawa Fujitaka didn't know my strategy, and when I think about it, I feel that some plants and trees are all soldiers.

But now that he's brought it up, I think it's worth taking seriously, at least it doesn't seem to have any side effects. "Since the Hojo clan and the Satake family are not in harmony, how can they be defenseless over there?" I asked with a deliberate frown.

"Although Satake may not be able to count on Odawara Castle, after all, he can mobilize 10,000 people at any time in Changlu!" Not knowing my actual plans, Hosokawa Fujitaka persuaded him vigorously: "Although Utsunomiya, Soma and others came to participate in the war, they are not fully confident in the prospects of this battle. As long as they hear the news that the Satake family sent troops, they will inevitably return to their countries in a discouraged manner. Hakone is in danger...... he babbles on about the benefits of doing so.

I had almost made up my mind, but I should have made him think it was the result of hard work, so I hesitated for a while before saying, "Okay! Since it was recommended by Hosokawa-senpai, I will send someone to ......"

"No, the old man asks to go in person!" He said suddenly.

"Hosokawa-senpai, ...... you?" I was really surprised by his suggestion, why bother at such an old age? Not to mention the risks of traveling along the way, just the long distance of the mountain and the tiring journey is not something that a person of this age can easily bear.

But then I saw in his eyes a deep worry, an old man's anxiety about the future of the family! Maybe it was because the light in the room was too dark, and I didn't see it until this point.

"The old-timers go like this, can the body afford to eat?" Although I knew that he had made up his mind, I couldn't help but ask.

"Although the old man is a few years old, he is still strong, and His Royal Highness Da Nayan does not have to worry at all. Besides, the old man and the Satake family Okamoto Zenzhe have met and intersected several times, and there will be no problems! Hosokawa reached out and patted his chest twice to show that there was no problem. The old decay will definitely succeed immediately, but Zhongxing stays here and hopes that His Royal Highness will help him more! ”

"Your Highness Hosokawa, take care, I'll send someone to arrange matters on the road tomorrow!" I didn't really want to make it so heavy, but somehow it became depressing.

"Your Highness Da Nayan rest assured, the old decay will live up to expectations!"

I finally stopped here after sending Hosokawa Fujitaka away, but somehow I wasn't so sleepy. "Yoshishige Satake...... Zenzhe Okamoto ...... "I couldn't help but laugh when I thought about it.

I don't believe that Hojo Clan and Tokugawa Ieyasu didn't contact Satake Yoshishige this time, but I'm afraid that he is suspicious now. When Zenzhe Okamoto brought back my other identity, I don't know how he would feel! The war had been going on for more than a month, and I didn't know how many nights he would get a good night's sleep.

Pushing open one of the windows to the east, a damp wind blew in my face. "I'll be able to get a good night's sleep tonight!" I said to myself.