"Everyone's opinions are very good, and they can all agree with each other, and those guys in the East Country can't have anything new!" At the end of the discussion, I made a concluding remarks in which I spoke highly of the enthusiasm of the daimyos. "No matter what those people think, we have to be sure of it. Not only do I want to have a clear understanding, but I also hope that all of you can have an intuitive understanding of the combat strength of the Eastern Army, which is extremely necessary for the final victory of this war! ”

"His Highness is wise!" The daimyo of all walks of life praised in unison, and then paid attention to what I had to say.

"Although the front of our army has been in contact with the Tokugawa army in a stalemate stage, the second and third roads have just opened from Sunfu!" In order to accentuate my tone, I kept gesturing with my fingers on the table, but in reality I couldn't see anyone except Gobenmaru and Umechiyo, who were standing behind me. "Although the Hojo army came two days earlier than me, the distance was actually farther, and it was not the advantage of waiting for work. Therefore, according to my judgment, the other side will not take the initiative to attack for the time being, and I think that since our army has set up a solid camp, it will not be in such a hurry! At this point I paused slightly, scanning the crowd's reactions.

"Makes sense...... a few people exchanged words with the people around them, and most of the rest listened intently to my orders.

"So I decided...... Attack Kambara-jou now! I abruptly accentuated my tone, and the atmosphere in the room was suffocating.

"Isn't it...... Isn't it a bit of a? It was still Hosokawa Fujitaka, he frowned and said: "Our front army is 30,000 and the formation is stable, so there is naturally no problem with defense. But after all, the Eastern Coalition Army is 80,000 people, and if there is a disconnect in aid during our army's attack......" He did not continue to say the following words, and diplomats always tend to be more conservative.

"I think it's possible!" Yoshihiro Shimazu said suddenly, and his tone was resolute. "Because the terrain here is long and narrow, our army is lined up in formations. In the same way, although the army of the eastern country was well defended by mountains, rocks, forests, and trees, the troop mobilization movement was even far inferior to ours. As I carefully observed yesterday, the enemy forces around Kambara-jou Castle and on the hills to the north were at most 25,000, and they probably didn't actually reach that number. There is no disadvantage in the offensive of our army, at least in terms of numbers, as long as the second-line troops respond in time, there will be no problems! ”

"His Highness Shimazu said very profoundly, and I also think the same way!" As soon as his words fell, Mori Terumen immediately spoke out in support. "The Eastern Coalition Army is very mixed, and the Hojo clan and Tokugawa Ieyasu will not dare to put all the elite into the front line, so the combat effectiveness and cooperation of more than 20,000 people are very problematic. In addition, the equipment of the eastern army is very poor, and the proportion of iron cannons equipped with Hojo army is not high, except for Tokugawa. Therefore, in the intensive stalemate of the large corps, it is difficult to guarantee how much role it can play! ”

"But if our army attacks Kambara-jo directly, won't the flanks be exposed to the enemy forces on the mountains to the north?" Shinyuki Hosokawa looked at Mori Terumoto and then at me, and said hesitantly.

"That's not a problem!" Nabeshima Naoshige clenched his fists on the table in front of him, and said confidently: "Although the northern slope of the mountain is condescending, there is no avenue above the trees, not to mention the cavalry charge, even if it is impossible for the general ashigaru troops to line up." As long as our army has two to three thousand troops on alert, the enemy will not be able to occupy the advantage of the above strikes, nor will it be able to achieve the effect of a surprise attack! ”

A few more people spoke later, but the tone had been largely set, and the mainstream opinion was in favor of an immediate attack.

"What you are saying is very true, in fact, I don't plan to take Kambara Castle all at once!" Seeing that there were no new opinions in the back, I stopped everyone from speaking and said, "The enemy didn't expect that we would attack immediately, especially after the camp was just built, so the response must be panicked. Most of this hasty reaction doesn't take into account how much of a cover-up, and we can detect more of the true intentions from it. I ordered Shimazu, Hosokawa, and Nakamura to begin attacking Kambara-jo in an hour; Hatano, Ikeda, Mori, and Kera followed suit, ready to support the siege forces and guard the flanks; The rest of you will strictly guard the camp and listen to my orders, and I will order Otomo, Niwa, Tokawa, and Oda on the second line to move forward! ”

"Yes!" Everyone agreed in unison.

********************************************

A large number of troops are ready to fight, and it is difficult to achieve a surprise effect at such a close distance. What's more, the enemy troops on the mountain to the north are in an absolute high position, and our every move here will be noticed there.

But in the end, apart from a few small commotions, the eastern troops on the mountain did not make any real moves, but the troops of Kambara Castle to the east stood on the head of the castle one after another. As the next hour passed as the tense atmosphere passed, one group after another of troops drove out of the camp gate and crossed one tributary after another of the Fuji River toward Kambara-jo Castle.

"Are you in a hurry to go out and fight!" I watched the movement of the troops in the distance with my binoculars and spoke slowly.

On that side, the siege troops of Shimazu, Hosokawa, and Nakamura had already crossed the last river, but they stopped on the riverbank, apparently making the final preparations before the "sprint". The troops responsible for receiving them in the back have also all opened their camps and are arranging formations at dangerous places between several rivers.

"Now even the second brother has a task to take over, but I ......," Yiqing said with his head down and kicking away a stone in front of his feet, very depressed.

The Gamo clan was in front of the armored cavalry and the support of the Zhuxing Iron Artillery Reserve, so he stood here idlely. Even though he was my son and nominally the deputy of Shinkiyo, I was not fooled enough to have a 10-year-old child directly command such an important force.

"There are still a lot of things to do in the future, and there is no need for you to fight here!" I didn't change my attitude because he felt wronged, which can be regarded as a kind of frustration education. "Although the big strategy has been arranged, there are still some details that will vary. For example, at the moment, there are still variables in this tentative contact, which requires the commanders of each department to be mature and have a certain amount of experience! ”

"After all, you still don't trust me!" He said angrily.

"You have to understand it that way...... Don't let it go! I took off my binoculars and looked at him and smiled. For example, Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the main enemies in this match, even I dare not say that I can see through him 100%, let alone you! ”

"It's just an old stubborn who doesn't think much of himself, what's there to make a fuss about!" Yoshikiyo said something that surprised me.

"Don't measure yourself, and you're still stubborn? Who told you this? I asked incomprehensibly.

"Isn't it!" He said confidently: "Back then, only a thousand people under his command dared to break away from Imagawa and become independent, and they also took the initiative to attack Nobunaga, isn't this self-defeating?" In the face of Takeda's strength, he should have avoided it, but he rashly launched the battle of the three parties, which is really stupid. And now against my father, how can I explain it except for the 'old fool' who has a confused mind? He looked at me smugly.

"Alas...... "I suddenly found myself staring at all the great names in the world, and the one I didn't know the most was my own son." Tokugawa Ieyasu was a calculating 'old fox', calculating not only his enemies and allies, but also his own. He is not something that a child like you can see clearly, so don't say such shallow things in front of people in the future! ”

"How so?" He was still not convinced.

"I'll just ask you one question: Why did Tokugawa Ieyasu choose Hamamatsu instead of Fumata Castle for his residence in Enoe?" I asked with a smile. "If you want to contain Takeda, it is naturally better to have Nimata Castle, as long as you control this, it is impossible for the Takeda army to enter Mikawa boldly with confidence. But the Tokugawa family chose to live in Hamamatsu, why is that? ”

"Although the terrain of Futamatata Castle is dangerous, it is difficult to draw water, but Hamamatsu Castle is blessed with a unique rush!" Yiqing winked at me a few times and said: "The left lake and right sea of Hamamatsu City, the enemy army is difficult to approach even if there is a strong force in the air, not only is there no shortage of drinking water, but also food can be received from the sea, even in the face of a long-term siege, it is not difficult to resist!" ”

"But there is no effect there, and controlling Futamatata Castle also restricts the movement of the east and west sides of Hamamatsu!" I laughed at his serious look, even though his questions were very naïve. "As for the defense and the drawing of water, it is even simpler, just expand the Nimata Castle from the top down to the triple wall. In this way, Futamatata Castle will also have a water gate facing the river, and it will be difficult for the original enemy to carry a warship with him. At that time, you can take a boat straight down to Lake Hamana, and no amount of enemies will be able to enclose a lake in an airtight area! ”

"That'...... The expansion of Futamatata Castle will cost too much money! My words had already puzzled him, but he continued to argue: "It is ...... for the Tokugawa family to expand the inner and outer walls and build them according to the direction of the mountain."

"Ha, ha, ha......" I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I heard his childish words. In order to build the original third-rate town into the later Jujo Hamatsu, the Tokugawa family may not have spent less money than the expansion of the Nimata, right? ”

"That ......"

"You can know ......"

Yiqing found a few more reasons why he thought he could stand, but I refuted them, and finally had to say: "I don't understand, but there must be a reason, right?" ”

"Of course, there is a reason for this, that is, Tokugawa Ieyasu does not intend to fight with anyone at all!" The smile faded from my face, replaced by a solemn indifference. "Generations of Tokugawa family heads died young, and they could only survive in the cracks of the major forces under repeated declines, and they were too weak compared to the surrounding Imagawa, Oda, Takeda, and now me. Therefore, everything Tokugawa Ieyasu does is to constantly reflect his own value when relying on the strength of others, but he will never put his own old book on the line! ”