I looked at the retainers at the bottom, and then at Hiraiwa Kinyoshi. Hiraiwa knew and immediately announced the end of the banquet, so the retainers got up and left. Our people are also very aware of the opportunity, and in addition to Nagano Fujitotsu, Chikusa Tadashi, Ii Naotora, Sanki Dingtaka, branch Mitsuka, and Kawakita Fujimoto have all retired.

"Your Highness Okazaki, what do you think about the Takeda family's strategy for this battle?" I asked rhetorically, but my eyes were fixed on Hiraiwa Qinyoshi. He is the one who is in charge of the city. Tokugawa Nobuyasu was too young to have yet experienced his first battle, and it was impossible for him to lead the crowd or to think deeply.

Sure enough, Tokugawa Nobuyasu thought about it for a moment and looked at Hiraiwa Qinyoshi.

"Let's talk about everyone's opinions! It is also good to let the young lord and His Royal Highness Captain Saemon take a closer look, "Hiraiwa Qinyoshi owes himself," everyone in the family agreed that Hamamatsu Castle was well defended and had sufficient troops, and with the existing strength of the Takeda family, it was impossible to directly attack it. Therefore, the strategy of the Takeda family, just like the siege of Futamataki Castle last time, is still focused on Mikawa. ”

I nodded slightly. It is very natural to have this inference of "cultivating the plank road in the light and Chen Cang in the dark", after all, there has been a precedent...... Having said that, their confidence in Tokugawa Ieyasu is not ordinary!

Contrary to them, with my previous explanation, Nagano Fujitotsu believes that Tokugawa Ieyasu is the most likely breakthrough for the Takeda family. Hearing Pingyan Qinji's point of view, he immediately retorted: "However, the five thousand people of Changjing in Yishan County, even without our support, will not be able to pacify the entire Mikawa Country...... Even Higashisanhe may not be able to win it, right? ”

"That's right," Hiraiwa nodded, "so I think that the Takeda family will transfer the troops under Hamamatsu Castle next, and then send them to the Mikawa Province...... At that time, the Mikawa Province will overturn, shaking the foundation of the family, and even if Hamamatsu Castle is still impregnable, the lord will not be able to save the overall situation! ”

At this, he sighed softly.

"Daddy Pingyan, aren't you too frustrating to say that?" Tokugawa Nobuyasu couldn't help but speak, "Don't talk about Mikawa Country, even my Okazaki Castle is not so easy to capture!" ”

"Yes. I, my family, and all of you, will definitely follow the young master to the death and work hard to defend Okazaki Castle. Hiraiwa said with a smile, his face full of expressions of contemplation and enlightenment. For this vigorous young master, he felt relieved in his heart, and he also made up his mind to defend it to the death.

"I am very impressed by the mood of His Highness Hiraiwa and all of you," I nodded with emotion, "But, do you understand the mind of His Highness Mamoru Mikawa?" ”

"The Lord's heart?" Hiraiwa looked at me strangely. He may be questioning how I, an outsider, can understand better than they as a subordinate.

"Yes, His Highness Mamoru Mikawa," I repeated, "If His Highness Mamoru Mikawa thinks so too, how can he transfer His Highness Ishikawa, the head of the West Mikawa, and His Highness Sakai, the head of the East Mikawa, to Hamamatsu Castle?" ”

"This ...... Please advise His Highness Captain Saemon! "Hiraiwa is in debt.

"His Highness Pingyan's inference just now does have some truth. However, this inference misses two key points. One is the supply channel. With an army of 30,000 men, the supply is not a small number, and even if it is raised along the way, there is still a big gap, and it can only be mobilized from within the territory of the family, so the Takeda family must capture or subdue Hamamatsu Castle, and a mountainous area as large as Higashi Mikawa (larger than the entire Owari) cannot be passed. The second is to play the right highness. If the Takeda family does not take Hamamatsu, even if they capture Mikawa, once His Royal Highness Danmasa sends troops, the Takeda family will face the situation of being attacked on the back; With Takeda Shingen's strategy, he would not do such a thing......"

"However, what if His Highness can't muster the strength?" Hiraiwa blurted out that this seemed to be the biggest concern in his heart. It's just that as soon as the words came out, he understood that it was a little abrupt, and hurriedly explained to me, "Well...... In the following, it is said that His Royal Highness Danzheng is attacking Long Island; The difficulty of the sect has always been understood, and the family has been taught, and can also understand the hardships of His Royal Highness Danzheng. However, because of this, I am a little worried about the progress of His Highness Danzheng. ”

Atsushi Nagano and I looked at each other. This is a question, and after the stirring of Nobuo Kitabatake, it is unknown when Nagashima will be pacified. At least, neither of us can guarantee anything.

"Don't worry, Daddy Hiraiwa!" It was Tokugawa Nobuyasu who broke the siege, "I was thinking so before, but now I should be relieved...... Isn't the 10,000 troops of His Royal Highness Captain Saemon already here? ”

"Yes, that's right." Pingyan Qinji would not save Xinkang's face, and took the opportunity to raise the wine bowl that had already been put down, "I salute the two of you for the young master!" ”

"What do you want you to do, I can still drink!" Tokugawa Nobuyasu shouted.

……，…… The next day, the Naval Aid sent someone to Okazaki and conveyed two good and bad news. The good news is that Tokugawa Ieyasu has been told about the support I led with my army, and it is said that he was greatly pleased; The bad news is that after seeing people coming in and out of the sea, the Takeda family burned down the port of Hamamatsu and occupied the area between the water gate and the open sea, so it can be said that it was cut off from Hamamatsu Castle after that.

In order to maintain trust with Okazaki Castle, the news was also passed on to them.

Hiraiwa Qinji was greatly relieved by this: "That's pretty much it." With the lord here, there will be no problems in the city...... Moreover, even though it is isolated from the inside of the city, you can always get the movement of the Takeda Army outside the city, right? ”

It's just that the information obtained later was very unfavorable to Okazaki Castle and Mikawa Province.

On the morning of December 12, the Takeda family's Baba Nobuharu led 5,000 ancestors to leave Hamamatsu and come in the direction of Mikawa!

Hearing this news, Hiraiwa Qinyoshi obviously had some doubts. Nobuharu Baba is one of the four ministers of Takeda, and the Takeda family's ancestors are even more outstanding, if the target is really Hamamatsu Castle, why would they transfer such a powerful army? Moreover, isn't the role of the pioneers to seize the opportunity for the main force and point out the direction of the next step? In Futamatata Castle before, the Tokugawa family suffered a loss, and was repelled by the reinforcements of Baba Nobuharu, and preemptively besieged Futamatata Castle.

I have a different opinion, and I think that this is to put pressure on Tokugawa Ieyasu to give up his hold, or go out of the castle for a decisive battle, or return to Mikawa's aid. However, in these words, there is a suspicion of Tokugawa Ieyasu's will and judgment, and it is naturally inconvenient for me to say it to Hirawa Qinyoshi. For Tokugawa Ieyasu, their confidence and loyalty are not ordinary, and they will not accept such suspicions from outsiders, even if the person who doubts them is me as a reinforcement for the allies.

However, from a historical point of view, Tokugawa Ieyasu still went out of the city to fight, whether it was forced by pressure or other thoughts, in short, it was Takeda Shingen's intention. This makes me sigh that in his later years, Takeda Shingen's understanding of strategy, the use of strategy, and the grasp of people's hearts have reached an attainable height.

Changjing, Shanxian County, is still raging in Dongsanhe, because of the response of the three parties of the Shanjia, three small cities have been captured one after another, and the troops are approaching the border between Dongsanhe and Xisanhe. Suganuma Dingying, the lord of Noda Castle on the border of Higashi-Mikawa, knew that he was invincible, and when he heard that Okazaki Castle had sufficient troops, he hurriedly sent a messenger for help.

Noda Castle was a key defensive area of Higashi-Mikawa, and Suganuma had a high reputation in Higashi-Mikawa, and was related to the Mikawa Matsudaira (Tokugawa family), Fukazo Matsudaira family, Nagasawa Matsudaira family, and Sakurai Matsudaira family. The Imagawa family's Sanshu Rebellion in the fourth year of Yongroku began because the Imagawa clan really executed Suganuma Dingying's main room and Suganuma Dingying's anger and raised troops, and then led the gourd and vine, and pulled up a large number of people to rebel, almost burying the Imagawa family's rule in Mikawa and Enoe in advance, and Matsudaira Motoyasu at that time also took this opportunity to break away from the Imagawa family...... Now that he has sent people for help, both from a strategic point of view and from a popular point of view, it seems that Okazaki Castle has a strong need to send troops to support.

For this reason, Hiraiwa Jinyoshi invited Tokugawa Nobuyasu to come to me with him to discuss how to deal with it.

"Naturally, it is calm and quiet, and it is important to defend Okazaki Castle." I said without hesitation.

This is not only because of my strategic judgment, but also because of my vague historical memory. Although the location of Noda Castle was critical, the terrain and defense were not very good, and Suganuma quickly lost the castle when the Imagawa family was at the indignang, and then recaptured it with a small number of troops...... Such a small city has no need and value to stick to it at all.

Moreover, after the Takeda family defeated Tokugawa Ieyasu, the place chosen by Takeda Shingen was in the area of Noda Castle. Therefore, this small city is a battleground for the Takeda family, and it is destined to be lost when they attack Mikawa and return to Shinano as a key retreat. In this case, there is no need to divide forces to weaken the defenses of Okazaki Castle and risk being attacked by Yamaguchi Changjing to rescue it.

Listening to my answer, Tokugawa Nobuyasu's sense of justice suddenly exploded: "Does His Royal Highness Captain Saemon mean that he has 12,000 troops, ignores the requests for help from his retainers, and does not save him when he dies?" ”

"So to speak," I nodded, "after all, there are priorities. Today's Mikawa, everything is important to Okazaki Castle and the Antai of His Highness Okazaki. ”

"His Royal Highness Captain Saemon may not know something," Hiraiwa Jinkichi tried to persuade me, "His Royal Highness Dingying has a great influence on Higashi-Mikawa, and if he is loyal to his family and is even forced to surrender to Takeda, then the entire Higashi-Mikawa will probably be shaken......"

"I know that. I know very well the ins and outs of the turmoil in the three states of the Imagawa family. "I stopped him a little impatiently.

"Even so, His Royal Highness Captain Saemon still insists?" Hiraiwa Jinyoshi sighed.

"Not bad. Even so. I nodded.

"His Royal Highness Captain Saemon!" Tokugawa Nobuyasu solemnly owed, "I have something I want to confirm to you." ”

"Young master......" Hiraiwa seemed to know what he was going to say, and hesitated to try to dissuade him.

Tokugawa Nobuyasu waved his hand: "These things, Daddy Pingyan should also want to confirm them, right?" Then it's up to me to say hello. Anyway, I'm a junior, and I can't keep a pimple in my heart, so His Royal Highness Captain Saemon won't blame me too much! ”

"Please ask His Highness Okazaki!" I thought to myself, what should have come has come.

"Thank you for the generosity of His Royal Highness Captain Saemon," Tokugawa Ieyasu bowed his head, "I heard that the Akiyama Torashi of the Takeda family has captured Iwamura Castle and occupied the Higashimino region?" Moreover, His Royal Highness Mamoru Ando in the northwest and His Royal Highness Toshiji Saito of Minono have surrendered to Takeda, and Gifu Castle under His Highness Danmasa has been threatened, but the main force of His Highness Danmasa is still pinned down on Nagashima? ”

Sure enough, these rumors! However, it is not true to say that it is a complete rumor, and there is some truth in it. And such rumors are the most demagogic, much better than pure fabrication.

Well, there are some things that should not be hidden......" Regarding these things," I organized the language, "The fall of Iwamura Castle is indeed a fact, but the main reason is not the combat strength of Akiyama Torashi, and the second is because His Royal Highness Toyama Yamato Shoujing Ren happened to die of illness, and his adopted heir Mibo Maru (Nobunaga's fifth son) was young and there was no one in charge of the city, so he had to surrender to ensure the safety of Iwamura Hall (Nobunaga's aunt) and Mibo Maru. The defection of the two highnesses Ando and Saito to the enemy was purely out of nowhere, so Gifu Castle naturally had nothing to do. ”

"Is that so?" Hiraiwa Jinyoshi groaned, as if he was still a little suspicious.

"No lie!" I solemnly assured him and explained the reason for the concealment, "The reason for the blockade of the news is to avoid causing the military and civilians in the city and the forces of my own family...... However, since there are already rumors in the city, let's make the news public! ”

"In other words, the news that His Highness Danmasa ordered His Royal Highness Captain Saemon to return to Gifu in the near future and resist Akiyama Tiger is also a rumor?"

"It's indeed a rumor, I won't evacuate Sanhe, you two can rest assured!" Again, I pledge.

"Since His Royal Highness Captain Saemon said so, it is naturally trustworthy," Hiraiwa Kinyochi sighed, "Then, follow His Royal Highness Captain Saemon and continue to hold Okazaki Castle!" …… It's just that His Royal Highness Suganuma Dingying ...... What a pity! ”

After sending the two away, I rubbed my temples with some annoyance and sat down on the main seat. Although the fall of Iwamura Castle and Higashimino is real, and even Mamoru Ando has signs of instability, Nobunaga has already drawn 10,000 troops to rush to Gifu Castle. To this end, he mobilized a large number of fire-starters on Nagashima and burned the Yachoshima Castle, which was under the responsibility of the Mino-Zhong Inaba Ryodobu to ashes, and the 15,000 followers of the Ichi-Zong clan in the city were either burned alive or were killed by Nobunaga's direct forces and the Mino-people after escaping. In other words, the three isolated cities left on Nagashima that lacked military rations were surrounded by 20,000 Owari and 10,000 Kitabatake Nobuo, respectively, and the general general was Oda Nobutada.

I find it hard to agree with Nobunaga's cruel treatment. But what can be done? It is impossible for Nobunaga to let Nagashima go, so what difference does it make if he was killed by Nobuo Kitabatake, burned to death by Nobunaga himself, or starved to death by Oda Nobutada?

There is another thing that I also did not convey to Okazaki Castle: Takeda Shingen has divided his troops again, and the 5,000 Hojo family reinforcements have left the periphery of Hamamatsu Castle under the leadership of the Hojo clan, and are still pressing on Mikawa.

(To be continued)