At first glance, this move of the Takeda family seems to prove Hiraiwa Qinyoshi's inference. In other words, the focus of the Takeda family is in the Mikawa country. Then, now it's time for Okazaki Castle to do something and try to stabilize the situation and the hearts of the people in the territory. Otherwise, he passively shrank in the city in front of Changjing, a mountain county, and let him stir up Dongsanhe, so as soon as Takeda Shingen's army comes, how much will the wealthy families in various places have to resist?

And Okazaki Castle has to worry about me. After all, in the face of Takeda Shingen's 25,000 main force, as a reinforcement from the Oda family, even if I chose to save my strength and retreat to Owari and Nobunaga to prepare for the next decisive battle, it would be understandable. But in that case, Okazaki Castle was basically finished, and the fate of Tokugawa Nobuyasu himself was very worried. All he could do was to flee without a fight and return to the Oda house with me and Tokuhime, or to resist and surrender to Takeda. Either way, it would be a matter of great disservice and honor to him as a castle lord and samurai—but as the only heir of the Tokugawa family, he couldn't just die here!

But I still stand by my own judgment. According to my thinking, Takeda Shingen did this in order to put pressure on Tokugawa Ieyasu and force him to go out of the city to fight. Then, whether it's to ensure the safety of Okazaki Castle or to avoid damage to my own strength, I won't rush into attack.

I am not afraid of the 5,000 people from Changjing, Yama County, and even the Baba Nobuharu came together, and I was sure to use the suitable terrain to touch them. But what's the point of such a wave war? And why is it necessary? I am now also a number of "famous generals" in the Western Kingdom, and with my past records, I am fully qualified to play at will, and no one will think that I am a coward who lacks courage and courage, and will only figure out the reasons and intentions for my avoidance of war.

In the same way, Takeda Shingen is just a simple division of troops, and I, as an opponent, must think about it carefully. Is this a trick or a trick? Is he putting pressure on Okazaki Castle or Tokugawa Ieyasu in Hamamatsu Castle? Or is it simply a prelude to the raid on the country of Trois-Rivières?

Maybe it's up to the Takeda family to move next...... If it's just Baba Nobuharu and Yama Prefecture Masaki joining forces to attack Mikawa, then I can still remain calm, after all, I can give Nobunaga a hand as long as I hold Okazaki Castle; Tokugawa Ieyasu may also be able to remain calm, with the garrison and city defense of Okazaki Castle, it is not easy to take it with 10,000 troops, as long as Okazaki Castle and Hamamatsu Castle are held, Takeda Shingen will not be able to pacify Mikawa and Enoe, and then it will be time for the Takeda family and the Oda family to fight a decisive battle.

However, if the main forces of the Hojo clan and even Takeda Shingen were to move to Mikawa Province, even if I promised to stick to it, would Tokugawa Ieyasu trust me with confidence and completely entrust the fate of his nest and sister-in-law to the people of the Oda family?

……，…… It's certainly not enough to know that Hojo has left Hamamatsu Castle. I sent the messengers to hurry back to Hamamatsu Port, and ordered the navy to be divided into three parts, one still stationed in place, one to investigate the movements of Nobuharu and Hojo along the way, and the other was an iron artillery team of about 500 men under the Yataku and Kuki families, and I ordered them to rush back to Okazaki and accept my direct command.

At noon on December 22, the intelligence of the navy finally arrived. Baba Nobuharu was indeed heading in the direction of Mikawa, and it may be that Takeda Shingen learned that I had arrived with reinforcements, and he was worried that the five thousand men of Yama Prefecture Changjing would not be able to suppress the situation; However, the 5,000 men of the Hojo clan did not come to Mikawa Province. They lay in ambush on the side of the Tota River at the northeastern end of Mikatahara, as if waiting for orders for the next step.

"The people of the Hojo family are hiding very well, and if it weren't for the water army, they wouldn't have been discovered at all." He explained to me.

"Why is that?" I asked, surprised. Really, you can't hide under the river, do you?

"Your Highness, that's right," Naota Ii beside me explained to me, "Sanfang was originally a protruding plateau, and the river was deeply eroded by the mountain torrent for a long time, and if the army hid it, it would not be possible to find it on the plain......"

"That's it!" I nodded. This kind of terrain is called the flood platform, which is a small plateau that was suddenly lifted in the Pleistocene era, because the geological age is very recent, only the upper layer is weathered into soil, and most of the underground is mainly sandy, so it is very easy to be eroded by the river water, forming that special terrain...... Really, I'm glad that I'm scouting with a naval army, and I'm also fortunate that Ii Valley, where Ii Naotora lives, is near the Toda River north of Hamamatsu Castle, so she knows the terrain around her, otherwise I really wouldn't know.

God knows, Takeda Shingen is also from another country, how can he find such a place to hide ambush soldiers?

When he saw me talking to Naotora I, he stopped reporting, but he was still half-kneeling on the ground.

"Is there anything else?" I asked.

"Yes...... It seems that our scouts were discovered by the Hojo family, and then they sent their mother to the direction of Hamamatsu Castle. Soon, Takeda Shingen once again divided two armies and came in the direction of Mikawa, looking at the banner and horse seal, it was Takeda Katsuyori and Naito Masatoyo! ”

Okay, a young master of the Takeda family, and three famous ministers of the Takeda family have all been dispatched. The only spring said that the tiger did not come, according to the intelligence, it was to be stationed in Kitashinano Kaizu Castle to guard against the Uesugi family, but the subordinate Kita-Shinano people also came to some people, and Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masatsumi were attached to the Baba Nobuharu team as the ancestors.

With such a big move, coupled with the ambush at the northeast end of the Mikata Plain, isn't it clear what Takeda Shingen wants to do?

"Takeda Shingen, it's time for a decisive battle." I said slowly.

"They are all coming to the Three Rivers, are they with us?" Atsushi Nagano was a little nervously excited. The world-famous Takeda Shingen, with an army of more than 25,000 people, including the famous Takeda Akabi, is really shocking to think about.

It's a pity that the target is not Okazaki Castle...... I shook my head and replied to Atsushi Nagano: "No. The opponent is His Royal Highness Mamoru Mikawa. ”

"My lord, there is a situation! Okazaki Castle is out! Suga Keikatsu, who was on duty at the door, suddenly pointed to the outside of the castle tower and shouted.

I, Atsushi Nagano, and Naotora Ii hurried over, only to see that the gates had been opened, and a large number of ashigaru were rushing out. Several heavily armed samurai, but not yet wearing iron pockets, marched through the procession, surrounded by a samurai who was also dressed in a full-footed and black hat and riding a white war horse.

Needless to say, the one who rode the white horse must be Tokugawa Nobuyasu. In this year, not everyone can ride a white horse, the first is because it is rare, and the second is because it is conspicuous...... In the entire Oda family, it seems that only Nobunaga and his son, me, and Niwa Nagahide, who is the flank of Kinai, are accustomed to playing on white horses.

"Really...... It's so reckless! I sighed.

I'm talking about Tokugawa Nobuyasu naturally. When discussing the day before yesterday, it was Hiraiwa Qinyoshi who said that he would give up on rescuing Suganuma Dingying, and Tokugawa Nobuyasu did not speak. Then this time it must have been his idea. Although he is usually willing to accept the advice of Hiraiwa Qinji, he still has his own opinions. Once he made up his mind to go into battle, even if he did not agree, Hirawa Qinyoshi would definitely obey his orders and personally lead people to protect and assist.

Why is every child so young and vigorous? Why should I be their babysitter again and again? Alas...... I was just about to go out of the castle to stop Tokugawa Nobuyasu, but the Tokugawa family's envoy had already come over, saying that he had something to report to me.

"Is it His Highness Okazaki's departure?" I returned to the Lord's seat and sat down.

"Yes," the envoy's attitude was very respectful, "The castle lord and Lord Hiraiwa have received the news that Nobuharu Baba led five thousand ancestors to march to Mikawa......"

"So His Royal Highness Okazaki feels that our side cannot be trusted, and is ready to personally go out into battle to gather the strength of all the wealthy clans to resist the Takeda family?" I asked, a little angrily.

"Awaji Temple, please calm down," the envoy was very calm, "It is precisely because of trusting Awaji Hall and agreeing with Awaji Temple's judgment that the castle lord and Lord Heiwan are out of battle!" ”

"Oh, that's what you say?" I was slightly surprised.

"Awaji Temple. The castle lord went here, not to fight hard with the Takeda family, but to support Lord Suganuma Dingying to defend Noda Castle and stabilize the direction of Higashimikawa. After that, Nishi-Mikawa and Okazaki Castle were given carte blanche to Awajiden! Envoy explained.

Listening to his words, I couldn't help but be silent for a while. Tokugawa Nobuyasu's move shows his complete trust and courage.

The other is his sense of justice. He has always been a person who has persisted, the historical Yuki Hideyasu, because his biological mother was from a low background, Tokugawa Ieyasu was unwilling to admit it, and he had been left at the Hondo family with the child's mother, but Hondo told Nobuyasu many times, so Nobuyasu withstood the anger of his mother to build a mountain hall, and forced his father Ieyasu to admit the identity of the child. (Of course, Tokugawa Ieyasu himself is naturally unwilling, and he has always despised Hideyasu and threw him around, even changing several Miao characters, which is a later story.) Speaking of which, there are differences of opinion because of different positions. Tokugawa Nobuyasu, as a young master, considered the problem from the perspective of righteousness and his own prestige, and was naturally a retainer who was unwilling to give up and ask for help; And I, as a reinforcement, of course, will only focus on the task and try to avoid unnecessary losses.

If it were my own retainers in distress, such as Masakatsu Wasuka, Nobuyasu Ataka, or Atsushi Nagano, I would probably insist on rescuing! But will I trust my business to reinforcements? Or rather, are there reinforcements that I can trust completely?

It must not be easy for Tokugawa Nobuyasu to make such a decision, right?

Well, I can't live up to my trust. Noda Castle was not conducive to holding on, and he was in the first battle, and it was still quite dangerous to face the 5,000 men of Changjing in Yama County with a force of 2,000 troops...... I turned my head and said to Nagano Fujitotsu, "Your Highness Fujitsu, I have decided to go out immediately, please hand over your Annonbei to me." ”

The Annonbei was modeled after my standing set by Atsushi Nagano Fuji, and it was almost copied from mine in terms of personnel, establishment, and training, and it was also the only reserve unit where I provided flintlock iron cannons to the outside world. This reserve was the elite of his 5,000-strong army, which consumed a considerable part of his income from the town of Anontsu, and also brought him the position of Naka-Ise and the gift of 10,000 koku territory in Suzuka County. Five hundred of them have been stationed at Anongtsu Castle, and if I hadn't asked him to continue recruiting them before the Battle of Nagashima, I probably wouldn't have brought them out.

"No problem," Nagano Fujitotsu readily agreed, "Are you going to go out with the whole army?" ”

"The whole army is out of battle, what should I do if Nobuharu Baba comes?" I smiled, "I will only bring the cavalry of Aakibei, Anongbei, and Naotora and the iron cannons of the navy, and the remaining 6,000 men will be handed over to you, and I will guard Okazaki Castle with all the people left behind by the Tokugawa family." ”

"It seems a little reluctant to meet the 5,000 people of Changjing in Yama County with 4,000 people, that is the famous general of the Takeda family!" Nagano Fujitsu frowned slightly, "Why don't you bring more people?" If you want to defend the city, you don't need so many troops. ”

"No problem. The soldiers are fine but not many! I laughed and rejected his offer.

……，…… By the time I was ready to send troops, Tokugawa Nobuyasu's 2,000 men were already about two kilometers from the city. They were in their own territory and were very familiar with the route, as Tokugawa Nobuyasu was eager to support Noda Castle and marched quickly. So I sent Ii Naotora's cavalry to get in touch with Tokugawa Nobuyasu and survey the terrain along the way. In addition, I asked her to send someone back every few moments to show me the direction in which the Tokugawa family was heading, so that I could stay close behind them.

Naotora Ii quickly caught up with the Tokugawa family and conveyed my arrangements to Tokugawa Nobuyasu and Hiraiwa Shimoyoshi. Tokugawa Nobuyasu was greatly grateful, and offered to join our army and serve as my lieutenant general. This was already a certain degree of condescension in terms of his status, and I thought about it, and let him still lead the two thousand men in front of him, as the vanguard of the entire army, and leave half of the Iyi Naohu cavalry on his side.

However, although I told him to slow down and not to get too far away from me, he continued to move quickly, intent on reaching Noda Castle as quickly as possible.

I can understand his mind. Noda Castle's messenger had arrived in Okazaki three days earlier, and in the face of the attack of Yamaprefecture Shotei, Noda Castle must have resisted very hard. However, this place is already close to the Higashi-Mikawa Mountains, and the reconnaissance team of Yama Prefecture Masakai has even reached the vicinity of Okazaki Castle a while ago, which means that Yama Prefecture Shokei is likely to know the news of our dispatch of troops by now, and may appear at any time.

In the end, he is just starting out...... I thought to myself, and ordered the cavalry under Ii Naohu to strengthen reconnaissance and vigilance.

Fortunately, nothing happened along the way.

By the end of the evening, we were not far from Noda Castle. Naota Ii sent someone to contact him, saying that the Tokugawa family was going to camp, and I ordered the army to stop and set up a simple camp by a stream halfway up the mountain.

(To be continued)