Azuma-gun.

On the side of Songshan Castle, a thousand troops came from Echigo Honjo Castle, and all the way unimpeded, and they had successfully reached the foot of Songshan Castle. Songshan Castle is a mountain castle, and ten days ago, the Saito clan, which was once prominent in Azuma-gun, committed suicide by jumping off a cliff from the Great Tengu Rock on the top of Songshan Mountain.

Another fierce general in Echigo, the lord of Honjo Castle, looked incredulous when he heard the return of the thing.

He whipped his horse a few times, and drove his horse to the castle town, which was already empty, and raised his head to look at Songshan City, only to see the big hand gate in the tiger's mouth open. Looking closely, whether it is the curved wheel or the castle tower, there is not a single figure of the Takeda Army.

"Stop!"

The envoy rode a horse to the Echigo army behind the team and conveyed the past one by one. The leaders of the ashigaru groups stopped moving forward and stopped.

Prepare for a hard battle, the Echigo army ashigaru raised their heads together and looked at the empty Songshan Castle, looking like they didn't understand why they didn't rush in directly. However, when they saw that the head of the family, whom they had always respected, Honjo Fanchang, instead looked like they were facing a great enemy, staring at Songshan City carefully.

As a result, 1,000 soldiers of the Echigo Army gathered under the castle, and together with their main general, Honjo Shikanaga, they assumed a unified posture and looked at Songshan Castle motionlessly with their heads tilted up.

If this wasn't a ruse by the Takeda Army, then where exactly are they going now? No, there must be a plan.

Honjo Shicho thought so right away.

"Send someone in and search the whole city!" Shigenaga Honjo makes the final decision.

The exact same scene, but also under the feathertail castle.

The last rays of the sunset are still on the horizon.

Now Murakami Yoshikiyo and Takemata Kiyotsuna, as well as his 1,300 troops, look at the chaotic castle town in front of them, lying there like rotten bones gnawed by wild dogs, and the same feathertail castle is also empty.

Takemata Kiyotsuna rode his horse to Murakami Yoshikiyo's side and said, "According to the report of the Monomi Fantou, there is indeed no Takeda Army in the castle town, but Murakami-sama ......."

"Since it is confirmed, what else is there to be afraid of, because we are worried about the ambush of the Takeda army, we have wasted too much time now, I want to go into the city to see what is going on." Murakami Yoshikiyoshi snorted, and first rode his horse back to the crowd with more than 20 people around him, and rushed into the castle town first.

"Murakami-sama, it's broken." Takemata Kiyotsuna exhaled urgently, but it was too late, he could only urge the brigade to follow closely.

Suddenly, more than 1,000 Echigo troops poured into the castle from all directions.

Then a quarter of an hour later, a cannon shot in the midst of Takemata Kiyotsuna's fears, plus an ambush on all sides, did not appear.

Instead, the Echigo army easily occupied the entire castle of Hao Castle and his castle town, and when Murakami Yoshikiyo and Takemata Kiyotsuna stood in the Honmaru, they couldn't help but be puzzled. Most of the grain and grass here were not transported, but the military funds and the like were really taken away.

It seems that the Takeda Army really withdrew.

Just when Takemata Kiyotsuna was still suspicious, Murakami Yoshikiyoshi slapped his thigh and said this.

"It's not good, the Takeda Army is not targeting us."

It's just a few miles from Feathertail Castle.

The Nagano family flag-bearer, holding the cypress fan flag seal, has just walked down a dirt road. The Nagano army has always maintained a safe distance from the Murakami army who is opening the way in front, but not too far away, so that the Murakami army and the Yamamoto temple army behind the palace can echo themselves.

Because the Murakami army had just passed, the Nagano army somewhat relaxed its vigilance, and the speed of the march gradually slowed down, and they were even in the mood to enjoy the scenery at dusk.

On one side of the dirt road is a hillside covered with dense forests and barren grass, while on the other side is a large area of irrigated paddy fields, and the light of the setting sun casts a trace of golden scales on the water, and the whole area exudes a peaceful atmosphere.

And the Nagano army ashigaru didn't know that in the half-light and half-dark woods and half-human tall grass beside them, one after another iron cannons stretched out the muzzles of the black holes, aiming at them.

"The sequence of the march of the Nagano army is the flag-carrying group, the iron cannon group, the long-handled ashigaru group, the horseback group, the main team of the shogun, the bow-foot light group, and finally the small lotus group. We didn't care about the rest, and the target of the iron artillery team was the Nagano family's Shidai general's main team, and after the iron artillery bombardment, he ordered all the ashigaru to rush up and drive the other party into the paddy field. ”

Li Xiao said this to Masatoshi Hoshina and Masayuki Sanada, and hundreds of Takeda family ashishikashi beside him were lying in the dense forest.

Hoshina Masatoshi nodded and said, "I see, but I don't understand why Lord Li Xiao let go of the previous Murakami Yoshiqing Army and ambushed the Nagano Army instead." ”

Li Xiao explained: "Because it is very simple, Murakami Yoshikiyo is a fierce general, and his subordinates are all Shinano samurai who have been fighting with him for many years, and they are very brave and good at fighting, and the other party, as the vanguard, must be well guarded, and the ambush has little effect." The Nagano Army, on the other hand, was not vigilant enough, and secondly, it was defeated twice by our army in the Battle of Mt. Shirane, and now it has become a bird with a frightened bow, and if it attacks now, the effect will be the greatest. ”

"Then why don't you ambush the Yamamoto Temple team in the third formation? You must know that in attacking the second formation, our army is likely to be flanked by the front and rear of the first Murakami army and the third formation of the Yamamoto Temple army. Sanada asked his own questions.

"That's because, if we wait for the Yamamoto Temple team, Murakami Yoshikiyo has already occupied Hawei Castle, and when he sees an empty city, with his strategy, he will judge the plan of my army, and if he takes action, it will be difficult for us to ambush the Yamamoto Temple team at that time."

After Li Xiao finished speaking, Masatoshi Baoshina and Masayuki Sanada nodded together to express their admiration.

Sanada Masashi has been in contact with Li Xiao for a long time, so he naturally knows his strength, but Hoshina Zhengjun looked at Li Xiao and said: "I have only heard rumors before, but now I see that Lord Li Xiao has arranged it like this, and he is really a wise and brave general." ”

Listening to Baoke Zhengjun's praise, Li Xiao laughed and said with the humility characteristic of the Chinese: "Jam, jam." ”

After Li Xiao finished speaking, there was a trace of worry on his face, this time Takeda Yoshinobu betrayed the information of Azuma County to Uesugi Kenshin, which made Takeda Katsuyori and Li Xiao and them fall into an extremely unfavorable situation.

Fortunately, Takeda Katsuyori had already arranged for someone to monitor this detailed work before, but it was still a step too late to prevent the information from being sent, and Uesugi Kenshin obtained all the deployments and details of Azuma County. And how Uesugi Kenshin attacked the route, Takeda Katsuri Li Xiao and they didn't know at all.

Takeda Katsuyori immediately abandoned Songshan Castle and reduced his forces to the more fortified Iwaki Castle.

Therefore, although Takeda Katsuyori and Li Xiao made preparations, when Uesugi Kenshin mobilized troops and horses, the speed was amazingly fast. The ninjas' reconnaissance information was not delivered to Takeda Katsuyori until yesterday, when Kamawara Castle had fallen.

Uesugi Kenshin sent a total of three waves of men and horses to attack Kawara and Hao Castle, intending to cut off the return of the Takeda army to Shinano.

Takeda Katsuyori was shocked, and immediately asked Li Xiao and Sanada Masayuki to lead three hundred people to rush to the aid of Hoshina Masatoshi in Hawei Castle.

After Li Xiao and Sanada Masayuki arrived at Yuwei Castle, they immediately discussed with Masatoshi Hoshina how to defend the city. The three of them finally agreed that in view of the large enemy forces, it was better to ambush them in the field than to hold on to the city.

So the three of them took 600 troops, abandoned the empty city of Feathertail, and waited in ambush a few miles away from the city.

At this time, the Nagano family's squire army had already entered, and the Takeda family's iron artillery team was within range.

"Shoot!"

The head of the Takeda family's iron cannon group shouted.