North Shinano, south of Kawanakajima.

When the moon is in the sky, the Chikuma River is sparkling in the night.

On the ninth day of September, the seventh year of Eiroku, it was on this night three years ago that Uesugi Kenshin led 13,000 Echigo troops from Tsume-Yamamoto to Camp across the Chikuma River from Amamiya Wataru to Takeda Shingen's main camp in Hachimangahara.

In the post-Edo period, the sinologist Lai Shanyang once made a 'whip to cross the river at night, and saw thousands of soldiers supporting big teeth. Ten years of hatred sharpens a sword, and the meteor shines at the bottom of the snake. ’

This poem uses scenery to tell history, and history to lyrically come to the fourth battle of Kawanakajima.

Among them, the whip solemnly crossed the river at night, which was rated as a sound sentence by later generations, referring to the fact that Uesugi Kenshin led the army to cross the Amamiya at night and attacked the Takeda Shingen's main camp.

The main camp of the Echigo army at the foot of Mt. Chausu.

Wearing a snow-colored monk's robe, a white silk cloth over his head, and a katana in his hand, Uesugi Kenshin was staring at the Chikuma River, which flowed slowly like silver frost, under the moonlight.

Naoe Jingzuna, Deserted Village Nagami, and more than a dozen flag warriors, standing not far behind Uesugi Kenshin, holding their breath and not daring to say a word.

After a long time, Uesugi Kenshin took a heavy breath and asked, "Jinggang?" ”

"Oh!" Naoe Jinggang agreed, and Naoe Jinggang just paid homage to Uesugi Jinghu, and changed the name of the real gang in the name to Jinggang.

Uesugi Kenshin raised his katana, pointed at Shiozaki Castle's Takeda Shingen's main camp, and asked, "Did you say that Shingen would see the sea from Echichu first?" ”

Naoe Jingzuna was silent for a while, and then said: "My lord, Saito Riki lost for a while, and the Takeda Army is not enough for me to overcome. ”

Uesugi Kenshin waved his hand and said: "There is no need to say these comforting words, the defeat of this battle is that I underestimated Li Xiao again, and I thought that this time I sent troops to Kawanakajima, I could force Shingen to withdraw his troops from Hida." After that, let Saito Riki be the pioneer to attack Hida, but he didn't expect that Li Xiao with only a few hundred people, he actually defeated the army of the Jimbo family and the Saito family's thousands, and the head of the Saito family, Saito Toshiki, was also taken down. ”

After a pause, Uesugi Ken Nobunaga sighed and said, "Could it be that God really helped Takeda and bestowed Shingen with such a good general." At present, Li Xiao has taken advantage of the momentum of victory and captured Chengsheng Castle, and now the banner of Takeda Ling has appeared in Yuezhong, and I, Uesugi Huihu, will face the enemy on the back of the belly, no, not only that, if Ueno Country is lost again, Echigo will be attacked by the Takeda army on three sides. ”

Naoe Jinggang said: "My lord, although the current battle situation is not in my favor, the Takeda family is not easy, if the confrontation continues for a long time, Kai will not be my opponent in Echigo." ”

Uesugi Ken sighed and asked, "Jing Gang, you say that, there is a basis." ”

Naoe Jinggang nodded and said: "Hui, according to His Majesty's understanding, the reason why Takeda Shingen has risen rapidly in the past ten years is because of the gold mountain of Kai, and now according to the return of the ninjas of Xuanyuan in Kai, several big gold mountains of the Takeda family have been nearly exhausted. Jin Shan is the courage of Xinxuan, so it can be seen that if Xinxuan does not have the support of Jinshan in the next few years, Jia Fei will not even have the strength to send troops to conscript. ”

"It's not that the Takeda family is different from my Echigo, whether it's Shinano, Kai, the country is trapped in the mountains, there is no coastal advantage, and the income is limited. On the other hand, I have relied on the trade of green ramie and the trade of seas, and the profits obtained are no less than those of Jinshan, and they will always be inexhaustible. In addition, Kai and I Echigo, there is another fatal shortcoming, that is, the lack of salt in the Kai Mountains, the salt road is controlled by others, and it is currently in the hands of Imagawa Hojo. Historically, these two companies have made a lot of profits from the sale of salt goods. Therefore, if the war continues in the long run, the Takeda army will no longer be able to compete with our Echigo for supremacy. ”

Under such an analysis, Uesugi Ken couldn't help but nodded, Kenshin is not a person who only understands military strategy, so he is also very proficient in the livelihood of the people.

Uesugi Kenshin said to Naoe Jingzuna: "Jingzuna, what you said is right, so that's exactly the case, even if I, Huihu, die, I can't let Shingen see the sea, otherwise the Takeda family will be out of control from now on." ”

Seeing that he had received the support of Uesugi Kenshin, Naoe Keixuna sighed and continued: "My lord, in fact, the biggest crisis of the Takeda family at the moment is not my Echigo, or Hojo Imagawa, nor is it the depletion of the domestic gold mountains and the disadvantage of selling salt. For Takeda Shingen, the biggest crisis at the moment is internal instability. ”

Hearing Naoe Keixuna say this, Uesugi Kenshin's eyes lit up, obviously grasping the meaning.

Naoe Jinggang continued: "The battle between Shingen's eldest son, Yoshinobu, and the four male victories has tended to meet each other, and each of them has a group of subordinates to support and shout for him. In my estimation, in the next one to two years, there will be a major change in the Takeda family. It is foreseeable that whether it is Yoshinobu or Katsuyori, the Takeda family cannot avoid an internal purge. The loser's side, as well as the retainers he supported, would be killed or exiled, and at best, his status in the Takeda family would plummet. ”

"The trouble started within the Xiao Wall, and how many famous doors collapsed in an instant, and they no longer had the momentum of yesterday, the former general's family, the Hosokawa family, and the current no Miyoshi changes, isn't it the best example?"

When Uesugi Kenshin heard this, his eyes flashed and he said, "Jing Gang, for now, who has a better chance of winning?" ”

Naoe Jinggang thought for a while and said: "My lord, in terms of the righteousness of the name, of course, on the side of Yixin, although Takeda Katsuyori is outstanding, and has made great achievements for the Takeda family. But the order of the young and the young is not easy for the martial arts family in the past few hundred years, so as long as Shingen is alive for a long time, and Yoshinobu himself does not make mistakes, Katsulai is no matter how skilled he is, he is at most the most powerful retainer in the crowd. ”

But unfortunately, Yoshinobu was short-sighted and narrow-minded, and could not tolerate victory, so the two of them eventually had a big fight. As far as the battle is concerned, although Yoshinobu has the support of Itomi Torama, Nobuaki Shibe, and many generations of family elders, and there is even the Imagawa family of Suruga abroad who is supported by him, I am not optimistic about this person. Relatively speaking, I am still more optimistic about victory, but in such a rapid change, I dare not easily make a judgment on who wins and who loses. ”

Hearing this, Uesugi Kenshin pondered for a while and said, "Thanks to this person, who is brave and resourceful, resolute and decisive, and can do things that ordinary people can't do, his future achievements will not be inferior to those of Shingen." Therefore, I would never like to see this person ascend to the throne and take charge of the Takeda family. ”

"What's more, there is Sanada Yutaka under the command of Katsurai, and a retainer like Li Xiao helps him, if he gets the position of the head of the Takeda family in the future, plus Shingen left behind that group of elite soldiers, it will be unimaginably terrifying. Maybe one day, after I die, no one in the world, whether it is Echigo, can restrain him. ”

Naoe Jinggang sighed and said: "The lord has a vision, and his subordinates also think so, if Yoshinobu is on the throne, he is under the control of the loyal ministers of the Takeda family, and even if he is a loyal minister in his life, he is only a shoucheng. From then on, the Takeda family was no longer a big problem for me. Therefore, the lord and his majesty suggested that in the battle for the throne of the Takeda family, we secretly fully supported Yoshinobu. ”

Uesugi Kenshin smiled indifferently and said, "In fact, in the past few years, Yoshinobu has been in secret contact with me uninterrupted, even when he was claustrophobic in Tokoji Temple last year, we also exchanged letters, and it is inevitable to support Yoshinobu to ascend to the throne. ”

"In spite of all his shortcomings, Righteous Faith is a righteous man, and if he succeeds in the future, he will be grateful to me. At that time, Echigo and Kai can also turn enemies into friends, and they can also eliminate a military disaster for the world. ”

Naoe Jinggang sighed and said: "Lord, I believe that Xuan never expected that he has always been good at stirring up internal discord in other countries to make profits, and this time I will also apply this method to him." Lord, in fact, for the family, the best result is that the Takeda family is in internal strife, and the two families are at loggerheads, so I can send troops to Kai in the name of helping Yoshinobu, maybe I can take this opportunity to raze Takeda in one fell swoop and seize the land of Koshin. ”

Uesugi Kenshin raised the katana in his hand and said, "No, it is unjust to take advantage of indiscriminately, Shingen can do it, how can I be in the same league with him, I am crusading against Takeda for righteousness, not plotting for his territory, so I will never do this." Jing Gang, I, Uesugi Kenshin, have been fighting many battles and victories since then, and the reason for this is that it is precisely in fighting injustice with righteousness. Takeda is brutal and has his own destiny, so he pins his hopes on the enemy's own chaos, but it is better to be stronger than himself now, as long as he upholds righteousness, he will be invincible. ”

"My lord." Naoe Jinggang was about to persuade again, but Uesugi Kenshin stretched out his hand to stop, and he said: "Jinggang, the Son of Heaven has granted me a decree to crusade against the unrighteous ministers, so I only want to defeat Takeda and support justice, not to seize the territory. If I force it, it's not my doing. ”

Naoe Keixuna nodded, only then did he understand Uesugi Kenshin's intentions, and finally said: "No matter what the lord decides, his subordinates will swear to follow him, and Bishamon will bless Echigo's martial fortune and prosperity." ”

Uesugi Kenshin nodded when he heard this, then looked at Takeda Shingen's main camp from afar, and said, "Since the Takeda family has gained a firm foothold in Hida, the meaning of sending troops to Kawanakajima this time is no longer there, write a letter to Shingen to discuss peace." In the eleventh year of the battle of Kawanakajima, Shin Xuan and I were still evenly matched! ”

September 10th, early in the morning.

Kawanakajima, Takeda Army's main camp. In the early morning, it was another heavy fog.

Takeda Shingen, wearing a white bear fur shawl, wore a Suwa surname on his head, and looked at the fog outside the curtain of the main array.

The letter he was holding in his hand was written to him by Kenshin Uesugi, which stated that the two sides would strike the army, and at the end it was attached that if he still fought with Shingen, it would be difficult to achieve anything (this sentence was originally written by Kenshin to Takeda Shingen during the First Battle of Kawanakajima).

At the end of the letter is a monograph of Kenshin Uesugi himself.

Takeda Shingen held this letter in his hand, looked back at Iitomi Toramasa, and Baba Shinbo asked, "Uesugi Kenshin, what do you think of the proposal to strike the army?" ”

(To be continued)