Niwa Nagahide described the situation to me a few days later. It is said that although Shibata Katsuie, Mori Kosei and Ikeda Hengxing signed the joint letter, they uncharacteristically did not express any opinions in the evaluation; Niwa Nagahide himself insisted on Cage Castle with a few commissioners, while Hayashi Xiuzhen, Arao Misaku Morizenji and others proposed to temporarily attach themselves to the Imagawa family. The argument between the Cage City faction and the dependency faction was very fierce, and it lasted for most of the hour. In the end, Nobunaga knocked the floor with a folding fan, bringing the two sides to an end to the fight. But Nobunaga didn't make up his mind, he just said, "That's it!", and then left the assessment room. Before going out, he even blew out the lampstands on both sides of the main seat very quickly.

At that moment, there may have been more than one person who thought in his heart that the Oda family was going to be finished. When Lin Xiuzhen went out, her face was full of anger, and she said two very fierce words. As the only remaining elder of the Gu Ming family in the Nobuhide era, he was the only one who dared to criticize Nobunaga in public.

And Arao Zenji left Owari overnight, and it was clear that he had reported to Imagawa. It is conceivable that after learning the information about Odakata's last meeting from his mouth, Imagawa Yoshimoto naturally became more confident. Maybe this is one of the reasons why he was so careless? In this respect, this person has "made a great contribution" to the Oda family!

Unfortunately, after the war, he did not receive any reward, but hurriedly married his daughter to Ikeda Tsuneko in order to reconcile with the Oda family. Four years later, this man retired from Arawei Castle and surrendered his family governor to Hengxing's newborn second son, Gu Xinmaru (Hui Zheng......

Even Niwa Nagahide was inevitably a little depressed at the time. However, out of loyalty to the Oda family, and especially to Nobunaga himself, he still conscientiously arranged the defense of the military granary that night.

And after I returned to the sorrel house, with the help of Xiao Xia, I put on my imperial guard and entered Cheongju on duty. Natsu was not surprised by this, although it was usually the mother-clothed people who were on duty, and sometimes there were generals with close associates who were temporarily ordained, as Ikeda had done before.

However, I know that this situation is very special.

Xiujing and Yifeng have already said hello, but I am still hesitating in my heart whether to let Xiao Xia prepare for the battle.

This battle is very dangerous and crucial, and if you want to improve the status of your family, I must not miss it as a direct minister. Retainers also need to bring them to show their all. But Xiao Xia is a female surname after all, and it is reasonable not to go to the battlefield. Nor do I ask her to sacrifice her life to fight for the Lord's house, as other people's courtiers do.

Looking at Xiao Xia's slightly haggard face, I finally made a decision, don't let her go into danger!

"Xiao Xia, there may be something going on tonight, but please be sure to stay. Everything in the house is up to you to take care of. ”

Xiao Xia looked at me twice and slowly nodded in agreement.

Suddenly there was Yujin's cry in the room, and then Yu Jia's whisper comforted. I couldn't help but stop and listen quietly for a while. It wasn't until Woojin fell asleep peacefully again that I continued out of the house and headed to Cheongju Castle.

On duty today are the five members of the night shift of the Akami Cloth Clan, Yoshiyuki Sawaki, Shigekyu Iwamuro, Kyoketsu Yamaguchi, Hashisuke Hasegawa, and Yazaburo Kato. By the time I entered Cheongju City, they had already changed the guard with the day shift. After I joined up with them, I stayed outside Nobunaga's dormitory with me.

"Fujihachi, did the lord explain anything?" I asked.

"The lord instructed that if there is any urgent news from the front, no matter what time it is, it must be reported immediately." Yoshiyuki Sawaki replied.

"Well, nothing will happen anyway, let's divide into three shifts! I was in a group with Fujihachi, Shigekyu and Kyotsu in a group, and Hashisuke and Yazaburo in a group. Shift shifts every other hour to give others a break. ”

"Why is that? You can rest as much as possible tomorrow after the shift change. Yazaburo Kato asked.

"But tomorrow is likely to be a battle with the Imagawa family...... Who wants to miss out, or go listlessly? ”

Several people shook their heads together.

"Then listen to me! I had the first class with Fujihachi, and then we had a break and a sutra. If there is news, wake up the resting person immediately. I said.

This is considered a military order, and the other five agreed together.

Most of the hour passed quickly. Hearing the sound of the castle, I woke up Iwamuro Shigekyu and Yamaguchi Kyosei, and then leaned against the wall with Yoshiyuki Sawaki cross-legged, closing his eyes and recuperating. Halfway through, we were on duty for another hour, and then handed over to the next shift again, resting with Yoshiyuki Sawaki and the others.

This time, it didn't seem to take long before I felt someone pushing me, and I quickly opened my eyes, and Hasegawa Hashisuke was standing in front of me.

"What, is it time for a shift change?" I asked.

"Your Highness Xuanjing, there was an urgent military intelligence just now, and it was a messenger sent by His Highness Sakuma Pegasus of Marune...... Around that time, Matsudaira Motoyasu led 2,500 men and tried to transport a batch of military rations into the castle. We have repulsed them and grabbed part of the rations, but we have lost more than forty people. After that, Matsudaira Motoyasu seemed to have the intention of capturing Marune first, and His Royal Highness Sakuma asked the lord to send some reinforcements! ”

"Two thousand five hundred? Isn't he three thousand five hundred? I muttered, rubbing my face with the palm of my hand, feeling a lot clearer.

As soon as my brain was activated, I roughly understood the truth of the matter. The two thousand five hundred men of Matsudaira Motoyasu must have made a feint, while the other thousand men may have entered the Great Castle with the military rations.

"I'll go and report to my lord at once—what time is it?" I asked him.

"It seems like it's almost ugly."

That's what it looks like at three o'clock in the morning. I stood up and walked to the door of Nobunaga's bedroom.

"Lord, the front line is urgent!" I said loudly.

The door to the dormitory soon opened, and Nobunaga walked out in a white silk robe.

"What's the matter?" He asked me in a deep voice.

I hurriedly relayed Hasegawa's words.

"It's finally here...... Nobunaga sighed, and his expression immediately turned to resoluteness. He shouted violently, "Get up, get up for me!" Fujihachi, blow the conch at the head of the city! ”

In the silence of the night, his voice was like thunder. The entire castle tower was immediately in a hurry, and the lights in the rooms were lit up one after another. Then, with the deep whimper of the conch, some of the castle towns were also lit up.

Mrs. Guidie came out of the house first, wearing only a kimono, not even a smock.

"Your Highness! What happened?! She asked hurriedly.

"It's nothing, it's going to be battle......" Nobunaga turned around and instructed her, "Anon, bring your snare drum and play it for me!" ”

“…… Be! Mrs. Guidie quickly took the snare drum and put it on her shoulder.

To the crisp and short beat of the drums, Nobunaga, barefoot and waving a folding fan, danced in front of us the famous "Tsumori":

"Fifty years in the world is nothing more than a small thing compared to heaven and earth. Looking at the world, dreams are like water. Let life be for a while, and then it will be destroyed...... Looking at the world, in the sea and the sky, how can there be immortals! ”

After the dance, Nobunaga waved his hand and threw the folding fan on the ground, and loudly commanded Mrs. Guidie:

"Nong, fetch my shoes! Take my stuff! ”

"Yes!"

"Hashisuke, where's my knife?"

"My lord, Hasebe is here!" Hasegawa Hashisuke fetches Nobunaga's love knife.

"Take out everything you have to eat!"

The maids brought food and presented it to Nobunaga and us. A few of us sat on the floor, and Nobunaga finished his meal while he was standing. Then, Mrs. Guidie poured a glass of wine with her own hands and handed it to Nobunaga. This is both a wine to pray for victory and a farewell to loved ones. In an instant, there seemed to be a tragic atmosphere in the room.

Nobunaga finished drinking from Mrs. Guidie's hand and shouted, "Monkey! ”

"Yes! The monkeys are here! Kinoshita Toyoshiro ran to Nobunaga in a few steps and lay down.

"Pull the wind out! Today, it's up to you to lead the horse for me! ”

"Yes!" Fujiyoshiro got up and ran out.

"Let's get ready to fight!" Nobunaga commanded, holding the famous sword "Kunishige" at his waist, and left the room without looking back.

After a few moments, we rode away from the North Castle Tower. A group of seven people and seven horses, Oda Nobunaga, Yoshiyuki Sawaki, Shigekyu Iwamuro, Kyotsura Yamaguchi, Hasegawa Hashisuke, Yazaburo Kato, and me. And what we are about to face is the army of Imagawa Yoshimoto, which claims to be 40,000......

As soon as he left Cheongju City, Ikeda Hengxing immediately greeted him, and behind him were nearly 200 spearmen arranged under the names of Fujihachi and the other five people. Next up is Shibata Katsuie.

"My lord, Quan Liu led a cavalry team of one hundred and twenty-six people to follow!"

"Keep up!" Nobunaga ordered.

Then there is Niwa Nagahide. Seeing Nobunaga in full uniform in the night, as well as the three or four hundred of us, he asked in surprise, "My lord! This is? ”

"It's time to go out." Nobunaga said simply.

"But...... Isn't it to defend the city? Niwa Nagahide hurriedly asked.

"That's your business...... Nobunaga grabbed the horse in his hand and commanded him loudly, "Nagahide! Take your people and watch those wealthy city lords for me! If I don't come back by night, I'll burn all the rations in the city at once!" ”

"Yes, my lord!" Niwa Nagahide bowed in agreement.

Let's move on. Along the way, people gathered one after another, first of all, Ma Dai Zhong and others approached, Kawajiri Hidetaka, Sasa Naimasa, Oda Echizen Mamoru, Kinoshita Masadasuke, Asai Masasa, Fukutomi Hidekatsu, Naomasa Tsuda, Tsuda Motsutsuki, Nakagawa Shigemasa and so on came one after another, and all the people in the red and black mothers arrived, bringing the remaining more than 500 spear soldiers. Mori Kosei, Bee House Yoritaka and other Mino people also joined us one after another, and Gong Wei came to Nobunaga's side, in addition to nearly 200 samurai and ashigaru. In addition, old ministers such as Oda Shushu Shinbo and Okada Shigezen also arrived one after another, but they didn't bring many troops, obviously because of insufficient preparation in advance. As the flags of the Nobuhide period, although they have gradually faded out of the inner circle of the Oda family in recent years, their loyalty to the Oda family is indeed unquestionable.

Among these people, I found Hideki riding a horse and Yamauchi Kazutomi with Goto Junki and his grandfather Ekan Sakemon. And Xiao Xia actually followed alongside, and a group of five people came straight to me.

I rode my horse and slowed down slightly. When a few people approached, I lowered my voice and asked, "Are you here...... What's going on with Natsu? Didn't I want you to stay and take care of the family? ”

"It was Natsu who sensed that something was wrong with what my brother said last night, so he asked me to understand, and then insisted on coming......" Xiujing explained.

Xiao Xia complained: "Lord! Such a thing, why isn't it called Konatsu? After going through so many things together, doesn't the lord still know about Xiao Xia's loyalty? Do you still have reservations about Konatsu? ”

"You're a woman after all...... This battle is very dangerous, and you could have stayed out of it, so why put yourself in danger? I sighed.

As far as I can remember, no one was killed in this battle or even wounded. If you follow Nobunaga closely, you have a good chance of saving your surname. But in this battle, almost all of them are hand-to-hand, but Xiao Xia is good at bows and arrows, and his swordsmanship and strength are a little worse than my current level. Will she be able to make sure she gets out of the way in the heat of the raid?

"It's because of the danger that we need to work together even more!" Xiao Xia argued.

"Oh well. Follow me, and stay with me by the lord's side. Xiujing, Yifeng, a few of you too. "That's all I can say.

"Yes!" Xiujing and Yamauchi Kazutoyo agreed together.

"Xiao Xia, you must also take care."

"Ah...... Be! Xiao Xia bit her lip: "Xiao Xia must not let the lord be harmed in any way!" ”

"I'm telling you to be careful...... Really, it's still distracted at this time! What are you thinking? Seeing that she looked a little distracted, I couldn't help but reproach her.

At this time, the sky was gradually getting brighter, and Lin Xiuzhen, the old man of the pen family, finally took a few entourages and rode up on horseback. Several of them were not fully dressed, and it seemed that they had no intention of joining the formation.

Lin Xiuzhen rode to the front of the queue, stopped in front of Nobunaga's side, and asked in a questioning tone, "Lord!" What are you? ”

"Go and take on Yoshimoto Imagawa." Nobunaga replied. His tone was very relaxed, as if he was talking about an outing or something.

"But my lord, Imagawa has 40,000 troops! These more than 1,000 people ......"

"What happened to the more than 1,000 people?" Nobunaga suddenly raised his voice, "These more than a thousand people are extremely loyal to me Nobunaga!" All with an incomparably loyal and brave soul! With such a military situation, it has the blessing of gods and Buddhas! ”

"My lord! Now is not the time to say these things! Lin Xiuzhen grabbed Nobunaga's horse, "Please be cautious!" ”

Nobunaga struggled and immediately snatched Ma Luozi back, but almost tore Lin Xiuzhen herself off the horse.

Seeing this, Nobunaga sighed: "I'm really sorry! However, after all, Lin Zuodu is old...... How about returning to Cheongju and waiting for the news of our army's victory? ”

After saying this, he no longer paid attention to this pen elder who had assisted him for more than ten years since he was a child, and had fallen to Xinsheng during this period, and led everyone straight to the direction of the battlefield.

At about 8 a.m., we arrived at Kamichiga Ma Shrine, which is the branch office of Atsuta Jingu. In addition to the main shrine, Atsuta Jingu also has three branches: Ota, Nishi-Yachi-Million, and Kamichigama, and Kamichigama Shrine is located at the southernmost point of the Jingu district and is the only way to get to Narumi. Nobunaga ordered the military to stop in front of the shrine, and then a military prayer ceremony was held. For Oda Nobunaga, who has never been very interested in seeing gods and Buddhas, this is really a rare thing.

Since it is a branch office, there is no one from the Matsuoka family and the Chiaki family of Omiya Tsukasa who are the gods of the shrine, and the person in charge of receiving them is Kato Shosuke. He accompanied Nobunaga and then entered the nave and offered a vow and a sword to Atsuta Daimyojin.

During this period, some people rushed over from Cheongju, as well as some local samurai nearby, and the total number of troops reached about 1,400. At this time, I suddenly remembered that the Maeda Toshiya family was living in Atsuta Jingu! With his loyalty to Nobunaga, he would definitely rush over when he saw the army, but why didn't anyone see him?

I continued to search through the crowd, but I still didn't find the Rika. Nobunaga had already come out of the shrine, and Fujiyoshiro hurriedly led the wind to meet it.

Nobunaga turned on his horse and shouted in front of the queue, "Listen! Atsuta Daimyojin has accepted the offering, and your surname has been entrusted to Atsuta Damyojin! Please defeat Imagawa Yoshimoto in one go with the protection of the Great Myojin! ”

"Hey! Hi! Hey—" The crowd shouted together.

"Let's go!"

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