After the Honda Masato fled with a group of his vassals and feudal army, Itakura Shigemune, Takagi Kiyoshi and others finally despaired of the situation at Himeji Castle, knowing that Himeji Castle could no longer hold it in such a situation, and they could not even delay any longer, so they quickly chose to flee that night. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

Because of the haste of the matter, Itakura Shigemune only took a group of his own personal guards to withdraw the troops, and did not inform the other troops of their own evacuation at all, so he fled directly out of the city - he also intended to let these remaining people continue to resist the Han Kou and delay them for a smooth evacuation.

However, the news of the main general's escape soon spread throughout the city, and the morale of the defenders in the city, which was already greatly damaged, fell to the bottom. After Itakura Shigemune fled the castle, he quickly took all the remaining shogunate troops outside the castle with him, and there were no more reinforcements inside the castle.

And at this time, a new round of strikes by the besieging army also resumed, and with the help of artillery fire, they launched a well-prepared general attack, and this time Tachibana Muneshige was personally in charge of commanding, and it was bound to let go

In this increasingly desperate situation, most of the defenders in the city, with the exception of a very small number of diehards, no longer had the will to resist, and either retreated or simply surrendered, and these diehards were quickly wiped out.

As Itakura Shigemune had predicted, the resistance in Himeji Castle was quickly quelled, and with the last of the resistance forces eliminated, Himeji Castle fell entirely into the hands of the Han army. If it weren't for his early escape, I'm afraid he and Takagi Kiyoshi wouldn't have been able to escape.

After the last sporadic resistance was resolved, Tachibana Soshige sent a good news to Zhou Pu outside the city, which also plunged the whole army into jubilation. These days, because of the huge casualties of the besieging army, troops from outside the city have been transferred into the city again and again for reinforcements, which has also brought inexplicable psychological pressure to the entire army, for fear that it will be their turn to be transferred into the city and become a corpse in an inconspicuous corner.

However, if it weren't for the supervision of the battle team and the help of the Han's artillery, I am afraid that this army would not be able to support it before. Now that the news of the final fall of Himeji Castle has finally begun, everyone is naturally jubilant.

Zhou Pu's excitement is no less than theirs, these days, he has been worried about this city, although the casualties are cannon fodder in his eyes, but the artillery fire suffered such a big loss still makes him a little distressed, fortunately, he forcibly suppressed the vacillation in the army, unswervingly sent troops to reinforce, and finally suppressed the city.

It was the fiercest battle he had ever faced since he had attacked north from the territory of the Maori family, and it was also the battle he had truly experienced in battle. The smooth march of the army before made him contemptuous, and only now that he has witnessed it with his own eyes, he knows that war is so cruel

In recognition of Tachibana Soshige's merits, he personally ordered that the warriors who bravely attacked the castle be rewarded, especially Tachibana Soshige, who finally led the army to take down Himeji Castle.

While rewarding Tachibana Soshige and others, he also stepped into Himeji Castle with his subordinates.

The destruction of Himeji Castle along the way shocked him, and the dense piles of corpses everywhere made him a little unbearable to read, but now as the commander of the first army, he had to set an example for others, so he covered up the discomfort in his heart, and issued one order after another, urging the army in the city to rest and recuperate, and at the same time began to collect the corpses and clean up the traces of the war.

Led by Tachibana Muneshige and others, he came to the castle's main castle tower, which was also the place where Iakura Shigemune's command had fought before.

In the previous war, because of the artillery fire and thick smoke, the sky over Himeji Castle has always been filled with black smoke and dust, and now although it is gradually fading, it is still a little blurry when he climbs high and looks into the distance, but Zhou Pu doesn't have the heart to sigh by the window now, he has more important things to do.

"Itakura Shigemune, was that what he called the shots here before?" Looking at the utensils in the castle tower, Zhou Pu frowned slightly, "It seems that he is very anxious these days, things are so messy." ”

"He braved the condemnation of the world to fight against the heavenly soldiers, and let so many people die in the war, and they are innocent." Nijo Yasudo said hatefully, "I hate him to escape, otherwise if it falls into our hands, we will definitely not be able to spare his life!" ”

"Even if he runs away, we can go after them and see if we can intercept them." At this time, Tachibana Soshige suddenly said, "They are fleeing in a hurry now, the speed must not be fast, and the people are panicking, as long as they can intercept them, then they will definitely be able to defeat them!" ”

"Chase?" As soon as they heard Tachibana Soshige say this, the other generals hesitated.

During these days of attack, their troops had suffered heavy losses, and the rest of them were very tired, and everyone had the idea that they could not move now and hope to rest and recover, and Tachibana Muneshige suddenly proposed to pursue them, and the others felt very embarrassed.

"Secretary of the Army, now that our army needs to rest, let's not pursue it yet, right?" Nijo Kangdo suffered the most, so he first objected, "The soldiers are now physically and mentally exhausted, and it will take some time to recover. ”

"We're physically and mentally exhausted, they must be even more physically and mentally exhausted, they've just failed miserably, and now it's time to flee, they're more vulnerable than we are!" Tachibana Somao did not change his opinion, "Now is the best time for us to pursue them, as long as we keep following behind and attacking, they will definitely not be able to withstand the blow, even if they can't capture Itakura Shigemune alive, at least they can let all his remaining troops collapse, my lord, please don't delay the opportunity!" ”

At this time, he had already asked Zhou Pu directly.

Seeing that he was so sincere, Zhou Pu secretly considered his opinion. Itakura Shigemune and the others had fled two days in advance, but in two days, they would definitely not be able to run too far, and they were now a defeated army, and they definitely had no will to fight, if they could really pursue it, then they should be able to deal a heavy blow to the enemy again.

In addition, if the enemy flees in such a hurry, the local order along the way will definitely be chaotic, and this time is the best time for your side to expand the occupied area, and it would be a pity not to take advantage of this moment when people's hearts are shaken to expand the results of the battle as soon as possible.

As they moved farther away from the place where they were deployed, the distance and difficulty of supplying the front line in the rear increased, so if they could open up a large occupation zone in the rich region as soon as possible, it would certainly greatly alleviate the problem of supply.

However, he also knew the current situation of his subordinates, most of the troops led by Nijo Yasudo were originally newly recruited soldiers, and they had already suffered heavy casualties during the previous siege, and now they were exhausted, and if they were forced to pursue again, I am afraid that they would really collapse.

In that case, let's just do both.

After weighing it, he quickly made a decision.

"Okay, then follow what General Tachibana said, and pursue it immediately, but ...... The troops who participated in the siege before, except for the troops directly under General Tachibana, stayed in the city to rest and did not participate in the pursuit. Presumably, the enemy has suffered heavy losses now, and there is no need for our whole army to pursue it. Shogun Tachibana ......"

He looked at Tachibana Soshige, "Next, you will be in charge of leading the pursuing army with full authority, and you must bring the region into the hands of our army as soon as possible!" ”

After this period of running-in and understanding, Tachibana Zongmao has gained his trust, whether in terms of ability or obedience, Tachibana Zongmao is stronger than others, so Zhou Pu simply chose to delegate power and let Tachibana Zongmao sweep the surrounding area for himself as soon as possible.

"I will never disappoint the expectations of adults!" Tachibana Muneshige immediately lowered his leader's order, "We will set off tonight, and we will never give Itakura Shigemune and the others a chance to breathe." ”

"Good! That's great! Fortunately, thanks to the help of the general, our journey will be so smooth......" Zhou Pu couldn't help laughing, "Okay, now it's time to reward meritorious deeds......

With this meaningful sentence, he turned his head to look at Nijo Yasudo, "Lord Youfu, as I said before, whoever can take down Himeji Castle and snatch the Great Castle Tower into the hands of our army will be given 200,000 stone fiefs...... General Tachibana led his subordinates to attack the Great Castle Tower, captured the castle for our army, and deserved to seal him with 200,000 koku, right? ”

Nijo Yasudo's face was a little ugly, but he still nodded. "General Tachibana is brave and strategic, leading his subordinates to perform miraculous feats, and he is really a pillar of the imperial court, and rewards are naturally indispensable. The fief mentioned by the lord will definitely be recognized by the monarch. In addition, in the future, the imperial court will also posthumously crown the secretary of the military department, and he will never fail him. ”

In the siege, the troops who paid the most casualties were his subordinates, and now the biggest reward was directly snatched away by Tachibana Soshige, and he must be a little unhappy.

However, rewarding Tachibana Zongmao is now a fait accompli, and he can't change it, and the envoy of the Han Dynasty is willing to inform himself before the reward, and in the name of a court, it has already given him face. Now it is very important for him to maintain a righteous name for the imperial court, and Tachibana Muneshige is also very worthy of the imperial court.

"Thank you, two adults!" Tachibana Soshige thanked both of them again. Although it is still calm on the surface, it is very happy in the heart.

When he defected to the Han envoys before, he had already received the promise of a reward of 500,000 stone territory from the Han envoys after the war, and now he has added 200,000 stones, which means that he will now have a territory of 700,000 stones after the war - and judging from the previous behavior of the Han envoys, as long as he continues to perform well in the future, then he will definitely be sealed again.

Perhaps, after the war, I might be able to become a million-stone daimyo - he suddenly flashed into this thought.

Before, he was under Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, although he was very appreciated, but at most he only gave more than 100,000 stone of territory, originally after so many ups and downs he has seen through the world, and he is also very satisfied with the territory of the Yanagawa Domain, and intends to die here, but he did not expect that when he was about to die in his twilight years, he was actually of great use because of the envoys sent by the Han Dynasty, and he may even become one of the biggest daimyo in the whole of Japan.

The impermanence of life has been painfully realized by Tachibana Soshige.

And the generous reward of the Han envoys also gave Tachibana Soshige a feeling that he was dying for his confidant, and he hoped to repay the other party's attention to him with his own efforts.

After rewarding Tachibana Soshige, Zhou Pu was also in the castle tower and began to reward soldiers who were useful in battle on a large scale. In order to appease the mood of Nijo Yasudo and others, he deliberately rewarded many soldiers of the Japanese imperial army. However, considering the Japanese court's strict requirements for territory, he only rewarded these soldiers with gold and silver, and did not reward the territory.

And Togo Shigemata also came to the castle tower at this time and accepted Zhou Pu's reward. When he saw Dongxiang Shigekata's old acquaintance, Zhou Pu's eyes lit up, and then he left the others behind and walked straight in front of Dongxiang Shigefang.

"Dongxiang, long time no see!" He smiled and greeted the other party.

And in front of his enthusiasm, Dongxiang Shigefang was slightly at a loss.

Previously, under the order of the feudal lord Shimazu Tadashi, he came to the side of the Han envoy to serve as a guard, but at that time, the other party was in danger, and the two became friends.

But now everything is not what it used to be, he is now the master of all armies, and the envoys of the Han Dynasty, even the ministers of the imperial court and the lords of various places, must bow down to him with respect, he is just a vassal priest, where is there a position to be so cordial with him?

"Meet your lord!" With this in mind, he bowed respectfully.

He was so solemn that Zhou Pu was stunned for a moment, and then couldn't help laughing again.

"Don't be so solemn! We used to be friends, and you helped me so much, but now that you're so angry, doesn't it make me embarrassed? ”

"My lord......" Togo Shigekata hesitated a little, not knowing what to do.

"Okay, don't be so inhibited, just treat me the same way you did at the beginning." Zhou Pu smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "I have heard about your deeds during the siege of the city before, I admire it very much, and sure enough, the hero of your domain did not see the wrong person." ”

Zhou Pu's words evoked the memories of Dongxiang Chongfang, and the tragic scenes in the city resurfaced in front of his eyes.

How could the hard work and sacrifice at that time be said with a sentence of "heroic"?

"Now that you are a hero of our army, you must be rewarded for your military exploits," while he was still recalling, Zhou Pu had already continued to speak, "I plan to make you a big name, are you willing to do it?" ”

Because Dongxiang Shigefang followed him wholeheartedly before, now Zhou Pu also plans to repay him heavily, and with his military exploits in the city, he will be given 10,000 or 20,000 stone territory, so that he can break away from the Satsuma Domain and become an independent daimyo, which can be regarded as his own way to give back to him.

Zhou Pu felt that as a samurai, it should be a lifelong wish to become a daimyo, and now that it has been realized because of his words, he should be very grateful to himself.

However, after waiting for a while, he didn't get Togo Shigekata's expression of gratitude, but he still kept his eyes open in confusion, as if he was outside the gods.

I'm afraid that I fought in the city day and night before, and my brain hasn't turned a corner yet, right? Zhou Pu thought secretly.

"What do you think of this reward?" He asked again.

"My lord, can you agree to the next request?" At this time, Dongxiang Shigefang suddenly raised his head and looked at Zhou Pu.

"Please?" Zhou Pu was slightly surprised.

I've been generous enough, and if he asks for more, it will be a little ignorant.

"Your Excellency...... In this siege, our army suffered great losses, and many of these dead soldiers were even more courageous than below, and it was they who paid with their lives to break through this city...... So our credit is really insignificant compared to theirs. Dongxiang Shigefang looked at Zhou Pu and said very earnestly, "So, I would like to ask your lord to order a memorial monument to be built in the city to pay tribute to these dead soldiers so that their souls can rest in peace." ”

Zhou Pu was slightly stunned, he didn't expect the other party to make such a request in front of him.

He nodded quickly, though. "Okay, thank you for reminding me, I'll order a monument to be erected in this city."

Then, he sighed slightly, and then patted Dongxiang Shigekata's shoulder again, as if to entrust, "If you become a daimyo in the future, you must remember to care for the people......

Dongxiang Shigefang knelt directly on the ground, and then kowtowed heavily to Zhou Pu. "Thank you, sir! The kindness of adults will never be forgotten in the next! ”

"Let's continue to fight well in the future." Zhou Pu waved his hand and motioned for him to leave first.

Under Zhou Pu's orders, the restoration of the castle soon began, and Tachibana Muneshige also led his troops out of the castle and advanced towards Kinai, beginning to pursue the defeated soldiers of the shogunate.

As Tachibana Muneshige had predicted, the shogunate army that Itakura Shigemune had taken with him at Himeji Castle was indeed unable to fight, and the march was extremely slow, so he pursued them quickly all the way, and soon defeated them again, most of them were killed and captured, and the few surviving officers and soldiers were scattered into the mountains and forests, unable to compete with the Han army again.

Itakura Shigemune fled all the way, and finally simply abandoned his troops and fled back to Kyoto with Takagi Kiyoshi alone.

With the defeat of the shogunate at the Himeji Domain, the situation began to get worse for them.

Beizhong Beihou fell, and the Iwami and Izumo countries of the mountain **** also gradually fell, and the western country has all fallen into the hands of the enemy, and now the Harima country has fallen, and the gateway to Kinai has been opened, and the Han army has advanced all the way to the Tango country and the Settsu country, and the front of the army is directed at Kyoto.

The fact that the Han army broke into also made the hearts of the people in more volatile, and the wealthy merchants of began to throw themselves more and more into the Han, sending material resources to them continuously, and Osaka and Sakai City themselves had already escaped the control of the shogunate because of the lack of military forces of the shogunate, waiting for the Han army to come and receive it.

Anyone can see that the shogunate is over. (To be continued.) )