This time, the strategy of the northeastern part of the Bungo Kingdom and the southeastern part of the Bunzen Kingdom not only increased a lot of territory and population for the Luo family, but also added a lot of minerals to the Luo family's internal cabinet.

In particular, the Bunzen region has always been the most important copper mineral area in Kyushu, and the ancient mining industry is relatively developed, especially the copper mining and copper smelting techniques, which is a famous copper production area in the Japanese country, among which the bell is the most famous copper product, which is used by many temples in Kyushu and even as far away as Kanto.

There is currently one gold mine and three copper mines currently being developed in the Bunzen area, especially these copper mines, all of which are deposits of associated iron ore. With these mineral deposits, not only will the income of the Luo family be increased, but also the raw materials for weapons will be more guaranteed. As the mine continues to explore further, it is estimated that new deposits will be discovered.

In addition to the newly added mineral deposits, the Iki Waterway, the Bungo Waterway, and the Kanmon Strait are also under the complete control of the Luo family, which will bring a lot of commercial and toll income to the Luo family's internal cabinet. In particular, the Kanmon Strait controlled almost all of the trade routes between the Japanese and Hakata, Iki Island, Tsushima and Korea, and to a certain extent, it also affected some of the smuggling trade routes between the Japanese and the Ming Kingdom. It can be said that as long as these waterways are controlled, it is equivalent to holding the commercial lifeline of some powerful forces.

Of course, although the total income of the territory has exceeded 2 million stones, and the population has reached 1.25 million, from the second half of last year to the first half of this year, the Luo family has mobilized more than 12,000 standing troops and more than 15,000 second-line peasants and soldiers, and during this period, they have also used food to relieve the displaced people in the newly occupied areas. As a result, the Luo family consumed a large amount of reserve food and materials. The army also suffered nearly 5,000 casualties (most of them temporary peasants). Arguably. In the next period of time, the Luo family is going to seize the time to recuperate. Fortunately, seeing that this year's autumn harvest is coming, although due to the war, there is almost no harvest in the northeastern part of Bungo Country and the southeastern part of Bunzen Country (as long as it is supported by the Luo family's work-for-work relief), but because the weather this year is not as abnormal as the previous two years, the harvest in the rest of the region should be good, so the Luo family's grain reserves will be greatly replenished.

Good things happen one after another. In August, while Masarashi was busy with government affairs and kept a close eye on the developments of the surrounding countries, envoys from the Kyoto Imperial Court and the Shogunate also arrived at Gibu Castle.

The arrival of the envoy is actually a historical necessity, because during the period when Masashi was busy with the war, many things did happen in various parts of the Wa Kingdom.

In the distant Michinoku region, the Governor of the Date family took back all the land mining documents issued by the previous dynasties and reissued them to a new "Zhixing Judgment", and used them to make the "Date Harumune Mining Underground Records". This means that the Date family has officially entered the ranks of the Sengoku Daimyo.

And in the Shinano Province area. The dragon of Echigo, Nagao Keitora and the tiger of Kai, Takeda Harunobu, finally faced off, and it is known in history as the "First Battle of Kawanakajima".

April of the 22nd year of astronomy (1553). Takeda Harunobu took his younger brother Nobu Shigeru as his general, and led many Shinano nobles who subdued Takeda, and slaughtered Murakami Yoshikiyo's Katsubi Castle like a tide. Unable to support it, Murakami Yoshikiyo, the "General General of Shinano", burned down Katsuo Castle and retreated to Shiota Castle further north of Shinano, where he continued to stubbornly resist the Takeda family.

Ten years of war, the original Shinano guardian Ogasawara party was swept away and killed by Takeda Harunobu, the unruly Hokushin people bent their knees and surrendered, only a few such as Murakami Yoshikiyo, Takanashi Masayori, etc., it is also a scene of lack of skills, Koshu samurai with a cold face, marching through the forbidden land of the former authoritarian power, between the rivers and valleys of the "Okushinano" where the people of the country are crowded, behind them, countless villages and cottages are burning with raging fires, and countless wives and women and children of the people of the country are crying for the loss of their homes and relatives. Castles are taken over by Harunobu's cronies. There is no doubt that the land of the ten counties of Shinano will soon become the forbidden territory of the Takeda family in the Awagasakikan, and there is no doubt in the hearts of people all over the world.

It was at this time that the roar of Nagao Keitor, a young daimyo from Hokuriku Echigo, broke Takeda Harunobu's full plan. The people of the northern shōshin country, led by Takanashi Masayori, ran to Echigo to ask for help, and they all knelt down on the main hall of Kasuga Mountain Castle, "Takeda Harunobu is insatiable and has taken away our ancestral property, and soon all the Shinano will be in its hub, so I beg your lord to send troops!" ”

Echigo generals such as Naoe Minoru, Honjo Minoru, and Saito Asanobu all shifted their gaze to the expressionless Nagao Keitor, waiting for his decision.

"Okay, I'll immediately send out the army to help the village of Yantian City defend your lord." The long-tailed Jinghu seemed to have exhausted all the strength of his body, and replied with some trembling, although he had always practiced meditation and silent meditation, begging to defeat any enemy with a calm heart, but this answer, Rao is long-tailed Jinghu also understood what it meant. The self-defeating Echigo warriors wanted to fight with the Koshu army under the banner of Sun Wuzi in Shinano, and shed their blood in the wilderness of Shinano. The duel between the strong and the strong is often protracted and tragic.

Changwei Jinghu, who is familiar with Chinese classics, and Takeda Harunobu, a senior disciple of the Rinzai sect, thought of the story of Yuwentai and Gao Huan almost at the same time (during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Yuwentai was in charge of the Western Wei Dynasty, Gao Huan held the handle of the Eastern Wei, and the two sides launched many tragic battles, and the opponent will meet the good talent when the chess meets).

Soon, on April 20, 5,000 soldiers from Echigo's children rushed into Kita-Shinano like a whirlwind, and the Takeda army, which was like a bamboo, was caught off guard, and did not expect Jinghu's movements to be so fast, and the fierce general Murakami Yoshikiyo, who got Echigo's new force, was like a tiger with wings, and launched a swift counterattack, and the Takeda army that blocked Murakami Yoshikiyoshi in Hachiman was defeated and could not be held all the way, and Murakami Yoshikiyo took advantage of the situation to recapture Katsuo Castle.

Harumobu Takeda of the Takeda Pavilion was shocked and angry, the blood of my soldiers who have been fighting hard for ten years cannot be shed in vain, even if you are the long-tailed Jinghu who is the demon king of the mixed world Cheng who was killed halfway, I will break your three-plate axe with my tiger teeth!

Suwa put on his Dharma Sex Jacket, raised the military flag of the "Four Truths" of the soldier Takeko Sun, and led 10,000 warriors from Koshu who were like wolves and tigers. Harunobu Takeda in the scorching heat of July. Once again, he worked tirelessly all the way north. Rushing towards Katsura Castle. At this time, Murakami Yoshikiyo, who failed to get help in time, had to abandon Katsura Castle again, but this time Harunobu obviously wanted to chase after the poor and beat the water dogs, and stormed Yiqing's stronghold, Shiota Castle.

In August, Murakami Yoshikiyo's Shiota Castle fell, and he went directly to Kasuga Yama Castle with Suda, Shimazu, Takanashi, and others. asked Jinghu for troops again, and made a loud promise, "As long as we can recapture the ancestral territory, we and other generals of Beixin are willing to guard the fence for His Royal Highness Jinghu for generations, pioneer in front of the horse, and kill people and gods in front of the desertion!" ”

As a result, on September 1, Nagao Jinghu personally led 8,000 soldiers and horses, led by the wealthy clan of Beixin Xinfu, and once again entered Beishinano. Harunobu Takeda, who did not dare to slack off, led his team to stick to Yantian Castle. The general Iitomi Torama was sent to each other in the north of Muroga Castle, and in addition, the newly attached Hokushin Hao clan Osuka led the servant army to act as cannon fodder in Bushi to resist the onslaught of the Long Tail Army.

There was no suspense in the Osuka army, and they were defeated by a charge by the long-tailed Jinghu. After several battles, the Takeda army was defeated but not chaotic, and alternately covered its own army and retreated in the direction of Harunobu's Shiota Castle.

"This is the real Koshu army, it is really different from the Beixin Hao clan army that was given before, please pay attention to Your Highness." With the lord of Bancheng, Naoe Minorusuna, he cautiously suggested to Jinghu.

"Well, most of this team is lightly armed, good at spears and bows and arrows, and it is the ashigaru team under Doctor Daizen. I've heard that most of them are led by brave and warlike warriors from the Takeda family. Jinghu looked like he was in control, and the facts were just as he guessed, it was the "five ministers of Jiayang" who fought against the Nagao Army in Shinoi, the ashigaru team of Yuan Huyin and Oda Toramori, numbering hundreds of people, and the main purpose was to reconnoiter by force.

After returning to Yantian City, the retainers immediately said to Qingxin: "The long-tailed Jinghu of Yuezhou, although he is young, is enough to have the courage of ten thousand people, His Royal Highness should be serious, and the other side will naturally retreat when the food is exhausted." ”

"Well, order the garrison of all cities to be the top, and do not rashly fight in the field." After Takeda Harunobu finished speaking, he held the military fan in his hand, closed his eyes and groaned. This Kai country lord who has been fighting for many years and can be called a veteran of the battlefield, is actually only thirty-two years old, and when he encounters an opponent of equal strength, he will still boil inexplicably, and the opponent's long-tailed Jinghu is only twenty-three years old. No, no, the scene of Uedawara and Toishi Castle has resurfaced, and our army still can't shrink, look at this kid from Hokuriku, what's the problem?

The next day, the long-tail army under Yantian Castle disappeared like a whirlwind, Jinghu had no intention of attacking Harunobu, but bypassed Yantian Castle, like an elusive dragon, wandering freely in Nishishinano, wantonly attacking Takeda's various strongholds in Shinano, and in a few days Arato, Aoyagi and other areas fell one after another, and the 8,000 Echigo army broke through the Baba Ridge and Aoki Ridge, all the way deep, and the troops pointed directly at Fukashi Castle, which was the core of the central part of Shinano.

"Our military commissar is in Yantian City, and Jinghu's guy sees the emptiness behind me, and is ready to smash Huanglong!" The generals of Takeda couldn't hold their breath and asked for battle one after another.

Takeda Harunobu smiled, "No, Nagao Jinghu's move is precisely to lure me out of the city to fight him." But if he stirs up my rear, I can also cut off his rear. ”

In the middle of the night, a Takeda elite army, led by the ashigaru general Tada Mitsuyori, captured the Desert Castle that had been captured by Jinghu in one drum, cutting off Jinghu's food route and retreat in one fell swoop. Subsequently, Takeda Harunobu moved, he led most of the main force, swooped down to the south, and the target was Aoyagi Castle, as long as this place was captured, the gate of Nagao Jinghu back to Echigo was sealed to death, and the eight thousand Vietnamese troops were locked in the deep canyon of the horse farm and Aoki, and they could only eat bark and drink cold water.

"Our return army, don't be afraid of being cut off, we are fighting on the outside, so we will take advantage of the opportunity of Qingxin to fight a decisive battle with them!" Jinghujun cheered, made a 180-degree turn, and prepared to bite Takeda's main force to the death.

On September 19, Shinano Shinohii, the two armies eager for a war, finally opened their positions here, and Takeda Harunobu and Nagao Keitora were able to see their long-rumored rivals.

"He turned out to be like this, and he was really a good man who could fight with me." This is the common voice of the two sides who looked at each other from afar at that time, a tiger in the mountains of Kai, and a dragon in the northern continent.

The long-tailed Jinghu lined up the children of Echigo into an offensive formation of the "Fish Scale Formation", which was deep and strong, and once the horn sounded, countless warriors could coordinate with each other on foot and horse, line up in multiple horizontal formations, and launch non-stop fierce attacks on the enemy until the enemy army was crushed and crushed. Jinghu himself, wearing the armor of "cowhide black and purple system", wearing a gold-plated real wheel pocket, holding a large gun, under the protection of Naoe Shigang and other flags, he was murderous and majestic, and there was a command flag around him, with a book "Dragon", calling the "Chaotic Dragon Flag" a signal for the assault of the whole army; A military flag, written "Bi", is the god of war Bishamentian, and Jinghu thinks that he is reincarnated. The 8,000 Vietnamese army, seeing that Jinghu ordered the "Chaos Dragon Flag" to be hoisted, knew that a mortal assault was about to be launched, and the mountains shouted long live, and the sound shook the wilderness.

Takeda Harunobu ordered 10,000 Koshu samurai to form a "crane wing array" with two narrow wings, and waited for the Jinghu army to go deep into the formation, and attack left and right, and then collect all the achievements. Harunobu himself, sitting on the horse of the curtain of the formation, lightly carrying the military fan, with the banner of Sun Wuzi fluttering above his head, and the two columns of "Hundred-legged Centipede Envoys" around him were all young warriors carefully selected from the children of the retainers, wearing vermilion armor, riding on a fast horse, carrying a "finger thing" (a small flag carried by Japanese samurai and ashigaru, with a family crest or text, used to identify friend or foe), and a single general order, he sacrificed his life to shuttle through the line of fire and pass on the password and information. The Suwa Shrine in the camp sounded the Suwa drum, and the sound of agitation soared into the sky, and the Takeda soldiers worshipped with great emotion, clenching their spears and blades, like a mountain without chaos, full of desire to fight for their lives.

Under the scorching sun of late autumn, Kai, who had nothing to do with him, and Echigo's elite soldiers collided violently on the Shinoi Plains like a violent storm.

Located at the confluence of the Shinano Chikuma River and the Rhino River, there is a unified name called "Kawanakajima", which is marked by the fact that this small intersecting place of rivers and plains will become the place where the "Tiger of Kai" and the "Dragon of Echigo" fight to the death in the next ten years, and stage a wonderful scene of "the dragon and the tiger fight in the wind and clouds", and the five joint battles that took place here have also become the most popular model battles in the history of the Warring States of the Wa Kingdom. (To be continued......)