Astronomical 21 (1552) January, spring. Bunzen Kokura Castle is filled with the fragrance of white and red plums that have been lost for a long time.

After more than three months of integration, the Luo family finally took complete control of the territory they newly occupied last year.

In last year's Chikuzen and Bunzen raiders, the Luo family successively mastered Munaka-gun, Enga-gun, Kura-gun, Kama-gun, and Horon-gun in Chikuzen Province, the Rescue County of Bunzen Province, and a small part of the Kanmon Strait in the southern part of Nagato Province.

It is difficult to conquer new territories, and it is even more difficult to thoroughly manage and control new territories. Even in areas where the main local wealthy clans were destroyed by the Luo family, the local lords suddenly changed their lords, even if you offered them a good policy at the beginning, they were wary of you, and you need to slowly make them accept it. Otherwise, it will cause tension in the rule of the territory, which is likely to bring unexpected and serious consequences to the Luo family. For example, at the critical moment of the decisive battle with the hostile forces, these territorial subjects were instigated by the hostile forces and dragged the Luo family back; or act as the eyes and ears of the hostile force, and ventilate the message for the hostile force.

And for some local territories that still have many wealthy clans (such as the Aso family and the Akizuki family that were annexed last year on the occasion of the death of the Aso family and the Akizuki family), it will take even more time to pacify and divide these territories. Some people may think that since it is so troublesome, why not adopt the Luo family's previous practice and move the people in these areas as a whole.

In fact, in this process, it will involve the organization of the migration of the people, the transportation of property, the consumption of manpower and material resources in the process of migration, and the resettlement of the people after migration, and a lot of manpower and material resources will be consumed during the process. During this time, because the Luo family needs to be prepared to deal with the big war at any time, materials such as food naturally cannot be consumed at will. As a result, Masahiro had to scale back the policy of this mass migration. It was limited to the post-war migration of some of the wealthy clansmen who were once hostile to the Luo family.

After taking complete control of the newly occupied territory. At this time, Masarashi also began to prepare to deal with the situation in Toyozen Province.

In the course of a few months, the Toyozen Sugi family had finally recovered from the fiasco at the Battle of Shikawa last year. During this time, he frantically mobilized troops in the territory to gather in the city of Songshan City, strengthened the city defense of Songshan City, and at the same time urgently asked for help from wealthy families in various places.

Regarding the actions of the Fengmae Sugi family, Masara has also been monitoring. The previous rapid march of his own army was a big battle, and he needed to rest for a while. Then because he accidentally gained a foothold in Nagato country, he attracted the vigilance of the Naito family. Thus a part of the forces were pinned down; In the end, because of the sudden change between the Chikuzen Akizuki family and the Aso family, he had to concentrate his energy on Chikuzen Province instead, so that the Bunzen Sugi family got a chance to breathe, and now it was time to solve the spiritual pillar of the Sugi family, the wealthy family of the Bunzen Kingdom, to resist the Luo family.

In late January of the 21st year of Astronomical, Masarashi took Yoshida Shigemasa as the general and the 2nd Standing Ashigaru Team as the main force, and combined with the military strength of the Akizuki family and the Aso family, a total of more than 3,000 troops, and killed Matsuyama Castle, the residence of the Bentoyozen Sugi family.

Matsuyama Castle, where the Bunzen Sugi family lived for generations, was not only the second most prosperous castle in Bunzen Province after Ogura Castle. It is also one of the strongest cities in the country of Fengzen. In terms of strategic location, the wharf outside the city is an important foothold for the Ouchi naval army. From here, the navy can quickly reach the coast of Shubo Province and Bungo Province, and even enter the waters of the Seto Inland Sea at any time. As for its own geographical location, it is even more of a level that controls the entry from the Bunzen Ogura Plain to the Straight Plain.

And when the army of more than 3,000 Luo family arrived at the foot of Songshan City and set up a formation, because of the prestige of the Luo family's army and the terrifying field combat effectiveness, although there were thousands of defenders in Songshan City, they did not dare to act rashly. In the face of the Luo family's several invitations to fight, the defenders in the city still did not come out, and it seemed that they had long planned to prepare for the cage city battle.

This time, it was Yoshida Shigemasa who was the general of the Luo family, and Masarashi himself stayed in Ogura Castle to sit in the rear. Seeing that the other party could not hold out, Yoshida Shigemasa immediately sent the vanguard to begin the siege. It's just that Matsuyama Castle is indeed worthy of being a fortified city, coupled with the desperate resistance of the defenders, even if there are siege engines, ladders and other siege equipment, after attacking for half a day in the morning, although the defenders of Matsuyama Castle are very difficult, but the big gate of Matsuyama Castle is still not lost. On the contrary, the Akizuki family and the Aso family, who were the vanguard of the team, suffered heavy losses, and after going back this time, it is estimated that they will be swallowed up by the Luo family under the pretext of adjustment.

Seeing that his own army was not attacking the city effectively, Yoshida Shigemasa, as the general general, was also anxious, in the past, there was a family governor Masato who was in charge here, and he only needed to act according to orders, but now he suddenly lost the backbone of Masaliang, and he suddenly found that he really didn't know what to do. Immediately, he thought of Kansuke Yamamoto, the military advisor who accompanied the army, so he immediately found the other party to ask for a plan.

After hearing Yoshida Shigemasa's distress, Kansuke Yamamoto said with a smile: "Lord General, please don't be anxious, didn't the Lord hand over an envelope to Lord General before leaving?" Why don't you take it apart and take a look at it now? ”

At Yamamoto's mention, Yoshida Shigemasa immediately remembered that there was indeed such a thing, so he immediately opened the envelope given by Masahiro, and then carefully read the letters in it, and then his face changed, and he exclaimed in great surprise: "There is such a thing? ”

Just when Yoshida Shigemasa was surprised, on the walls of Matsuyama Castle, several people led by Sugi Shigeju were checking the Luo family's army lying all over the city.

"Humph! The strength of the Luo family's army is nothing more than that! After seeing that the army of the Luo family under the city was repelled by the defenders in the city, and left a corpse in one place, one of the generals said disdainfully.

"After all, this family occupies the advantage of the strong city, and with all of you coming to help, it is natural to be able to teach the Luo family a great lesson." Sugi said with a smile. This time, in addition to the nearly 2,000 guards mobilized by the Sugi family itself, there were also more than 2,000 troops from the Zhou Fang Tao family, the Fengzen Joi family, the Kamimo Yamada family, and the Usa Omiya Tsukasa family. In addition, the Ouchi family's navy, which had been taken over by Tao Longfang, was also stationed on the coastal periphery of Matsuyama Castle in conjunction with the Sugi family's navy. It plays the role of defending Matsuyama Castle. So for the result of being able to hit the Luo family's army this time. He naturally thought it was normal. Of course. He couldn't underestimate the enemy because of this, so he immediately reminded again:

"It's just that, everyone, the field combat ability of the Luo family's army has already been famous all over the world, and I hope you must not go out of the city to fight with the Luo family when provoked. Besides, I don't know if you have noticed it, most of the troops besieging the city today are under the military flags of the Qiuyue family and the Aso family, so the real main force of the Luo family has not yet appeared. ”

When it comes to the Akizuki family and the Aso family. Shan Chongju immediately felt a faint pain in his heart. Last year, his sister-in-law asked for orders to cross the Yuxu Mountain and enter the Chikuzen Kingdom, and to delay the speed of the Luo family's invasion of the Fengzen Kingdom. It was only not long after his sister-in-law Sugi Shigesuke entered Mt. Goxu that a fire broke out that continued to burn for months, and since then he has not received any news about his son-in-law's return, and even the more than 100 retainers who followed his son-in-law into Mt. Goxu have not been heard from. The cruel reality tells Sugi that his sister-in-law may have died in the fire at Mt. Goxu. Therefore, whenever he mentions something related to Chikuzen Province, he automatically thinks of his sister-in-law, and he feels sad.

It was also the death of the sister-in-law that was caused by the need to deal with the Luo family, so Sugi Chongju hated the Luo family very much. This time he had made up his mind, even if it was to death. He would never bow to the Luo family.

In this way, the Luo family stormed Matsuyama Castle during the day. In the evening, the harassment of Matsuyama Castle slowly passed, and five days slowly passed. On the night of the sixth day, the Luo family's army continued to harass outside the city as scheduled. The soldiers defending the city, who had already been exhausted by the Luo family in the past few days, and were also familiar with the Luo family's harassment routines, had begun to relax. No matter how the soldiers of the Luo family outside the city harassed, they did not raise much vigilance.

And it was on this night that the Otemen Gate of Matsuyama Castle was suddenly opened. The army of the Luo family, which had long been prepared under the arrangement of Yoshida Shigemasa, broke in in one breath and killed Honmaru who was heading for Matsuyama Castle from here.

Shigemasa Yoshida also rushed into Matsuyama Castle's Otemon Gate wearing Roche armor and carrying a large gun, while the three retainers, Anton Ietada, Totoshi Setsu, and Yubu Yuiji, were armed with katanas to guard around Yoshida Shigemasa.

Anton Ietada, known in history as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Tachibana family. The Anto family to which he belonged was a branch of the Toyogo family that moved from Shimono Province to Kyushu Bungo in the Kamakura period, and was established in the Toji family of the Bungo clan since the Sengoku period. He was recommended by Tachibana Michiyuki to his friend Shigemasa Yoshida as a retainer last year.

At ten o'clock, his family is also a member of the Kyushu Bungo Kingdom, and he is one of the most powerful households. He has an unborn son named Shishi Lianzhen, who is also one of the four heavenly kings of the Tachibana family in history. And at ten o'clock, Settsu was also recommended by Tachibana Michiyuki to Yoshida Shigemasa as a retainer.

Yubu Yuji, whose father is Yubu Yushin, the elder of the Tachibana family and one of the Four Heavenly Kings. At the beginning, Tachibana Michiyuki recommended Yubu Weixin to Yoshida Shigemasa as a retainer, but Yubu Weixin voluntarily stayed with Tachibana Michiyuki, and instead sent his sister-in-law Yubu Yuji to Yoshida Shigemasa as a retainer.

With the continuous expansion of the Luo family's power, retainers such as Yoshida Shigemasa have enough financial resources to recruit their own retainers according to the territorial law, and at the same time, when they go to war, they will also be allowed to stay with the Luo family as guards (but not in the Luo family's team). And this time it was the first time that Shigemasa Yoshida brought his retainers into battle.

In the bright moonlight, looking from the castle of Otemon, Matsuyama Castle is indeed a large castle, Ninomaru Honmaru, and the structure of a double curved wheel. This structure was a great city during this period of the Warring States period.

After the Luo family attacked Matsuyama Castle from Otemon, they followed the path and went straight to Honmaru. Seeing that Otemon was lost, Honmaru's defenders hurriedly shot arrows at the Luo soldiers who were marching from the Honmaru castle guard or standing on the edge of the curved wheel, but there were no casualties. From time to time, however, several soldiers loyal to the Sugi family fought out from all over the place in a stubborn manner, trying to delay the time for the Luo family's army to attack Honmaru.

But none of these people caused any obstacles to Yoshida Shigemasa and them, and along the way, the iron artillery team of the Luo family, the archery team. Also stand in several rows. Under the castle, they began to shoot intensively at the defenders of Matsuyama Castle Honmaru. Immediately, there were several soldiers of the Shanjia family who were shot or shot. Tumbling down from the Honmaru earthen ramparts.

By the time Yoshida Shigemasa and the others attacked the Honmaru Gate, the gate was already on fire and black smoke was billowing out. The gate had just been breached by the Luo family's vanguard, but the remnants of the defenders still resisted stubbornly near the gate and did not give an inch.

When Yoshida Shigemasa arrived, the defenders of Matsuyama Castle made the last move, and more than 20 Sugi samurai were stationed at the back of the Honmaru. Wielding a katana in both hands, he shouted and fought through the gate, fighting with the soldiers of the Luo family.

In the narrow city road, the samurai of the two armies fought together, although the samurai of the Sugi family were ready to exchange their lives for their lives, but the army of the Luo family rushed here, all of them were Yoshida Shigemasa, Takeuchi Hisamori, Kamiyo Victory, Ueda Shinji, Kuroki Minori, Anto Ietada, Toshi Settsu, Yubu Yuji and other fierce generals, where can the other party be able to attack?

The army of the Luo family continued to swarm, and finally these warriors of the Shanjia family were outnumbered, despite the most heroic resistance. But these people were drowned in the sea of people by the Luo family's troops a moment later, with an absolute numerical superiority.

The corpses of more than 20 people lay in front of the main gate of Honmaru. The soldiers of the Luo family stepped forward and dragged the feet of these people with both hands, removed the corpses, and cleared the open space in front of the door.

"Break the door."

Looking at the soldiers of the Luo family, who were in black armor and with the eagle flag of the Luo family behind their backs, gathered in front of the gate, Yoshida Shigemasa shouted loudly and gave the order to bang on the door.

Immediately, six burly and shirtless soldiers of the Luo family hugged a log and slammed into the crown wooden door where Honmaru had little defense.

After a few clicks, the fragile crown wooden door was smashed by the soldiers of the Luo family, and the soldiers of the Luo family collectively cheered and rushed into the Honmaru in one breath. After the Honmaru was breached, generally speaking, the battle of Cage City had reached this point, and the defenders could basically wash their necks and prepare to lead their necks.

Inside the open Honmaru Gate, on the stone staircase of more than 20 steps, the gate of the castle tower is closed. Shigemasa Yoshida still had someone bang the gate open with a wooden piece and enter the castle tower.

After Yoshida Shigemasa entered the castle tower with a spear, he saw that there were seven or eight old men armed with katanas and wearing official uniforms, and most of them should be the retainers of the Sugi family. Although these old men are old, the knife is spicy, but they are still old, and their legs and feet are not good, so they can't cause any trouble. And above them, behind the stairs leading to the castle tower, there was a faint cry of a woman.

"Obey the order, women and children are not allowed to be killed, and as for men, whether old or young, all are killed." Yoshida Shigemasa immediately ordered.

"Yes!" Capturing the enemy's women and children alive is also a great achievement, and it is more effective than killing them. Therefore, the generals are naturally very happy to do so.

"Kill!" Immediately, Yoshida Shigemasa let out a loud shout and led the people of the Luo family to kill the samurai of the Sugi family who were still resisting in the castle tower.

And just as the people on the side of the Heavenly Guard were fighting fiercely, in the large wide room above the castle tower, the governor of the Toyozen Sugi family, Sugi Shigeju, had just inserted a rib into his abdomen. A large amount of blood was constantly flowing from its abdomen, gradually forming a small blood stall on the ground.

At the moment when his body involuntarily fell straight ahead due to pain, and his eyes gradually blurred, Shanzhong suddenly shouted: "Tao Longfang, you can't die well!" ”

Yes, the moment he learned that the Big Handle Gate was broken through by the Luo family, he knew that this time he was sold by Tao Longfang. Because in order to prevent the siege of the Luo family, Sugi Chongju specially repaired and strengthened the Otemen some time ago, and with the attack power that the Luo family has shown these days, even if it is attacked by their siege weapons that emit thick smoke and loud noises, it can hold out for more than a year. And just in case, the Otemon Gate is actually made up of three gates in front and back. Therefore, if the city gates can be opened in such a short time, the only way to open the city gates one by one is to open them one by one in the city. And tonight happens to be the area where the Tao family's army is responsible for garrisoning the area around the city gate.

After learning that Otemon was lost, Sugi Shigeju hurriedly sent someone to summon the Tao family to support the reinforcement generals of the Sugi family this time, but he was rewarded for going to the empty house alone. At this time, Sugi Shigeju had fully confirmed that the Otemen Gate was really opened after the Tao family's people took advantage of the darkness to kill the guards stationed there of the Sugi family. It's just that he couldn't understand why Tao Longfang, who was also in the same camp, would harm him so much.

After obtaining some letters from Sugi Shigetaka about Tao Longfang at the beginning, Tao Longfang already regarded him as a fellow party with Sagara Takeren after obtaining some letters from Sugi Shige and Ouchi Yoshitaka about Tao Longfang. Therefore, in his previous letter to Zhengliang, he made a peace agreement to assist the Luo family in dealing with the Shanjia family (which is also the most exciting condition for Zhengliang). Tao Longfang can be regarded as borrowing a knife to kill people. But he will also push hard behind the back of the Sugi family at a critical moment.

This time, when Yoshida Shigemasa unpacked the tricks given to him by Masaara, it was natural that he also knew the secret agreement between his family and the Tao family, so he immediately secretly contacted the Tao family defenders in the city in the manner described in the letter. And finally agreed to launch an attack on Matsuyama Castle on this night. After the generals of the Tao family secretly killed the soldiers of the Sugi family guarding the Otemen Gate and opened the city gate, they also withdrew directly from Songshan Castle from the Otemen in accordance with the agreement with the Luo family, and then rushed to the naval ships that had been waiting there at the seaside overnight, preparing to return to Zhou Fangguo by ship at dawn on the second day. As for what kind of scene Feng Qianguo will be after tonight, it is no longer what the Tao family will care about. In the terms of the peace between Tao Longfang and the Luo family, Tao Longfang had given up his ownership of Fengqian Kingdom.

Of course, after learning that he was severely yin by Tao Longfang, Sugi Chongju also reacted immediately, he immediately summoned the only remaining second son, Sugi Masashige, to him, and told Sugi Masashige the fact that the Tao family and the Luo family secretly conspired to kill the Sugi family, and when the other reinforcements in the city were afraid that they had retreated in a hurry at this time, let Sugi Masayagge escape from Matsuyama City overnight, and rushed to other cities of the Sugi family in the Fengqian Kingdom, and in the name of the governor of the Sugi family, he once again summoned all the wealthy clans of Fengqian to jointly resist the invasion of the Luo family. And he himself chose to stay in Matsuyama Castle and live and die with this castle that has raised generations of Sugi families.

Sugi's choice was correct, the Luo family did quickly capture all parts of Matsuyama Castle, and the wealthy clans who had sworn to fully support the Sugi family began to retreat from the back gate of Matsuyama Castle the moment they learned that Matsuyama Castle's Otemon Gate had been breached.

When one of the most recalcitrant retainers of the Sugi family in the Pavilion died on the stairwell covered with arrows, Sugi Shigeju also swallowed his last breath. (To be continued......)