The sudden loud noise made Itakura Katsushige and Takagi Kiyoshi fall into dizziness almost at the same time, and even their ears were a little deaf. However, even if they lost their sense www.biquge.info of hearing, they could still feel the power of the sudden outbreak of the disaster, and with these loud noises, the castle tower they were in began to shake slightly, as if it had been hit by an earthquake.

At the same time, the sand and wood chips and bricks in the sky were swept into the air, and the black fog that obscured the sky and the sun drifted in all directions, almost obscuring all the sunlight. Itakura Shigemune and Takagi Kiyoshi suddenly looked at each other, and for a while they didn't even understand what was going on.

But Itakura Shigemune had been through too much after all, and he quickly came back to his senses, then suddenly stood up, rushed to the window frantically, and then opened his eyes to observe the situation in the direction of Nishinomaru.

The smoke was too thick now, visibility was low, and the loud noise and shaking had not stopped, but he had eliminated all the distractions and observed in the chaos. Under his gaze, there was a vague white and yellow light coming out of Nishinomaru, and these fires rushed straight in this direction, and every time they went out, they brought a loud bang.

Seeing such a scene, Itakura Shigemune finally understood that he was now receiving a new round of bombardment. It seems that the Han Kou have transported the cannon to the castle and bombarded themselves from the area they occupied in Nishinomaru.

The Han army had sharp artillery fire, which was a fact he had known for a long time, and the rapid fall of the cities on Kyushu Island one by one also proved it.

They had already used artillery bombardment as a precursor when the Han Kou began to attack the city, and it was precisely because of such sharp artillery fire that they were able to easily open the outer walls and break into the city, and he had already seen the power of a siege cannon that could turn all the walls into a joke.

But at that time, the bombardment of the Han army was outside the city after all, and there was still a distance from him, but now...... The castle tower where he was located and the rest of the city were already the target of the Han Kou's bombardment. Feeling the fire up close, and feeling the power that almost seemed to destroy everything, he almost trembled all over, and if it weren't for the entire castle tower shaking, I'm afraid he would have been reduced to a joke.

In addition, he also knew that this kind of shelling would definitely not be isolated, but a prelude to a new offensive by the Han army. It won't be long before the Hanko launch a full-scale offensive - perhaps even now.

With such artillery fire, the Han Kou will definitely be strengthened when attacking, and it will be more difficult to resist. Even if everyone fought bravely to block this attack, they would probably lose a lot, after all, let the Han Kou further expand the occupied area.

Himeji Castle can't hold it anymore. Itakura Shigemune's heart flashed with a hint of realization.

As the highest official of the shogunate in the western country, and as the commander-in-chief of Himeji Castle himself, no one knew the situation in the castle better than him. These days, he commanded the defenders here, witnessed groups of his subordinates die in the city, and personally ordered reinforcements to be transferred into the city to continue the fierce battle with the Han Kou, he knew how weak his strength was now, and he knew what kind of losses the Han Kou's relentless and casualty attack would bring him.

The defenders had suffered heavy casualties and morale in the attrition of these days, and even the supplies were no longer sufficient, and now they had to accept this terrible bombardment, and Itakura Shigemune knew that they would definitely not be able to bear it.

So...... Himeji Castle has fallen, what should I do?

I have already committed the great mistake of losing the court and His Majesty the Emperor, and now I have committed the mistake of losing my teacher and land, and the Shogun will never forgive me.

Now I can only do my best for the Shogun here.

In the incessant bombardment, he suddenly remembered the old man Naito Tadashige who was killed in Kurume Castle on Kyushu Island, and in a trance, the old man was standing in the clouds, looking at him expressionlessly.

The castle tower shook more and more, but Itakura Shigemune was already unaware.

"Takagi, you take your people and leave!" Suddenly, he suddenly turned his head and shouted at Takagi Kiyoshi next to him, "There's nothing to do with you here!" ”

Because of the interference of the sound of the bombardment, Takagi Kiyoshi didn't hear Itakura Shigemune's words clearly for a while, but he quickly barely heard clearly, and then looked at Itakura Shigemune in disbelief. "Your Excellency...... I'm on a mission, how can I get out of here? ”

"Mission ......? What else is the mission? Itakura Shigemune smiled bitterly, "Now that the war has reached such a point, even if you stay in Himeji Castle, it won't make any sense, Hanko...... It seems that Han Kou will not lower the asking price now. ”

"My lord! Didn't you just now still plan to let me go to peace talks with Han Kou again to see if we could reach a compromise? "Kiyoshi Takagi doesn't quite understand Itakura Shigemune's thoughts." Why are you telling me to leave now? ”

"Just now...... Just now I thought things were going to turn around, at least I could still hold on here and give you some capital to negotiate with the Han Kou, but now ......" Itakura Shigemune sighed heavily, and then stretched out his hand and pointed out the window, "The Han Kou has already launched an artillery bombardment, and it looks like a general attack is about to be launched, even if I hold on, I won't be able to last long, after the fall of Himeji Castle, the Han Kou will definitely be even more arrogant, it is better to let you go back now, and wait for the opportunity to negotiate peace with the Han Kou in the future." ”

Following Itakura Shigemune's fingers, Takagi Kiyoshi cast his eyes on the outside of the castle, and now the intensity of the artillery bombardment of the Han army has decreased, and the shaking of the castle tower is much slighter, but it is precisely because of this that Takagi Kiyoshi can see the tragic situation inside the castle.

As far as the eye can see, the castle tower's once neat streets are now potholed, and in some places they are in ruins and still in flames, while others are in the same tragic state. Although it is not known how much damage these cannons caused to the defenders, it must not be less.

These days, there has been a fierce battle in the castle, and he stayed here to reflect the atmosphere of the same hatred of the shogunate, but he did not participate in the direct battle.

He didn't know the specific situation in the city, and he didn't interfere with Itakura Shigemune's command, but he could also see that the defenders in the city were losing and retreating, and it was difficult to expel the Han Kou from the city, and the situation was not optimistic.

However, he originally thought that the castle could be supported a little more, and bring some casualties to the Han Kou, so that they could see the shogunate's will to resist, so as to lower the asking price and negotiate peace with the shogunate. But today...... This dream was shattered by the hands of Lord Soshidai himself.

Lord Sojidai first hinted and then explicitly told him that he thought that Himeji Castle could no longer be defended, and that it was probably a matter of time before it fell, and he no longer had confidence.

Lord Sojidai would definitely not joke with him, and since he said so, it means that the shogunate army is indeed at the end of its rope in the castle now.

"Your Excellency...... Why are adults so depressed? Takagi Kiyoshi looked at the other party in surprise, "Is the situation really corrupted to that point?" ”

"Yes, it's corrupted to this point, at least I can't see any hope of driving out the Han Kou......" At this point, Itakura Shigemune didn't plan to lie to him, "But don't worry, I will definitely stay here and resist the Han Kou until the last moment, if ...... If...... This city has really fallen, please go back and tell the general, Itakura Shigemune is worthy of his family's name, and he fought for his lord to the last breath! ”

"Your Excellency!" Looking at Itakura Shigemune's face like ashes, Takagi Kiyoshi couldn't help but feel a little anxious, "Is your lord going to die in the city?" ”

"As the representative of the office, I have the incomparable trust of the general, but I have failed to live up to the trust...... What face shall I have to live? Itakura Shigemune looked into the distance, and then made up his mind, "When the situation was hopeless, Naito-sama had already died and set an example for us, as a subordinate of Naito-sama, I ...... How can I live? ”

"Your Excellency!" Seeing Itakura Shigemune say this, Takagi Kiyoshi finally couldn't help it, "Now that the shogunate is in trouble, the situation is critical, and it is the time when the shogun is leading me to wait for hard support, how can you insist on going your own way and die because of some of your own will?" If an adult is martyred, what will happen to Kinai after that? What about the entire western country? Can adults bear to leave it alone? ”

"There are so many people still available in the shogunate...... It doesn't matter if you don't have me. Itakura Shigemune shook his head, "I'm a guilty person, and I've committed so many mistakes, if I make my own decisions, I won't cause trouble for everyone." ”

"My lord, father and son have been guarding Kyoto for two generations, and they are well aware of the situation and strategy in Kinai and the western country, and they are the most useful officials in the shogunate, how can they easily let it go?!" However, Takagi Kiyoshi completely disagreed with him, "The escape of the imperial court cannot be blamed entirely on the Shogunate, and the enemy is deliberately trying to deal with the Shogunate, even if others are in the position of the Lord, it may not be avoidable." As for now...... As for not being able to resist the Han Kou now, you can't blame the adults, the adults have been trying their best to resist the Han Kou these days, these are all in the eyes, if anyone says that the adults are not responsible enough, they will definitely be said for the adults! ”

"Hey...... Thank you for comforting me. After Takagi Kiyoshi's persuasion, Itakura Shigemune's face became a little better, "But it's too late to say this now, I've made mistakes this time, and there is no place in the shogunate, you don't have to defend me anymore, I myself burned with Hanko jade here, it's enough to clear myself." ”

"My lord, this is not just what I mean, this is what the old and middle adults mean!" At this point, Takagi Qing didn't plan to cover it up anymore, and directly made it clear to Itakura Shigemune, "When I came, the old middle school had already explained to me, and I must let the adults not worry about the previous things, and don't fight to the death with the Han Kou, but to protect their useful bodies and continue to entangle with the Han Kou, at least so that they can't easily occupy Kyoto...... My lord, now it is the old man who has an order, you must not die! ”

"...... old and middle-aged adults?" Itakura's eyes widened.

"Yes, it's all an order from the old man." Takagi Kiyoshi nodded, "The old man means that you will be able to resist the Han Kou in Himeji Castle with all your might, but if you can't resist it, you will not be martyred, but you will return to Kyoto, continue to make meritorious contributions, and fight for the shogunate to protect Kyoto." In order to strengthen the will of adults, I haven't told adults before, but now should be the time, please focus on the overall situation, and don't go your own way! ”

Itakura Shigemune looked at Kiyoshi Takagi blankly. He didn't expect that before the start of the war, the old Naka Doi Toshikatsu had already anticipated the possible loss of Himeji Castle, and also made corresponding countermeasures - and this countermeasure was actually not to investigate his faults, and let him continue to lead the army to confront the Han Kou army in Kinai.

However, this can be regarded as the most beneficial arrangement for the shogunate, after all, after the loss of the Himeji Domain of Harima Province, Kinai has opened the door, and Han Kou will definitely drive straight into Kyoto, and at this time, Kinai needs someone who is familiar with the situation to be responsible, and he who has been acting in Kyoto for more than ten years must be the best candidate.

In all fairness, he didn't necessarily want to die now, but because he was discouraged and desperate about the situation before, and he was afraid that the shogunate would be held responsible, he had to make the decision to die for Himeji Castle, but now that he heard such news, it was a reasonable reason, so he slowly changed his mind.

"The kindness of the old and middle adults, I ...... I'll never forget. After a long silence, he finally said with gratitude.

"It's best if adults think so." Takagi Kiyoshi smiled slightly, "Okay, my lord, although the elder and middle adults allow the adults to retreat, but we can't just retreat, we have to resist until the last moment, let the Han Kou shed more blood before we can retreat, so that the adults can also explain to Edo." My lord, how long do you think we will be able to resist now if we use all our strength? ”

Itakura Shigemune was speechless for a moment, and then raised his head to look at the smoke-filled scene in the distance.

"If I continue to resist desperately, I will probably be able to hold out for another three to five days." After a moment, he whispered, "After all this time, I am not sure that I will be able to get out of it again." ”

If you want to retreat, you must leave the broken troops to delay the enemy and give yourself time and space to retreat, otherwise you will obviously be pursued to death by the enemy, and Itakura Shigemune said that he can support it for a few more days, which is already very dangerous.

"Okay, my lord, you can work harder, support for three days, and after three days, everyone will retreat together, return to Kyoto, and then reorganize the army to fight the Han Kou again." Takagi Kiyoshi immediately replied, "In the past three days, please continue to fight bravely with your lords and subordinates, and it is also a good thing to kill one more Han Kou......

Now, he has also seen the situation clearly, and feels that it is not unthinkable for the Han to march all the way to Kyoto, and even to fight to Kyoto, in such a situation, to expel the Han Kou is tantamount to a fool's dream, and the goal now can only be to exhaust the Han Kou's troops with all his might, so that they will slowly lose blood, and finally they will not be able to bear such losses, and then come to negotiate peace with the Han Kou - although the conditions will be very harsh at that time, but at least it will not be completely unacceptable as it is now.

"That's good...... Let's follow this strategy, I will first reorganize the army and resist the new attack of the Han Kou...... By the way, be prepared to retreat. Itakura Shigemune also breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression became a little more angry than just now.

There is no doubt that in the current situation, if he retreats, he can only take a small number of people with him, most of the defenders are already scattered in all corners of the city, he has no time to retract, and he also needs to leave them to drag the Han Kou to facilitate his retreat.

It didn't matter if the troops were lost, there were still a lot of feudal and shogunate armies in Kyoto that he had gathered, and the Kanto region had been sending a steady stream of people to reinforce Kyoto, so even if most of the troops here were lost, he could quickly assemble a large army there to continue to fight against the Han Kou.

"My lord, then hurry up and prepare, don't miss the opportunity!" Kiyoshi Takagi sighed slightly. "If the old and middle adults expect it well, there will definitely be a lot of thieves in now, and please return as soon as possible to avoid chaos in."

"I will never disappoint the ...... of the old and middle-aged adults"

While Itakura Shigemune was still discussing with Kiyoshi Takagi, there was a sudden commotion in the inner castle, which had been quiet due to the end of the bombardment, and the noise of the commotion was so loud that it reached the castle tower.

Is it the Han Kou army that has already killed it? Both of them felt a chill in their hearts, and then they immediately went to the window to observe the situation.

However, what was in front of them was completely unexpected.

The commotion did not come from the zone of engagement between the two armies, but from the depths of the defenders' occupied area, and although their vision was very blurred, they could clearly see that a group of men had run out of the garrisoned houses and strongholds, and towards the city gates in the rear.

One of the city's troops has escaped! This fact shook both of them.

"Honda Masasa! This bastard! Itakura Shigemune quickly came back to his senses, and then scolded directly.

Obviously, the people who escaped were the lord of the Himeji domain, Honda Masato, and his close vassals.

Before the war, he was already frightened and wanted to escape, but he was forcibly left behind by Itakura Shigemune, but he didn't expect that he hadn't given up yet, since he fled directly with a small part of the feudal army.

This kind of betrayal of the family name and the kindness of the shogunate naturally made Itakura Shigemune grit his teeth with hatred, so much so that he scolded regardless of his demeanor.

However, Takagi Kiyoshi quickly came to his senses, "My lord, let's arrange a retreat today!" Don't delay any longer! ”

Now the situation is obvious, the city is already in danger, but now the Honda Masatomo is fleeing with a group of people, and the defenders are even more insufficient, if you continue to stay here, I am afraid that in the end, I will not be able to leave Himeji Castle alive.

"I must tell the general, I must let this shameless man die without a place to be buried!" Itakura Shigemune scolded again, then turned around and left the Great Castle Tower.

Himeji Castle can no longer be defended. (To be continued.) )