Under Zhou Pu's order, the Han army resolutely carried out the task of supervising the battle, and after the warning was ineffective, they directly opened fire on the retreating besieging army, killing and wounding a number of people, and their retreat was finally stopped. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

The roar of muskets awoke the group, and they looked hesitantly, only to find that they were caught between the Overseer and the enemy's city, firing at them on both sides.

Because the artillery fire on the side of the Han army was sharper, they were pressed to retreat to the edge of the city and slowly returned to the city. They also finally understood that everything that the Han envoy had said before was true, and he must take the city and never allow anyone to retreat.

In the embarrassment of incompetence, the already chaotic siege army was now even more disorganized, but most of them were stimulated with brute strength in their blood, picked up their weapons again and howled towards the city.

The envoys of the Han Dynasty made it very clear before, if they fight hard in the city, they will be rewarded for meritorious service, and even if they die, there will be a pension, but if they are shot in front of the battle team as a defeated army, then there will be nothing, and they will only leave the world with the infamy of a coward.

Zhou Pu had been holding a telescope in front of the formation to observe the movement, and he was secretly relieved to see that this group of routed soldiers had resumed the siege under the bombardment of the Han army, but when he saw their chaotic formation, he frowned slightly.

These people's morale has been confused, and even the establishment has been scattered, it is conceivable that even if they go to attack the city again now, they may not be able to bring much trouble to the defenders, but I am afraid that this group of people will soon be drowned in a pool of blood by the defenders.

However, this is not an unacceptable result for him, he now has cannon fodder in his hands that can be used as consumables, even if this wave of people is consumed, it doesn't matter, at least now some of them have invaded the city.

It's time to prepare for the next round of offense.

"Lord Youfu?" He turned his head to look at Nijo Yasudo, who had been standing next to him, "Please ask Hashimoto-sama to hurry up and prepare, and let his subordinates hurry up and attack the city!" ”

"What...... What the? Nijo Kangdao raised his head and looked at Zhou Pu blankly, obviously a little distracted, "My lord, ......?" ”

He was already horrified by what he had just seen. As a minister, and he was born in the highest-level five-regent family, he has been pampered since he was a child. Although the family business of the Nijo family is not large, there is no way to give him much good living treatment, but after all, it has also allowed him to grow up to the present in peace.

He had heard people talk about the cruelty of war before, and he had heard old people talk about the tragic situation in Kyoto back then, but when he witnessed this scene with his own eyes today, he was really shocked. As far as the eye could see, there was black smoke and ruins everywhere, and there were many corpses mixed in, rivers of blood, and many people even died in front of him, under the muskets of friendly soldiers.

A young man like him, who was also considered to be strong in blood before, spared no effort to defeat the shogunate, and also imagined the scene of himself shining in the war and beheading Tokugawa Iemitsu, but when he really saw the scene of the war, the sense of fear that overflowed from the bottom of his heart made him almost stand on end, if it weren't for the fear of losing face, I am afraid that he would have already hidden his face and fled.

"Lord Youfu, don't hurry up and reorganize the army!" Seeing him look so unrelenting, Zhou Pu impatiently ordered again, and his words were no longer polite. "Hurry up and attack!"

"Your Excellency......" After his shout, Nijo Yasudo finally came back to his senses, but he looked at Himeji Castle in front of him hesitantly, and he hesitated for a while, "Your Excellency...... Is there chaos ahead, or is it ...... Or wait a little longer, right? ”

"The war ahead is tight, how can you wait!" Zhou Pu frowned and looked at the other party coldly, "Just now, our army finally made some gaps and broke into the city, if you don't hurry up to reinforce, wouldn't it give the enemy a chance to ease up?" ”

"But...... However, most of Hashimoto's subordinates are newly recruited new troops, and their combat strength and fighting spirit are not ideal...... If I am sent in the midst of this chaos, I am afraid ...... I'm afraid that I may not be able to get too many results, but I will sacrifice human lives in vain......" Nijo Yasudo was still a little hesitant, "I think that my lord should first send capable troops into the city to expand the results of the battle, and then we will surprise the ......."

When Zhou Pu was agitating before, he had a surge of enthusiasm and promised Zhou Pu that he would definitely urge the army to speed up the siege of the city, but after seeing the tragic scene under the city with his own eyes, he hesitated and wanted to let other armies go to the top. After all, the army under the current Hashimoto Minoru is the first army directly under the imperial court in hundreds of years, and Nijo Yasudo is really reluctant to let these family funds be consumed in vain.

However, his hard work was not recognized by Zhou Pu at all, and Zhou Pu sneered instead.

"Lord Youfu, you were still impassioned in front of us before, are you retreating now? Could it be that Lord Youfu still has to worry about some casualties now? As long as this city is captured, the gateway of will be opened, and we can drive straight into it and let fall into the hands of your imperial court. ”

"But ......" Nijo Yasudo was still a little hesitant.

"There is an old saying in my country, if you don't take charge of the army, a war is a war, how can you hesitate!" Seeing that the city was fighting again, Zhou Pu was no longer patient, "Don't forget, my lord, now this army is under my full command, even you and Hashimoto Minoru's subordinates must obey my command!" If you hesitate any longer, it will be disobeying military orders, then you are welcome! ”

Seeing the fierce light in the eyes of this envoy of the Celestial Empire, Erjo Kangdao took a step back unnaturally, this originally kind envoy, but at this time, his eyes showed a fierce light, and he was like two people in peace. If you don't do what he says, I'm afraid you'll ...... I'm afraid that even my own life will be in danger.

"Yes...... My lord. Under the fear, he finally let go of other thoughts and bowed his head to obey Zhou Pu's orders.

Then, soon, a large group of soldiers poured out from under Hashimoto's tent, and then rushed to the opposite castle. Their queues were untidy, and their pace was slow, apparently fearful of the city opposite. However, under the urging of the officers and the Warlords, little by little, they rushed towards the opposite wall, to meet the most cruel test and unknown fate.

"My lord, the troops sent out now are not in good gear and their morale is low, I'm afraid they won't be able to perform too well, so let's make plans early and prepare for the next round of attacks." After seeing the performance of this army, Tachibana Somao had little confidence in the next battle, so he took the initiative to ask Zhou Pu to fight, "In the next round of attack, please let the troops under your command serve as the main attack!" In the next general, he will personally enter the city to supervise the battle, and he will definitely destroy the enemy in the city as soon as possible! ”

"No, you can just organize the army, and you don't have to participate in the attack now." However, Zhou Pu rejected his proposal, "Let them storm first and consume the enemy troops in the city." ”

"My lord, if these troops are allowed to attack in turn, I am afraid that the losses will be very large, after all, they have not experienced many battle formations before, and their experience is seriously insufficient." Tachibana Muneshige still insisted on his thoughts, "If you let me lead the troops of this formation to attack, I will definitely be able to fight more beautifully." Although he is old, after all, he has fought for many years, and he will never disappoint the adults......"

"General Tachibana, it's not that I don't trust you, on the contrary, I trust you too much, so I'm going to help you." Zhou Pu suddenly interrupted him. "I'm going to let you make a great contribution, how can I let you be consumed in the city in vain at the beginning, let them fill in the enemy forces on the periphery first, and when it's time to attack the inner city, it's time for you to show your skills."

"Your Excellency, ......?" Tachibana Somao didn't understand what Zhou Pu meant for a while.

But soon, looking at Zhou Pu's seemingly smiling appearance, he finally came to his senses, and then looked at Zhou Pu dumbfounded.

"Wait and don't disappoint everyone." Seeing that the other party finally came back to his senses, Zhou Pu just smiled slightly, and then patted the other party's shoulder.

That's right, he really planned to let the troops of the other armies fight the defenders in the city first, let them suffer the initial casualties, and then finally let Tachibana Muneshige and his men attack and win the final victory.

Zhou Pu had already made a promise in front of the generals before, to add territories to the generals who finally conquered Himeji Castle, and he didn't intend to break his promise, but if he really wanted to let people he didn't trust get so many sealed territories, it would really make people a little worried, so he secretly made up his mind after the promise, and then he must create conditions to let his people finally seize those territories.

He doesn't particularly like Tachibana Muneshige, but this time, Tachibana Muneshige has been working for him before and after the saddle and horse, and he has made a lot of contributions, and his status is very special, neither with the imperial court, nor with the shogunate and other big names, which is the person he can vigorously support.

He planned to turn Tachibana Muneshige into a daimyo after the war, and then set it up between the of the imperial court and the Kanto of the Tokugawa family, using him and his heirs as pawns to counterbalance the various forces in Japan.

Therefore, after making up his mind with such an idea, it was clear that Tachibana Muneshige's proposal would be more realistic, but he still made the decision to continue to let Nijo Yasudo consume troops in the city.

Under Zhou Pu's order, waves of troops were thrown into the city, because of the crazy resistance of the defenders in the city, so each time the troops were invested, they soon suffered huge losses in the city, but Zhou Pu was unmoved and continued to put troops into it in waves.

In this attrition, the losses of the siege army are getting bigger and bigger, but because of the supervision of the Han army, they can't retreat every time, and they can only charge and fight in the city with red eyes.

Under the frenzied attack of the siege army, the occupied area of the city belonging to them became larger and larger, and smoke and blood began to flow throughout the city, and the entire Himeji Castle seemed to be shrouded in gray-black smoke, vaguely like a city that did not belong to this world.

And in such a hell on earth, there are also some people who rely on their skilled combat skills and strong will, and they actually slowly adapt to life here.

Togo Shigekata is one of those people. He led a small detachment of his troops through the alleys and houses of the city, searching for traces of enemy troops, and occasionally engaging in fierce battles.

After several days of fighting, a lot of bloodshot appeared in his eyes, the skin on his body was also covered with dust, and even his originally bright clothes had become very messy, and he also showed spotted wounds, some of which had scabbed, some of which were dripping blood, and in the gloomy smoke, he was originally quite handsome, but he looked like an evil demon that had emerged from the ground.

But now he has no time to take care of his personal image, he has just experienced a fight, in the choking smoke only feels very uncomfortable in the mouth, nose and throat, his whole body is faintly sore because of the excessive use of force just now, he feels very tired, his eyelids are very heavy, as if they will fall down at any moment.

He had been wounded a lot these days, and most of his men had died in the city, and many of the men who were now following him were the remnants of the soldiers he had gathered along the way—most of their robes had already died in the city.

Now that he has no memory of any feats or wealth, and has even gradually forgotten the fact that he is still alive, the only thought that turns in his mind is to kill the enemy, kill the enemy, and bring down the city where he buried so many robes and his subordinates.

He had forgotten how many of his enemies had killed, and all he knew was that his saber had been cut into the body of his enemies by a few previous fights, and that it was not as sharp when it slashed into the enemy's body. He now had several sabers hanging from his body, some from the hands of the enemy.

The continuous fighting had worn out most of their feelings and attention, and if it weren't for the constant influx of new reinforcements from outside the city, he would almost have thought that he had been forgotten by the people outside the city.

Fortunately, with these reinforcements, they were able to attack the city little by little, and the combat strength of these reinforcements was really not flattering, but they paved the way to attack the city with their own flesh and blood. Either way, now they've taken down Nishinomaru's outer outline and control a large area of the inner city.

There was fire burning everywhere, visibility was so low that he couldn't see anything in the distance, and he and the soldiers behind him were silent, staggering slightly, as if they were a group of walking dead who had lost consciousness. From time to time, people fell because of cold guns and arrows in the distance, but no one paid attention to them, everyone just walked along the narrow alleyway, as if the end of everything was in front of them.

However, this state of numbness ended immediately when the figures of several people vaguely appeared in front of him, and Togo Shigemata clenched the knife in his hand, and then bowed down slightly like a leopard, ready to attack the opposite side at any time. Seeing him move like this, his subordinates behind him also made a posture of battle, waiting to charge forward with him.

In just a few days of fighting, they have changed from ignorant recruits to veterans who are alert and capable, and look down on life and death, which is also the price of countless human blood.

Togo Shigemata hunched his waist slowly walked along the alleyway to the opposite side, judging the distance between the two sides, and at the same time raised the knife in his hand. When he felt the right time, he suddenly stood up, then let out a loud roar, then picked up his saber and rushed towards the opposite side.

Although the alleyways were narrow and rugged, and there was choking smoke, Togo Shigemat's full attention was already focused on the enemy in front of him, and the speed was palpitating. And his men, like him, followed him with a strange scream, and rushed towards him with a hurry.

Soon he had crossed a short distance and rushed in front of the enemy, who had apparently just been sent here from elsewhere for reinforcements, and his clothes were still very clean. When they saw the hideous faces of Togo Shigekata and the others who came out of the alleyway, they were stunned and stunned, and finally picked up the weapons in their hands and began to meet the enemy.

However, they didn't seem to have experienced a battle before, and their movements were very rusty in tense situations, and even the movement of swinging knives was very sluggish. Togo Shigemata didn't waste such a good opportunity, he rubbed himself directly and rushed to the front of a leading person, and then raised his knife and slashed hard.

The knife slashed the man's shoulder, and a huge wound appeared along the shoulder to the abdomen, and with a soft "poof" sound, the opponent's blood suddenly burst out, and then he fell directly to the ground, twitching slightly.

The gray-black figure, the hideous expression, and the ghostly attack almost frightened the group of people, and several people dared to come to meet them, but they were immediately killed by Togo Shigemata and his men, while the rest of the people seemed to be frightened and ran back desperately.

Togo Shigemata did not pursue, he stood in place with his knife in his hand, gasping for breath, using his rare leisure to regain his strength. Sooner or later, those people will die, either by themselves or by others.

It's just that there seems to be a flame burning in his abdomen, scorching his muscles and bones, making him feel extremely uncomfortable, and his originally sore limbs have become very heavy, as if they are about to fall to the ground at any time.

I want to ...... It's like eating a rice ball......

The thought suddenly crossed his mind.

I'm so hungry.

When he entered the city, he had brought some dry food, but these days had either been lost or had been eaten, and although some food had been found from the corpses of friendly soldiers, it was always insufficient, and he had been hungry for almost a day.

He looked up, his blood-colored eyes wide, and his puffy, dry lips opened slightly, as if to breathe a sigh of relief.

In front of him, the outline of the large white castle tower in Himeji Castle had already faintly appeared in the smoke. (To be continued.) )