As Tachibana Muneshige had predicted, when the two armies had just engaged in a battle of guns, his spearmen had taken advantage of the better formation, and the enemy had already been scattered by the previous musket bombardment. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 A large number of spears in the front row stabbed through the gaps in the barrels of the guns in front of them, and harvested lives in a scream.

As the formation kept moving forward, the dense spears continued to surge forward without stopping, and these spears pierced the enemy's forward position with ease, and then penetrated deep into the enemy's formation, like lightning splitting the dark night sky.

Because of the previous attack of the musketeers, the soldiers under the command of Mizuno Katsunari had already been shaken, and after the enemy's spearmen launched a general attack, the huge pressure on their faces made them even more frightened when they had almost never experienced a battle formation, and in the screams of the fight, the original courage slowly disappeared, and some people were already retreating.

Seeing that the front line began to loosen as soon as the battle began, Mizuno Katsunari was furious and scolded angrily, but he was not surprised, because he also knew in advance that it was impossible for his hastily assembled feudal army to resist the enemy army on the opposite side, whose strength, equipment, and even the quality of the soldiers were far superior to his own.

Moreover, he has long been ready to come to his senses.

Riding on his horse, he drew his saber and raised it high, pointing forward. "Assault!"

Then, he dismounted directly, and then led directly and rushed towards the opposite side, not paying attention to the jungle of spears slowly advancing from the opposite side.

In the Warring States period, because of training and demand, there are very few cavalry in the formal sense of Japan's various powerful armies, most of them are actually infantry on horseback, usually riding horses to maneuver, and dismounting and fighting on foot when the battle is about to be fought.

The seventy-year-old man, with a saber in his hand, rushed madly towards the opposite side, his speed was so fast that he didn't look like an old man, and he didn't know where the strength came from - maybe he was burning his own life.

After receiving his order, the retainers next to him also raised their weapons and rushed with the lord with a howl. These retainers, who had been with him for many years, were loyal, and at such a moment, they were not willing to leave, and wanted to die with the lord.

In this day and age, retainers must be absolutely subordinate to the sovereign, and must not disobey the sovereign's orders, and even after the death of the sovereign, there are people who need to pay their lives to die, and there are people who are buried when the feudal lords everywhere die, so at this time they think that this is just doing their duty.

Because the sabers they carried with them were too short to be used in battle, they held long naginatas in their hands, which looked a little rusty from being sealed over the years, but still looked imposing.

In the non-stop rout of the soldiers in front, this group of people did not bother to collect the rout, but forced forward against the tide, this is not a strategy and tactics at all, just the last vent of anger and loyalty.

The small group quickly rushed to the front of the two armies, then made a slight detour to the flank of a small formation, and then, taking advantage of their inflexible turn, forced a cut in, and then collided head-on with the opposing spear formation.

Because the battle has been going very well, the spearmen have already shown contempt for the enemy on the opposite side, so when this group of people forced their way over, they were not mentally prepared, and because they advanced too fast, the side did not have time to cover, and the spears that were one and a half feet long, in front of these people who were fighting separately, how easy was it to turn?

As soon as they flanked the spears, they stabbed through the gaps between the spears with their weapons, and then slashed hard, slashing at the enemy on the opposite side, and then forced their way forward.

Just because everyone was desperate for their lives, not caring for their own lives, only wanting to fight for the enemy's life, they instead brought chaos to these spear ashigaru, and in just a few breaths, a dozen people fell, and many ashigaru simply threw away the spear in their hand and turned around and fled towards their own line.

And when the enemy's formation began to rout in confusion, Mizuno Katsunari and the others had even higher fighting spirits, they roared and rushed towards the fleeing enemy with red eyes, dozens of people chased after hundreds of people and rushed to kill, and many people's lives were killed at once.

However, their brave Jedi counterattack could only be regarded as a small wave in the face of the entire turbulent situation, and just as they were rushing to kill, the feudal armies in other parts of the front had been completely defeated, most of them had turned and fled, and only a small group of people were still holding on to resist, but there was no longer any meaning.

These fleeing feudal troops ran backwards with their heads shut, already frightened by the horror of the battlefield, they didn't know that their back roads had been cut off by the troops sent by Tachibana Soshige to outflank the rear before, and they were destined to not return to their hometown, so they could only bury their bones in this field.

However, Mizuno Katsunari ignored them and continued to pursue and kill, they were already surrounded by the enemy, but no one cared about this.

The weather in June and July is indeed changeable, and at this moment, the originally clear sky suddenly becomes overcast, dark clouds have obscured the sky, and thin raindrops begin to drip on the ground and people's armor, making a rattling sound.

In the rain, Mizuno Katsunari had red eyes and a stuffy head, and he frantically brandished his saber and rushed forward, until the rain soaked his body and extinguished the fire in his heart, and the incomparable fatigue finally made it difficult for him to move forward, he stood in place panting, and suddenly looked back, only to find that there were only a few people left around him.

The men were almost as disheveled and disheveled as he was, and almost every one of them had wounds on their bodies, and where they were not exposed, they were also stained with other people's blood.

The rain was still falling, and the rain slowly swept away everyone's faces, and slowly collected, mixing the blood everywhere, forming a dazzling red spot on the field.

These red spots reminded him of those memories of the past in a trance. Decades ago, in that chaotic Warring States Period, he was still a young man with strong blood, and he didn't know how many wars he had participated in and how many more tragic scenes he had witnessed.

He has killed people, and he has seen others killed, in the fight again and again, he looks down on life and death, and also knows that human life is just duckweed in the wind, which will drift into the air at any time, even a hero like Nobunaga Gong was suddenly taken away from the world by a fierce blow?

At that time, relying on his bravery and blood, he made military achievements, and finally became the lord of a domain, becoming one of the few upper-class people in the world. He originally thought that with the rule of three generations of generals and the blessing of the spirit of the god in the sky, the world could finally get a stable place, and his descendants could enjoy everything he had exchanged for his life and live peacefully.

He originally thought that he could finally finish his life in peace and tranquility, and passed away amid the cries of his relatives and descendants, and became the first lord of the domain who was admired by them for generations.

But when the Han army came over, he found that his last bit of hope had also been lost, his hard-earned territory and family business, and the stability that the world had finally gained had been swallowed up by this storm, could his children and grandchildren escape such a storm? He himself didn't know.

As soon as he thought of this, the hatred couldn't help but jump into his heart again, his whole body trembled, and he picked up the knife and wanted to rush forward, but at this moment, the soreness in his body made his steps stop abruptly. He's still old after all, and he can't go back to the way he used to be.

And under his gaze, a heavy black shadow also pressed down on them, and he looked at these people vaguely, although he could not see them very clearly in the rain, but he knew that these people were his enemies, and they would put him to death.

He didn't run away, he wasn't afraid, he just quietly watched as the group of enemy troops rushed towards him, and then surrounded his own few people.

If they had used bows and arrows or muskets, they would not have survived, but surprisingly, the enemy forces did not do so, but surrounded them. Then, some gaps were revealed in the thick formation, and the figures of several people on horseback appeared in Mizuno Katsunari's sight.

The horses walked slowly, and finally came to a stop when they were only a little more than a foot away from him, and the person at the head was Tachibana Muneshige himself.

The rain was still falling, and Tachibana Muneshige was riding on his horse, looking down at Mizuno Katsunari who was already exhausted and could only stand in front of him with a knife. He looked at Mizuno Katsunari's graying beard and hair, and saw his exhausted appearance, as if he had seen himself in a mirror.

He's getting old, too. Tachibana Soshige sighed in his heart.

When he was young, Mizuno Katsunari had a short temper and strong blood, because he killed his subordinates who reported his bad deeds to his father Mizuno Tadashige, and had to flee from his father and the Tokugawa family's domain, all the way to Kyoto, and then joined Oda Nobunaga's army, and gradually rose to prominence in the Oda army with his martial arts.

After Toyotomi Hideyoshi replaced Oda Nobunaga, he continued to serve Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and was eventually sent by him to fight in Kyushu, and in these battles, he was also known and admired by Tachibana Muneshige. At that time, Tachibana Muneshige wanted to recruit him as a subordinate, but he did not agree and left Kyushu again.

He finally returned to Tokugawa Ieyasu, and reconciled with his father, who had not seen him for fifteen years, and inherited the position of governor of the Mizuno family after his father's death, and was gifted by Tokugawa Ieyasu to the 100,000-stone territory of the Fukuyama Domain, regardless of his previous suspicions, and became a high-ranking pedigree daimyō.

At that time, neither of them could have imagined that they would meet again in this way and in such a scene.

The ups and downs of fate, how many people can understand it? Everyone is nothing more than duckweed that goes with the flow.

"Mizuno, surrender." As if making a last-ditch effort, the condescending Tachibana Muneshige suddenly spoke, "There's no point in resisting any longer, it's okay for you to be loyal to the Tokugawa family to this point." ”

Mizuno Katsunari didn't answer, but just sneered slightly, this smile looked particularly weird under the way his hair was glued to the water.

"You don't have to serve the Great Han, you just have to accept imprisonment after surrendering. I can spare your life, as long as you stay here in peace. Tachibana Soshige sighed softly, as if he already knew how he was going to answer, "Mizuno, stop being stubborn. ”

"Haha...... Haha......" Katsunari Mizuno suddenly laughed, "Forgiveness? You...... Do you use that word too? You are just a pawn and a lackey in the hands of Han Ko, what qualifications do you have to talk about forgiving me? Isn't it ridiculous that you wag your tail and beg for mercy in front of Han Kou, and then turn your head and put on such a face with me? ”

As soon as he heard him insult his lord like this, several cronies around Tachibana Somo were furious, and they picked up their knives and wanted to end this old thing, but Tachibana Somo didn't have any anger, just waved his hand to stop the other party.

"People are often involuntarily, even if they are strong, what's the use? I fought against Tokugawa Ieyasu back then, and what did I get? After more than ten years of wandering, in the end, I could only wag my tail with them and beg for mercy...... Yes, if you want to say wagging your tail and begging for mercy, I already did it back then, so why bother to do it again? He also smiled slightly bitterly, "Even you, aren't you involuntarily?" You're desperate...... And what's the use? Can the shogunate send a soldier to help you? ”

"If it weren't for the fact that you defected to the Han Kou and rebelled against the shogunate, how could the shogunate have fallen into the predicament it is in today? No matter how vicious the Han Kou is, after all, they are foreign beasts, and you are poisonous insects in Japan! You have taken refuge in the Han Kou for your own selfish interests and helped them to crusade against the shogunate, what face do you have to stand under heaven and earth! Under the gaze of Tachibana Soshige, Mizuno Katsunari was not afraid, "You still want me to be like you, wagging my tail and begging for mercy to Han Ko?" Don't! I'd rather die than betray God and join you thieves!" ”

It seems that there is indeed no hope.

Although he knew that this was a doomed result, Tachibana Muneshige still sighed.

Mizuno Katsusei's scolding and insults did not move him or provoke him, all the upheavals and life and death he had experienced over the years had already made his heart like a tree, and he could no longer be moved by others.

Hero? Dog thieves? How different are these titles from an old man like him?

He glanced at Mizuno again, his gaze slid to the saber in his hand, which had been damaged from the fierce battle just now.

He reached into his arms, then slowly pulled out his saber, then threw it hard in front of Mizuno Katsunari.

"You don't, I don't think this knife is dirty."

Mizuno Katsunari was stunned for a moment, then slowly leaned down and picked up the saber.

This knife is a refined famous knife that has been tempered thousands of times, and the weight is not heavy, but it makes people feel a wordless killing meaning. In the rain, the blade looks even more clear and cold.

"Good knives!" He couldn't help but whisper a little approval.

Using this knife to take yourself out of the world is really not considered a humiliation.

He picked up his sword, then looked up at Tachibana Muneshige.

"Then I'll go first! I'm waiting for you underground, there won't be an army to protect you then, and I'll make sure you know how awesome! ”

Then, he looked away and looked at one of the retainers next to him. "You're here to make a mistake for me!"

The retainer nodded immediately, and even felt honored.

Then, Mizuno Katsunari laughed and sat directly on the ground.

Then, he took the saber and slowly aimed it at his abdomen.

Tachibana Muneshige was still on his horse, looking at each other motionlessly.

Although he didn't want to see an old friend die like this, he had to, it was a respectful and a last way to make up for his guilt.

Gradually, the rain stopped, the clouds slowly thinned, and the outline of the sun seemed to gradually appear. At this moment, Mizuno Katsunari let out a loud laugh.

Then, with the dull sound of a blade stabbing into the body, Mizuno stabbed the knife into his abdomen.

Blood burst out, a large amount of blood left on the ground, and his pain could be felt almost with the naked eye, but he only frowned, and without saying a word, slowly slashed the knife sideways, leaving a long scratch in his abdomen.

It's very straight, it's a very good cut, and it takes a lot of tenacity and patience to be able to make such a beautiful line on the abdomen.

Immediately after Mizuno Katsunari finished slashing, the retainers who were standing behind him because of his order roared and slashed their swords at the lord's head. With a powerful sword, he directly cut off Mizuno Katsusari's head, causing it to roll to the ground, stained with the blood he had originally shed.

Tachibana Soshige just watched all this quietly, this kind of bloody scene, he didn't know how much he had seen in his early years, and he also thought that he would have such a day.

After the lord made a mistake, these retainers also committed suicide one after another, and the war in the entire Fukuyama domain ended.

Tachibana Muneshige dismounted, came to Mizuno Katsunari's body, and leaned over to his cuffs.

In those troubled times many years ago, every general and daimyo would leave a message of death before they died, and some people carried these words with them because of the uncertainty of the war, and Mizuno Katsunari was probably no exception.

Sure enough, he found it.

"The rain clouds cover the moon, the heart lake is hazy, I will ride the wind to go, and the place will be more empty." He finished with no expression, and then stood still for a long time.

He didn't scold us again.

It's just that, when you get there, can you really turn everything into nothing?

"Bury them." After a long time, he left this order, mounted his horse and returned to the army.