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Volume 1 Chapter 1668 Fall

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    The sudden loud noise caused Itakura Katsushige and Takagi Kiyoshi to fall into dizziness almost at the same time, and even their ears were somewhat deafened.  However, even if they lost their hearing, they could still feel the power of this sudden disaster - with these loud noises, the castle tower they were in began to shake slightly, as if they had encountered an earthquake.  At the same time, the dust, sawdust, and bricks all over the sky were swept into the air, and the black fog that covered the sky spread everywhere, blocking almost all the sunlight.  Itakura Shigemune and Takagi Kiyo suddenly looked at each other, and for a moment they didn't understand what was going on.  But after all, Itakura Shigemune had experienced too much. He quickly came to his senses, then stood up suddenly, rushed towards the window crazily, and then opened his eyes wide to observe the situation in the direction of Nishinomaru.  The smoke was too thick now, the visibility was very low, and the loud noises and shaking never stopped, but he still eliminated all interference and observed in the chaos.  Under his gaze, there was a vague white-yellow light emerging from the Nishinomaru. These firelights rushed straight towards this side. Whenever they were extinguished, there would be a bang.  Loud noise.  Seeing this scene, Itakura Shigemune finally understood that he was now undergoing a new round of bombardment.  It seems that the Han invaders have transported cannons to the city, and then bombarded themselves from the area they occupied in Nishinomaru.  The Han army has sharp artillery fire. This is a fact that he has known before. The rapid fall of the cities on Kyushu Island one by one also proves this.  When the Han invaders started to attack the city before, they had already used artillery bombardment as a precursor. It was precisely because of such sharp artillery fire that they were able to easily open the outer city wall and break into the city. He had already seen a siege cannon.  The power can turn all city walls into a joke.  But at that time, the Han army's bombardment was outside the city, still far away from him, but now the castle tower where he was and the rest of the city were already the targets of the Han invaders' bombardment.  Feeling this kind of artillery fire at close range, feeling the power that almost seemed to be able to destroy everything, almost his whole body trembled. If the entire castle tower hadn't been shaking, I'm afraid he would have been reduced to a joke.  In addition, he also knew that this kind of bombardment would never be isolated, but a prelude to a new round of offensive by the Han invaders.  It won't be long before the Han invaders launch a full-scale offensive - maybe even starting now.  With such artillery fire, the Han invaders will be more powerful when attacking, and it will be more difficult to resist.  Even if everyone fights bravely to block this attack, there will definitely be great losses, after all, it will allow the Han invaders to further expand the occupied area.  Himeji Castle can no longer be defended.  A flash of enlightenment flashed through Itakura Shigemune's heart.  As the highest official of the shogunate in the Western Kingdom, and as the commander-in-chief who is personally in charge of Himeji Castle, no one knows the situation in the city better than him.  He has been commanding the garrison here these days, and has witnessed batches of his subordinates dying in the city. He has personally ordered reinforcements to be transferred into the city to continue the fierce battle with the Han invaders. He knows how weak the power in his hands is now.  He knew even more what kind of losses the Han invaders' merciless attack, regardless of casualties, would bring to him.  The defenders had suffered huge casualties during these days of consumption, and their morale had become very low. Even supplies were no longer sufficient, and now they had to accept such terrible bombardment. Itakura Shigemune knew that they would definitely not be able to withstand it.  living.  So Himeji Castle has fallen, what should I do?  ¡°I have already committed the serious mistake of losing the court and His Majesty the Emperor, and now I have made the mistake of losing the army and the land. The General will never forgive me.  Now I can only be loyal to the General here.  Amid the constant sound of shelling, he suddenly thought of Tadashige Naito, the old man who died for his country in Kurume Castle on Kyushu Island. In a trance, the old man was standing in the clouds, watching him expressionlessly.  The castle tower was shaking more and more violently, but Itakura Shigemune was completely unaware of it.  "Gao Mu, take your people and leave!" Suddenly, he turned his head and shouted at Gao Muqing next to him, "You have nothing to do here anymore!" Because of the interference from the sound of shelling, Gao Muqing  For a while, he couldn't hear clearly what Itakura Shigemune said, but he soon managed to hear it clearly, and then looked at Itakura Shigemune in disbelief.  "Big I have a mission, how can I leave here?" "Mission? What other mission is there?" Itakura Shigemune smiled bitterly, "Now that the war has reached this point, even if you stay in Himeji  There is no meaning in the city anymore. The Han invaders It seems that the Han invaders will not lower the asking price now. " "Sir! Didn't you still plan to let me go with you?Let¡¯s hold peace talks with the Japanese invaders to see if we can reach a compromise?  "Gao Muqing didn't quite understand Itakura Shigemune's thoughts. "Why are you asking me to leave now!  " "Just nowjust now I thought things could turn around. At least I can still hold on here and give you some capital to negotiate with the Han invaders, but now" Itakura Shigemune sighed heavily, and then pointed out the window.  , "The Han invaders have already launched an artillery bombardment, and are about to launch a general attack. Even if I try hard, I won't be able to hold on for long. After the fall of Himeji Castle, the Han invaders will definitely become more arrogant. It's better to let you go back now and wait until later.  Find an opportunity to negotiate peace with the Han invaders.  " Following Itakura Shigemune's finger, Takagi Qing cast his sights outside the city. Now the intensity of the Han army's shelling has reduced, and by the way, the shaking of the castle tower has also become much lighter. But just like this, Takagi Qing was able to see  As far as the eye can see, the once neat streets of the castle are now full of potholes, and some places have turned into ruins and are still burning, while other places are similar, and they are all in the same miserable condition.  The cannons caused a lot of losses to the defenders, but they must not be less. There has been a fierce battle in the city these days, and he stayed here to reflect the atmosphere of unity among 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 retreating steadily, and it was already difficult to drive the Han invaders out of the city. But he originally said the situation was not optimistic.  I still thought that the city could support it a little longer and cause some more casualties to the Han invaders, so that they could see the shogunate's will to resist, so that they could lower the price and negotiate with the shogunate. But today this dream was shattered by Lord Tokidai himself.  He first hinted and then told him clearly that he believed that Himeji Castle could no longer be defended and its fall was probably a matter of time. He no longer had confidence that Mr. Toshidai would definitely not joke with him. Since he said so,  That means the shogunate¡¯s army is indeed at the end of its rope in the city. ¡°My lord Why are you so depressed?  Gao Muqing looked at the other party in surprise, "Has the situation really deteriorated to that point?"  " "Yes, it has been corrupted to this extent. At least I can't see the hope of driving away the Han invaders" At this time, Itakura Shigemune did not intend to tell lies to him, "But don't worry, I  I will definitely stay here and resist the Han invaders until the last moment. Ififthis city really falls, please go back and report to the general. Itakura Shigemune is worthy of his family name and fought for you to the last breath!  "    "grown ups!  "Looking at Itakura Shigemune's ashen face, Gao Muqing couldn't help but become a little anxious, "Is your lord going to die for the city?  " "As the commander-in-chief, I bear the great trust of the general, but I have betrayed the trust How can I live like this?  "Itakura Shigemune looked into the distance, and then made up his mind, "When the situation was hopeless, Mr. Naito died and set an example for us. As a subordinate of Mr. Naito, how can I how can I survive?  "    "grown ups!  "Seeing Itakura Shigemune say this, Takagi Kiyoshi finally couldn't help it, "Now the shogunate is in trouble and the situation is critical. It is the time when the general is leading us to support us hard. How can you insist on dying just because of your own will?  Woolen cloth?  If you die, what will Kinai do next?  What about the entire Western Kingdom?  Can the adults have the heart to just let it go?  " "There are still so many people available in the shogunate It doesn't matter even if I'm not there.  "Itakura Shigemune shook his head, "I am a guilty person and have committed so many mistakes. If I end it myself, I won't cause trouble to everyone.  " "My father and son have been guarding Kyoto for two generations. They know the situation and strategies of Kinai and the Western Kingdom very well. They are the most practical officials in the shogunate. How can they just let it go?  !  "However, Gao Muqing completely disagreed with him, "Your Excellency cannot be entirely blamed for the imperial court's escape. The enemy is deliberately planning to deal with the shogunate, even if others are in Your Excellency's position, they may not be able to avoid it.  As for now As for the fact that I can't resist the Han invaders now, I can't blame you. Your Excellency has been working hard to resist the Han invaders these days. I see all this. If anyone says that I am not responsible enough, I will definitely  I will explain it to adults!  " "Hey thank you for comforting me.  "After Gao Muqing's consolation, Itakura Shigemune's face became a little better, "But it's too late to say this now. I have made mistakes one after another, and there is no place for me in the shogunate. You don't have to do it anymore."  Go and defend me. I will die here with the Han invaders, which is enough to clear myself.  " "Sir, this is not just what I mean, this is what Mr. Lao Zhong means!  "At this point, Gao Muqing has no intention ofNo longer covering up, he directly made it clear to Itakura Shigemune, "When I came here, Mr. Laonaka had already told me that I must let you not worry about what happened before, and not to fight to the death with the Han invaders, but to  Preserve your usefulness and continue to fight against the Han invaders, at least so that they cannot easily occupy Kyoto Sir, Lord Laozhong has an order now, you must not die!" "Sir Laozhong" Itakura?  Chongzong opened his eyes wide.  "Yes, these are all orders from Mr. Lao Zhong." Gao Muqing nodded, "Sir Lao Zhong wants you to use all your strength to resist the Han invaders in Himeji Castle, but if you can't resist, you are not allowed to die.  Instead, I want to return to Kyoto, continue to perform meritorious service, and fight for the shogunate to preserve Kyoto. In order to strengthen your will, I have never told you, but now is the time. Please put the overall situation first and never go your own way!  "Itakura Shigemune looked at Takagi Qing blankly.  He did not expect that before the war started, Lao Naka Doi Toshikatsu had already anticipated the possibility of Himeji Castle falling, and had made corresponding countermeasures - and this countermeasure was to not hold him accountable for his fault and allow him to continue to lead the army.  Confronted the Han invaders in Jinei.  However, this can be regarded as the most beneficial arrangement for the shogunate. After all, after the loss of Himeji Domain in Harima Province, Kinei has been opened wide. Han invaders will definitely march straight into Kyoto. At this time, Kinei needs people who are familiar with the situation to take charge.  And he, who has served as acting director of the Kyoto Office for more than ten years, is definitely the best candidate.  To be fair, he didn't necessarily want to die now. It was just because he was despairing about the situation and was afraid of the shogunate's accountability, so he had no choice but to make the decision to die for Himeji Castle. But now that he heard such news, he  It was a reasonable reason, so he slowly changed his will.  "II will never forget the kindness of Mr. Lao Zhong." After pondering for a long time, he finally said with gratitude.  "It would be best if your lord is willing to think so." Gao Muqing smiled slightly, "Okay, lord, although Lord Lao Zhong allows you to retreat, we can't just retreat. We must resist until the last moment to let the Han invaders  We can retreat only if more blood is shed, so that your Excellency can explain to Edo. "My Lord, how long do you think we can resist if we use all our strength?" Itakura Shigemune was speechless for a moment, and then raised his head and looked at the smoke in the distance.  A diffuse scene.  "If I continue to resist desperately, I can probably hold on for another three to five days." After a moment, he whispered, "After this period of time, I am not sure that I will be able to escape unscathed." If you want to retreat, just  You must leave behind the troops to delay the enemy and buy yourself time and space to retreat. Otherwise, you will obviously be chased to death by the enemy. Itakura Shigemune said that he can hold on for a few more days, which is already very dangerous.  "Okay, sir, just try harder and hold on for three days. After three days, everyone will retreat together and return to Kyoto to reorganize the army and fight the Han invaders again." Takagi Qing immediately replied, "In these three days,  Sir, please continue to fight bravely with your subordinates. It would be a good thing to kill one more Han invader" Now that he has seen the situation clearly, he feels that it is not unimaginable for the Han to march all the way and even reach Kyoto. In this case  Under such circumstances, trying to expel the Han invaders is tantamount to wishful thinking. The current goal can only be to exhaust the Han invaders' troops with all their strength and let them slowly lose blood. In the end, they cannot bear such losses. Then we can negotiate with the Han invaders again -  ¡ªAlthough the conditions will still be very harsh at that time, at least they will not be as completely unacceptable as they are now.  "Okay let's follow this strategy. I'll reorganize the army first and resist the new round of attacks by the Han invaders and prepare for a retreat." Itakura Shigemune also breathed a sigh of relief, his expression looking better than before.  A little angry.  There is no doubt that under the current situation, if he retreats, he can only take a small number of people with him. Most of the defenders have been scattered in every corner of the city. He has no time to gather them, and he needs to keep them to hold them back.  It was convenient for the Han invaders to retreat.  The loss of troops does not matter. There are still many vassal and shogunate troops from various places that he summoned in Kyoto. Kanto has also been sending people to reinforce Kyoto. Even if most of the troops here are lost, he can still be there.  Quickly assemble a large army and continue to contend with the Han invaders.  "My lord, hurry up and get ready, don't waste the opportunity!" Gao Muqing sighed slightly.  "If Lao Zhong-sama's prediction is correct, there will definitely be many thieves in Kinki now, and I would like to ask you to return as soon as possible to avoid chaos in Kinki." "I will never let Lao Zhong-sama down" Just on the Ban  While Cang Chongzong was still discussing with Gao Muqing, the inner city that had been quiet due to the end of the bombardment suddenly experienced another commotion. The commotion was so loud thatIt spread to the castle tower.  "Have the Han invaders already come over?"  Both of them felt chilled, and then they immediately came to the window to observe the situation.  However, what they saw was completely beyond their expectations.  The commotion did not come from the fighting area between the two armies, but from the depths of the area occupied by the defenders. Although their vision was very blurry, they clearly saw a group of people running out of the garrisoned houses and strongholds, and heading towards  The city gate at the rear ran past.  One of the troops in the city escaped!  This fact shocked both of them.  "Masato Honda! This bastard!" Itakura Shigemune quickly came to his senses, and then cursed directly.  ¡°Obviously, the people who escaped should be Honda Masatomo, the lord of Himeji Domain, and his trusted vassal officials.  Before the war started, he was already frightened and wanted to escape, but was forced to stay by Itakura Shigemune. Unexpectedly, he didn't give 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 gnash his teeth with hatred, so much so that he cursed regardless of his grace.  However, Takagi Qing came to his senses quickly, "Sir, make arrangements for a retreat today! Don't delay any more!" The situation is now obvious. The city was already in danger, but now Honda Masato is still leading a group of people  After fleeing, the defenders are even more inadequate. If they continue to stay here, I am afraid that neither I nor Tokoshiro-sama will be able to leave Himeji Castle alive in the end.  "I must report this to the general, and let this shameless man die without a burial place!" Itakura Shigemune cursed again, then turned around and left the main castle tower.  Himeji Castle can no longer be defended.  
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