?p> "Sir?" Gao Muqing couldn't help being startled when he heard what Mr. Suo Sidai said. "Youwhat do you mean?" "Didn't I make it clear enough?" Itakura Shigemune suppressed his smile and finally sighed, "I don't want to run away anymore, I want to stay in Kyoto and die for the shogunate. I want to give an explanation to everyone in the world." "Sir, it's this time and you still think about this kind of thing. This is irresponsible!" Gao Muqing was a little angry. "Kyoto is lost, and the shogunate must give an explanation to the world. Even if I lead the troops and run away, I will definitely be punished by the shogunate, and I will die in the end." Itakura Shigemune shook his head gently, looking a little sad, "Since It's all a dead end anyway. Why should I die in humiliation at the hands of the shogunate? I might as well fight to the death with the Han invaders. This way, I can at least keep the Itakura family name! "Why don't you think about us subordinates?" Takagi looked at each other coldly, "The current Kyoto army is all organized by adults, and only adults can use it like an arm and a finger. Now that you are here, what can we do?" Go and fulfill the shogunate's assignment and capture the traitor Tachibana Munashige? " "Even without me, you can lead the army alone. You are the one sent by Mr. Lao Naka. I must have given you some instructions." Itakura Shigemune replied calmly, "So there is no need for me to cause you any more trouble." "Sir" Takagi Kiyoshi was speechless for a moment, and then began to defend. "That's just in case! You still have to command the army of the Western Kingdom." When he was sent here by the old man Doi Toshiki, in order to prevent Itakura Shigemune from being unable to take care of things due to emergencies, at the same time To prevent him from rebelling and surrendering to the enemy, Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu himself gave him an order to monitor Itakura Shigemune, and at the same time, if necessary, he could forcibly receive the army of the Western Kingdom. However, since arriving in Kyoto, Takagi Kiyoshi observed that Itakura Shigemune was doing his best to serve the shogunate without any objection. At the same time, he also knew that he had no experience in leading troops, so he did not announce Tokugawa Iemitsu's order. , but focused his energy on seeking peace talks with the Han invaders. Now that the peace talks have failed and the situation is getting worse day by day, he has no confidence. Instead, he wants to rely on Itakura Shigemune to maintain the shogunate army in the Western Kingdom. "Now this is a rare case." Itakura Shigemune sighed softly, "Since I fought with the Han invaders, I have suffered repeated defeats. My troops have suffered huge losses, and the Han invaders have been advancing step by step. Occupying a large area of ??land, a defeated general like me should have committed suicide a long time ago It is only because of the kindness of the general that I can survive, but I can't live like this shamelessly anymore! , The reason is to guard in Kyoto until death." "Sir!" Gao Muqing wanted to persuade him again. "Okay, don't talk anymore!" Itakura Shigemune raised his hand to interrupt him, "I have made up my mind, and there is no point in saying more. If you want to retreat, leave early tomorrow morning, don't delay any more It's day. I'll call all my subordinates here and ask them to follow you out of Kyoto." Looking at Gao Muqing's hesitant face, he smiled. "Takagi, as a samurai, do you still want to stop me from clearing my name as a samurai? Why do you have to let me go back to accept the judgment of the general? Besides with me guarding here, your retreat will be much smoother. " Amidst his laughter, Gao Muqing also understood that Mr. Suo Sidai had really made up his mind and the matter was irreversible. There is no doubt that after he takes his people away, Kyoto's defense will be even more empty. Itakura Shigemune's stay here will not play any role, it is just to die. When he was at Himeji Castle, Itakura Shigemune had already made up his mind to commit suicide, but he reluctantly changed his mind because of his own persuasion. Now it seems that he never wants to change his mind again. As he said, even if he leads his troops to leave Kyoto, no matter how great his achievements are later, he will definitely not be able to compensate for his guilt - even though Takagi Qing knows that the previous defeat cannot actually be blamed on this Toshidai-sama, and the result will be different for anyone else. Not much will change. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can hold on? Another thought flashed across his mind. Although I now have the trust of Mr. Lao Zhong and Mr. General, if I make a mistake, I am afraid there will be no way to be forgiven. Maybe one day I will have to sacrifice my life to apologize for my sin like the one I have committed. Moreover, now that the shogunate has reached such a precarious stage, it may fall apart one day. In this situation, we can only take one step at a time. In the afternoon of that day, Itakura Shigemune arrived??He summoned his subordinates and told them his arrangements. These generals were also as horrified as Gao Muqing, and they urged him to leave Kyoto together, but he sternly refused. There were many people who wanted to stay in Kyoto and fight against the enemy and die for the country with Lord Toshidai, but Itakura Shigemune rejected most people's requests. He knew that these people only said this for the sake of their appearance, and they all wanted to leave in their hearts. In Kyoto, a destined place of death, only a small number of people are sincere - and he doesn't need to leave too many people behind. After two to three hundred people came to defend Nijo Castle as defenders, he handed over all his troops to Takagi Kiyoshi to take charge, and then urged them to leave Kyoto at night. After the plan was decided, although Takagi Kiyoshi and others were very reluctant, they still obeyed the order of Lord Tokiyo and left Kyoto. After they left, Itakura Shigemune took the remaining people and retreated to Nijo Castle. Kyoto It has also become a virtual ghost city. Although Takagi Qing and others were very careful, the movements in Kyoto still did not escape the sentinels sent out by the Han army. At dawn, Zhou Pu stationed in Fushimi had already received news of the mobilization of the shogunate army in Kyoto. Judging from the scale of mobilization, the shogunate has mobilized almost all the troops in Kyoto, which means that Kyoto is now an empty city. "They have escaped?" Zhou Pu was very surprised. In their original predictions, they all guessed that the shogunate army would rely on Kyoto to fight the Han army again, so they made corresponding preparations. Unexpectedly, the enemy army had already fled and given up before the battle started. Kyoto. ¡°Maybe they were frightened by the big man, maybe they didn¡¯t want to fight the big man in a place with unfavorable terrain like Kyoto, but no matter what, this was good news for him. </P Ìì These days, the two Kangdao and others have always spoken by him, hoping that they can have the battle for Kyoto as soon as possible -they are all the public princes of the court, and they do not want Kyoto to suffer too much damage. In order to make better use of the Japanese imperial court's brand name, Zhou Pu also did not want to fight too fiercely in Kyoto, so as not to affect the views of all parties in Japan on the Han Dynasty. These days, he has been thinking about how to minimize the damage to the local area when occupying Kyoto. Unexpectedly, the shogunate's active retreat solved this problem for him. In this case, there is nothing to worry about. Before dawn, he called over Nijo Yasudou, Hashimoto Mimura and others. The two people were also extremely surprised, so they immediately asked Zhou Pu to send troops to occupy Kyoto. Zhou Pu also readily agreed. In the morning of that day, The army began to march towards Kyoto. Because of the chaos caused by the Han army's landing on Honshu Island, and the shogunate's deliberate efforts to clear the country, the originally prosperous Kyoto generation has now become much depressed. When the Han army began to march towards Kyoto, it was even more desolate. Not much people could be seen. In the afternoon of the same day, they finally arrived in Kyoto. At this time, in Kyoto, although the houses and mansions were still the same as before, there were not many people in sight, and it was almost like an abandoned city. However, the remaining residents were almost in joy after discovering the traces of the Han army, especially after they understood that the leading general this time was Lord Youfu. Many people gathered in front of the army and watched the army with joy. The arrival of the army. Kyoto is a place where ministers gather, and the residents here are more or less related to the imperial court and the Fujiwara family. Therefore, after Lord Zuofu Youfu left with the Emperor and the Emperor, although the shogunate had no regard for Lord Zuofu and Youfu They gnashed their teeth with hatred, but in the eyes of the people here, the two adults were great heroes, and they were also the hope of the court. Although some people had some complaints about the two adults borrowing troops from the Han Dynasty, when they thought that the status of the imperial court could be changed, and after they truly held the territory and real power, they became acquiescing and supporting the attitude. Only a very small group of people People found it difficult to accept this, and they followed the shogunate and fled to Kanto before the Han Dynasty entered Kinei. When the Han Dynasty marched all the way to Kinai, with their successive victories, a lot of information began to be conveyed to Kyoto. At this time, people already knew how powerful the Han army was, and the shogunate could not resist at all, and they also knew that the Han Dynasty respected the imperial court very much. , and even supplied the imperial court with money and food, allowing the imperial court to have an army under its own direct control. People who have gone through the turbulent times of the Warring States period certainly know how important it is to have soldiers in their hands, and they also know how meaningful it is to have force in the hands of the court. At this time, almost everyone left has become a supporter of the Han Dynasty and earnestly hopes that The army of the Han Dynasty and the imperial court rushed to Kyoto and letThis became the center of Japan again. There are even some people who are thinking about what kind of position they will be able to get in the court in the future - the court will definitely be able to rule a large area of ??land in the future, and the official positions and salaries that the court can provide at that time will be much better than before. Under the influence of this psychology, the people of Kyoto have already tilted towards the imperial court. It is no wonder that Itakura Shigemune is so pessimistic about the situation. After the army arrived outside Kyoto, because the shogunate had already withdrawn all the army, the remaining people went out of the city in order of family status and official position to meet the Han army. Because all the members of the Wushe family have been forcibly taken away by the shogunate, the leader is Quan Da Na Yan Huashan Yin Dehao. He was also summoned directly to his seat by Nijo Yasudou. Kazanin, who was only a few years older than Nijo Yasudou, passed through the army's formation. Although he was shocked by the murderous spirit of the army at first, when he heard that these armies were led by the imperial court and led by Lord Youfu When he and Lieutenant General Sakonoe were under direct control, he was very excited and excited. When I looked at Nijo Yasudou, I felt very excited and knelt down directly. "See you, Lord Youfu!" "Danayan, please rise." Nijo Yasudou also happily motioned for him to stand up. "Long time no see. How are you?" After so many days and many twists and turns, he finally overcame the difficulties and obstacles and returned to Kyoto with his army. Naturally, he felt like he was returning home in glory. He also used this method to prove that his original ideas and actions were right - no matter how much it cost, the imperial court finally had its own army and territory, and a foothold, and no longer had to rely on the shogunate. . "These days, we have been worried about His Majesty and the adults, for fear that something might happen to you Finally, with the blessing of the gods and Buddhas, the court has saved the day" Huashanyuan Dinghao said, tears almost falling, "This is really Lucky for you Lucky for you! " "The imperial court is the orthodox one in the world, so it can naturally be blessed by the gods and Buddhas," Nijo Yasudou replied confidently, "The shogunate is just a clown, Tokugawa Iemitsu. He won¡¯t be rampant for much longer!¡± After making the bold statement, Nijo Yasudou immediately asked Hanazhanin Shohao about the changes that had happened in Kyoto after he escaped, as well as the current situation in Kyoto, and Hanazhanin Shohao immediately told the truth. . After the incident in which the Emperor and the Prime Minister fled, the shogunate was furious and immediately ordered the confiscation of the residences of Kaneha Ichijo and Yasuchi Nijo as punishment. Moreover, because they were afraid of the Han army, they decided to move all the important ministers and royal families from Kyoto to Kanto. Under their pressure, the Wushe family and some other high-ranking families and royal families were forcibly taken away, and the ministers Although the eldest son and head of the Kujo family, Yukiie Kujo, could not help himself, he decided to let some of the ministers stay. First, they would guard the houses and properties left by the imperial court and the ministers, and secondly, they would secretly prepare to deal with the returning imperial court. . He understood that if the imperial court could fight back, then the shogunate would need them as bargaining chips. If the imperial court was really defeated and the shogunate won a complete victory, then they would never have a good life. Under his exhaustive arrangements, Huashanyuan Dinghao and a group of ministers were finally able to stay. In addition to guarding the property and the imperial residence, they also went around to inquire about the situation, waiting for the Han army and the imperial court to return to Kyoto as soon as possible. Then, Hanazhanin decided to tell Nijo Yasudou everything he knew about the shogunate and the imperial court. When he heard that his mansion had been destroyed because of the shogunate and his family had been kidnapped by the shogunate, Nijo Yasudou was furious until he heard that the shogunate's Kyoto Secretary Itakura Shigemune was still in Nijo Castle. Then he turned from anger to joy. "Let the traitor Itakura and Nijo Castle be burned to the ground first to avenge this!" He left such a sentence, and then led his troops directly into the city and drove towards Nijo Castle. For Nijo Yasuichi, this Nijo Castle, which is not far from his own mansion and the Imperial Palace, is nothing more than a symbol of humiliation. Since the shogunate treated him like this, of course he would take revenge. In order to prevent Kyoto from being destroyed by soldiers, Nijo Yasudou left all his troops outside the city after hearing that the shogunate had withdrawn, and only brought a small number of personal followers into the city. After hearing the news, he Send people and redeploy troops. And when they heard that there was actually a shogunate army left in Kyoto, the sergeants who had been a little slack regained their energy. They poured into the city one after another, then walked through the square streets of Kyoto, and finally arrived in the Chukyo area, surrounding Nijo Castle. Although it is known as a castle, Nijo Castle is not very large. However, there are trenches around the inner and outer castles, and there is only one bridge left for internal and external passage. Therefore, although it is defended by a large army, it is difficult to break through in an instant. It was already evening, and the sky had become very dark. Nijo Yasudou ordered people to light torches around the city to create an impression that Nijo Castle was surrounded, and then ordered to fire rockets into Nijo Castle. It was hot summer at this time. Although the defenders in the city were well prepared, it was difficult to extinguish them everywhere. Soon, flames burst out everywhere, dyeing the water in the trench golden yellow. Then, Nijo Kangdao did not persuade him to surrender, but directly ordered his subordinates to take advantage of the chaos inside to attack the city. At his urging, the soldiers threw pieces of wood and stones into the trench. Then, after the trench was roughly filled, they stepped directly over the trench and tried to climb the low wall of the outer city. At this time, the shogunate soldiers in the city also rushed out, braving the bows and arrows and muskets from outside, and rushed towards the officers and soldiers who stepped on the outer wall. A fierce fight broke out between the two sides. ¡°Perhaps because they were ready to die, these defenders were very brave and fought with the attacking soldiers almost regardless of their lives. They were clearly at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers, but they also withstood the initial attack. However, due to the huge disparity in numbers, the siege army soon established a few footholds on the city wall, and then fought inward along the city wall. Many of the troops under the imperial court had experienced the war at Himeji Castle, so they were not afraid of the small Nijo Castle. Soon, the siege army defeated the defenders on the top of the city, and then rushed into the city, leaving only corpses on the ground on the top of the city. "Kill all the defenders without leaving any one behind! The Tokugawa family palace must be burned to the ground!" Outside the city, Nijo Yasushichi proudly issued the order. He must eradicate this scar in Kyoto and all traces of the Tokugawa family in the imperial court.