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Three Rivers Butterfly Chapter 334 The Flame Before Dawn

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    On June 28, the weather in Shinano cleared up, and the Takeda family seized the opportunity to launch a large-scale attack while the main force of the Kira Army was trapped at the junction of Echigo and Shinano. The main force of the Western Front Army, led by Takeda Nobushige, was 12,000 troops.  Zhongshinano's army chose to attack Xiaozhen County from Machang Pass and Aoki Pass.  The main force of the Eastern Front Army was Takeda Harunobu, who led an army of 10,000 people from Saku County to the west to attack Susuki Castle. An army of 22,000 people launched a massive attack from three locations in two directions at the same time. Hokushin led by Murakami Yoshikiyo and Kakizaki Keie  The Nong Alliance Army had less than 8,000 men. Facing the fierce attack of 22,000 Takeda troops, they were like a small boat in the wind and rain, teetering on the edge.  At the critical moment, Yukitaka Sanada used his strategy again and successfully mobilized many Shinano people in Kozumi County. This time he used more clever methods. He took advantage of the gap in the communication between Echigo and the Shinano people and used the famous name of Murakami Yoshikiyo to deliver the message.  Wrong information led Kakizaki Keijie to mistakenly believe that Kuzuo Castle, where Murakami Yoshikiyo was located, had been raided and hurried out of the city for rescue.  As soon as they left the city, they were blocked by the Takeda Army's pocket formation. The Kakizaki Kei family reacted very quickly. Seeing that the situation was not going well, they personally stayed behind to cover the retreat of the army. With three hundred samurai, they entangled the three thousand Takeda Army and prevented them from making any progress.  Successfully obstructed the Takeda Army's actions, allowing a loophole in the encirclement and giving Murakami Yoshikiyo the chance to come to the rescue in time.  Although the pocket formation was broken by luck, Yukitaka Sanada's all-out tactics still frightened the people of the Northern Shinano country. Not to mention fighting against the powerful Takeda Army, even in defense, they were extremely cautious and did not dare to take any rash steps.  , the 10,000-strong army led by Takeda Harunobu sometimes attacked in large numbers, and sometimes attacked one place violently. Sanada Yukitaka's strength was fully unleashed.  All kinds of erroneous information emerge one after another.  The pressure on the defending side became extremely high.  The deadlock was quickly broken.  The Shinano reserve team sitting in Arasato Castle was surrounded by Takeda Nobushige's 12,000-strong army, which put great pressure on the defenders. Murakami Yoshikiyo was hit by the Takeda Army's ambush again during a rescue operation. He was caught off guard and only wanted to be beaten.  Unable to gain a foothold, Sanada Yukitaka took the opportunity to use the dark room in Kuzuo Castle to trick the city gates into opening, allowing Sanada's army to enter the city and set fire to it wantonly.  There was a large-scale attack by the Takeda Army outside, and chaos broke out inside. As a last resort, Murakami Yoshikiyo could only burn the city in a hurry and retreat, waiting for Murakami Yoshikiyo to join up with the defenders who had broken out of Kuzuo Castle.  Fleeing in the direction of Foxugal Castle where Kakizaki Keike is located, at this time Kakizaki Keike simply abandoned Isezaki Castle and concentrated all the main force in Foxuguck Castle.  That night, the two discussed how to deal with the unexpected Takeda Army. Murakami Yoshikiyo, as the leader of the Northern Shinano people, and Kakizaki Keie, the elder of the Nagao family tree, served as the general of the Northern Shinano Echigo Army. Their decisions represented to a certain extent  The decision of all the people of Northern Shinano.  "The Zhenfu Palace told us to hold on to the walled city and retreat quickly if we can and cannot do so. Let's retreat tomorrow!" Kakizaki Jingjia paused for a moment and then said: "Jingzi Palace and Jingyuan Palace have already notified us.  Presumably they will prepare as soon as possible, and there is not much time left for us. " "Izumi is right, but it is best to leave before dawn. With Takeda Ozen and Sanada Dansheng's strategy, I am afraid they will not let us leave easily.  " Murakami Yoshikiyo was worried that he didn't believe it, and emphasized: "If you and I were the commander-in-chief of the Takeda Army, would you sit back and wait for us to retreat calmly?" Kakizaki Keike woke up and said, "Yes!  The general will definitely besiege Fox City early tomorrow morning. It will be a big profit for me to leave you. If we can trap a few more reinforcements, it will not be easy for the army of the Zhenfu Palace to come to the rescue. " Murakami Yoshikiyo glanced at it!  Several boys from his family and two boys from the Kakizaki Kei family murmured something in a low voice. They didn't listen to the conversation of the two adults at all, so they coughed and said: "Takeda Norimu is besieging Aratori Castle. I wonder if there will be any danger."  ! Once Aratš­ Castle is lost, our retreat will be cut off. " "With Shirakuden in Aratš­ Castle and Usami Suruga's guardian temple there, there should be no problem, but Habayashiden is right, we can't wait.  It would be safer to leave at dawn, and it would be better to leave in the middle of the night. Take a break while the genius is still dark." Kakizaki Kage also noticed that his two sons were deserting, and suddenly shouted: "Genzaburo, Heisaburo! What are you doing?"  " "Ah! No! We didn't do anything!" The Kakizaki brothers were shocked and quickly denied it. The names of the two brothers were very interesting. The elder brother's name was Kakizaki Genzaburo Haruke.  Sixteen years old. The Haru family is only thirteen years old this year. Even though they are young and look like silly boys, in fact, these guys are murderous guys. They participated in the Battle of Kawanakajima with the Kira Legion a few years ago.  , he belongs to the kind of real warrior who has been on the battlefield and killed people.  Murakami Yoshikiyo now only has three sons left. His eldest son, Gentaro Yoshikatsu, died in the Uedahara battle, and Genjiro Yoshitoshi died in the Takeda invasion. The three remaining sons are Genzaburo Yoshiteru,  Genshiro Yoshikuni, and Gengoro, who is only twelve years old and has yet to become a master.    In addition, his brother Murakami Raihei stayed at Kaijin Castle, as well as his two sons Murakami Yoshimitsu, and Murakami Yoshifusa were also young samurai. The two brothers quickly made a marriage contract with a cousin of their uncle Murakami Yoshikiyo's family.  To get closer, the other clans such as the Yashiro clan, the Amamiya clan, the Yokoyama clan, and the Iwama clan declined one after another because they could not understand the form. The Kiyohara clan who was the first to betray Murakami Yoshikiyo was exterminated. This is also the current situation of the Murakami clan.  The main force of the sect.  It was the first day of July, which was the alternation of evil days from the end of the month to the beginning of the month. The Takeda Army, which maintained the ancient marching laws, also avoided marching on this day, just like the military adviser who also divined the auspicious day and time for sending troops, and held a ceremony on the formation of the troops.  Similar to fortune-telling, the alternation of evil days has been tabooed by generals since ancient times. For example, the Ouchi Army led by Tao Qingxian did not believe this and ended up with the tragic end of Itsukushima's defeat. That's why the Takeda Army let go so easily.  Remove Murakami Yoshikiyo and allow him to easily lead his army to withdraw into Huru City.  It happened to be a light rain, and the dark sky was obscured by dark clouds, blocking the only bright light in the sky. It was just after three o'clock that night, and there was no light in Kitsuru Castle. The Takeda army outside the city withdrew to Kuzuo Castle early to rest, and on a wilderness  There was only the chirping of crickets.  The big hand gate of Huxue City opened quietly, the marching troops gathered their banners, and the men and horses quietly left with their mouths tied.  Halfway through, they met Team Yasuda Keimoto who was doing the same thing.  Jijiang Jingzi team.  Not to mention how ridiculous it is to say that thousands of people are marching secretly in the dark moon and high winds. It makes sense for them to be so cautious. The carriages behind them are filled with family members of each family. If they are accidentally forcibly rushed by the Takeda army, the samurai can run away on horseback.  Yes, there are his own family members in the slow carriage.  More and more Shinano people gathered along the way. It was no longer just the more than 7,000 coalition forces of Murakami and Kakizaki, but a refugee team of 12,000 people including their families.  The team soon arrived at the foot of Chikuma Mountain. On the peak of nearly 600 meters high was Aratou Castle. Across the east bank of the Chikuma River was Murakami Yoshikiyo's Kuzuo Castle.  Because Aratori Castle has always been strong, the mountain is steep and difficult to attack, even with only 500 people, it can withstand a large-scale attack by 5,000 people. It has always been an important branch city for Kira Yoshitoshi when he entered the south from Northern Shinano, and Takeda Nobushige's army  Instead of stationing near Huangdi City, they chose to camp at Guanchong Mountain not far away, allowing more than 10,000 people to lean down to the foot of the mountain calmly.  The team walked very slowly, and it took about an hour to get here.  Kakizaki Keike ordered a temporary stop to rest. It was dark and he didn't know the specific time.  Murakami Yoshikiyo cautiously walked to the front of the team and handed Kakizaki Keika a lotus leaf parcel. When he opened it and smelled a tangy fragrance, Kakizaki Keike said happily: "Mountain whale bacon? This is a good thing!"  "I asked my servants to do it before leaving. Eat more food so that you can continue on your way." Murakami Yoshikiyo listened to the gurgling river and sighed: "The silence of this night is so unsettling!" "Habayashi  You are worrying too much!" Kakizaki Kageya smiled calmly, and then said: "I have ordered my close warriors to stock up on firewood and oil, and we will ignite the city wall just before dawn at the fifth watch. We still have about an hour left, or so.  We have to get to Haijin City as soon as possible. "How can they retreat if they burn the city?" Murakami Yoshiki frowned, suddenly thought of a possibility, and said with a slap on his thigh.  Why did you forget to retreat by boat! The Jinfu Temple especially likes to march by boat. Since Omi raised his army, he has used boats to clear the way for almost every battle. The Shinano Doi people like us did not like this method of warfare for a while. "  The Jing family smiled: "Actually, we and other Echigo people are not really used to it. It's just that the Zhenfu Palace has strict orders, so we gradually started to use them." After a while, there was a slight movement on the mountain.  Soon an army came from Qianqu Mountain. Several white flags stood out clearly. Shitara Sadachi, who was wearing red armor, rode up on his horse and said hello: "Sorry! There are more people in the city.  I have been busy since the second watch, and the speed of going down the mountain is a bit slow." Kakizaki Keijia looked at the long queue behind him and said politely: "The Ezhong Shouden arrived just in time. I have just arrived a while ago, and the boat is ready.  Are you ready? " "It was prepared a few days ago. It's hidden in the reeds of the river bend outside Shiozaki Castle. We just need to walk downstream and reach the place when we encounter the river bend."  Zhengtong didn't want to waste time with small talk, so he said straightforwardly: "Everyone, get ready and set off immediately!" In the midsummer season of July, even if the weather is bad, the sun will rise much earlier than in winter. Just after the fourth watch, the sun will rise much earlier.  It was dawning, and some older warriors in the Takeda Army camp were getting up one after another. When they walked outside the camp, they saw several clusters of blazing fireballs in the distance.  "Fire! Where is the fire? Look in that direction: Kitsune Castle, Isesaki Castle, Susuki Castle, Muroga Castle, and Arataki Castle on the other side Could it be that they escaped!" The fire quickly attracted many people  Takeda Iebu??'s attention, and soon exclamations spread throughout the camp.  Takeda Harunobu stood by the door with his clothes on, staring at the gradually extinguishing fireball, and sighed: "Even after all calculations, I missed a step. If they had surrounded the city yesterday, they would not have been able to escape." "Doesn't this mean that my lord?  Did their strength make them feel guilty and retreat? This is the turning point for the great prosperity of our Takeda family!" Kosaka Masanobu also walked to his side with his clothes on, and said with a smile: "In this case, the south of Kawanaka Island will probably not be able to defend.  Now, my lord, you can march to Kawanaka Island with your army!" Looking at the dark clouds on the horizon, a ray of sunlight passed through the thick clouds and shone warmly on his face. Takeda Harunobu patted Kosaka Masanobu on the shoulder: "  Send the order, all troops pull out of camp and march out to Kawanaka Island!" Across the west bank of the Chikuma River, Takeda Nobushige walked back to the camp with a disappointed look. Arasato Castle, Shiozaki Castle, and Yashiro Castle all burned to the ground, and both sides of the Chikuma River were destroyed by Kira.  All the castles in their hands were burned down, and the raging fire swallowed up the food and grass equipment that they had not had time to carry.  Not even a chance was left for the Takeda family.  From a strategic point of view.  This time, part of the set goals have been achieved by successfully driving away the anti-Takeda people of Shinano.  But Takeda Nobushige was still unwilling to give in. The long-planned battle strategy was broken overnight. Takeda Nobushige felt deeply regretful.  "My brother must be very angry too! If we move forward to Kawanaka Island to block the retreat of the Shinano people, the desperate Shinano people will have no choice but to sit on the fortress. By then, we can definitely gain more.   Now we can only wait for a better opportunity. "  After the Takeda family returned victorious from the first battle, the army encircled and suppressed the rebellious people in some areas of Xiaozhen, Nanako, and Saragai counties, once again shaking the Shinano people's belief in resisting the Takeda family.  It only took three days to conquer several cities, forcing a large number of Shinano people to flee north one after another.  A counterattack flooded half of Northern Shinano, causing people in Shinano to panic and the people of Shinano didn't know how to deal with it.  It was not until July 5th that the Kira family's 6,000 troops entered Asahiyama Town to calm people's hearts, and the Takeda Army restrained its forces and gave up its plan to seize the bridgehead on the other side of the Saikawa River. Takeda Harunobu knew that a hasty attack at this time would make a bigger mistake, and the Kira Navy  Its power was demonstrated as early as the last battle on Kawanakajima. Blindly fighting across the river could easily be cut off by the Kira navy.  The Takeda family's main camp is once again located on Chasu Mountain. Perhaps it is to remind the family members to always bear in mind the painful memories of three years ago, or it may be that they should remain unchanged in response to changes, as if the entire situation has been brought back to three years ago.  The situation when that war broke out.  It's just that this time the Takeda family is stronger, and the Kira family is weaker without the support of the Echigo Legion.  It didn¡¯t take long after we set up camp at Chajiu Mountain.  Takeda Harunobu summoned his retainers to discuss military deployment. A large group of civil servants and generals cried out when they saw the map of Kawanaka Island. It seemed that they were really frightened by the difficult Kira family. The situation today is much better than three years ago, but  That's not enough to give them more confidence.  All the ministers looked like they were thinking hard. Baba Nobuharu sighed and decided to tell the truth: "I have endured humiliation and heavy burden for three years, but Echigo has not been idle in the past three years. Last year, we fought together and won a game. I'm afraid  It¡¯s not easy to deal with this time!¡± ¡°Huh? What do you think Mino said?¡± Iito Huchang said with a smile: ¡°My lord has been strategizing for several years to create this great situation, how can he be so frustrated at this moment?  That¡¯s right! I, Tomasa, believe that I will win this battle. Not only will I achieve great success in Echigo, I will also become famous in the world!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Mino is wrong!¡±  Yes! This battle must be won! Mino is still too conservative!" Everyone in the Takeda family agreed. They also knew that Baba Nobuharu was Takeda Harunobu's confidant, and he was the modern family governor Takeda Nobutora.  A strong general, Takeda Nobutora was assigned to Takeda Harunobu's capable subordinates early on. Over the past ten years, he had accomplished a lot of military and martial arts achievements. Even Tomasa Iito would not dare to offend him easily, and the occasional verbal advantage would be enough.  Takeda Yoshinobu couldn't stand his teacher's criticism of Onimino. He had envied the warriors like Nobuharu Baba on the battlefield since he was a child. The young heir to the family governor decided to support Nobuharu Baba: "Mino is right, then Yue  The spy sent by your ministers gathered a lot of information, and they all said that the people of Echigo were rich and the country was strong, and the soldiers and generals were twice as powerful as ours, but for some reason they were not sent out" "Taro! Don't talk about important military and national affairs.  Interrupt, what you have to do is to listen with your ears and see with your eyes." Facing the majestic father, Takeda Yoshinobu said calmly: "Father! I understand." Masaru Komai noticed that his lord's face was not clear.  It was so pleasant, and I knew that it was probably due to being disturbed by a sect, so I smiled kindly at Takeda Yoshinobu: "What the young master said is not bad! Just look at the Echigo division of troops.  How much military strength does it have?, it is reported that at the beginning of this year, Echigo established a military service account with a maximum of 15,000 people, not including the Kira Legion.  " "We have an army of twenty-two thousand!  "Asaritora emphasized. "Then how much military service account does my Takeda family have?  " "This" Everyone in the Takeda clan was silent. The Takeda family's military service account has been expanded several times. Three years ago, there were only more than 8,000 people, including most of the people from Kai and Shinano. Since they lost the Kozhin County clan a few years ago,  The Takeda family has regained balance from Minami-Shinano and Hida. The overall military service level will not exceed 9,000 people. Usually, the number of military services specified in the military service account can only show part or most of the military strength of a daimyo.  For example, the military service of Takeda Harunobu and the military service of his legitimate son Takeda Yoshinobu will not be included. In addition, another part of the military service increased during the war, consisting of ronin, Japanese people, and peasant soldiers temporarily recruited with money and rice.  The military service of retainers and countrymen should not be taken into account. For example, Iito Huchang could afford three hundred military services. In fact, his maximum war mobilization force may be seven to eight hundred people or more. This is actually sacrificing the development of agriculture.  Under the premise of social stability and economic order, the price of mobilizing most of the territory's combat forces to defend their homeland is not a matter of family fate or life and death. No one can cross this red line. Think about it from the Takeda family's perspective.  More than 8,000 soldiers can raise an army of 20,000. The Nagao family's 15,000 soldiers can raise an army of 20,000. The samurai here are all veterans of the battlefield, so they naturally know it well. (To be continued.)  Search Piaotian Literature, the novels will be better and updated faster!
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