Chapter 1680 The only chance to turn defeat into victory
The sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it’s almost dusk.
As the sun set over the western mountains, the land fell into darkness and loneliness. The defeated Hojo army retreated all the way westward and finally gained a firm foothold at Koiwa.
After confirming that Satomi Yoshihiro had no intention of crossing the river to pursue him, Daidaiji Morimasa had already set up his own formation here to prepare for strict military discipline.
The young faction headed by Hojo Yasunari and Hojo Yasuzune led the troops out of the battle without authorization and incited the Edo people to follow, causing the Hojo family to suffer an undue defeat.
Not to mention the amount of damage in the battle, this incident had a very serious impact on the morale of the army. The young Hojo faction must be severely punished for their defeat.
Under the darkness of night, piles of bonfires illuminated the formation brightly. Daoji Shengchang sat on the horse and looked coldly at the dozen Ji warriors who sat down on the ground to receive their punishment.
The leaders, Hojo Yasunari and Hojo Yasuka, were dressed in white with their belts half loose. They seemed to have accepted the fate of committing seppuku and wanted to use their own blood to wash away the shame so as not to drag down their families.
At this moment, the rapid sound of horse hooves came from outside, and someone shouted that the saint was coming in person, causing the formation to panic.
Daodaosi Shengchang stood up from his horse, looking confused.
When she was defeated, she immediately sent envoys to report the military situation to the Saint, so as not to cause miscalculation by the friendly forces.
But she never imagined that the saint would risk crossing the river himself and come to the east bank of the Edogawa River to take a look at the defeated soldiers of the Hojo family.
Just when Daidaiji Temple was hesitating, Yoshigan had already strode into the formation, and the leader was Banma Palace, the envoy sent by the Hojo family.
I saw Yoshigage dressed in white clothes with a haori hanging on the outside. He was 1.83 meters tall. He was as tall and majestic as a giant among the short Japanese girls.
Behind him, followed by Naomasa Ii, Kanade Tachibana and other five people, they rode fast horses to find traces and arrived here in just a few hours.
Seeing that the saint was really coming in person, Daidaiji Temple Shengmao hurriedly stepped forward to greet him. All the warriors sitting there fell to the ground and kowtowed, including Hojo Yasunari and Hojo Yasuzune, who were about to commit seppuku.
"Saint safe!"
Yiyin waved his hands and said.
"I heard that the Hojo family is having a military discussion, do you mind if I sit in on it?"
Daodaoji Shengchang bowed and said.
"The saint is here, how dare the foreign ministers overstep their authority and ask you to preside over the military council."
Yoshigan walked up to Mazar without sitting down. He turned around and looked at Hojo Yasunari, who was kneeling at his feet, and asked.
"You disobey the general's orders and underestimate the enemy and advance rashly. What are you thinking in your mind?
Sun Tzu said that soldiers are the major affairs of the country, the place of life and death, and the way of survival.
You are so frivolous and dissolute, are you worthy of the family fortune that your ancestors built with great difficulty?"
The two girls were blushing with shame after being scolded by Yiyin. Thinking that their mother was hacked to death by Yiyin in the battle, but she had to bow her head and confess her crime, they felt even more mixed with emotions, ashamed and angry.
Hojo Yasunari's hard air path.
"The foreign minister's crime is unforgivable, and I beg you to commit seppuku!"
Hojo Yasuzhong shouted, not wanting to be left behind.
"The foreign minister also begs to commit seppuku and apologize!"
Yiyin looked at the two of them and said in surprise.
"Seppuku? Who wants you to commit seppuku?
I made an agreement with Mr. Daidoji to wait for the rebels to gather, fight together, and defeat the enemy together.
But what about you? For your own selfish desires, you sent out troops without authorization, and your plan to harm the coalition failed. Many soldiers died in vain at the ferry!
Huang Bei and Chi Bei are the elites of Hojo. How many sisters, mothers and daughters died on the river bank, and their bodies fell on the river bank and were picked up and humiliated by the enemy. As a family governor, are you worthy of the loyal tribesmen!"
Daidoji Shengchang looked at Yiyin nervously. As old as Shen, she was at best prepared to have the leading dozen Ji warriors commit seppuku to suppress the arrogance of the young men.
But according to the saint's wishes, they were not allowed to commit seppuku? This would cause a big mess!
The Wu family's seppuku is not a humiliation and suppression, but an honorary apology. One person resists everything, and the family and family business are less involved. This is a traditional rule.
Daidaiji Shengshang ordered the leader of the Young Zhuang sect to commit seppuku, which might make the Young Zhuang sect collapse, but it would not cause any trouble in the future.
But the saint did not allow them to commit seppuku, which would be the greatest humiliation to the Hojo Young Sect, and the conflicts within the Hojo family would intensify.
Before Daidaiji Morimasa could intervene to plead, Hojo Yasunari was already shouting.
"Sage, why don't you even give me a chance to commit seppuku? Are you going to force me to destroy the Hojo line?"
She knelt on the ground and looked up at Yoshigan, with her back straight and an angry look on her face. Hojo Yasuzhong and others kneeling behind her were also staring at Yoshigan, and they were about to lose control of their emotions.
Naomasa Ii quickly stood in front of Yoshiyin and cursed.
"Are you going to rebel? How dare you look directly at the saint and speak out against him!"
Ii Naomasa was very nervous. This time Yiyin came across the river. In order to save time, he only took five people with him.
Before setting off, the governor of Kamao clan urged Ii Naomasa to protect the saint. Countless Hojo ministers and generals were hacked to death by the saint, and the descendants of these people have all grown up.
The saint entered the Hojo main formation alone, who knows what the descendants of these people will do.
But Yoshigine pushed away Ii Naomasa who was blocking him, stood in front of Hojo Yasunari, and looked down at her.
"Apologies are only after admitting defeat. Why did you give up until the last moment?
Your mother, Lady Hojo Tsunari, led the troops to block my cavalry in order to cover the retreat of Her Majesty Hojo Umasa in the chaos.
Warrior Ji with stainless steel plate armor, riding an armored southern horse, charges on the great plains with such power that you can't even imagine!
But your mother was able to bravely face such a steel giant in a desperate situation, and died on the battlefield, wrapped in horse leather. She is truly a model for the Wu family!
Hojo Yasunari, Hojo Yasunaka, and the people behind you, you are the outstanding girls of the Hojo family and the future of the Hojo family!
Why are you so stupid? Why do you do such stupid things? Why don’t you make amends after you are stupid? You just want to die!
Are cowards like you worthy of your brave and fearless mother? You tiger bitches! A bunch of trash!"
Hojo Yasunari and others' eyes were red from the stimulation, and they let out low roars like injured beasts. Hojo Yasunari yelled.
"Ahhh! We have already lost! We are willing to commit seppuku! Why are you still humiliating us like this!"
Yiyin's voice was louder than hers.
"Who told you that you have already lost!
Your battle is not over yet! It is you who have no intention of fighting anymore and are rushing to die, trying to escape your responsibility by committing seppuku!
Stand up! Cowards! You should not kneel down to plead guilty and let others slaughter you! You must continue to fight and you must overcome the difficulties!"
Hojo Yasunari and others seemed to have grasped the last straw, their eyes ignited with blazing fire.
"Do we... still have a chance?"
Yiyin said coldly.
"I have been fighting for eight years and never give up easily. As long as I have one breath left, no one can defeat me.
We were once rivals, and I had killed many Hojo retainers, but today, we are comrades in arms!
I will personally lead you to charge into battle and take back all the glory you have lost!
What about you? Are you willing to let go of your past obsessions and fight side by side with me?"
Hojo Yasunari looked back at the girls behind him, and their eyes were exactly the same as his own.
"Sage above, life and death in battle are determined by fate. It is fate for Ji Ji to die on the battlefield.
Our mother died a worthy death, and we have no complaints. I only want to ask the saint a question.
Can you trust us?"
Yiyin laughed, looked at Daodao Temple Shengchang, and asked.
"Is the Hojo Army willing to accept my command?"
Daodaoji Shengchang understood now and bowed without hesitation.
"Respect the holy order and dare not violate it!"
Yiyin nodded.
"Okay! Get the map!"
Tachibana Kanou unloaded a roll of maps from his back and laid it out in front of Hojo Yasunari and others. Yoshigan pointed at the map and said.
"This is our position, Koiwa. This is the Yagiri Ferry where you retreated before. The east bank here is Nagasaku and the west bank is Takasago.
After defeating you, Satomi Yoshihiro has turned to Kokufudai south of Kokufudai City to rest and recuperate, and has left enough vigilant troops on the front line of Nagasaku.
The troops placed on the front line by Satomi Yoshihiro at Nagasaku were very alert, but most of the troops who had returned to Kokufudai to rest and recuperate were relaxing and celebrating.
According to reports, the enemy troops in the Guofutai area have distributed drinks and food, singing and dancing."
Hojo Yasunari and others gnashed their teeth and breathed heavily. The enemy's joy was based on their pain, and the enemy's songs and dances trampled on the bones of their sisters who died in battle.
Seeing how angry they were, Yiyin knew that the military spirit could be used, and he went on to say.
"Takasago Village on the west bank is a stronghold where the rebels gathered downstream of the Tone River, and Yotsuki Village behind it is the rebel military station.
I have ordered the rebels on the front line of Takasago and Shiki to bluff and pretend to be actively preparing to cross the river to attract the attention of the enemy.
Satomi Yoshihiro's base camp was celebrating, and some attention was also drawn to the Nagasaku line to guard against the possibility of Yagiri's second crossing of the river.
And this is our opportunity.”
Yoshigan drew a circle around Takasago and Nagasaku in the north, then pointed his finger at the small rock where he was now, and drew a line to the south.
"We set off immediately and crossed the river from Shinozaki in the south. After crossing the river, we walked north and arrived at Kokufudai before dawn.
At dawn, when the enemy army is most exhausted after celebrating, we see Yoshihiro's main formation during a surprise attack!"
Daodaoji Shengchang's eyes widened.
"Crossing the river twice tonight? Fight again at dawn? Isn't it too risky?"
Yiyin shook his head and said.
"This is the only way to turn defeat into victory. There are three reasons why I want to send troops immediately.
First, the enemy had just fought for a day, and they were tired and celebrating at dawn. They were most tired at dawn, which was conducive to a surprise attack.
Secondly, the Boso coalition is loose internally, with the Satomi family at its core. Once Yoshihiro Satomi is defeated, the rest will be leaderless and are likely to retreat in chaos.
Thirdly, in today’s defeat, the Chiba family in Taicheng, the national capital, went out of the city to help, and the losses are unclear. We must reverse the situation before the Chiba family wavers, lest Kaicheng, the capital of Taicheng, surrenders."
Daidaiji Shengmao nodded repeatedly when he heard this, and Yoshigan's eyes turned to Hojo Yasunari and others.
"I know you are very tired now, very, very tired, but if you want to wash away the shame, then come with me.
Let’s go find Satomi Yoshihiro, who is so carried away, and tell her who has the final say in this Edogawa area!”
Hojo Yasunari and others' anger and blood surged, and they all fell to the ground and kowtowed.
"We are willing to follow the saint into battle! Wrapped in horse leather! We will not turn around until we die!"
