"Master Mizuno," Yu Qiuping made up his mind and found Mizuno Tadashige, who was frowning over a bowl of rice. "Please come back. We are deeply grateful for the loyalty of everyone in the Mizuno family."
"So! Your Highness is going to join the army now? The entire Mizuno family respectfully welcomes your two Highnesses!" Mizuno Tadashige kowtowed excitedly.
"No, I'm very sorry, Mr. Mizuno." Yu Qiuping smiled and shook his head.
"Your Highness, what do you mean by this?" Mizuno Tadashige was stunned for a moment, "But I still can't trust the Mizuno family!"
"No, no, how could that happen?" Yu Qiuping smiled and waved his hand, pointing to the army who were still eating, "We will march after our army has finished eating their lunch boxes."
"This..." Mizuno Tadashige was speechless for a moment by this excuse.
"Okay, Mizuno-sama, please come back." Yu Qiuping said as he motioned to the two guards beside him to see off the guest. The two guards picked up Mizuno Tadashige, who didn't know how to respond, and dragged him outside. Yu Qiuping was there
This statement after discussing with Asahina Taito clearly showed his distrust of the Mizuno family. This is a fatal threat to a small wealthy family with only more than a hundred ashigaru. Once Asahina's army attacks Kariya
The castle and the Mizuno family would be wiped out immediately. Thinking of this, Mizuno Tadashige, who had been anxious just now, was even more sweaty now.
"Your Highness... Your Highness!" Mizuno Tadashige stuttered and wanted to fight for it again: "Your Highness, the Mizuno family is really devoted to the Asahina family... The Mizuno family immediately sent Okabe's rebellious trend! Your Highness!
"
"Okay, okay, I understand," Yu Qiuping waved with a wry smile, "Send off the guests." After receiving the order, the two guards pulled the ashen-faced Tadashige Mizuno and walked out.
"Your Highness." At this moment, Amano Keide, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke. He took a step forward, stopped the actions of the two guards, and at the same time cast his eyes on Yu Qiuping.
"Jingde?" Yu Qiuping was stunned for a moment, "What's the matter?"
"Your Highness," Amano Keide cupped his hands and whispered, "Mizuno-sama's lunch has not been finished yet." He glanced at the untouched bowl of rice sitting aside, and then turned his attention to Mizuno.
Tadashige, "Mizuno-sama, please finish your meal before leaving."
Yu Qiuping and Amano Keitoku have known each other for so long, how could they not know what he meant? Amano Keitoku seems to be planning to take the Mizuno family's relatives as hostages to restrict the Mizuno family to a certain extent.
"This..." Yu Qiuping still hesitated whether this was a bad thing, but he was defeated when he looked at Amano Keide. He understood that although Amano Keide's actions were against morality, they were indeed harmful to the troops.
Responsible for your safety.
"I understand." Yu Qiuping sighed, "Come here, give Mr. Mizuno another ten bowls of rice and entertain him well. When Mr. Mizuno finishes eating, send him back."
After deciding to stand still, Asahina Taitomo and Ame Qiupei did not take any further large-scale operations. They just sent detective horses to conduct investigations in the direction of Kariya Castle. The Okabe family's troops moved further south, and almost a team of more than 10,000 people had left the south of Kariya Castle.
Alighted - that is to say, there may not be an ambush in Kariya Castle? However, the cavalry of the Okabe family who stayed on the edge of Kariya Castle actively moved around to prevent the Asahina family's exploration horses from approaching. The Okabe family
This behavior of the cavalry made Yu Qiuping even more suspicious - if he wanted to retreat, why should he cover Qiagu City? Wouldn't it be better to just cover his troops retreating south?
Before six o'clock, the sun had turned to the west, and the smoke and dust raised by the Okabe family's brigade had gradually faded away, almost disappearing from the field of vision. However, the Okabe family's reconnaissance cavalry was still active around Kariya Castle - what exactly was going on?
What is the purpose? Yu Qiuping even considered whether he could send troops to cut off the retreat of these cavalry, and then send soldiers to attack and surround and kill these cavalry in one fell swoop. If all the more than a hundred cavalry can be handed over here,
The Okabe family and other wealthy families may be in serious trouble.
However, before Yu Qiuping could formulate a reasonable plan, a messenger came in to inform him.
"What? His Highness Sena came here in person?" Yu Qiuping asked in surprise.
"Exactly, we are waiting outside the camp now." the messenger reported back.
"I'm going to invite His Highness to come in." Yu Qiuping stood up in a hurry and ran towards the camp gate. The rules of the Tokiwabei system are extremely strict. Anyone who is an Iwabei Shigaru is not allowed to enter the camp without permission. Let alone the Sena clan.
Jun, even the governor of the Imagawa family is the same - when they were training in Junfu before, Imagawa Yoshimoto was really blocked from outside. At that time, Fukushima Yasunari and several other officers who insisted on enforcing discipline were still a little uneasy, but
However, Imagawa Yoshimoto greatly praised these samurai who had fulfilled their duties in front of Yu Qiupei. From then on, Tokiwa Bei's requirements for discipline became more and more strict.
As soon as Yu Qiuping ran to the gate of the camp, and before he even said his greetings, Sena Ujitoshi whispered anxiously: "Hongye, you and His Highness Asahina may have made a mistake in judgment!"
"Eh?" Yu Qiuping was surprised, "Why do you think so, Your Highness?"
"I have listened to the information brought by your envoy." Sena Shitoshi said with a solemn expression, "Do you suspect that the Mizuno family's sudden request to surrender is a ploy by the Okabe family to lure the enemy?"
"That's right." Yu Qiuping said, "After all, this is so abnormal! If the Okabe family really wants to keep someone as a queen, they will definitely keep their trusted followers! Leave the task of the queen to this person.
The Mizuno family of Kariya Castle will definitely surrender to us to protect their territory! If the Okabe family really wants to end the empire, they must take the Mizuno family away and leave their own troops directly under their control to cover the retreat of the army!"
"Momiji, don't look at the problem only from the military perspective." Sena Ujitoshi said in a low voice, "You and His Highness Asahina are too young and not experienced enough. I think the Okabe family is really going to retreat."
"Your Highness..." Yu Qiuping looked at Sena Shitoshi doubtfully.
"We must be clear that the Okabe family is different from our Asahina family. Many of the people on his side are foreign wealthy families." Ujitoshi Sena stared into Uakiuhei's eyes, "He has to consider
It’s all about the feelings and interests of the wealthy family! It’s not all about the military situation.”
"All the wealthy families are watching with wide eyes how the Okabe family treats the Mizuno family. After all, today the Mizuno family is facing the allied forces being forced to evacuate their territory. It might be their turn another day."
Jun analyzed, "Indeed, from a purely military perspective, the Okabe family should indeed take away the Mizuno family when they retreat, leaving behind their cronies. However, that means that the Mizuno family will be forced to lose their territory -
- Kariya Castle will definitely be captured and plundered by the Asahina family. And if the Okabe family really makes such a choice, the foreign wealthy families under them will definitely be in an uproar. They will definitely be worried that their territory will also be abandoned by the coalition forces, and they will definitely collectively
Resist this decision and even come to our side."
"Therefore, Okabe Motonobu followed the trend and left the Mizuno family behind the Kariya Castle. He did not force the Mizuno family to give up their territory so that other foreign wealthy families could feel at ease." Sena Ujitoshi explained, "At the same time, his fictitious behavior
Minoru's actions will also make Momiji you and His Highness Asahina suspicious. Because they are worried that the Okabe family will not give up Kariya Castle so easily, and there is a high possibility of an ambush, they dare not pursue them to buy him time to retreat."
Yu Qiuping froze on the spot, staring dumbfoundedly towards the direction in which the Okabe family was evacuating.
"What a trick to hide the truth." Yu Qiuping's Adam's apple squirmed violently, and he sat down on the wooden stake next to him. He weakly took off his helmet and buried his fingers deeply in his hair.
"It's all my fault..." Yu Qiuping said with some confusion, "His Royal Highness Asahina has long thought that we should pursue him. It was me who was too conservative and was afraid of ambush, so I asked everyone not to pursue him."
"Momiji doesn't have to blame himself so much. It's better to be careful." Sena Ujitoshi said with relief, "In any case, please immediately reorganize the troops and stationed in Kariya Castle. Before setting off, I had already made an agreement with His Highness Sekiguchi.
Then he sent troops to cut down the valley city."
"I'm afraid... it won't be that easy." Yu Qiuping sighed regretfully and pointed to the surrounding deployment, "In order to hinder the Okabe family's possible attack, I couldn't help but destroy the nearby official roads and build a strict defense system.
, all the troops have spread out to defend..." Yu Qiuping blinked hard, "If you want to gather together and move towards Kariya City... it may take a long time."
As expected, his previous tortoise shell-like defenses seriously hindered the movement and assembly of the troops. As Asahina Taitomo and Ame Qiupei finally gathered their troops and prepared to advance towards Kariya Castle, the Sekiguchi clan
Hirokazu Sena Ujitoshi's troops had already arrived outside Kariya Castle. However, because he was worried about an ambush in the city, Sena Ujitoshi himself did not dare to say that his judgment was a foolproof strategy. Therefore, the troops on the eastern front had been waiting for the west.
The troops of the front line. The news of the southward retreat of the Okabe family was also passed to Okazaki Castle and Anxiang Castle. After the troops of the Asahina family left, the Matsudaira family also began to strengthen the defenses of Okazaki Castle and Anxiang Castle.
To prevent the Okabe family from attacking from the south.
Finally, before the sun was about to sink below the horizon, the troops from the Western Front and the Eastern Front returned to their divisions under Kariya Castle, and Naoe Tadayei from Chiri Castle also arrived belatedly. Just before the troops from the two families attacked, Okabe, who had been active under Kariya Castle,
All the house cavalry also retreated - it was indeed a suspicion formation. Ame Qiupei released Mizuno Tadashige, who had been locked in the camp for lunch all afternoon, and asked him to report on his behalf that the Asahina family announced that they would not blame the Mizuno family.
After receiving the guarantee, Mizuno Nobumoto, who had been frightened by the sudden tension in the surrounding situation, immediately opened the gate and welcomed the Asahina family's troops into the city. However, because it was getting late, Asahina Taitomo had no choice but to command his troops to camp inside and outside Kariya Castle to pursue the Okabe family.
The matter can only be postponed until tomorrow.
At this time, the Okabe family had retreated far away from the sight of the Asahina family.