On the morning of May 30, Tokiwa Bei embarked on a journey of more than 200 miles. They abandoned all their armor and only carried long spears that could be used as crutches when climbing over mountains and ridges. The archers carried bows and arrows.
Wearing casual clothes and carrying only three days' rations, each person plunged into the Ina Mountains.
It took a lot of effort to convince Asahina Yasutomo and Sena Ujitoshi to accept this crazy plan. Because they both believed that no army could cross this mountainous area and enter the eastern part of Yuanjiang in such a short period of time. However,
, because at this moment, if Asahina and the others do nothing, it will definitely be too late to rush back to Kakegawa Castle. Asahina Taitomo and Sena Ujitoshi had no choice but to agree to Amakihei's action plan.
However, before departure, when everyone inspected Tokiwa Bei's troops, the two of them hoped that Yu Qiuping's Tokiwa Bei would bring enough rations and armor, so that they would not be in a big crisis if they encountered an accident such as getting lost or fighting in the field.
However, Yu Qiuping, who has always been conservative, rejected this safe plan.
"Bringing enough rations and armor means that the auxiliary troops and transportation equipment must follow." Yu Qiuping shook his head and said, "That will slow down Tokiwabei's marching speed. Not even ten days and a half is certain.
I can't get out. If I can't get to Kakegawa Castle in time, then what's the point of my hard detour?"
"It's just three days of rations...without armor..." Sena Ujitoshi hesitated: "It's really too dangerous. Moreover, walking 200 miles in just 3 days is an exaggeration, let alone...a 200-mile mountain road.
"
"Your Highness, I have been following you for two years, and you know me." Yu Qiuping said, turning his head and looking at the ashigaru of Tokiwabei standing neatly beside him, "I have never been a person who wants to
People who want to take risks, the only reason why I dare to do this——" Yu Qiuping's tone suddenly increased: "It's because I have confidence in my subordinates!"
"Are you confident that you can complete this 200-mile mountain road in just three days?" Yu Qiuping shouted loudly.
"Yes!" Tokiwabei's ashigaru responded to the commander's lofty sentiments with a uniform roar. After a moment, they immediately fell silent again, leaving only the maple bird flag flapping in the wind.
"Furthermore, I also have a reason why I absolutely cannot lose." A ruthless look flashed across Yu Qiuping's expression - this was the first time this young man had come to this era, "His Royal Highness the Family Governor died because of me... I will definitely fight for it."
He takes revenge! The traitor must be brought to justice!"
"absolute!"
There were no auxiliary soldiers to drag them down, and there was no burden of armor. Each person only brought a dozen rice balls and a water hyacinth in a small package. Tokiwabi's ashigaru lined up in a neat line, walking on the road with flying strides. In order to boost morale
, Yu Qiupei and all the officers left their horses in the forest together with the cavalry riders. Yu Yu Qiupei took the lead and walked at the front of the team. No one among Tokiwa Bei's ashigaru was willing to slow down, and their morale was high.
.
The journey from Mori to Shitarahara is the smoothest in the entire journey. A journey of more than thirty miles would take an ordinary army more than half a day. However, under the rapid march of the rampant Tokiwabei, only
It was completed in one and a half hours. During this period, Naoe Tadahei also euphemistically said that if he marched so fast, he would probably be exhausted later on, so it was better to maintain his strength and walk slower. However, Yu Qiuping rejected his proposal: "
It’s only three days, not a month.”
"Physical fatigue can be overcome by willpower!" Yu Qiuping said softly but firmly.
After arriving at Shitarahara, Ame Qiupei had no time to visit this famous battlefield, so he continued marching eastward. The road gradually became narrower and more rugged - this was the journey taken by the Takeda family during the historical Battle of Nagashino.
At noon, Yu Qiuping ordered the entire army to rest and eat on the edge of the Toyokawa River flowing through Shitarahara. Everyone stuffed the rice balls into their mouths, drank the water in the gourds, and then filled up the water in the clear Toyokawa River, and then started again
Embark on the journey. However, the mountain road that follows cannot be walked for more than 30 miles in just one and a half hours.
Sure enough, as the troops got closer and closer to Nagashino Castle, the road became more and more rugged and difficult to navigate. The official road, which was still several feet wide, could only allow four or five people to walk parallelly. Yu Qiuping immediately
The queues were changed according to the width of the mountain road. The ashigaru who formed four columns adjusted briefly and then continued to move forward. Fukushima Yasunari's platoon at the front was also responsible for opening the road. There were many bushes on the road.
Weeds, rolling stones, dead branches and broken branches have seriously affected the passage of the road. The Ashigaru used the spears in their hands as tools to clear away the obstacles on the road to ensure the smooth flow of the road.
The mountain road also began to become less smooth. There were countless gravels under the feet, and the road surface was also uneven. One foot was deep and the other was shallow. It was very laborious to walk. The slightly upward angle made the march even more difficult.
Inconvenient. After Yu Qiuping traveled to this era, he had lost weight to about 70 kilograms. With regular exercise, he also gained a lot of muscle. But walking quickly on such a rugged mountain road for an afternoon was still a bit too much for him.
. He has been exposed to the sun for a day, and his footsteps have hardly stopped. Sweat is running down his face all the way down, and he can rub off a handful of mud with just a touch. The clothes on his body have been soaked with sweat, exuding a smell of sweat. His hands are full of sweat.
The calves of my legs were already slightly cramped, and the arches of my feet ached slightly with every step I took - these shoes were far less fit than the sports shoes Yu Qiuping had worn before.
However, when he saw the Red Leaf Soldiers behind him, each of them enduring fatigue and hard work and walking on the road in high spirits, the fatigue on his body seemed to be swept away all of a sudden. He did not want to be there in his loyal and devoted life.
Being embarrassed in front of his subordinates - or in other words, as their coach, he should be the most hard-working. It is this sense of honor, the end of refusing to admit defeat, and the support of his subordinates that spur Yu Qiuping to drive his tired body and continue
forward.
By four o'clock in the afternoon, the entire army had arrived outside Nagashino Castle. After the Nagashino Castle defenders saw the maple bird flag, they immediately sent people out to greet them. The Nagashino Castle defenders had also received the news that Imagawa Yoshimoto had been killed in battle not long ago.
The news caused chaos, and some farmers who came to serve in the military even fled back privately. Due to their remote location, neither the Okabe family nor the Asahina family sent anyone to seek their statements, and they were happy to remain neutral.
position.
Yu Qiuping asked his subordinates to take a short rest in the castle town. After drinking some water, they set off to the northeast. When people are extremely tired, they can still rely on physical activity to persevere. But once they stop and rest for a while,
It would be as if the legs were filled with lead and it would be difficult to move and they would be too tired. However, Yu Qiuping understood that they had only walked about sixty miles so far today - this also included the thirty miles that were easier to walk at the beginning.
It would be absolutely too late to rest today. Driven by a strong will, Tokiwabei's ashigaru set out again. After traveling for more than ten miles, they arrived at a place between Nagashino Castle and Toei.
They stopped at the hillside. It was getting late, and it was too difficult to walk at night in the mountainous area. Yu Qiuping then ordered his subordinates to simply light up a dozen bonfires, and the whole army would take a rest here, and immediately eat dinner.
Sleep to conserve energy.
In order to rush on the road, Tokiwa Bei didn't even bring much food, so naturally he didn't bring the baggage for setting up camp. Everyone found a relatively flat place on the mountain road and slept on the ground. After Yu Qiuping arranged the sentry post, he also leaned on a stone.
Go up and get ready to rest. The pebbles under your body made you feel very uncomfortable, and there were all kinds of mosquitoes buzzing around you. However, Yu Qiuping had no time to care about it. The extreme fatigue of his body drove him very hard.
Almost falling asleep.
In the early morning of June 1, the ashigaru of Tokiwabei got up on time at 4:00 a.m., and immediately continued marching after breakfast. Yu Qiuping was bitten by mosquitoes in the summer forest last night, and he was really itchy at the moment.
It was no good. Although his legs were so sore that it was almost difficult to move, Yu Qiuping still walked tenaciously in the first place again, leading all the ashigaru to continue challenging the mountain road. If it were an ordinary army, they would have already collapsed due to physical exhaustion.
There were endless complaints. Everyone tried their best to sneak around, dawdle, refuse to go on the road, and even mutiny. Even if they reluctantly continued to march, the speed would be extremely slow. As long as there were no warriors watching around, they would want to take a rest. However, in
Under Tokiwa Bitetsu's general discipline, all the ashigaru reflexively executed the order to continue marching. No one dared to stop for a moment before waiting for the order to slow down - this was definitely something that would be done in the past training.
He was punished by doing push-ups.
As the troops gradually penetrated into the Ina Mountains, the road became more and more difficult and dangerous. In order to ensure the marching speed of the troops, Yu Qiuping required all his subordinates to take three steps in one breath. Everyone shouted uniform chants and marched forward in large strides.
After most of the day's struggle, Tokiwabei's Ashugaru passed through Toei and further advanced to Sakuma. This is already the junction of Minami Shinano and Toe River, and it is also the northernmost and highest point of the journey. And this section of the mountain road
, is also the most difficult part of the entire march. The mountain road is winding and winding, climbing in circles around hills and hills, and passing through dense forests and plank roads. The stone steps on the mountain road have been in disrepair for a long time, and many of them have been damaged.
collapsed, and the Ashigaru had to pave their own way. After six moments, the journey up the mountain finally came to an end, and the next march route was basically going downhill. The Ashigaru of Tokiwabei ignored the pain in their toes and continued to gain momentum quickly.
Walking down the mountain, that night, they arrived at a place to rest more than ten miles outside Inuju City. On this day, the ashigaru of Jobanbei walked more than fifty miles in the most difficult mountainous area, and also came from
The northeastern part of Sanhe enters the northern part of Yuanjiang.
In the early morning of June 2nd, Yu Qiuping was also unambiguous. Although his subordinates were exhausted, no one said a word of hardship. Everyone lined up neatly under the order, marched in neat steps, crossed the Inuju City, and continued southward.
March. The defenders of Inui Castle stared dumbfoundedly at the famous Tokiwabi Momiji soldiers, wearing casual clothes without armor, striding out of the endless mountainous area. Especially when they saw that these Ashigaru soldiers did not
After carrying the auxiliary troops and baggage, he was even more surprised. Yu Qiuping didn't pay much attention to it and continued to march southwest, heading towards Futamata Castle, the junction of the Yuanjiang mountainous area and the plain.
The defenders of Futama Castle were not as well-informed as the defenders of Nagashino Castle - they had long received the news that the Asahina clan and the Okabe clan accused each other of being traitors and started fighting. Moreover, since the Okabe family occupied
Yoshida Castle blocked the Asahina family in Mikawa. In a sense, the entire Toe River belonged to the Okabe family.
Yesterday, a messenger came from Hikima Castle, saying that the Okabe family had entered Hikima Castle, and asked the defenders of Futama Castle to immediately send hostages to express their surrender, and to help find the fleeing samurai families of the Okuhira and Sena families.
The whereabouts of the Futama Castle defenders were unwilling to give in so easily, but due to the huge gap in strength, they naturally did not dare to disobey. After all, the Asahina family, the Amaki family and the Sena family were blocked in Yoshida Castle the day before yesterday. They wanted to
It will be five or six days before we arrive at Yinma Castle. Before then, it would be better to listen to the Okabe family honestly - we don't know who the traitor is anyway.
However, Futama Castle guard Nakane Masaru, who had just delivered the hostages to Hinashima Castle this morning, saw clearly at this moment - the Maple Bird Flag and the flag flying proudly to the east of Futama Castle, on the other side of the Tenryu River.
Below, the red leaf soldiers are as dazzling as flames.
Chapter completed!