"Matsuchiyo, what are you doing? We have to evacuate!" Asahina Taichao shouted angrily when he saw his younger brother suddenly riding away from the team.
However, Asahina Taehyung seemed not to hear it and ran towards the city gate without looking back. Although Asahina Taehyung was usually rebellious, this time the feeling made Asahina Taehyung feel a little strange. He gave a few orders
After a retainer asked them to organize the troops, he immediately rode his horse and chased his brother.
Finally, at the gate of Sunfu Castle, Asahina Taicho stopped Asahina Taito, pulled his reins, and whispered in an angry voice: "Matsuchiyo! What are you doing! We need to withdraw to Kakegawa quickly.
Go to the city! If you continue to disobey discipline and mess around like this, what will you do if the Takeda Army comes after you?"
"I won't leave, brother." Asahina Taehyung's attitude this time was unusually tough. Without even a word of excuse, he grabbed the reins from Asahina Taishou and said bluntly: "I want to stay behind."
Junfu!"
"What Sunfu are you guarding? What are you guarding?" Asahina Taitomo was a little annoyed by his brother's ignorance and naivety. He raised his whip and pointed to the east, "The Takeda Army has 20,000 people, and we only have 800 people on hand now.
How to defend Junfu? The right way is to quickly return to Kakegawa Castle and gather the troops in Yuejiang!"
"I don't need my brother, please leave me someone, I will guard Sunfu by myself!" Asahina Yasuogi grabbed the riding whip raised by Asahina Yasuo and pulled it with all his strength, almost throwing Asahina Yasuo off his horse.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Asahina Taichao laughed angrily, and his tone gradually became stern, "That's why you're going to die!"
Asahina Yasuo originally thought that Asahina Yasuhiro would continue to argue with him in a loud voice. However, after Asahina Yasuhiro heard the words "die", he seemed to suddenly calm down, and the anger on his face quietly dissipated.
"I just want to die." Asahina Taehyung casually threw the riding crop he had just taken to the ground, and said these words that were supposed to be angry in an extremely calm and firm tone.
The air seemed to suddenly freeze for a moment, causing the expression on Asahina Taimo's face to change rapidly. He suddenly realized that the younger brother he had raised had been a playful and no-nonsense brother since he was a child. This time he was serious.
.
Is he going to die in the city?
So, he also panicked and asked quickly and uneasily: "Matsuchiyo? What do you mean? Are you going to die for the city? Don't do stupid things, the Imagawa family still needs you! We need your ability to defend Kakegawa
City! Don’t give up on yourself yet…”
"I'm not martyring the city, I'm being martyred." Asahina Yasuhiro interrupted Asahina Yasuhiro impatiently, looked at him with very sad eyes, and asked softly: "Now that the matter is over, do you think the Imagawa family still has something to do with it?"
Hope?"
Asahina Taehyung's words immediately stopped Asahina Taisho from asking. The corners of the latter's mouth twitched twice, and then he hung his head helplessly - this was a question he had been avoiding all along, and he already had the answer in his heart.
However, yesterday's defeat made the answer to the question clearer.
With the fall of Kamahara Castle, the advance route of the Hojo reinforcements has been blocked. The entire Suruga is now undefendable and destined to fall to the Takeda family's army. After Tokugawa Ieyasu received the news of the Imagawa family's defeat yesterday,
They must also send troops to the far reaches of the Yangtze River to pick up the fruits of victory. The Imagawa family is desperate.
"Yes, brother, you actually know it in your heart." Taehyung Asahina looked at Taehyung Asahina, smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Our Imagawa family is in doom this time."
"Then the country can be restored in the future!" Asahina Taitomo suddenly raised his head, and his tone suddenly increased, "What do you mean by giving up your life so casually? Live well, and wait until the master's family has a chance to restore the country.
As a legacy minister, stand up and show your loyalty!"
"On the contrary, I wanted to die in the city just for the sake of my master's family being able to recover one day." Asahina Taehyung smiled, and whispered as if he had taken life and death lightly.
"I don't remember how long ago it was, but my younger brother and I once talked about the restoration of the country. I asked him, there have been so many countries that have perished since ancient times. Why are some restored and some disappeared forever?
"
"He told me that because those families that can restore the country have never disappeared. Its spirit, its beliefs, and its soul have always been passed down to the world and exist in the hearts of every survivor. This will will
Support every remaining minister to fight for the revival of the master’s family.”
"Then brother...if the Imagawa family is destined to perish, what do you think we should leave to the world?" Asahina Taehyung shrugged his shoulders, laughed sadly, turned his horse's head, and looked helplessly at Sunfu Castle Road: "
The family civil war, the exile of Tadayoshi. Rebellion, chaos in Enshu. Okabe Motobu surrendered, Katsurayama Clan surrendered, and Sena Nobuteru also surrendered. These are the generations who have been deeply favored by the Imagawa family! Now the family is about to die.
, but no one died. How should Jiuquan face the ancestors of the Imagawa family? How will the world view our Imagawa family! Kamuhara Castle surrendered without a fight, and Ejiri Port surrendered without a fight. How could the Imagawa family be treated as such?
Sunpu Castle, which has been inhabited for hundreds of years, surrendered without a fight. How should we face the ancestors of the Imagawa family under the Nine Springs? How will the world view our Imagawa family?"
"When the time comes, the family will be destroyed, and all that will remain in the hearts of the surviving ministers and the world will be to surrender cowardly, fight among themselves, and run away without a fight! The world will look down on the Imagawa family, and the Imagawa family will become a laughing stock, and the surviving ministers will regard themselves as
It is the retainers of the Imagawa family who are ashamed! How can such a family recover? Without the will to support it, how can it survive these troubled times?"
Asahina Taichao listened blankly to his brother's talk... This was the first time in so many years that his brother made him feel strange and mature.
"So brother, I want to stay and guard Sunfu, even if I am the only one." Asahina Yasuhiro said as he clamped the horse's belly, rode the horse to Asahina Yasuhiro's side, and took Asahina's family from his waist.
Niikiri brought over the samurai sword that had been passed down from generation to generation. Asahina Taichao was stunned for a moment and did not object.
"I am a samurai of the Asahina family of the Imagawa family tree. Even if I am alone, I will defend the city and never abandon the city and run away!" Asahina Taihei put the nikiri on his waist and said in a sonorous and powerful voice:
"What future generations will remember from now on is that even if there is only one samurai of the Imagawa family, they are willing to fight to the death for their home city! My will will be passed on to future generations, to all the remaining members of the Imagawa family, to support them in fighting for the restoration of the country.
!”
Asahina Taichao looked at his younger brother's firm eyes, was silent for a long time, and then suddenly said:
"It's up to me to stay and die. You accompany my lord to Kakegawa Castle. If Kakegawa Castle can't be defended anymore, find a way to escape to Hojo's house." He said while trying to cut Ningikawa from his younger brother's waist.
To come back, "You are right, the Imagawa family will die, and the Asahina family will definitely not die without one person! But you are still young, and this responsibility should be borne by me as the head of the family."
"No, big brother." Asahina Taehyung turned around, moved the horse to the side, and missed Asahina Taehyung's hand. "Ever since you were little, brother, I have caused you a lot of trouble. Every time there is any trouble, I will push it away.
Here you go, do the easy thing yourself."
"Now, it is so simple to die for the city, but it is so difficult to protect the lord and protect the blood of the Imagawa family all the way into exile and survive until the time of restoration of the country."
"Please allow my brother to be willful again!" Asahina Taehyung bowed his hands respectfully to Asahina Taichao, and finally took a deep look at his brother. Then he pinched the horse's belly, turned around and rode away straight.
Rushed into the west gate of Junfu.
"Let me die, brother, go and take the most difficult road."
·
At 5:00 noon on April 27, when the pursuers of the Takeda family arrived at the east of Sunpu Castle, they found that the east gate of Sunpu Castle was wide open and there were no soldiers guarding the city.
However, the two banners of the Imagawa family stood at the top of the city, flapping in the wind.
In front of the city gate, stood a young samurai who was not wearing armor, but was wearing a samurai uniform. The Asahina family crest was clearly painted on the clothes. He stood alone in front of the city, standing in front of the Takeda family's army,
Seems so small, yet so powerful.
"What does this mean?" Kosaka Masanobu, the pioneer, frowned slightly when he saw this. Before he could send someone to ask, the samurai standing in front of the door had already shouted the answer.
"I am the Asahina Taehiro of the Imagawa family tree!" Asahina Taehiro faced the mighty army of the Takeda family, opened his arms, and roared with great heroism: "Kafi boy! Does anyone dare to come and fight with me?
Life and death! If you win, you will be let into Junfu City! If you lose, you will not be able to pass through here!"
"Empty city? Ikki beg?" Kosaka Masanobu had never seen such a situation before. He was quite surprised and took off the mask on his face, revealing his delicate face. In the army, he always used a mask to cover up his feminine look.
Face, in case the prestige is insufficient.
"Your Highness, please give me instructions." A retainer beside him asked respectfully, "How should we act?"
"Ignore him, send out the reconnaissance cavalry to see if the other city gates are open, and also investigate the situation inside the city to see if there are any ambushes." Kosaka Masanobu pursed his lips and ordered calmly.
Soon after, the reconnaissance cavalry ran back from the direction of each city gate, bringing the same information: all four gates were open, and there was no sign of any military activity.
"It seems like it's just the bravery of an ordinary man." Kosaka Masanobu smiled slightly, slowly put on his mask, and ordered: "Send the order to the entire army to advance, and any resisters will be killed without mercy."
"Hey, hey, Gensuke, what do you mean?" Just when Kosaka Masanobu's troops were about to dispatch, Naito Masatoyo, the commander of the second team, rode his horse to the front of the formation and waved his hand to stop Kosaka Masanobu's actions.
"Your Highness Masayo, what advice do you have?" Although the status of the two parties was almost the same, Kosaka Masanobu still politely saluted Naito Masayo, who was more senior than him.
"Didn't Asahina Taehiro ask for a ride? Why did you attack with your entire army?" Masayo Naito asked in surprise.
"His Royal Highness, the master, asked us to capture Sunfu Castle as soon as possible without wasting time." Kosaka Masanobu repeated Takeda Shingen's order meticulously, "How can we delay the order for the sake of Ikki?"
"But he has already issued a challenge, how can he refuse to challenge!" Naito Masayo seemed to be a little dissatisfied with Kosaka Masanobu's behavior, and said with a slightly raised tone.
"Your Highness Masatoyo, I believe that battles that can be avoided should be avoided. There is no need to fight an unprepared battle." Masanobu Kosaka, who has always had a reputation as a general who avoids bullets and avoids battles, said this.
"But if we, the noble men of the Takeda family, do not dare to accept the one-horse challenge launched by the other party alone, we will inevitably become the laughing stock of the Takeda family!" Naito Masayo shook his head resolutely and waved to his attendants.
The attendant nodded understandingly, and then ordered a strong general in the army to also take off his armor, take a saber, and walk towards Hina Taehyung not far away.
"Your Highness Masatoyo! If we miss the opportunity to fight, how can we explain it to the lord?" Kosaka Masanobu was a little anxious when he saw this and asked dissatisfiedly.
"Don't worry, Hara Saburo is a strong man in our army, and it will be solved soon." Naito Masaru smiled nonchalantly, "It won't take long."