$ Chapter 368 27. I Am Lieutenant General Ashikaga Zuo
"Your Highness! Your Highness! The reinforcements of the Ministry of War are already a hundred steps ahead!" A Fenggong who was observing the enemy on the roof happily entered the hall to report.
"The Ministry of War broke through the enemy's blockade?" Ashikaga Yoshiteru, who heard such good news, hurriedly got up and prepared to climb onto the roof to see clearly.
"Yes, the Ministry of War demolished the houses along the way, forced the passage open, and got rid of the enemy's blockade." Fenggong immediately followed the excited Ashikaga Yoshiteru.
"Yulin, where is the Ministry of War?" Yamauchi Yoshikatsu climbed onto the roof a moment earlier, and his eldest brother-in-law Hosokawa Fujitaka was rushing to the rescue.
"Brother, it's less than a hundred steps away from the Imperial Palace!" The brothers didn't care where the townspeople whose homes were demolished would live in the future. As long as Hosokawa Fujitaka and more than a thousand people arrived at the Imperial Palace, they would be safe.
...
"What? Hosokawa's Ministry of War broke through the street and couldn't predict the direction to block it?" Miyoshi Nagayoshi hit the horse stick hard, his eyes were red with anxiety.
"How can we not stop the army of the chief tax collector and the army of the Hosokawa army when their forces are so strong?" Matsunaga Nagamichi couldn't figure it out.
"It seems that there are many fires in the army of the Hosokawa army, and houses are being demolished everywhere. There are noises everywhere, and it is impossible to determine which is the actual marching route." The envoy sent by Iwanari Tomomichi said it clearly.
Matsunaga Nagamichi and Miyoshi Nagayoshi paced back and forth. Although they had 5,000 people, they were all in the open. If they took another thousand people to stop the army of the Hosokawa army, they might be rushed out by the 200 elite servants in the imperial palace.
No matter where Ashikaga Yoshiteru hid, their goal could not be achieved. Kyoto is so big, with a population of hundreds of thousands, and it is like looking for a needle in a haystack to find someone who deliberately hides.
"No! We must stop the army of the Hosokawa army from joining the tree, otherwise all our efforts tonight will be in vain." Miyoshi Nagayoshi made up his mind.
"Arson?" Matsunaga Nagamichi was a little unsure. After all, smart people think a lot. Arson in Kyoto has too bad a political impact, which is not much worse than forcing the general to go into exile.
"It's too late to worry about it now!" Miyoshi Nagayoshi made up his mind immediately.
"Shimotsuke (Miyoshi Masayasu called himself Shimotsuke), take some people, join the chief tax, and set fire to the houses along the main road (from Ichi-jo to Kyu-jo in Ryokyo) to prevent the Hosokawa army from approaching."
"Won't the fire burn into the palace?" Although Miyoshi Masayasu was not good at wisdom, he still had some common sense. Fire was something that people could not control at all, and it might burn the palace.
"Don't worry, look at the stone wall of the palace. If you burn a few houses casually, you won't touch the palace."
The three people looked at the more than two-meter-high stone wall that Ashikaga Yoshiteru had carefully built. While secretly cursing Ashikaga Yoshiteru for being too face-saving, they also felt that his fireproof performance must be good.
Miyoshi Masayasu had a strong execution ability. He did what he said. He collected some kerosene and gunpowder and immediately started burning houses around the palace.
The two armies, which were originally fighting only around the streets and the Imperial Palace, inevitably spread the flames of war to civilians. Before demolishing the houses, Hosokawa Fujitaka at least drove out the owners, and Miyoshi Masayasu was even more ruthless, not notifying the people to evacuate.
As expected, the soldiers who participated in the arson immediately began to act recklessly. Robbery, arson, murder, rape, humiliation, and beatings, in an instant, the nearby streets turned into a hell of Shura.
Hosokawa Fujitaka saw the fire and jumped in a hurry. Just a little bit! Just a little bit!
Ashikaga Yoshiteru and Yamauchi Yoshikatsu in the Imperial Palace couldn't believe that the Miyoshi bandits actually set fire to Luojing.
This is the center of the country! The capital of the country!
Luoyang, where the official emperor is!
Yamauchi Yoshikatsu watched the outside of the Imperial Palace turned into a purgatory on earth, and was worried that the reinforcements were blocked and surrounded by fire and bandits. The situation fell into a worse situation, and Ashikaga Yoshiteru was stunned.
"If the fire starts and my brother's reinforcements don't arrive, the enemy soldiers will probably attack. Your Highness, please go into the palace."
Yamanouchi Yoshikatsu's urgency was evident, but Ashikaga Yoshiteru didn't react at all. He was stunned at first, and soon, he began to shake. Yamanouchi Yoshikatsu saw that Ashikaga Yoshiteru was so abnormal, so he immediately supported him.
Before he said "Your Highness", tears rolled down Ashikaga Yoshiteru's eyes.
"Our ancestors cut through thorns and exposed themselves to frost and dew, and established Luoyang for no less than two hundred years.
Douji-in-den was given the name of Takauji by the Emperor Go-Daigo (Emperor Go-Daigo's taboo name was Takauji), and founded the shogunate.
Luyuan-in-den cleaned up the world, unified the north and the south, and dominated the world, and all the heroes bowed to him.
To this day, the unworthy descendants have lost their power and reputation day by day, and the traitors have repeatedly invaded the shogunate, and only one in ten loyal ministers remains.
The three good villains, disregarding human ethics, set fire to Luoyang, how can they face their ancestors!"
At this moment, Ashikaga Yoshiteru's body seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and Yamauchi Yoshikatsu could not support him, and he sat on the roof without any manners. The fire burned more fiercely, and Ashikaga Yoshiteru's tears flowed like rain.
The Shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, who was praised by the world for his strength, determination, broad-mindedness, and the appearance of a ruler, actually burst into tears. His cry was mournful and low, and it made Yamauchi Yoshikatsu and his people feel angry.
"This Luoyang! The 200 years of glory of the shogunate were burned down by this fire! I have no face to see my deceased ancestors!"
Ashikaga Yoshiteru looked at the increasingly fierce fire and turned back to leave the palace.
"Yulin, I'll leave the Teruwamaru to you! There is a water gate under the north water pavilion, and you can swim across."
After saying this, Ashikaga Yoshiteru brought the twelve-year-old Ashikaga Teruwamaru to Yamanouchi Yoshikatsu, and asked Teruwamaru to call Yamanouchi Yoshikatsu his uncle and kneel down to pay respect.
Yamanouchi Yoshikatsu refused Teruwamaru's greeting, and hurriedly advised Ashikaga Yoshiteru.
Hearing the Miyoshi army outside launching a strong attack without any care, shouting and killing, the sound of iron cannons, arrows flying, and swords and guns clashing.
"Your Highness, things have come to this point. I will lead people to attack the bandits and will definitely open a way for your Highness to survive."
"No need. As a general, I have no face to face the world after seeing Luoyang burned down and my grandfather's temple (Ashikaga's Bodhi Temple Xiangguo Temple is in Kyoto) is lost."
"What's the point of living a miserable life today? The last power of the shogunate also dissipated with this fire."
Ashikaga Yoshiteru changed his previous sad expression, his face was firm and resolute, and his tone was calm and measured.
"Your Highness!~~"
"No need to say more, I will attract the bandits for you and Teruwamaru in the open, you take your men and leave quickly."
Yamauchi Yoshikatsu saw that Ashikaga Yoshiteru was determined to die, so he pulled Teruwamaru over with tears in his eyes, knelt down, and carried Teruwamaru, who had already understood the situation and was speechless with tears on his face, on his back, and asked the servants to tie Teruwamaru and himself tightly with cloth strips.
After the last salute, he swam out of the water gate with more than 20 servants.
Ashikaga Yoshiteru held his beloved Tongziqi Yasunaga in his hand and turned around to meet the enemy.
The Miyoshi bandits finally broke through a courtyard wall and swarmed in.
"I am Ashikaga Left Lieutenant General!"