Chapter 463 22. Let’s Ask the Sincere Heart of the Group
"Everyone, what can you teach me?" Xiao Pingtai sat on a small stool, waving a green bamboo stick.
The generals looked at each other in bewilderment. This Zixiaoji Danzheng was always full of wisdom and was famous in the East.
He pushed the wall under Odawara, dug a pit in Ueda Hira, deceived the gods outside Hamamatsu Castle, and scolded people in Kyoto.
What kind of shit has Xiao Pingtai not done? Do you still need the younger brothers here to give advice? You are the eldest brother! The real eldest brother!
"Please set the strategy first!" The generals were thinking in their hearts, but they still said it very nicely.
The previous actions of the Ikko Ikki had played a certain role, delaying the Yamanouchi army for two full days. It gave them time to gather troops and money, build enough fortifications, and notify the Mikawa people of the Ikki.
Now Xiao Pingtai, that is, the Yamanouchi army, is facing the Honshoji Temple with high walls and deep moats, many soldiers and sufficient food.
Take 5,000 people to attack the fortifications of 20,000 people? If you give Xiao Pingtai 5,000 old guards and 12 18-pound cannons, Xiao Pingtai will be able to enter Honshoji Temple for lunch in less than three hours.
But the Yamauchi Army is just a conscripted mobilization army. They are here to rob, so how can they be driven all over to attack like ants?
There is no weapon difference, and it is unknown whether there are foreign guns and cannons in the temple. It is simply a way to seek death to launch a strong attack rashly.
"I don't have any strategy, don't hide it, just speak out your ideas boldly."
If Hamamatsu's Portuguese gunmen are well trained, Xiao Pingtai will not care about him. Without saying a word, go up and fire ten shots at him, and you will blow up everyone, no matter whether they are human or ghost, what strategy is needed.
This is because the gunners are not well trained, and Xiao Pingtai has no clever plan to conquer the city at the moment.
"Kobayata, why don't you ask Yoshida-sama to send someone to the city to talk. If they can retreat from the city, you can let them leave."
Uncle Tsunayoshi also has a clear view of the situation. If they face each other head-on, set up their formations, and fight in an open field, the 5,000 Yamauchi troops will definitely be able to defeat the 20,000 Ikki. But if they attack the city, the 5,000 Yamauchi troops will inevitably suffer a great loss of life and death before they can enter the temple.
The officials in Honshoji Temple must have seen it clearly, otherwise they would not have gathered their troops and food to defend. They may not be able to fight in the field with the 20,000 Ikki, but defending the city will not be a big problem.
And Kobayata is a guest army, and now it is a time of spring famine, and there is not much food. Once the Yamauchi army runs out of food, they will have to withdraw to Hamamatsu to eat no matter what.
The Ikko Ikki can only hold on for half a month at best, but 20,000 people have 20,000 mouths. At this time, Honshoji Temple will have to pay for everything, and there will be no shortage of food for people and horses.
If Kobayata extends an olive branch in the current stalemate, the two sides will negotiate peace. Honjoji disbands all the Ikki, hands over a sum of money and food, and keeps the temple property. The Yamauchi army can make a profit, and everyone will be happy.
But this is not in the interests of the Yamauchi family. First of all, the simplest thing is that it did not achieve the request entrusted by Oda Nobunaga to suppress the Mikawa Ikko Ikki. On the surface, the war is over, but in fact, Honjoji is not in trouble.
Secondly, it is also very concerned by all parties. The strength of the Mikawa Ikko sect is so strong that tens of thousands of Ikki can be summoned at a time. No matter which daimyo sees it, he will not feel at ease.
This time, if he is not pressed to the ground and rubbed aside, and beaten to a point of injury, the war will be meaningless.
The previous arrangement of Kobayata was also to attack and weaken the powerful Ikko sect in Mikawa.
In history, at the order of Honganji Kenjo, Ikko sect believers from all over the country rose up. In Nagashima alone, a huge Ikko Ikki force of 70,000 people was gathered.
That's fine. Logically speaking, 20,000 Ikko Ikki could deal with the 70,000 Ikko Ikki. But who knew that the Ikko Ikki, blessed by Buddhism, was so excited that it took only four days to destroy the 50,000 troops led by Oda Nobunaga himself.
Oda Nobunaga was forced to flee for his life, and retreated to Gifu Castle with only a hundred or so cavalrymen.
If the Mikawa Ikko Ikki had not been suppressed this time, there might have been a loss of several thousand Mikawa soldiers in the Battle of Anegawa. Asakura Kageki, Maeba Yoshitsugu, Magara Naotaka and others might have ridden on Oda Nobunaga's face.
Of course, there are no ifs in history.
"I have noted what uncle said. What do you think?"
"Tanjo, what Saemon said is indeed mature, but it is hard to tell what the situation is like in Honshoji without a battle."
Iwase Motomasa thought that if a battle was not fought, the monks of Honshoji might become arrogant and think they were awesome, and instead look down on the Yamauchi army and Kobayata.
And even if there were 20,000 strong men in Honshoji, they would have to go up and see the quality of the 20,000 strong men. Even if they were strong men, there was a big difference between a well-fed strong man and a strong man who had been hungry for three days.
"Yeah." Kobayata nodded.
"Tanzheng, the foundation of Honshoji Temple is still the 20,000-strong Ikki people. Its temples and streets cannot stop the army."
"What does Your Highness Totomi mean?"
"Try to disintegrate the Ikki people who entered the temple to defend it. As long as someone takes the lead to surrender, or helps our army from the inside, no matter how large the Ikki people are, they will slowly disintegrate."
Everyone only sees that it has strong defenses and complete fortifications. But no matter how strong the fortress is, it needs someone to defend it. If there is no one in the fortress, it is useless.
Ordinary believers of the Ikko sect may be very pious and fanatical. They can sacrifice everything for the Buddha. Everyone here knows this. If the believers are not so pious, no one will care about the development of the Ikko sect.
But the leaders of each group are not necessarily true believers, they are mixed.
"Aji, inform the whole camp, all the samurai and servants from Mikawa come to the tent to listen to the order."
"Lord Yoshida, you have been in Mikawa for a long time, is there anyone you know and trust who has entered Honshoji?"
Udono Nagakatsu is one of the biggest local bosses in Mikawa, who else can he ask if not him.
"Let me think carefully and then reply to the correction." Udono Nagakatsu couldn't think of anyone who would be a traitor for a while.
"If anyone is willing to be an insider, not only will the original territory be safe, but I will double his territory!" After all, it was Matsudaira Ieyasu's land, so Kobayata had no pressure to write a big check.
Kobayata also said the same thing to the gathered samurai servants of Mikawa, as long as they could win over the insider, it would be a great achievement.
The remaining thing is to let people go up and test the strength of Honshoji Temple. There are many shogunate hatamoto and hereditary daimyo who will be famous in the future.
[Note 1]: The so-called "Qingyuan" is the leader of the grassroots organization. Now many shrines and temples in Japan have "Kou" organizations in the streets and towns. But most of them are similar to women's associations, elderly associations, and town friendship associations. They organize a few believers to drink tea and brag about things on a daily basis. Temple fairs, shrines, sacrifices, and other activities are convenient for contacting townspeople.