Chapter 623 29. Mutsu No Mori Seeks Survival Amid Death
After hunting geese all year round, the geese pecked my eyes!
The Koga Palace was in danger. There was a huge difference between the Koga Kōfō supported by the Hojo clan and the Koga Kōfō supported by the Uesugi clan. Uesugi Kenshin had already taken advantage of the succession to the Kanto Kanrei position. The Hojo clan was already one step behind in terms of righteousness. It was not easy to find a Koga Kōfō to fight against them, so they couldn't lose it.
"How many Yamanouchi troops and Shimotsuke troops are there in Koga!" Although Oishi Ujiteru was in turmoil, he remained calm on the surface. He would not show panic on his face.
"About 15,000 people!" The envoy of Ashikaga Yoshiuji could only give an approximate number.
"15,000 people... With the solid Koga Palace, only 2,000 to 3,000 city soldiers are needed, and it would be difficult to capture it easily."
"What does uncle mean?" Hojo Ujinao knew that his uncle was a safe man.
"The day before yesterday, Yamakado Shirozaemon (Hojo clan's horse guards) returned to Matsuyama to transport military rations, about 1,000 people. Tell him not to return to the camp, but to go directly to Shimosae, summon Shimosae's local samurai warehouse guards, and gather 2,000 to 3,000 people to enter Koga, and there is no need to worry!"
Seeing that Hirai was about to make a breakthrough, Oishi Ujiteru could not just turn around and retreat to save Koga. Or he could send 15,000 people to fight Hosokawa Saijo.
If the soldiers in the camp heard that the rear was attacked, the Yamauchi army would only need to break through northern Shimosae to attack southern Musashi. With the quality of the peasant soldiers, they would be in serious chaos after hearing the news.
If someone raided their home, they would definitely panic!
Oishi Ujiteru was ready to take a gamble. As long as Hirai broke through, the people of Ueno would be crushed. Hosokawa Saijo, who failed to capture Koga Castle, would have his rear cut off and would be at a loss. At that time, the Yamauchi family would beg the Hojo family to let them live.
But the premise is that Koga Castle has not been lost. Once it is lost, everything will be over!
So we must temporarily conceal the news from the soldiers, and take advantage of the current victory to continue to attack the Ueno people. Secretly send a certain number of reinforcements to Koga Castle to ensure that Koga Castle will not be captured in a short time.
Don't panic! The situation has not been reversed!
I can do it!
There was no difference in the Hojo Army's camp this night except that one more rider ran out. The soldiers were all jubilant, and the soldiers who were used to fighting with the wind were also discerning. They could see that the Ueno people on the opposite side might not be able to bear it. Then they could enter Ueno for a while and have fun.
As for the generals of the Hojo Army, although Oishi's words made sense and were very convincing, they were worried.
Hosokawa Harumiya was an old shaman, and his son was as bad as him. Leaping into Shimosa Province and attacking Koga Kubo, it hit the Hojo's seven inches.
The next morning, Oishi Ujiteru, who looked calm, had dark circles under his eyes. He was still anxious.
He made up his mind to quickly break the Ueno coalition today, resolve the offensive of the Yamanouchi Army Rangers, and regain the initiative and advantage of the entire battle.
But before he gave any orders, Ashikaga Yoshiuji and his party ran for a day and a night and entered the camp of the Hojo Army in a panic.
Koga Palace was lost!
Hosokawa Yoshiu arrived in the morning, and Ashikaga Yoshiuji began to defend the city. At noon, Hosokawa Yoshiu ordered water to be released to fill the mud. I thought they would attack from all sides, but Sanada Masayuki broke the city early the next morning with a heart-attack.
The Koga Palace of the Kanto Shogun really only defended for one day and one night!
"Koga Castle is lost!" Even Oishi Ujiteru could not control his emotions at all and roared loudly.
Ashikaga Yoshiuji was originally a puppet supported by the Hojo clan. He didn't even dare to say a word. He just sat there, lowered his head and accepted Oishi Ujiteru's roar expressionlessly.
"The situation is not good now!" Daidoji Masaharu frowned and looked solemn.
The young Hojo Ujinao also realized that the situation had reversed and began to be unfavorable to the Hojo side. He was far inferior to his grandfather Hojo Ujiyasu, and his anxious look was on his face.
"What should we do now? Does my uncle have a safe way?"
Oishi Ujiteru did not respond to him, but paced back and forth in the shogunate. He looked up and down, sometimes his brows were open, and sometimes they were frowned more tightly.
"How about temporarily negotiating peace with Ueno, going to Shimosa, and defeating the Yamanouchi forces?" Matsuda Kenhide said a way that was not a way.
"No!" Oishi Ujiteru stopped when he heard it!
"Beat the drums! Launch the attack on the Ueno people in the predetermined order, Nanban Otsutsu, don't be stingy with ammunition!"
"What about Koga..." Ashikaga Yoshiuji was a little anxious when he heard it.
"Koga Castle has been broken. With the strength of Hosokawa Saijo, we simply can't defeat the enemy and capture the city in a short time. At this time, the Kai Ikki has also been settled. In addition to the troops left behind, the Yamanouchi clan can still send tens of thousands of troops to attack. By then, our army will be attacked from three sides and unable to resist!
It is better to take advantage of the advantage over Ueno now, quickly defeat the enemy, first conquer Hirai, and then seize Stable Bridge, so that there will be no worries on the northern line.
After that, divide the troops into two routes, one to Shimotsuma and the other to Koshuguchi. The forces of both routes will be strengthened to more than 20,000, and have the advantage.
In this way, although this battle will not be a complete victory, it can also be a big victory!"
The generals in the tent understood what Oishi Ujiteru meant, and the central idea remained unchanged, betting on a time difference.
Will the Hojo army defeat the Ueno people first, or will the Yamauchi army's Hosokawa Rangers turn the North and the Great into a mess first?
This is a strategy to survive from death!
As long as we can defeat the Ueno clan in front of us, everything will be fine and everything can be saved. Retreating now will not only be a fruitless return, but will also make the Ueno clan sequence complete. Whether it is a close pursuit or a move to Shimotsuma, it will cause an immeasurable blow to the Hojo family.
"Mutsu no Kami (Oishi Ujiteru) is right! I think it is feasible!" Daidoji Masaharu was the first to stand up and agree.
Soon, the two generals of Odawara clan, Itabe Okaemon and Toyama Saemon, also agreed, but the Edo clan of Minami Musashi and the generals of Matsuyama clan expressed their concerns because (if they destroyed Kitashitsuma, they could enter Minami Musashi) territory.
Okitsu Kaga no Kami, Aida Nakamura, Ota Shirobei, Ota Bungo no Kami, Itakura Shuriyo and others were extremely opposed to not saving Kitashitsuma at all, and they kept saying it.
How could Oishi Ujiteru not understand people's hearts? Now the advantage on the Hirai battlefield is built up with twice the troops and cannons. If you want to win quickly, you must not divide your troops.
Although Hojo is big, it is impossible to create something out of nothing. The largest army in Minami Musashi is Fujita Ujikuni's 10,000 troops, and the Yamanouchi clan is pacifying the territory after suppressing the Kai uprising, so the two sides have not engaged in battle.
Just three to five days of war will be enough!
With a definite heart, Oishi Ujitsu bet that the Yamanouchi family will hesitate for a few days and will not send troops to Koshuguchi immediately.
Fujita Ujikuni's 10,000 troops can stop the gossips. His younger brother is brave in battle, and even if he can't beat Hosokawa Saijo, he can still hold her back.
The winner must be Hojo!