Chapter 721 4. Hosokawa Saijo's Strategy

There were 42,000 troops in the mountain. Except for the 2,000 Xiao Hetuo who stayed behind at Qingbengba as a reserve team at the starting point of the military station, the remaining 40,000 troops moved to Changxiao Castle.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki rode his horse around one-third of the city. There was no need to look at the other two sides because they were cliffs facing the Hansa River and the Ono River. The entire castle is actually divided into four floors according to the mountain topography. Not to mention the main Maru, the Ninomaru and the Bison Kurun are on the second floor, the Sannomaru (Baqurin) and the Demaru are on the first floor, and the Dansho Kurun is on the first floor. The kimono is at the bottom.

The Tanshengakurin and Hattori Kamrin are separated from the main body of Nagashino Castle by using the river water introduced by the Hansa River as a moat. The entire castle is densely covered with fortifications, and the only attack surface is the narrow mountain road at the Oushou Gate.

According to Okudaira who surrendered, there were about 200 guards from the Okudaira clan in the city, 150 temporarily recruited soldiers nearby, and 150 reinforcements from Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Ignoring other things, Tokugawa Ieyasu's reinforcements were all iron cannon ashigaru. Together with the dozens of original iron cannons in the city, there should be about 200 iron cannons available in the city.

It is definitely not worth mentioning compared to the Yamauchi Army's huge number of more than 2,000 iron cannons, but the point is that the attack surface is so large just outside the pursuit gate. The 200 iron cannons can be divided into two to cause destruction to the attacker. Sexual lethal firepower.

In addition, it is not ruled out that there is a large cannon presented by Tokugawa Ieyasu in the city. As Okuhira Sadamasa, the son-in-law of Tokugawa Ieyasu, it is not unusual to have such a large iron cannon.

As a de facto shotgun, the large barrel will definitely work wonders in defending the narrow passage in front of the city gate. After all, dozens or hundreds of guns are spraying out, and there are crowded siege soldiers in front of them. With the current morale and training level of Ashigaru, a single shot can destroy an entire team, guaranteed!

"It's a bit difficult to handle..." Hosokawa Saime's tactical level is very good. After looking around, she had an idea for the layout.

"What did your uncle say?" Ashikaga Yoshiaki sat down. Although he was still young, he had quite the same demeanor as when Ashikaga Yoshikatsu asked his brother Hosokawa for help.

"Let the cannon come up first. The Hattori curved wheel is not high up. Just fire two rounds and that will solve the problem!

Then it was time to play the straight curved wheel. I made a visual inspection and found that it should be only three to five rooms higher. It could also be leveled with a cannon.

But for the moat at the back, people need to be sent up to fill in the tunnel for siege. This is the first level.

The Hand Gate is the key point of the first round of attack. The Hand Gate must be captured before troops can continue to be transported into the city. Moreover, after the Hand Gate is captured, the city can only get water from the cliff, and the water problem will become serious. "

Hosokawa Saime actually drew a brief sketch of the entire Nagashino Castle on the wooden board while talking. After all, her combat skills were developed together with Yamauchi Yoshikatsu.

"Where is the granary in the city?" Xiao Pingtai also asked.

"The granary is in the Ninomaru. You only need to capture the Ninomaru to use fire arrows and throw them into the city. Try to use iron cannons to start a gun battle with the city. As long as you can ignite the granary and have no water or food supplies, it will not be difficult to break the city!"

"Very good! I think adopting my uncle's strategy is feasible!" Ashikaga Yoshiaki said.

Xiaoheita also thinks it is okay, because Japanese-style mountain cities are so disgusting. If the city soldiers are determined, they must pay a certain price, otherwise there is no need to even think about breaking the city.

"Send a message to the city again. If you don't surrender, after the city is broken, we will all be wiped out!" Seeing that everyone agreed with her strategy, Hosokawa Takame gave the order loudly.

Sanada Masayuki knelt down on one knee and accompanied his father-in-law. After hearing Hosokawa Harime's instructions, he immediately picked up a pen and paper and quickly drafted a letter of persuasion to surrender.

"Yes!" Koheita and Hosokawa Saime looked at it again and signed their names for Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

He named Suganuma Masada and sent a family member to the city. As expected, Okuhira Samasada refused to surrender.

"Your Majesty, please come and attack us, I will be waiting here!" Okuhira Sadamasa said.

As you wish!

The six bronze smoothbore cannons of the Yamauchi Army were pulled up. There is no need to talk nonsense. Please take a good look at Nagashino Castle to understand what the times have changed!

Two volleys of fire turned the chase gate, which was built of hard mountain wood, into tatters. After two rounds, Hattori's fortifications were basically in ruins.

"After all, cannons are better! Hyogo Suke said, right?" Ashikaga Yoshiaki didn't know where he learned it, and he deliberately flirted with Suganuma Masada.

"Yes, yes, yes... His Highness, the power of heaven, has arrived, and the treasonous villain will be wiped out!" Masadasa Suganuma was really convinced. How could the Yamauchi family produce a heroic master for generations? Ashikaga Yoshiaki is so powerful at such a young age.

"Then I'll have to worry about Hyogo Suke for the rest!" Hosokawa Harimei also helped.

You, the three parties of the Shan Family, have come over to join you. It is not just as simple as opening the city. Now that you have smashed the Oushou Gate, Hattori and Danzhengqu are also finished. Go up and fill in the moat!

"Save it, save it!" Suganuma Masada agreed immediately.

"I'm here to help Hyogo beat the drum and cheer up!" Hosokawa Harime nodded.

After saying this, Masada Suganuma and several of his fellow victims carried soil-wrapped straw bags filled with soil. Some also carried bundles of dead branches of grass and trees, and rushed to the moat under Sannomaru of Nagashino Castle.

The people on the city actually knew that the Yamauchi Army had artillery, so they only deployed a small number of troops below the city. They thought they could delay the attack for a while, but they didn't expect that after a few rounds of artillery, it was completely over, and more than ten lives were lost in vain.

Now that I saw people coming to fill the trench, the Yamauchi family's cannon was also turned off, and my courage became stronger again. From a high position, the iron cannon crackled down.

"Bai Xuesai, you can also get ready." Xiao Pingtai saw that the hundreds of people under Suganuma Masamasa would probably retreat soon, so he looked at Anayama Bai Xuesai who came to join the battle with more than 2,000 people.

If I don't die, who will die!

"The second battle will be led by Bai Xuesai." Of course, Hosokawa Cainu would not oppose Xiao Pingtai's opinion.

"Understood!" Anayama Bai Xuesai was mentally prepared when she went out, but she didn't expect it to come so quickly.

This is clearly using human lives to fill the trenches. As an example, they are still the retainers of the Takeda clan in the past, and the Yamanouchi family just uses them as cannon fodder.

Suganuma Masamasa under the city actually wanted to fight more beautifully, but he had no choice but to fight against the sharp iron cannons in the city. In addition to the initial artillery coverage, the Yamanouchi family did not send out subsequent iron cannons to accompany and exchange fire with the city.

With the little firepower of their Yama family's three parties, they could not suppress the 200 iron cannons on the city at all. They suffered a lot. As soon as they met, more than a dozen were killed.

Although the moat was filled up quite a bit, it was obviously not enough to form a passage for the army to pass quickly. There was no other way, so he splashed blood from the arm of a wounded soldier beside him and smeared it on his face, and whistled.

The three parties of the Shan family "failed to fight" and retreated.