Chapter 910 The decisive battle that determines the future! [5400]
Sekigahara - Located in Nobi, it is a basin with a length of four kilometers from east to west and two kilometers from north to south, surrounded by Ibuki Mountain in the north, Sasao Mountain and Tenman Mountain in the west, Matsuo Mountain in the southwest, and Nangong Mountain in the southeast.
It is a key road connecting Hokuriku Road in the northwest and Ise in the southeast, and it is also an excellent place for field battles.
The division of Kanto and Kansai in Japan is mainly based on Sekigahara. The east is called Kanto, and the west is Kansai.
Therefore, from a geographical point of view, Sekigahara is a real place that divides the world into two!
When Qing Deng pointed to the place, the reason why everyone was so surprised was because Sekigahara was too special.
Just 260 years ago in the fifth year of Keicho (1600), a shocking battle broke out here, the famous Battle of Sekigahara!
As for the beginning and end of this battle, we have to start with the establishment of the Toyotomi regime.
In 1582, Akechi Mitsuhide murdered his lord Oda Nobunaga, thinking of replacing him, but in the end, all his efforts were made for Hashiba Hideyoshi.
In the battle of Tennozan, Hashiba Hideyoshi eliminated Akechi Mitsuhide and accumulated unprecedented prestige.
In the battle of Keitake, Hashiba Hideyoshi eliminated Shibata Katsuie and became the actual ruler of the Oda family.
So far, Hashiba Hideyoshi inherited almost all of Oda Nobunaga's political legacy.
Oda Nobunaga was only one step away from unifying the world, and Hashiba Hideyoshi made up for this last step for him.
With the profound foundation accumulated by the Oda family over the years, as well as his excellent military capabilities and sophisticated diplomatic means, Hashiba Hideyoshi quickly unified the whole of Japan.
At this time, Hashiba Hideyoshi was only one title away from becoming the common lord of the world.
However, because he was not a descendant of the Minamoto clan, he could not establish a shogunate.
Therefore, he took a different approach and no longer insisted on the position of "Shogun". Instead, he was granted the title of "Kanpaku" and established a new political system.
Kanpaku originally meant "statement, report", and it came from "Han Shu·Biography of Huo Guang and Jin Midi" "All matters were first reported to Guanpaku, and then reported to the emperor", which means that any major event was first stated or reported to Huo Guang, and then reported to the emperor.
The term was introduced to Japan by the Tang envoys, and gradually became an important position to assist the prime minister after the Japanese emperor came of age, equivalent to the prime minister in ancient China.
In the shogunate era when the military family was in power, Kanpaku became a nameless position like the imperial court.
In the 13th year of Tensho (1585), Hashiba Hideyoshi was granted the title of Kanpaku and became a recognized "man of the world".
In the 14th year of Tensho (1586), the imperial court gave the surname "Toyotomi", and Hashiba Hideyoshi changed his name to "Toyotomi Hideyoshi".
In the 19th year of Tensho (1591), Toyotomi Hideyoshi abdicated and gave the position of regent to his nephew Toyotomi Hidetsugu, calling himself "Taiko" (the honorific title of the former regent).
From then on, Taiko almost became the exclusive name of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. When people talk about "Taiko", they must first think of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
In this way, the period when the Toyotomi family was in power was simply called the "Taiko era" or "Toyotomi Taiko era".
Although Toyotomi Hideyoshi established an unprecedented feat as the ruler of the world as a commoner... He had a very fatal flaw, that is, he had a problem with his fertility.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was a famous old pervert. Since he became rich, he frequently took concubines and married one concubine after another.
However, no matter how many women he married, he never had his own offspring.
The offspring he finally waited for died early due to backward medical technology and parenting concepts.
It was not until he entered his old age that his concubine Asai Chacha finally gave him a healthy son, who would become the second generation lord of the Toyotomi family: Toyotomi Hideyori.
However, when Toyotomi Hideyori was born, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was already very old and would not live for many years.
So, in order to maintain the ruling status of the Toyotomi family, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, like Shiba Rong at the end of the Five Dynasties, set up several ministers to take care of the orphans.
He ordered the five most powerful daimyo under the Toyotomi regime to jointly assist Toyotomi Hideyori.
These five daimyo who took care of the orphans were collectively called the "Five Elders".
They were Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie, Ukita Hideie, Mori Terumoto, and Uesugi Kagemori.
In fact, the purpose of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's establishment of the "Five Elders" was to check and balance Tokugawa Ieyasu.
At that time, Tokugawa Ieyasu was the most powerful daimyo under the Toyotomi regime, without a doubt.
His strength was so strong that Toyotomi Hideyoshi was extremely afraid.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi once tried to subdue Tokugawa Ieyasu by military means, but suffered a defeat in the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute (1584).
He had no choice but to use diplomatic means to subdue Tokugawa Ieyasu.
From then on, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attitude towards Tokugawa Ieyasu was "I wanted to kill him immediately, but I was always helpless."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi set up the "Five Elders" in order to prevent Tokugawa Ieyasu from rebelling, so he could not dominate alone.
Facts have proved that humor is indeed an important background of history.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi followed Chai Rong's example and appointed several ministers to take care of the orphans, thinking that this would be foolproof.
Unexpectedly, his final outcome was exactly the same as Chai Rong's - poor tricks but ended in vain.
Among the "Five Elders", the only one who could compete with Tokugawa Ieyasu was Maeda Toshiie.
The other three were either too young and inexperienced, or lacked talent and ability.
Just the year after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, Maeda Toshiie passed away.
In other words, the "Five Elders" that Toyotomi Hideyoshi had high hopes for were only in name not long after his death.
As we all know, one of the secrets to becoming an old artist is longevity. As long as you outlive other talented people, you will naturally become an old artist - this sentence is really appropriate to apply to Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Relying on his extremely long life, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who outlived a number of big men such as Imagawa Yoshimoto, Takeda Shingen, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Maeda Toshiie, finally ushered in his own spring, and there was no rival of the same level in the country.
Just when Tokugawa Ieyasu began to show his wolfish ambitions, a loyal retainer of the Toyotomi family took action. His name was Ishida Mitsunari.
Ishida Mitsunari was the most loyal descendant of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and was loyal to the Toyotomi family.
After realizing Tokugawa Ieyasu's rebellious heart, he immediately set about forming an anti-Tokugawa coalition.
In terms of identity and status, Ishida Mitsunari, whose personal territory was only 200,000 koku, could not be compared with Tokugawa Ieyasu.
But he relied on various means to forcibly build an alliance that could compete with Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The contradiction between Ishida Mitsunari and Tokugawa Ieyasu increased day by day.
Finally... the two major groups inevitably met in battle!
In the fifth year of Keicho (1600), the 80,000 troops led by Ishida Mitsunari and the 100,000 troops led by Tokugawa Ieyasu met in a narrow road at Sekigahara - the Battle of Sekigahara began!
In this battle, both sides mobilized nearly 200,000 troops. It was the largest civil war in Japan since the Onin War and was hailed as the "war that decided the world."
Fight a decisive battle to decide the ownership of the world in a place where the world is divided into two... fight the most special war in the most special place.
Because the Ishida army was deployed west of Sekigahara, it was simply called the "Western Army."
In contrast, the Tokugawa Army was deployed east of Sekigahara, so it was referred to as the "Eastern Army".
It was not surprising that such a large-scale decisive battle would last for ten days, half a month, or even a year or half a year.
Unexpectedly... the battle was decided in just one day - the Eastern Army won!
Judging from the deployment alone, the Western Army had an almost overwhelming advantage.
The Western Army occupied high ground such as Nangong Mountain and Matsuo Mountain, which formed a situation of overwhelming pressure on the Eastern Army.
Anyone who knows a little about military affairs knows the importance of high ground.
Logically speaking, with such a big advantage, it is not certain to win, but at least it will not be defeated before even a day.
Rather than saying that the Western Army lost to the Eastern Army, it is better to say that it lost to itself.
From the beginning, the Western Army was a large-scale makeshift team, and there were always very serious factional disputes within it, and people were not united.
Tokugawa Ieyasu cleverly took advantage of this weakness of the Western Army and successfully won over some of its generals.
Among them, the most serious harm to the Western Army was the rebellion of Kobayakawa Hideaki.
In the Battle of Sekigahara, Kobayakawa's army was deployed at Matsuoyama, with 15,000 soldiers, and was one of the most important troops of the Western Army.
Shortly after the war began, the Western Army gained a significant advantage and once suppressed the Eastern Army.
At this critical juncture, Kobayakawa Hideaki suddenly changed sides, stabbed Ishida Mitsunari in the back, and turned around to attack the former friendly army.
Kobayakawa Hideaki's rebellion on the battlefield caused the Western Army's flank to open up, directly reversed the battlefield situation, and the Western Army quickly collapsed. Ishida Mitsunari and other generals were captured alive.
Judging from the results, Kobayakawa Hideaki played a great role in the Eastern Army's victory in the Battle of Sekigahara.
But the funny thing is that this guy didn't sell himself for a good price.
Just two years after the Battle of Sekigahara, Kobayakawa Hideaki died of illness. Because he had no heir, Tokugawa Ieyasu mercilessly confiscated his territory, and the Kobayakawa family perished.
Even to this day, "Kobayakawa Hideaki" has always been synonymous with traitors and fools.
Three years after the Battle of Sekigahara, in 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu was appointed Shogun in Edo and founded the Edo Shogunate.
In summary, the Battle of Sekigahara has a very special meaning for the Tokugawa family.
After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Toyotomi family was no longer able to compete with the Tokugawa family, laying the foundation for the Tokugawa family to rule the world.
In other words, the victory of the Battle of Sekigahara led to the Edo Shogunate today.
Fighting another battle that determines the future direction in the place where history was once determined... In this way, it is no wonder that everyone on the scene was so shocked!
Interestingly, the army affiliated with the Tokugawa family became the Western Army this time, and the army opposing the Tokugawa family became the Eastern Army this time.
Fujido Heisuke stared at the map in front of him, then turned his head and looked at Qing Deng, swallowing hard:
"Mr. Tachibana, are you sure? Are we really going to fight the Choshu army in Sekigahara?"
Qing Deng nodded and replied without hesitation:
"Of course."
"Perhaps at this moment, the Choshu army has received the news of the 'Return of the King of Ni' and is sending troops westward without stopping."
...
...
Suruga Province, the main camp of the Choshu army——
"...What a coincidence, Shuten Douji, you and I are thinking the same thing."
Takasugi Shinsaku spoke out suddenly.
He crossed his arms and said slowly with an expressionless face:
"My thoughts are the same as Shuten-doji's."
"When you are against Niou, you must not be careless."
"If you don't try to stop the Shinsengumi's army, who knows what action Niou will take next."
The two big bosses of the Law-Slaying Party and the Special Forces have spoken, and the rest of the people dare not say a word even if they have different opinions.
Katsura Kogoro muttered after pondering for a moment:
"But the question is...how many troops do we have to stop the Shinsengumi? And who will lead the troops?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Takasugi Shinsaku said loudly without thinking:
"I'll go!"
Instantly, everyone, including the general Shutendouji, cast surprised glances at Takasugi Shinsaku.
Facing everyone's surprised looks, Takasugi Shinsaku continued his words unhurriedly:
"Split 1,500 people from the Raiders."
"As long as I have the 1,500 people from the Qi Force at hand, and with Sekigahara's geographical advantage, and with enough luck, I am confident that I can block the Shinsengumi for 3 to 7 days!"
Shuten Doji blinked, looked at Takasugi Shinsaku up and down several times, and then changed to a half-joking tone:
"Takasugi-kun, you actually took the initiative to ask for help. This is really beyond my expectation."
Takasugi Shinsaku said calmly:
"Although I am very reluctant to do so, I have to admit that the 'Slavic Legion' of your Fuzhi Party is an indispensable combat force in the capture of Edo."
"After weighing the pros and cons, sending the team of surprise troops to stop the newly selected team is the current optimal solution."
"The Qi Force is a force that I built with my own hands, and it is most appropriate for me to personally command it."
"What's more, I've long wanted to compete with the Shinsengumi."
Speaking of this, Takasugi Shinsaku paused briefly.
When he spoke again, his tone became sonorous and forceful:
"Now that things have happened, we are already grasshoppers on the same rope. There is no point in distinguishing you and me."
After listening to Shuten Doji, he nodded seriously:
"Yes, Takasugi-kun is right."
"As of now, you and I have become a close alliance in which we both prosper and suffer."
"However, let me confirm with you - you only bring 1,500 troops, is it enough?"
Takasugi Shinsaku grinned:
"Enough!"
"If we were to have a head-to-head battle with the Shinsengumi on an open plain, I wouldn't dare to boast about it."
"But if we just try to delay the Shinsengumi's advance in Sekigahara, then this force is enough!"
"I want to ask you instead. After I took away the 1,500 troops from the Qi Force, your remaining troops were only 2,000 from the 'Slavic Legion' and 500 from the Qi Force. With such a small number of troops, you are sure to capture Jiang." Hucheng?"
When the drunken boy heard this, he couldn't help but smile:
"Although it's a bit reluctant, I still have enough confidence - the premise is that you help me hold off the Shinsengumi for as long as possible."
…
…
Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi, military conference room——
"...If this happens, that's not good."
Nagakura Shinpachi said in a deep voice while checking the map:
"It is very difficult for us to catch up with the Changzhou Army."
"Now we have to spend more time to defeat the enemy troops who come to intercept us."
"Mr. Tachibana, is there any way we can protect Edo before the Choshu Army does?"
Qingden lowered his eyelids:
"Normally speaking, this is really difficult."
"However...as long as the Hachioji and thousands of people can delay the advance of the Choshu Army for a long time, then we will still have a chance to rush to Edo's aid."
Hachioji, a thousand people are united - Hearing the name of this unit, everyone at the scene subconsciously turned their eyes and looked at the Hachioji area marked on the map.
The Hachioji area is located at the junction of the Kanto Plain and Kai Country, and is a must-stop on the way to Edo along the Tokai Street.
In other words, as long as the Changzhou Army continues to move eastward, it is bound to run into the Eighth Prince's Thousands of People Concentric!
If the Eight Princes' thousands of troops were not defeated, the Choshu Army would not be able to approach Edo.
Toudo Heisuke looked straight at the Hachioji area marked on the map. After a while, he said quietly:
"Let the Eighth Prince and a thousand people work together to intercept the Changzhou Army...Mr. Orange, I am not trying to increase the enemy's prestige or destroy our own morale, but...is it too heavy a burden for the Eighth Prince and a thousand people to work together?"
"..."
Qingdeng was silent.
Neither affirmed nor denied.
When thinking about how to return aid to Edo, Seito had already seen that the unity of the Hachioji who guarded the key points was the key.
Therefore, long before the start of the "Second China Return", Qingdeng sent a fast horse to convey an order to the Eight Princes and thousands of people, asking them to immediately evacuate civilians and build trenches, fences and other field fortifications in place to prepare for the coming war. Be prepared.
Even without Toudou Heisuke's reminder, Aoto, who is the heart of the Eighth Prince and a thousand people, knew that it was too reluctant to let this army face the menacing and astonishing Choshu Army alone...!
Although through the efforts of him and Tokugawa Iemo, today's Hachioji Qian Renxin has been equipped with advanced guns and artillery, they have not yet completed the relevant training. At best, they are nothing more than "ancient armies using guns and artillery as weapons."
What's more, there is no favorable terrain in the Hachioji area to rely on, so thousands of people can only face the Choshu Army head-on on the open plains.
Facing the fierce offensive of the Changzhou Army... they might not be able to survive even half a day!
Unless... you send someone who is proficient in military affairs, good at dispatching troops and generals, and has enough prestige to command thousands of people!
If this is the case, there will be a chance to turn decay into magic, allowing thousands of people to work together to gain enough power to hold back the Changzhou Army.
So, who under Qingdeng has such ability?
In fact, there is no need to think about this question at all.
When this question passed through Qing Deng's mind, a name immediately emerged - except for him, no one else would be considered!
It's strange that at this moment, Qing Deng's thoughts seemed to be seen through by the other party.
"Tachibana, let me go."
He said seriously, word by word.
Qing Deng instinctively looked in the direction of the voice and met Hijikata Toshizo's eyes.
Hijikata Toshizo stared at Qing Deng's eyes and repeated again:
"Tachibana, let me go! Who else can do this mission but me?"
"I was born in Tama, and I'm a farmer's son. I'm half a descendant of Qian Ren Tongxin."
"It's really the most appropriate for me to command Qian Ren Tongxin!"
After saying that, Hijikata Toshizo raised the corner of his mouth and smiled:
His relaxed tone...as if the mission he threatened to take was to go outing in the suburbs, not to fight a life-and-death battle.
Qing Deng looked deeply at Hijikata Toshizo, his eyes were complicated:
"Toshizo, this mission is not easy, are you ready?"
Hijikata Toshizo chuckled a few times:
"Ju, who do you think I am? I am the 'Demon Vice Captain' Hijikata Toshizo!"
"...How many people do you need to take away from me? You can choose the personnel."
"I am enough. However, I still let Ichimura Tetsunosuke help me. I am used to his service. Without him, my daily life will be in big trouble!"
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PS: The popular science part of this chapter is a little long, but there is nothing I can do about it. If the special and ritual sense of the battle in Sekigahara are not explained clearly, the subsequent plot will not be convenient to unfold.