A tour of Japan's Warring States Period

Ashikaga Yoshiaki raised the white flag of the Genji family and appeared on the entire battlefield. From the north and south of the valley, there were thunderous cheers and loud sounds.

The big horse marks of famous samurai from both Oda and Tokugawa armies were thrown in front of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and the heads of famous samurai who were requested were sent to him in an endless stream.

Uncle Tsuna, who knew the Oda and Tokugawa warriors relatively well, and Uden Nagateru sat under the stand of Ashikaga Yoshisho, identifying and confirming the heads one by one. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon, the large-scale pursuit had basically stopped, and the statistics of the results were basically completed.

The Oda and Tokugawa coalition forces killed about 16,000 people, and about 3,000 people died in direct combat. Almost the rest were killed by insurgents during the pursuit, or fell to their deaths in mountain streams or cliffs in a panic.

Although it included a large number of Jinfu handymen and ashigaru warriors, it is undeniable that the Nobi Samurai and Nishi Mikawa Samurai suffered a devastating blow in this battle. Many famous samurai who had served the Oda clan and the Tokugawa clan (Matsudaira clan) for three or four generations were killed on the spot, and there were even fathers, sons, and brothers who died in one place.

Including Hirakata Futoshi Hoshihide, who was knocked down by a slinging attack by Umeyuki Anayama's troops at the beginning and disappeared, Shibata Katsuie who detonated explosives at the bombing platform and died of severe injuries, and Kawajiri Hidetaka who pretended to be Oda Nobutada and died in battle. , Honda suffered seven wounds in his body and was stabbed in the right eye multiple times, and Natsume Yoshinobu, who was asked to replace Tokugawa Ieyasu, etc.

"Your Highness! Heihachiro Honda has asked for the head of Gifu Tansho, and he is sending it to you now!" The joy on the face of an envoy could not be concealed at all.

"Where are you!" Ashikaga Yoshiaki jumped up from the horse.

The generals in the shogunate all stood up. In such a chaotic situation, it was very easy to capture a random samurai. But it was not that easy to find Oda Nobunaga, who had abandoned all decorations, among the chaotic team of tens of thousands of people.

Now even Tokugawa Ieyasu has not been captured or asked to be killed. Instead, Oda Nobunaga, who retreated more "calmly", has been asked to be killed. It is really unbelievable.

"We'll be there soon! There are other people in Oda Mother's Clothes accompanying us who are waiting for their heads!"

"Okay, okay!" Although Ashikaga Yoshiaki usually maintains the majesty of the so-called family leader, as the next generation of generals, he cannot express his emotions or anger. But the joy at the moment was too great and I couldn't restrain it at all.

"I present the Gifu bullet to your highness!" Honda Tadakatsu rode his horse and ran outside the shogunate, shouting his name loudly.

All the armies in the nearby mountains had heard the envoy's report about the capture of Oda Nobunaga, and the troops crowded in front of the shogunate, scrambling to see Honda Tadakatsu and the head he was holding.

The generals in the mountain, including Ashikaga Yoshiaki, came out of their tents one after another to inspect Oda Nobunaga's head.

Honda Tadakatsu knelt down on one knee and respectfully held up the head wrapped in a cloth. Almost all the generals present have seen Oda Nobunaga in person, and their memories are profound. At this time, they are completely consistent.

"It really is Gifu Dansho!" Chief Yamauchi had an angry confrontation with Oda Nobunaga in court, so he naturally remembers it clearly.

Kanbara Yasumasa who followed later presented the heads of Mori Nagaka, Oda Nobutada, Mori Nagahide and others, and took out their armor, horse tags, flags, linings and other evidence.

Every item made everyone present exclaim in surprise. The two brothers really managed to obtain half of Oda's mother-in-law and two of Oda's parents and children with their own strength.

"Heihachi, you did a great job! You should be the first to win for this!" Ashikaga Yoshiaki took a few steps forward to help Honda Tadakatsu.

"Hetaiya Kohei is so brave!" Sakakihara Yasumasa said that Ashikaga Yoshiaki did not help him, but he also praised him loudly.

"Conferred the honorary title of Senkan Tomoyuki from the four villages of Kibi, Shinjo, Yamanashi and Takabe, Mikawa Kamo County, Honda Heihachiro!"

"Awarded the title of 650 Kanzhixing to the three townships of Kira, Tahara and Xingbu, Sakakihara Kohei, Tai Mikawa, Shitara County!"

The two brothers almost cheered when they heard this. The two men, who were originally from a small and powerful background, were instantly promoted to high-level warriors. He was listed as the vanguard of the Yamauchi clan's military tent, and served as the vanguard of Nishi Mikawa on the spot.

As for the heads of Oda Nobunaga and his son, after careful cleaning, their bodies were brought in and put together. It was handed over to the captured Oda Nobunaga's younger brother, Tsuda Matajuro Nagatoshi, to be sent back to Owari Kiysu as a sign of leniency.

The Yamauchi sergeants who died in the Battle of Shitarahara are really not worth mentioning compared with the Zhide Allied Forces. However, there are only about 400 soldiers, and most of them died from the iron cannons and long rifles before they broke into the horse defense fence. Bow shooting.

As a common practice, Ashikaga Yoshiaki funded the establishment of a shrine on Danshodai to commemorate those who died in this battle. Including the 400 people who died in the battle of Shanuchi Army and the 16,000 people who died in the battle of Zhide Allied Forces, they will be sacrificed together.

Returning to Kiyoi Tahara's home where Koheta was sitting, Ashikaga Yoshiaki opened the curtain and found that Koheita had been restrained, washed, put on plain clothes, and had her hair braided into a bun.

A priest from the Hamamatsu Church who accompanied the army stood by and was silently reciting prayers. The afternoon light of Kiyoi Tahara shone into the tent and fell just on Xiao Heita's face, peaceful and calm.

"Uncle! I won! Big victory!" Ashikaga Yoshiaki knelt on one knee in front of the couch, as if reporting to Xiaoheita.

"I will definitely take you to Seta Bridge and enter Luoyang with the flag of my grandfather and father!"

………………

On the sixth day of the first month of the second year of Tensho, the head of the Shinshu Yamauchi clan, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, passed through Seta Bridge as the 16th shogun of the Muromachi shogunate. Previously, on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, he was granted the title of Chunhe Scholarship and the Supervisor of Yumaliao, and on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, he was granted the title of Elder of the Yuan clan.

On the sixth day of the lunar month, Tsunato Koji and Masaharu Asukai, the sisters of the samurai family, were sent as envoys, and the general announced!

The foundation was laid with three thousand guan of soil from a township, and six generations of people worked hard for 120 years. The Yamauchi clan became a common son as a royal gate, and returned to Luoyang, Kyoto, to rebuild the foundation of the Ashikaga clan!

(End of the main text of the book)