Rebirth of The Deer and the Cauldron, Wei Xiaobao Becomes a God

The afternoon sun gradually became softer, and the time came to five o'clock in the afternoon. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the defender of the Tokugawa shogunate chose to end his life in the most tragic way - suicide by seppuku.

The rest of the soldiers also realized that resistance was futile, so they laid down their weapons and chose to surrender.

At this point, the thrilling Battle of Nara finally came to an end.

In this fierce battle, the Tokugawa army suffered heavy losses, with more than 6,000 casualties and 4,000 captured; in contrast, only 15 people from the Tiandi coalition died.

The sun was setting and the night was deepening. At six o'clock in the afternoon, Yang Lin led the mighty Heaven and Earth Allied Forces to arrive at Nara City.

Their arrival brought new life to this city that had just experienced the baptism of war.

As for Osaka, since it is only 60 kilometers away from Kyoto, according to the intelligence sent back by scouts, the Tokugawa army along the way has completely retreated to the outskirts of Kyoto to complete its assembly.

In order to avoid interfering with the Tokugawa army's assembly, Miyamoto Musashi decided after careful consideration to postpone the march for three days and then advance towards Kyoto.

At the same time, Wei Xiaobao was in a similar situation to Osaka. The sea route from Wakayama to Edo was about 642 kilometers, and if the armored ship sailed at a speed of 13 knots, it would take about 27 hours to reach the destination.

In view of the above situation, Wei Xiaobao also made the same decision. He knew that if he acted too early, it might disrupt the deployment plan of the Tokugawa army, so he resolutely decided to set off for Edo on the fourth day.

Edo Castle, Tokugawa Shogunate.

Tokugawa Koyasu was standing in his study, staring at the map of the Gyeonggi region, lost in thought.

He was thinking in his mind that he would first send 50,000 troops from Ryukyu, and then dispatch 50,000 troops from Iwami County, 20,000 troops from Osaka, and nearly 10,000 troops from the Osumi Navy.

However, these abominable Heaven and Earth Alliance actually annihilated 130,000 Tokugawa troops! He had to pay attention to the strength of the Heaven and Earth Alliance.

At this moment, all 500,000 Tokugawa soldiers were betting on this decisive battle. What would happen if they lost?

Just as he was thinking hard, Tokugawa Koshin suddenly rushed into the room and shouted excitedly: "Brother, good news!"

Since the Ryukyu Kingdom suffered a disastrous defeat, it seems that nothing good has happened. Tokugawa Koyasu gave a helpless smile and responded: "What good news can there be?"

"Brother, the Hojo family has sent out an army of 200,000 and is heading towards Kyoto!"

"Oh," Tokugawa Koyasu was surprised, and then said, "The Hojo family is really generous this time."

The Hojo clan was a hero who dominated Kanto! In the past, the Hojo clan imposed heavy taxes and committed many evil deeds in Kanto, causing the people to live in misery.

When Toyotomi Hideyoshi heard about this, he was furious and personally led the army to fight.

After months of fierce fighting, the leader of the Hojo clan, Hojo Ujinao, was finally captured. His brothers, Ujifusa, Ujiteru, and Ujimasa, felt that the situation was hopeless, and in order to save their brother's life, they were willing to commit suicide by disembowelment as a token of apology.

It should be noted that Hojo Ujinao was the brother-in-law of Tokugawa Ieyasu. At that time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi belonged to Oda Nobunaga, and the Oda family and the Tokugawa family were still allies. In view of this relationship, Toyotomi Hideyoshi showed leniency and pardoned Hojo Ujinao.

After Oda Nobunaga's death, the Tokugawa family gradually rose to power. Under the careful care of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Hojo Ujinao was able to regain the throne of the overlord of Kanto.

Therefore, the Hojo clan and the Tokugawa clan were actually closely connected and shared weal and woe.

A full 200,000-strong Hojo army joined the decisive battle in Kyoto, and Tokugawa Koyasu finally felt a little relieved.

He knew the importance of this war. If he failed to win, the whole of Japan would fall into chaos. However, despite the support of the Hojo army, Tokugawa Koyasu still did not dare to take it lightly.

"Have the three super daimyo, Oda, Takeda and Uesugi, responded yet? Will they send troops to aid us?" Tokugawa Koyasu asked anxiously.

"Sir, according to the latest report from spies, these three daimyos have close contacts with the so-called samurai sects that follow spiritual callings. I'm afraid they may be suspected of treason!" Tokugawa Koshin replied solemnly.

After hearing this, Tokugawa Ieyasu's face instantly turned gloomy. If these three daimyo really defected, the situation would become even more difficult, and the entire war might even get out of control. He tightly grasped the folding fan in his hand, secretly thinking about how to deal with it.

"We must find a way to find out their true intentions!" Tokugawa Ieyasu gritted his teeth and said, "We can't let their actions affect our plans. Immediately send more spies to closely monitor the actions of these three daimyo. At the same time, strengthen our own defenses just in case."

Tokugawa Koshin nodded his head and said he would follow Tokugawa Ieyasu's instructions. However, Tokugawa Ieyasu was still worried. The outcome of this war was related to the life and death of too many people, and now they were facing so many uncertainties. But no matter what, he decided to go all out to defend the power of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Gifu Castle, one of the important cities in Japan during the Warring States Period, was in a tense atmosphere at this time. Nobutada Nobutada sat in the spacious study, staring at the two letters in his hands with a frown.

The first letter came from the Tokugawa shogunate, which explicitly asked him to send 100,000 troops to participate in the upcoming decisive battle in Kyoto. This was undoubtedly a difficult task, but if he refused, it might cause dissatisfaction or even revenge from the Tokugawa shogunate.

The second letter came from the Heaven and Earth Alliance, which asked Nobuta to eliminate all Tokugawa shogunate forces in Gifu Castle and its surrounding counties. This meant that Nobuta would have to become an enemy of his former allies, and he was also facing tremendous pressure and risks.

Both letters mentioned the decisive battle in Kyoto. This decisive battle was no longer just a personal contest between Princess Ling Zhao and Tokugawa Ieyasu, but also a moment of choice for all Japanese daimyo. They needed to choose between the royalists and the shogunate. If they chose the wrong side, they would not only be regarded as sinners of the family, but also face severe punishment of extermination of nine clans.

Nobutada Nobutada knew the importance of this decision. He knew that every decision he made would affect the fate of the entire family. He fell into deep thought, weighing the pros and cons and possibilities. What should he choose? Should he continue to support the Tokugawa shogunate, or respond to the call of the Heaven and Earth Alliance?

A few days ago, through the descriptions of Koushui Huangji and Sasaki Kyoki, he got to know the strength of Princess Ling Zhao. At that time, he felt that following Princess Ling Zhao had a future, but when it came to making a decision today, Oda Nobutada found it difficult again.

At this critical moment, Oda Nobutada felt unprecedented pressure. He knew that no matter which side he chose, he would pay a huge price. But he also knew that only by making the right choice could he ensure the survival and development of the family.