Three, the traveler

"Not necessarily," the middle-aged man said, shaking the wooden staff in his hand. "Back then, Uesugi Kenshin was unable to defeat Lord Takeda Shingen at the Battle of Kawanakajima. Moreover, now it is Uesugi Nobuhira..."

Some say that Uesugi only knows how to advance and does not know how to retreat. The young man pulled out the wooden staff he had planted in the ground, as if preparing to leave. It is also possible that he will fight until the last soldier.

The travelers followed him out of the abbot's room and arrived in front of a tall tower in the backyard. The tower has a total of seven stories, but upon reaching the top floor, the abbot pulled on a brick, and a small door appeared above his head, from which a soft ladder made of woven vines was lowered.

Qingfeng Shili sat down: "This morning, I received a message from Aizhu, confirming..."

That was a set of Iyo-zasa purple silk armor, covered with a white base adorned with scattered flowers in a battle robe. The general was facing the two of them directly, but it was too far away to see his features clearly

The middle-aged man nodded slightly

is not

The one holding the mirror is a young man, and beside him stands a middle-aged man in his forties. Both are dressed as wandering monks, wearing wide-brimmed hats that obscure their brows and eyes, making their features difficult to discern

This is the Sanskrit three crescent helmet of Uesugi Kenshin, the young man turned around, his gaze revealing a hint of astonishment

Where to guess, a middle-aged man discovered a small ventilated hole in the wall, which was precisely diagonal to the abbot's west window, "Bring the telescope."

It must be that the general is afraid of pushing both families to the side of the anti-government faction, which is why he dealt with them leniently—if they were true warriors, they should have resolved it themselves!" Qingfeng's head lowered increasingly, yet his voice grew louder.

"Because..." Qingfeng suddenly bowed his head again, "Because this is a tremendous disgrace! I have no face to meet people from other countries. If I were still a retainer of the Aizu domain, I truly would have no face to call myself a samurai... Is this even called fighting?!"

"Guess who is coming?" the young man asked his companion in a low voice, while outside the tower, the sound of horses neighing and a cacophony of noise could be heard.

Qingfeng raised his head, but did not look at Zhengcheng: "I have just written a letter to Aizuwakamatsu, requesting to resign. Qingfeng is now a ronin, I ask Your Highness to take me in.

The allied forces retreated fifteen li, and only after establishing a camp did the Uesugi army arrive. They retreated another fifteen li, and after three retreats of fifteen li each, they finally obtained a chance to catch their breath

Why?

The old general Matsudaira Hiroaki looked up to the sky and wept bitterly, immediately deciding to commit seppuku as an apology. Fortunately, Masayasu and Genro fought desperately to stop him, which ultimately made him abandon the thought of taking his own life: "Indeed, I am guilty beyond redemption. Please, General, give the order for punishment—I do not have the right to commit seppuku."

"There are countless famous armor sets in the world, how many have you seen?" The young man laughed at him from the side

He truly sympathizes with his old friend Matsunari Hiroaki. Compared to Hiroaki, he considers himself quite fortunate. In comparison to Hoshino Masataka and Matsunari Genro, it seems that Seisei still has his strengths. After all, brothers share a bond; he is now starting to miss Seisei, who has been missing for a full three months. Why has there been no news at all?

Amitabha, the abbot chanted a Buddhist name, "Can you see clearly whose banner it is?"

Shan Nei Judge Ping Tai Qing Feng entered. He was not yet forty years old, with a dark complexion and a full beard, resembling a rough and uncouth man, showing no signs of being a descendant of the prestigious Shan Nei Uesugi family.

Master, Master, something terrible has happened, a large, very large army is coming!

"The world is adorned with countless strands of purple silk..." A young man hummed the tune softly. Before he could finish humming, a middle-aged man poked him in the waist from behind: "Watch out for that helmet!"

A general strode in and exchanged formal greetings with the hurriedly returning abbot. The abbot offered a seat, but the general did not remove his armor; he merely took off his helmet and handed it to his attendant, then sat down at an angle beside the meditation platform

Half a day passed in the blink of an eye, and the scattered troops from Aizu and Yuki gradually returned to their ranks. Counting them up, the forces had grown to nearly 9,000. This means that these two armies had only lost a few hundred men in total. The speed and efficiency of this escape left the battle-worn hatamoto from Edo dumbfounded; Hiroaki finally stopped blaming himself, though he nearly spat blood.

The middle-aged man took the telescope and looked for a while, nodding slightly: "Yes, the Uesugi army is already quite fatigued. If I were Murakami, I would find an opportunity to make a quick escape."

No, I have seen Murakami Yoshitaka; he is not a man of great courage. The middle-aged man returned the telescope to his companion, saying, I dare bet that he will retreat before the halfway mark.

The message reached the northern region, and it is already mid-July. The governor let out a sigh of relief; at least Echigo has temporarily been preserved. Although only half of the territory remains, as long as he is alive for another day, there will always be a chance to turn the tide.

Unbeknownst to anyone, on a nearby peak, a Southern barbarian telescope loomed high above, observing all of this.

Understood, he took a deep breath to calm himself, "Thank you, please bring the family over as soon as possible. It is already autumn, and the winters in the northern region are very cold. I hope you can get used to it..."

Unfortunately, Takeda Tokuhiro is not here today. The young man puts down the telescope and turns around, saying, "However, this battle can be concluded by the latest at the hour of Shen. Matsudaira Hiroaki is ultimately cunning and shrewd. As Sun Tzu said: 'The skilled warrior puts others in his power and does not allow himself to be put in theirs.' Hiroaki can indeed be considered a skilled warrior."

This is a refuge established by our ancestors during the Warring States period to escape the chaos of war. Alas, I thought it had become useless, but unexpectedly..." The abbot sighed while urging the two to go up.

What? "What did you say?" His body involuntarily leaned forward

Under the thousand-mile mirror, the scene of the abbot is fully captured before one's eyes

The travelers climbed up to the secret loft at the top of the tower. The space was only the size of two or three rooms and was very low, making it impossible to stand upright. They greeted the abbot with a gesture of respect, stowed away the soft ladder, and the abbot closed the hidden door.

Then, this person is ... ...

I will not bet with you, the young man smiled, "Uesugi Tadayoshi has quite an eye, leaving him and Suda Chikazu to guard the front lines."

The general was greatly astonished

Hello," the middle-aged man said softly, "I seem to recognize this set of armor.

The two left the battlefield, traveling west with their staffs. As night was approaching, they entered a small village

The village has only about fifty households, but at the end of the village stands an ancient temple, quite magnificent and expansive. After the two entered the temple to pay their respects and met with the abbot, they learned that this "Linyan Temple" dates back to the end of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, and is considered a well-known place of worship.

Understood, Zheng Cheng sat upright again, his expression as cold as water. "Then why did you have to resign in advance? If I do not agree to keep you, will you not truly become a drifter?"

Under the banner of Shin Hong, the forces led by Shikazaki Nagatake, known as "White Day Dog," decisively defeated the likes of Kōryō and others. This comprised a new Uesugi cavalry unit formed by 1,400 horsemen from the Hōjō, Ogawara, Shimazu, Inoue, and Fujita clans, assembled from the war-captured troops of Echigo.

***

What are you saying? Don't panic, explain it clearly

The helmet in the attendant's hand is a black mesh, but the front is quite interesting, featuring a golden crescent moon. In the center of the crescent, there is an additional golden sun disc intricately carved with Sanskrit characters—faintly, the blowing back also bears Sanskrit inscriptions.

He really wanted to slap himself; what on earth was he saying in such a nonsensical manner: "However, right now I can only offer you a salary of two hundred stones near the Eight Seas Mountain. We can increase it once we reclaim the lost territory."

"I have neither seen it nor heard of it; if you don't believe me, come and see for yourself." The middle-aged man handed over the telescope. The young man took the telescope and brought it to the small opening.

The abbot instructed to summon the attendant to serve tea and inquired about the origins and names of the two individuals. They claimed to have come from Shinano, wishing to pay homage at the Kumano Sanzan, and then randomly fabricated two surnames, which did not raise any suspicion from the abbot. While they were conversing, suddenly a novice monk rushed in in a flustered manner

Please take a seat. Zheng Cheng waved a folding fan.

Upon counting the troops, there were surprisingly fewer than one thousand remaining. Among them, nearly all of the three thousand banner men from Guangliang were lost, leaving only fourteen riders.

Five days later, a swift horse galloped into Edo Castle. Hiroaki handwrote a report on the battle situation and expressed the desire to sever the hereditary territories of Masataka and Genro. It was a severance, not a reduction; the usually magnanimous Hiroaki this time even used the intense phrase, "Not a single stone should be left for them."

No, you are right. It should be as Lord Izu no Kami said, to cut off the fiefs of both families!" Qingfeng suddenly raised his voice, startling Zhengcheng: "Are you saying..."

"Has the general's disposal order arrived?" Zheng Cheng asked with considerable interest

However, in fact, this is not Uesugi Nobihiro himself; Nobihiro returned to Yonezawa with two thousand infantry and cavalry only ten days later.

Hearing him criticize the master so bluntly, Zheng Cheng was taken aback. He calmly asked, "So, Lord Yamauchi is here to take his leave. It is truly a pity that a general of your caliber does not go to the battlefield"

This is precisely what young people seem to aspire to infinitely, the admirable qualities of Uesugi Kenshin

"Yes," said Qingfeng, lowering his head, "I severely reprimanded both our side and Lord Jiecheng, demanding that they reinforce their troops and make amends for their mistakes. Additionally, Lord Izu no Kami retreated to the northeast, preparing to seek assistance from Sendai, but ultimately found himself besieged at Anjutsu..."

The large flag bearing the character "毗" soared amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Takashima Nagachika, the vanguard of the allied forces, bravely fought to the death on the spot. The armies of Aizu and Yuki turned and fled in unison, causing the three thousand samurai of Hiroaki to be unable to engage in battle effectively. Fortunately, thanks to the desperate resistance of Umihara Saburo no Suke, Hiroaki managed to escape with his life, but Saburo no Suke subsequently went missing.

The novice panted: "Today, I went up the mountain to chop firewood. As I was returning, I suddenly saw countless flags covering the mountains and the sky. A very large army is coming towards us."

The Shogunate coalition suffered a devastating blow

"I would rather become a ronin; I can no longer stay in Aizu for even a day!" Seihō seemed to calm down a bit, "Yamanouchi is not a hereditary vassal of the Hōshaku family. I have served loyally for over ten years and have repaid my gratitude. There is a saying in Han: 'A good bird chooses the right tree to perch on.' Although Japan is vast, I only wish to serve Your Highness. If Your Highness is unwilling to take me in, I would rather become a ronin."

"Murakami is quite adept at selecting terrain," a young man exclaimed, "to hold off an army of over ten thousand with just seven hundred men—could it be that Uesugi is truly invincible"

Ah, after enduring for a long time, the esteemed Lord Changsheng of the Red Army has finally made his appearance (can you guess who it is?)! ... At last, I can self-promote ... ah no, I can indulge in self-deprecation. ... that’s not right either; in short, I can dedicate myself to everyone (though that doesn’t sound very appealing, it seems I am somewhat lacking in vocabulary). Is there anyone willing to join? However, the framework for the first seven chapters of hetushucom.com has already been established. If you are interested in joining, please email me, and then we can look forward to it slowly. That’s not quite right either; in short, I can dedicate myself to everyone (though that doesn’t sound very appealing, it seems I am somewhat lacking in vocabulary). Is there anyone willing to join? However, the framework for the first seven chapters of hetushucom.com has already been established. If you are interested in joining, please email me, and then we can look forward to it slowly.

Uesugi Nobuhiro—he returned so quickly!

Even Matsudaira Hiroaki did not anticipate that Uesugi Nobuhira would act so swiftly. Both Hōsaka Masataka and Matsudaira Motohiro were utterly terrified upon seeing Kenshin's Sanskrit three crescent moon helmet.

Zheng Cheng's heart was pounding wildly, "bang bang," could it be that Yamauchi Haritake, the greatest warrior of the Eastern Kingdom, has actually defected from his lord to join him? Am I perhaps dreaming?

Upon hearing this, Qingfeng suddenly bent down, forcefully striking his head against the tatami mat: "I have come today to seek... to seek Your Highness's shelter for myself"

"Please hurry." Zheng Cheng quickly straightened his posture and sat up properly

The abbot scolded, "Truly a fool," and then turned to the two travelers: "You two have come at an unfortunate time; our country is currently at war. Our monastery is unlikely to be affected, but if you happen to encounter the warriors, you might be falsely accused of being spies—it's better to take shelter for now."

No, no, I do not wish to drive you two away; you may stay hidden within the temple. The abbot stood up holding the lantern and said, "Please follow me."

Oh, Zheng Cheng is a bit disappointed, there hasn't been a reduction in the fiefdoms. I originally thought... Ah, I truly apologize, that was rude, that was rude.

The middle-aged man sighed: "In those days, Murakami, Ogasawara, Suda, Inoue, Takanashi, Shimazu, and Kurita, seven families vied for supremacy in the northern Shinano region. After Lord Shingen moved north, they were forced to pledge allegiance to Kenshin. In order to help them reclaim their homeland, Kenshin engaged in six battles against Shingen at Kawanakajima, resulting in mutual destruction. The only gain from this was that he won the hearts of the seven families. Even old retainers like Karasaki and Saito had once turned against Kenshin, yet these families remained steadfast."

The novice monk's eyes widened: "So many long spears and broadswords, the disciple was so frightened that he nearly died of fear, hurried back to report to you, how could there be time to see his banner?"

I thought the chaotic times had come to an end, but who would have expected... Sigh—" A middle-aged man pretended to sigh dramatically, "It's just that it's already dark, and we are in an unfamiliar place. Where can we hide now?

Your Highness, the page knelt and reported, "Lord Yamanouchi of the Aizu Domain requests an audience."