Chapter 66

After half an hour, the battle gradually subsided. Apart from a small number of samurai who fled, most of the loyal samurai from the Kogane and Fujiwara allied forces had been killed, and the peasant soldiers from both families mostly fled in disarray. Those who could not escape had already surrendered. Of course, the Rō family also suffered casualties for the first time, with one ashigaru killed and two injured. Even if they recovered, they would no longer be able to participate in battles.

"Ha ha ha, you have this day too," Taira no Tadayoshi laughed as he looked at the bodies of Fujiwara no Masahiro and Kogane no Daizō collected from the battlefield, "I always said I would use your heads to drink wine."

"Congratulations, Lord Tadayoshi, on this great victory," Masahiro congratulated him from behind. The Rō family's cape-wearing retainers subtly surrounded the exhausted Taira family members.

"This... it's all thanks to Lord Masahiro's support," Tadayoshi's face turned red, and to cover his embarrassment, he quickly smiled and said, "Lord Masahiro, how do you plan to handle these prisoners and the captured weapons?" In fact, Tadayoshi now regretted promising too much reward earlier and wanted to probe Masahiro's thoughts, as the territory had suffered heavy losses, and it would be better to try to gain as much as possible.

"Oh, what do you think, Lord Tadayoshi?" Masahiro smiled slightly and slowly drew his sword, Ichimonji from his waist.

"This..." Tadayoshi was about to express his thoughts when he suddenly saw the Ichimonji in Masahiro's hand, his face changed drastically, and he quickly took several steps back, stammering, "Y-You... what are you? What is your relationship with Itakura Tarō?" The people behind Tadayoshi immediately became alert upon seeing their lord's sudden change in expression.

"Kill!" Masahiro pointed his long sword and shouted.

"Whoosh," "Whoosh," "Whoosh"... The Rō family's men, who had been prepared, immediately released their arrows. Tadayoshi and several others were instantly turned into pincushions.

"Ah! Itakura Tarō, I'll wait for you below!" Tadayoshi shouted with wide eyes and a fierce expression just before he died. Poor Itakura Tarō, even in death, he became the target of a curse.

With the last enemy eliminated, Masahiro sheathed his Ichimonji, waved his hand to signal the surrounding cape-wearing retainers to clean up the battlefield, and then turned to the gathered retainers and asked, "What is the situation now?"

"Your Highness, preliminary statistics show that there are over thirty bodies on the battlefield and more than twenty wounded from the three families. This time, our family has captured over forty prisoners, and the rest of the peasant soldiers have scattered. According to the prisoners' identification, most of the samurai and retainers from the Kogane and Fujiwara families have been killed, but some have escaped, including Kogane no Daizō's son," Ōe no Kuniyori bowed and reported.

"Hmm, time is pressing. Kuniyori, Hiromune, immediately gather your men and act according to the plan, and make sure to complete it by tonight," Masahiro quickly issued orders, "Tadayoshi, you lead twenty ashigaru to clean up the battlefield."

"Yes, Your Highness," the men acknowledged and left. According to the plan, after defeating the two allied forces, Ōe no Kuniyori and Tsuda no Hiromune would each lead over fifty men to immediately follow the defeated forces and seize Tōhira Castle and Kogane Castle. Tadayoshi would stay behind to clean up the battlefield and clear the scattered peasant soldiers in the fields. Masahiro would remain in Tashiro Castle to command from the center, and more importantly, the remaining forces in the Taira family's territory, even with the injured ashigaru, numbered only about forty. To prevent the scattered peasant soldiers from joining forces to attack Tashiro Castle, as the strongest combat force in the territory, Masahiro had to personally stay and command.

After hastily gathering everyone and instructing them to prepare their evening meal (which Masahiro had specially arranged before leaving Tashiro Castle to ensure that their strength would be quickly replenished after the afternoon march), the two groups set out. Ōe no Kuniyori and Tsuda no Hiromune knew they had to quickly seize the territories of the Kogane and Fujiwara families before the surrounding "sparrows" could react, otherwise, the Rō family, which had just gained a foothold, would immediately face the threat of being contested by the surrounding powerful families.

On the way, everyone ran at a steady pace, thanks to their regular morning cross-country runs. Despite the mountainous terrain, they managed to maintain their formation over the short distance. They encountered many peasant soldiers from the two families who had just left the battlefield. Ōe no Kuniyori and Tsuda no Hiromune's groups ignored them, and these peasant soldiers, mistaking the group for pursuers, fled into the nearby forests without hesitation.

An hour later, Tsuda no Hiromune led his group through several forests and arrived near Kogane Castle, the closest to the morning's battlefield. After a brief rest in the forest, Hiromune immediately led his men to attack Kogane Castle. At this time, Kogane Castle had just received news of the lord's defeat and death, and the Kogane family members left in the castle were arguing about whether to defend the castle or flee. The dozen or so ashigaru responsible for guarding the castle were also anxious, fearing the arrival of the enemy's main force.

"Look, what is that?" A foot soldier on the earthen wall suddenly shouted, pointing to the west side of the castle. The others looked in the direction he pointed and saw dozens of unknown soldiers rapidly approaching the castle. The ten leading soldiers were wearing white eagle capes. "Ah! It's them. The few who just returned and reported said that the terrifying force that defeated the lord," another foot soldier suddenly shouted. Clearly, these white capes had left a deep impression on the fleeing peasant soldiers.

"Enemy attack, quick! Close the gate!" A foot soldier on the wall shouted to the two foot soldiers guarding the gate. One of the foot soldiers immediately prepared to close the gate, but the other suddenly stopped him, "What's the point of closing the gate? Our lord has been defeated. Even if we temporarily hold the castle, once the enemy's main force arrives, can we defend it with just a few of us? If we close the gate, we will share the fate of the Kogane family. But how have they treated us? The provisions they give us can't even sustain us," the one speaking was Itan.

"Then, what do you suggest?" The foot soldier preparing to close the gate was clearly swayed.

"Surrender to those lords, or leave immediately to avoid being killed," Itan said, "I'm going to surrender to those lords, what about you?"

"Me?" The foot soldier hesitated, thought for a moment, and finally said, "I'll surrender too." Riches come with risks. The two quickly discussed their decision with the others, and everyone agreed. The Kogane family members responsible for the overall defense were completely unaware that the foot soldiers had defected. Itan represented the group and expressed their desire to surrender to Tsuda no Hiromune, who had just arrived. Hiromune laughed and immediately accepted their surrender, promising rewards from the lord. The surrendered group was overjoyed.

With the cooperation of the foot soldiers, Hiromune quickly took control of the gate and then rushed to the place where the Kogane family members were gathered to discuss.

Compared to Hiromune, Ōe no Kuniyori, who was farther away, took nearly an hour and a half to reach Tōhira Castle. At this time, the fleeing Fujiwara peasant soldiers had not yet returned home, so the people in Tōhira Castle still thought their lord was leading the family's forces to conquer the territory. More seriously, to prevent nearby powerful families from taking advantage of the empty territory, most of the twenty or so ashigaru left to guard the castle were dispatched to the border checkpoints. Tōhira Castle was now like a beauty with her legs wide open, ready to be taken.

Seeing the open gate of Tōhira Castle, guarded by only one foot soldier, Ōe no Kuniyori was overjoyed and immediately led his men to charge into the castle without hesitation. The foot soldier guarding the gate, seeing a large group of enemies rushing towards him, dropped his weapon and ran away. Ōe no Kuniyori easily occupied the gate, closed it, and prepared to trap the enemy inside.

After a brief battle, Tōhira Castle was quickly cleared. Ōe no Kuniyori then sent several samurai, led by the surrendered peasant soldiers, to the border checkpoints to persuade the ashigaru who were unaware of the Fujiwara family's demise to surrender.

Thus, the Fujiwara family, which had once been on the brink of extinction and then miraculously revived, finally disappeared from the pages of history.

Meanwhile, Masahiro in Tashiro Castle was busy settling affairs. He first arranged for twenty ashigaru to guard the checkpoint at the border between the Taira and Sōryō families, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving. Then, accompanied by Kōsuke, he personally went to the town to reassure the residents and stabilize the situation. Finally, Masahiro personally directed the treatment of the wounded peasant soldiers, as they would soon be his subjects. To win their hearts, he even allowed the wounded peasant soldiers to return to their homes, which had been confirmed as safe. This move greatly won the support of the residents outside Tashiro Castle. Of course, for those with severe injuries, there was nothing he could do, and he had no choice but to leave it to fate. After the inspection, Kōsuke was left outside the city to secretly monitor suspicious individuals among the residents. Tadayoshi led part of the ashigaru to patrol the new territory, capturing suspicious individuals and the remaining wandering peasant soldiers.

In the evening, Tōgō no Masahiro also rushed to the castle with over ten men, bringing an important message.

(PS: I have a cold and a fever, and I'm not in the best condition, but I promised not to miss any updates, so I persisted in writing this chapter. The quality might not be the best, so please bear with me! The new book is entering its fifth week, already A-signed, and has been updated with over 180,000 words, with no missed updates, and at least 1.5 million words planned. It was on the Sanjiang Potential List in the third week, the New Book Recommendation List last week, and the Historical Category Strong Recommendation List this week. Dear readers, after reading, please don't leave immediately. Even if you don't have votes, add the book to your shelf. I humbly request your support. My goal is to write at least 1.5 million words, even if it means a spectacular failure. I enjoy writing and embracing solitude.)