Volume 2: Thick and Heavy Winds and Clouds Chapter 48: Holding Hostage

  Kuniojō's tenshu, inside the lord's residence, Takeda clan samurai exchanged glances, before them a pair of girls embracing each other and crying behind the door. Judging from their appearance, one seemed to be around 16 or 17 years old, the other around 13 or 14. These two were likely Kobayakawa Kiyohide's daughters.

  Looking at this pair of beautiful girls, many people present couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. Everyone looked at each other, the bloodstains on their swords and spearheads still dripping, and involuntarily felt embarrassed. Their family members, serving maids, hereditary vassals, and household warriors all lay dead under their blades, not one left alive.

  From the gate of the castle to the main tower, all along the way, corpses were scattered everywhere.

  Li Xiao looked at the expressions of his subordinates, a few Japanese warriors, and guessed that they were ruthless when killing people, but as soon as they saw a beauty cry, their mood changed. Indeed, beauties are formidable, one cry can turn even the toughest steel into softness.

  Just like the famous story of Minamoto no Yoshitsune in the Noh play "Ataka", during the Genpei War, when Minamoto no Yoshitsune was about to behead his enemy Taira no Atsumori, he lifted up Atsumori's helmet and suddenly realized that he was such a handsome young man, so he felt pity for him and decided to spare his life despite being enemies.

  However, Tōshirō refused to surrender, and Kumagai Naozane eventually took his head. He was overcome with emotion and left the battlefield to become a monk. From then on, the story of Toshirō's tragic death and Kumagai's subsequent retirement from the world became a legendary tale told among the people, sung in ballads everywhere. (It is well-known that Oda Nobunaga was a huge fan of this play.)

  However, this concept is still not understood by modern people. Kumagai Naotsune and Taira no Atsumori were both men, but the depiction of them in "Kumagai's Battle Camp" seems to have a somewhat homoerotic feel to it, or perhaps it was just a normal thing at that time.

  Li Xiao saw that the two weak girls didn't have much killing power, and signaled his men to put away their swords. It's always best to capture Fan Jingchun's family alive.

  "What's your name?" Li Xiao asked.

  The woman, who looked like an older sister, stood on the outside of her younger sister, with both arms wrapped around her in a protective manner. She was dressed in a yellow short jacket made of silk fabric unique to noblewomen of this era, and wore a white undergarment with long straight hair.

  She only saw her tightly closed lips, facing Li Xiao's inquiry, she stopped her tears and said after half a day: "We are already prisoners now, what's the use of knowing or not knowing names? Just hope you can treat us well, who in the world can have a long life? Maybe today our encounter, tomorrow you will also meet."

  The other party's words are quite reasonable, and it seems that they also have a clear understanding of things.

  "Since they are prisoners, they must have names. Never mind, I'll ask a few people from the Xiao family later and it will be the same." Li Xiao waved his hand, signaling to his guards to take these two men away, just not too roughly.

  In the early days of the Takeda army's invasion of Shinano, the treatment of prisoners of war was relatively cruel. When Shingen Takeda attacked Shika Castle in Shinano, the defending forces had already prepared to surrender, but were refused by him. After the Takeda army broke through Shika Castle with great force, a massacre ensued, and all the men in the city were killed, while the women and children were given to the Koshu gold miners as slaves.

  But in fact, Takeda Shingen soon suffered a setback. In one of the only two major defeats of his life, the Battle of Odawara Castle, Murakami Yoshikiyo told his men: "If you don't fight to the death, you will all be killed by the Takeda army and your wives and children will be sold to Kai to dig for gold."

  The result was that the Takeda army was defeated, and Shingen lost two of his most trusted generals, Itagaki Nobukata and Anayama Bokuden. After this defeat, Shingen became more cautious and there were fewer massacres after sieges.

  When the Takeda army soldiers were about to capture the two girls, no one saw the sister-like woman hiding a dagger in her sleeve.

  Just then, footsteps and clanking armor echoed from the stairs behind the great hall.

  "Yes, young master."

  Takeda Yoshinobu, clad in armor, walked to the second floor of the tenshukaku with his vassals. The Takeda family's soldiers nearby retreated and bowed.

  After arriving at the lord's residence, looking at the corpses and bloodstains along the way, Takeda Yoshinobu smiled slightly to the people present and said: "Everyone has worked hard."

  Takeda Yoshinobu immediately shifted his gaze to the two daughters of Obata Masachika, stared at them for a while, then nodded and said: "You are Obata Yumi and Obata Yoshitaka, the daughters of Obata Masachika. Good, I have very important military information to ask you."

  Takeda Yoshinobu said this, and most of the people present showed a subtle expression that men use to indicate understanding. As the eldest son of the Takeda family, no one present would have thought of competing with him, but they couldn't help but look at the two sisters with some regret, falling into Takeda Yoshinobu's hands.

  Just as Takeda Yoshinobu's men were about to lay hands on her, Komatsu Yumi suddenly flipped her wrist and a dagger slipped out of her sleeve, slashing the soldier's wrist. The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned for a moment, but Komatsu Yumi moved with incredible speed, closing in on Takeda Yoshinobu in the blink of an eye.

  In an instant, Takeda no Yoshinobu, the heir of the Takeda family, was held at knifepoint by a weak woman from the Obata family.

  This sudden change was beyond everyone's expectation, and at that moment, the Takeda family soldiers present, as well as the samurai with swords in their scabbards, all drew out their blades.

  "Let go of the young master." The most anxious were Takeda Yoshinobu's samurai attendants. If Takeda Yoshinobu were to die, they would all be unable to escape a death by seppuku.

  But Obata Yumi seemed to have made up her mind, and loudly said: "You quickly retreat, as long as you let us go, Lord Yoshinobu will definitely be safe." After finishing speaking, the dagger in Obata Yumi's hand tightened, and a blood mark was cut on Takeda Yoshinobu's neck.

  These Takeda no Yoshinobu's samurai attendants were suddenly unable to advance or retreat, holding samurai swords in their hands, yet not daring to move forward, truly at a loss.

  Li Xiao's face was extremely tense and worried, but in his heart he was secretly saying, "Kobayashi Yumi, come on, use a bit more force, let out this bit of blood, Takeda Yoshinobu won't die, another three millimeters down is the arterial blood vessel."

  Of course, Li Xiao was secretly hoping that Obata Yumi would kill Takeda Yoshinobu with one sword, so that Takeda Katsuyori would naturally become the first heir of the Takeda family and easily take over. In this way, Li Xiao's future in the Takeda family became much clearer.

  If Takeda Yoshinobu really did something wrong, as a foot soldier general in charge of attacking the castle on behalf of Takeda Katsuyori, Li Xiao would also bear some responsibility. If he were to be punished, it would definitely not be light, and at worst, he might even be stripped of his samurai status in the Takeda clan.

  Li Xiao decided not to make any rash moves for the time being, but rather observe the situation on the scene. Meanwhile, Shima Katsuto, Muraoka Isuke and the soldiers of the Takeda side were anxiously thinking of a way to rescue Takeda Yoshinobu, unaware of Li Xiao's intentions.

  Generally speaking, Takeda Yoshinobu's performance is still normal, no loud screams, whole body paralysis and softness, but also preserved the face of the Takeda family heir. However, from his eyes, it can be seen that he is really uncomfortable at this moment.

  At this moment, Takeda Yoshinobu's subordinate took action. The two sons of Obata no Kata, who had just been captured on the first floor, were carried up to the second floor by two samurai like chickens and sharp swords were placed on their necks.

  Kobayashi Yoshitaka's sister, Kobayashi Yoshisada, was also taken down by a samurai, her hands were pinned behind her back and pressed to the ground, with a katana placed at her snow-white neck.

  "Release the young master at once, or all four of you siblings will be buried together!" The leading samurai on Takeda Yoshinobu's side shouted loudly.