Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

"Let's go, let's go," Shichibei said, "hitchhiking the oxcart, driving the packhorses, and taking the gunpowder, gold, bamboo bundles, and wooden shields that Hideyoshi needed to the gates of Asaka Castle."

Hideyoshi, already a seasoned and experienced general, was observing the situation at Asaka Castle. To be precise, Asaka Castle was two castles merged into one, divided into north and south walls, both situated on a plateau. Moreover, to enhance its defenses, the plateau had been carved into steep cliffs, making it impossible to climb, and the plateau was surrounded by vertical moats.

Neither of the two outposts was large; the northern outpost was 70m x 70m, and the southern outpost was 25m x 30m, essentially two small beacon towers on the front lines. The distance between the northern and southern outposts was only 250 meters, meaning that attacking either side would result in long-range weapon fire from the other.

Japan's mountainous terrain has given rise to numerous such pesky little mountain towns. With just a fence, a well, and a few hundred bushels of rice stored, two hundred men armed with cannons and bows and arrows could hold off an army of several thousand.

After Hideyoshi finished observing the battlefield, he saw Shichibei chatting with Hachisuka Koroku, who was organizing the siege camp, so he took the initiative to come over and greet them.

how to spell?

Do not hit.

Hideyoshi revealed that he had secretly contacted Ōmiya Nyūdō Kanninsai, the uncle of the castle lord Ōmiya Ōnosuke, and that the 1,000 kan of gold was to be given to Ōmiya Kanninsai in exchange for him betraying his beloved nephew.

The battle hasn't even started yet. As long as Ōmiya Hanninsai surrenders the castle, the thousand kan will be his, and the territory of Asaka Castle will also be his.

Tsk, boring. It's the same old story of one family splitting into two, each side choosing one side. The plot will probably go like this: the Ōmiya family has a "fight" at night, Ōmiya Ōnojo flees to Ōkawachi Castle, and Ōmiya Kaminosai surrenders the castle.

Well, at least this is good for Hideyoshi. No one has to die, and not too much money has been spent. Nobunaga will probably give some rewards later, so all this trip has only cost some effort.

Then what do you need gunpowder for?

Fire the cannons at the city walls to signal Ōmiya Hanninsai to take action.

"Alright, Shichibei, pack up and prepare to leave Asaka Castle." Hideyoshi glanced at the sky and said that it would soon be dark, and it was not safe to travel at night in a war zone. Not to mention the simplest things like hunting warriors, sometimes even the troops fighting on their own side didn't mind hunting wild grass.

In the darkness, it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe, and there are numerous records of friendly forces killing each other in the history of Japan's Sengoku period.

Right? Born twenty years earlier, bro.

That makes sense. Let's wait until tomorrow during the day before leaving. It's definitely safe inside Hideyoshi's camp unless someone attacks at night. But looking at Rokuro's burly build and knowing that he and Ikoma Chikamasa would be on night watch separately, Shichibei felt completely at ease.

Go find my little brother Yamauchi Kazutoyo and brag to him. Hideyoshi's army now has over 3,500 men, all strengthened by Nobunaga with various reinforcements. During the previous expedition to Tajima, he commanded over 20,000 men without incident, and Nobunaga finds Hideyoshi increasingly lovable and capable.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo, already engaged, called Shichibei "brother" upon seeing him—and that was his true elder brother, as his two older brothers had already passed away. The matchmaker who acted as his go-between wasn't his elder brother; what then was?

The extremely attentive Yamauchi Kazutoyo not only cooked tea and rice for Shichibei, but also laid out a straw mat for him. He really went to great lengths.

Tut tut...

Shichibei slept soundly that night, but Hideyoshi did not. In the middle of the night, he had someone deliver 1,000 kan of gold to Asaka Castle. They agreed that the next morning, upon hearing the signal from the arquebus, Ōmiya Hanninsai would open the castle gates to pay the tribute.

After Shichibei had a good night's sleep, when he got up to wash and get ready, Hideyoshi was already standing below the castle, his eyes wide with anticipation, preparing to take control. Hideyoshi wasn't stupid; betraying the enemy general was one thing, but remaining vigilant until they were inside the castle was another.

Shichibei, who was already preparing to leave, thought to himself, "Let's see Hideyoshi's show of bravado." Fire cannons up the mountain, huh? How familiar that scene was. It's said that Ieyasu fired cannons up the mountain to send Hideyoshi's adopted son to kill Hideyoshi's loyal retainers.

"When should we fire the gun?" Shichibei asked, hands on his hips, standing on the carriage looking towards Asaka Castle.

"I don't know." What does Kazutoyo Yamauchi know?

So Shichibei turned to ask Hidenaga, who also put his hands on his hips and stood there gazing into the distance. Well, neither of them knew.

Then Hideyoshi ordered thirty arquebusiers, with the assistance of junior soldiers, to carry bundles of bamboo and rush to the castle. A burst of gunfire rang out. Sure enough, two plumes of smoke rose from inside the castle, accompanied by shouts of battle.

done?

Not to mention Hideyoshi, even Shichibei jumped off the carriage and had Hidenaga carry a wooden shield as they made their way down to the castle. Hideyoshi went even further, stepping over the bamboo bundles and appearing at the foot of the castle without any cover.

The shouts of battle within the castle grew increasingly fierce, even rang out with the firing of arquebuses. It seemed that Ōmiya Kanninsai was indeed wielding a knife to kill his own beloved nephew. However, such things were not uncommon in Japan's Sengoku period; without external intervention, the two sides might have already engaged in combat.

As the shouts of battle grew louder and louder towards the city gate, everyone's attention was drawn to them. Just then, the gates of Asaka Castle opened, and a group of samurai fled in disarray, abandoning their armor and weapons, while the samurai inside the castle fired their cannons and longbows incessantly.

Standing behind the earthen mound, Ōmiya Ōnojo saw that several people had broken free of the bamboo bundles and were just standing casually on the open ground below the castle, watching. Without saying a word, he picked up a bow and shot at the general below the castle.

Hideyoshi, who had been observing, suddenly felt a sense of danger and instinctively took a few steps back. Then, a long arrow struck him, and Hideyoshi fell to the ground.

Upon seeing Hideyoshi fall to the ground, Shichibei was terrified. He immediately grabbed the wooden shield that Hidenaga was carrying and ran forward crouching low. This was Kinoshita Hideyoshi, the future ruler of Japan in history!

Could he really die so haphazardly beneath the walls of an unnamed side city because of some minor historical fluctuations?

The other Kinoshita samurai who were watching rushed forward to rescue Hideyoshi. At this moment, Shichibei had already run to Hideyoshi's side, shouting his name loudly while grabbing his hand and dragging him backward.

Fortunately, Shichibei grew up picking up horse manure and brushing horses, and wasn't some pampered young master. Also, Hideyoshi wasn't fat or heavy, which is why he was able to pull the man away.

After retreating a few steps, Xiao Liu and Xiu Chang caught up. Xiao Liu was not afraid of guns and cannons. He hugged Xiu Ji to his arms, and Shichibei and Xiu Chang held up shields behind him for cover. They ran more than ten steps before retreating behind the bamboo bundle and iron cannon formation.

After settling Hideyoshi down and examining him, it became clear that the arrow hadn't struck his head or chest, but had instead pierced his thigh—probably both of his testicles…

176. Striving to save the thigh.

(Disclaimer: The emergency medical treatment content in this chapter is entirely fictional and has no factual basis whatsoever. The author assumes no responsibility for the following content.)

Fortunately, the weather was still warm, and since they were still in the midst of battle, Hideyoshi was only wearing open-crotch pants. After breaking the arrow shaft and lifting the straw folds of his already pierced skirt armor, the remaining half of the arrow shaft was clearly visible piercing through Hideyoshi's thigh.

More importantly, a large gash appeared on one side of the egg. The arrow that shot towards it had torn open a large section of the skin and flesh covering Hideyoshi's egg, revealing a gaping wound. It seemed that not only the skin and flesh had been removed, but the egg inside was also in danger.

How to do?

What should I do?

Shichibei immediately turned to look at the people on his left and right. "Aren't you all samurai? You kill and behead people every day. Don't you have any proper ways to treat external injuries? You can't just stand by and watch, can you? Are there any medicine monks in the reserve? Quickly grab one and treat him!"

Everyone panicked for a moment, after all, they didn't expect that Hideyoshi had been shot in the testicles and the groin. How should they treat such places? The last time Hideyoshi fought alongside Shichibei, his arm was wounded. He vaguely remembered that they heated the arrowhead over a fire until it was red-hot and then burned it directly into the wound.

Such emergency treatment on other skin areas is understandable; it can indeed prevent wound infection and inflammation. The skin and flesh are cooked, naturally preventing bacteria from entering. But putting aside the groin, you're even trying to burn Hideyoshi's testicles with an arrow!

The old saying goes that the ten fingers are connected to the heart, but now it seems that's not necessarily true; the egg is also connected to the heart. Just now, Hideyoshi was still able to howl a few times, but now, let alone howl, large beads of sweat roll down his face, and he's panting heavily.

There were no doctors in the camp, and by the time they went to Nobunaga's main camp to ask for one, it would be too late.

With a heavy heart, Shichibei had Koroku hold down Hideyoshi's upper body, and then had Hidenaga and Kinoshita Iesada spread Hideyoshi's legs apart, making him look like a "person". The handcuffs then grabbed a handful of wood ash from the extinguished pile of firewood and smeared it firmly onto Hideyoshi's testicles.

Then he took out his handkerchief and pressed it against the side that had already been patched, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. It was still autumn, and the weather was still warm during the day; he absolutely could not allow Hideyoshi's eggs to become infected.

This thing was never very effective to begin with, and if it gets infected and becomes useless, there's no hope for the rest of my life.

The servants around him were stunned by Shichibei's fierceness. Only Shichibei remained calm. He instructed his younger brother and retainers to hold down Hideyoshi's upper body, while he himself came over and pried open Hideyoshi's thighs to deal with the broken arrow at the base of his thigh.

Actually, there's no good way to do it; you just need to use a small knife that's been sterilized by a fire to cut open the skin and flesh and dig out the arrowhead.

Watching Xiao Liu's rather skillful technique, Shichibei felt that he had probably cut flesh from many people before. After the broken arrow was cut out, Shichibei did the same thing, except that the groin was much easier to bandage than the testicles. After all, the groin was easier to bandage, while the testicles could not be bandaged. He could only apply pressure to stop the bleeding and prevent the wound from reopening.

In just a short while, Hideyoshi would scream and wake up, only to fall into a coma again, screaming in his coma, in a vicious cycle.

Who told him to get shot in the egg? You have to be prepared for this kind of thing. These days, the chances of finding a good surgeon are practically zero. Even three hundred years from now, the best surgeons on the battlefield will still be dislocating thighs.

Swallowing hard, Shichibei had Ikoma Chikamasa come over and press down on Hideyoshi's testicles, gently pressing them, as pressing too hard wouldn't work. Shaking his hand, he looked at the unconscious Hideyoshi and uttered a few words of sorrow on his behalf.

Poor thing.

Fighting a battle with 75,000 men against 16,000, and for this situation to occur, truly demonstrates the perilous nature of warfare. Even in a favorable situation, lives are still at risk.

After a long period of activity, the people who had fled the city were finally brought before everyone. Because Shichibei and Hideyoshi looked alike, and Shichibei was also a senior retainer of the Oda clan, he could barely represent the Oda clan. Koroku escorted Shichibei to receive Ōmiya Hanninsai, who had escaped from the city.

Needless to say, Ōmiya Hanninsai's attempt to kill his nephew failed, and he not only failed but also lost more than a dozen skilled men. Now, hoping that Ōmiya Ōnojo would open the gates is even more difficult.

Ōmiya Hanninsai had never met Hideyoshi, only knowing that he was a short-statured general. Shichibei was slightly more handsome than Hideyoshi and was not bald. However, they were similar in height and build, and having spent years tending and herding horses in the sun and wind, they did not appear to be much different in age.

The fact that the entire army "supported" Shichibei naturally aroused no suspicion. Ōmiya Hanninsai kowtowed and begged for forgiveness, having wasted the thousand kan of gold sent into the city, a complete loss.

What's next? Hideyoshi is down, and it's unclear whether he'll live or die. The internal reconnaissance efforts have clearly failed, and launching a full-scale attack on Asaka Castle with human lives wouldn't have the desired impact.

These two small terraces, with walls as sharp as if cut by a knife, could hold off thousands or even tens of thousands of soldiers with just a few hundred. Even now, with Nobunaga's reinforcements increasing the number of Hideyoshi's troops to three thousand five hundred, it would probably be very difficult for them to take the castle by force.

After settling the Ōmiya Hanrenzai family in, everyone turned their attention to Koroku. Koroku was Hideyoshi's vice-general, as well as his most important partner and shareholder in his enterprise. Within the entire army, his prestige was second only to Hideyoshi, and he possessed the greatest command and leadership abilities.

Seeing that Hideyoshi's condition didn't seem too bad, Koroku quickly made a decision: maintain pressure on Asaka Castle and prevent the castle from learning that they had shot Hideyoshi. At the same time, he also needed to immediately inform Nobunaga and ask him to make a decision on his own.

Although the general in charge of the army was Hideyoshi, they, including Koroku, were actually Nobunaga's direct retainers, sent to bolster Hideyoshi's power.

If Hideyoshi were to pass away, it would depend on whether Hidenaga had the ability to command a large army and continue fighting for Nobunaga. If Hidenaga lacked this ability, Nobunaga would directly strip Hideyoshi of his domain and transfer his estate to other samurai to organize an army.

Following the custom of Japan's Sengoku period, Nene would likely marry the next samurai to take her place. After all, Hideyoshi had already organized a retainer group of several hundred people, ranging from banner magistrates to foot soldiers; Nobunaga would never give up such a ready-made samurai force.

Of course, it's also possible to find someone to be engaged to Hideyoshi's youngest daughter, who didn't exist in history but is still alive today.

Ugh……

Regardless of whether he's favored or not, serving Nobunaga is the top priority; otherwise, it's all for naught. This matter absolutely cannot be kept from Nobunaga; he must know immediately.

Alright, Shichibei was going back anyway, so he accepted the task and rode back to the main camp of the shogunate to report the matter to Nobunaga.

When Nobunaga, who was directing the siege of Ōkōchi Castle with his men and foot soldiers, learned that Hideyoshi had been shot in the testicle by an arrow from the castle soldiers and had fallen into a coma, he was not greatly alarmed, but he still got up abruptly.

He immediately ordered Sakuma Nobumori to temporarily act as the magistrate and oversee the main camp, while he himself led over a hundred followers to the walls of Asaka Castle to observe Hideyoshi's situation.

The scenarios we discussed above all assume Hideyoshi's death in battle. To be honest, Nobunaga certainly didn't want Hideyoshi to die, since he was very comfortable using him and he was very obedient.

If such a fine horse were to die, Nobunaga would surely shed a few tears.

Since it was Shichibei who came to deliver the message, Nobunaga immediately ordered Shichibei to lead the way and take him to see Hideyoshi's situation. Fortunately, the two places were not far apart, only a few kilometers away.

When they arrived, Hideyoshi was still lying unconscious. After all, he had been shot in the testicles and groin with arrows, so it was only natural that he would be unconscious for a day or two. Nobunaga brought a physician, who immediately went to check Hideyoshi's eyelids, feel his forehead, and said that he would unwrap the wounds that Koroku and Shichibei had bandaged and reapply the medicine.

Shichibei told him not to rush and to wait until the wound wouldn't reopen easily before removing the bandage. The doctor was also very curious that Ikoma Chikamasa was no longer pressing Hideyoshi's testicles; instead, Kinoshita Iesada was doing it.

What are you doing pressing on the egg?

Oh, I forgot to mention, the bleeding should have stopped by now, so there shouldn't be any need to keep the pressure applied.

Stop pressing, stop pressing, it's no use anymore. Find a clean cloth to wrap him up. If you press again, the Seven Spears of Jian Yue won't come out, but the Seven Egg-Mass will.

After carefully listening to Shichibei's temporary treatment for Hideyoshi, the doctor looked at Hideyoshi's testicles, which were about to have their handkerchiefs removed and cleaned, and sighed repeatedly.

The bleeding stopped, and Hideyoshi didn't seem to have developed a high fever. Perhaps this emergency treatment was quite effective.

"Can Hiyoshi's life be saved?!" Nobunaga didn't care about anything else, he just asked this one question.

"It seems there's nothing to worry about." The doctor thought for a moment, and considering Hideyoshi's condition at the scene, felt that Hideyoshi's vital signs were quite stable.

"Indeed!" Upon hearing this, Nobunaga visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Shichibei, who was watching from the sidelines, was struck by Nobunaga's use of the name "Hiyoshi" (日吉). Nobunaga and Hideyoshi clearly had a good relationship; at this point, only Hideyoshi's mother, Achu, and his son, Roku, would still call him "Hiyoshi." After all, if Wang Anshi became prime minister, would you still call him "Badger" (坏郎)? If Yuwen Tai became emperor, would you still call him "Black Otter" (黑獭)?

"It's about nine-tenths." The physician took Hideyoshi's pulse again, and it was indeed steady.

"Phew..." Nobunaga breathed a long sigh of relief.

Turning his head, he looked at the retainers he had assigned to Hideyoshi. Before he could even open his eyes, a whole group of samurai knelt down. Their commander had been wounded by an arrow, yet the retainers were all standing there unharmed. To put it bluntly, they had failed in their duty to protect their commander and deserved to die.

Nobunaga remained silent, and two of his pagemen brought over a small stool. The stool was positioned slightly below the spot where Hideyoshi had fired his arquebusiers that morning to signal the castle.

With this kind of behavior, who doesn't understand?

All the warriors, fully armored, summoned their most elite followers and trusted samurai. All the arquebusiers in the ranks were drawn out, carrying bundles of bamboo, and approached the city walls to suppress the defenders with firepower.