The Standard Bearer of Ieyasu Tokugawa snapped loudly in the damp sea wind. In the distance, the outline of Kujou Encampment loomed faintly through the morning mist and mountain haze, like a dormant giant beast. Built against the mountains, this fortress was the key gateway to the heart of Inazuma, and it was now firmly held by a stubborn enemy.
Tadakatsu Honda, the fierce warrior known as the Soul of the Tokugawa, wore his iconic deer-horned kabuto. His dark, Western-style cuirass was already dust-streaked from battle. He stood firm at the front line, his sharp gaze piercing the fog as he studied the fortress that seemed calm yet brimmed with hidden killing intent. Behind him stood two hundred elite Tokugawa soldiers, silent and solemn. Though few in number, they were all veterans of a hundred battles, their eyes holding only absolute trust in their lord and a hunger for combat.
The Demon Heihachi felt not the slightest trace of contempt. He knew well that within the walls stood Kujou Sara, famed for her lightning-like archery, and Ayaka, the talented eldest daughter of the Kamisato Clan with peerless swordsmanship, along with eight hundred of Inazuma’s finest samurai and ashigaru. To storm such a stronghold would be nothing less than throwing eggs against a rock.
Inside the encampment, Kujou Sara stood atop the highest watchtower, her sharp eyes sweeping over the sparse formation of the Tokugawa army below. Her posture was tall and straight, like a hawk soaring through the sky.
“Only two hundred men? Is Tadakatsu Honda overconfident, or does he have another scheme?” she murmured to Kamisato Ayaka beside her.
Ayaka was dressed in snow-white robes, her folding fan gently closed, her expression calm and cold.
“Lady Sara, we must not be careless. The title Lone Wolf of Mikawa is no empty rumor. The weaker they appear, the fiercer their hidden trap may be.”
She looked beyond the walls, where an uneasy undercurrent seemed to lurk within the thin enemy lines. The eight hundred Inazuma soldiers were already in position, bows drawn, blades unsheathed, waiting in grim silence, the air heavy with iron and blood.
The first probing attack began in the afternoon. Tokugawa soldiers surged toward the walls like a tide, yet they could not advance an inch under the dense arrow rain and precise musket fire of the Inazuma forces. Logs and stones crashed down, accompanied by shrill screams. The Tokugawa vanguard was forced to retreat, leaving dozens of bodies on the muddy ground. Tadakatsu’s expression was icy. He swung the Tonbokiri—one of the Three Great Spears of Japan—knocking aside several stray arrows, and roared for his troops to hold formation. He witnessed firsthand the tight, tough defense of the Inazuma army: Kujou Sara’s calm command, and Kamisato Ayaka’s agile figure appearing at the most critical points on the line, her sword Mistsplitter glinting coldly as she repelled multiple attempts to scale the walls.
The sun sank, painting the sky a ghastly blood-red. The mood in the Tokugawa main camp was heavy. The first battle had failed, and their inferior numbers were fully exposed. Tadakatsu stroked the cold shaft of the Tonbokiri, his brows deeply furrowed. A direct assault was hopeless. Were they truly to be stuck here, wasting troops beneath an impregnable fortress?
Just then, steady footsteps approached. The strategist Kanbei Kuroda, wearing a dark gray kasaya and holding a command fan, walked slowly to Tadakatsu’s side. His usually half-closed eyes now shone with the light of total understanding.
“Lord Heihachi, are you troubled by this turtle shell?”
Kanbei’s voice was slightly hoarse, yet it carried a calming power.
Tadakatsu snorted coldly.
“Kanbei, do you have some clever trick? Do you plan to sing their walls down with that Kuroda tune of yours?”
Kanbei smiled faintly and pointed his fan at the thick forest beside Kujou Encampment and its heavy wooden structure.
“Look. It has been dry for days. Although the sea wind is damp, the trees inside the forest and the building timber are completely parched. Kujou Encampment is built against the mountain, good for defense… but also good for fire to spread.”
He paused, lowering his voice.
“The southeast wind will blow tonight. It is a heaven-sent opportunity.”
A sharp light flashed in Tadakatsu’s eyes.
“Fire attack?”
“Exactly,” Kanbei nodded. “I have already ordered men to secretly gather large amounts of kindling and oil. They will sneak under the walls and around the forest edge after dark. When the fire ignites, the wind will fuel it into a blaze. They will either burn alive… or be forced to rush out of this furnace. And we will be waiting outside, rested and ready.”
Tadakatsu took a deep breath and slapped Kanbei heavily on the shoulder.
“Good! We will follow your plan! If we succeed, you shall have the highest merit!”
At midnight, the moon was hidden and the wind rose strong. Dozens of agile Tokugawa ninja moved like ghosts, carrying incendiary materials, slipping silently into position. Though the Inazuma sentries were alert, they failed to fully detect the threats in the dark.
Suddenly, a flaming arrow sliced through the night sky like a falling star, striking precisely into a corner stacked with dry wood and oil.
BOOM!
Flames erupted instantly, greedily devouring the dry timber. Almost at the same moment, multiple fires broke out together. The southeast wind roared in, sweeping sparks and fire toward the heart of the encampment and deep into the woods.
“Fire! The camp is on fire!”
“Put it out! Hurry!”
Inside Kujou Encampment, chaos erupted at once. Shouts of panic, cries, and the crackle of burning wood intertwined. Crimson flames shot into the sky, thick smoke billowing, blocking out the stars and moon. Inazuma soldiers trying to fight the fire were driven back by scorching heat and smoke; order collapsed swiftly in the face of sudden disaster.
Kujou Sara rushed out of her quarters, only to be met with a hellish sea of fire. Her eyes bloodshot, she knew all was lost.
“Cowards! Using such underhanded methods!”
She gritted her teeth and made a quick decision.
“All forces, listen! Abandon the encampment! Break out through the west gate! We will not wait here to die!”
Kamisato Ayaka covered her mouth with her sleeve, coughing. Her white robes looked blood-stained in the firelight.
“Lady Sara, the enemy must have an ambush outside the gates!”
“I know!” Kujou Sara grabbed her hand. “But staying inside means certain death! Break out, and there is still a chance! Gather the men and follow me!”
The gate crashed down in flames. Disheveled and terrified Inazuma soldiers poured out like a flood breaking a dam. Stripped of their defenses, their formation shattered, many could not even hold their weapons properly.
Waiting for them, however, was the Tokugawa musket corps, already in formation.
“Take aim!”
“Fire!”
BANG BANG BANG!
Musket fire crackled like popping beans, white smoke filling the air. Lead bullets swept like a storm of death, cutting down the frontline Inazuma soldiers in an instant. Screams rose one after another; those hit fell like cut wheat. Chaos worsened. The breakout force slammed into an invisible wall of death.
At the height of the confusion, a thunderous roar shook the entire battlefield:
“Tadakatsu Honda of the Tokugawa is here! You rats, face your deaths!”
Tadakatsu Honda charged at the forefront, wielding the twelve-foot Tonbokiri, descending like a war god straight into the fleeing Inazuma ranks. Wherever he passed, sword-light flashed and spear-shadows danced, unleashing a storm of bloodshed. Swords and spears struck his armor, sparking faintly but barely scratching him. Each swing of the Tonbokiri sent blood flying, claiming multiple lives. He cut a bloody path through the disorganized enemy like a tiger among sheep, charging straight for the Kujou banner, still barely standing amid the chaos.
“Kujou Sara! Face me in single combat!”
Tadakatsu’s roar drowned out all battlefield noise.
Lit by fire, Kujou Sara pushed aside her guards, nocking an arrow, her eyes sharp as an eagle’s.
“Tadakatsu Honda! Do not be so arrogant!”
She knew that only by defeating this Tokugawa titan could she turn the tide and buy time for her troops to escape. Three arrows flew almost in a line, screaming through the air toward Tadakatsu’s face, throat, and chest!
Tadakatsu did not dodge or block. The Tonbokiri spun like a wheel, and with several crisp clangs, all three lightning-fast arrows were knocked away! His warhorse did not slow; in an instant he was before Kujou Sara.
Sara discarded her bow and drew her sword. The cold glint of the blade reflected her determined face. With a sharp cry she leaped into the air, slashing toward Tadakatsu with a ribbon of light. This strike concentrated her lifelong skill, faster than the eye could follow.
Yet Tadakatsu Honda’s combat experience was unmatched. Facing this fierce blow, he merely shifted slightly. The Tonbokiri struck like a venomous dragon, moving later but arriving first, piercing precisely into the one flaw in Sara’s stance—the moment her old strength faded and new strength had not yet come.
SPURT!
The spear tip slipped through a gap in her armor and sank deep into flesh. Kujou Sara’s body jolted violently, her sword strike dying away. She looked down in disbelief at the spear shaft piercing her body, blood streaming down the tassels.
“Ugh… lightning… eternity…”
She muttered faintly, the light in her eyes fading rapidly.
Tadakatsu Honda flicked his arm, flinging her body from his horse.
“Kujou Sara has been slain!”
His voice boomed like a bell, announcing the collapse of Inazuma’s spiritual pillar.
Nearby, Kamisato Ayaka, struggling to organize resistance, watched in heart-wrenching grief.
“Sara!” she cried, knowing all was lost. Protected by her loyal retainers who fought to the death, she glanced tearfully at where Sara had fallen, then activated Kamisato Art: Soha. Her figure flickered several times through fire and smoke, vanishing from the edge of the chaotic battlefield.
With their commander dead and Kamisato Ayaka in retreat, Inazuma resistance completely collapsed. Survivors either knelt to beg for mercy or fled in all directions, yet most were cut down without mercy by the Tokugawa forces. The battlefield gradually fell silent, leaving only the crackle of fire and the dying groans of the wounded.
Tadakatsu Honda reined in his horse amid the sea of corpses and blood, the tip of the Tonbokiri still dripping. He gazed at the victory forged by Kanbei Kuroda’s wit and his own martial prowess, slowly removing his fearsome deer-horned helmet to reveal a stern, slightly weary face.
“Clear the battlefield and tally the casualties,” he commanded in a deep voice. His eyes turned once more to the still-burning ruins of Kujou Encampment, and to the distant, deep interior of Inazuma. This victory was merely another stepping stone on the path of the Shogun’s conquest. And the campaigns of the Demon Heihachi were far from over. The air reeked of smoke and blood, proclaiming that the banner of the Tokugawa would continue to fly over this land.
德川家康的旌旗在潮湿的海风中猎猎作响，远方，九条阵屋的轮廓在弥漫的晨雾与山岚中若隐若现，如同蛰伏的巨兽。这座依托山势而建的城寨，是通往稻妻腹地的关键锁钥，此刻正被顽敌牢牢占据。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUDqsILQTV
本多忠胜，这位被誉为“德川之魂”的猛将，身披那标志性的鹿角胁立兜，黝黑的南蛮胴具足上已沾染了征尘。他屹立于阵前，锐利的目光穿透雾气，审视着那座看似静谧，实则杀机四伏的堡垒。他身后，是两百名默然肃立的德川精锐，人数虽寡，却皆是百战余生之士，眼神中只有对主将的绝对信任与对战斗的渴望。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM531mLyq7n
“鬼之平八”心中并无丝毫轻敌。他深知，据守其中的，是那位以雷光般箭术闻名的九条裟罗，以及才华横溢、剑术超群的神里家大小姐绫华，更有八百名稻妻最精锐的武士与足轻。强攻这样的坚城，无疑是以卵击石。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡceuWgL3D7J
阵屋内，九条裟罗屹立在最高的橹台上，锐利的眼眸扫视着下方德川军微弱的阵容。她身姿挺拔，如同翱翔天际的鸷鸟。“只有两百人？本多忠胜是过于自信，还是另有所图？”她低声对身旁的神里绫华说道。绫华一袭白衣如雪，折扇轻合，面容清冷：“裟罗大人，不可大意。‘三河孤狼’之名，绝非虚传。彼辈越是示弱，恐藏匿之杀招越是凌厉。”她望向寨墙之外，那稀疏的敌军阵列中，仿佛潜藏着令人不安的暗流。八百名稻妻士兵早已各就各位，弓上弦，刀出鞘，严阵以待，沉默中弥漫着铁血的气息。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Tr1Yek5YY
第一次试探性的进攻在午后展开。德川士兵如潮水般涌向寨墙，却在稻妻军密集的箭雨与精准的铁炮射击下寸步难行。滚木礌石轰然落下，伴随着凄厉的惨叫，德川军的先锋被迫退回，在泥泞的土地上留下了数十具尸体。本多忠胜面沉如水，他挥动天下三名枪之一的“蜻蜓切”，格开几支流矢，喝令部队稳住阵脚。他亲眼目睹了稻妻军防御的严密与坚韧，九条裟罗的指挥若定，神里绫华那灵动的身影在关键时刻总能出现在防线最吃紧的地方，手中太刀“雾切”寒光闪烁，击退数次登墙的企图。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLh4mpIzogb
夕阳西沉，将天空染成一片凄艳的血红。德川军本阵气氛凝重，初战受挫，兵力劣势暴露无遗。本多忠胜抚摸着蜻蜓切冰冷的枪杆，眉头紧锁。强攻已然无望，难道真要在此顿兵坚城之下？
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjUWMWnN5Q
就在此时，一阵平稳的脚步声传来。军师黑田官兵卫，身着墨色袈裟，手持军配团扇，缓步走到本多忠胜身旁。他那双总是半眯着的眼睛里，此刻却闪烁着洞悉一切的光芒。“平八大人，可是在为这龟壳烦恼？”官兵卫的声音带着一丝沙哑，却有着安定人心的力量。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aM6Facyot
忠胜冷哼一声：“官兵卫，你有何妙计？莫非要用你那黑田节唱垮他们的城墙？”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrmLq8mrttf
官兵卫微微一笑，团扇指向九条阵屋依傍的那片茂密山林与阵屋本身大量使用的木质结构。“您看，连日天干物燥，海风虽湿，但山林内部与建筑木料早已干透。九条阵屋依山而建，利于防守，却也利于……火势蔓延。”他顿了顿，声音压低，“今夜东南风起，正是天赐良机。”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQ8MwgBm2c
忠胜眼中精光一闪：“火攻？”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNEbVxUlBe
“正是。”官兵卫颔首，“我已命人秘密准备大量易燃之物与油料，趁夜潜入其寨墙之下及周边林缘。届时火起，风助火势，必成燎原之态。彼辈要么葬身火海，要么……就只能冲出这熔炉，而我们在外，正好以逸待劳。”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFFUemrhssr
忠胜深吸一口气，重重拍了拍官兵卫的肩膀：“好！就依你之计！若能成功，你当居首功！”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ24vDcQU9tW
子夜时分，月黑风高。数十名身手矫健的德川忍者如同鬼魅，携带着引火之物，悄无声息地潜入预定位置。稻妻军的哨兵虽然警惕，却未能完全察觉这些暗夜中的威胁。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiptbYfBU6k
突然，一道火箭划破夜空，如同坠落的星辰，精准地射入了一处堆放了干柴和火油的角落。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsyr0Oo80g
轰——！
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwnUm8AX8KP
火焰瞬间窜起，贪婪地舔舐着干燥的木材。几乎在同一时间，多处火头同时爆发，东南风适时而至，呼啸着将火星与烈焰卷向阵屋的核心区域和林木深处。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpnMiyMNhwQ
“火！起火了！”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxJubSZgOI
“快救火！”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGUbliealj
九条阵屋内，瞬间陷入一片混乱。惊呼声、哭喊声、木材燃烧的噼啪声交织在一起。赤红的火舌冲天而起，浓烟滚滚，遮星蔽月。试图救火的稻妻士兵被灼热的气浪和浓烟逼退，秩序在突如其来的灾难面前迅速崩溃。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0W8j4AJ5s
九条裟罗冲出居室，映入眼帘的是一片地狱般的火海。她目眦欲裂，深知已无法挽回。“卑鄙！竟用如此手段！”她咬牙，迅速做出决断，“全军听令！放弃阵屋，从西门突围！绝不能坐以待毙！”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bRoFGKcPO
神里绫华以袖掩面，咳嗽着，她的白衣在火光映照下如同染血。“裟罗大人，敌军必在门外设伏！”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5EOt7myLl
“我知道！”九条裟罗拉起她的手，“但留在里面只有死路一条！冲出去，尚有一线生机！集结队伍，随我突围！”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVlyczSvFI
寨门在火焰中轰然倒塌，被烟火熏得狼狈不堪、惊慌失措的稻妻士兵如同决堤的洪水，蜂拥而出。他们失去了阵地的庇护，队形散乱，许多人甚至连武器都未能握紧。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrwLkdBllc
然而，等待他们的，是德川军早已严阵以待的火枪队。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5iCn1a3vZ
“瞄准！”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiDc9GUu1pZ
“射击！”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMkvbUDXymb
砰砰砰——！
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6esoeaHjKW
爆豆般的铁炮声密集响起，白色的硝烟弥漫开来。铅弹如同死亡的风暴，瞬间扫倒了冲在最前面的稻妻士兵。惨叫声此起彼伏，中弹者如同被割倒的麦秆般成片倒下。混乱进一步加剧，突围的稻妻军仿佛撞上了一堵无形的死亡之墙。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfVbXQxCBoL
就在这混乱达到顶点的时刻，一声如同雷霆般的怒吼震撼了整个战场：
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaFl7u3iJ3v
“德川之本多忠胜在此！鼠辈，纳命来！”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtTIGV2C86
只见本多忠胜一马当先，手持丈二蜻蜓切，如同战神下凡，直接撞入了溃散的稻妻军中。他所过之处，刀光闪烁，枪影纵横，掀起一片腥风血雨。稻妻士兵的刀剑砍在他的具足上，只能迸溅出零星火花，难以伤其分毫。而他的蜻蜓切每一次挥动，都必然带起一蓬血雨，收割走数条性命。他如同虎入羊群，所向披靡，硬生生在混乱的敌阵中杀开一条血路，直取那面在混乱中依旧勉力维持的九条家旗印。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrT5w2jSdkC
“九条裟罗！可敢与我一战！”忠胜的怒吼压过了战场的一切喧嚣。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllIpmvYdea
火光映照下，九条裟罗推开护卫，张弓搭箭，眼神锐利如鹰。“本多忠胜！休得猖狂！”她深知，此刻唯有击败这德川猛将，方能挽回一丝颓势，为部队突围争取时间。三支箭矢几乎连成一线，带着凄厉的破空声，分取忠胜的面门、咽喉与胸口！
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebvGI8VAV4
忠胜不闪不避，蜻蜓切舞动如轮，只听“叮叮当”几声脆响，那迅若雷霆的三箭竟被悉数磕飞！他胯下战马不停，瞬间已冲至九条裟罗近前。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqh0TZglJA8
裟罗弃弓拔刀，太刀出鞘，清冷的刀光映着她决绝的面容。她娇叱一声，纵身跃起，刀光如匹练般斩向忠胜！这一刀，凝聚了她毕生修为，快得超乎肉眼捕捉。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzrycXY2oLm
然而，本多忠胜的战斗经验何其丰富。面对这凌厉一击，他仅是微微侧身，蜻蜓切如毒龙出洞，后发先至，精准地刺向裟罗招式中的唯一破绽——她旧力已尽、新力未生之瞬。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpe7AXgji8
“噗嗤！”
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7JnnvaiDp
枪尖穿透铠甲的缝隙，深入血肉。九条裟罗的身体猛地一颤，刀势顿消。她难以置信地低头，看着贯穿自己身体的枪杆，鲜血顺着枪缨汩汩流下。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVC42cB56S
“呃……雷光……永恒……”她艰难地吐出几个字，眼中的神采迅速黯淡。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqaVnciM2e
本多忠胜手臂一振，将她的尸体甩落马下。“九条裟罗，已讨取！”他声如洪钟，宣告着稻妻军精神支柱的崩塌。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWx28L4rtbS
不远处，正在奋力组织抵抗的神里绫华目睹了这一幕，心如刀绞。“裟罗！”她悲呼一声，心知大势已去。在忠心家臣的拼死护卫下，她含泪看了一眼九条裟罗倒下的方向，旋即施展神里流霰步，身影在火光与烟雾中几个闪烁，消失在混乱的战场边缘。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YBSAK19Uo
主将阵亡，神里绫华败走，使得稻妻军的抵抗彻底瓦解。残存的士兵或跪地求饶，或四散奔逃，但大多被德川军无情剿杀。战场逐渐平息，只剩下火焰燃烧的噼啪声和伤者垂死的呻吟。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrpkut8zQD
本多忠胜勒马立于尸山血海之中，蜻蜓切的枪尖犹在滴血。他望着眼前这片由黑田官兵卫的智谋与自己武勇共同铸就的胜利场景，缓缓摘下了那顶狰狞的鹿角兜，露出一张坚毅而略带疲惫的面容。
47Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94XhpMkKzX
“清理战场，统计伤亡。”他沉声下令，目光再次投向那仍在燃烧的九条阵屋废墟，以及远方稻妻的深邃腹地。这场胜利，只是东照神君霸业路上的又一块踏脚石，而“鬼之平八”的征战，还远未结束。空气中弥漫着焦糊与血腥的气味，宣告着德川家的旗帜，将继续在这片土地上飘扬。
ns216.73.217.14da2
and then Add to home screen.