Japan's Warring States Period: The Rise of the Wakasa Tiger

“Hey hey!” “Roar!”

“Hey hey!” “Roar!”

“Hey hey!” “Roar!”

As Yamagata Morinobu roared at the top of his lungs, the Takeda army also erupted in a roar like a tsunami. The high morale and warm atmosphere really shocked Sakakibara Nagamasa and Nagasaka Nobumasa, the two fierce generals who came all the way from Mikawa to serve the Wakasa Takeda clan.

"I've never seen such a military force." Sakakibara Nagamasa stood solemnly behind Yamagata Morinobu, winked at Nagasaka Nobumasa beside him, and whispered.

Nagasaka Nobumasa nodded and also sighed sincerely:

"When Kiyonari was alive, I thought the Mikawa samurai were already the best in the troubled times. I never thought they would weaken so quickly after the 'Shoyama Collapse'. After that, I don't think either the Oda army or the Imagawa army are strong, which is one of the reasons why I don't want to join the two families.

I never thought that I would see such a powerful army thousands of miles away in Tajima. I really regret not joining Wuweidian earlier."

"My lords, our family has the upper hand in terms of military strength and morale. When you go out into the battle, just advance slowly. Do not attack rashly to avoid being ambushed by the enemy and missing the opportunity to fight." Just as the two were talking in a low voice, Yamagata Morinobu turned around and carefully reminded them.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness. We have also fought on the battlefield for many years and will never bring shame to you or our lord!" Sakakibara Nagamasa and Nagasaka Nobumasa solemnly promised.

"Jiurō, I've heard from Yahachiro (Hidemitsu Kuchiki) before that your spear skills are amazing and far better than his. I haven't had the chance to spar with you these days. Let me see it for myself this time!" said Yamagata Morinobu with a smile.

"Ha!" Nagasaka Nobumasa bowed and saluted Yamagata Morinobu without saying a word. The long spear standing upright beside him, the red tip of the spear flashed brightly in the morning sun.

"Sun Julang, I heard that you are very brave and have good swordsmanship. Once the war starts, you must judge the situation and respond flexibly. Don't take risks and give the enemy a chance to take advantage." After instructing Nagasaka Nobumasa, Yamagata Morinobu gave careful instructions to Sakakibara Nagamasa.

"Ha! Please rest assured, Your Highness. I will act with caution!" Sakakibara Nagamasa promised solemnly.

After the instructions were completed, Yamagata Morinobu waved his military scepter again, and the battle officially began. Seeing this, Sakakibara Nagamasa and Nagasaka Nobumasa hurried down the mountain and joined the ranks. The plan discussed earlier was that Nagasaka Nobumasa would serve as the vanguard, leading 1,500 troops to advance first to the Inaba Yamana Army position west of Yagi Castle.

Sakakibara Nagamasa led 2,000 soldiers and followed closely behind him, serving as the backing and reserve force for Nagasaka Nobumasa, and simultaneously advanced towards the enemy positions in the west of the city.

The roar like a tsunami just now scared Takeda Kuninobu awake from his sleep.

In the past two days, fearing that the defenders of Yagi Castle might launch another surprise attack, Takeda Kuninobu had been on high alert in his main camp, often taking a short rest only in the late night.

Now, after resting for less than an hour, he was suddenly awakened by the shocking sound of conch shells, drums and passionate shouts, and walked out of the tent with sleepy eyes and hurried steps.

At this time, the generals of the Inaba Yamane clan had already gathered outside the tent. When they saw Takeda Kuninobu coming out, Nakamura Masashige, a senior official of the Inaba Yamane clan, hurried forward to report: "Yamajo no Kami, something bad has happened!"

"Shinzaburo, you are also an old servant of the family, why are you so panicked?" Takeda Kuninobu asked gloomily with a little "morning grumpy".

"Sir, the messenger just reported that a large army has arrived from the area of ​​Imatakidera, north of Yagi Castle, and..." Nakamura Masashige was hesitant to speak.

"And what? You're so dithering!" Takeda Kuninobu scolded unhappily.

"Moreover, judging from the flags, this army should be...should be from the Wakasa Takeda family!" Nakamura Masashige replied hesitantly.

"What? Say that again?!" Takeda Kuninobu asked in disbelief.

"Sir, it's the army of the Wakasa Takeda family!" Nakamura Masashige shouted, ignoring the astonished expression of Takeda Kuninobu.

"How could it be?!" Takeda Kuninobu widened his eyes and opened his mouth. He thought for a long time before he stammered, "Do you know how many people there are? Who is the commander?"

"At least 5,000 men..." Nakamura Masashige replied tremblingly, "The vanguard general, the envoy cannot identify him by the armor and the flag behind him, so he should not be a familiar face."

"Five thousand people?!" Takeda Kuninobu was completely panicked and had no idea what was going on. He and Takeda Motomitsu were brothers just a few days ago, so how come they became enemies on the battlefield in the blink of an eye?

Now, the number of Takeda's army is more than twice that of their own, and this is only the difference in total troop strength. Just in the position west of the city, the Inaba Yamana army has a total of 800 people. The troop strength ratio between the two sides has reached an astonishing six to one!

Thinking of this, Takeda Kuninobu still had illusions in his mind, and hurriedly instructed another general beside him, Mikami Tsunezane, the Lord of Michitake Castle, "Quickly send someone to the Takeda army to ask what's going on and whether it's a misunderstanding."

Of course, he also had to prepare for the worst. He also ordered Nakamura Masashige to quickly withdraw the troops stationed to the south and east of Yagi Castle, concentrate his forces to defend the main camp to the west of the castle, and do his best to resist the attack of the Takeda army that might occur at any time.

At nine o'clock in the morning, the envoy sent by the Inaba Yamana army returned to the main camp and reported the situation of the negotiations between the two sides truthfully.

"Reporting to the Yamashiro no Kami, the army on the other side is indeed the army of the Wakasa Takeda clan, but I am not familiar with the general leading the army. But judging from his accent, it seems that he is not from San'in or Wakasa, but rather from the East China Sea."

Hearing that this army was indeed coming from Wakasa, Takeda Kuninobu naturally lost his last hope: "The two families have reached peace since the beginning of last year, and it has been a year now. We should have lived in peace. Why do you want to get involved in the fight between the main family and the famous family of Tajima Mountain? Also, do you know who the general who will go out this time is?"

The messenger nodded and responded, "The general commander of the Takeda army this time is Yamagata Gennai Morinobu. I have just inquired in the battle. The general who serves as the vanguard is Nagasaka Kuro Nobumasa from Mikawa. As for why the troops were sent out, the reply given by the other side was that Wakasa Takee made the decision for the stability of Tajima at the invitation of Yamana Kingo." "For the stability of Tajima?" Mikami Tsunezane snorted coldly, showing disdain for this reason: "It was Takee who took the initiative to propose an alliance with the main family to attack Tajima. Now he is here saying 'for the stability of Tajima', which is really ridiculous."

"That's right," Nakamura Masashige also echoed:

"Back then, the Takeda family achieved their goal of taking over East Tajima, but then they broke their promise and used a trick to give most of the two counties of Yafu and Keita, which should have belonged to the main family, to the Tajimayama family, leaving the main family with only two poor counties in the west. Now we want to take back Yafu County, which is understandable. What reason does he have to send troops?"

"There is no point in saying this now." Takeda Kuninobu interrupted everyone's condemnation of the Wakasa Takeda clan and turned his gaze to the messenger again: "Did Yamagata Gennai tell you what it would take for him to withdraw his troops and not interfere with the main clan's attack on Yagi Castle?"

"Lord Yamagata said that unless our family promises to withdraw its troops from Tajima, a battle today is unavoidable," the messenger replied.

"Withdraw from Tajima?! What does this mean? Do we have to hand over the western Tajima territory that originally belonged to our family?" Takeda Kuninobu asked in disbelief.

"That's what the other party meant." The envoy replied carefully, "According to Lord Yamagata, this is a punishment for our family's violation of the peace agreement and sending troops to our foster father county."

"It's really abominable!" Hearing this, Mikami Tsunezane, who was sitting next to him, was furious. He stood up and cursed: "My lord is also the guardian of a country. What qualifications does the Takeda family have to punish the main family?!"

"Yes, as the saying goes, one should not judge a person by his appearance, but by his appearance. To put it another way, the main family has the Amago clan behind it. How dare he make such a request to the main family? Isn't he worried about the consequences of doing so?" Nakamura Masashige also complained unhappily. He himself was an important link between the Inaba Yamana clan and the Amago clan, and had a very special and important position.

"Then it seems there is no room for negotiation." After hearing the envoy's reply, Takeda Kuninobu could not help but clench his fists and said fiercely through gritted teeth: "Everyone, be prepared to fight. This battle today is unavoidable no matter what."

"Ha!" Nakamura Masashige and Mikami Tsunemi immediately responded.

At 10 o'clock in the morning, at Imatakidera, Yamagata Morinobu once again met with the envoys of the Inaba Yamana army. After receiving the reply that the other side refused to withdraw, he immediately ordered Nagasaka Nobumasa and Sakakibara Nagamasa at the front, asking them to immediately launch an attack on the Inaba Yamana army stationed in the western suburbs of Yagi Castle, and sent people to sneak into Yagi Castle, asking Yamana Yutoyoshi to seize the opportunity to cooperate with the action.

Takeda Kuninobu had already gathered all the troops deployed in other directions of Yagi Castle in the main camp to the west of the castle. Based on the mountain and terrain, he deployed more than 2,300 troops in the relatively open valley between the mountains in the "偃月阵", waiting for the attack of the Wakasa Takeda army to the north of the valley.

The Yanyue Formation, as the name suggests, is an asymmetric formation in which the entire army is deployed in an arc shape, shaped like a crescent moon. In battle, the thick moon wheel is used to resist the enemy. The concave part of the crescent moon may seem weak, but it is the main position of the general, which is dangerous. It is a military formation deployed on an asymmetric terrain.

As for the Takeda army, Nagasaka Nobumasa, at the suggestion of Sakakibara Nagamasa, adopted the "Feng Ya Zhen", concentrating elite forces at the vanguard and charging towards the Inaba Yamana army in the valley.

The front arrow formation is to deploy the whole army in the shape of an arrow cluster, with the commander at the front, so it is suitable for brave commanders with high combat effectiveness. Since the troops at the front are very dense, it is also an assault formation, and the rear of the formation is a parallel formation, so the movement effect in mountains and valleys is quite good.

Under the command of Nagasaka Nobumasa, after three rounds of volleys, the Takeda army, including 500 regular soldiers, engaged in a fierce battle at the valley entrance with the vanguard of the Inaba Yamana army led by Mikami Motozane.

Nagasaka Nobumasa lived up to his name "Bloody Spear Kuro". He led dozens of elite samurai and charged into the chaotic army. With the spear in his hand, he stabbed left and right in the formation. For a moment, limbs were broken, blood was splattered, and wailing was everywhere. The famous army of Inaba Yamada was frightened and retreated again and again, not daring to get close.

Although Mikami Munezane already knew that the samurai from Mikawa would serve as the vanguard of the Takeda army, he did not expect that this man would be so brave. In a short time, he led his army to tear a gap in the moon wheel part of the tightly defended "偃月阵".

Surprised, he hurriedly led his family's elite warriors to block the attack. Takeda Kuninobu, who was in the front, saw that the battle in front was unfavorable, and ordered Nakamura Masashige to lead 300 horse guards to support, intending to curb Nagasaka Nobumasa's swift attack before the formation collapsed.

At the beginning, with the support of Mikami Keizaki and Nakamura Masashige, Nagasaka Nobumasa's attack was delayed, and Nakamura Masashige began to attack the flank of the Takeda army, intending to bypass the rear to encircle the vanguard led by Nagasaka Nobumasa.

Fortunately, Sakakibara Nagamasa, who was not far away, keenly noticed Nakamura Masashige's intention and immediately ordered the lord of Kaijo Castle, Onitawa Masaaki, to lead 500 Takeda troops to the front line for reinforcement.

Before the arrival of Takeda's reinforcements, Nagasaka Nobumasa, who was alone and deep in the enemy's territory, also realized that he was in danger of being surrounded. On the one hand, he ordered the troops in the rear to move closer to him as soon as possible to further widen the gap in the Inaba Yamana army's formation. On the other hand, he began to lead his troops to retreat slightly to avoid the risk of being blocked.

Seeing that the situation had improved slightly, Mikami Nobumasa naturally did not want to see Nagasaka Nobumasa escape the encirclement unscathed, so he led his troops to chase him closely. In order to get rid of this dog-skin plaster, Nagasaka Nobumasa suddenly turned his guns around and led his troops to fight Mikami Nobumasa fiercely.

The blood-red spear heads were flying in the chaos of the army, and the warriors of the Inaba Yamana army fell to the ground one after another. Mikami Munezane was indeed a good general in Inaba, but he was unable to withstand the desperate attack of Nagasaka Nobumasa.

With a loud bang, Nagasaka Nobumasa rushed to Mikami Nobumasa and shot him in the cheek. Before the latter could react, he turned around and shot him again!
"Pfft!"

The blood-red spear head pierced Mikami Tsunemi's face directly! His head flew three feet away, and blood spurted out like a fountain, flowing along the spear handle to Nagasaka Nobumasa's hand.

"The enemy general has been captured by me, Nagasaka Kuro!" Nagasaka Nobumasa quickly retracted his spear and shouted with his arms raised.

"hey-hey!"

"Roar!"

The originally tense battle situation thus tilted, and the Inaba Yamana army that followed Mikami Munezane to pursue began to retreat in a hurry. Seeing this, other surrounding armies also began to retreat while fighting.

At this moment, the reinforcements led by Onitsuka Masaaki had also arrived behind Nagasaka Nobumasa, blocking Nakamura Masashige's attack route.

"I am the lord of Nakamura Castle, Nakamura Shinzaburo Masashige, and I am under the command of Yamana Samasuke. Please leave your name!" Nakamura Masashige was wearing a scarlet hakama, a peach-shaped knuckle on his head, and holding a hook-and-sickle spear in his hand. He stared at Onitsuka Masaaki in front of him with a sharp gaze.

"I am the Lord of Kayetsu Castle, Keijiro Onitsuka, under the command of Wakasa Wueden. I am coming to fight you!" After saying this, Onitsuka Masaaki held his spear horizontally and rushed towards Nakamura Masashige like a flash of lightning. (End of this chapter)