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

Chapter 28 The war is coming
Katsuhisa Awaya had previously mentioned that he built a fortress each on Iwadeyama, Karikurayama, and Kamikurayama, which are closer to Echizen, to monitor and report the movements of the Asakura army.

Yamagata Morinobu was very confident in the Yamagata cavalry under his command. He hoped to lead a part of the vanguard cavalry to station at the Asakura Mountain Fort, use the speed advantage to quickly cross the pass on the border between the two countries, and take the initiative to attack and raid Kinyama Castle while the Asakura army has not yet assembled. If they are lucky enough to capture the city, they will be able to take the initiative on the battlefield; even if they fail, they will be able to disrupt the enemy's position and make the enemy spend time reorganizing their arms and looking for opportunities to fight again.

His plan was supported by Kumagai Motonao, who believed that the Asakura army had always entered Wakasa from Sekitoge and burned the villages and castles in Mikata County all the way westward, making Wakasa, especially the powerful families and common people in Mikata County where the Kumagai clan was located, suffer terribly.

Since the entire Wakasa region has been mobilized this time, the Asakura army should be allowed to have a taste of what it feels like to be burned by war. Regardless of whether they can capture Kanayama Castle or not, they should teach the Asakura family a lesson and let Asakura Takakage of Ichijodani know that although Wakasa is small, it cannot be bullied at will.

However, Awaya Katsuhisa, who has been stationed here for a long time, holds a different view. He analyzed:

"You all know that the Asakura army has assembled a large force in Kanayama Castle. If we attack this castle by force, wouldn't that be like hitting a rock with an egg, and let the Asakura army wait for the opportunity to tire themselves out? Besides, do you know why I want to build the castle here at Tsubaki Pass instead of building it eastward on the border between the two countries?

It's very simple. On the one hand, Tsubakitoge controls the only entrance for the army to enter and exit Mikata Castle and go deep into the heart of Wakasa. On the other hand, although there are many hills from Tsubakitoge to the pass at the border between the two countries, they are scattered and form no system. Once a war breaks out, it will be easy for the enemy to break in by dividing its forces and even easier to be outflanked from multiple directions. It can only be used as a battlefield, not as a military assembly point.

Therefore, I think that the siege should be placed near Tsubaki Pass. Our army can use this "gourd mouth" to effectively limit the advantage of the Asakura army's large army and eliminate the disadvantage of insufficient manpower as much as possible. "

"I thought so too." Nobushige knew that in history, Awaya Katsuhisa had relied on the defense system he built near Tsubaki Pass to pin the Asakura army down in Kuniyoshi Castle for six years. His analysis and grasp of the war situation were very insightful.

Of course, Xinzhong had his own considerations for agreeing with his point of view.

"The military commissioner of the Asakura Army this time is Asakura Munetsuki. This veteran has a high reputation, is brave and good at fighting, and has experienced many battles. He will definitely not be careless in the defense of Kanayama Castle. We abandon the advantage of fighting on our home ground and rush into Echizen rashly. Not to mention whether we can succeed, even if we succeed in reaching Kanayama Castle, how can we guarantee that we can defeat the Asakura Army in one fell swoop?

As you all know, according to the latest news, the Asakura army has accumulated more than 4,000 troops at the border. Even if the entire army is deployed, it is still no match for them, let alone sending only cavalry vanguards? I agree with Genbei's opinion, and we should set up the formation with Tsubakitoge as the center. "

Nobushige knew that Yamagata Morinobu was eager to make achievements, while Kumagai Motonao did not want the war to bring disaster to Mikata County. However, as the leader of a country and the commander of an army, he had to consider the overall situation and could not disappoint the trust of the people, let alone act on impulse.

Since Nobushige had spoken, Yamagata Morinobu and Kumagai Motonao had no choice but to accept. However, Nobushige still agreed to give Yamagata 300 troops and let him serve as the vanguard to achieve the first gun in the battle against the Asakura army.

The eighth day of the first lunar month was the day when Asakura Takakage ordered all localities to complete mobilization and it was also the day when the Takeda army's main camp at Tennozan was completed.

Although it is called the main camp, it is actually just a simple castle. The entire castle is surrounded by horse-proof fences and earthen moats. Reinforced wooden walls are built on the solid earthen ramparts inside as city walls. Well towers and high turrets are built at the four corners inside. In the center of the city, there is a wide room for meetings, a zashiki where Nobushige slept, and a long house where his retainers lived.

Compared to the well-structured and well-fortified Kuniyoshi Castle, the more important role of the Tennozan Main Camp was the command of the battlefield. To be honest, if it really came to the point of fighting the Asakura Army in the Main Camp, the war would be nearing its end.

That night, Nobushige moved his main camp from Kuniyoshi Castle to Tennozan, where he held the final pre-war assessment.

The atmosphere during this assessment was unusually depressing, because earlier, a spy planted in the Asakura army had reported that 13,000 troops had been assembled in the area around Kanayama Castle, not including the Ono group led by Ono County Magistrate Asakura Kagetaka.

"Thirteen thousand troops... It seems that the Asakura army is really going to destroy Wakasa in one day." The veteran general Yamagata Hidemasa was also quite frightened at this moment. After all, in his lifetime, except for the major battles in Kinki, he had never fought against a daimyo who could mobilize fifteen thousand troops.

"Yes, thanks to the lord who rejected my proposal and did not let me lead the cavalry vanguard to raid Jinshan City, meaningless casualties were avoided. My few hundred troops are like an ant trying to shake a tree compared to these 13,000 troops." Yamagata Shengxin said fearfully.

"This does not include the Ono army. If Asakura Jirozaemon's army also arrives, there will be at least 16,000 troops. How can our small Wakasa be worth them mobilizing so many troops?"

Although powerful aristocratic men such as Kagawa Eikyu and Matsumiya Kiyohiro were not famous generals, they had seen a lot of worldly things. This time, facing the Asakura army that was almost mobilized in full force, they were panicked for a moment.

"My lord, you tell us what to do. We will listen to you." At this moment, young generals such as Kagawa Morihisa and Kumagai Takanao all looked at Nobushige.

"Genbei, what's the situation at Mt. Kushikura?" Nobushige asked.

"I have been ordered to have flying troop patrols continuously along the border between the two countries. The news I just received is that the Asakura army's food, fodder, and military equipment have basically arrived, and they should be able to take action in the next two days." Katsuhisa Awaya replied.

"Morihisa, is there any news from the diplomatic monk sent to the Asakura family?" Xinzhong asked.

Kagawa Shengjiu shook his head helplessly and replied disappointedly:
"Grandpa Munetsu refused to meet with the envoys of the main family. He just asked his adopted son Asakura Kageki to convey his intentions. He simply said that the Takeda clan had frequent internal strife, causing great suffering to the people of Wakasa. The Asakura clan's rebellion this time was not to annex Wakasa, but to abolish the Takeda clan's unjust rule and return stability and prosperity to the people of Wakasa." "What a high-sounding statement!" The powerful families such as Hisamura Mitsuaki sneered, "The Takeda clan now has a wise leader in power. Wakasa will soon resume its prosperity. It is not the turn of the Asakura family to meddle in other people's affairs."

"They are just excuses. It seems that Munetoki is determined to start a war." After that, Nobushige asked the third question: "Shinkuro, is there any news from Ono County?"

"My lord, according to the news received this morning, Jirozaemon has already mobilized, but he asked Sotetsu to postpone the dispatch of troops due to the shortage of food and grass. Sotetsu probably thought that the current force was enough to deal with the main family, so he agreed."

Mutou Mitsuyu's words left everyone present confused. They looked at each other, wondering why Nobushige was so concerned about the movements of Asakura Kagetaka in Ono County.

"Is Shigeyuki back?" Nobushige asked Kumagai Takashige.

"My lord!" Before Kumagai Takashi could speak, Yamamoto Shigeyuki's hearty laughter had already reached Hiroma.

Everyone looked at Yamamoto Shigeyuki, who was wearing an eye patch and limping into the palace, and immediately started talking. Yamagata Hidemasa even muttered curiously, "Strange, why don't I remember that my Takeda clan has such a "one-eyed dragon" retainer?"

"Haha, the name 'One-Eyed Dragon' is good, I gladly accept it!" Yamamoto Shigeyuki bowed to Yamagata Hidemasa, then knelt down in front of Nobushige with a smile: "My lord, Shigeyuki is back!"

The return of Yamamoto Shigeyuki was like a shot of adrenaline, tearing open a gap in Nobushige's gloomy and depressed mood, like a ray of sunshine shining into his heart.

"Stand up and talk," Nobushige asked Shigeyuki to sit down beside him, and then formally introduced him to everyone, "My lords, this is a retainer I recruited not long ago. His original name was Yamamoto Kansuke, and now his name is Yamamoto Shigeyuki. It's a good opportunity for me to meet you all today."

"Yamamoto... Shigeki...?!" Yamagata Hidemasa thought for a moment, then said in surprise: "My lord, could it be that... you have given this gentleman a taboo?!"

"Yes," Yamamoto Shigeyuki replied with a carefree smile, "If it weren't for the trust of my lord, I don't know how long I would have been wandering outside."

"You are actually a ronin?!" Yamagata Hidemasa was stunned for a moment: "My lord, you actually gave a taboo to a ronin?"

"Shigeyuki is different from ordinary ronin. Please be patient and he will prove it to you." Nobushige could only comfort his uncle patiently.

Since Nobushige had expressed his opinion, Yamagata Hidemasa had nothing more to say. He could only sit there and turn his head away with a depressed look on his face.

"Shigeyuki, did you gain anything from this trip?" Nobushige was very curious about what Yamamoto Shigeyuki had done in the Yokotani River and Nosakadake area during the past five days.

"My lord, I have fulfilled my mission and found a brilliant plan that will help our army defeat the Asakura army."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the palace. Except for Nobushige, Kumagai Takanao, and Mutō Mitsuyuki, all the retainers, powerful families, and local people were surprised and began to talk about it. Some even directly rebuked Yamamoto Shigeyuki.

"How ridiculous! You have only been in our family for a few days. What strategy do you have to defeat the enemy?"

"Yes, a wanderer dares to speak so arrogantly here. I'm afraid he is not the kind of person who likes to show off his achievements."

"In my opinion, he just wants to show off in front of the lord, saying that he can defeat the Asakura army. It's ridiculous, very ridiculous!"

Everyone was talking and mocking Yamamoto Shigeyuki, but he didn't care. He snatched the kettle from the servant and drank it voraciously.

"Ah, I'm so thirsty. Have you all finished talking? If you have, it's my turn to speak, right?" Yamamoto Shigeyuki wiped his beard roughly, still smiling.

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(End of this chapter)