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

Chapter 29: Driving the tiger away from the mountain
Nobushige knew that although Yamamoto Shigeyuki was usually careless and unkempt, he would never neglect his work. Since he dared to say that he had a good idea this time, it must be that he was not talking nonsense.

"Shigeyuki, tell me something." Xinzhong stretched out his palm and pressed down, signaling everyone to stop making noise.

"My lord, can you lend me the map behind me?" asked Shigeyuki.

Xinzhong nodded, stood up and stood aside, handing the military equipment in his hand to Shigeyuki, allowing him to stand in front of the map and explain his plan.

"My Lords, you should know better than me. Judging from the current gathering of the Asakura Army, they are coming with such momentum this time, and they are simply continuing the route they used to invade Wakasa. That is, after crossing the Seki Pass, they will head west to the Tsubaki Pass. After breaking through the Tsubaki Pass, they will be able to reach the heart of Wakasa. Our army will no longer have a strong terrain to organize a resistance."

Yamamoto Shigeyuki used the caipei to draw a straight line between Kanayama Castle and Kuniyoshi Castle, and continued, "Whether it is Asakura Muneshige or Asakura Kageki, as the two successive Tsuruga County Governors, they are very familiar with this route. Taking this route can also maximize the advantage of military strength."

"Of course," Kumagai Motonao interrupted, "Not to mention the past, just recently, we have caught Asakura spies disguised as farmers on this road from time to time, as well as scouts sent out to gather information. It's clear that they are planning to attack Wakasa via this road. It's a well-known fact, so you don't need to point fingers here."

"Now that we have figured out how the enemy will attack, now comes the point: how should we respond?" asked Shigeyuki Yamamoto.

"The assessment over the past two days has already reached a conclusion. Mobilize all troops and defend Kuniyoshi Castle to the death." Katsuhisa Awaya replied.

"As far as I know, the entire force of the family is only 2,300. How can they deal with the 13,000 Asakura troops? Should they stall and wait for a change? Should they pin their hopes on the mediation between the imperial court and the shogun? You must know that under the current situation, I am afraid that before the emperor's decree or the shogun's order reaches Wakasa, Kuniyoshi Castle will change hands."

Yamamoto Shigeyuki looked around. The people who had just been bossing him around and looking down on him were now silent. Only Nobushige took over and said:

"Shigeyuki, I know that too. Don't keep me in suspense. Just tell me what you have planned. Although we all have different opinions, we are all for Wakasa and to resist foreign enemies."

"Lord Yuanzheng, you should know that Baba Village, right?" asked Yamamoto Shigeyuki.

As mentioned before, Baba is a small village located south of Saki, the castle town of Kuniyoshi Castle. It is surrounded by mountains and the three rivers of Mimigawa, Yokoya River, and Okutani River converge. If you follow the Yokoya River valley to the east, you will reach Nosakadake. If you follow the small valley on the west side all the way north, you will reach Kanayama Castle, an important border town between Wakasa and Echizen.

"That's the village under the control of our family, of course I know that," replied Kumagai Motonao.

"I was thinking earlier, if we can go east from the horse farm and then go north along the river valley on the west side of Nosaka Peak, wouldn't we be able to reach Jinshan City directly?
While the Asakura army is attacking Kuniyoshi Castle with all its might, our army will raid Kinyama Castle and burn the food and grass in the city. By then, the Asakura army will be panicked, and our army will attack from both sides, guaranteeing that we will be able to launch a beautiful defensive counterattack.

Therefore, after obtaining the Lord's consent, I took a few warriors who were familiar with the terrain to carefully explore the route, which delayed the time for the assessment. "

As soon as Yamamoto Shigeyuki finished speaking, Kumagai Motonao snorted coldly:
"Since you've been there, you should know that the mountain road you mentioned is very rugged, and the mountain is blocked by heavy snow. Apart from a few farmers and hunters, few people are there, let alone an army. If you don't bring enough food and fodder for ten days or half a month, you'll probably freeze to death or starve to death on the road."

"Sir, I'm sorry, I walked this mountain road myself, and it took no more than six days to go back and forth." Yamamoto Shigeyuki said as he pointed at the route on the map. "How is that possible? How can you walk that road in three days? The hunters at the horse farm often go hunting on this road. No one can walk back and forth in six days."

Kumagai Motonao looked at Yamamoto Shigeyuki in surprise. As a native of Mikata County, he found it extremely embarrassing that he did not know the territory under his jurisdiction as well as an outsider.

"Do you know why those hunters took so long?" asked Shigeyuki Yamamoto.

"What do you mean? Just say it straight." Kumagai Motonada said angrily.

"We disguised ourselves as traveling merchants and met many hunters in the mountains. We then learned that they went into the mountains not only to hunt, but also to secretly go to the castle town of Jinshan Castle to trade with merchants in Echizen. This trip took so long.

As for the so-called rugged mountain roads, heavy snow and difficulty in traveling, those were deliberately exaggerated by the hunters who went in and out of the mountains to avoid being caught by you. Those hunters found a cave formed by an underground river in the mountains, which not only saved most of the journey, but also saved us from the wind and rain. It was this cave that helped us avoid several snowstorms.

As for why they deceived you, it is pitiful to say that these hunters just hoped that you, the Kumagai clan, would think that the mountains are dangerous and be too lazy to send people to investigate, let alone take the opportunity to set up checkpoints and exploit their already meager income. "

"How ridiculous!" Kumagai Motonao was filled with shame and indignation. Such a thing had actually happened in his territory, and it was even spread by an outsider and known to everyone. He was truly ashamed.

"These unruly people, after I finish this battle, I will go back and deal with them properly!"

"Heijiro, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on these hunters," Nobushige said kindly, "If we lords had not exploited them too much, they would not have done such a thing. After all, they know what consequences they will face if such a thing fails and is leaked."

"In recent years, the harvest in Mikata County has been poor, and there has been chaos in the country. The previous two leaders were warlike, and our Kumagai clan was forced to do so... Well, my lord is right, they also have their own difficulties." Kumagai Motonao sighed, and his anger subsided for the most part.

"Lord Shigeyuki, since you said that we can reach the foot of Kaneyama Castle in three days, don't the Asakura army know this?" Kumagai Takashi asked.

"They were all carefully trading in the black market of the castle town. Just as your Kumagai clan was unaware, it is understandable that their Asakura clan was kept in the dark."

"In that case, Shigeyuki means that after the war starts, while the Asakura army is fighting with our army in Kuniyoshi Castle, we can take this mountain road to bypass Kaneyama Castle and launch a surprise attack on him!" Nobushige suddenly realized.

"This is what the military strategy says: 'luring the tiger away from the mountain.'" Yamamoto Shigeyuki nodded and continued, "But I have another clever plan, and it's also a risky one. I wonder if you guys are willing to listen to it?"

I have a little time today, so I will try to update two chapters. Thank you all for your support and love.

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(End of this chapter)