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

Chapter 37 The Eve of the General Attack
"My lord, if you don't have enough troops, you can ask for help from our master. If we give up like this, Kuniyoshi Castle will be in danger!" Kuriya Katsuie was really unwilling to give up Iwadeyama Fort. After all, this castle was defended by Torii Heiji and his men with their lives.

However, Kuriya Katsuhisa seemed to have made up his mind. He asked back:

"How many troops do you think the master can send to us? This time, we have gathered more than 2,000 troops. It is a great favor for the master to allocate 500 people to me. Should we continue to ask him to send troops for support? What about Guoji City and Tianwang Mountain?"

"But if we lose this mountain fortress, won't Kuniyoshi Castle have to face a war on two fronts?" Katsuie Kuriya asked in return.

"If we defend this Honmaru to the death, we will fall into Asakura Sotei's trap." Seeing that he still didn't understand, Kuriya Katsuhisa had to patiently continue to analyze:
"Think about it, aren't the two large chakrams I built in Kuniyoshi Castle stronger than this mountain fortress with only the main fort left? Putting a large number of troops into this main fortress with weak fortifications and terrain suitable for large-scale combat, and abandoning the solid chakrams, isn't it a waste of soldiers' lives?
I admit that at the beginning of the war, the Asakura Army's plan should have been to use Iwade Mountain Fort as a springboard and attack Kuniyoshi Castle from two directions. But after watching their round-robin battle at Iwade Mountain this afternoon, I began to doubt it. It seems that they failed to attack by force, and instead consumed our troops, weakening the defense of Kuniyoshi Castle through "indirect bleeding."

After hearing this, Kuriya Katsuie understood his intention a little bit, and said helplessly: "Then next, Kuniyoshi Castle and Tianwang Mountain will probably face a fierce battle."

"Shouldn't we have realized this long ago?" Katsuhisa Kuriya said with a smile, "With more than 10,000 troops, I'm afraid we can't stop them without a few fierce battles."

Therefore, under the command of the Kuriya brothers, more than 300 Takeda soldiers, except for the wounded who were transferred to Saki-cho for recuperation, the remaining 200 were transferred to the two large karakuri groups in Kuniyoshi Castle. However, when leaving Iwaideyama Castle, the Takeda army set the Honmaru on fire, and the blazing flames instantly illuminated the cold winter night in Wakasa.

At the foot of Iwade Mountain, dishevelled Asakura Keinori and Yamazaki Yoshiie dejectedly apologized to Asakura Keiren. The round-robin battle that was supposed to proceed as planned turned out to be like this because of the selfishness of the two people. How could Asakura Keiren not be angry.

"Because of your mistakes, our army suffered heavy losses. I just took inventory, including the reinforcements I brought, there are less than 2,500 soldiers left. I'm afraid His Highness Sotachi will not forgive you." Asakura Kageren was furious. In just one day, the Asakura army lost more than 3,500 people on this Iwade Mountain, which was more than a quarter of the total force.

"But... you have seen it. The Takeda army has burned down the city and fled. We have finally fulfilled our mission and captured Iwade Mountain before dawn." Asakura Kageki carefully pointed at the fire on the top of the mountain and tried to defend himself.

"We lost so many people in this mountain fort alone. What are we going to do with Kuniyoshi Castle? You know, the defense there is not comparable to Yanchushan. Besides, what use is there to us for a burned-down Yanchushan Fort? To put it bluntly, you have spent more than 3,000 lives to capture only a small hill with no grass growing on it."

"A small hill?" Yamazaki Yoshiie couldn't help but retort, "Your Highness, we led the army from morning till night, and we led the charge countless times. Now we have finally forced the Takeda army to retreat. Although the casualties are heavy, we have worked hard even if we have no credit. It is really unacceptable for you to say that."

"You two, my words may have been a little harsh, but that's what I meant. Please forgive me if I have offended you." Asakura Kageren bowed and apologized, "You are right. The mission assigned by His Highness Muneshita has been completed. I have also sent an envoy to Zhongshan City to deliver a letter. I suggest that you two continue to command the flank."

"What about you, Your Highness?" asked Yamazaki Yoshiie.

"Wait for His Highness Sotetsu's reply. If he has no objection, I will return to Zhongshan Castle later. I seem to be more needed there." Asakura Kageren was not a fool. Of course, he could see that Asakura Keinori and Yamazaki Yoshiie rejected him. Now that the goal was achieved, returning to Asakura Sotetsu was a good choice for both parties. After saying that, Asakura Kageren turned around and left, leaving Asakura Keinori and Yamazaki looking at each other, not knowing whether to be ashamed or happy.

At this time, in the main camp of Tennozan, the Kuriya brothers were reporting to Nobushige. Upon learning that Iwadeyama Fort was burned down, Nobushige felt a little sorry, but he understood Kuriya Katsuhisa's decision.

"With an army of 800, you resisted the successive attacks of an army of 6,000, killing and wounding over 3,000 people in total. Only you, Genbei Kuriya, could achieve such a result." Nobushige looked at Kuriya Katsuhisa with admiration.

Katsuhisa Kuriya was a little embarrassed: "After all, we only held out for one day. From now on, please believe me, my lord. I have the confidence to stop the Asakura army in the northwest Qulun Group."

"I believe you." Nobushige nodded slightly. "Today, the Asakura army also lost several hundred people in the feint attack on Kuniyoshi Castle. So, the Asakura army now has less than 10,000 soldiers. There are 1,200 soldiers in Kuniyoshi Castle now... How about this, I will transfer another 200 foot soldiers from Tennozan to you."

"My lord, no!" Matsumiya Kiyonaga objected, "There are only 500 people in Tianwang Mountain. If we transfer 200 more to Kuniyoshi Castle, your safety will not be guaranteed."

"If they can't take Kuniyoshi Castle, they won't be able to attack Tenno Mountain." Nobushige pointed to the map in front of him and said, "The two Qulun Groups in the northwest and northeast have locked Tsubaki Pass tightly. No matter how capable the Asakura Army is, they have to take these two places before they can break into Tenno Mountain. If that happens, I guess there's no need to defend Tenno Mountain anymore."

"My lord, please keep your troops in the main camp." Katsuhisa Kuriya declined Nobushige's offer. "With just these 1,200 men, I can consume the Asakura army to death in front of Kuniyoshi Castle. Please rest assured, my lord."

"However, I heard that Asakura Muneshige has already asked for help from Ichijodani and Inoyama Castle, especially Asakura Kagetaka of Inoyama Castle, who has assembled nearly 4,000 troops. If they join forces with Asakura Muneshige, we will be in trouble." Kuriya Katsuie also has several spies in the Asakura army, so his information should not be too inaccurate.

"But I think that Asakura Sotei will not wait for the Ono tribe to arrive before launching a surprise attack," Yamamoto Shigeyuki interrupted.

"What do you mean?" Xinzhong asked.

Yamamoto Shigeyuki analyzed, "Genbei burned all the food and supplies of the Tsuruga army led by Asakura Kageki today. This is a considerable loss. Asakura Muneshige has to provide food and supplies to support the Tsuruga army on the one hand, and on the other hand, he has to meet the needs of the main force of Nakayama Castle. I think he can't afford to delay."

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(End of this chapter)