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

Chapter 39 Feeling proud
In the eighth year of Tianwen, on the morning of the tenth day of the first lunar month, the mist gradually dissipated, but the cold wind remained biting.

Asakura Kageki, who received supplies from Nakayama Castle, led an army of 3,500 men from Iwade Mountain and took the lead in launching an attack on the Quwa group in the northeast of Kuniyoshi Castle.

At the same time, the 500 Asakura troops who rushed overnight from Kanazawa Castle joined forces with the 7,000 troops of Asakura Muneshige from Nakayama Castle and launched a strong attack from the east side of Kuniyoshi Castle, which was the front.

Faced with the two powerful armies, Nobushige decided to let Mutō Mitsuyuki continue to guard the main castle of Kuniyoshi Castle, while the Kuriya brothers would command the defense of the two major kurushawa groups in the northwest and northeast respectively.

Nobushige himself stayed in the main camp of Tennozan, but at the same time told his generals that if necessary, he could move to Kuniyoshi Castle. However, Muto Mitsuyu and the Kuriya brothers insisted that he stay in Tennozan. They believed that letting their lord go to the front line was a manifestation of their incompetence.

On the Asakura army's side, in order to ease the conflict with Asakura Kageki and Yamazaki Yoshiie, Asakura Kageren once again returned to Asakura Soteki's camp and continued to participate in the offensive on the front battlefield as a vanguard.

With the two powerful generals Asakura Kageren and Asakura Kagetaka attacking from both sides, the Takeda army on the front battlefield suffered much greater pressure than the day before. By noon, the Asakura army had gained a foothold halfway up the mountain. Asakura Kageren sent a letter to Asakura Kagenori, asking them to intensify the offensive against the Tohoku Uzumaki Group, thereby further reducing the resistance of the Takeda army on the front battlefield.

However, Muto Mitsuyuki was no ordinary man. Several days ago, he had prepared a large number of logs and boulders and stored them on the top of the mountain. Seeing that the Asakura army was getting closer, he immediately ordered the boulders and logs to be pushed down the hillside. In a moment, the Asakura soldiers' helmets were shattered, their heads were broken, their bones were fractured, their hands and feet were broken, and they fled in panic, trampling on each other, and many of them were injured in the fighting.

This counterattack, which Nobushige jokingly called the "Feast of the Stone", caused nearly 300 casualties in the Asakura army, which made Asakura Soteki consider retreating.

But at this moment, good news came from Asakura Kageki. Relying on its military advantage and the relatively flat terrain of the northeastern Quwa group, the Asakura army finally made progress around 2 pm and broke through the first two Quwa groups in one fell swoop. Kuriya Katsuie was forced to retreat with the remnants.

The arrival of this news not only relieved the pressure on Asakura Kageki, but also allowed Asakura Soteki to regain his confidence, allowing him to persist in the attack on Kuniyoshi Castle.

By the evening, the Asakura army had not achieved much success on the front battlefield except for clearing the earth moat and other defensive fortifications on the mountainside. However, Asakura Kageki and Yamazaki Yoshiie on the flanks continued to exert their strength in the afternoon, advancing upward along the mountain ridge, and eventually captured the entire Tohoku Quwa Group, pushing the front line to the acre-shaped vertical moat near the Honmaru.

Looking at the main castle of Kuniyoshi Castle not far from Horigo, Asakura Kageki was beaming with joy. He said to Yamazaki Yoshiie excitedly, "Look, Genbansuke has been wandering around the mountainside or at the foot of the mountain all day, and he sacrificed so many soldiers, but he still couldn't get close to the main castle. We can be proud of ourselves this time."

"Hahaha, yes, we can now explain to His Highness Sotetsu." Yamazaki Yoshiie nodded in agreement, but then frowned and said, "What is Your Highness going to do next? Will you fill in the earthen ridge and attack the main castle, or will you go to the northwest to capture the Qulun Group?"

"After this day, you should understand that the difficulty of attacking the Northeastern Qulun Group is not even as difficult as the original Iwade Mountain Northern Qulun Group." Asakura Kageki said.

Yamazaki Yoshiie nodded slightly: "Indeed, the terrain of the northeastern Qulun Group is relatively flat, and there are only about 200 defenders, so our army was able to take it relatively smoothly."

"But the northwest group of curved wheels is different," Asakura Kageki analyzed. "I sent people to investigate at noon. The terrain there is steep and there are as many as six curved wheels. Not only that, the commander guarding the city is Kuriya Genbei... You know, we suffered a lot from him in Iwade Mountain."

"So, Your Highness wants to fill up the moat and forcefully attack the main castle?" Yamazaki Yoshiie asked. "Shinzaemon-no-Captain, have you been blinded by victory?" Asakura Kageki led Yamazaki Yoshiie out of the camp and pointed to the acres of vertical moats not far away and said, "Can you and I fill up these moats? With only three thousand people, I'm afraid we will be buried before we can finish filling them."

"Then what exactly do you mean, Your Highness? The earthen moat is difficult to fill, and the northwest curved wheel group is difficult to attack. Do we have to give up the siege?" Yamazaki Yoshiie asked puzzledly.

"You have to remember that we are here to support and assist the attack. With the limited forces we have, we should be thankful if we can capture the entire Northeastern Qulun Group. Don't even think about taking the lead in attacking the main castle. That is what Xuanfanzhu and his men should do."

Asakura Kageki's words made Yamazaki Yoshiie suddenly realize, but he still had doubts in his heart: "If our army does not move here, it will not be a good idea. If His Highness Muneshige finds out, we will not end up well..."

"Who said we should keep our troops in place?" Asakura Kageki asked back:

"Use your brain. Although Xuan Fanzhu fought so badly, he at least attracted the main force of the Takeda army defending the city. We will attack the northwest group of qulun tomorrow. The two qulun at the bottom are relatively flat. In the next period of time, we will keep the progress of taking down one qulun every day, which can be regarded as playing the role of auxiliary attack."

"I understand." Yamazaki Yoshiie pouted and nodded.

Perhaps seeing that he was unhappy, Asakura Kageki advised him kindly: "I have no choice but to do this. Think about it, the two of us have already lost so many soldiers. If we are not careful again, I am afraid that we will never be able to turn the tables on our father.

Besides, don't feel regretful for not being able to attack Honmaru. We still have a chance. When Genbansuke has almost consumed the main force of the Takeda army, we can take the opportunity to get a piece of the pie. By then, whether it is attacking the Quwa group or filling the earth moat, it will be much easier than it is now. As long as we can complete one of them, can't we attack Honmaru?

"The current plan is to minimize casualties and maximize the results of the battle. This is what we should do, Shinzaemon-kun, do you understand this?"

"Your Highness, I feel relieved after hearing this." Yamazaki Yoshiie responded. At this time, he made another request: "Please let me lead the attack on Xibei Qulun tomorrow. The battle at Iwade Mountain Fort was not a pleasant one. This time, I want to have a good fight with that Kuriya Genbei."

"Since you have volunteered, there is no reason for me to refuse. However, please remember not to be impulsive. Preserving our manpower is our top priority." Asakura Kageki agreed.

Thanks to Ranbu Loli, Olandos, Lenin for guiding the direction, God of Ultraman, Alloy Egg Tart, The Opposite of Good and Evil, Cheng Cai Bu Cai, Rose Emperor Nero, and book friend 20211017044501909 for their rewards and monthly tickets!

Thanks to Aofeng, Wumingwuxu, Puppetmon, Speech Hu V, and Matsumoto Jubei Heizo for their recommendations and wonderful comments!
It’s almost 100,000 words. Time flies so fast. I’m here to ask for your continued reading and monthly votes. Thank you all for your support!

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(End of this chapter)