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

Chapter 4 Going into battle
About half an hour later, everyone gathered in the palace again. The seats vacated by some warriors who withdrew were filled with several unfamiliar faces.

"My name is Kumagai Heijiro Motonao. I have come here on the orders of my father and am waiting to be commanded by Your Highness." said Kumagai Motonao, the second son of Kumagai Katsunao and the brother of Kumagai Takanao.

"My name is Zenjiro Mitsuyasu Hisamura. I have been ordered by my father to lead the garrison of Iwaya Castle to support Your Highness." Mitsuyasu Hisamura, the young master of the Hisamura clan, led more than 80 foot soldiers to pay homage.

"I am Gennai Morinobu from Shimoyama County, and I have come here with more than 80 riders on orders from Shimotsuke no Kami, to lend a helping hand to Your Highness!"

The background of Yamagata Morinobu was not simple. He was the half-brother of Nobushige. In his early years, he married the daughter of Takeda clan elder Yamagata Shimonokami Hidemasa and thus inherited the Yamagata family name.

And Yamagata Hidemasa was the son of Takeda Motonobu, the fifth head of the Takeda clan, and the uncle of the current head Takeda Nobutoyo. It can be seen that although the Yamagata clan failed to become one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Takeda", they are of the same blood with the Takeda clan. Their ability to stand up and support Nobushige is an important plus point.

After listening to the introductions of the people present, Nobushige was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly to express his gratitude. Kagawa Morihisa, who had gone to count the troops, also returned to the palace at this time. He excitedly came to the center of the hall and shouted loudly, "Announce it to the public":

"My lord, I have completed the inventory. Including the reinforcements from various families, our army now has more than 120 cavalry and more than 800 foot soldiers. Together with the samurai inside and outside the palace, the number of people is more than 1,000."

"The troops are in place, please make a decision quickly, my lord." Matsumiya Kiyonaga looked around, saw the excited expressions of the people, and was the first to bow to Nobushige.

Nobushige knew that these families were gambling just like him, except that they were gambling on "one person's success will bring prosperity to the whole family", while he was gambling on the peace of the Takeda clan and the tranquility of Wakasa. Things have come to this point, there is no other way, the road is chosen by oneself, and he must go on through mountains of swords and seas of fire.

"Everyone, it will be a bloody battle if Miyagawa-dono and Ukyo Ryo come out in full force to besiege Gosezama Castle. Therefore, in order to reduce casualties, we should not attack the castle directly before we know how many troops the lord (referring to Takeda Nobutoyo) has. The current plan is to take Miyagawa Castle while the defense is empty, and send another surprise force to attack Taniko Castle to cut off Ukyo Ryo's retreat, and then plan a decisive battle."

"I am willing to be the vanguard!" Matsumiya Kiyonaga was the first to step forward. This battle was both Nobushige's first battle and his first battle. As the illegitimate son of the head of the family, he also wanted to take this opportunity to prove his ability to the Matsumiya clan.

"Let's get down." Everyone followed the voice and found that it was Yamagata Morinobu. He was a man of few words, but Nobushige knew that he was indeed a rare and brave general in Wakasa. In history, he had made many military achievements in resisting the invasion of the Asakura family and always practiced his loyalty to the Takeda family. His standing on their side also gave Nobushige a lot of confidence.

Xin Zhong nodded slightly: "Then I will trouble His Highness Sheng Xin."

At the same time, he also took into account Matsumiya Kiyonaga's emotions and said kindly: "There will be many opportunities in the future. You will serve as the head of the horse circle and be responsible for the safety of the main camp."

"Ha!" Although Matsumiya Kiyonaga was somewhat unwilling, he could also understand Xinzhong. After all, he was still inexperienced and could not convince the crowd. An important role like a striker still required someone who was good at fighting and had prestige.

As for the surprise attack on Awaya Castle, Nobushige would need someone he trusted to lead the charge. After all, if this hole was not properly blocked and Awaya Mototaka escaped back to the castle, it might turn into a protracted war, which would not be a good thing for him.

"Mogoro!"

"I'm here!" Nobushige suddenly shouted, causing everyone to look at Kumagai Takanao who was sitting at the last seat.

"You will lead two hundred Kumagai soldiers to capture Guxiaohu Castle. You must succeed!"

"I obey your command!" Kumagai Takanao was overjoyed. He never expected that he could lead an army under Nobushige. After all, in the Kumagai family, he was just a "tail-bearer" of his brothers. "Your Highness," Kumagai Motonao was a little surprised to hear that his younger brother was to lead the army. "Shigegoro is still young, so let me go. If it doesn't work... let him be my deputy general."

Nobushige smiled and waved his hand, explaining, "An eagle will eventually soar into the blue sky alone, and a young man will eventually leave the wings of his father and brothers to stand on his own. I believe that Shigegoro will succeed in this battle and will never bring disgrace to the Kumagai family name."

Nobushige said this, but he was also nervous in his heart. But he had to build up his own power. Compared with the other brothers of the Kumagai family, Kumagai Takashige was still relatively young and was the most suitable candidate. Moreover, the rebels were out in full force at this time, and the defense of the Kumagai Castle should be weak. It should not be a problem for two hundred people to capture the city.

"Heijiro, you will be my deputy commander and lead the rest of the Kumagai army to follow me. We will have to fight a fierce battle at Seyama Castle later, and I will still rely on you." Xinzhong's words not only gave Kumagai Motonao a way out, but also dispelled some of his doubts. At this point, he could not say more and could only nod his head to accept the order.

"Morihisa Kagawa, you will be the military commander this time to coordinate and supervise the operations of all military forces."

"Ha! I take your orders!"

"Ninemon, I order you to be the Kogara Bugyo and be responsible for the transportation of food and fodder for the entire army."

Jinemon's full name is Hirai Toshimasa, who was originally a local samurai in Mikata County. He had heard that Nobushige was the lord of Kasumi Castle, so he recommended himself, hoping to join his army. Later, he passed the various examinations and officially became a member of Nobushige's army. Because he had participated in the transportation of food and grass to support Takeda Nobumitsu and Takeda Nobutoyo in foreign wars many times, Nobushige's appointment was a good use of his talents.

"The rest of you, follow me to take over the Miyagawa Castle first!"

"what!"

"Hehe!" Xinzhong stood up suddenly, raised the military uniform in his hand high, and roared at the top of his lungs.

"Roar!" Seeing this, everyone stood up and raised their arms to respond loudly.

At this moment, the deep and passionate "sound of cheering" resounded throughout the entire hall. This was the first time that Nobushige, as the general commander, held such a simple but extremely shocking ceremony. He couldn't help but feel his blood boiling and his heart surging.

"Go!" Nobushige gave the order, and the army marched out immediately. Except for the two hundred soldiers assigned to Kumagai Takanao, the remaining nearly a thousand people followed Nobushige along Tango Street and marched towards Miyagawa Castle.

The military flag with "Four-cut Diamond" printed on it led the way, followed by Yamagata Morinobu and his cavalry team in a majestic manner. Nobushige rode on "Skylark Deer Hair", a good horse given by Kumagai Katsunao, and held his head high under the protection of a group of stable boys, with the "Marunai Diamond" flag beside him fluttering in the wind. Wherever the army went, passers-by stopped to watch, and the sound of admiration was endless.

The so-called "Marunouchi Diamond", as the name suggests, is a circle put outside the four-cut diamond. This was a flag seal that Nobushige thought of temporarily in order to distinguish it from the four-cut diamond of the main family. Later, it was used as a secondary crest by the Wakasa Takeda clan from generation to generation. Of course, this is all a story for later.

The army marched westwards. Many powerful families along the way suddenly decided to join the army. After requesting Nobushige's approval, they also led their samurai foot soldiers to join the ranks. When they approached Miyagawa Castle, the army had more than 1,200 people.

The Marunouchi Hishi is also the family crest of the Matsumae family in Hokkaido. You can check their relationship with the Wakasa Takeda family on the Internet, it's quite interesting.



(End of this chapter)