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

Chapter 7: The Fall of Honmaru
Upon hearing about the night attack, Naito Katsutaka and many others clearly expressed their opposition: "At night, the surrounding situation is unclear. If we make a mistake, the whole army will be defeated due to panic. Therefore, night attacks have always been very risky. In addition, we are the attackers, and we are at a disadvantage compared to the defenders. If we rashly launch a night attack, I am afraid that we will get half the result with twice the effort and cause unnecessary casualties."

"How could I not know the risks of a night attack?" Although he was persuaded by everyone to capture Honmaru first and then lead the troops to retake Miyagawa Castle, that was Takeda Nobutaka's old nest after all. How could he not be anxious when his home was robbed?
"There is enough food and weapons in Gongchuan City. It is enough for us to recruit more soldiers. We must rush back before they can form a situation. I am also considering the overall situation."

Takeda Nobutaka knew that in this era where strength was everything, if he lost his ability, even if he took Gozeyama Castle and became the new head of the Takeda clan, he would be nothing more than a puppet of these powerful retainers. To become the true leader of a country, one must have strong strength and a rich family background, but he lost all of this in Miyagawa Castle.

After all, Takeda Nobutaka was the nominal leader of the group. Since he had spoken, Naito Katsutaka and others had no choice but to obey.

As the deputy general, Awaya Mototaka volunteered to command the night attack. In his opinion, although the risk of a night attack was high, it should still be able to achieve fruitful results by relying on surprise and military advantage.

It was just after midnight. Under the quiet night sky, most of the Takeda troops in the Honmaru were still asleep. The bonfires swayed in the wind, stirring the hearts of the soldiers patrolling the city.

"Having missed the opportunity tonight, tomorrow might be our last battle." In Dulumen, as Takeda Nobutoyo's most trusted retainer, Muto Mitsuyuki was still regretting that his plan for a night attack was not accepted.

The warrior beside him was also quite pessimistic: "Yes, the enemy outnumbers us, but the lord is unwilling to take the risk of a battle and instead wants to confront the rebels head-on. I am also puzzled."

"Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore. Let's get ready. Tomorrow is the day to practice our samurai honor." Muto Mitsuyu sighed deeply and stared at Qulun which was occupied by the rebels not far away. A feeling of sadness lingered in his heart.

"Woo~wu~wu~"

As he was speaking, a shrill sound resounded throughout the entire foothills. The birds were frightened and flew around in all directions. The treetops swayed in the wind, and in an instant, an ominous and tense atmosphere filled the air.

"It's the Conch!" Muto Mitsuyu instantly recovered from his pessimistic mood and hurriedly led his men to the nearby well tower.

As he quickly climbed up the stairs, all the torches had been lit. Muto Mitsuyu looked in the direction pointed by the foot soldier guarding the castle, and saw that the earthen moat around the Honmaru had been filled with straw. The black mass of rebels crossed the earthen moat and rushed to the bottom of the Honmaru. They began to climb the stone ramparts through the skywalk (a kind of ladder). The flaming arrows streaked across the night sky like meteors, hitting the buildings and defenders in the Honmaru. Along with crisp shattering sounds, the city was ablaze with fire and wailing was everywhere.

"It's an enemy attack! Prepare to fight!" Upon seeing this, Muto Mitsuyu hurriedly ordered his men to ring the battle bell, quickly walked down the well tower, and rode his horse towards the direction of the palace.

At this time, Takeda Nobutoyo had been awakened by the noisy noise outside. With the help of his mistress, he hurriedly put on his armor and walked out of the dormitory, just in time to bump into Muto Mitsuyuki who was coming towards him.

"What happened?!" Takeda Nobutoyo straightened his crooked helmet and asked in panic.

Muto Mitsuyu quickly knelt on the ground, clasped his hands together and said, "My lord, the rebels attacked at night!"

"Night attack?!" Takeda Nobutoyo gasped and took two steps back: "They can't even wait for one night... Quick, quickly organize a defense!"

"The incident happened suddenly. Many rebels have already climbed over the stone ramparts and earthen walls. I'm afraid... I'm afraid we can't hold on!"

"What should I do?!" Takeda Nobutoyo reached out to hold the pillar beside the corridor, trying to stay calm.

"I am willing to lead a group of cavalry to escort the lord to break out, but now there is no reinforcement from outside, and the main castle is surrounded by layers of siege, I am afraid the chance is slim... or..."

"Or what?" Takeda Nobutoyo thought that Muto Mitsuyuki had other ways, so he asked hurriedly.

"Or, my lord, join us in charging into the enemy camp and defend the honor of the samurai!" Muto Mitsuyu stared at Takeda Nobutoyo with a firm tone. "This..." Takeda Nobutoyo stroked his mustache, hesitated for a long time, and then said something else: "Defending the city is important, maybe there will be a turnaround."

After saying that, he asked Muto Mitsuyuki to lead the way and prepared to go to the castle tower to "take command."

How could Muto Mitsuyu not know what he was thinking? He just wanted to "delay and wait for changes". But now that things have come to this point, what's the point of dragging it out? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh, wondering if he had followed the wrong lord?
……

On the mountainside not far from the Honmaru, Awaya Mototaka was sitting upright in the main camp surrounded by a battle curtain. This battle-hardened elder of the Takeda clan and a group of generals were anxiously waiting for battle reports from the front. The atmosphere was silent and depressing.

About an hour later, the messenger finally arrived to report the good news.

"Report! The main castle has been breached by Awaya Shin'emon's army! Takeda Izu-no-kami and his men have retreated to the castle tower!"

"Roar!" Awaya Mototaka stood up from his stool, waving the caipei in his hand and roared excitedly.

"Hey!" All the soldiers in the formation stood up and echoed, and the originally silent scene was instantly broken by the noise.

"Pass on my order, you must capture Izu no Kami alive!" Awaya Mototaka said excitedly.

"Ha!" The envoy immediately accepted the order, but did not intend to leave. Instead, he stammered, "There is one more thing I need to report to you, Your Excellency. Lord Terai...died in battle."

"What?!" Awaya Mototaka's excitement instantly dissipated.

The Lord Terai mentioned by the envoy was Terai Yumichi, the lord of Awaya Castle. As a long-time friend of Awaya Mototaka, when Awaya Mototaka started his rebellion, he took the initiative to open the city gates and led all the soldiers in the city to support the army. Now that he died on the battlefield on the eve of victory, how could Awaya Mototaka not feel sad and regretful.

"Lord Terai was captured by Muto Sabei-no-eui (Muto Mitsuyu) when we entered the city. His head is nowhere to be found. It must have been presented to Izu-no-kami." The messenger avoided his eyes, fearing that Awaya Mototaka would vent his anger on him.

"What are the current casualties on both sides?" Putting aside personal feelings, Awaya Mototaka was more concerned about the overall situation on the front line, which would determine whether to capture the castle tower in one go or to surround it without attacking and force Takeda Nobutoyo to surrender.

"In this battle, the defenders fought very tenaciously and our army suffered heavy casualties, especially Muto Saemon, who killed three of our generals in a row. According to Lord Shinuemon's estimate, the defenders suffered about 300 casualties or were captured, while our army suffered about 240 casualties."

"Two hundred and forty men!" Awaya Mototaka opened his mouth and eyes in surprise. This number of casualties was completely beyond his expectations. "I gave him eight hundred men, but thirty percent of them were killed or injured? How dare he come here to report good news?! Tell him not to attack the castle tower yet. I want to go and persuade him to surrender in person."

At this time, the Honmaru, except for the three-story castle tower in the center, was filled with smoke and flames. In the dark night, Mount Goze was like a huge torch, illuminating the night sky of Wakasa as bright as day.

"It looks like it's over. We must hurry back to report to the lord." At the foot of the mountain, a flying scout sent by Nobushige witnessed the entire process of the fall of the main castle, then rode his horse and disappeared into the woods.

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(End of this chapter)