Japan's Sengoku Period: The Sanada Clan's Ambition

Chapter 130: The Bloody Battle of Nagakute - Sanada Nobuyuki is Stunned

On April 8th, Tsuneoki Ikeda and Nagayoshi Mori were the first to arrive at Obata Castle.

Obata Castle's leader, Hirotaka Honda, refused to surrender and led over 100 men in a vigorous resistance, but Obata Castle was breached after half an hour.

Mori Nagayoshi and Ikeda Tsuneoki continued their advance toward Mikawa, arriving at Iwasaki Castle that afternoon, and then launched a fierce attack on the castle.

At the same time, Miyoshi Nobuyoshi and Hori Hidemasa also entered Obata Castle.

Hori Hidemasa, as the third to move first, chased after Mori Nagayoshi and Ikeda Tsuneoki, while Miyoshi Nobuyoshi slowly made his way forward.

In the early morning of April 9th, Yasumasa Kambara led his army to Obata Castle and immediately dispatched scouts to investigate the movements of the Hashiba army.

Not long after, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobukatsu arrived at Obata Castle with an army of 10,000.

Meanwhile, in Hakusanrin, located in the Nagakute region, Nobuyoshi Miyoshi was lying on the ground taking a nap with a blade of grass in his mouth.

"My lord, a report has arrived from the front: Lord Ikeda has captured Iwasaki Castle, and Musashi-no-kami is urging us to hasten our advance." A voice interrupted Miyoshi Nobuyoshi's thoughts.

I opened my eyes, and the person who came was Kinoshita Yuuhisa.

Kinoshita Yuuhisa and Hashiba Hideyoshi were related by blood. He was the brother of Nene's biological father, Kinoshita Sadatoshi, making him Nene's uncle. However, Nene was later adopted by the Asano clan.

“Assistant Left Guard Commander, look, he’s in a hurry again.”

"Anyway, I'm the commander-in-chief. Even if I do nothing, the cities they conquer will still be credited to us," Miyoshi Nobuyoshi said nonchalantly.

Hashiba Hideyoshi is my uncle. Do you think I'll skimp on my reward if I win?
Anyway, his father-in-law, Ikeda Tsuneoki, and brother-in-law, Mori Nagatoshi, are both fierce generals. They won two cities in one day, so there's no need for him at all.

Besides, there's still Hori Hidemasa.

“We’ve already rested for two hours. If we don’t leave soon, we’ll be in trouble if we’re reported to the main hall.” Kinoshita Yuuhisa really wanted to punch Miyoshi Nobuyoshi.

Are you here to fight a war or for a picnic?
"Alright, alright, let's go then."

"Hey you, Kankai, let's go!" Miyoshi Nobuyoshi spat out the wild grass in his mouth and shouted to Kinoshita Toshimasa in the distance.

Kinoshita Toshimasa was Kinoshita Yuhisa's younger brother, and served as a military supervisor. A military supervisor was responsible for overseeing troop movements and calculating military merits after battles.

Miyoshi Nobuyoshi patted his buttocks and was just about to mount his horse.

Bang bang bang!
A series of rapid sounds came from behind.

Suddenly, several thousand Tokugawa troops charged out from behind and crashed into the Miyoshi army's formation.

Miyoshi Nobuyoshi's troops were originally resting on the spot, so their formation was already loose.

Just after the order to advance was given, everyone was reorganizing their formation. If Yasumasa Kambara suddenly appeared at this moment, it would be a death sentence.

"attack!"

"With one burst of energy, crush the enemy!" Yasumasa Kambara personally led his troops in a charge, his more than 4,000 men moving freely among the 9000-strong army of Nobuyoshi Miyoshi.

Due to the sudden attack and the loose formation, coupled with the lack of effective command from Miyoshi Nobuyoshi.

In the blink of an eye, the Sanhao Army was completely routed and scattered.

"No, where's my horse?"

"Where's the horse?" Miyoshi Nobuyoshi was also preparing to run away, but after looking around, he found that his horse was gone.

Seeing that Kambara Yasumasa was charging towards him menacingly from not far away, Miyoshi Nobuyoshi steeled his heart and walked away from the battlefield.

Several loyal flag-bearing samurai followed Miyoshi Nobuyoshi closely, doing their utmost to ensure that the seal of the supreme commander was not lost.

Just as Miyoshi Nobuyoshi was thinking about rewarding the three men handsomely when he returned, he turned around and saw that Kanbara Yasumasa was still chasing after him with all his might.

"Enemy general, don't run! Do you dare to fight me, Yasumasa Kambara!"

not running?

Not running would be foolish. No response came from Miyoshi Nobuyoshi, so he took off running again. Along the way, he encountered many fleeing soldiers, including Kinoshita Yuuhisa and Kinoshita Toshimasa.

"Kankai, save me!" Miyoshi Nobuyoshi was running out of energy and saw Kinoshita Toshimasa riding past him. He quickly shouted for help.

Kinoshita Toshimasa thought to himself, "Why does this voice sound so familiar?"

Looking back, oh my, isn't that Lord Miyoshi Nobuyoshi?
Wait, where's your horse?
"My lord, where is your horse?" Kinoshita Toshimasa stopped.

"I don't know. Quick, Kan Jieyou, lend me your horse for a bit. I really can't run anymore."

With his last ounce of strength, Miyoshi Nobuyoshi grabbed Kinoshita Toshimasa's leg. "I don't know why, but that Kanbara Yasumasa just keeps chasing after me, and I can't shake him off."

Nobuyoshi Miyoshi was speechless. Thousands of people were running, so why was he the only one being chased?

Kinoshita Toshimasa scanned the area and was immediately paralyzed with fear.

"My lord, you're carrying the horse seal. If the enemy doesn't chase you, who will they chase?" Kinoshita Toshimasa said, pointing at the sweating samurai next to Miyoshi Nobuyoshi who was staring at the large horse seal, with a wry smile.

Miyoshi Nobuyoshi was also dumbfounded.

Yeah, that idiot was carrying the general's seal and following me around. Didn't that just lead the enemy troops all over here?

No, I have to chop that idiot up when I get back.

"My lord, mount your horse quickly!" Kinoshita Toshimasa was no coward either. He immediately gave his warhorse to Miyoshi Nobuyoshi and then snatched the large horse seal from the samurai's hand. "My lord, head north quickly. Lord Tanaka and Lord Horio are ahead. I will draw away the pursuers."

After saying that, Kinoshita Toshimasa carried the horse seal and fled in the opposite direction without looking back.

Watching Kinoshita Toshimasa resolutely leave, Miyoshi Nobuyoshi's eyes also reddened.

Meanwhile, Hori Hidemasa, who was two miles away from Baishan Forest, also received news of the attack from the rear.

"Don't panic, form a battle formation on the spot!"

Hori Hidemasa divided his troops into three squads, with arquebusiers in front and foot soldiers with spears lined up on either side.

"Stand up my horse seal and gather the defeated soldiers." Hori Hidemasa rode back and forth, issuing orders.

Soon, thanks to Hori Hidemasa's efforts, the Miyoshi family's defeated soldiers who had escaped from Hakusan Forest were all brought together.

At the same time, Yasumasa Kambara also led his troops to pursue and kill the fleeing soldiers.

When they rushed closer, they saw Hori Hidemasa's large army waiting in formation ahead.

From the crowd, Hori Hidemasa immediately gave the order, "Fire!"

The army of Yasumasa Kambara, which had been pursuing the enemy all the way, suddenly ran into Hidemasa Hori's army. Several rounds of artillery fire suppressed the momentum of Kambara's army.

"Attack!" Hori Hidemasa waved his hand, and the troops on both sides immediately launched a counterattack against Kambara Yasumasa, catching Kambara Yasumasa somewhat off guard.

The arquebusiers continued firing, inflicting heavy casualties on Yasumasa Kambara's army.

A lead bullet grazed Kōbara Yasumasa and struck a foot soldier next to him, making Kōbara Yasumasa exclaim that it was a close call.

Seeing that Hori Hidemasa was well-prepared, he dared not attack rashly and could only order a retreat.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobuo were making a flanking maneuver to the east. He originally intended to circle around behind the Hashiba army to coordinate with Kambara Yasumasa in launching a general offensive.

However, just as he arrived at Mount Irokin, Tokugawa Ieyasu received news that Kambara Yasumasa had been defeated by Hori Hidemasa.

"Oh no, if Lord Shinbara retreats like this, the gap behind us won't be sealed off." A young samurai dressed in red kimonos, wearing a "sky-high kimono" helmet and a "phoenix feather pattern haori" said anxiously beside Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Young samurai generally pay more attention to their personal image, and their attire during battles emphasizes their imposing presence. Many also wear very exaggerated ornaments tucked into their pockets.

Naomasa Ii is no exception.

At the age of twenty-three, he became a general leading an army, and he specially commissioned this outfit.

Tokugawa Ieyasu reined in his horse and looked down at the battlefield below the mountain.

After carefully examining the distribution of the Hashiba clan's army, Tokugawa Ieyasu immediately pointed to a spot and said, "The Ikeda and Mori armies are still behind us. Since we can't surround all the enemies, let's take care of those two."

"Pass on my order: the entire army must immediately turn around, cut off the connection between Mori Nagayoshi, Ikeda Tsuneoki, and Hori Hidemasa, and block Ikeda Tsuneoki and Mori Nagayoshi's retreat."

"what!"

With Kanbara Yasumasa defeated, Tokugawa Ieyasu was unable to complete the encirclement of all Hashiba's army as planned, so he had to settle for second best.

Outside Iwasaki Castle, Ikeda Tsuneoki, who had just been celebrating his victory in capturing the castle, was struck by news of the defeat at the rear.

"What are the rear guard doing? Even if the enemy had ten thousand cattle and horses, they couldn't capture them all."

"That brat Miyoshi has ruined my life!" Ikeda Tsuneoki was so angry that his blood pressure spiked. They were both sons-in-law, so how could there be such a big difference between Miyoshi Nobuyoshi and Mori Nagayoshi?
If Nobuyoshi Miyoshi were faster and could keep up with me, I wouldn't have been defeated so easily.

At that moment, Mori Nagayoshi also rode up at full speed on horseback.

"Father-in-law, a large number of enemy troops have appeared in the rear."

Who is leading the team?

"It's still unclear, but a detective spotted the golden fan and horse seal!" Mori Nagayoshi's words made Ikeda Tsuneoki gasp.

Only one person in the Tokugawa household used a gold fan as a horse stamp—Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Upon hearing that Tokugawa Ieyasu was personally leading the attack, Ikeda Tsuneoki realized that things were in trouble and quickly ordered the withdrawal of the entire army from Iwasaki Castle to prepare for battle.

There were few casualties in the capture of Obata Castle and Iwasaki Castle, so Ikeda Tsuneoki and Mori Nagayoshi still had 8,000 troops under their command. Even against Tokugawa Ieyasu, Ikeda Tsuneoki did not believe that they were completely powerless to fight.

Ikeda Tsuneoki and Mori Nagayoshi acted quickly and soon completed the formation.

Mori Nagayoshi, with 3,000 men, was positioned on the left, while Ikeda Tsuneoki's two sons, Ikeda Gensuke and Ikeda Terumasa, were positioned on the right, with Ikeda Tsuneoki positioned behind them.

When the troops were deployed, a banner that read "Despise this defiled land, yearn for the pure land" caught Ikeda Tsuneoki's eye.

Tokugawa Ieyasu has arrived.

At the same time, Hori Hidemasa, who had just defeated Kambara Yasumasa, also learned that Tokugawa Ieyasu himself had arrived.

Although Yasumasa Kambara was temporarily repelled, he will recover quickly. If he stays here, Hidemasa Hori may face a situation where he is attacked from both sides.

After a brief analysis of the battlefield situation, Hori Hidemasa concluded that his three thousand men were of little use and decided to simply run away.

As for Tsuneoki Ikeda and Nagayoshi Mori?

If we survive, we'll still be good brothers; if we die, we'll be even less afraid of trouble.
After seeing Hori Hidemasa retreat, Tokugawa Ieyasu did not pursue him; his current targets were only Mori Nagayoshi and Ikeda Tsuneoki.

"Order the entire army: in this battle, we will not take heads; all troops must fight with all their might!"

"attack!"

In an instant, ten thousand troops charged toward Ikeda Tsuneoki and Mori Nagayoshi's forces.

Owari, an unnamed valley.

Sanada Nobuyuki looked at the vast plains ahead and couldn't help but shed tears.

Four days later, I've finally escaped this awful place.

"Lord Sanada, there is the sound of cannons ahead. It must be a large-scale battle."

"Judging from the size of the arquebuses, there are quite a few people on both sides." Oyamada Tokishige, who was temporarily acting as a scout, also hurried back to report the situation at the front.

Sanada Nobushige quickly spurred his horse forward and excitedly approached Sanada Nobuyuki's side. "Brother, thank goodness we didn't miss it. Let's hurry and join the battle!"

"Yes!" Sanada Nobuyuki nodded, then said loudly to the Red Cavalry behind him, "Gentlemen, the battlefield lies ahead. Today is the chance for the name of the Sanada Red Cavalry to resound throughout the world."

"Follow me into battle!"

"Oh!"

After wandering around in these deep mountains and forests for several days, everyone was eager to get going.

Now that they finally have the opportunity to participate in the battle, everyone is extremely excited.

Following the direction from which the gunfire was heard, Nobuyuki Sanada and his group soon arrived at the edge of the battlefield.

At that moment, Nobuyuki Sanada sensed something was amiss.

The number of people on both sides in this battle is not large. Toyotomi Hideyoshi had at least 70,000 to 80,000 troops under his command, so how come there are only this many people?

"Brother, look, that's the Tokugawa army ahead!" Before Sanada Nobuyuki could think further, Sanada Nobushige excitedly pointed to the battlefield ahead.

"Why don't we charge in while the enemy isn't paying attention?" Sanada Nobushige said eagerly.

Sanada Nobuyuki did not respond immediately, but instead looked around.

Although they have now left the valley, there are still mountains on both sides, and only the front is the only way out.

We can only move forward.

"Don't linger in battle. Just bypass the enemy's main force and reach the Hashiba army's main camp!"

After saying that, Sanada Nobuyuki raised his spear, kicked his horse in the belly, and charged forward.

Obata Mitsumori and Sanada Nobushige quickly led their cavalry to follow closely behind.

At this moment on the battlefield, Ikeda Tsuneoki and Mori Nagayoshi were engaged in a chaotic battle with Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobuo.

With roughly equal numbers on both sides—Ikeda Tsuneoki's side having 8,000 men and Tokugawa Ieyasu's having no more than 10,000—the battle was fierce and evenly matched.

The only difference was that Ii Naomasa's three thousand men included a large number of cavalry.

Although Ii Naomasa's Red Cavalry was not yet fully established, he brought quite a few men with him on this expedition. These men, known as the "Ii Red Cavalry," also wore red kimonos and red dōmaru, their appearance almost identical to that of the Takeda clan's Red Cavalry.

Moreover, the Ii Akabuni clan had a large number of former retainers of the Takeda clan, and their troop structure, personnel organization, and combat methods were very similar to those of the Takeda Akabuni clan.

Cavalry possesses extremely high mobility on the battlefield, enabling them to quickly penetrate and attack weak points in the enemy's defenses, thus establishing a local battlefield advantage in conjunction with the foot soldiers holding the line.

Ii Naomasa personally led the Ii Red Army to bypass the Ikeda clan's main force and attack Ikeda Terumasa on the right flank. Soon, with the addition of these mounted samurai, the Ikeda clan's formation began to falter on the previously evenly matched battlefield.

At that moment, Nobuyuki Sanada and others also joined the battle.

Because they emerged from behind the Tokugawa clan and were cavalrymen dressed in red tunics, the Tokugawa samurai mistook them for Ii Naomasa's troops.

However, when Nobuyuki Sanada and his men arrived, some sharp-eyed people noticed something was wrong.

"Six coins, from the Sanada family!"

"It's the Sanada clan's troops! It's the enemy!" shouted an Oda clan samurai, raising his arm in protest.

Oda Nobuo, who was standing nearby, almost wet himself upon hearing this. What enemy was behind me?
With all their troops committed to the front lines, Oda Nobuo and Tokugawa Ieyasu were left with only a few hundred Umakai.

When he saw the Sanada cavalry charging out from behind, Oda Nobukatsu panicked and quickly ran to Tokugawa Ieyasu's side.

"Mikawa no Kami, something terrible has happened! It's Sanada's cavalry!"

Tokugawa Ieyasu was also puzzled when he heard this. Why would someone from the Sanada family be here?

However, under the watchful eye of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Sanada Nobuyuki and his men did not directly attack Tokugawa Ieyasu's main camp, but instead bypassed the battlefield and ran towards the Hashiba army.

Seeing that the Sanada clan had not launched an attack on him, Tokugawa Ieyasu breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sanada is a man of his word. It seems that Oki no Kami did not lie to me.”

“Sanada’s participation in the war must have been out of necessity, after all, he had pledged allegiance to Hideyoshi.” Tokugawa Ieyasu felt that he had seen through everything, so he ordered, “It’s alright, Sanada is not our enemy, let them be.”

In fact, Tokugawa and Sanada did not have a secret agreement; they had only reached a subtle tacit understanding.

Tokugawa Ieyasu had to focus all his efforts on defending Owari, while Sanada Masayuki had to keep an eye on Kanto. Neither side dared to make a move. Or rather, neither dared to break this balance.

At this time, Nobuyuki Sanada and his party also bypassed the main battlefield and arrived at the left flank of the battlefield.

But when one after another, the "crane pattern" banners with the long, flowing lines of the forest appeared before Sanada Nobuyuki's eyes, he was dumbfounded.

Where did you get this from?

I want to go to Komakiyama, not Nagakute!
Nobuyuki Sanada is numb.

When he turned around again, the person standing under the banner with the eight characters "Desire to leave the defiled land and yearn for the pure land" and the conspicuous "big golden fan" was none other than Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Upon closer inspection, the four characters "威加海内" were also present. Who else could it be but Oda Nobuo?
The thought that he had traveled all the way from Shinano to join the war, only to stumble directly into the battlefield of Nagakute, made Sanada Nobuyuki want to slap himself.

Mori Nagayoshi also noticed the "Red Guard" that suddenly appeared. He initially thought it was Ii Naomasa coming, but when he got closer, he saw that the other side had "Six Coins" behind him.

"Genzaburo, it's Genzaburo!"

"Gensaburo, I'm here!" Mori Nagayoshi excitedly stood on tiptoe and waved vigorously at Sanada Nobuyuki.

boom!
A lead bullet was fired from the crowd, hitting Sen Changke squarely in the chest, and Sen Changke fell to the ground.

"Hey! I'm hit!"

"I've hit the enemy general!" A foot soldier from the Mizuno clan shouted excitedly, raising his arquebus. "The enemy general has been defeated by Sugiyama Magoroku!"

"Whoa!" A deafening cheer erupted from the Tokugawa side.

Upon hearing this, the foot soldiers under Mori Nagayoshi's command immediately felt a pang of anxiety and quickly looked back. Mori Nagayoshi, who had been lively and energetic just moments before, was now lying on the ground.

Oh no, our lord is gone!
　Toyotomi Hidetsugu in history:
　　During the Battle of Nagakute, the Tokugawa clan quickly learned of their movements and soon marched into the Nagakute region.

　　Toyotomi Hidetsugu was the first to be attacked, and his 9,000-strong force collapsed almost immediately.

　　At that time, Kana Saizo was still serving under Toyotomi Hidetsugu. During their escape, Toyotomi Hidetsugu asked Kana Saizo to give him his mount.

　　Ke'er Caizang said: "I also really need this horse," and then directly refused and drove away.

　　In the end, it was only through the desperate efforts of Kinoshita Toshimasa, Kinoshita Yuhisa, and others that Toyotomi Hidetsugu was able to escape.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)