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

Chapter 155 A Day of Triumph for the Ueno Samurai

The Hojo clan suffered a complete defeat, and Sanada Masayuki and others pursued them all the way to the Kannagawa River.

Along the way, the Hojo clan's foot soldiers suffered utter defeats, losing their armor and weapons.

The local patriots in Ueno hadn't experienced the thrill of chasing and beating up Hojo for many years. They charged forward with boundless energy, roaring as if they'd been injected with adrenaline.

It wasn't until the Hojo clan had completely escaped to the other side of the Kanna River that Sanada Masayuki ordered a halt to the pursuit, and then the army returned to Kurakano Castle to rest.

Looking at the castle that had been reclaimed, Kanai Hidekage, with tears streaming down his face, grabbed Sanada Masayuki's hand and said, "Lord Daizen, from this day forward, the Kuragano clan will follow the lead of the Sanada family."

"The Sanada family is the one everyone truly wants!"

"Neither Oda Hashiba nor Uesugi Mori can be trusted!"

"In the crucial moment, we still have to rely on the Sanada family!" Kanai Hidekage cried, venting his emotions.

In the Battle of Kawagoe Castle in 1546, Kuragano was killed in action.

In 1547, Takeda Shingen attacked Kozuke, and Kuragano died in battle for Hiro.

In 1566, Minowa Castle fell, Kuragano Naoyuki was defeated and killed, and Kanai Hidekage inherited the Kuragano family name.

In the Battle of Kannagawa in 1582, Kanai Hidekage's two sons fought alongside Takigawa Kazumasu against the Hojo clan and both died in battle.

Forty years of frost have ravaged the land, and the blood of the Kuragano clan is almost dried up.

If they had a choice, these Chinese people would not want to live such a precarious life, but they had relied on too many people, none of whom could lead them to victory against the Hojo.

Only this time did Sanada Masayuki, a native of Shinano, lead his people to a resounding victory over the Hojo clan.

He didn't know what others thought, but he was convinced.

"Lord Sanada truly lives up to his reputation as someone who learned military strategy from Lord Shingen. Today's battle has been a real eye-opener for us!" Obata Nobusada, as always, gave us face and immediately launched into a tirade of praise.

Sanada Masayuki seemed embarrassed by what he was being said and quickly waved his hand to indicate that there was no need for such formalities.

In this battle, Sanada Masayuki had already made arrangements, which was a simple plan to lure the enemy.

This battlefield is very familiar to the Hojo clan. Two years ago, Takigawa Kazumasu fought the "Battle of Kamirukawa" against the Hojo clan here. Sanada Masayuki deliberately chose Torikawa, which is adjacent to Kamirukawa, as the battlefield.

It was supposed to be a trap, but Sanada Masayuki knew that the act had to be convincing. Hojo Ujiteru and Hojo Ujikuni on the other side were also generals of the Hojo clan and wouldn't be easily fooled.

Therefore, Masayuki Sanada had no choice but to personally act as bait.

Only the Sanada family can act as bait. If the local lords are sent as bait, it would be troublesome if they couldn't control the situation and it turned into a real rout.

For this campaign against Ueno, Sanada Masayuki led foot soldiers from small prefectures, Saku prefectures, and Azuma prefectures—his personal troops. Only the relatively well-trained and disciplined Sanada clan forces could have managed to avoid a rout.

"Please do not be careless, everyone. The Hojo clan has only suffered one defeat, and it is not even seriously injured."

“Defeating the Hojo clan cannot be achieved through a single battle,” Sanada Nobuyuki said, pouring cold water on the idea.

Winning a battle is nothing compared to the Hojo clan's size; it's hardly a crippling blow.

It would be too early to start celebrating victory and letting our guard down.

Upon hearing Sanada Nobuyuki's words, everyone present realized what was happening and sat down.

"Lord Sanada, what should we do next?" Naito Masayuki asked, and everyone present turned their gazes to Sanada Masayuki, their eyes filled with hope.

In their view, if Sanada Masayuki could lead them to victory once, they could win again, as if the Hojo clan was no longer a threat.

Amidst the intense gazes of the crowd, Masayuki Sanada's words surprised everyone.

"retreat!"

"Retreat?" Naito Masayuki and the others' expressions changed.

If you win, shouldn't you press your advantage and expand your gains? If you retreat, then this battle was fought for nothing.

"Cough cough!"

Sanada Masayuki coughed twice and slowly said, "Gentlemen, the Hojo clan's military strength is formidable. Although we were fortunate enough to win a battle today, the Hojo clan still has tens of thousands of troops in Masahashi Castle."

"What if the Hojo clan turns their guns on us if we continue our advance?"

Sanada Masayuki's words stunned everyone.

Yes, what if we attract the Hojo clan's army?
In an instant, the once aggressive crowd lowered their heads, looking like wilted eggplants.

"This battle has demonstrated our fighting strength, making the Hojo clan unable to underestimate us."

"We will not be attacked by the Hojo clan again in the short term. Our top priority is to continue to reorganize our army, purchase weapons and stockpile food, and improve our strength!"

"Anyway, the Hojo family's focus is still on Masahashi Castle. As long as Masahashi Castle is not captured, we can rest easy."

Now everyone realized that they had entered their comfort zone.

Having repelled Hojo Ujiteru and Hojo Ujikuni, the pressure on Nishi-Kōzuke has vanished. Since the Hojo clan's main forces are all at Masahashi Castle, what are they panicking for?
Even if the sky falls, the Uesugi family will hold it up.

"The chief physician is right!"

"That's right, we'll all listen to the Sanada family!"

Naito Masayuki, Yasunaka Kageshige, Wada Nobuyoshi, and others immediately echoed loudly.

As for Obata Nobusada and Kanai Hidekage, both are now staunch supporters of Sanada Masayuki and would not express any objections.

Therefore, under Sanada Masayuki's orders, everyone retreated back to their castle.

Meanwhile, in Musashi's Oshi Castle, Hojo Ujikuni and Hojo Ujiteru, among others, also regrouped their forces.

After taking stock, it was found that the Hojo clan lost nearly 2000 men in the Battle of Torikawa, and several thousand more foot soldiers fled. The Hojo clan foot soldiers in Oshi Castle now number only a little over 10,000.

boom!
Upon hearing the news, Hojo Ujimasa rushed over and slammed his fist on the table in a fit of rage. This was the first time in all these years that Hojo Ujimasa had ever lost his temper like this.

"What a shame!"

"My Hojo clan has dominated Kanto for so many years and has rarely suffered a defeat." "If we lose this battle, all our previous efforts will be in vain!" Hojo Ujimasa's chest heaved.

They had finally managed to force the Satake-Utsunomiya alliance to withdraw, but if news of the defeat in Ueno were to spread, given the nature of Satake Yoshishige and his ilk, they would certainly launch another attack.

The Hojo clan would then face a situation of being attacked from both sides, and Hojo Ujimasa felt a headache just thinking about it.

Is the Kanto region really that difficult to please?

Even when his father, Hojo Ujiyasu, and grandfather, Hojo Ujitsuna, were alive, things weren't this difficult.

"Sanada, as expected of someone who could defeat Tokugawa." Hojo Ujimasa stroked his beard and sighed.

This statement is somewhat of a forced attempt to save face. You see, Tokugawa was also defeated by the Sanada clan before, so roughly speaking, my Hojo clan is about the same as Tokugawa Ieyasu.

"My Lord, what's next?" Hojo Ujiteru felt he couldn't hold back any longer; as a defeated general, he was truly ashamed to lift his head.

Hojo Ujimasa thought for a moment, then asked, "What's the situation at Masahashi Castle?"

"We're still under siege," Hojo Ujikuni quickly explained.

"Besiege the castle!" Hojo Ujimasa's face showed displeasure. "Why did Ujinao attack Masahashi Castle first?"

"With the Uesugi clan's reinforcements at Masahashi Castle, it's not going to be so easy to take it."

"If we had attacked Nishi-Keno directly, our main clan would already be at Minowa Castle by now!"

Hojo Ujiteru opened his mouth, then whispered, "It doesn't seem too late to change our attack route now."

"Too late!" Hojo Ujimasa said helplessly. "With Torikawa's defeat, the enemy's morale is high."

"Besides, Tokugawa did not send troops to Shinano as agreed, so there is no need to fight this battle."

"Withdraw the troops." Hojo Ujimasa made the decision directly.

Originally, the Hojo clan's military expedition was not aimed at Ueno, but mainly at fighting against the Satake coalition.

The strategic objective was achieved by defeating the Satake coalition; the attack on Ueno was merely a side effect, and the capture of Kinzan Castle and Tatebayashi Castle also counted as gains.

After the Battle of Torikawa, Hojo Ujimasa had a preliminary assessment of the Sanada clan's fighting strength. To launch a strong attack on Ueno would mean simultaneously fighting against the combined forces of Uesugi, Sanada, and the Ueno locals.

Although the Hojo clan is not afraid, this is not something that can be accomplished in a short time.

The cost of food alone for tens of thousands of troops stationed in Ueno is astronomical. With that money, it would be better to build two more pylons for Odawara Castle.
"Since Sanada is not easy to deal with, instead of wasting time in Ueno, we should take care of Satake and Utsunomiya first."

"I have already sent men to instigate Kajiwara Mino no Kami's rebellion. He will join forces with the Oda clan to attack the Satake clan." Hojo Ujimasa was referring to Kajiwara Masakage, the son of Ota Sukemasa.

"In addition, Nagao Akinaga and Yokose Kunishige are also in contact with the main family, hoping to serve the main family again."

“I would be willing to give them a chance.” Hojo Ujimasa smiled slightly, as if he already had a plan in mind.

Yokose Kunishige and Nagao Akenaga are now nobody in Ueno Province, both inside and outside.

First of all, they are not members of the "Ueno Rebellion" previously organized by Hojo Takahiro; last year they were still a subordinate force of the Hojo family.

This year's war with the Hojo clan was also due to the "incitement" of the Satake clan. Now the Satake alliance has abandoned them and they have gone to join Hojo Takahiro. But Hojo Takahiro is lucky to be able to hold onto Masahashi Castle, let alone have the strength to help the two of them reclaim their castle.

Therefore, Yokose Kunishige and Nagao Akinaga once again expressed their intention to submit to the Hojo family.

The Hojo clan had just made peace with the Satake alliance, so it was inconvenient for them to directly attack Shimotsuke. However, they could achieve their goal by supporting other local lords.

"But are we just going to leave Sanada like this?" Hojo Ujiteru asked, his face showing worry.

Hojo Ujimasa waved his hand, "No rush. Tokugawa Mikawa-no-kami has assured me that he will take action once the situation in the Kinki region improves."

"Withdrawal?"

"Why did Father issue such an order!"

Outside the castle of the Hojo clan, inside the main camp of the Hojo family, Hojo Ujinao was dumbfounded.

We've besieged Jiuqiao City for so long, if we withdraw now, wouldn't we be going on a spring outing?

"My lord, the Hidden Residence Palace probably has other plans."

"We can't take Masahashi Castle in a short time. Awa no Kami and his men were also defeated by the Sanada clan in Nishi-Ueno. Continuing to drag this out will not benefit our main clan at all."

"Let's withdraw the troops," Kasahara Yasukatsu patiently advised.

Hojo Ujinao said with a look of resentment, "If my uncles had come earlier to attack Masahashi Castle with me, how could we have suffered such a crushing defeat?"

"I am the head of the family!" Hojo Ujina shouted hysterically.

"Why, why won't anyone listen to me!" Hojo Ujinao clenched his hands tightly; he desperately wanted to prove himself.

Although Hojo Ujimasa had relinquished the headship of the clan to him, Hojo Ujimasa still held the final say in the clan's military and political affairs.

Even during this military campaign, despite being the commander-in-chief, Hojo Ujiteru and Hojo Ujikuni completely ignored his orders and reported everything to Hojo Ujimasa first.

Hojo Ujinao felt truly stifled in his role as head of the clan.

"My lord, the Hermitage Palace has already urged us three times. If we don't withdraw soon, it will be difficult to explain," Kasahara Yasukatsu said with great difficulty.

Hojo Ujinao wanted to refute, but when he thought of Hojo Ujimasa's gloomy face, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes.

After struggling internally for a long time, Hojo Ujinao still said weakly, "Let's retreat."

August 13th, the twelfth year of Tianzheng.

The massive Hojo clan army suddenly withdrew from Ueno. The entire population of Ueno was overjoyed.

Hojo Takahiro held a three-day victory celebration in the Masahashi Castle, but after it was over, looking at the empty Masahashi Castle Palace, Hojo Takahiro suddenly realized something.

Wait, that’s not right!

Where have my little brothers gone?

(End of this chapter)