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

Chapter 5, the Battle of Kawanakajima, was awesome!
Northern Shinano has always been a focal point of contention between the Takeda and Uesugi clans.

The famous Battle of Kawanakajima took place here.

The Takeda and Uesugi clans fought for decades over the northern Shinano region, with neither side willing to concede defeat, but overall the Takeda clan held a slight advantage.

Before the Takeda clan was destroyed, most of northern Shinano was occupied by the Takeda clan, but some areas centered around Iiyama Castle were still under the control of the Uesugi clan.

After the Oda clan took over the Koshin region, Mori Nagayoshi was dispatched to be stationed in northern Shinano.

Although the Takeda and Uesugi clans had a previous alliance, the local lords in northern Shinano who were under the command of the Uesugi clan still had considerable autonomy. Therefore, when the Oda clan attacked the Takeda clan, these local lords took the opportunity to seize some of the Takeda clan's territory.

Of course, these territories that were seized previously belonged to the people of northern Shinano.

However, from the Oda clan's perspective, what you've taken is clearly Oda clan's land.

Not to mention that the Oda and Uesugi families are currently hostile and at war, so Mori Nagayoshi would naturally not stand idly by.

However, since Mori Nagayoshi was new to the area and had limited troops, he requested support from Takigawa Kazumasu in Ueno.

Takigawa Kazumasu was also eager to establish his authority in the Koshin region, so he quickly ordered troops to be dispatched.

However, the Sanada family waited at Toishi Castle for several days, but Takigawa Kazumasu did not appear.

Sanada Masayuki sent several letters to Maeno, but they all went unanswered.

On the sixth day, Takigawa Kazumasu's reply finally arrived—he wasn't coming.

Takigawa Kazumasu was currently busy taking over his territory in Ueno, and Oda Nobutada was also about to arrive in Ueno. Takigawa Kazumasu also had to prepare to welcome Oda Nobutada, so he had no time to get away.

To ensure Oda Nobutada's safety, the large army that had been promised was dispatched to various regions to guard them. These newly acquired territories were highly susceptible to uprisings.

In short, the densely packed pages of the reply conveyed only one message: Sanada, good luck! I believe in you.

Sanada Masayuki was at a loss, but he dared not disobey Takikawa Kazumasu's orders, so he could only grit his teeth and issue the order to go into battle.

Before leaving, Sanada Masayuki came to Sanada Nobuyuki's side and instructed him, "The situation in northern Shinano is complicated. When Lord Shingen was alive, he tried his best but failed to conquer these places."

“The Oda clan is new to this place, and things probably won’t go smoothly for them.”

"If the war goes against you, do not be reckless."

After saying that, Sanada Masayuki looked at Kawahara Tsunaie and Oyamada Shigeaki, who were standing next to Sanada Nobuyuki, and said, "You must protect Genzaburo."

"Yes!"

On April 7th of the tenth year of Tensho, the Sanada clan dispatched 800 troops from Toishi Castle to garrison Kaizu Castle.

Mori Nagayoshi, the lord of Kaizu Castle, issued specific combat orders to the Sanada family: to advance to the Kawanakajima area to scout out the enemy situation ahead.

"I have heard that Sanada Awa no Kami participated in the Battle of Kawanakajima. I suppose the Sanada clan must be very familiar with the Kawanakajima area."

"This is the first battle for the Sanada clan after joining the main family. Don't let the main family down."

At only twenty-five years old, Mori Nagayoshi is already a general of the Oda clan with a fief of 200,000 koku in Shinano. He is full of vigor and ready to make a big splash, and he is determined to take over the territory of northern Shinano.

Sanada Nobuyuki quickly replied, "I have long heard of the Mori clan's martial prowess, and it is a great honor to serve under Lord Musashi-no-kami today."

Seeing that Sanada Nobuyuki was so responsive, Mori Nagayoshi nodded in satisfaction.

He then introduced the other participating samurai to Sanada Nobuyuki, saying, "These are Yashiro-goshi-no-kami, Muroga-no-hyōbu-shōsuke, and Kasuga (Kōsaka)-danjō-tada, all of whom are powerful samurai in the Shinano region."

The three people whose names were called all looked at Nobuyuki Sanada, who quickly nodded in greeting.

Among them, Kasuga Nobutatsu was the son of Kosaka Masanobu, a senior retainer of the Takeda clan. Sanada Nobuyuki recalled that both of them had been held hostage at Tsutsuzaki House, and although they were not very close, they knew each other.

"According to the report from the scouts, a small number of enemy troops were discovered yesterday in places such as Kawanakajima and Zenkoji Temple."

"I have decided to launch an attack in two days. The Sanada clan will lead the vanguard to Kawanakajima. We need to ascertain the enemy's movements and numbers," Mori Nagayoshi continued.

Nobuyuki Sanada quickly accepted the order.

As he left Kaizu Castle, Nobuyuki Sanada let out a long sigh of relief.

With less than two months to go before the Honnoji barbecue festival, time is running out for the Sanada family.

At the same time, Nobuyuki Sanada already had a preliminary plan in mind.

Time quickly passed to the evening of April 8th, when the Sanada family arrived at Kawanakajima.

Before they could even set up camp, Oyamada Shigemasa rushed to find Sanada Nobuyuki.

"Gensaburo, a small number of enemy troops have been spotted ahead. Should we engage them?"

"Let's go take a look." Sanada Nobuyuki took the reins from a samurai beside him, rode off on his horse, and was followed by more than thirty riders, including Oyamada Shigeaki.

A short while later, led by Oyamada Shigeaki, Sanada Nobuyuki and his party arrived at a small hill. Looking down from the hilltop, they could see twenty or thirty cavalrymen resting sparsely on the riverbank ahead.

Apart from a few people watching over the horses and supervising their drinking and grazing, the rest of the people were lazily lying on the ground resting, and many of them had even taken off their saddlecloths and hung them casually to the side.

After carefully surveying the battlefield, Sanada Nobuyuki took a deep breath and slowly drew his sword from his waist.

Having adapted to his identity and body, Nobuyuki Sanada is now proficient in using various weapons; all that's missing is a real battle.

Seeing Sanada Nobuyuki's actions, Oyamada Shigeaki quickly grabbed the reins in Sanada's hand. "Gensaburo, the situation on the battlefield is still unclear, and the location of the enemy's main force is also unknown. Be careful, it may be a trap set by the enemy."

“Brother-in-law, don’t worry.” Nobuyuki Sanada pointed to the setting sun that was almost below the horizon. “It will be dark soon. If it were a trap, the enemy wouldn’t choose this time.”

"Everyone, get ready!" Before Oyamada Shigeaki could speak again, Sanada Nobuyuki gave the order.

The twenty-odd cavalrymen behind him were all samurai from the Sanada family, specially chosen by Sanada Masayuki to protect Sanada Nobuyuki.

"attack!"

With a kick to the flank, Sanada Nobuyuki sent his tall Shinano warhorse galloping several meters forward.

Seeing this, the people behind him quickly followed, with guards standing on either side of Sanada Nobuyuki.

Nobuyuki Sanada was 1.8 meters tall (his height was inferred from Gujutsu in later generations), which was a "Gundam" type in an era when the average height was 1.5 meters.

Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, Nobuyuki Sanada, riding his warhorse, appeared exceptionally brave and extraordinary.

Meanwhile, two Shimazu cavalrymen on the riverbank were chatting and laughing as they groomed their warhorses.

As soon as one of the cavalrymen looked up, he saw dozens of cavalrymen suddenly charging down the hillside ahead.

Because he was standing against the light, the man couldn't immediately recognize the other person. It wasn't until Sanada Nobuyuki and his men rushed up to him that the "Six Coins" flag came into view.

"Sanada, it's Sanada!"

"Enemy attack!"

"Enemy attack!"

In the distance, the remaining Shimazu cavalrymen who were taking a nap heard the noise and quickly stood up.

However, at this moment, Nobuyuki Sanada had already arrived close.

The Shimazu cavalrymen who were nearby hurriedly searched for their warhorses, and some even rushed forward naked without having time to put on their pajamas.

Sanada Nobuyuki spurred his horse into a gallop, his eyes fixed on an enemy soldier charging at the forefront.

Twenty steps.

Ten steps.

It's now!

With a swift stroke of the blade, the enemy fell to the ground.

Sanada Nobuyuki's horse continued its charge at full speed, with the Sanada clan samurai beside him finishing off any enemy soldiers he passed.

In less than fifteen minutes, more than a dozen corpses lay scattered across the battlefield. Seven or eight cavalrymen escaped in the chaos, and Sanada Nobuyuki dared not pursue them rashly, fearing he might run into the main enemy force.

"Brother-in-law, don't let the horses run away!" Sanada Nobuyuki pointed to the unattended warhorses not far away; these horses were worth a lot of money.

Oyamada Shigeaki nodded quickly and beckoned several samurai to come forward and gather their warhorses.

Sanada Nobuyuki looked back at the corpses on the ground, but the expected disgust did not arise. Instead, he felt a sense of pleasure from "killing Japanese devils".

Cool!
After calming himself down, Nobuyuki Sanada slowly walked to a corpse and kicked it hard.

"Stop pretending, I was using the back of the blade just now!"

"Don't kill me, don't kill me!" The "corpse" that had been lying motionless on the ground suddenly jumped up and then knelt down on the territory to beg for mercy.

Sanada Nobuyuki stared at the other person expressionlessly. "Want to live?"

"Mmm-hmm!" The other person nodded very obediently.

"Tell me, where is your commander-in-chief?"

　Kaizu Castle is located in the Kawanakajima area in northern Shinano, a strategically important transportation hub.

　　Historically, Tokugawa Hidetada transferred the Sanada family from Ueda Castle to Kaizu Castle (Matsushiro Castle), marking the beginning of the Matsushiro Domain.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)