The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Chapter 121 Taking a Bite of Shingen's Butt (Part 2)

The fourth quarter of the Shen hour.

"My lord!" Naito Masatoyo rushed into the main tent. "Lord Oyamada has fallen in battle! The Mori army is less than a mile from our main camp!"

Takeda Shingen's face was somewhat dark, his eyes were sunken, and his lips were bloodless.

He forced himself to stand up.

"Let Nobuharu Baba lead three thousand men to meet the enemy. Masayuki will be his backup. As long as we hold out until I break through Mitsuhide Akechi's main camp, everything will still be alright."

"My lord!"

"I know my own body best. This battle is a gamble for me—order the entire army to attack!"

Meanwhile, on the opposite bank of the Nagara River.

Scouts constantly moved between Akechi Mitsuhide's tents.

"The Mori army has defeated Nobushige Oyamada!"

"The Mori army is attacking Baba Nobuharu!"

"The Takeda main camp is being mobilized!"

"Katsuyori Takeda is closing in on Sakumabe, and Masakage Yamagata has already defeated Morinari Ando!"

The opportunity is coming!

Akechi Mitsuhide drew out his military corps and ordered the main camp to begin crossing the river!

"Gentlemen! Lord Nobunaga is in Gifu Castle! The Takeda army is showing signs of defeat! Today is the day for us to achieve our goal! Cross the river!"

""

Five thousand people slowly made their way to the other side of the river.

At 5:45 PM, the right wing of the Takeda army.

Nobuharu Baba had never seen such a resilient force.

Despite the long distance traveled, they were still moving forward.

The blood on the black armor looked like a thick layer of grease.

That man named Nagayoshi Mori is practically a tireless evil god.

"Baba Nobuharu!" Nagayoshi's blade cleaved two foot soldiers in two. "Where is Lord Shingen?!"

Nobuharu Baba did not answer, but simply raised his spear to meet the attack.

Guns and knives clashed, sparks flying everywhere.

Nobuharu Baba, known as "the immortal demon of Mino," was one of the most formidable warriors in the Takeda clan.

But Mori Nagayoshi's knife was even more ruthless.

Just three moves later, Nobuharu Baba's spear broke, his guju broke, and his neck broke.

"The Immortal Demon Mino" — dead beyond any doubt.

"Xin Chun!" A mournful cry came from afar.

A dragon led its main force to provide support, only to witness its old friend fall before its very eyes.

"Mori Nagayoshi!" Nobutatsu's eyes turned red. "Give me your life!"

Changqing wiped the blood from his face and smiled.

"Well done!"

At the beginning of the hour of You (5-7 PM), the sun begins to set in the west.

The battlefield was filled with smoke and the sounds of fighting were deafening.

Katsuyori Takeda, with three thousand men, was anxiously awaiting Sakuma Nobumori's signal.

"They're here!" Katsuyuki Atobe pointed into the distance. "Look, sir!"

Suddenly, chaos erupted within Oda's army ranks, and a banner fell to the ground. It was the banner of Hashiba Hideyoshi.

Immediately afterwards, Sakuma Nobumori's troops began to move, heading directly towards Hashiba Hideyoshi's main camp.

"Lord Sakuma has defected!" Atobe Katsuyuki exclaimed with delight. "My lord! This is an opportunity not to be missed!"

Katsuyori Takeda's heart pounded wildly.

He knew his father had never trusted Sakuma Nobumori, and he knew the senior retainers were against his proposal. But he also knew this was his chance to prove himself.

"All troops, attack!" He drew his katana. "To support Lord Sakuma!"

Three thousand Takeda soldiers crossed the river and headed straight for the right flank of the Oda army.

However, when they charged into the enemy lines, they were not met by a chaotic rout, but by a well-ordered array of spears.

Hideyoshi Hashiba stood in the middle of the formation, watching the charging Takeda army, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

The roar of arquebuses suddenly rang out, and the Takeda army at the forefront fell in droves.

Katsuyori Takeda was shocked: "What's going on?!"

"Katsuyori-kun! Do you know how long I've waited for you?" Sakuma Nobumori laughed.

His troops immediately rushed towards the Takeda army.

Almost simultaneously, Hideyoshi's main force also began to counterattack. Hachisuka Masakatsu and Hashiba Hidenaga led their troops to press forward from the front.

Caught between two attacks, the morale of the Takeda army, which had been subjected to a "false defection," wavered.

"Retreat!" Katsuyori shouted sharply, "Retreat now!"

But it was too late.

The Takeda army only knew that there were enemies everywhere and shouts of killing everywhere.

Atobe Katsuyuki was killed by Hachisuka Masakatsu with a single spear thrust.

Under the desperate protection of his hatamoto, Takeda Katsuyori fought his way out and fled back to the main camp.

At the second quarter of the hour of You (5:45 PM), the gates of Gifu Castle were opened wide.

Oda Nobunaga led all his troops out without hesitation.

"Keep up! Anyone can fight this kind of battle now! Those without heads can expect punishment!"

Four thousand men descended the mountain like tigers, rushing straight for Takeda's flank.

Naito Masatoyo stood before Shingen, his trousers covered in blood.

"My lord! Run!" His voice was hoarse. "The young master has been defeated! Lord Baba and Lord Oyamada are dead! The Oda army is attacking from all sides!"

Takeda Shingen had been coughing all day, his handkerchief soaked in blood. At this moment, he felt dizzy and unable to hold on any longer.

"Changfeng," he said softly, "how many years have you been with me?"

"My lord! Now is not the time to discuss this!"

"Twenty-five years, isn't it?" Shingen said to himself. "You were twenty-four when you started following me—"

Masato Naito's eyes welled up with tears.

"My lord—"

"Go," Shingen raised his hand. "Retreat east. I'll be here, waiting for them."

"No!" Changfeng knelt down. "If my lord doesn't leave, Changfeng won't leave either!"

"No, retreat quickly! Kosaka Masanobu is still guarding our retreat! If Shiro is still alive, teach him a lesson he won't forget."

"If Shiro dies, please avenge me! Hurry, the flame of the Takeda clan cannot be extinguished here!"

He stood up, drew his katana, and shoved Changfeng aside.

"Go! I'm already dying of illness, let me die in battle!"

At three quarters past dusk, the battle entered its most brutal phase.

Although the defeat of the Takeda army was inevitable, the remaining thousands of soldiers were still putting up a desperate resistance.

They were Shingen's standard-bearers, the most elite troops of the Takeda clan, who would rather die in battle than surrender.

Mori Nagayoshi had no idea how many people he had killed; he didn't even have time to look at the rewards from the system.

Once the two sides were locked in a chaotic battle, he would only go to the places where there were flag bearers and start killing people.

Nobutatsu Ichijo, Nobukichi Anayama, and Nobutoyo Takeda, all members of the Takeda clan, died by his sword.

Finally, he saw Takeda Shingen's horse seal.

Takeda Shingen sat on a stool, with almost no hatamoto (traditional Japanese soldiers) around him.

"With Mori Nagayoshi here, I will never be able to go to Kyoto—"

"Lord Xinxuan, I respect you as a hero of your time; you should take your own life!"

"No—no—" He slowly stood up, drew his katana, "If I were content to wait for death, why would I come to a place like this?"

He coughed violently, bending over from the cough, but walked resolutely toward Changqing.

"I would rather die fighting than surrender. Come! Today you will achieve your martial fame!"

Changqing stepped forward, saying, "I'll act quickly!"

Shingen's sword stopped in mid-air, and he himself stopped. In the instant before Shingen's eyes went black, Nagayoshi snatched the still bloodless katana from him.

Shingen stumbled and almost fell to the ground when Nagayoshi beheaded him with a single stroke.

The headless corpse fell downwards, as if kneeling. Changqing quickly caught the body and laid it on the ground.

To make a powerful enemy kneel in defeat is also an insult to oneself.

The Oda army began to cheer, but the commotion went unheard by Nagayoshi.

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