The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Chapter 144 Nameless Ichimonji

Although Murakami Yoshikiyo is old, his marksmanship is still deadly.

Murakami Kunikiyo followed closely behind, displaying superb swordsmanship.

The father and son worked together seamlessly, clearly not for the first time in a joint operation against an enemy.

But in front of Changqing, they were no match at all; Changqing handled each move with ease and grace.

Everyone present could see that this was clearly an old man teasing a mischievous child, and the mischievous child was none other than the white-haired Yoshikiyo.

The seventy-year-old man was already red-faced and panting after only a few rounds.

This kind of fighting isn't going to work.

Kenshin's trusted retainer, Jiang Jinggang, immediately cried out, "My lord! This man is treacherous. If the two generals are lost, the morale of the army will waver!"

Kenshin certainly knew.

"That's enough!"

He placed his right hand on the "Untitled Ichimonji" at his waist, pulled the reins with his left hand, and his warhorse neighed and charged towards the front of the battle.

"My lord!"

"Lord Kenshin!"

A gasp of alarm rippled through the Uesugi army.

Changqing was overjoyed upon seeing this.

If Kenshin is killed in one strike, then the Northern Frontier will be completely secure.

"Well done!"

With a single stroke, he forced the Murakami father and son aside, then spurred his horse to meet Kenshin. The two warhorses passed each other, their blades flashing and metal clanging.

"clang!"

A loud bang made the eardrums of the father and son nearby ache.

Changqing and Qianxin each charged more than ten zhang before simultaneously reining in their horses and turning back.

When Changqing picked up "Chiyo Tsurutaro" and looked at it, he found that the blade was broken.

Although his own sword was a great katana, the opponent's sword was completely unharmed, indicating it was a very sharp weapon.

"Great knife! Again!"

Upon hearing this, Kenshin spurred his horse and charged towards Nagayoshi once more. Fearing for Kenshin's safety, the Murakami father and son also joined the attack.

Come.

Changqing neither dodged nor avoided, wielding his katana in one hand and holding the scabbard horizontally in the other.

The three had never seen this configuration before, and they never imagined that it was the "Niten Ichi-ryu" used in the imperial martial arts demonstration.

As the four men clashed weapons, Changqing, in a fit of rage, knocked the weapons of the father and son away with a single slash, then raised his scabbard and struck Qianxin's raised wrist.

Kenshin felt a numbness in his wrist, and the "Untitled Ichimonji" flew out of his hand, drawing an arc in the air before being sheathed by Chōkei.

It would be one thing to fight three against one, but to disarm Kenshin in such a flashy way was another.

The Mori army cheered, while the Uesugi army beat their chests in frustration.

Chōkyō raised the "Unnamed Ichimonji" sword and examined it closely in the sunlight. "Indeed, it's a fine sword. Although it can't compare to my Mikazuki Munechika, it's still a first-rate masterpiece. Kenshin, this sword has been with you for over twenty years, hasn't it?"

Qianxin's face turned ashen, and he remained silent.

His hands were still trembling slightly. Not from pain, but from shame and indignation.

Uesugi Kenshin, the Dragon of Echigo, had his beloved sword snatched away by a single person right on the battlefield!

Naoe Kagetsuna shouted, "My lord! Return to the main camp at once!"

The Murakami father and son reacted immediately, protecting Kenshin from the left and right, covering his retreat to the main camp.

Changqing did not pursue, but instead toyed with the unmarked Ichimonji sword in his hand, and shouted loudly, "Lord Kenshin! Could you give me the scabbard as well?"

Kenshin paused, then took the spear from Naoe Kagetsuna's hand.

"All troops, attack!"

"Kill him! Kill him!"

"Knock knock knock knock!"

Amidst the Uesugi army's ranks, the deafening sound of taiko drums resounded.

Changqing reined in his horse and stood there, watching the surging enemy army.

"You can't win a duel, so you want to fight a battle of tactics? I'd like to see what your 'chariot suspension' is all about!"

The chariot formation can be understood as a large fan formation, where the fan blades alternately encounter the enemy, striking once and then retreating, subjecting the enemy's vanguard to a continuous barrage of attacks.

When Changqing first played this Warring States game in his previous life, he thought the tactics made a lot of sense.

But upon closer inspection, it seems a bit far-fetched.

First, Echigo could not possibly have enough cavalry to support this formation, and the infantry simply lacked the mobility.

Second, this set of tactics requires long-term professional training, which is not in line with the historical context of "the integration of soldiers and farmers".

Third, isn't spinning around like this a waste of energy? Logically speaking, if you perform a set of moves and then run several kilometers, isn't that crazy?

In reality, Japan's military formation techniques were very poor; they only used a few formations over and over again, such as the Crane Wing, Fish Scale, and Arrowhead formations.

Takeda Shingen was powerful because he knew more about battle formations than other daimyo.

His reason for liking the Crane Wing Formation was simple: his flank cavalry was very strong, and his main force was positioned further back.

Both strong and cunning.

"Mori army, form ranks to meet the enemy!"

"drink!"

Besides siege warfare, the Maori army's most frequent training focused on phalanx formations.

The shield-wielding troops, spear-wielding foot soldiers, arquebusiers, archers, and katana-wielding troops were mixed together.

The principle is simple: the front row protects the back row.

Seven thousand elite Maori soldiers shouted in unison and quickly formed a square formation, leaving space inside. The spearmen in the front row pointed their spears diagonally forward, while the archers in the back row drew their bows and nocked their arrows, waiting for the enemy to enter their range.

The Uesugi cavalry charged in, and Mori Nagayoshi returned to his main camp. He took a closer look and saw only three or four hundred men.

"Release the arrows!"

A thousand arrows were fired from the Maori army's ranks.

Arrows whistled through the air and rained down on the Echigo cavalry, causing men and horses to fall. But the Echigo cavalry, empowered by their faith in "Bishamonten," fought fearlessly and continued their charge despite the arrow rain.

"Spear formation, rise!"

The Maori spearmen shouted in unison and pointed their three spears at the cavalry.

The Echigo cavalry charging forward were practically courting death.

"Pass down the order: maintain formation!" Changqing shouted as he moved through the ranks.

"yes!"

After several fierce battles, Changqing finally understood.

There's no such thing as a "car suspension"; it's just that if the first team can't keep up, you switch to the second. It's just that the transition between attacks is smoother, and...

The second wave was simply to avoid being overwhelmed by the first wave.

The hostages from the powerful clans, forming the bannermen, rode at full gallop, relaying orders to each of the generals.

They observed the battlefield from time to time, and from the first wave of contact, they knew they would not lose.

The Uesugi army launched a three-sided attack. If the Mori army could not hold out, they would either shrink their formation or have the Hatakemoto lead the charge.

The Mori clan's hatamoto (traditional bannermen) had a unique role; most of them were not positioned in the center of the main camp, but rather behind the first line of defense.

They need to make temporary adjustments and commands when the formation breaks down.

The battle lasted only half an hour before Kenshin sensed something was wrong.

Because it was a siege, and the Maori army had folded their formation, his attack could not be launched, and the casualties on both sides were not visible.

When he saw the number of cavalry, he realized he had suffered a great loss and immediately chose to retreat.

In this battle, the Mori army suffered 500 casualties, while the Uesugi army lost at least 1,000 men on the battlefield.

What pained Kenshin the most was that he had lost half of his cavalry.

"Lord Kenshin!" Mori brandished the famous sword. "Thank you for the gift!"

The Uesugi generals, undaunted by death, once again volunteered to fight for Uesugi Kenshin.

"My lord, we've been attacking fiercely for half an hour, and they're already showing signs of exhaustion. If we wait another half hour, they won't be able to hold out!"

Kenshin sighed, "I used to laugh at Lord Shingen for being afraid of children, but now I realize I misunderstood him."

On the fourth day of the third month, the Uesugi army retreated to Zenko-ji Temple and then withdrew to Echigo. The Mori army also retreated to Katsuo Castle.

Both sides claimed victory in this battle.

According to the Uesugi family, they repelled the Mori army on the north bank of the Sai River, killing and wounding thousands of enemy soldiers, and Mori Nagayoshi fled in disarray.

The Mori clan's version is relatively conservative: they defeated Uesugi Kenshin's army of 12,000 with 7,000 elite troops, killed 1,800 enemies, and even seized Uesugi Kenshin's beloved sword.

When the news reached various places, the powerful figures of the various countries could almost instantly tell whether it was true or false.