The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Chapter 102: Storming Sawa Mountain Castle

In April, drizzle began to fall in Omi Province. If the plum rains arrived, the siege would be even more difficult.

However, if they do not take advantage of this time to conquer Asai, the Oda clan will be in grave danger.

The streets below the castle were muddy and difficult to walk on, but the castle tower on Mount Azuchi appeared even more majestic in the rain.

"Master Takenaka, please."

Inside the main palace of Honmaru, Nobunaga was discussing matters with his generals.

Shigeharu knelt under the corridor waiting, and could vaguely hear the sounds of arguing coming from inside the palace.

"Takeda has already made peace with Uesugi! Tokugawa has no chance against Takeda!"

"We should withdraw from Yamashiro Province, hold our ground in Omi and Mino, and wait for a change in circumstances!"

"Then let's eliminate the treacherous Matsunaga Hisahide first!"

Nobunaga grew impatient and then gestured for his page to speak.

"The Lord of Daqing City, Takenaka Shigeharu, requests an audience."

"Isn't Changqing annoying enough already?"

Before Shigeharu could even sit down, Nobunaga began to complain.

Shigeharu presented the letter with both hands: "Lord Mori requests that Lord Nobunaga grant him 30,000 troops to pacify the Asai within six months."

"Six months?" Nobunaga picked at his ear, thinking he had misheard.

Everyone present knew of Isono Kazumasa's bravery; it was still uncertain whether he could capture Sawayama Castle in six months, let alone destroy the Asai.

"What ideas does Nagayoshi have now?" Nobunaga tried to get information out of him.

"Our army will be attacked from both sides sooner or later. Takeda has not yet recovered. If we do not take this opportunity to eliminate Asai, our main clan will be attacked from all sides in the future."

Chongzhi didn't deliberately withhold the method of attacking the city; it was simply because it was going to be a tough battle.

Nobunaga laughed and said, "Alright, I can have Mori lead 30,000 troops to launch a strong attack on Sawayama Castle, but what about Iwamura Castle!"

"Lord Mori requests that Lord Niwa temporarily defend Iwamura Castle for him."

"My dear brother-in-law—is he afraid I'll doubt him, so he's willing to risk his life to prove his loyalty?"

"Yes!" Takenaka Shigeharu replied, following Mori's instructions.

"Go back and tell Changqing that I have given my permission. Tell him to assemble at Antu immediately."

Shigeharu kowtowed and accepted the order. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Nobunaga say something else.

"Oh, and tell him too. I'm going to entrust Hiroyuki Hineno and Nagatoki Ogasawara with important responsibilities; they'll be my direct retainers from now on. As long as we can take Sawayama Castle, I'll forgive the mistake from last time. Give him 50,000 koku of Sawayama Castle."

The implication is that Nobunaga intends to promote two of Mori's castle lords to the rank of direct retainers, which can be seen as a way to restrain Mori.

Before leaving, Nagayoshi met with Hironobu Hinano and Nagatoki Ogasawara.

Hiroshi Hineno simply expressed his regret about changing careers.

He had no other ambitions, and after Saito Tatsuoki's death, he followed Nagayoshi and was able to restore the family business.

Even so, there was no deep affection between them, master and servant.

Ogasawara Nagatoki was somewhat angry, as he had refused to become Nobunaga's direct retainer from the very beginning.

"In the future, once Shinano is pacified, you will eventually restore your family business. As for me, I may not be in Shinano, and our separation is only a matter of time."

She suppressed her anger for a long time, but then tears streamed down her face.

A man nearing sixty began to cry, tears streaming down his wrinkles, and Changqing didn't know how to comfort him.

He wept for a long time, then kowtowed and said, "Your subordinate understands. As long as the Oda clan has you, they will surely conquer Shinano. If you ever need my help, I will go through fire and water for you."

The lord's undefeated record filled the Mori retainers with confidence in their lord.

Two days later, Mori Nagayoshi arrived in Azuchi with 3,000 men.

The army assembled outside Azuchi Castle, and Nobunaga watched from the five-story castle tower as the army marched north towards Omi.

This battle brought together almost half of the Oda clan's top generals: Mori Nagayoshi, Takigawa Kazumasu, Sakuma Nobumori, Akechi Mitsuhide, and Hashiba Hideyoshi.

Sawayama Castle.

Changqing gazed at the fortified city built against the mountain in the distance.

Sawayama Castle is situated on a mountain at an altitude of 200 meters, with the highest point of its stone walls reaching 4 meters. Its western side is a cliff, making it difficult to attack.

Historically, Sawayama Castle was besieged by Oda Nobunaga for more than half a year before it was captured.

After being renovated by Ishida Mitsunari, the castle even had a moat and a five-story castle tower, and it held off the 40000-strong Eastern Army with only 1800 men for five days.

This mountain has no shortage of water, and the plum rain season is approaching, making it difficult to take shortcuts in attacking the city.

"What a formidable fortress," Shigeharu Takenaka said with a sigh.

He seemed to already see the casualties of the Maori army.

"Haven't I conquered enough fortified cities? The entire army will rest for two days, and tomorrow we'll build bamboo ladders and wooden shields!"

A kind heart cannot command an army, and righteousness cannot manage finances; when necessary, one must fight.

After a day of observation, Changqing discovered that the slope leading uphill from the east side of Zuowushan Castle was the steepest, and the main gate of the East Mountain Road was its key defensive point. A direct assault would only be a waste of soldiers' lives.

The outer perimeter of the north and south slopes is relatively flat, but with the addition of arrow towers and curved ramps, the cost of attacking them is still considerable.

The defenses on the back of the mountain city, near the cliff, are the weakest, but they are still equipped with spurs, making it difficult for troops to deploy.

A crank-wheel is a defensive fortification with steep slopes on three sides and one side connecting to the position below.

Mountain fortresses are typically built in multiple layers. Once a layer is captured, the defenders on the next layer can attack from a higher position.

At the same time, constant uphill attacks will also lower the morale and stamina of the attacking side.

Destroying such fortifications with earthworks would be too costly, and they would be easy targets for enemy cannons and arrows.

Changqing asked the army to rest for another day, and then had Zhuzhong and his men make a lot of cards.

At the same time, he found Marume Nagae, who was Sakuma Nobumori and Riki.

To conquer this city, a surprise attack with elite troops is futile.

Marume Nagayoshi now has an army of two hundred men, almost all of whom are his own disciples. These men are as skilled in combat as the Mori army.

Changqing handed over the weak point of the enemy's defenses—the water gate—to Changhui, while he himself prepared to follow the army to find the weak point in the defenses.

On April 10th, the entire Maori army carried their banners and took the lead in climbing up the mountain.

The Maori army was well-trained and was able to reach the enemy's fortifications.

However, the other foot soldiers carrying the bamboo ladders could hardly move an inch, and more than 200 soldiers were killed or fell to their deaths that day.

After the Mori army established the passage, they laid down the logs. The Isono army suddenly attacked from outside the city. The two sides fought for a while until the Akechi army arrived from the rear. The Isono army then retreated back into the city. Both sides lost a hundred men.

On April 11, Hideyoshi Hashiba, under the orders of Nagayoshi, began to build earthen ramparts along the north and south slopes. Isono Kazumasa once again launched an attack, and the Mori army, braving flying arrows and bullets, provided cover for Hideyoshi to build the earthen ramparts.

After a day of fierce fighting, the Mori army suffered over 300 casualties, while the Isono army suffered over 200 casualties.

On April 13, Sakuma Nobumori repaired the slope, and the Mori army used bamboo ladders and clods of earth to build a 20-foot-long and 2-foot-wide earthen mound, with a height comparable to that of the enemy's position.

The Mori army and the Isono army engaged in a volley of arrows. The Mori army's archery skills were excellent, but they lacked cover. Both sides still suffered over a hundred casualties.

Isono had only 3,000 defenders, and the casualties were unacceptable. So Isono Kazumasa began to build more earthen fortifications. On April 14, the Sakuma army began to attack the castle.

On April 15th, Mingzhi Jun took over.

Then Takikawa and Hashiba took turns.

After five days of fierce fighting, the Oda army suffered 3,000 casualties, while the Isono army also suffered nearly 1,000 casualties.

The Oda army fought with such determination that it surprised Isono Kazumasa.

On April 15, Isono Kazumasa voluntarily abandoned the outer positions and retreated into Erdao Castle.