The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Upon hearing Nagayoshi's twelve-word strategy, a sharp glint flashed in Nobunaga's eyes. He slapped his thigh sharply: "Just what I wanted!"

The generals in the tent looked at each other in bewilderment, and Sasa Narimasa was the first to voice his opposition.

"A feigned attack by dividing our forces is certainly a good idea, but Saito's army has six thousand men, while ours only has three thousand. What if our main force encounters the enemy after the division?"

This immediately garnered the support of some of his retainers.

"That's why we need to lure the enemy across the river," Nagayoshi calmly replied. "The Yuna River is currently in its shallow water period. If Saito's army sees our army 'retreating,' they will be eager to cross the river to pursue us. The moment the river divides the enemy's formation will be the decisive opportunity."

Nobunaga stood up and made a decision: "As Nagayoshi said. Gonroku (Shibata Katsuie) and Sanza (Mori Yoshinari), tomorrow you will lead 1,600 men as the vanguard and ambush the enemy on the east side of the south bank of the Yunamata River. When the enemy crosses the river, seize the opportunity to attack!"

"Yes!" Both generals were skilled at fighting tough battles and were not afraid of the disparity in troop strength.

"I'll bring a thousand men with me as backup!" He then looked at Changqing, "Since the idea was yours, you'll take four hundred men as bait!"

Changqing was furious. He had brought his elite troops here specifically to cover his own attempt to kill a general. Now that his own troops had become bait, what was the point of killing anyone?

He thought it over and over again. Last time, breaking through head-on was a breakthrough, and this time, luring them in the opposite direction is also a trap!

Anyway, Nobunaga didn't say how to lure the enemy; all that's needed is for the enemy to be confused when the battle begins.

Before the morning mist had dissipated over the Moribe Plains, Nagayoshi had already led four hundred soldiers northward along the west bank of the Nagara River.

Of these four hundred men, besides his own elite troops, the rest were troops assigned by Nobunaga, including Hideyoshi and Toshiie.

Before long, the troops had approached Yuyuchuan.

Marume Nagae rode up to his side and whispered, "My lord, the Saito army has discovered us. What should we do now?"

Changqing squinted at the Saito army flags faintly visible on the opposite bank of the river, a smile playing on his lips: "Let's tease him!"

The two armies faced each other across the river. Nagai Wei'an had suffered a setback in the last battle and did not cross the river easily.

"Kinoshita-sama!"

"Here!" Hideyoshi rushed over.

"Go pick a few of the most uncouth soldiers to hurl insults at! If they actually chase after us, you'll be the one who gets the most credit!"

"yes!"

"Lord Maeda! Take your soldiers and go cut down trees. Don't let them see any people, just let them see the trees falling!"

Maeda Toshiie was puzzled, but he still obeyed the order and left.

"Chang Hui! Hide our elite troops!"

A moment later, Hideyoshi took the lead in shouting and cursing on the beach.

"You idiots from the Saito family! Come on over here if you dare!"

Changqing couldn't help but frown.

Is this considered swearing?

He walked over and grabbed Hideyoshi.

"Stop! Is this considered vulgar? Instead, directly insult the enemy general's family, saying things like his son isn't his, his wife was slept with by someone else, and so on! Understand?"

Hideyoshi was so eager to advance and achieve the top honor that he grasped the point immediately, extending the concept of family members directly to the other party's ancestors for eighteen generations.

Such foul language drove Nagai E'an into hiding in his camp. Hibino Kiyomizu even sent men to exchange insults with Hideyoshi, and it seemed he was about to charge at him!

However, fate was not on Changqing's side. The river level rose sharply; it seemed that it had suddenly rained upstream!

Hideyoshi was cursing so hard his throat was practically steaming. Seeing the water gradually submerging his ankles, he realized the other side couldn't cross the river, so he ran back.

"Lord Mori, what should we do?" Hideyoshi said dejectedly.

"Take a break!"

"If the other side surrenders to our lord in the future, I'm afraid I'll have a hard time..."

Hideyoshi's inexplicable worry made Nagayoshi sneer.

"Why not just cut them all down? Your throat's tired, but are you alright? Then let's help Lord Maeda build the castle!"

"fortification?"

"Exactly. Hasn't Lord Maeda already cut down quite a few trees? Use that timber to build a fake castle on the other side of the river for Saito's army to see."

Hideyoshi immediately realized that this was a new plan to lure the enemy.

At this moment, Toshiie also came over, with his foot soldiers dragging several thick tree trunks behind him. "Lord Mori, the trees are all here! But it will take at least two days to build a wooden fortress."

Changqing smiled slightly: "Who said we have to actually build a city? We just need to make it look like we are building a city."

Hideyoshi was startled upon hearing this: Could it be that this guy had a backup plan from the very beginning?

Nagayoshi pointed to a slightly higher mound on the south bank of the Yunagi River: "Fujikichiro, right there, set up a wooden frame. It doesn't need to be too sturdy, but it should look decent."

"Master Maeda!"

"exist!"

"You led your only twenty cavalrymen, hiding in the fake city, raising dust, and making it look like you were busy."

Li Jia understood Changqing's meaning and replied, "Understood. We need to make the other side think that we are all focused on building the city."

……

Outside the Saito family's main camp, the second of the "Saito Rokushuō" (Saito the Six Elders) once again arrived at the riverbank.

"What are they doing?" Kiyomi Hibino squinted as she observed the opposite bank.

Nagai Weian said with some surprise, "It looks... like they're building a castle."

"Building a castle? Right under our noses?" Kiyomizu shook his head in disbelief. "What tricks is the Oda army playing?"

"Crossing the river is too risky; it's not advisable to attack. Anyway, the castle is on the south bank; once Oda's army retreats, we can take it at any time. Let's see what tricks they have up their sleeves."

While they were talking, Changqing's "city building" project was in full swing.

The soldiers erected only half of the outer wall, and then added rows of wooden palisades to the outside. They even used branches and canvas to create the outlines of several tents. From the opposite bank, it looked exactly like a fortress under construction.

In reality, most of these buildings were more for show than practical use. The outer walls would collapse with a push, the fences were only buried with a shallow layer of soil, and the tents were merely for show.

The real labor force was assigned by Changqing to do something else: build bamboo rafts.

As darkness fell, rain began to fall from upstream, and the river continued to swell. On the opposite bank, campfires flickered at Saito's camp, while several fires were lit on Chokei's side, deliberately illuminating the outline of the "city wall" in their glow.

As the sun disappeared below the horizon, Changqing and his men immediately put their plan into action.

"Lord Mori, what should we do tomorrow?" Toshiie asked.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow my ass!" Changqing cursed.

Since God allowed the rain to drift downstream, it means He is helping us. If we don't take what God has given us, we will surely suffer the consequences.

"Send someone to report to the lord, Lord Shibata, and Lord Mori that the plan has changed! Our army will launch a night raid across the river, and we request their support! The rafts have been prepared for them."

Hideyoshi suddenly realized and said, "Your wisdom is truly eye-opening."

Changqing patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "The enemy just thinks we're lying in ambush for them. They have no idea we'll launch a surprise attack at this time."

"How many people are you taking?" Li Jia asked.

"Leave the cavalry to guard the river, making them think we're worried about a night attack. The rest of you, go! Four hundred against six thousand, the advantage is on our side!"

"The advantage is mine?" The monkey's jaw almost dropped to the ground.

Changqing naturally has its reasons for being confident.

The Battle of Moribe should have started shortly after Yoshitatsu's death, as Nobunaga had even fewer troops at that time due to his need to guard against Ieyasu. Ironically, in this battle, two of Saito's generals were killed, yet his 6,000-strong force suffered only a little over 100 casualties, demonstrating just how low the quality of the soldiers was at that time.