The name of the great swordsman begins in Okehazama.

Chapter 95 Full of Vitality

On the fifth day of the twelfth month of the twelfth year of Yonglu (1569), the snowfall in Kyoto was later than usual.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki stood under the eaves of Nijō Palace.

Snowflakes filled the sky, yet they never managed to accumulate on the ground.

After Oda Nobunaga's successful march on Kyoto, he devoted far more effort to protecting the Imperial Family than he did to Oda Nobunaga.

Now that the Emperor himself has intervened to mediate, Yoshiaki has no choice but to comply.

From the news coming from the west, he had already sensed the negativity of the Western lords.

Everyone is shouting "Down with Nobunaga!" but so far, apart from Takeda Shingen, no one has dealt a substantial blow to Oda.

Under the Emperor's mediation, he was forced to reach a peace agreement with Oda Nobunaga.

Even though those daimyo could negotiate peace with Nobunaga themselves, they all made him stand in the spotlight.

The outcome did not surprise him. Having lost their sense of righteousness, Asakura and Asai quickly made peace with Oda.

Even at Asakura's behest, Asai did not demand that Oda return the castles captured in the Battle of Anegawa.

Almost everyone shared this view: as long as Takeda wins a major victory, these losses will eventually be made up for.

Matsunaga Hisahide immediately slid to his knees and surrendered to Nobunaga, and reconciled with Tsutsui Junkei once again.

Nobunaga has always remembered Matsunaga Kanesaki's merit in the retreat, and has not executed Hisahide's daughter since the start of the war.

Seeing that Matsunaga had returned to his side, Nobunaga quickly accepted him.

After the west was stabilized, Nobunaga returned to Azuchi and sent 4000 troops, led by Akechi Mitsuhide as the vanguard, into Mino to test Takeda's reaction.

The quieter things are in the west, the more uneasy Takeda feels.

On the sixth day of the twelfth month, at the foot of Nagoya Castle in Owari Province.

"My lord," Yamagata Masakage said in a low voice as he approached from behind, "Lord Baba Nobuharu reports that reinforcements will arrive in Shinano tomorrow."

Shingen gave a wry smile. "This is a last resort. Spring is just around the corner, and we'll have to go back sooner or later. If the shogun makes peace with Nobunaga, Uesugi Kenshin will be even more unscrupulous in his southward march."

If Takeda had the banner of righteousness of the shogun, perhaps he could still be expected to conquer Echigo and threaten Hiei.

Now that this banner of righteousness has been lost, they would hardly hesitate to attack Kenshin Shinano.

Shingen sat closer to the brazier, watching the charcoal fire burn brightly, and scraped some of the glowing red charcoal into the lime.

"This way the fire will burn longer." Shingen rubbed his hands together and then opened his palms.

"Oda has sent a letter seeking peace!" Oyamada Nobushige walked in and reported to Shingen.

"read."

"The Oda clan is willing to release Akiyama Nobutomo, Sanada Yukitaka, and their captured families. The Takeda clan must return all the castles occupied by the Tokugawa clan."

As soon as he finished speaking, a retainer objected.

"No sincerity! Return all the castles to Tokugawa? So many of us died, were they all for nothing?"

"My lord, the powerful clans of Mikawa and Tōtōmi have already pledged allegiance to us. The Okudaira, Amano, Okuyama, and Iio clans have all sent oaths. If we retreat now, where will we leave these people?"

Oyamada Nobushige couldn't help but speak up: "My lord, Oda is taking advantage of our misfortune. Shinano is indeed in dire straits, but we have the upper hand in the Tokaido region. How can we compromise!"

The generals are all right. The Takeda clan has never given up the territory they have conquered.

Moreover, the powerful clans in Mikawa and Totomi who had just pledged allegiance would turn to Tokugawa the moment they saw Takeda retreat.

Ieyasu will definitely forgive these people, and these people, even if it's just for the sake of saving face, won't surrender so easily next time.

But he was more aware of the situation in Shinano.

With Toishi Castle burned down and Kiso-Fukushima under siege, Shinano province can't muster 6000 troops to defend it, and the garrison in Kozuke province needs to guard against the Hojo.

Uesugi Kenshin is just waiting for the snow to melt in the spring before he marches south.

Could it be that the next encirclement will belong to Takeda?

He was already forty-nine years old—his energy was not what it used to be.

"Tell Oda's envoy that Tokugawa will not return a single castle."

On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, at night, there was no wind, and the moon and stars were few.

The Maori army extinguished all the torches and wrapped their horses' hooves in thick cloth.

At Nagayoshi's suggestion, Nobunaga has sent Akechi Mitsuhide with 4000 men back to Mino.

They will continue to besiege Kiso Fukushima Castle under the banner of the Mori, drawing the attention of Baba Nobuharu and the Senkata clan.

The Mori army quietly withdrew from Shinano and returned to Iwamura Castle.

After preparing to go into battle again, Nagayoshi, following the example of Nobunaga's Okehazama, led 2000 men to the shrine to pray.

The Daikoku Shrine is located three miles west of Iwamura Castle and has been completed for more than six months.

Chōkei promoted this faith in his territory and even hired some people from Izumo to work at the shrine.

Standing behind him, Ōnojo looked at his lord's back as he stood in front of the torii gate and suddenly felt a sense of solemnity.

"Let's go. Everyone follow!" Changqing stepped onto the path leading to the temple.

The stone lanterns on both sides of the approach path were covered with remnants of snow, and the gravel underfoot made a soft crunching sound.

Changqing walked step by step toward the main hall, followed by his retinue of retainers.

After the worship ceremony, Nagayoshi handed the prayer to the shrine maiden and then confidently walked out of the shrine.

The torchlight danced on his face, reflecting his resolute gaze.

"Gentlemen, on our journey to Owari, our two thousand men will face at least twenty thousand troops under Takeda Shingen. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we will face a nine-out-of-ten chance of survival."

Everyone watched him silently.

"In May of the third year of Eiroku, at Atsuta Shrine, I had the honor of accompanying Lord Nobunaga with three thousand men on a campaign against the forty thousand-strong army of Imagawa Yoshimoto, the best archer of the Tokaido, and we achieved a great victory—"

"I don't understand why everyone is so worried about the perilous situation surrounding Oda. It's as if Takeda's march to Kyoto is destined to be fraught with danger for us—"

"Nine years ago, I embarked on my journey from Owari, following Lord Nobunaga in his conquest of the land. As a result, Noboru and Ise were unified. Wherever my clan and army went, the people welcomed us with open arms. We truly had the advantage of favorable timing."

"That vibrant, flourishing scene of all things bursting forth is before my eyes again—"

"Can't we just have another battle like at Okehazama? No matter what, this time the forces are two thousand to twenty thousand, the advantage is on our side!"

The shrine maiden unfurled the prayer and, by the torchlight, read it aloud, word by word: "In the twelfth year of Eiroku, the year of Ji-Si, Mori Nagayoshi, lord of Iwamura Castle, respectfully offers this black sake and dried meat. I humbly request that the Great Lord grant me this humble offering and bestow upon my army victory. If I return victorious, Nagayoshi will surely rebuild this temple, recast the golden statue, and offer ten taels of gold, twenty taels of silver, fifty shi of rice, and one hundred hu of sake as a token of gratitude. If I am not victorious, I will lead my troops to serve before the gods forever!"

As soon as the prayer was finished, a mountain wind arose, which startled Changqing and made his heart race.

Could it be that they've pulled some kind of trick and produced something real?

Changqing folded the prayer and respectfully placed it on the altar in front of the main hall. Then he stepped back three steps and bowed deeply.

Behind him, fifty warriors knelt down in unison and bowed down with him.

A cold wind swept through the shrine, stirring the shimenawa (sacred rope) in front of the main hall. The straw rope swayed slightly, as if the gods had truly heard this peculiar prayer.

Changqing was the first to stand up, and then ordered his men to carry his own ceremonial robes into the chamber to receive the "blessing" of the gods.

This set of clothes was quite impressive, and the timing was perfect.

The retainers were already somewhat confused.