Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

The drawbacks of these small forts are quite obvious; they are only effective in small-scale conflicts. Once an army of tens of thousands arrives, they can send three to five thousand men to surround the main fort. Then, other forts can send two to three thousand men to launch a fierce attack, and the fort will be wiped out instantly.

His weak defenses meant he was only effective in conflicts with fewer than a thousand men; once thousands or tens of thousands attacked the fortress, he would only face certain death.

Just like before the Battle of Okehazama, the Imagawa army, with its thousands of troops, easily overwhelmed Oda Nobunaga's small fortresses that besieged Narumi and Ōdaka Castles, leveling them in almost a single day.

Now, Ikeda Tsuneoki's plan is similar. He is putting all his strength into gathering a thousand men, plus several hundred from Hayashi Tsutomu. He is going to attack the Kamijō Fortress guarded by the Shimosuke no Kami of Hibino, and try to break through the fortress before Ryūshō can react.

When the Qingxu are completely surrounded, they will not receive any external food aid, and it will only be a matter of time before the city falls and they are defeated.

Since that's the case, let's get to work. Shichibei led his troops into Ochiai Fortress. Meanwhile, Ikeda Tsuneoki went to join Hayashi Michimasa. Together, they would have about 1,400 troops, which was half the size of Kiyosu Castle's army. If they really put in their best effort, they would most likely be able to break through Kamijō Fortress.

But for some reason, Shichibei felt restless as soon as he lay down.

The first thing that comes to mind is that Ganshoji Temple on Nagashima is about to cause trouble, but for Ganshoji to cause trouble, a large number of ships are needed to bring his Ikko-ikki followers and monks ashore. Shichibei has already severely criticized Inase Yoshinari for this matter and has written a letter to Itō Sojūrō on Tsushima.

If there is a large-scale mobilization of ships by the Nagashima Ganshoji Temple, then a flying messenger must be dispatched immediately to report it. Previously, the report was sent to Gifu; now it is sent to Ochiai Fortress, so that Shichibei will be informed as soon as possible.

Once the situation of mobilizing ships arises, the uprising at the Changdao Yuanzheng Temple will not be far off.

Neither Inase Yoshinari nor Itō Sojuro sent any news about mobilizing ships in Nagashima. Nagashima is a large sandbar at the mouth of a river, so it has some of its own ships, but those ships are only for convenient travel and do not have the capacity to pull out thousands of Ikko-ikki and monk soldiers at once and blast them into Owari.

If they only transported three or five hundred people ashore at a time, wouldn't that be like adding fuel to the fire? Longxing doesn't need three or five hundred people; he needs three or five thousand to help him break through all the Oda army fortresses surrounding Kiyosu.

Releasing Ryūō from Kiyosu Castle, with his three thousand-odd men and the Ikkō-ikki, would be enough to wreak havoc on Shimo-Owari. This would thoroughly shake Nobunaga, forcing him to abandon the Kinai region and creating an opportunity for Asakura, the Third Brotherhood, and others.

"Isn't it too quiet?" Unable to sleep, Shichibei got up and asked Ota Gyuichi, who was inside the thatched hut of the shrine.

"All was quiet." Ota Gyuichi sat up and replied.

What a cultured person! They even used an idiom for us. However, Chinese idioms also change when they are transferred to Japan. For example, "love the house and its crows" became "love the house and its birds" in later Japanese.

"Let's patrol the camp..." Everyone got up.

Ota Gyuichi was a traditional Japanese samurai. Since the commander Shichibei had gotten up, he didn't sleep either and got up with Shichibei to patrol the camp.

The two walked around the Ochiai Fortress. The small fortress, about forty or fifty meters square, was packed with two thousand people. The trees outside the fence and the empty moat had also been cut down and cleared away. Even in the dark of night, by the moonlight, it was clear that there was no one outside the fortress.

So what exactly is bothering me?

Is it because it's his first time playing?

It wasn't the first time. Back then, Shichibei was guarding Sunomata with Hideyoshi, Koroku, and Hidenaga. He followed Koroku and went on a rampage, killing everything in sight. He was very excited.

At this moment, the area around Ganshoji Temple on the Nagashima side was also quiet. Tens of thousands of Ikko-ikki followers and warrior monks who had gathered there had already dispersed to various places in northern Ise and Shimoo-Owari.

ferry?

From a place that no one could have imagined despite all precautions, Yamada Miho (also known as Yamada Miho, Suhara Miho, Iwabuchi Miho, Yamada Village Miho).

Why didn't we think of that? Because this place is "divine territory". After the "Battle of Divine Realm" (Battle of Uji-Yamada in 1429), even the magistrate of the Muromachi Shogunate was expelled and unable to govern within the divine territory.

The Kitabatake Haruto and his son, Kitabatake Tomokyo, also attempted to suppress the Shinryo and bring it under their control. However, after a series of battles, they did not fully achieve their goal. Until the Edo period, the region remained autonomous under the rule of Yamada Miyasu.

The later city of Ujiyamada in Mie Prefecture was built on the foundation of the Yamanouchi-Miho territory. As an important commercial, handicraft, tourism, and fishing town at the mouth of the Minami-Ise-Miyagawa River, the Yamanouchi-Miho territory not only had ships, but many ships.

As for your question about why Yamada Miho supports Nagashima Ganshoji Temple, which has a completely different faith.

It was simply out of fear of Nobunaga's immense power. Honganji Kennyo realized that after Nobunaga killed ordinary samurai lords, he would definitely take action against religious lords who held secular power.

Yamada Miyasu's followers also realized that their autonomy would be abolished by Oda Nobunaga sooner or later. In particular, they saw a Nobunaga henchman named Kawamura Shichibei Nagayoshi who completely abandoned his merchant's dignity and acted like a dog for Nobunaga to carry out his tyranny, collecting money for arrows and tamabetsu in Anotsu and Ominato.

I'm not afraid of a powerful enemy, but I'm afraid of too many traitors.

The fact that such a traitor emerged from the Tsushima clique has turned Tsushima into an ordinary port town that Nobunaga could exploit at will, serving as a stark warning.

We must rise up against Nobunaga's rule, because once he arrives, he truly intends to abolish autonomy. Also, I wish to express my opinion at Shōji Temple. The gold sent by Shimoma Raitan, Shimoma Yorinari, and others is excessive, dazzlingly abundant.

Relying on the tens of thousands of members of the Ikko-ikki, and the several thousand monk soldiers, gunners, and archers of Ganshoji Temple, Ganshoji divided its forces into several routes. One route directly attacked Kuwana Castle in Kita-Ise, which was defended by Takigawa Kazumasu, and served as the main attack direction.

There was no other reason than that the main force of the Ikki (military rank) officers were all local samurai who had fled Kita-Ise after being defeated by Nobunaga. They initially tried to revive their families by relying on forces like Kitabatake and Miyoshi. Unfortunately, Miyoshi was not up to the task, and Kitabatake had already been defeated by Nobunaga.

There was no other way; these people flocked to the Nagashima Ganshoji Temple, becoming the backbone of the Nagashima Ikko-ikki. Without the addition and participation of these samurai, the Nagashima Ikko-ikki might not have been able to rise up.

Historically, Nagashima's uprising has always been a formidable fighting force, far more sophisticated than the crude tactics of relying solely on numbers and overwhelming the enemy. They even possess sufficient organizational skills to devise battlefield plans, causing the vanguard to crumble while the rear guard ambushes the pursuing Oda army.

Afterwards, ambushes sprang up everywhere, directly disrupting the entire Oda army's formation. Nobunaga was nearly killed, and Ujiie Bokuzen, Hayashi Michimasa, Oda Nobuhiro, and others were all killed in the process. Even Hirate Hisahide, the son of Nobunaga's beloved Hirate lord, was lost, and the Hirate family almost died out.

These samurai from Kita-Ise are single-mindedly focused on returning to their homeland, so there's no way around it; the main force of Ganshoji Temple will inevitably have to fight in Kita-Ise. If these samurai families aren't allowed to rise again, they won't work hard for Ganshoji Temple.

The second group marched north along the Kiso River, launching attacks along the way, clearing the Ise Road, and attempting to establish connections with Kohoku. The Honganji Temple not only wielded considerable power in Settsu and Kaga, but also had a large following throughout Omi Province.

The last Honganji Temple was located in the Yamashina region of Kyoto.

It was precisely because the Jodo Shinshu sect had a large and well-established following in this area that it was able to survive. Of course, it couldn't compare to other established sects, and it was driven out and forced to flee after the Battle of Yamashina.

After the order from the monk Kyoto to "become the enemy of Buddha" is issued, the thousands of Ikko-ikki in Omi, based in Kanamori, will also rise up to support Horihide Village. If Nagashima can open up the Ise Road and contact the Ikko-ikki in Omi, then Nobunaga's power in the Kinai region and his base in Noo will be completely cut off.

The main objective of this group was to protect Tsushima Town and, north of Tsushima, to monitor Oda Nobuoki of Ogie Castle and Kiyosu Castle.

The final force naturally headed for Kiyosu Castle, where they joined forces with Saito Tatsuoki to break the Oda army's encirclement and wreak havoc on the entire Shimo-Owari region.

The plan is quite ambitious, but it's not without a chance of success. After all, Long Island has always had a large number of followers, and after being strengthened, they possess considerable fighting power.

Outside, there are also allies from the Omi Ikki and Kiyosu Saito Tatsuoki; any breakthrough from either side would cause Nobunaga enormous trouble.

Leaving aside the two groups that came to support Saito Tatsuoki, the number of people was not large, at most two thousand. However, there were no weak and feeble people mixed in with the old and weak; they were all strong Jodo Shinshu followers, as well as two or three hundred monk soldiers.

As dawn broke, Ikeda Tsuneoki and Hayashi Michimasa, intending to steal Kamijou Fortress, ran headlong into the arriving Ikko-ikki. Led by Ōki Kaneyoshi (former lord of Ōki Castle in Kita-Ise), the Ikko-ikki were preparing to enter Kamijou Fortress.

Upon seeing Ikeda Tsuneoki, he shouted, "Perfect timing!" and immediately sounded the alarm, ordering him to join forces with Hibino Shimonoseki, who was guarding the fortress, to engage in battle. Outnumbered and with the Ko-ikki's morale exceptionally high due to religious indoctrination, they actually routed the Oda army. Saito Tatsuoki, who had heard the alarm inside Kiyosu Castle, also immediately led his troops out of the castle, preparing to annihilate the Oda army.

With things having developed to this point, Ikeda Tsuneoki lost his composure and prepared to lead his troops back to Ochiai Fortress. Ochiai Fortress still had two thousand men from Kawamura's unit, who could easily hold it to the death.

He wanted to leave, but Ryūshō refused to let him go. Attacking from both sides, Ikeda Tsuneoki was routed and barely escaped with his life. Hayashi Michūsei also fought his way out, but the Oda army lost hundreds of its hundreds of soldiers.

Riding on this great victory, Ryūō mobilized all 3,500 cavalrymen of Kiyosu, preparing to sweep through all the Oda army fortresses surrounding Kiyosu Castle. Ōki Kaneyoshi also agreed with his idea and, without hesitation, led 2,000 Ikkō-ikki to join the battle.

More than 5,000 enemy troops defeated the other three forts in a short time, by noon. Ikeda Tsuneoki and Hayashi Michimasa's defeated troops retreated to Ochiai Fort. Shichibei, who had been feeling uneasy all night, learned that the Nagashima uprising had broken out and might be heading towards Ochiai Fort.

Ochiai Fortress absolutely cannot be lost; if it falls, the enemy will rush straight to the Iwakura fortress. Iwakura has no garrison at all, only a few old, weak, and disabled people responsible for transporting and guarding supplies.

If Saito Tatsuoki breaks through Iwakura, then the entire Shimo-Owari will be utterly defenseless. Even if the people's hearts are with Nobunaga and they are unwilling to be ruled by Tatsuoki, the complete destruction of Shimo-Owari will inevitably become a reality.

Chapter 202 Retreat to Iwakura: Morale in Disarray

How many enemies are there?

Shichibei saw Ikeda Tsuneoki and Hayashi Michimasa returning in defeat and immediately asked them what was wrong. He knew that if Tatsuoki led tens of thousands of Ikko-ikki into Owari, he would be absolutely unable to stop him.

"Qingxu's force has several thousand cavalry, while Nagashima's force has at most three thousand cavalry." Ikeda Tsuneoki is alright; although his skill level is a bit lacking, he still has the basics.

"Not much different." Lin Tongzheng, who was panting heavily, also made the same judgment.

"That's about six or seven thousand men." Shichibei took a deep breath. He only had 1,080 soldiers; the rest were support personnel and had no real combat power.

As for Ikeda Tsuneoki and Hayashi Tsunemasa's soldiers, they rushed out in the latter half of the night, engaged in chaotic fighting in the early morning, and now, after fleeing for half a day, had returned to Nakhoku Fortress. They were at their last gasp. Forget about their fighting strength; the fact that they managed to follow them back instead of running away immediately was already a testament to their bravery and loyalty.

“Ochiai Fortress cannot be held; we must retreat to Iwakura Fortress immediately,” Takenaka Hanbei suddenly advised.

"Ok?"

“The small Ochiai Fortress can neither accommodate our three thousand men nor withstand the fierce attack of the enemy’s seven thousand cavalry,” Takenaka Hanbei stepped forward and stated emphatically.

He already knew the condition of the Ochiai Fortress beneath his feet. Normally, it could only hold a few hundred of Ikeda Tsuneoki's troops, but with Shichibei's two thousand men, it was already packed full. It was fine when there was no fighting, but once a battle broke out, there wouldn't even be room to maneuver.

After all, they hadn't come prepared for war; it was just a temporary stop, so the cramped conditions were manageable. If a real battle were to break out, they would have to cram in Ikeda and Hayashi's thousand men, which was absolutely impossible.

The other nearby forts had also been breached, making it impossible to send troops to support and contain them. The best option was to retreat to the Iwakura fortress, where at least the water traps, walls, and fire-facing towers were readily available, along with provisions and rice reserves, enough to hold out.

"Hanbei is right," Shichibei immediately agreed.

Although we've never fought a battle, we understand the logic. In this situation, if we just ignore everything and run back to Gifu, Nobunaga will definitely kill us. And since Ochiai Fortress can't be held, the only option is to defend Iwakura Jinya. As long as Iwakura Jinya is there, Saito Tatsuoki and the Ikko-ikki will not be able to plunder Owari with impunity.

The Oda clan still has one last mobile force, the Sakuma Corps. As long as Sakuma Nobumori launches an attack, everything will be alright.

"There's no other way..." Ikeda Tsuneoki had no reason to object; it was already like this.

"Someone must stay behind to cover the rear and hinder the enemy's advance." Shichibei was not the commander-in-chief, but he had the most men, so he naturally became the core.

"I'll be the rearguard," Lin Tongzheng, who had caught his breath, immediately replied.

Hayashi Michimasa, as a retainer of the Oda clan and a samurai general, would have automatically inherited the title of retainer of the Oda clan after his father Hayashi Hidesada passed away, following the normal order of the Sengoku period in Japan, and would have assisted Nobunaga or Oda Kyokumaru in governing the country.

After serving as hereditary retainers for a long time, they really do develop a sense of ownership. Although the family business belongs to the Oda family, as a shareholder and the executive vice president, they naturally do their best to serve the Oda family.

If one or two generations do not claim loyalty, but by the third or fifth generation the distinction between ruler and subject is established, this can indeed subtly change people in the context of feudal times.

"Alright!" Without bothering with any more pleasantries, Shichibei nodded to Hayashi Tsūsei, clapped his hands, and left.

In other words, Shichibei's troops had plenty of cattle and horses, as well as manpower, making it convenient for them to advance. Once the order was given, they set off immediately. Ota Gyuichi and Kuwayama Shigekatsu led the way, followed by other units in succession.

"Tell the soldiers that as long as they return alive, each of them will receive a reward of one kan wen." No amount of encouraging words can compare to the power of real money. As he mounted his horse, Shichibei left Hayashi Tongzheng with these words.

"..." Lin Tongzheng did not answer, and was stringing his bow.

However, he still nodded. Seeing this, Shichibei didn't say anything more, spurred his horse and left, with the hundred or so foot soldiers behind him following like the wind, and soon they disappeared from sight.

"Hmph, they're certainly willing to spend money." Lin Tongzheng muttered after winding up the drum.

As per Shichibei's instructions, Hayashi Michimasa didn't need to fight to the death; he only needed to hold Ochiai Fortress for half an hour, and then he could escape. The main purpose was to buy time for the main army to escape. Iwakura wasn't far away; half an hour should be enough. The Saito army and the Ikko-ikki hadn't even attacked yet.

Leaving aside his situation, Shichibei and the others quickly retreated to the Iwakura camp. Hayashi Hideyoshi was terrified upon learning of Nagashima's uprising. When she learned that Hayashi Michimasa was leading the rearguard, she became even more anxious. It was Ikeda Tsuneoki who managed to restrain him. By this time, Hayashi Michimasa had almost completed his rearguard mission and was running towards Iwakura.

Sakuma Nobumori was a veteran of the rearguard, so much so that a folk song in Owari called him "Retreat Sakuma." The rearguard mission was quite flexible, and the mortality rate was not that high.

Someone held Lin Xiuzhen down, and Shichibei immediately set up defenses. Although Shichibei wasn't very good at fighting, he was actually responsible for building up Nobunaga's main camp for a long time. Of course, the troop deployment was arranged by the troop magistrate Sakuma Nobumori, but Shichibei usually just stood by and watched.

Furthermore, since Iwakura Jinya was previously the Iwakura post station of Kawamura-ya, the situation was relatively familiar, and assigning subordinates would not be difficult. If Shichibei could be given another day, he would dig more small pits, half a meter deep, scattered around outside the waterway. They wouldn't kill anyone, but they would be unsettling.

The defenses of the Iwakura fortress were hastily erected.

At this moment, Lin Tongzheng had been hit in the arm and thigh by an arrow, and his headgear was gone. His retainers pulled him out of the pile of corpses, and he escaped back to the Iwakura fortress. Luckily, the arrows hadn't hit any vital organs, and he was still able to smile at everyone. However, only a hundred or so of the soldiers who had been guarding the Rokuho fortress with him managed to escape back.

Four hundred went into battle last night, but only a little over a hundred returned to Iwakura today. The Lin family suffered a heavy loss this time.

As darkness fell, Saito's army and the Ikko-ikki were clearly not the kind of elite forces capable of fighting at night. Shichibei, anticipating no battle tonight, immediately summoned his generals.

Nothing much to say, just follow me and you'll be rolling in money!

If we can hold the Iwakura camp until Sakuma Nobumori's mobile force arrives, we'll have money and resources to spare. As for money, you'll get one kan for every sword you draw in battle. For each decapitation, you'll get two kan initially, with additional rewards after the general's assessment.

Today, our village chief Ji is making this clear: those who step forward will have their merits recognized, while those who step back will have their heads hung on a high pole.

With a "thud," the bamboo basket filled with Yongle Tongbao coins was kicked over by Shichibei from the steps, scattering hundreds of thousands of copper coins all over the ground. Several Kawamuraya employees carried out several more baskets of money. In total, there were over a thousand kan (a unit of currency), and millions of copper coins completely covered the ground below the steps.

If we win, we can go back to Gifu and have everything we want.

Sure enough, nothing is more convincing than having solid cash on hand. Saints are rare, but ordinary people are far more common. Being greedy for money isn't necessarily a bad thing. If it can inspire these money-grubbing samurai and foot soldiers to defend the Iwakura fortress, then it's worth it.