Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Who told Shichibei to be in charge of the siege of Kiyosu? Nobunaga left his stronghold and his eldest son in Shichibei's care, and he can't even do that right? He might as well jump into the Kiso River and settle things himself. Besides, Owari is Shichibei's hometown in this life, and he can't just sit by and watch Saito Tatsuoki and the Ikko-ikki destroy his hometown.

As the soldiers collected the coins, Shichibei turned to Takenaka Hanbei and asked if the messengers to Gifu and Sakuma Nobumori had been sent out. He especially asked about Sakuma Nobumori, saying that one messenger wasn't enough, so they needed two or three, urging him to come and rescue Iwakura immediately.

Takenaka Hanbei nodded repeatedly, indicating that two groups of men had already been dispatched. Sakuma Nobumori was currently at Ōgaki Castle, ready to respond to the two battlefields in Kinai and Nobi at any time; it would take him at most a day to get over.

They boosted morale with money; with that, holding Iwakura for two days shouldn't be too difficult. Although Shichibei isn't a skilled fighter, his men are all true warriors; they just haven't fought on the front lines before.

For once, Shichibei felt a bit thirsty. Although he didn't show much panic on the surface, he was actually quite anxious inside.

This sudden turn of events is a huge challenge for Shichibei. Who could have imagined that the Oda army would one day fall to the point where Shichibei would be the one to gather troops and defend the castle?

As the two were talking, Sakuma Nobumori did not stay at Ōgaki Castle as they had expected.

Sakuma Nobumori received an urgent report from Takigawa Kazumasu of Kuwana Castle in Kita-Ise Prefecture: at least 21,000 Ko-ikki (rebels) had surrounded Kuwana Castle and were launching a fierce attack. Takigawa Kazumasu Castle only had about a thousand men; the attack was sudden, and there had been no full mobilization. The defenses were already strained, and reinforcements were urgently needed.

Upon receiving the urgent request for assistance, Sakuma Nobumori hurried along the Ise Road to Kuwana Castle to provide support.

Unexpectedly, they encountered the Nagashima Ikki, a group of over ten thousand men attacking Ogiga Castle, attempting to open up the Ise Road and join forces with the Omi Ikko Ikki.

More than 10,000 Ikko-ikki (Japanese guerrillas) faced off against Sakuma Nobumori, who numbered about 3,000. The battle was evenly matched, with neither side gaining the upper hand. However, the Nagashima Ikko-ikki ultimately outnumbered the enemy and forced Sakuma Nobumori to retreat into Ogie Castle.

The chain reaction was swift. Takigawa Kazumasu was immediately overwhelmed and fled from Kuwana Castle. Nobunaga's forces stationed at the heart of northern Ise collapsed instantly. Kobe Nobutaka was only a few years old, a mere child, utterly useless, and he wasn't even in Kobe Castle.

Nagano Nobukatsu, who was defending the castle alongside Takigawa Kazumasu, wanted to make a move, but unfortunately, he had few soldiers and generals, so he could only retreat to Ōkawachi Castle to strengthen the castle's defenses and prevent Nagashima's troops from entering Minami-Ise.

Kita-Ise was quickly captured by the Nagashima Ganshoji Temple, and many Kita-Ise samurai who had joined the temple were able to regain their former territories. They all began chanting Amitabha Buddha and embracing the Jodo Shinshu sect.

On the other hand, Ogie Castle, which was originally on the verge of collapse, became impregnable after Sakuma Nobumori's three thousand troops were stationed there. After all, Nobunaga originally only planned to garrison the castle with five hundred foot soldiers. Five hundred men would be difficult to resist an attack of more than ten thousand men, but three thousand five hundred men would be no problem at all.

Unlike Ochiai Fortress, Oguri Castle was a meticulously constructed castle that took three months to build. It had everything: a waterway, a fortified wall, watchtowers, and a longhouse. Although it was crowded with over three thousand people, it was still enough to accommodate them.

Thus, the Nagashima Ikko-ikki, who had originally hoped to open up the Ise Road, control the Kiso River, and even sweep through Tsushima Town, were forced to halt their troops at the castle gates and were unable to take any action.

Shimoma Raita, who commanded these uprising followers, was well aware that although the uprising had monks and ronin as its basic units, it was not a regular army. Once they dispersed to plunder, it would be extremely difficult to regroup them afterward.

When Sakuma Nobumori comes out of the castle, we can defeat him one by one without breaking a sweat. The Ikki must be united to instill fear and dread in the Oda army. A scattered Ikki is just a bunch of civilians with kitchen knives, utterly useless.

The difference between organized and unorganized is so great that it needs no further explanation.

Therefore, Shimoma Raidan, who was in charge of the attack on Okie Castle, quickly called on Ganshoji Shōi and asked him to mobilize the Kita Ise Ikki to come and surround Okie.

Meanwhile, Ganshoji Shoyo received a plea for help from Ōki Kaneyoshi. After breaking through the Oda army's fortress surrounding Kiyosu Castle, Saito Tatsuoki also captured several prisoners. From the prisoners, he learned that the Oda army had actually received another two thousand reinforcements from Gifu.

If it were only Ikeda Tsuneoki and the Hayashi Hideyoshi and Hayashi Michimasa father and son, Saito Tatsuoki and Ōki Kaneyoshi would have already attacked. It was only because they learned that Oda's army had actually received reinforcements that the two sides discussed the matter and decided to rest for a day before requesting Nagashima to send more reinforcements.

Alright, Xiaomujiang needs reinforcements, and Qingxu also needs reinforcements. What should we do?

The people at Honganji Temple are absolutely masters of swindling and deception; they're top-notch at passing on the torch. Otherwise, they couldn't have amassed such a large fortune during Japan's Warring States period. But when it comes to actual warfare, their skill level is rather questionable.

Reciting scriptures is easier than wielding a spear, isn't it?

After some hesitation, the temple decided to split up its forces!

Great, that's the good thing about splitting up forces.

The more than 10,000 rebels continued their conquest of northern Ise, driving out or eliminating all pro-Oda forces and seizing villages and hamlets. The local officials also needed land to support them; how could so many warrior monks be fed solely by donations from believers? In those days, land was the most valuable means of production, ranking number one in a non-existent fashion.

Another 5,000 troops went to support Shimoma Raidan at Kogie Castle, and 2,000 troops supported Saito Tatsuoki in attacking Iwakura Jinya. Several thousand more were stationed at the main camp of Nagashima Ganshoji Temple.

It wasn't that Genji was particularly clever, but rather that someone had informed him that Shima's Kuki Yoshitaka was very likely to raid Nagashima, and that he needed to leave someone behind to guard against it.

The monk was simply inept at warfare, not stupid; what he said was true. Therefore, small forts and beacon towers were set up throughout Long Island, with thousands of Ikko-ikki (military guerrillas) keeping watch on the smoke, ready to guard against a surprise attack by Shima Kuki's navy.

Having already received Nobunaga's orders to prepare for the Nagashima Incident, Kuki Yoshitaka did indeed launch an attack. Unfortunately, by the time he attacked, Kuwana Castle had already fallen, leaving him no choice but to retreat to Tsushima to observe the situation.

Chapter 203 A Uprising with Few People Leads to Counterattack

"What? Not here?"

Not only was Shichibei surprised, but the other Oda army generals nearby were also extremely astonished. Oda Nobunaga had clearly stated before leaving that Sakuma Nobumori was to stay behind to handle any emergencies, so how could he not be there?

"They said they went to support Sangming." The envoy did ask where they were going, showing he wasn't stupid.

"Kuwana..." Upon hearing this name, Shichibei understood. The Nagashima Kokyuuki's attack on Owari was secondary; the main objective was to sweep through northern Ise.

The offensive against Takigawa Kazumasu will certainly be more intense, and most likely sooner. No wonder Takigawa Kazumasu sent someone to Sakuma Nobumori for help first.

On Iwakura's side, Ikeda Tsuneoki and the others felt that the reinforcements from Shichibei were already sufficient, and they even considered a swift victory.

"Then we'll have to rely on ourselves." Lin Tongzheng, whose wounds had been bandaged, leaned against a wooden pillar, his voice still quite loud.

"That's absolutely right." If we can't rely on ourselves, who else can we rely on?

We can't expect Oda Myojou to come to the rescue with the garrison of Gifu Castle. If Gifu Castle is completely empty, someone in Mino will definitely cause trouble. Saito Tatsuoki is still alive, and he has plenty of righteous banners to uphold.

With Nobunaga tied down in Settsu, Owari is vulnerable, and the Ikko-ikki uprising in Nagashima has drastically changed. If Gifu is also empty, then we can only wait to welcome the king's army.

"..." The crowd fell silent, their expressions varied. It wasn't fear, since the Iwakura Jinya was well-maintained, but rather a sense of unease about the current crisis facing the Oda clan.

"Right now, the only option is to defend the city with all our might!" Shichibei clapped his hands, signaling everyone to stop being silent and get moving.

Since it's our duty, let's do our job well. Let's manage our own affairs first, then we can think about other things. What kind of person is Oda Nobunaga? He'll always find a way.

As dawn broke, Saito's army and the Ikko-ikki arrived at Iwakura Castle, set up camp, and began to surround Iwakura Castle from three sides. Iwakura Castle was a completely flat castle, and indeed, Owari Province doesn't have many hills, except for a small protrusion near Komaki, which is why it has made its mark on history many times.

What they could rely on was the wide moat. Previously, in the ruins of Iwakura, the moat had been used by the surrounding people as irrigation ditches and water reservoirs, so it was relatively well-maintained and hadn't gradually silted up or filled in. Now, it had effectively blocked the enemy outside the city. It was unclear whether Ryūshō would send soldiers to fill in the moat.

Climbing onto the turret, Shichibei observed the enemy's formation outside the castle. The Saito army was actually an old rival, a proper samurai force, well-organized from top to bottom. If Nobunaga hadn't wanted to annex the Saito samurai group, he wouldn't have been willing to take in Tatsuoki and even relocate him to Kiyosu.

However, Long Xing was not properly nurtured and still wanted to rebel.

Shichibei was somewhat impressed by the troops of the Ikki-shu. Shichibei usually did not participate in battles, but he had seen all kinds of enemy forces. He had also encountered most of his own allies, such as Azai Nagamasa and Tokugawa Ieyasu, and had chatted and laughed with them.

Shichibei could usually tell the difference between an organized army and an unorganized army at a glance.

The Ikko-ikki before us, which should be considered the Nagashima Army, is no longer a simple Ikko-ikki. Those Ikko-ikki who are almost entirely disorganized, relying solely on sheer courage or religious indoctrination, and whose only strength lies in their sheer numbers, are very easy to defeat. Simply create fear, launch a fierce attack on one corner, quickly disrupt the order, and the Ikko-ikki will crumble.

But the Long Island Army before them was a formidable force, with longbows and arquebuses in front, short guns and swords behind, a forest of banners and a dense array of taiko drums. Their advance and retreat were well-organized, and the flags of each unit were clearly distinguishable. They were not simply a band of rebels who raised a banner proclaiming "Those who advance will be reborn in paradise, those who retreat will be condemned to endless hell" and charged forward.

Why aren't you attacking?

Ryūō and Ōki Kaneyoshi outside were, of course, waiting for reinforcements from Nagashima behind them. Their combined forces numbered only 5,000, while the city had over 3,000. The Saitō and Nagashima armies weren't some unparalleled, god-like force; they were seasoned veterans who knew they couldn't break through.

The petitioners, along with the temple's witnesses, are sending out a genuine, organized force. They'll act as cannon fodder, charging ahead to deplete the city's cannonballs and arrows, testing the strength of the city's defenses. Then the regular troops can launch their own attack – wouldn't that be ideal?

Besides, they fought all day yesterday, first defeating Ikeda Tsuneoki, then breaking through Oda's fortress, and finally defeating Hayashi Michimasa's rearguard. They were exhausted. Reaching Iwakura today and setting up a three-sided encirclement with one side missing is already quite an effort.

A peaceful day.

Then reinforcements from Nagashima arrived, numbering a mere two thousand, and indeed, the vast majority were rebels. Seeing this, Saito Tatsuoki and Oki Kaneyoshi launched into a tirade of curses.

The Nagashima Ganshoji Temple mobilized more than 30,000 Ikko-ikki followers, but so far only 4,000 have been sent to the Kiyosu side, which is only one-tenth.

With so few people, what good can they do?

Yesterday, Saito Tatsuoki calculated that Nagashima could send another 5,000 men. At that time, 10,000 would emerge victorious, 5,000 Ikki would charge and wear down the enemy, and then 3,000 of Saito's troops would take over the attack. At most, in three to five days, victory could be secured.

Two thousand rebels coming now? How many times can they charge? This kind of army lacks the courage and morale to withstand casualties. If two hundred of the two thousand are killed or wounded, they'll scatter, and it might take a day or two to regroup them.

This is a serious miscalculation of military strategy.

Ryūō was not a fool; in fact, he was a very competent Japanese samurai. Historically, he spent his entire life fighting Nobunaga, but Nobunaga was so outstanding that he was portrayed as a fool.

In fact, this stereotypical historical portrayal isn't limited to him alone. Even Takenaka Hanbei, who is right next to us, has almost been described as a fair-skinned, beautiful, delicate, and sickly young lady.

Look, look, look! Hanbei, when you get home you should give your son a good beating, don't let him write nonsense.

Oh right, besides Ota Gyuichi, Hanbei's son also loves writing diaries, right? I'll have to bring him over sometime and personally give him a talking-to.

Ryūō, who was cursing the end of the Ganshōji Temple in his heart, discussed the matter with Nagai Michitoshi, Hineno Hirotoshi, and others, and reluctantly decided to proceed with the original plan. He and Ōki Kaneyoshi each led a thousand Ikki's men to attack the castle, exhausting and wear down the Oda army inside.

The siege has begun.

Although Iwakura is now a fortified camp, it still has some defensive capabilities, unlike before when Shichibei and Hideyoshi were guarding Sunomata and needed to provide shields for Koroku. As the general, Shichibei only needs to sit in the shogunate's small restaurant inside the fortified camp and command from the center.

Logically, it should have been Hayashi Hidesada, the eldest of the family, who was in charge, but Shichibei had the most men. Since they were about to be beheaded, it was natural for the one with the most men to take command. Everyone present was an old member of Owari and Oda, and they were resistant to outsiders, but those within the group were easy to talk to.

After handing the troops over to the commanders of the foot soldiers, Shichibei and Hayashi Hideyoshi sat upright inside, as immovable as mountains.

However, Shichibei was still a novice and lacked tactical focus; he couldn't sit still for long. He asked Lin Xiuzhen to stay where she was, then found a ladder and climbed onto the roof of the small restaurant to observe the battle on both sides.

Ryūō and Ōki Kenjiro launched their attack simultaneously, since Iwakura was a flatland castle, making it easy to attack from all sides. The first group of rebels charged with almost no banners or much armor, rushing in disarray. Before they could even cross the wooden bridge over the moat, they were routed by arquebusiers and arrows.

It is unknown how many such rebels there were, because as soon as a group of two or three hundred rebels retreated, another group would take their place. Longxing also arranged for foot soldiers carrying wooden shields and bamboo bundles to guard the archers and arquebusiers to the moat and exchange fire with the soldiers inside the castle.

The main purpose was to boost the morale of the rebels and tell them that the "Buddhist enemies" in the city had arquebuses, and so did we.

If they were truly brainwashed and believed themselves to be invulnerable, they would charge in even if there were cannons inside the city. The monks of Honganji Temple were still not skilled enough; they hadn't learned the tricks of the White Lotus Sect's senior disciples and leaders. If they could acquire those tricks, there would be no need to shout about those who enter being reborn in the Pure Land.

The militia, though weak in combat, possessed some martial spirit—after all, they came from the chaotic Warring States period, and those without martial spirit had long since perished. They also had some religious support, enabling them to participate in sieges.

Throughout history, sieges, especially direct, bloody assaults, have been the last thing any military commander wanted to see. Once the cannons fired from inside the city, a single bullet could kill you instantly. Those who weren't killed were dragged back to camp, but with today's medical technology, they would still die.

The result was a "lively" atmosphere!

It wasn't just the sounds of cannons and arrows that were lively; the uprising was even more exciting when the rebels, brandishing their weapons, charged towards Iwakura.

The veterans would at most shout "Hurrah!" before charging forward, crouching low and carrying their guns. These rebels, however, were likely doing it to bolster their courage, or perhaps because they didn't understand. When they were driven to within a hundred meters of the city, they started shouting, shouting at the top of their lungs, to encourage themselves.

While shouting, he also waved his weapon meaninglessly, as if he could strike the Oda army inside the city with his sword in the air.

Thus, before even crossing the wooden bridge over the water's edge, most of the rebels had exhausted most of their strength and were no longer able to fight. After being hit by two arquebusiers, they turned and ran.

Therefore, sending ordinary people to the battlefield without training and organization is tantamount to suicide.

Right now, all we have are arquebuses and bows and arrows. But when we get Maxim guns in the future, encountering soldiers like that will be nothing short of a massacre, a massacre without a doubt.

The cannons positioned on the left and right sides, along with the gun ports, easily repelled the rebels. It was a scene that was truly "exciting" but utterly meaningless.

Even ants can't kill an elephant if they outnumber them. If the Long Island rebels could drive 20,000 to 30,000 men to attack Iwakura, they might actually be able to break through. Right now, these 200 to 300 men are just a bit lacking.

There wasn't even a single team deployed to fill the trenches; the enemy forces outside the city didn't look like they were launching an Ikko-ikki at all.

"Didn't many of the coup leaders come?"

Shichibei, feeling suspicious, retreated from the rooftop and went behind the ramparts to discuss the matter with the guards on that side. Although the guards were not particularly skilled in combat, they were all competent samurai. After Shichibei expressed his suspicions about the rebels outside the castle, they all seemed to be deep in thought.

Yes, if there were tens of thousands of rebels, with the old and weak in front and the young and strong behind, the living attacking the city and the dead filling the trenches, charging forward without regard for human life, our little Yancang would probably be in grave danger by now.

“Perhaps the Nagashima regime is launching a fierce attack on Kuwana.” Ota Gyuichi thought for a moment, “Didn’t Sakuma Nobumori go to rescue Kuwana?”

Takigawa Kazumasu had over a thousand men, Sakuma Nobumori had three thousand, and with the addition of Kuwana Castle, even if the Ikko-ikki were to launch an uprising, it would take tens of thousands of people to storm Kuwana.

“That makes sense…” Shichibei doesn’t know the whole story yet, so this explanation is the most reasonable.

“If Kuwana has four or five thousand soldiers, even tens of thousands of rebels would probably find it difficult to conquer. As for Iwakura…” Takenaka Hanbei also seemed to be deep in thought.

Yes, Kuwana Castle is full of samurai and regular foot soldiers, not peasant soldiers. They have both fighting power and a castle. Even if the rebels outside the castle number in the tens of thousands, they probably wouldn't be able to easily break through Kuwana Castle.