Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Following him was an army of seven thousand men, including his own hundreds of retainers and attendants, as well as over a thousand ronin and miscellaneous soldiers he had recruited. To facilitate his return to Mino, Takeda Shingen dispatched five thousand cavalrymen, including Kiso Yoshimasa, Akiyama Nobutomo, Chikuto Shige, and Kanemaru Sukerokuro (Sadamitsu).

With these seven thousand men, Ryūgen felt his chances of victory were greater than ever before. He had already sent men back to Mino to secretly recruit local retainers and urge them to mobilize to support his return. Although the specifics were still unknown, Takeda Shingen's main force had already been mobilized, and the die was cast.

Recalling the massive Takeda army he had seen at Tsutsuzaki-no-Kara in Kai a few days prior, Ryuko felt they were incredibly elite and valiant. Oda? What a load of rubbish!

Compared to the elite soldiers of Nagatoshi, the seasoned veterans whom Nobunaga had nurtured with Yongle coins were no different from three-year-old children. Their display of swords and spears was simply "cute."

Long Xing was extremely confident that he had a very high chance of winning this battle.

Even Takeda Shingen, through his connections with Ashikaga Yoshiaki, negotiated with the imperial court in Rakuyang. Takeda Shingen promised to fund the revival of Enryaku-ji Temple, the head temple of the Tendai sect, but it could not be rebuilt at Mount Hiei; it would have to be moved to Mount Minobe.

Regardless of whether the proposal is realistic or not, it's clearly unlikely that Oda Nobunaga would revive Mount Hiei. Therefore, obtaining Takeda Shingen's promise to revive it would be an immense stroke of luck.

In short, through this action, Takeda Shingen expressed goodwill to the imperial court. He told the court that he, Takeda Shingen, came to embrace the old order, not to break it. He intended to remain within that old framework, maintaining a harmonious relationship with everyone.

To be fair, Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Shingen shared a certain degree of mutual understanding, both tacitly seeking to curry favor with the imperial court. The Oda clan, due to their humble origins and lack of prestigious lineage, needed to leverage the court's legitimacy. The Takeda clan, on the other hand, being too far from Kyoto, had essentially never participated in central political operations and thus needed to cooperate with the court.

However, the fact that both sides were simultaneously courting the imperial court still secretly pleased many people in the court.

Normally, the court officials and nobles paid no attention to them; they were completely ignored. But now, in this era of great strife, the old forces have been defeated one after another, and the new forces, in the process of taking over, urgently need the participation of some of the old forces to expand their base. This has given the Kyoto court unprecedented attention.

Emperor Ogimachi: My good days have come!

At this moment, Takeda Shingen had already led his troops across the Seibon Pass and officially invaded Kita-Tōmi Province. His vanguard general was Nobuharu Baba, the governor of Mino Province, who led 5,000 cavalry. Shingen's main force consisted of 17,000 cavalry.

The Mikawa Special Forces, led by Yamagata Masakage with 3,000 cavalry, joined forces with 2,000 cavalry from the three factions of the Yamaga clan: Suganuma Sadatada, lord of Tame Castle; Okudaira Saekatsu, lord of Sakite Castle; and Suganuma Masasada, lord of Nagashino Castle, for a total of 5,000 cavalry. They marched straight into Mikawa, their advance reaching Yoshida Castle, a major town in the eastern three provinces.

Having received a hint from Oda Nobunaga at the beginning of the year, Tokugawa Ieyasu also made some preparations. He deployed Suzuki Shigetoki at Kakimoto Castle, south of Nagashino Castle in Okumikawa, and Honda Tadakatsu and Okubo Tadasa near the Ota River in Kita-Tōmi.

Even so, it was all for naught. Whether it was the so-called five hundred loyal and brave samurai of Mikawa, or the general personally selected by Ieyasu to lead the first battle against the Takeda army, although they put up a full resistance, it was all in vain. They collapsed and collapsed as they were meant to.

"The mountain moved."

Nobunaga remained remarkably calm upon hearing of the Takeda army's three-pronged attack, as if the matter had nothing to do with him. Even when his messengers reported that Ryūō had already surrounded Iwamura Castle and its branch castles, that Suzuki Shigetoki, the lord of Kakimoto Castle, had been killed by Yamagata Masakage, and that the Tokugawa army had suffered heavy losses at Ichigenzaka, failing to even delay the Takeda clan for a moment, Nobunaga remained composed.

"..." Apart from the generals who participated in the siege of Nijō Palace and Makishima Castle in the Kinai region, the remaining Oda army generals were all in Gifu Castle at the time, and they were discussing the news extensively.

The Takeda clan was a formidable daimyo, a powerful force at the pinnacle of Japan's Sengoku period. Crucially, they had previously been allies with the Oda clan, and Takeda Matsuhime had only married into the Oda family the previous year; yet, they suddenly broke off all ties.

It's no wonder that Nobunaga would later launch the "Takeda Hunt" against Kai after such a treacherous and untrustworthy act of hostility. Anyone else who had stabbed Nobunaga in the back would have faced the same fate of having their entire family killed.

"Shichibei!" Ignoring the murmurs around him, Nobunaga pointed to Shichibei in the ranks of the senior retainers.

"The minister is here."

"Immediately order men to prepare five days' worth of rations for the entire army, and then transport a month's worth of supplies to Okazaki Castle to await further orders."

"Understood!" It seems Nobunaga is prepared to personally take action and have a proper meeting with Takeda Shingen.

"Brother." Nobunaga turned to look at his older brother, Oda Nobuhiro.

Originally, Nobuhiro was stationed at Kiyosu Castle to guard the Nagashima Ganshoji Temple. Now that the territory of Kita Ise has been restored, Nagashima only needs to be besieged by Kuki Yoshitaka and Saji Kazunari using their naval forces. Therefore, Oda Nobuhiro led his troops back to Gifu.

Currently, with the Oda clan's long-term garrison commander Sakuma Nobumori at the front line of Kanayama Castle, Oda Nobuhiro is temporarily acting as the garrison commander, presiding over military councils and announcing Nobunaga's own plans.

First is Sakuma Nobumori, with his 5,000 men, currently at Kanayama Castle. They march ahead to the vicinity of Iwamura Castle, where they coordinate with Toyama Tomokatsu and other generals within the castle to resist the attack of the Saito-Takeda allied forces.

This force was followed by 6,000 men, including Oda Nobutada, Oda Nobumasa, Kobe Nobutaka, and Nagano Nobukatsu, who were stationed at Gifu Castle's main base. They were to reinforce Sakuma Nobumori if necessary, safeguarding Nobunaga's stronghold.

It is said that Anyoji Shōryō of Kamikoto District in Mino County, and Saishōji Senshō of Ōno District in Echizen Province, among others, began to mobilize their disciples to support the military action of restoring Mino to its former glory. Nobunaga left only 6,000 men in Gifu Castle, which was actually quite risky.

Secondly, four generals—Hayashi Hidesada, Niwa Ujikatsu, Mizuno Nobumoto, and Ikeda Tsuneoki—together with 5,000 cavalry, entered Okazaki Castle to assist Nobunaga's good son-in-law, Tokugawa Nobuyasu, in defending his stronghold in Mikawa. This was to prevent Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu from being caught up in the fierce battle with Takeda Shingen on the front lines, and from having their rear shaken, thus betraying both their fathers.

Finally, Nobunaga's main force of 30,000 men marched to Hamamatsu Castle to relieve Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was holding out desperately in Hamamatsu Castle after the defenses of Kita-Tōmi had been breached.

In addition, there was a 4,000-strong rear guard, which was Shichibei's small cargo unit. They did not actually participate in the rescue of Hamamatsu Castle, but were mainly responsible for ensuring the logistics of Oda Nobunaga's army from Gifu to Hamamatsu.

Nobunaga didn't care about anything else, but the Oda army couldn't go without food or firepower. If anything was in short supply, Shichibei was the only one to be questioned.

All 50,000 men of Noobi have now been mobilized. Although Nobunaga did not appear particularly surprised by Takeda Shingen's uprising, in reality, it was a full-scale mobilization.

"Did you all understand?" Nobunaga stood up and looked around at the generals in the hall.

"Hehe!" The generals all bowed their heads in agreement, indicating that they understood.

The big one has finally arrived. Compared to his first encounter with the powerful daimyo Asakura Yoshikage, who commanded 750,000 koku in Echizen, Nobunaga is much more composed this time facing Takeda Shingen. It's easy to imagine that many challengers will emerge on the path to unifying Japan. The first time might feel daunting, even alarming, but the second time will be much easier.

The drums and conch shells inside Gifu Castle resounded, mobilizing the tens of thousands of Nobunaga's regular troops gathered below the castle. Although they had only recently returned from Nagashima, once a military order was given, it could not be changed; they could only obey.

As the generals left the city one after another, Nobunaga did not remain sitting idly inside. He called over his three sons, Nobutada, Nobumasa, and Nobutaka. Nobuo was currently at Ōkōchi Castle and was not included in the mobilization plan.

Unlike before, when leaving his sons to guard the city was simply a matter of defense, this time is different. This time, not only is Longxing leading a large army to advance, but people in Meinong are also starting to support him. Therefore, his three sons need to guard the city carefully, and if necessary, ruthless measures must be taken.

Shichibei, who followed Oda Nobuhiro out of the castle, glanced at him a few more times. He saw Nobunaga leap down from the eaves, his first step not even having his straw sandals on yet.

Tsk tsk tsk, it's clear that Nobunaga wasn't really as calm as he appeared.

After all, Takeda Shingen was renowned and a veteran general with a long-standing reputation. Although many of his battle achievements are highly controversial in later generations, and he suffered numerous defeats, including some humiliating ones, this does not prevent him from being a commander who was more knowledgeable about military affairs and even more ruthless than Asakura Yoshikage.

Perhaps one night, Nobunaga silently wondered to himself, "Why isn't Takeda Shingen dead yet? He's been recuperating in the hot springs of Yumura for half a year now. He's in such a bad state, how can he still send out troops?"

Sigh, we can't read Nobunaga's mind, there's no need to guess. The most important thing is to order the mobilization of troops and immediately transport supplies to Okazaki and Yoshida Castle for Nobunaga.

The supplies were originally intended to be transported to Hamamatsu Castle, but Nobunaga and Shichibei were unsure whether Takeda Shingen would have already begun the siege of Hamamatsu by the time they arrived. So they decided to send them to Okazaki first, and then transfer them after Nobunaga's main force reached Hamamatsu. This was also why Nobunaga prepared five days' worth of rations; even if they arrived to find Hamamatsu under siege, they wouldn't go hungry.

Thanks to the unobstructed Ise Bay waterway, most of the Oda army's supplies could be transported from Tsushima to Hamamatsu. Hamamatsu Castle was located next to Lake Hamana and the Tenryu River, making water transport very convenient. Kakezuka at the mouth of the Tenryu River was already a distribution center for timber from upstream, and with further development, Hamamatsu would become one of Japan's most important timber exporting towns.

By 2025, Tsushima will have long since disappeared, but Hamamatsu will still be a distribution center for important building timber such as Tenryu cedar. By the way, this place is also one of Japan's premier turtle breeding and rearing areas—it really has a connection with turtles!

Military supplies to Okazaki were dispatched directly from Atsuta. Shichibei did not accompany the army but went to Tsushima again to await news from the front.

Tsushima was still teeming with troops, with most of the naval vessels of Yoshitaka Kuki and Kazushige Saji anchored in the harbor. Normally, small boats were on patrol at sea, ready to respond immediately in case of emergency.

These two also dreamed of a great battle between Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Shingen, a battle they might only witness a few times in their lifetime, and it was a real pity they couldn't participate.

Come on, if it really came down to the Battle of Mikatagahara, you two trolls would probably get beaten to a pulp.

Even Nobunaga himself wasn't that confident, so he risked everything by mobilizing two thousand arquebuses to Hamamatsu. He was afraid that the mountain monkeys of Kai would charge recklessly and break through his main force.

This time, Nobunaga did not instruct that 10,000 wooden stakes as thick as an arm be prepared, which means that Nobunaga's plan was to rely on the strong fortified Hamamatsu Castle, either to enter the castle and defend it to the death, or to form a battle line with his back to the castle and fight Shingen to his heart's content.

I don't know if Hamamatsu Castle can hold Ieyasu's 8,000 men and Nobunaga's 30,000. It's doubtful; when the castle was built, we didn't consider housing so many people inside.

The entire Tōtōmi region was thrown into turmoil. After Takeda Shingen easily crushed the vanguard sent by Ieyasu at Ichigenzaka, he broke through five branch castles in a single day and gathered a large force to besiege Futamata Castle, a key stronghold in Tōtōmi.

The lord of Futamata Castle, Nakane Masateru (whose vice-general was Aoki Sadaharu), had only 1,200 soldiers, and they were already struggling against the 22,000 Takeda troops outside the castle. As a result, Takeda Shingen discovered that Futamata Castle relied entirely on well towers on the mountainside for water, so he immediately ordered men to use rafts to smash and destroy the well towers.

Futamata Castle, known as an impregnable fortress, surrendered after only three days under the cunning and pressure of Takeda Shingen's army.

With the opening of Futamata Castle, the powerful local lords and samurai of Tōtōmi Province completely collapsed and betrayed Tokugawa Ieyasu. Powerful clans such as the Iio, Kamio, Okuyama, Amano, and Kanai clans rushed to Takeda Shingen's army, delivering hostages and military provisions.

While appeasing these local lords and their retainers, Takeda Shingen actively recruited troops from them. After all, leading troops from Kai would cost him his own money. But in Tōtōmi, incorporating the troops of local lords not only didn't cost him a penny, but he also received their provisions.

Takeda Shingen was also adept at the method of "recruiting soldiers from among soldiers." As long as his own army was strong enough to defeat the enemy's main force, the remaining enemy troops might be able to be used by him.

Just as Futamata Castle opened its gates, Nobunaga's main force arrived at Yoshida Castle and learned from Yoshida Castle lord Sakai Tadatsugu about the near-total collapse of the Tokugawa clan.

Totomi was a territory that Tokugawa Ieyasu had only seized a few years prior, and the people of Totomi had not yet submitted to him. Now, with Takeda Shingen's powerful emergence, the people of Totomi flocked to him in droves.

Upon learning that Nobunaga's main force and Shingen's main force were both advancing towards Hamamatsu, Tokugawa Ieyasu was in a dilemma. With only 8,000 men under his command, he was caught between two powerful warlords, making his situation extremely difficult.

Chapter 267 A Battle of Endurance Between the Two Armies

The 8,000 cavalry spearhead troops that Ieyasu referred to as his vanguard force were commonly known as the "Hamamatsu Army" at this time, and they were mainly composed of two parts. Their upper echelon consisted of "adopted" generals promoted by Ieyasu. These people came from various backgrounds, possibly from Mikawa or Tōtōmi, and were mostly hatamoto no shikai who were already under Ieyasu's command.

The lower ranks were the so-called "Yikki Toshin," a grouping system likely learned by Ieyasu, Imagawa Yoshimoto, and Taigen Sessai through daily lessons, bearing a strong resemblance to Sunpu. The personnel were mostly kokujin (local Chinese) from Tōtōmi, essentially cannon fodder infantry.

After Ieyasu took control of Hamamatsu, the generals who were sent to vassal states gradually became stratified, with some becoming true generals and others becoming middle-ranking generals.

When Ieyasu first entered Okazaki, he had two hundred cavalry captains. By the time he entered Hamamatsu, this number had increased to about six hundred. This is the origin of the so-called "Five Hundred Loyal Warriors of Mikawa".

Based on these 600 cavalry, and supplemented by local people, nobles, and local servants gathered from Tōtōmi Province, the so-called Hatamoto Vanguard Force was eventually formed.

For example, Honda Tadakatsu was a vanguard general with 55 riders assigned to him. Honda Shigetsugu, on the other hand, was assigned 100 riders. When Sakakibara Yasumasa started out, he received four riders named Umawari, along with an unknown number of other riders.

The number of generals in the first-strike force was not fixed, but each general commanded an average of several hundred to two thousand troops. Some of them were later promoted to castle motifs and no longer served in this position.

Thus, you can understand why Tokugawa Ieyasu was in such a hurry.

Because the people of Tōtōmi were surrendering to Takeda Shingen one after another, and were recruiting soldiers and raising funds for him. Apart from 600 hatamoto babi from Mikawa, the rest of the main force of the Hatamoto Vanguard was actually composed of Tōtōmi locals. Their fathers, brothers, and families had already pledged allegiance to Takeda Shingen; what about themselves?

In the Sengoku period of Japan, an era where many were traitors, it is highly likely that most of the 8,000 Tokugawa troops would have deserted and joined Takeda Shingen before even leaving Hamamatsu Castle to fight.

This is also a key reason why, historically, when Takeda Shingen bypassed Hamamatsu without attacking, Tokugawa Ieyasu launched a preemptive attack. If he hadn't shown a strong determination to fight to the end and had simply resorted to a siege, the already wavering morale within the castle would have crumbled at lightning speed.

When the city's soldiers saw Shingen swaggering around Totomi, accepting surrenders everywhere, and that their own villages and elders had all taken the surname Takeda, they could no longer muster even the slightest courage to resist.

Now that Takeda Shingen had breached Futamata Castle, a formidable fortress known for its impregnability, Oda Nobunaga was beginning to hesitate. He certainly believed that his younger brother, Mikawa, would not betray him, but Mikawa could not represent the eight thousand men under his command.

If these 8,000 men were to defect and surrender to Takeda, causing chaos in the entire army, Oda Nobunaga would suffer a terrible defeat.

Thus, an eerie calm descended upon the entire battlefield. Takeda Shingen settled in Futamata Castle, recruiting soldiers and raising funds. Nobunaga halted his troops at Yoshida Castle in Mikawa, observing the situation in Tōtōmi. Ieyasu himself, however, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, for delay could lead to unforeseen changes, and the Tōtōmi troops within Hamamatsu Castle might not truly be loyal to him.

However, one thing is certain: Ishikawa Kazumasa of the Western Mikawa clan and Sakai Tadatsugu of the Eastern Mikawa clan are still firmly resisting. Both clans are long-time strongmen in Mikawa, and their will to defend their territory is extremely resolute. This is one of the reasons why Nobunaga is at ease staying at Yoshida Castle.

As a side effect, Nobunaga ordered Shichibei to begin transporting provisions to Yoshida Castle. With his 30,000 troops surrounding Yoshida Castle, what use was Yamagata Masakage's mere 5,000 cavalrymen who were attacking Mikawa? He wasn't afraid.

Alright, upon receiving the military report, Shichibei could only instruct Ito Sojuro to prepare ships on Tsushima, ready to transport supplies to Hamamatsu later. Shichibei then rode swiftly to Atsuta to begin contacting Inase Yoshinari in Gifu to establish a supply route for Nobunaga's 30,000-strong army.

"Why isn't our lord advancing?"

Although Shichibei's unit was the Rear Guard Corps, it didn't stop the mobilized Kawamura samurai from gathering together and working through a rough sketch on a piece of paper. Some even sculpted small clay figures and moved them around on the map.

"Perhaps the Grand Steward is waiting for the Lord to launch an attack," Takenaka Hanbei said thoughtfully.

“That’s not the case. Konobu’s troops have won quick victories at Ichigenzaka and Futamata Castle, and their morale is extremely high. It’s the perfect time for them to put their strength to use,” Ota Gyuichi expressed a different opinion.

"The Takeda army is aiming for Kyoto, and the Kubo has abandoned the city at Majima. They are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the army day and night. How can the Grand Steward be allowed to remain here?" Aochi Shigetsuna was clearly more concerned about the situation in the Kinai region, after all, he was a native of Koshu Province.

Shichibei didn't participate in the discussion, but sat aside, watching with the other samurai. Watanabe Tomoya and his son, Todo Takatora, Ogawa Yutada, Namae Sadaharu, Mori Jiroza, Kuwayama Shigekatsu, Tsuchida Chikakiyo, and others each had their own thoughts. Todo, for example, wanted to speak, but seeing that Shichibei didn't, he held back.

In fact, Shichibei felt that Takeda Shingen needed to "recruit soldiers from among his own," since he knew of Nobunaga's strength of 30,000 cavalry and Ieyasu's strength of 8,000 cavalry. He himself only had 22,000 cavalry, and in a confrontation, the Takeda clan was outnumbered.

On the other hand, there's classified information: Takeda Shingen might be unwell. He's currently taking a break from his troops. After all, attacking Futamata Castle required a lot of thought from the leader, so he might indeed need some rest.

But this matter cannot be discussed; it is a little secret between Shichibei and Oda Nobunaga.

"It can't be that Tokugawa Mikawa no Kami is having an affair with Takeda, can it?" Takenaka Hanbei himself came from this line of work, so of course he had to consider it more carefully.

"It's not impossible that our lord didn't send reinforcements. But now..." When this was mentioned, few people objected. Many of those present had experience jumping ship, except for Ah Da, who was known for his skill.

"That may not be the case now. Perhaps our lord is trying to ascertain the intentions of the Three Rivers Guardian."

That's actually correct. Takeda Shingen sent Nakane Masaaki, who surrendered at Futamata Castle, to communicate with Tokugawa Ieyasu. Takeda Shingen promised Ieyasu the entire province of Mikawa, as well as half of western Tōtōmi Province centered around Hamamatsu. Afterwards, he would give the Tokugawa family Mizuno Nobumoto's territory as compensation.

This clause alone is actually quite generous. Takeda Shingen hardly occupies any territory; he only demands that Kakegawa Castle, a key town in the eastern part of the Tōtōmi region, be handed over as a forward outpost to protect Suruga Province.

Whether Ieyasu was tempted or not, we don't know; we can't read his mind.