Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

The plans and actions of both sides changed almost daily, even hourly. Even when Shichibei gathered all his samurai for advice, they were still completely baffled. Compared to Oda Nobunaga and Takeda Shingen, two renowned generals of their time, their samurai were either of limited skill or had not yet matured.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Takeda Shingen was in high spirits after reaching Horie Castle. He sent messengers into the castle to inform Ōsawa and his son that if they surrendered with courtesy, not only would their former territories be restored, but they would also be given an additional 5,000 koku. At the same time, he did not launch a fierce attack on Horie Castle, but waited for the two reinforcements from Oda and Tokugawa to arrive before seeking an opportunity for a field battle.

The Osawa father and son within the castle were indeed wavering. After all, just three years ago they were fighting against Tokugawa Ieyasu, and they had no loyalty to him whatsoever. However, they had also heard that tens of thousands of Oda Nobunaga's reinforcements were on their way. Tokugawa Ieyasu alone was likely no match for Takeda, but with Oda also on the roster, things might be different.

It's so frustrating. If Oda doesn't come to our rescue, then the father and son will immediately kneel down and surrender to Takeda Shingen to ensure their family's wealth and prosperity.

But now Oda is rushing to their aid with tens of thousands of troops, and we don't know how capable they are. I'm really afraid that if we surrender to Takeda now, and then Takeda is defeated, our family will be completely finished.

Just as they were hesitating, three thousand Tokugawa cavalry arrived at Utsuyama Castle across Lake Hamana. Although the main force could not quickly reinforce Horie Castle, sending out small boats to deliver a message was not a problem.

Lake Hamana is now under the control of the Takeda navy. Once Horie Castle falls, the waterway of Lake Hamana will be completely blocked from the Tokugawa family.

Perhaps reinforcements have already arrived and are already on the west side of the lake? The Osawa father and son ultimately chose to believe that Oda would come to their rescue, and sent someone to refuse the Takeda clan's offer of surrender, indicating that they would defend Horie to the death.

Takeda Shingen completely disregarded the small town garrisoned by these three hundred men, and casually smiled. But halfway through his smile, a series of sharp pains shot through his body, causing Shingen to instantly suppress his laughter.

Perhaps he can't wait any longer; whether it succeeds or not depends on this battle.

Chapter 269 Two armies assemble at the Three Plains

The battle plan was like a snake in Changshan, top-heavy and light in the middle. Takeda Shingen astutely grasped this point, and by striking the middle, he could attack both the head and the tail.

Both Tokugawa Ieyasu in Hamamatsu Castle and Oda Nobunaga in Yoshida Castle were mobilized by Takeda Shingen and rushed to the Shonai Peninsula, where the snake was located.

Takeda Shingen was not idle either. In addition to immediately calling on his friends and calling on a large army to come to his aid, he also scouted the terrain all over the Shonai Peninsula to choose a suitable location for his armored army to charge into battle.

Sanfangyuan!

The Tenryu River surges violently from the Kashin Mountains, forming a river valley plain centered on the Tenryu River in the Totomi Province. However, over a long period of geological activity, alluvial terraces have also formed on both sides of the river valley plain.

To the west lies Mikatagahara, and to the east, Iwatahara. The Shonai Peninsula is an extension of Mikatagahara. However, due to a previous earthquake, the eastern side of the Shonai Peninsula collapsed, thus turning it into a peninsula.

With an elevation of 10k from east to west and 15k from north to south, and an elevation of 25110, it can easily accommodate a decisive battle of 50,000 to 60,000 people, let alone a hundred thousand troops.

More importantly, Takeda Shingen discovered that once he occupied the high ground at the core of Mikatagahara, neither Oda Nobunaga from the west nor Tokugawa Ieyasu from the east would be able to enter the Mikatagahara Plateau without first climbing a relatively steep slope, called "saka" in Japanese.

Moreover, Tokugawa Ieyasu at least ran from the plains to the plateau, and only needed to cross the slopes to get there. Oda Nobunaga, on the other hand, had to first cross the Toda River, then run up the hill, and finally reach Mikatagahara.

Either don't fight, or once a war breaks out, the Takeda clan will be able to wait in comfort while the Oda-Tokugawa alliance will be half-dead before the battle even begins.

Even Hara Masatane, the magistrate of the Takeda army, couldn't help but exclaim that the heavens had bestowed upon Takeda Shingen such a superior battlefield, allowing him to look down upon the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces.

Apart from the seventy cavalrymen including Imaiku Nagayoshi who surrounded Horie Castle, the rest of the Takeda army quickly moved into position, began comprehensive deployment and planning, and built corresponding fortifications.

The so-called victorious army first secures victory and then seeks battle; the defeated army first engages in battle and then seeks victory. Takeda Shingen clearly achieved the victorious army's strategy of anticipating the enemy's moves and then engaging in battle.

The flags of Takeda Ryo and Shiru will surely be planted by the Seta Bridge!

Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu, advancing on foot from both flanks, were certainly not like some armies that could rely on railways for their advance. At this time, the Oda army was building a pontoon bridge across the Toda River. This was Shichibei's job, and Shichibei unceremoniously brought over the Ii clan, hiring them to build boats and transport people.

Hmm, I didn't see that so-called female castle lord, Ii Naotora. Actually, Shichibei wanted to ask her, but military matters were pressing, and there was no time for Shichibei to investigate such things in detail.

Suzuki Shigetoki of the Ii clan was sent to his death by Yamagata Masakage at Kakimoto Castle last month. Kondo Yasunori is so old he trembles even when kowtowing to Oda Nobunaga; fortunately, his son, Kondo Hideyoshi, is in his prime. At Nobunaga's command, Shichibei's Eiraku Tsuho was readily available. Ships and laborers alike instantly thronged the area.

Five pontoon bridges were quickly erected, and Nobunaga even ordered Kondo Hideyoshi to gather three hundred men to guard the bridges. Later, realizing this was insufficient, he ordered Mori Hideyori of the Moi clan to lead a thousand men to firmly defend the pontoon bridges.

Nobunaga repeatedly warned Mori Hideyori that this pontoon bridge was the key to the Oda army's retreat. Lake Hamana was already under the control of the Takeda navy. If the pontoon bridge over the Toda River was lost, the Oda army would be truly trapped with nowhere to go if they were defeated.

Mōri Hideyori readily accepted the order, declaring that he would stay by the bridge as long as he lived, unless he died. This son of the Shiba Kanrei (regent of the Shiba clan) had served Nobunaga with his life, and historically, he was once rewarded with the entire Ina district of Shinano Province. If Nobunaga had conquered the country, he might very well have been granted a fiefdom as far as Kyushu or Ōshu, becoming the lord of a province.

With those words from him, Nobunaga simply patted him on the shoulder, saying, "You've already made it to the ranks of the 'Moi-shu' (a high-ranking official). You definitely hold a place in Nobunaga's heart. If you do well this time, you'll be promoted to a 10,000-koku estate next time."

Shichibei, however, asked Kondo Hideyoshi how many people were still alive in the Ii family, including any collateral branches or relatives.

There were too many collateral branches. The Ii clan was a first-class noble family in Tōtōmi Province, with no fewer than thirty collateral branches. At one time, they controlled half of Tōtōmi Province. Many Tōtōmi people who now side with Takeda Shingen are actually collateral branches of the Ii clan. As for the direct line? Theoretically, it has been severed. Of course, this is according to Japanese patriarchal law. It can be restored if a powerful figure arranges for a heir to succeed to the throne before the coffin, or if a collateral branch is revived.

Wait, Shichibei suddenly recognized a voice. The Ii clan, as the most powerful family in Tōtōmi Province, had lost its direct line, while its collateral branches had sided with the Takeda clan.

No wonder!

No wonder Tokugawa Ieyasu later supported Ii Naomasa. First, he used the Ii family's name to strengthen his rule over Tōtōmi Province. Second, the entire Ii faction were traitors; none of them were pro-Tokugawa. So, he promoted someone pro-Tokugawa to occupy the title of the Ii clan's main branch and thus control half of Tōtōmi.

A person's fate truly depends on...and...and...and...

Clearly, this was Ii Naomasa's fate. By a series of coincidences, he became the chief scribe of the Tokugawa shogunate's hereditary retainers, a position held by the shogunate in hereditary succession.

However, this kid is probably still a monk now. I heard that many people want to kill him; there are people all over the streets who want to kill him. Tokugawa Ieyasu once wanted to kill this kid to eliminate any future trouble. After all, Ieyasu supported the Ii Triumvirate to control Ii Valley for a period of time.

It was just a minor incident, and Shichibei didn't pursue the matter further. He simply shared the information he had gathered with Nobunaga: a large number of people in Tōtōmi Province were now siding with the Takeda clan. This so-called Kondo Hideyoshi might not be trustworthy or reliable, so it was best not to let him guard the pontoon bridge; he should return to Ii-dani to settle things.

After listening to Shichibei's account, Nobunaga asked about the so-called female lord, Ii Naotora.

No sooner had the words been spoken than news came from outside the tent that Iijiro, the lord of Ii-dani Castle, and his faction had surrendered Ii-dani Castle to Yamagata Masakage, who had already marched into Tōtōmi Province, and fled to Hamamatsu Castle as fast as they could.

Depend on!

Not only did Nobunaga blurt out the curse, but even the generals of Oda's army around him couldn't hold back. Nobunaga immediately ordered that Kondo Yasuyoshi and his son Hideyoshi to get lost, either to go and join Tokugawa Ieyasu, or to leave on their own and not stay at the Toda River pontoon bridge.

Originally, Nobunaga had only planned to leave 1,000 cavalry with Mōri Hideyori, but now he left a total of 3,000 cavalry with Mōri Hideyori and Tsuda Hiromasa at the Toda River pontoon bridge without hesitation, lest his retreat be taken by some scoundrel.

Meanwhile, Oda's scouts discovered that Yamagata Masakage's 5,000 cavalry, who had been confronting Oda's army near Nagashino Castle, had entered Tōtōmi Province. After capturing Iidani Castle, they were moving towards the Shōnai Peninsula, most likely to join forces with Takeda Shingen's main force to fight against the Oda-Tokugawa alliance.

The atmosphere of the battle was even more intense, almost pungent.

Even Shichibei felt goosebumps all over his body as he followed Nobunaga's main force, gradually advancing towards the vicinity of Ōyamasaka. At this time, Nobushi had already discovered that the Takeda army was deployed at Mikatagahara, seemingly waiting specifically for the arrival of the Oda army. In addition, the troops blocking the way between Mikatagahara and Ōyamasaka were also marked with papaya patterns.

Inuyama Tessai!

Or rather, Oda Nobukiyo!

Good heavens! Everyone turned to look at Tsuda Nobuyoshi, but it didn't seem like anything special. Inuyama Tessai had allied himself with Takeda Shingen precisely so that one day he could retake Owari and restore Inuyama Castle to his family's fortunes. This wasn't uncommon in Japan; father and son serving two masters, hedging their bets.

The lord of Inuyama Castle is now Ikeda Tsuneoki, and there's no indication that he'll return it to Tsuda Nobumasa anytime soon. Since it's impossible to return it, it's better to rely on Takeda Shingen, risk our old bones, fight one last battle, and retake Owari.

On the other side, Tokugawa Ieyasu's 8,000 cavalry finally arrived at the path under Mikatagahara, which was 10 kilometers away from Oda Nobunaga's position, and finally made contact.

How should we fight? Bro, I'll do whatever you say.

It was impossible to combine forces in one place, because Nobunaga realized that it was already quite formidable that this large mountain slope could be used to deploy several thousand men to attack upwards simultaneously. He couldn't even muster all his own troops to launch an attack. Ieyasu, on the other hand, was attacking upwards from the Ishida-zaka slope east of Mikatagahara, launching attacks from both sides at the same time, thus diverting Takeda Shingen's attention.

I don't believe that Takeda Shingen is so powerful that he can handle attacks from two directions at the same time.

In real life, driving while talking on the phone is definitely wrong; it's dangerous and suicidal. However, there are indeed many people who simply can't manage to drive while talking on the phone; once they start talking, they completely lose sight of the road.

In the words of netizens, this person is a one-dimensional individual, or rather, because they can take care of themselves, they are not considered mildly intellectually disabled. Of course, this is just what netizens said, so I'll emphasize it again.

Even driving and making a phone call are difficult tasks that many people cannot do together, let alone simultaneously commanding two large armies to fight the enemy, with more than 60,000 troops on both sides deploying on the battlefield at the same time.

"I have been ordered to collect lead pellets and saltpeter." Sasa Narimasa appeared before Shichibei.

"Why did you come in person?" Shichibei sat on the back of the oxcart, counting the provisions.

“I’ve already become the arquebusier magistrate.” Sasa Narimasa finally took a step forward and began to lead 500 arquebusiers under Nobunaga’s command.

Nobunaga brought two thousand arquebuses with him into battle this time, with three hundred left behind at Toda Bridge with Mori Hideyori, leaving a total of seventeen hundred arquebusiers in the field. Sassa Narimasa was able to command five hundred of them, which made him quite a capable general.

"Who else?" Shichibei called over a worker to help Sasa Narimasa move the gunpowder barrels.

“Maeda Yozaemon, Fukutomi Heizaemon (Hidekatsu), Nonomura Sanjuro (Masashige), 300 men each, and Neki-shu, 300 men.” Sasa Narimasa reported the numbers.

Maeda Toshiie goes without saying. As for Fukutomi Hidekatsu and Nonomura Masashige, they led the arquebusiers alongside Nobutada during the Honnoji Incident and died in battle together.

"Have you collected them all?" Looking at the endless stream of gunpowder barrels being delivered, Shichibei asked Sasa Narimasa to sign the ledger.

“No, our lord said we should fire in stages and assign us to the generals.” Sasa Narimasa shook his head.

Yes, the front of the Ōyamasaka attack was too narrow to accommodate so many arquebuses simultaneously, so Nobunaga clearly chose to deploy them in stages, ensuring that each wave of attack was supported by arquebuses.

"The wind direction isn't good..." Shichibei pointed to the wind as he took back the signed ledger.

At this time, the cold air mass from Siberia had not yet reached Hamamatsu, meaning the northwest winds had not yet started blowing. Therefore, the dominant wind in the Sanfang Plain area was the sea breeze blowing from the Pacific Ocean.

As the Oda army attacked Mikatahara from the west, the southeasterly winds blowing from the Pacific Ocean caused the smoke from the arquebuses to drift obliquely towards the Oda army attacking the plain. The Oda army was thus rendered unable to see, let alone fight.

“Don’t worry, according to the locals, the southeast wind blows before noon and the northwest wind blows in the afternoon.” Sasa Narimasa explained with a smile. Oda Nobunaga was a man of great stature, how could he not know this?

"Ah..." Upon hearing the explanation, Shichibei understood.

The cycle of sea and land breezes. During the day, the land heats up faster than the ocean, causing the air to expand and rise, forming a low-pressure area. The wind blows from the ocean to the land, which is called "sea breeze". At night, the opposite is true: the land cools down faster than the ocean, forming a high-pressure area. The wind blows from the land to the ocean, which is called "land breeze".

The mountainous areas of Kita-Otome have lower temperatures. In the afternoon, as the sun's heat decreases, the winds that should have been blowing from the Pacific Ocean toward the land gradually change to winds blowing from the Kita-Otome mountains toward the Pacific Ocean.

Then we can't fight before noon. We only have four hours in the afternoon. I don't know if that will be enough to take Mikatagahara and wipe out the Takeda army.

Sensing Shichibei's confusion, Sasa Narimasa said, "What's there to be so conflicted about? If we didn't finish the first day, we'll just fight the second day. What's so difficult about that?"

Given Japan's poor military capabilities, a protracted and drawn-out conflict between the two sides is the more realistic scenario. It's impossible for everyone to act like they did at the Battle of Sekigahara, where a few hours could determine the entire course of Japan's war.

The Yamana and Hosokawa families fought each other in Kyoto. How long did it last? Certainly more than a few months.

Just as the two were chatting, Takeda Shingen received some news that made him overjoyed, as well as an incredible visitor.

Prince Jueshu!

The head priest of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei made a grand vow to his elder brother, Emperor Ōgimachi, to revive Mount Hiei. He also repeatedly pleaded with Emperor Ōgimachi to support Takeda Shingen, who was "righteous." Although the emperor did not explicitly favor Nobunaga or Shingen, he agreed to Prince Kakushu's request, as he wanted to hedge his bets.

Thus, Takeda Shingen was granted the high-ranking position of Principal Monk and effectively became the so-called head of the Tendai sect. The presence of Prince Kakushu further granted Takeda Shingen a degree of legitimacy from the imperial court.

If Takeda Shingen were to actually capture Kyoto, Prince Kakushu would immediately become the Takeda family's representative in the imperial court, working on Shingen's behalf.

Chapter 270 First Dismantle the Deer Wall Barrier

Tokugawa Ieyasu was overjoyed to learn that Oda Nobunaga's 30,000 troops had arrived at Ōyamasaka. "With my brother Owari's 30,000-strong army here," he thought, "that's nothing but Takeda Shingen, huh? We'll crush him!"

Energetic and emboldened, Tokugawa Ieyasu suddenly became more assertive, believing that since he had the backing of his powerful elder brother, the Tokugawa army could adopt a more proactive, or even aggressive, fighting style.

What kind of combat tactic is it?

According to Tokugawa Ieyasu's understanding, the Takeda army was already weaker in strength compared to the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces, and Nobunaga's side not only had more men but also more arquebuses, so the troops deployed on Tokugawa's flank would definitely be relatively weaker.

Furthermore, since the Tokugawa army needed to attack the Takeda army by looking up along the Ishida-zaka slope, the Takeda army would certainly have a relatively easier time, or rather, be more relaxed. Therefore, it was necessary to take advantage of these "advantages" to make corresponding deployments.

If the 500 loyal and brave cavalry of Mikawa are used to represent all the samurai of Mikawa, then go to hell. Which family in Mikawa hasn't rebelled against the Ansho Matsudaira clan? Almost all of them are traitors, and many are even slaves to three masters.

However, if we only consider the six hundred hatamoto under Tokugawa Ieyasu who were supported by him through the exploitation of the common people, they could be considered relatively loyal and brave. After all, they were serving the emperor out of gratitude; they ate Tokugawa Ieyasu's food and were willing to risk their lives for him—this was the natural order of things.

Therefore, Ieyasu believed that the vanguard generals of the Hatamoto's first strike, such as Ōsuga Yasutaka, Uemura Ieyasu, Uemura Masakatsu, Oguri Yoshitada, Ōkubo Tadase, and Shibata Yasutada, could lead several hundred "death soldiers" to launch a fierce attack on the Takeda army's front line.

Once an opening is created, Honda Tadakatsu, Honda Shigetsugu, and Naito Ieyasu, each leading a force of several hundred or a thousand men, will immediately maintain the passage and disrupt the enemy forces.

The final attack was a direct assault on Takeda Shingen's central army camp, not seeking to kill him on the spot, but only to disrupt his actual command of the troops present.

Once the Takeda army's command structure falls into disarray, Tokugawa Ieyasu is convinced that his brother in Owari possesses an innate and keen sense for the battlefield. At that point, the 30,000 Oda troops can sweep in, allowing the Tokugawa army to retreat successfully. Whether or not they can achieve a decapitation is a minor matter; preserving their territory in Tōtōmi and Mikawa is Tokugawa Ieyasu's top priority.

With the foundations of both nations secured, what can't we have? We have gold if we want gold, silver if we want silver, ugly women if we want ugly women, and sea bream tempura if we want sea bream tempura.

There was no prior communication between the two sides. The Takeda clan's centipede troops were roaming freely across the land, both on and off the plains, with scouts and outposts from both sides engaged in chaotic skirmishes. These were all seasoned generals; who didn't know the importance of concealing the battlefield? Now, they were simply agreeing on the time to launch their attack with Oda Nobunaga, and they would fight side-by-side then.