Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Now it's just in time for Shichibei and his thousand-plus cavalry to pass by. As for the other Oda troops who are still lagging behind, or the Tokugawa troops who are trying to escape, they can only hope that they are still swimming champions in the autumn and winter seasons, able to jump into the cold water and swim a few hundred meters and run a few dozen kilometers with ease.

So what happened?

All Shichibei knew was that Oda's army had completely collapsed, but aside from that, he knew nothing else. Oda Nobuhiro was already being dragged back to Owari by Todo Takatora, and given his appearance, well, he was probably on his way to the gates of hell at Hirasaka.

Unfortunately, Hiromasa Tsuda and Hideyori Mori also only had a superficial understanding and had no idea how the battle was being fought. They first saw the Oda army's troops in disarray, and then the samurai generals, foot soldiers generals, and foot soldiers of Owari and Mino fell one after another, with many samurai even losing their horses.

Once Nobunaga returned, his first order was to begin dismantling the pontoon bridge and then withdraw his troops to Owari. If the pontoon bridge remained standing, the Takeda army would have pursued them at breakneck speed the very next morning; how could two legs outrun four?

While the claim that Takeda's cavalry had many cavalry units is likely a later invention or a figment of imagination, Koshin was originally the ranch of the Yamato court, and many of its servants owned horses; even many local servants had horses for transportation.

At its peak, a packhorse in Owari cost only four or five kan, while Shichibei's purchase price in Koshino was a mere two kan and a few hundred mon. At that price, any village head in Koshino would have to get one for transportation.

The difference between having a horse and not having a horse is huge.

Upon hearing this, Shichibei didn't think much of it; it was to be expected. This was wartime, and this was a retreat after a major defeat. Leaving the pontoon bridge to the enemy would be irresponsible to the entire army.

The main question is whether all the troops that Kawamura's army retreated earlier have crossed the pontoon bridge. Most of them definitely have. Hiromasa Tate and Hideyori Mori both owe money to Kawamura-ya's Gifu main store; how could they forget the faces of those loan sharks and clerks who lent them the money? They repeatedly indicated that two groups had left.

One wave was before the defeat, when many oxcarts carried hundreds or even thousands of wounded soldiers away. The other wave was when Shichibei sent his servants, laborers, and soldiers who could not participate in the battle to carry a second wave of wounded soldiers and the heads of the seriously wounded who could not be saved.

Having confirmed that both groups had passed through, Shichibei felt relieved and said, "Let's dismantle it then. Do you need any help? Or maybe keep watch?"

"No need," Mori Hideyori waved his hand dismissively. "These three thousand men haven't participated in the battle at all; they've just been guarding the bridge the whole time. They haven't contributed any effort. Now they're just dismantling a pontoon bridge."

"Wait! Wait, wait!"

Just as they were dismantling the bridge, they suddenly heard a loud shout. Hey, I wonder which unlucky guy it was again—no, I should say lucky one. The pontoon bridge was about to be dismantled, and he managed to escape back now; he's lucky to be alive.

Zhang Dahuoju glanced over and Shichibei almost shouted a curse in English, only to find Tokugawa Ieyasu running towards him, disheveled and covered in blood.

It wasn't a shadow puppet, but Tokugawa Ieyasu himself, along with four mounted attendants.

Why aren't you going into Hamamatsu Castle? Are you fleeing? Shichibei quickly helped Tokugawa Ieyasu off his trembling horse. Seeing it was Shichibei, Tokugawa Ieyasu breathed a sigh of relief. His attendants handed him a gourd filled with cloudy sake, which Ieyasu took and gulped down several mouthfuls.

"Hamamatsu has been captured by Yamagata Saburobei..."

Upon hearing Tokugawa Ieyasu's words, not only Shichibei, but also Mori Hideyori and Tsuda Hiromasa were greatly alarmed. Hamamatsu Castle was the Tokugawa clan's main castle in Tōtōmi Province. Now that Hamamatsu had fallen, and with almost all the people of Tōtōmi siding with Takeda Shingen, wouldn't Tōtōmi Province be gone?

No wonder we hadn't heard anything about Yamagata Masakage before. In such a large-scale battle, Takeda Shingen sent Baba Nobuharu to attack Nobunaga's flank and Takeda Yoshiyori to attack Ieyasu's flank. Yamagata Masakage, who commanded 5,000 cavalry, never appeared on the battlefield. He was probably planning to sneak in and attack.

Takeda Shingen knew that Horie Castle on the Shonai Peninsula was the supply route to Hamamatsu Castle and a crucial location that Tokugawa Ieyasu had to defend. He probably had a preordained plan to have himself fight at Mikatagahara while Yamagata Masakage maneuvered to probe the situation.

"This...this..." Shichibei was completely speechless. This whole thing was just...this was just...

"So be it, so be it. It's just bad luck and misfortune. As long as I'm alive, even ashes can be rekindled." Tokugawa Ieyasu drank several mouthfuls of sake, calmed down, and even showed a bit of composure.

"Please, Lord Mikawa, cross the river quickly," Hiromasa Tsuda urged, seeing that the two were still chatting.

"Yes, yes, yes." The group immediately crossed the river, and the Oda army soldiers quickly cut the ropes.

All the small boats, rafts, and planks that could be carried ashore were set on fire. Those that couldn't be carried ashore were either sunk or placed in Lake Hamana. In any case, they couldn't be used by the Takeda army that arrived later. The ropes had to be burned or cut into eight pieces.

In fact, the Takeda army was also searching everywhere for Tokugawa Ieyasu at this time. Natsume Yoshinobu and Suzuki Hisaburo, who had impersonated Tokugawa Ieyasu on the battlefield, had both been caught up by the Takeda army and hacked to death. However, when their heads were taken and handed over to the surrendered Totomi Senkata, they all said that it was not Ieyasu himself.

The army had captured thousands of other heads, too many to identify at once. With darkness falling, there was no other option but for the Takeda army to cease hostilities.

While controlling key points throughout Hamamatsu Castle, Yamagata Masakage also dispatched men to detain the elderly, women, and children within the castle. These people were important hostages, whether they were to be sold for money or later used to exchange for Kakegawa Castle, a major town in Tōtōmi Province still under Tokugawa's control.

By the time he reported the news to Takeda Shingen, Shingen's main force had already reached Ōyamasaka. This was because Shichibei had carried a month's worth of supplies for Oda's 30,000-strong army near Ōyamasaka, including over 25,000 koku of grain and beans alone.

It was impossible to take it with them, and they didn't dare set it on fire. If they did, the Takeda army would immediately realize Shichibei had fled. Why would they burn their own food supplies if they were to hold their ground?

The armor, swords, spears, cannons, and gunpowder left behind were piled up like mountains, impossible to count. This victory for the Takeda army was equivalent to directly gaining at least one-fifth of their military supplies.

Although the two major battles at Sarhu and Songjin resulted in more supplies for the Qing Dynasty, those were, after all, fought on the mainland. Here in Japan, however, the best supplies from Nōbō and the elite troops from Gifu were all wasted.

Whether the Oda clan could be restored to its former glory, and whether its headquarters would be reduced to ruins, remained to be seen. It depended on Oda Nobunaga's own actions and the subsequent advance of Takeda Shingen.

The generals of the A-class army saw the numerous spoils of war, and Yamagata Masakage sent messengers to say that Hamamatsu Castle had been captured. In fact, even if they withdrew now and gained control of the Takeda clan in Tōtōmi Province, all the internal conflicts of the Takeda clan could be resolved immediately on the spot, or at least suppressed for three to five years.

After such a great victory, who would be willing to withdraw their troops? Now they are all waiting to take Mikawa, Owari, and Mino, march straight into the Kinai region, appoint a shogun, and kill all the rebels.

With the power of all of Japan about to be secured, who would care about the small province of Totomi? Even if Shingen doesn't seem to be in good shape right now, he's still alive, isn't he?

Having suffered such a crushing defeat, Oda Nobunaga of Gifu will likely only be able to organize a siege of Owari. Once the Takeda army enters Owari, the local lords there will probably be greatly shaken.

As for your question about why they didn't hold Gifu Castle? Tatsuoki, with the support of the Takeda army, had already entered Mino, and Nobunaga was undefeated. Mino might have some instability, but not widespread instability. Now that Nobunaga has been defeated, the morale of Mino is bound to be greatly shaken; even the three main figures of western Mino might consider defecting to find a new allies.

Perhaps when Takeda Shingen's Suwa Daimyojin banner appeared in Mino, the three members of the Western Mino tribe would eagerly come to join Takeda Shingen, willingly leading his horse.

Even the hereditary retainers of the Oda clan could waver. Take the hereditary retainers of the Imagawa clan, such as Okabe Motonobu and Katsuyama Ujimoto—were they disloyal during Imagawa Yoshimoto's lifetime? They were extremely loyal and worked incredibly hard.

After Imagawa Yoshimoto's death, it was discovered that Imagawa Ujizane lacked the magnanimity to rule the country, and they all eventually sided with the Takeda clan. Okabe Motonobu's loyalty to Imagawa Yoshimoto was absolutely beyond question, and he was praised by Nobunaga as a "true samurai."

Returning to Shichibei, after dawn he fled to Yoshida Castle, only to find the castle gates wide open and completely unguarded. Sakai Tadatsugu and Honda Hirotaka, who were originally stationed there, had led the main force to Utsuyama Castle in an attempt to reinforce Horie Castle and maintain the supply route between Mikawa and Hamamatsu Castle.

Those left behind were mostly the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, and there were no capable generals among them. When the first wave of fleeing soldiers passed through Yoshida Castle, the elderly and weak within the castle began to waver. As more and more soldiers fled, it's unclear who ran away first, but in an instant, the elderly and weak within the castle opened the gates and escaped.

By the time Oda Nobunaga arrived at Yoshida Castle, he hadn't even found a general to garrison it or organize a defense, let alone gotten a sip of hot water. Left with no other option, he fled as fast as he could towards Okazaki Castle.

Okazaki Castle is no problem. It has 5,000 Oda cavalrymen, including Ikeda Tsuneoki, inside, and these 5,000 are fully equipped. There are also 5,000 cavalrymen from Tokugawa Nobuyasu's Nishi-Mikawa region, also fully equipped. With 10,000 men inside Okazaki Castle, even 30,000 to 50,000 men couldn't take it.

Therefore, Nobunaga did not linger at Yoshida Castle and continued his retreat towards Okazaki. If he did not stop, which of his other generals would be willing to stay? They all simply fled in disarray.

I was thinking that maybe we could stop at Yoshida Castle for a bit, and the Takeda army wouldn't be able to catch up so quickly. But then someone said they were going around the castle. Apparently, some Takeda troops had already bypassed Ii-dani and were heading straight for Mikawa.

Oh right!

The Ii Triumvirate, whom Tokugawa Ieyasu had stationed at Ii-dani Castle, suffered a significant loss of strength and their power collapsed after Suzuki Shigetoki was killed in the Battle of Oku-mitsu. Therefore, the Ii family ceded the castle to Yamagata Masakage and fled to Hamamatsu Castle to seek refuge with Tokugawa Ieyasu.

I don't know if they were captured by the Takeda army or if they all died at Mikatagahara. Anyway, Iidani Castle is now under the Takeda name.

Having captured Hamamatsu and achieved a great victory at Mikatagahara, Takeda Shingen ordered Saegusa Moritomo, whose forces had been weakened, to temporarily lead a thousand men to garrison Hamamatsu Castle and guard the Tokugawa prisoners. He also left a thousand men at Mikatagahara to clean up the battlefield, clearing the mountains of spoils and the wounded soldiers of the Takeda army.

On the other hand, he led a large army on a swift advance towards Todagawa and Ii-dani. However, the fierce battle at Mikatagahara also inflicted considerable losses on the Takeda army. Roughly estimated, the Takeda army suffered over 3,500 casualties, with approximately 2,000 actually killed or seriously wounded and beyond medical help. The remaining 1,000 or so were those who remained in place and could potentially be healed.

Those with minor injuries don't count; they'll stay with the Saegusa Guard to defend Hamamatsu Castle and clean up the battlefield in Mikatagahara.

The 25,000-strong Takeda and Hojo army did not linger long at the Todagawa River. After a moment's thought, Shingen chose to detour through Iidani Castle. Rather than spending time and effort building a pontoon bridge, it was better to put pressure on Mikawa as soon as possible. The sooner Takeda Hishiko's banner appeared in Mikawa, the sooner the Tokugawa clan of Mikawa would collapse.

Furthermore, once the Tokugawa army collapses, entering Owari will be much easier. Even now, Takeda Shingen is willing to give Tokugawa Ieyasu most of Mikawa Province—that is, the entire Mikawa region except for Oku-Mikawa—on the condition that Tokugawa Ieyasu muster 8,000 men to accompany him in attacking Owari.

If the army cannot expand like a snowball, it will be impossible to establish a force that can completely suppress the world before entering Luoyang.

Ideally, when entering Luoyang, he should have an army of over 100,000 men with him, so that the Takeda clan could make a grand appearance before the Imperial Court and the Emperor. The deposition and installation of the shogun would likely be the matter of Takeda Yoshiyori. Shingen felt that it would be quite good if he could establish a solid foundation for the Takeda clan's rule over the country in Kyoto.

By then, the pillars of the Genji clan will have been passed down to their Kai Genji branch. Not only will they have the face to meet their ancestors in the afterlife, but they will also have greatly promoted their branch and secured the top position in the Genji clan.

It's Minamoto Yoshimitsu, huh? Tsk tsk tsk, what a turn of fortune! One day, the pillar of the nation will fall on this family.

Chapter 277 Okazaki Re-establishes His Defenses Amidst the Encirclement

The army slowly retreated to Okazaki, where they finally rallied their forces, established camps, gathered their soldiers, and rallied the remaining and scattered troops to build defenses. Oda Nobunaga also stopped fleeing, for there were 5,000 men under his maternal uncle Ikeda Tsuneoki and 5,000 men under his son-in-law Tokugawa Nobuyasu.

A simple count reveals that the Oda army suffered no fewer than 7,000 dead or missing, while the Tokugawa army suffered no fewer than 3,000 dead or missing.

Of the 30,000 troops that went into battle, more than half were killed or wounded; it was a near-total annihilation.

The general, foot soldier general, horse rider, and the head of the Monomi clan, along with dozens of others, died. Hayashi Michimasa, who replaced Oda Nobunaga as a shadow warrior in battle, was almost instantly overwhelmed by the Takeda army and died on the spot.

Ose Saburo Goro Kiyonaga (Oda Nobufusa's eldest son, Ose Sanemon's adopted son, and Sugaya Nagayori's elder brother), Yamada Saemon Katsumori (Yukitasho, Mokushi-shu), Wada Shinsuke Sadatoshi (Samurai-sho, Wada Koremasa's younger brother), Hirate Kenmon Hisahide (Samurai-sho), Hirate Jinzaemon Hirohide (Samurai-sho, Mokushi-shu), Hachisuka Shichinai Masamoto (Hachisuka Masakatsu's younger brother, Monomi-gashi), Yamaguchi Hida no Kami (Akamoshi-shu), Hasegawa Ukon (Shikugen Kaiban-shu, Akamoshi-shu), Mizuno Kenmono no Kamiji (Tokoname Mizuno clan, Samurai-sho).

Oda no Sonjuro Nobutsugu (Nobunaga's uncle), Oda no Matahachiro Nobutaka (from the lineage of Oda Nobuyoshi, Kiyosuzo, and Fujisaemon), Oda Ichinosuke Nobunari (Oda Nobumitsu's eldest son), Oda no Shirozaburo Nobumasa (Oda Nobumitsu's second son), Oda no Matahachiro Hideyoshi (Oda Nobuhide's eighth son).

The Owari samurai group suffered a major blow, with more than 800 named warriors killed in battle. The Gifu regular foot soldiers, including those equipped with bows, arquebusiers, and long-handled spears, were completely overthrown.

(Friendly reminder: This list of fallen soldiers is based on a historical figure.)

By the time Shichibei and Tokugawa Ieyasu fled to Okazaki Castle, news of Yoshida Castle's capture by the Takeda army arrived almost simultaneously. The Takeda army's vanguard, Baba Nobuharu, had already taken up residence in Yoshida Castle, and the main Takeda army was at most two days' journey from Okazaki Castle.

Seeing that Shichibei and Tokugawa Ieyasu had returned safely, Oda Nobunaga showed no sign of discouragement or agitation; in other words, he was frighteningly calm.

He sent all the wounded and soldiers whose morale was broken and could not be reorganized immediately back to Kiyosu Castle in Owari Province, and asked his brother-in-law Saji Nobukata and Takigawa Kazumasu to regroup and reorganize them. Nobunaga then immediately began to deploy his troops at Okazaki, preparing to continue fighting against the Takeda army.

At this time, in addition to the 10,000 men remaining in Okazaki, there were 3,000 cavalrymen under Hiromasa Tada and Hideyori Mori, 4,000 cavalrymen under Shichibei Kawamura and Nagayoshi Kawamura, 700 cavalrymen from Nobunaga's main force of retainers and vassals, and 200 cavalrymen under Tokugawa Ieyasu's horse-riding corps.

With approximately 18,000 troops, relying on the extensive fortifications of Okazaki Castle and its branch castles, they were fully capable of holding their own against the Takeda army, which had also been through a bloody battle and was bound to be exhausted.

News of the Takeda army's great victory over the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces at Mikatagahara arrived in Sakai and Kyoto within just three days, accompanied by a returning ship on the Tokaido route.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki, who was besieging Makishima Castle, was overjoyed, almost dancing with excitement. He was currently surrounded by Oda's generals in the Kinai region. Although Makishima Castle was impregnable, it would inevitably fall if defended for too long. Now, with the help of Takeda Shingen, an army capable of defeating Oda Nobunaga, Makishima Castle was truly an impregnable fortress.

The court officials, the emperor and princes, temples and shrines, and feudal lords were all astonished.

The anti-Nobunaga faction was greatly encouraged. Even Ikeda Tomomasa and Araki Murashige, who had confronted Oda Nobunaga at Takatsuki earlier in the year, as well as Matsunaga Hisahide, who failed to assassinate Yasami Ukon, were all stirred up.

The abbot of Honganji Temple, Kennyo Shonin, held a grand Buddhist ceremony to pray for his good brother-in-law, Takeda Shingen, wishing him continued success and a direct march into Kyoto.

Only Asakura Yoshikage, who was in Ichijodani Castle, could only smile bitterly. Takeda Shingen had indeed won, but his Asakura clan was finished. Now they didn't even have the ability to organize an army to go out and fight. Most of their powerful generals had been lost in the Battle of Anegawa, and their loyal and brave samurai general had also been wiped out.

The fact that no rebellion or uprising has occurred in Echizen is truly a stroke of good luck for Asakura Yoshikage. After all, he had formed a marriage alliance with Honganji Kennyo, and at Kennyo's repeated requests, the Hokuriku Ikko-ikki have temporarily ceased their attacks and incitement against Echizen.

Even ambitious local nobles and powerful families in Echizen Province, including many generals, were powerless to launch a rebellion due to the devastating losses suffered in the Battle of Anegawa.

It's like an aging body; although none of the parts are completely broken, everyone knows that it's not far from death.

Looking at the letter of dispatch sent by Takeda Shingen, Asakura Yoshikage didn't know how to reply. What he was saying—that heavy snow had already begun to fall in Echizen, making it impossible to launch another attack—though that was a plausible explanation, felt somewhat self-deceptive.

If any external force comes along, Echizen will be doomed.

It's a pity. Nobunaga originally planned to send Hashiba Hideyoshi, Azai Nagamasa, and other Jiangbei troops to attack Echizen. However, due to Ashikaga Yoshiaki's open betrayal, he was forced to participate in the siege and attack on Makishima Castle and Nijō Palace.

Moreover, Hideyoshi's troops in Owari and Mino territories were handed over to Hashiba Hidenaga, who went with Nobunaga to Mikatagahara, and in the end, even lost Hachisuka Koroku's younger brother, Masamoto.

Saito Tatsuoki, Akiyama Nobutomo, Kiso Yoshimasa, and others who were besieging Iwamura Castle were overjoyed upon hearing the news. The retainers of the Iwamura Toyama clan, who had initially fought desperately to defend the castle, realized that the Oda clan might not be able to defeat the Takeda clan and ultimately chose to surrender.

Sakuma Nobumori, who could have relied on Iwamura Castle to fight the Takeda army (Iwamura Castle was too small for his 5,000 men), was caught off guard by the Takeda army without even receiving a notification from the Iwamura Toyama family.

Ryūshō's forces included a large number of Mino samurai familiar with the geography of Mino and single-mindedly focused on returning home. They launched a fierce attack on Sakuma Nobumori. Caught off guard, Sakuma Nobumori hastily withdrew his troops and slowly retreated towards Kaneyama Castle.

After the Takeda army took control of Iwamura Castle, as agreed, Ryūō promised that Iwamura Castle would belong to the Takeda, and that Akiyama Nobutomo would serve as the lord of the castle. Nobunaga's son, Oda Bōmaru, and his adoptive mother, Nobunaga's aunt, were both sent to Tsutsuzaki Castle in Kai Province as hostages.

Tomokatsu Toyama, a close confidant and supporter of Nobunaga, fought desperately against the Takeda army's attack at Naegi Castle, but was defeated and killed (historical fact). The Toyama clan's support for the Oda clan completely disappeared.

Knowing that the head of the Toyama clan, Toyama Kageyuki, also supported the Oda clan, he led his troops to Kamimura in an attempt to support Toyama Tomokatsu, but was killed along with him by Kiso Yoshimasa (historical fact).

The combined forces of Saito and Takeda, along with the troops of the Iwamura clan, and several thousand monks and lay followers mobilized by Senjoji Temple in Asakura-Ono District and Anyoji Temple in Mino District, totaling over 12,000 men, advanced to besiege Kanesan Castle, which was defended by Sakuma Nobumori.

The Nakano Gifu Castle was in turmoil. If the three members of the Nishi Mino trio had not suffered a crushing defeat at Mikatagahara alongside Nobunaga, Nishi Mino would likely have also been thrown into chaos.

The difficulty of this defeat has led to this.

"How is Father? Has he been sent back to Kiyosu?" The Oda-Tokugawa army had set up a large camp around Okazaki Castle, and Shichibei had also found Todo Takatora.

"They have been safely sent to Kiyosu, but their fate depends on the blessings of all the gods and Buddhas." Todo Takatora had fought a fierce attack with Oda Nobuhiro and even killed two Takeda soldiers, but after the crushing defeat, he had no merit to speak of.

"Sigh..." Shichibei simply nodded.