Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

However, Iwanari Tomomichi had been notified beforehand that he might encounter an attack by Miyoshi Yoshitsugu during the retreat, so he was not too panicked and simply ordered his men to meet the enemy.

Seated on horseback, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu immediately ordered the Saiga troops to fire. The two large cannons roared, instantly throwing the vanguard of the Iwasari unit into chaos. With the breach opened, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, wielding a long sword, charged into the enemy ranks.

The short, light-footed man made Miyoshi Yoshitsugu on horseback appear tall and imposing, his greatsword whirling with incredible speed, felling everything in its path. The Iwanari troops were terrified, each one filled with fear. Around Miyoshi Yoshitsugu were thirty samurai, all wielding long swords, leaping and slashing with incredible agility. Heads rolled, and in an instant, the Iwanari troops collapsed.

The formation collapsed so quickly that Iwanari Tomomichi didn't even have time to react before Miyoshi Yoshitsugu had already charged in front of his horse. With a whoosh, the greatsword followed like a shadow, smashing half of Iwanari Tomomichi's breastplate into it. Iwanari Tomomichi's eyes popped out, and a torrent of blackish-red blood stained the neck of his chestnut horse beyond recognition.

The guards rushed to his rescue, only to run into the leaping Miyoshi samurai. They were hacked and slashed wildly, limbs flying everywhere and blood spraying. Two or three men snatched Iwashi Narutomo from his horse and stabbed himself in the neck with a dagger.

Iwashige Tomomichi, one of the once formidable Miyoshi Triumvirate who dominated the Kinai region, met his end in this way.

When the spear lifted Iwanari Tomomichi's head, Iwanari's troops immediately collapsed. More than two hundred heads were cut off, but Miyoshi Yoshitsugu shouted and fought fiercely, urging his troops to advance bravely and not lose their morale.

After charging out of about five towns, they ran into the second Oda army, a force of over a thousand cavalrymen, including Gamo Kensuke from Jiangnan, who were also ordered to cover the rear. The Gamo family had not been able to rely on the arquebusiers in Hino-cho or their influence in Jiangnan to become Nobunaga's son-in-law, so their settlement was rather hasty.

Fortunately, they had a cannon; in those days, having a cannon meant you were a big shot.

Therefore, they were positioned in the second formation, not directly facing Miyoshi Yoshitsugu. Furthermore, the Gamo family possessed two hundred arquebuses, which was the advantage of directly controlling the production line. Seeing the Miyoshi army pursuing them from afar, Gamo Kenshū ordered a vigilant stand.

Oda's army retreated slowly, but its formation and communication between units remained excellent. They were prepared for the retreat; news of Miyoshi Yoshitsugu's surprise attack had already reached Nobunaga, who replied, "Hold firm, and reinforcements will arrive!"

How could over 40,000 people lose? If you said over 40,000 people were completely scattered, that would be one thing. But now, over 40,000 people are in broad daylight, there's no rain or thunder, communication is smooth, and they can still act on a whim.

"Good, good, good!" Nobunaga said "good" three times in a row, as if he was very pleased that Miyoshi Yoshitsugu was so determined that he actually went out of the castle to launch a strong attack.

Military magistrate Sakuma Nobumori immediately ordered the army to maintain formation, with longbowmen and arquebusiers in front, spearmen and short swords behind, and cavalrymen on the left and right flanks, ready to meet the attack. The units on the flanks were also coordinated to ensure no separation or chaos occurred. Shichibei's more than 500 cavalrymen were temporarily added to the main force.

Because half of Nobunaga's followers were with Oda Nobuhiro to quell the Hokuriku Ikko-ikki uprising, Nobunaga's mounted forces were somewhat weaker. Then, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu suddenly appeared and sent cavalry to encircle him, determined not to let a single one of his men escape.

Shichibei quickly put on his child's half-body armor. Although he was still on Nobunaga's back, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu was a trapped beast, a mad dog. Who knew how far he could go in this desperate gamble?

Upon seeing Shichibei in his armor, Princess Ichi knew something was wrong. As a woman of a samurai family, Princess Ichi quickly got up to help Shichibei braid his hair, and tried several times to ask him something, but ultimately gave up.

"Miyoshi Kyojo claims to have surrendered, but in reality, he harbors rebellious intentions." Shichibei wasn't stupid; seeing her expression, he answered directly.

"Sigh..." Upon hearing this, Ichihime sighed in vain.

This political marriage failed before it even began. For someone like Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, who was plotting to assassinate Oda Nobunaga, there was little chance of him being subdued. On the battlefield, while he might not be cut into mincemeat, he would certainly be splattered with blood.

"You shouldn't go to the main camp; just stay where you are." On the battlefield, Shichibei had no time to care about a woman; giving her a few words of advice was already a great favor.

On the other side, Tōdō Takatora and Watanabe Rin had already positioned themselves around Shichibei with their spears, while Watanabe Kanbei drew his katana and peered around to assess the enemy situation. Mōri Jirōza and Ōta Gyūichi, each holding a bow, stood on the rice bundles on the oxcart and bluntly stated that the Miyoshi army might have already clashed with the Gamo troops.

Ogawa Yutada and Akaza Naoyasu, who were appointed, did not show any impropriety. They simply leaned against the oxcart and loudly ordered their soldiers to protect the cart and horses.

Takenaka Hanbei didn't come this time; as one of the remaining guards, he stayed behind to watch over the gates of Gifu Castle.

"He's broken through!" Before Shichibei could turn around, Ota Gyuichi shouted from the carriage.

As if divinely inspired, Yoshitsugu Miyoshi charged straight into the line of fire composed of two hundred arquebuses with immense courage.

Unharmed!

Without any fortifications to rely on, the arquebusiers retreated one after another. Gamo Kensuke was no easy opponent, and having been notified in advance, he brandished his spear and, with his servants and foot soldiers, charged towards the direction of the Miyoshi army.

Who would have thought that Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, who was determined to die and kill Oda Nobunaga, would not engage Gamo Kazuhide in battle? He simply ordered two katanamen to bombard the Gamo army. The Gamo army's offensive immediately stalled, and even Gamo Kazuhide's horse shook its head in fear.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu broke through the enemy lines and attacked Gamo Kensuke. The bewildered Gamo Kensuke was almost cut down by the greatsword. Fortunately, he was rescued by his close guards and saved his life.

The Gamo team is scattered!

Such valiant and heroic bearing even amazed Oda Nobunaga, who had stopped and was watching from behind. "How come I never noticed how fierce Miyoshi Yoshitsugu was before? I really didn't expect it."

Meanwhile, Ota Gyuichi, who was standing behind Nobunaga, immediately wrote down in his mind: "Hirui Godo, Ai (moved) Arisama (meaning that he died a heroic death, which can be described as unparalleled in the world)."

If the Battle of Nagashino were to occur in this world, the novel *Nobunaga's Chronicle* would list the deaths of Miyoshi Yoshitsugu and Baba Nobuharu side-by-side. The Miyoshi family would ultimately become the last lords, samurai, and patrons of the family.

Even the opposing side deserves high praise.

Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, wielding his greatsword, fought with increasing ferocity. He had led over a thousand men when he left the city, and now he still had over five hundred men following him, all of whom were high-spirited and invincible.

Unfortunately, after breaking through two rearguard units of the Oda army, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu encountered Sakuma Nobumori, who had a strong force of over five thousand men.

Sakuma Nobumori, who was known for his role in the retreat from Sakuma, was most skilled at holding off enemy pursuit and escaping unscathed. Moreover, the Sakuma forces were now numerous and fearless.

Sakuma Nobuege, having already come of age, was now in the camp, taking over command of the troops from his father. Sakuma Nobumori, meanwhile, moved back and forth between the reserve and main force, issuing commands and organizing the troops.

They couldn't just stand still. As soon as they caught sight of Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, Sakuma Nobue ordered his foot soldiers, each wielding a three-and-a-half-meter spear, to gather in a forest of spears, preventing Miyoshi Yoshitsugu from advancing an inch.

Nobunaga's cavalry and Shichibei's cavalry began to slowly trot, preparing to encircle and charge towards the Miyoshi army in front of Sakuma's troops. Accompanied by the sound of whistles, conch shells, and hooves, groups of men and horses passed by the Yongle Tongbao horse emblem.

At this point, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu was still unaware that he had fallen into a trap. He still thought that the Oda army had simply realized he was pursuing them and had temporarily stopped to deploy their troops. He believed that the many waving banners in the formation indicated a last-minute change in formation and troop deployment.

Haha, that's not a change of formation, that's urging the army to surround you!

However, Yoshitsugu Miyoshi also saw the forest of spears that the Sakuma Squad was charging straight in. He was preparing to use the same trick as before, ordering two spearmen to blast open a gap so that he could rush in and take down the enemy general.

Unexpectedly, he had a large cannon, and Oda Nobunaga also had a large cannon.

He only had arquebuses from Kishu, while Nobunaga controlled two major arquebus production bases in Sakai and Kunitomo. If the Saiga faction in Kishu could come up with a large cannon, why couldn't the artisans in Kunitomo?

You only have two, while I, Oda Nobunaga, have six!

On one side, two cannons exploded, while on the other side, six cannons fired with thunderous force, halting the Miyoshi army's offensive. Taking advantage of this opportunity, cavalrymen surged forward from both sides, and Sakuma's lances thrust forward as well.

At this point, Yoshitsugu Miyoshi cried out in alarm. This was hardly a case of being caught off guard; it was clearly a premeditated attack, waiting for him to charge in.

Even at this point, Yoshitsugu Miyoshi did not give up completely. Even if he could not kill Nobunaga, he could still win as long as he destroyed Nobunaga's main force.

Chapter 315 Kunimoto Daimyo is Nobumori

Yoshitsugu Miyoshi died.

His body was riddled with holes, with at least seven or eight arrows piercing it; he truly fought bravely to the death. Of the hundreds of his close associates and high-ranking officials around him, over three hundred and eighty were killed in the battle.

The core samurai group of the Miyoshi clan was almost completely wiped out. The elite members who had survived since the time of Miyoshi Motonaga were also destroyed along with Miyoshi Yoshitsugu.

As for the two forces that launched a fierce attack on Oda's army from the left and right, namely Saiga Magoichi and Yusa Nobutori, not to mention Yusa Nobutori, whose fighting spirit was not strong, this force only played a restraining role and did not devote its full strength to the attack on Oda Nobunaga's main camp.

Saiga Magoichi, the leader of the Saiga faction, led his Left and Right Wings in a desperate battle. Upon hearing the thunderous roar of cannons from one side, he turned around and joined the attack.

These mercenaries from Kishu, blessed by religion and wielding the power of firearms, coupled with the fierce and ruthless nature of the people from the remote and impoverished region, inflicted heavy casualties on Inaba Yoshimichi, Inaba Sadamichi, and Hachiya Yoritaka on their flanks.

Inaba Yoshimichi's forces alone suffered over two hundred casualties. It should be noted that Inaba Yoshimichi was an extremely determined individual, even considered a paragon of stubbornness. The fact that he retreated to regroup under the Saiga faction's attack speaks volumes. Running away and retreating on the battlefield, even if one later returns to fight, doesn't exactly sound good.

Hachiya Yoritaka was almost captured by the Saiga party. Hundreds of arquebuses roared, but the Hachiya troops had no firepower and were completely overwhelmed. Even Hachiya Yoritaka's horse was shot and killed.

Finally, Saiga Magoichi charged into Takigawa Kazumasu's ranks and was finally stopped. By this time, cheers of victory for Miyoshi Kyocho had already erupted in Oda's army, and the Saiga faction retreated swiftly without lingering for battle.

After the war, Oda Nobunaga, upon hearing about the battle on this flank, repeatedly lamented how troublesome the Saiga clan was. However, since they were so difficult to deal with, he decided to kill their entire family to ensure they could never be bothered again.

The Saiga party, which retreated swiftly, brought news of Miyoshi Yoshitsugu's defeat and death to Honganji Temple. It's unknown what kind of expression Kennyo Shonin had on his face.

On the Jiangcheng side, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu's retainer, Kanayama Suruga-no-kami Nobusada, was ordered to defend the castle. The news of Yoshitsugu's defeat and death had barely reached him when he was restrained by his attendants, Tarao Tsunatomo and Noma Yasuhisa. Before he could utter a sound, a small knife was plunged into Kanayama Suruga-no-kami's kidney, twisted a few times, and Kanayama Suruga-no-kami was dead beyond any hope of survival.

Jinshan and Shunga were killed, and the gates of Wakae Castle were opened immediately.

Anyway, Ashikaga Princess and Miyoshi Senchiyo were both sent to Oda Nobunaga's army, and the Miyoshi clan had dwindled in number, with few brothers or followers. They simply opened the castle without any explanation.

Hmph, the surrender of the castle before was considered an uprising, but this surrender isn't even that; it's more like a defection. In the eyes of Oda's generals, it's just a surrender.

They were no longer allowed to stay in the castle; they were all stripped naked and brought out of the castle. All the soldiers and troops were handed over to Sakuma Nobumori for his care and control. As for the three members of the Wakae clan, they were brought before Nobunaga for his judgment.

Sigh, to put it bluntly, they have no value to us anymore.

Historically, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu fought valiantly and miraculously escaped back to Wakae Castle, with many of his followers remaining. He ultimately committed seppuku (ritual suicide by cutting his own flesh) using the "cross cut" method, with Nasukuemon acting as his second. Furthermore, Ashikaga Princess and Miyoshi Senchiyo were also directly killed by Miyoshi Yoshitsugu to prevent them from falling into Nobunaga's hands.

Since there were still hundreds of samurai from the Miyoshi clan's main branch, and no suitable leader could be found for the time being, Nobunaga reluctantly accepted the three members of the Wakae Trio.

Now that the core samurai of the Miyoshi clan has been completely wiped out, the organization from top to bottom has essentially collapsed. Nobunaga no longer needs to put forward someone to lead the Miyoshi samurai, so what?

Those who are disloyal to their masters should all be dragged out and beheaded!

The three men prostrated themselves and kowtowed repeatedly. Oda Nobunaga didn't care about their actions and simply beheaded them. His henchmen jumped up, grabbed them, and dragged them outside. At this moment, Tsuna shouted that he was begging to commit seppuku. If he committed seppuku, it would be tantamount to admitting his honorable death, and he would generally not be subjected to confiscation of his property or extermination of his family.

Beheading, of course, was dishonorable, and the entire family would be killed. All the men would be beheaded, and the women would be given to foot soldiers as wives and servants. Not a single penny of their property would be left; they would be stripped bare.

Heh, Nobunaga wouldn't even give him a second glance. With a single word of beheading, the people around him might already be dividing up the wives and daughters of those three families. Any servants or guards without wives would be abducted and married off.

Shortly after, three severed heads were brought to Nobunaga for inspection. Nobunaga ordered the three men to be burned to ashes and scattered. Then he asked Sakuma Nobumori whether all the Miyoshi samurai who had retreated from the castle had been taken in and whether they were all willing to surrender.

Those who surrendered were directly incorporated into the Sakuma clan's retainers. Those who refused to surrender were to be received by Miyoshi Yasunaga, the lord of Takaya Castle. Miyoshi Yasunaga was a man of the Miyoshi surname; if he refused to surrender, he was a pure traitor and would be killed without exception.

Sakuma Nobumori went out of his tent again to find out the fate of the Miyoshi soldiers. Inside the tent, Nobunaga, adhering to the principle of eradicating evil completely, pointed out several men and ordered them to temporarily obey Hanawa Naomasa's command and kill Yuza Nobuyoshi of Iimori Castle. In this way, the entire Kawachi Province fell into Nobunaga's hands.

Hanoi may be small, but it's a country with plenty of resources.

The minimum estimate is 200,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), and that's based on the estimate before the land survey. If a thorough survey were conducted, the figure might be 250,000 shi.

Now that the country is at peace, it's natural to choose someone to settle down there. Especially after seeing that the local tyrant Hatakeyama Akitaka is dead, the Wakae Trio has been executed, and even the local samurai group has suffered heavy losses, this is practically a godsend territory. There's no need for them to go through the trouble of cleaning up and eliminating the threat.

As usual, Nobunaga appointed Murai Sadakatsu, Shimada Hidemitsu, and Takigawa Kazumasu to oversee the land survey in Kawachi Province. A territory of 200,000 koku—if he didn't extract at least 40,000 kan, it would be a disservice to Nobunaga who had mobilized 60,000 men for the campaign.

Nobunaga himself moved into Wakae Castle. Because he surrendered the castle voluntarily, it was not attacked in the slightest, and all the buildings remained intact, enough to accommodate 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers. Another 20,000 men followed Hanawa Naomasa to besiege Iimori Castle, and another 10,000 or so went to assist in the land survey.

News spread quickly from all sides that most of the core members of the Miyoshi clan had died alongside Miyoshi Yoshitsugu. Therefore, the remaining samurai and foot soldiers all chose to join Sakuma Nobumori, becoming soldiers under his command.

Hanawa Naomasa, who attacked Yuza Nobutaka's Iimori Castle, did so with almost no effort. His 20,000 men stormed the castle, and after half a day of fighting, Yuza Nobutaka led several hundred of his core samurai, the Rōdō, to flee to Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple in Osaka. Iimori Castle surrendered, and the remaining thousand-odd soldiers were all absorbed and annexed by Hanawa Naomasa.

As the deputy governor of Yamashiro, Hanawa Naomasa had more than enough power to absorb these thousand-plus people. He also sent someone to ask Nobunaga whether Iimori Castle should be completely abandoned to prevent it from being used by others again.

A ruined city, definitely a ruined city.

Having captured Wakae Castle, a forward castle only ten kilometers from Honganji Temple, the Oda army now had a forward base and no longer needed to retain any more castles.

When Hanawa Naomasa arrived at Wakae Castle to join him, Nobunaga made his decision public: the entire province of Kawachi, with its 200,000 koku of rice, would be handed over to Sakuma Nobumori, making him the first daimyo of the Oda clan!

Some might ask, wasn't Hanawa Naomasa appointed as the deputy governor of Yamashiro? Wasn't he a daimyo of Kunimichi? No, because Kyoto and the seven villages of Kyoto were not under his jurisdiction. Furthermore, Iwanari Tomomichi, the lord of the seven villages of Yamashina in southern Yamashiro Province mentioned earlier, was also not under his control.

Although Yamashiro Province had a total of over 200,000 koku, after deductions and subtractions of royal and temple territories, Naomasa Hanawa only had a little over half a province, at most 120,000 to 130,000 koku. It was only because he received many powerful subordinates and the support of Nobunaga's direct troops that he was able to reach a size of 8,000 men.

Sakuma Nobumori, who was standing before him, not only directly acquired Wakae Castle, but also Miyoshi Yasunaga, the deputy of Takaya Castle in southern Kawachi, became his ally, thus enabling the entire Kawachi province to be "unified under one official position".

The foot soldiers and kabutoshi originally assigned to Sakuma Nobumori will be placed in the Kawachi territory. With their support, Sakuma Nobumori alone can raise an army of tens of thousands.

Hey!

Inside the shogunate's main tent, the Oda army generals whispered amongst themselves, discussing the matter. However, Sakuma Nobumori's seniority, status, and military achievements were beyond reproach. At the Battle of Inohara, when Nobunaga had only seven hundred men vying for the headship of the clan against his younger brother, Oda Nobukatsu, Sakuma Nobumori firmly supported Oda Nobunaga.

During the surprise attack at Okehazama, Sakuma Nobumori's older brother, Sakuma Morishige, sacrificed himself to attack, buying Nobunaga a night's time. This contribution was unparalleled and could even be said to have laid the foundation for the victory at Okehazama.

Over the years, Sakuma Nobumori had been fighting across the east and west, and campaigning in the north and south, almost without a moment's rest. No one could question his ambition to become the daimyo of a province with over 200,000 koku of rice.

Because there is simply no point that can be questioned.

Shichibei was the first to stand up and congratulate Sakuma Nobumori, saying that this was a responsibility his lord had given him, and that they would certainly not fall behind him in the future.

Once someone took the lead, everyone offered their congratulations. Sakuma Nobumori readily agreed, stating that he relied entirely on Nobunaga's trust and would certainly live up to this responsibility by governing Kawachi well.