Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

After all, Shichibei fought alongside his father and had a clear view of the battlefield situation, possessing firsthand information.

Perfect timing, Shichibei needs to rest for another month or so, let's chat. After explaining Mori Yoshinari's penetrating wound on the instep of his right foot and the injury on his right calf, Mori Yoshinari breathed a long sigh of relief.

Eighteen-year-old Morinaga could roughly imagine what kind of injury it was and whether it could be healed. Don't underestimate him just because he's only eighteen; he's followed Nobunaga up and down mountains and down to the sea, listening to the sounds of swords and spears for seven or eight years.

By the way, now that you're here, Shichibei can ask about the situation with those guys from Higashi Mino.

After the death of Toyama Kagetoshi, the pro-Oda and pro-Takeda factions of the Toyama clan engaged in a major conflict. Under the Takeda clan's offensive, the entire eastern Mino region ultimately became Takeda territory. Theoretically, it belonged to Takeda Nobufusa, who was Nobunaga's favorite son, Boruto.

The officers actually stationed at Iwamura Castle were Akiyama Nobuyuki, known as the "Takeda Bull," and Saito Tatsuoki, who was stationed at Meichi Castle.

Akiyama Nobuyuki was a senior retainer of the Takeda clan, belonging to the very core of the Takeda family, the most loyal of all. Saito Tatsuoki, needless to say, was Nobunaga's mortal enemy.

What's the current status of these two?

Speaking of this, Morinaga's expression turned slightly serious. He explained that even before the snow on the Kiso Road had melted since the beginning of the year, spies from the Takeda faction were constantly appearing near Kanayama Castle.

Everyone knows that the non-aggression pact between Oda and Takeda has expired, and since Takeda's attempts to make peace failed, it's only natural that conflict is brewing. Not only Takeda spies, but also Ryūō's own spies are frequently appearing in Mino.

However, the last time Lung Hsing entered East Meinong, they made a big show of it and recruited everyone they could. Now, it will be very difficult to find a few decent people in Meinong who support Lung Hsing and are willing to defect.

Just like Inuyama Tessai, also known as Oda Nobukiyo, the lord of Inuyama Castle, after joining the Takeda clan, Takeda Shingen was still hoping that he could incite a few decent Owari people to rebel. They wanted to stab Nobunaga in the back, plunging Nobunaga's heartland into chaos.

As a result, not a single decent one jumped up, wasting the resources that Takeda Shingen had given him, a former daimyo with considerable prestige in Owari, to support him.

"So, after the snow melts, the Takeda clan will likely launch an attack?" Shichibei asked Mori Nagayoshi very seriously.

"It is said that Iwamura and Akichi have also prepared a lot of timber, possibly for the construction of a secondary castle in Jinshan Castle." Mori Nagato's expression became even more solemn when he mentioned this.

Kinzan Castle is in an excellent location, situated between the Kiso people and the Nobi Plain, nestled against the mountains and beside the water, possessing a highly advantageous geographical position. Located on the 277-meter-high ancient castle mountain, it has been ruled by three different lords. When it came into the hands of the Mori family, the second and third tiers of the castle, as well as the outer ramparts, were all constructed to a very high standard.

Mori Yoshinari further expanded the eastern side of the castle, forming the basic structure of a connected mountain castle. Recently, due to its role as a front line between the Oda and Takeda dynasties, it received sponsorship from Nobunaga and Nobutada, leading to the construction of the main keep and a smaller keep.

In terms of defense, as long as there are a thousand or so people in the city, even if ten thousand people come, they may not be able to take it down.

It's no wonder Mori Nagayoshi was worried that the Takeda clan had prepared a large amount of timber, which they could then dump directly down the Kiso River. Once their army arrived, they could use the readily available timber to build fortifications outside Kanayama Castle. At that point, the Takeda clan would only need two or three thousand men to block Mori Nagayoshi on the mountain.

Once the gates of Jinshan Castle are wide open, the Nobi Plain will be open to the Takeda clan.

Given the Takeda clan's war-fighting mentality, they wouldn't stop until they'd completely plundered the Nobi Plain. Even Shichibei couldn't imagine what would happen if the Takeda army actually stormed in and looted the area.

"Did you request reinforcements from Lord Gifu?"

"Your Highness has a considerable force, but you have not yet decided where to fight the Takeda clan." Mori Nagayoshi's answer was not too surprising.

Last year, Oda Nobutada began to reorganize and rebuild his own army. In addition to the several thousand men given to him by his father, he also gained reinforcements from Ikeda Tsuneoki, Hayashi Hidesada, Kawajiri Hidetaka, and others.

A few days ago, when they came to support Tennoji Fortress, I saw Nobutada arrive with 8,000 men. Those 8,000 men were organized by Shichibei for Nobutada, and they're already quite formidable; they're ready to be deployed for training.

However, Nobutada himself had never commanded any large-scale battles. During the Battle of Nagashima, he single-handedly captured five branch cities, which was clearly a military achievement recommended to him by his comrades.

In fact, this was the first time Nobutada had ever commanded a large army of 20,000 to 30,000 men to confront an enemy force of roughly the same size.

Xinzhong must have had some hesitation and doubt about commanding independently.

Like Nobunaga, being able to remain calm and composed during major battles is both a talent and an experience honed through long-term training.

After decades of fighting countless battles, Nobunaga was naturally a godlike figure, the kind who wouldn't change color regardless of victory or defeat. As for Nobutada, well, even now, with the Takeda army poised to launch a major attack after spring planting, he was still hesitating about where to set up the battlefield.

The advantage of holding off the enemy at Jinshan Castle is that the Nobi Plain will not be at risk of being invaded, allowing for a slow and drawn-out battle with the Takeda clan. The disadvantages of letting the Takeda army into the plains are obvious, but there are also advantages.

That means that Kinzan Castle is blocking the Takeda clan's way home. If they win the battle, it could very well lead to a decisive annihilation. If the Takeda clan is defeated, they will truly be trapped with nowhere to turn.

It all depends on whether Oda Nobutada chooses a more conservative and cautious approach, or a more aggressive and daring one.

"What do you think?" Shichibei thought to himself that Morinaga was a frontline lord of Takeda, and his family was a close military family of Oda and his son. He must have some opinions.

"Let it in!" Mori Nagayoshi had a plan, as expected.

Why?

. 123.

"We must kill three to five thousand of them to thwart the Takeda clan's ambitions."

"Oh!"

Mori Nagayoshi, who had some ideas, immediately began to explain that if Oda Nobutada led 30,000 men to block Jinshan Castle, the Takeda army would most likely not be able to break through easily, since there was a castle there.

The inevitable result would be a stalemate between the two sides for three to five months, with either the army running out of food and retreating, or the Takeda army needing to go home to harvest rice and withdraw. Apart from wasting resources, they would have accomplished nothing.

Therefore, the Oda clan remained constantly vigilant, neither in Noo nor Gifu, facing constant threats and requiring constant preparedness. The Takeda clan, needless to say, would also be worn down by such intense vigilance and mobilization.

As an army vying for supremacy, we cannot fight such a conservative battle; we must fight an aggressive and proactive one. We cannot instill fear in the Takeda clan without crushing their wolfish ambitions by at least five or ten thousand men.

If they could annihilate the entire invading Takeda army, they might even be able to wipe out the Takeda clan in one fell swoop. Don't be fooled by the fact that the Takeda clan is fighting on their own territory; mobilizing 60,000 men wouldn't be difficult. But that would be their maximum mobilization. Normally, 20,000 to 30,000 men would be the maximum force the Takeda clan could muster in a single direction.

Once twenty or thirty thousand men are annihilated, it can be said that the backbone of the Takeda clan has been broken—broken in a way that renders it incapable of regeneration. Foot soldiers are easy to find, but samurai generals and foot soldier commanders are hard to come by.

"What you say is true." Shichibei agreed with Mori Nagayoshi's words, which could be considered a mature and insightful opinion.

"But (Nobutada is still undecided), sigh, I am extremely grateful to you." Mori Nagayoshi, after all, came from a prominent family and did not gossip about his lord behind his back. He was simply grateful to Shichibei for telling him about Mori Yoshinari.

"This is nothing." Shichibei didn't try to keep him any longer, as Mori Nagato would most likely have to rush back to Jinshan City that very night.

Kinzan Castle is on the front lines of the war zone. His coming to Gifu must be under some other pretext. Mori Nagayoshi turned and left, and Shichibei sent someone to inquire. Sure enough, he had come to request Oda Nobutada's allocation of military rations and rice, in preparation for the establishment of a fortified castle that would require a defense lasting more than six months.

He was preparing for both scenarios: he was thinking about large-scale field battles while also preparing for a siege.

Within two days, Nobunaga led his main force of 6,000 men back to Gifu Castle. He left the mess at Honganji Temple to Sakuma Nobumori, while he himself rushed back to "defend the city."

It's not H1N1, it's Kai.

On his first day back, Oda Nobunaga personally visited Kawamura-yashiki to check on Shichibei's injuries. Although it was publicly stated that he was shot during the retreat, Oda Nobunaga knew very well that if it weren't for Shichibei's intervention, he himself would have been the one hit.

Shichibei wasn't overwhelmed by Nobunaga's arrival; he simply paid his respects as usual. Nobunaga, however, told Shichibei to simply prostrate himself, saying that they were old lords and subjects, and such formalities were unnecessary.

After summoning a doctor to inquire about Shichibei's wounds and examining it himself to confirm that it was mostly nothing serious, Nobunaga, quite naturally, turned to ask the young shogun. He had found Shichibei's padded armor rather interesting earlier; had the young shogun sewed it up?

Give me one too.

Of course, it was sewn by the young general. Nobunaga asked, so he had to get one for him. Anyway, it wasn't anything secret. Many of the border troops from the neighboring Ming Dynasty were already equipped with cotton armor, and it had even become the mainstream armor for the Northern Army. The Southern Army, on the other hand, hadn't followed this trend yet. Looking at the Southern soldiers in the scroll depicting the suppression of the Japanese pirates, some wore iron armor, some wore plain clothes, all sorts of things.

Once the matter was settled, Nobunaga turned to leave, only instructing Shichibei to rest well and not to wander off unnecessarily.

Shichibei got up, preparing to see Nobunaga to the door. He had been recuperating for over a month, and his normal getting up, lying down, and walking were no longer a major problem. At most, he would experience a slight pain at night, which was understandable.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" Nobunaga asked in a low voice as the two walked into the corridor.

"I heard from Mori Katsuzo a few days ago that Takeda has already stockpiled timber in Kiso." Shichibei guessed that Nobunaga came to see him to ask him to organize the logistics for the upcoming battle against the Takeda clan.

"Tsk..." Nobunaga stopped in his tracks.

"I'm afraid the Kai army also intends to break into Nobi," Shichibei continued.

The purpose of stockpiling timber was to build fortifications to prevent the garrison of Kinzan Castle from making any moves. Takeda Yoshiyori's goal was definitely to storm into Nobi. Using Saito Tatsuoki's name, those who were willing to surrender to Takeda would not be burned or killed, while those who were unwilling would be burned and killed indiscriminately.

In other words, Morinaga considered things from his own perspective, while Shichibei considered things from Takeda's perspective.

Takeda Yoshiyori will definitely choose to attack, so we must resolutely fight back and have a good clash with the Takeda clan on the Nobi Plain.

"Let them in." Nobunaga understood what Shichibei meant.

"Although it's somewhat risky, it's better than prolonging the process," Shichibei said cautiously.

With relations with the Mori clan turning sour, Nobunaga urgently needed to eliminate one of the major threats on his eastern and western flanks. Being attacked from both sides is a cardinal sin in warfare, and unfortunately, both the Mori and Takeda clans were formidable adversaries.

Whether due to external or internal factors, Nobunaga urgently needed to resolve a major threat in one area.

"Understood." Nobunaga said nothing more and waved goodbye.

With Gifu Castle and the Totani Residence ceded to Oda Nobutada, Nobunaga moved into the Nobumori Residence in Sakuma. Within a short time, powerful clans and noble families from Nobi and Noo provinces flocked to pay their respects. Nobunaga's efforts over the years to win over and divide the powerful clans of the two provinces had proven quite effective.

The local tyrants who could be brought up had already been transferred to other areas, leaving the local peasants who had no ability to resist, making them relatively easy to govern.

Those who couldn't be easily taken away were often won over. For example, the three members of the Nishi-Mino Trio couldn't be taken away immediately, so Nobunaga took the initiative to entertain them, and even stayed overnight at Ōgaki Castle when passing through.

After making some preliminary confirmations, Nobunaga sent another letter to Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ieyasu also rushed to Gifu Castle to pay his respects. The details of their meeting are unknown, but Ieyasu arrived and left just as quickly.

Just as Nobunaga was replacing Nobutada and working to win over the hearts of the people and prepare for a major battle, news of the Takeda clan's military expedition arrived as expected.

A proclamation calling upon all the lords of the land to attack Oda Nobunaga was once again issued to all the lords in the country in the name of Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Ashikaga Chitose-maru. Takeda Yoshiyori mobilized the armies of Kai and Shinano provinces, held a swearing-in ceremony at Tsutsuzaki-no-date, and prepared to take the Kiso Road and head straight for Gifu.

Chapter 361 Meeting of the Two Armies Beneath Jinshan City

Come on, let's fight.

However, the situation has changed slightly now. Due to Hanawa Naomasa's presence at Ishiyama-Osaka Castle, he has lost a significant number of Nobunaga's personal guards. Therefore, the 5,000 arquebuses that Shichibei had painstakingly gathered for Nobunaga and his son Nobutada are now in short supply.

Therefore, Nobunaga immediately ordered that all forces under Oda's umbrella must send reinforcements to Gifu to participate in the battle against the Takeda clan, with a standard of ten arquebuses for every 10,000 koku of rice.

In particular, Tsutsui Junkei was ordered to send one hundred arquebusiers to Gifu to join the battle. After all, Tsutsui Junkei had retreated without orders when he launched the attack at Tenkaku-ji. Although Mori Yoshinari's troops had retreated first, he hadn't sent anyone to inquire about Nobunaga's movements before running off, which was indeed without orders.

He wouldn't dare complain. Not only would he need arquebusiers, but each foot soldier would also need one hundred lead bullets for combat, along with the corresponding gunpowder and matchlock. Everything would be provided by himself; Nobunaga would only need to eat.

With this order, Nobunaga quickly mobilized approximately 1,500 arquebusiers. Asai Nagamasa and Shita Hiromasa, due to their heavy combat duties facing the Ikko-ikki in Hokuriku, did not require additional troops. Ieyasu of Mikawa, once the Takeda army launched its attack via the Kiso route, would proceed to conquer Totomi, and similarly, no troops were needed.

The same applies to Niwa Nagahide, Miyoshi Nobutaka, and Kagawa Nobusumi, who are currently fighting in Shikoku and besieging Katsuzui Castle. Let alone sending out arquebusiers, they'd be considered to have no conscience if they didn't ask Nobunaga for two more.

However, this military order, in a short period of time, gave Nobunaga and Nobutada another five thousand arquebuses, which allowed them to give the Takeda army a good beating.

There is another matter worth mentioning. Kitabatake Nobuo, who had been ordered to live in seclusion for a long time and sentenced to imprisonment, was finally released from his residence thanks to Nobunaga's mercy.

His mission was singular: to lead the Kitabatake clan's five thousand men to Gifu Castle. Once Nobunaga and Nobutada had moved Noo's main army to Kaneyama Castle, he would serve as the castle's deputy commander.

Don't even think about it; the commander defending the castle can't be him. Oda Nobuhiro has been temporarily recalled and is also stationed in Gifu Castle with 5,000 men. With 10,000 men left to guard the castle, even 30,000 men might not be able to take Gifu. Only then can Nobunaga and Nobutada leave the castle and go to the battlefield with complete peace of mind.

Kitabatake Nobuo, upon hearing of his release, reportedly wept with joy, though Shichibei didn't witness it. After all, Shichibei was still recuperating in Gifu Castle, essentially bedridden.

Having finally been released, Kitabatake Nobukatsu fled back to Ōkōchi Castle and mobilized 5,000 Kitabatake troops. In truth, the Kitabatake clan could easily mobilize 10,000 men, but considering Kitabatake Nobukatsu's abilities, Nobunaga clearly lacked confidence in entrusting him with such a large army. It was better to select two more elite soldiers and assign them to Takigawa Kazumasu.

The Takeda army must mobilize mobile forces from various regions, select elite troops, and gather them at Tsutsuzaki Castle before advancing to Iwamura Castle. This process will take at least seven or eight days, and possibly as long as ten days, giving both sides ample time to prepare for battle.

As for whether to adopt a conservative defense or an aggressive field attack, a meeting is currently underway.

The Oda army anticipates mobilizing approximately 40,000 troops to the front lines at Kinzan. The Takeda clan can muster between 25,000 and 30,000 troops, based on the number mobilized for Takeda Shingen's expedition. The Kiso Valley route along the Nakasendo is of poor condition, making logistics even more difficult than the Tokaido route; Takeda Yoshiyori's forces are certainly fewer than his father's.

Historically, Tokugawa Hidetada traveled along the Nakasendo Road to participate in the Battle of Sekigahara. The journey of 30,000 men was fraught with difficulties, and the reason for this was certainly not solely due to the harassment from the Sanada father and son.

Having just dealt with Hanawa Naomasa and publicly rebuked Sakuma Nobumori, most of the generals present dared not speak, fearing they might misinterpret Nobunaga's intentions and thus offend him.

Even Hideyoshi, who was best at guessing Nobunaga's thoughts, did not speak up. He was originally intended to succeed Azai Nagamasa. However, Azai Nagamasa temporarily stated that Mino was more urgent, so he sent Hideyoshi to Mino first.

"No matter how powerful the mountain monkeys of Kai are, can they be more powerful than your five thousand arquebuses, my lord?" Seeing that no one spoke, Nobunaga clenched his fists tighter and tighter, and Hideyoshi finally made his statement.

He started by saying that, regardless of whether it was right or wrong, it was just a starting point to spark discussion. If Nobunaga listened, then he listened. If he didn't, he could simply yell "Stop talking nonsense!" and turn the tables.

Just like Shi Le, after entering the Huainan region, he was determined to cross the river to attack Jianye and seize Jiangdong as his base. Many of his subordinates advised him against it, but he did not listen.