Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Takayama Shigetomo's efforts to serve Nobunaga, even to the point of risking his life alongside Araki Murashige, were not in vain. Now that something truly had happened, Oda Nobunaga had not forgotten his son-in-law after all.

Of the two thousand or so mountain soldiers remaining in the city, seven or eight out of ten were wounded and had already resigned themselves to certain death. As soon as the golden bell rang, it was a cry for divine protection, for the Right Prefecture's heavenly troops to surrender.

Takayama Shigetomo hurriedly climbed to the top of the castle tower and looked southwest. He didn't even bother to ask Hideyoshi for help on the other side; in his memory, Hideyoshi was still at the front line in Bichu. If he were to rush back, it would take seven or eight days.

If not Nobunaga, then who should we look forward to?

The flag that caught his eye had a design of two vertical lines and two horizontal lines!

It was Kawamura Nagayoshi! Unbelievable! Takayama Shigetomo and his father almost slammed their hands on the railing. Wasn't he already in the Kuranoura area? How did he manage to lead such a large army to reinforce Takatsuki?

In short, it's good that they're here; at least for now, Takatsuki Castle is safe. But can Kawamura Nagayoshi truly face Akechi Mitsuhide? Takayama Shigetomo and Shichibei are fairly well-acquainted; Shichibei is truly the most honest and kind man in Owari, a master of abacus beads, but can he fight?

With this thought in mind, Takayama Shigetomo grabbed his father, Takayama Tomoteru, and decided to leave the city to help Kawamura's army. They selected eight hundred soldiers who were uninjured or only slightly wounded from within the city, leaving the rest to Takayama Tomoteru to continue defending the city.

Seeing his son's serious expression, Takayama Tomoteru couldn't utter a single word, only nodding heavily. Yes, only if Kawamura's army won could Takatsuki Castle be preserved. If Kawamura's army lost, Takatsuki would merely live one more day.

Beat the drums as they march out of the city!

Nobunaga's daughter, Fuyuhime, who was also Takayama Shigetomo's wife, personally led the charge, wielding the sword for Takayama Shigetomo. The crumbling gates of Takatsuki Castle's main citadel were slowly pushed open. The castle soldiers knew that only by fighting to the death could they escape, and they were all roused to their feet, fighting with renewed vigor.

Mitsuhide Akechi, whose main camp was located on Mount Akutagawa northwest of Takatsuki, laughed loudly when he saw that the garrison of Takatsuki Castle had actually abandoned its fortifications and gone out to fight in the open.

Trust Kawamura Nagayoshi? You'd be better off trusting a lowly soldier like me.

Mitsuhide desperately wanted to win, desperately needed to win; he didn't consider that Takayama Shigetomo was gambling with his life. And Kawamura Nagayoshi, in fact, was also gambling with his life. With the Oda clan finished, could the Kawamura clan possibly survive alone?

Of course, if Mitsuhide loses, the Akechi clan is finished too. Everyone is focused on winning this time, and they'll risk everything to try and claim victory.

"The enemy's main force set up their formation at the old Akutagawa Castle. On the left flank, the Yamashiro and Tanba forces consisted of two to three thousand cavalrymen, including Tsuda (Shigehisa), Matsuda (Masachika), and Namikawa (Yoie). On the right flank, the Mino and Omi forces consisted of three to four thousand cavalrymen, including Saito (Toshizo), Shibata (Katsusada), Abe (Sadaharu), Mizo (Shigetomo), and Yamazaki (Nagatoku)."

Sanada Masaki, who was to advance first, not only had to lead the troops, but also scout the enemy formation, understand the approximate number of enemy troops, and prepare for the arrival of the commander-in-chief.

The magistrate offered advice.

Takeda Shingen's vanguard general was Yamagata Masakage, renowned for his swiftness, a formidable samurai. Sanada Masaki is no less impressive; he first captured a member of the Akechi army, and now delivers intelligence to the main force.

"Is there any movement?" Hara no Nagayoshi stopped his horse and pointed towards Mount Akutagawa.

"The former shogunate forces number about two or three thousand cavalry (Ise Sadao, Suwa Morinao, and Mimaki Kanekazu), and are stationed north of Takatsuki Castle." Sanada Masaaki quickly pointed out the location, because Shichibei and the others were currently south of Takatsuki Castle and might not be able to see them.

We must guard against this Akechi army guerrilla force bypassing Takatsuki Castle and launching a surprise attack on the Kawamura family's rear. Shichibei's main camp must also be solid and commanded by a capable general.

"What is the total strength?" Shichibei calculated with his fingers and felt that his forces had a huge advantage over the Akechi army.

"At most 22,000 to 23,000 cavalry." Sanada Masaaki's estimate was indeed an overestimation, because the Akechi army suffered about a thousand casualties in the attack on Takatsuki Castle.

In reality, the Ming Dynasty army currently has a total strength of less than 17,000 men.

Who is the vanguard of this main force?

"Divided into three formations, front and rear, led by Yasuda (Kunitsugu), Fujita (Kenji), and Akechi (Hidemitsu), each with approximately two thousand cavalry."

"A wedge formation! The traitor Akechi really underestimates us." Hara Nagayoshi was truly surprised after surveying the terrain and understanding the deployment of Akechi's army.

The outnumbered Akechi army, on the contrary, adopted a posture of heavy force breaking through and launching a frontal attack. There is no reasonable explanation other than Akechi Mitsuhide looking down on Shichibei's military capabilities.

"We'll show him our martial prowess!" The generals were truly surprised; each of them was a hero, possessing both martial skill and courage.

Although they joined Shichibei's ranks, it was because Shichibei was a good person, not for any other reason. To look down on Shichibei simply because they thought he was incompetent was truly displeasing to them.

"What do you all want to teach me?" Shichibei also did not dismount; everyone remained on horseback for the final military meeting before the battle.

"My lord, Lord Takatsuki has led his troops out of the city to assist in the battle!" Shichibei had barely finished speaking when a envoy by the roadside shouted.

"please! "

I saw Gao Shan Chongyou and two riders hurrying over. I saw seven...

After Shichibei, standing at a distance, he dismounted, trotted a short distance, and then bowed to Shichibei.

Shichibei instinctively wanted to dismount and help Takayama Shigetomo up. However, Hara Nagayori, who was standing nearby, held Shichibei down. Shichibei was now the Commander-in-Chief. A Commander-in-Chief should have the dignity of a Commander-in-Chief. Although Takayama Shigetomo was Nobunaga's son-in-law and the so-called lord of Settsu Province, he was currently just a subordinate general.

"I am willing to be a pioneer!" Takayama Shigetomo didn't waste any words and knelt down on one knee to make his request.

"Ukon is fighting hard to defend the city, so he will stay here and watch my army wipe out the enemy." Shichibei thought to himself that Takayama Shigetomo's troops had already lost a thousand men two days ago, and now there are probably not many left standing.

In such a situation, to use him as the first move would be nothing more than sending cannon fodder to their deaths.

"That's right. Lord Takatsuki's loyalty is highly appreciated by the Right Minister." Todo Takatora finally spoke, flattering Takayama Shigetomo.

"Then I am willing to follow the Jingzhao Palace to defeat the enemy!" Takayama Shigetomo was mainly just expressing his opinion. In a battle involving tens of thousands of people, his eight hundred men were just the last remaining soldiers after a hard-fought battle, and they did not play a decisive role at all.

"good! "

Shichibei will definitely agree to this request; he can simply be ordered to participate in the flank attack.

"I am extremely grateful." After saying this, Takayama Shigetomo mounted his horse and led his troops to join Kawamura's army.

Thus, Kawamura's army strengthened to 33,800 cavalry, twice the size of Akechi's army, enough to wage a decisive and annihilating battle.

how to spell?

The generals now believe that the Ming army has at most 22,000 to 23,000 men and has even deployed a wedge formation. Then we will deploy a crane wing formation, relying on our superior strength and a very solid central army, to directly encircle and outmaneuver the Ming army, wiping them out in one fell swoop.

The left wing was led by Todo Takatora, and the right wing by Oda Nobuharu, each with 10,000 cavalry. The remaining troops were positioned in the center to intercept the various vanguard formations of the Akechi army.

simple!

I understand!

Move out!

Who would strike first in the central army? Without a doubt, it would be Sanada Masaki, leading the five forces formed around the core of the Takeda and Sanada Red Guards.

One hundred men and five hundred arquebusiers from Shichibei's main force. Following him was the well-equipped Hara Nagayori, with 1,500 men, protecting Sanada Masaki's flanks. Closely following them was the Imperial Guard, formed from the core samurai group of Kawamura's central army.

Generals such as Saegusa Morinaka, Watanabe Ryo, and Goto Mototsugu led their respective squads to the front lines. Surrounding Shichibei were Namazue Sadaharu and his 600-strong cavalry unit, Takayama Shigetomo 800 men, Takenaka Shigeharu 500 men, Awakawa Sadanobu 800 men, Shibata Nagakatsu 1000 men, Ito Hisahisa 500 men, and Toyama's 2000-strong cavalry.

The main camp was located at Sojiji Temple, directly facing Akutagawa Mt. Akechi Mitsuhide.

The conch shells blared, and an unexpected situation arose for Mitsuhide Akechi. Instead of banding together to defend, Kawamura's army launched a preemptive attack—a truly audacious move.

There are many unexpected things, so one more won't make a difference.

Logically, Sanada Masaki should have first relied on the support of Shichibei's main force, bringing in several hundred arquebusiers to weaken the enemy. If the enemy attacked, he should have launched a fierce counterattack, engaging in hand-to-hand combat. If the enemy retreated, he should have used arquebuses. After just two or three cycles, the enemy's veteran soldiers and samurai willing to engage in melee combat would have suffered heavy losses, rendering them unable to launch further offensives.

Sanada Masaaki did not follow this plan. Yasuda Kunitsugu, the vanguard of the Akechi army, launched a fierce attack, but was hit by a hail of arquebus fire and his formation became loose as he broke into Sanada's ranks.

The two sides fought fiercely, and Yasuda Kunitsugu's troops were no match for Takeda's army, and were quickly routed.

Seeing this, Sanada Masaki shouted and charged forward, following closely behind Yasuda Kunitsugu, directly breaking through the arrowhead of the Akechi army and winning the first rank.

The Akechi army did not expect the Kawamura army to be so fierce, but Shichibei did expect that Sanada Masaki would not even wait for one round.

"Beat the drum!" Shichibei ordered the drummer behind him.

As soon as the taiko drums sounded, Hara Nagayori immediately followed. Saegusa Morinaka, Watanabe Ryo, Goto Mototsugu, and others, all young samurai of the new generation in Kawamura's army, each led several hundred men and leaped forward.

The seasoned veterans Yasuda Kunitsugu, Fujita Shūki, and Akechi Hidemitsu were stunned. What kind of fighting style was this? No artillery barrage at all, just hand-to-hand combat?

That's right.

Before Yasuda Kunitsugu could even assemble his troops, he could only order the reserve soldiers who had not yet gone into battle to meet Sanada Masaki. The elite soldiers who charged forward with arquebuses in the first round were no match for Sanada Masaki, let alone the reserve soldiers left behind.

They scattered Yasuda's team upon first encounter and charged straight towards Fujita's administrative headquarters.

Fujita, who was exclaiming in surprise, was naturally a veteran and ordered his men to prepare for battle.

As Nagayori's troops followed, Fujita's administrative headquarters quickly began to waver. Firstly, they were outnumbered, and secondly, the Sanada soldiers were incredibly brave. In particular, the troops following Sanada Masaki were all exceptionally fierce, practically cutting through enemy lines as if they were nothing.

Just like his brother Sanada Nobutsuna, Sanada Masaki wielded a great sword, slashing left and right on horseback, cutting through everything in his path like cutting grass. The soldiers of the Akechi army crumbled and fled for their lives.

Even Akechi Mitsuhide and Kawamura Nagayoshi, who were observing the battle from the rear, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. If such a highly skilled and powerful army numbered ten thousand, they could be invincible throughout all of Japan. Even if surrounded by a hundred thousand soldiers, they could easily escape.

Although Akechi Mitsuhide and Kawamura Nagayoshi were in different places, they couldn't help but exclaim at the same time: "Japan's number one soldier of the Sanada clan!"

501. The warriors vied for merit and together defeated the enemy.

Before the words were even finished, Fujita's administrative force was routed by the fierce charge of Sanada Masaki's Red Guard and Hara Nagayori. Although not many were killed, the force that had been shielding Akechi Mitsuhide's main camp was now reduced to only Akechi Hidemitsu.

The battle had only been going on for a short time, yet the army of several thousand men was routed by Kawamura's forces, which greatly surprised everyone present. It was as if Mitsuhide had the Kawamura script and Shichibei had the Akechi script, completely reversed.

Who is Kawamura Nagayoshi? He was a stable boy from Tsushima, Owari Province.

What kind of war will they fight? They're not just serving as Oda Nobunaga's moneybags; they're still tending horses in the village. Rebelling against the Heavenly Generals—what kind of nonsense is this?

Akechi Mitsuhide immediately gave orders to Ise Sadaoki, who led more than 2,000 cavalrymen from the former shogunate to bypass Takatsuki Castle and attack the main camp of Kawamura's army at Sojijiji Temple.

I'm going down the mountain to beat the drum. I want to see just how capable this Sanada Hyōbu-jō really is.

Two thousand cavalrymen from Akechi Mitsuhide's main force on Mount Akutagawa, with banners flying high and drums beating, descended the mountain to join the attack. Akechi Samasuke Hidemitsu, both Mitsuhide's son-in-law and formerly Mitsuhide's de facto heir, now...

Although he lost his right to succession due to Akechi Mitsuyoshi's smooth growth, it did not diminish his status as a member of the Akechi family within the household.

The army spread out on the plain in front of Akutagawa Mountain, with its ranks and horses stretching out, and Mitsuhide's main force on Mount Mitsuhide. Akechi Hidemitsu, as expected of a brave and resourceful general, knew that there was no room for cowardice at this time, and immediately selected strong generals to lead his elite troops to meet Sanada Masaki.

There was no room for him to calmly retaliate. Kawamura's men swarmed forward, and Watanabe Kanbei, taking advantage of his new horse's charge, bypassed Sanada Masateru and rushed into Akechi's ranks, shouting, "General Watanabe Kanbei of Kawamura Samurai is here!" He brandished his spear, swinging it left and right as if divinely aided.

Following closely behind was Goto Mototsugu, who, though arriving on horseback, dismounted to fight on foot. Wielding a large cross-shaped spear, he wielded it with lightning speed, and the samurai of the Akechi army, renowned for their martial prowess, fell one after another beneath his spear.

Kawamura Nagayoshi has managed to gather so many powerful and valiant warriors under his command.

Before Akechi Hidemitsu could utter a word of lament, Saegusa Morinaka had already sent a chilling glint in his eyes. "Young samurai, you yearn to achieve great deeds. If not to earn your renown in such a great battle, are you destined to die in your bed?"

Sanada Masaki, his strength slightly waning, saw his troops surging forward in droves, and his fighting spirit returned. He shouted, "Advance!" (The text abruptly shifts to a seemingly unrelated scene: "Red at the front and rear...")

The reserve forces launched a relentless offensive, giving the Ming army no chance to regroup.

"What a great opportunity today!"

Although Shichibei is not a famous general, he has seen the world even if he has never eaten pork. Since our soldiers are brave and engaged the enemy in close combat, the enemy's flanks will inevitably become loose, and we should launch a surprise attack.

He waved his command flag at the six hundred or so cavalrymen, including Namie Sadahatsu, who were standing in front of his main force. Upon seeing Shichibei's order, the cavalrymen with flowing arrows split into two groups. Holding longbows, carrying heavy arrows, and with copper whistles in their mouths, they flew off in a whistling swarm.

In a short period of time, Shichibei used both of his trump cards.

Either don't fight, or fight with all your might. Infantry engage, cavalry encircle, and strive to wipe out Akechi Hidemitsu's forces as quickly as possible.

I'd like to see just how difficult it is to conquer your Akutagawa Mountain.

Hundreds of cavalrymen began to move, raising clouds of dust, which Mitsuhide on Mount Akutagawa certainly saw. His former allies had suddenly become enemies. He had seen Kawamura's legendary horsemanship before, but he never expected it to be used against him now.

What to do? The arquebusiers immediately moved in. Even the most skilled archers, due to their bows, needed to close to a distance of ten or twenty meters to fire; otherwise, they would have little killing power. If the arquebusiers simply went down the mountain and fired indiscriminately...

It can prevent the approach of the dwarf horse.

At the same time, Yasuda Kunitsugu and Fujita Shigeaki's troops were immediately reorganized. These two troops had only been scattered, with at most two or three hundred men killed in battle. Once reorganized, they could counter-encircle Kawamura's army, which had already charged to Akechi Hidemitsu's front.