Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

508. Xinzhong's return to the battlefield is imminent.

Needless to say, the standoff between the two sides took place at Seta Bridge. Although the Seta River is not within the territory of Yamashiro Province, it is indeed a crucial point on which Yamashiro and Kyoto rely to defend against the troops of the eastern provinces.

Setabashi Bridge was burned down by Yamaoka Kagetaka a few days earlier, but Isono Kazumasa, the vanguard of the Asai army, arrived and carried out emergency repairs. It was at Setabashi Bridge that Mitsuhide and Nagamasa formed their alliance, facilitated by Tsutsui Junkei.

The hastily repaired Seta Bridge was somewhat unstable and seemed unlikely to withstand the trampling of tens of thousands of people. Even a regular dirt road would become extremely difficult to navigate under the weight of tens of thousands of people and a large number of vehicles.

Fortunately, Shichibei didn't plan to attack Nagamasa through Seta Bridge. We just surrounded Sakamoto Castle and waited for Nagamasa to attack and relieve Akechi Mitsuyoshi.

With 60,000 soldiers, we have plenty of manpower. We can easily use 10,000 to 20,000 to keep an eye on Sakamoto, and bring the rest to block the bridge. We'll just wait for Azai Nagamasa to charge and see the bravery of his Azai soldiers.

Furthermore, Nobunaga himself hasn't arrived yet, so Shichibei is definitely better off staying put. Let's spread out our troops and level the battle lines. If Nagamasa attacks, we'll hold him off. If Nagamasa doesn't come? Then we'll attack Sakamoto. We have a large and powerful force...

Their men and horses are elite and strong; they'll be ready for a real battle.

They dare to compete with evil spirits and will not yield an inch to tyrants.

That's what we need to do—be bold and unrestrained!

The morale of the army was extremely high, to the extreme. Nobunaga's sons and sons-in-law in the army were all like they had been injected with chicken blood, their eyes gleaming with greed.

Akechi Mitsuhide's head has already been severed, which benefited Goto Mototsugu and Watanabe. Now, the head of Azai Nagamasa is the only remaining, immense achievement.

To others, Azai Nagamasa's head might have been a reward of 50,000 or 100,000 koku. To Nobunaga's sons and sons-in-law, it might have represented the right to inherit the throne.

If we can kill Azai Nagamasa in front of Nobunaga, we will definitely have a great advantage in the subsequent struggle for the crown prince position.

They're all so fierce and ruthless; that's how you motivate the army. They'd be happy to fight Asai Nagamasa to the last man.

However, in the end, Shichibei didn't need to make any decisions. After paying his respects to the Emperor and Prince Naruhito in Kyoto, and meeting with Ashikaga Yoshiaki who had come down from the mountain, Nobunaga calmly went to Yoshinaka, a town on the outskirts of Sakamoto Castle.

Temple.

Yes, it's Yoshinaka from Kiso Yoshinaka.

The mountain is named "Mt. Asahi" and its principal image is the Bodhisattva Kannon. It was built by Sasaki Takayori. It is said that the tomb was originally guarded here by Tomoe Gozen, the beloved concubine of Kiso Yoshinaka, so it is also called Tomoe Tomb.

It's a famous temple with a rich history. The current temple buildings were built with donations from Rokkaku Yoshikata, the governor of Omi Province who was defeated by Nobunaga. It's not exactly luxurious, but at least it's not drafty.

By the way, Yizhong Temple is under the jurisdiction of the Tiantai sect.

It can only be said that Nobunaga was fearless. After burning down Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei, the head temple of the Tendai sect, he still dared to reside at Gichu-ji Temple. Considering that the Tendai sect's Honkawa-ji Temple in Kishu had also submitted to Nobunaga, it can only be said that a strong hand can truly carve out a place for oneself in the present day.

After reporting to Nobunaga that Azai Nagamasa had returned to Azuchi Castle and would arrive at Setabashi Bridge in a day or two at most, the rest was left to Nobunaga to handle.

"Where is the navy?" Nobunaga asked, struggling to stay upright as he rode his horse to the Seta River.

"The Katada and Sakamoto navies have all surrendered to the rebels," replied Ikeda Tsuneoki, who was in charge of the vanguard and the construction of the Sakamoto siege fortifications.

"Sakamoto Water Castle, how can it be besieged without a navy?" Nobunaga would have given this a hard time if it were anyone else.

Considering that the opponent was Ikeda Tsuneoki, his use of humor and storytelling gave him an advantage. Furthermore, he absolutely could not afford to lose his temper again and cause further discontent among his generals. Nobunaga ultimately swallowed his anger and simply questioned the facts.

"Ah, this..." How could Ikeda Tsuneoki answer? He didn't have that much ability.

"We can try to mobilize the Otsu troops, and the Tamashima troops can also be mobilized." Shichibei noticed that Nobunaga's mustache was trembling slightly, and knew that Nobunaga was actually trying hard to restrain himself, so he quickly spoke up.

The term "Ōtsu-shu" is easy to understand; simply put, it refers to the transport ships of Ōtsu merchants. In those days, maritime merchants and pirates were on the same side, as were river bandits and shipping companies.

The so-called "cart drivers, boatmen, innkeepers, and porters" should be killed even if they are innocent. The boat in question needs no further introduction. The Hachisuka Koroku and his gang collected protection money by blocking the river, assisted with timber transport in Kisoya, and occasionally engaged in low-risk, high-return business.

Things that are already clear in one's mind should not be said too explicitly. Among the shipping merchants of Otsu, probably not one is entirely clean.

As for the Makishima clan, they were the people who fled Kyoto and took refuge near Makishima Castle when Ashikaga Yoshiaki betrayed Oda Nobunaga and called on Takeda Shingen to march on Kyoto.

Makishima Castle was a castle on a small island in the lake, very easy to defend, though it was also a formidable fortress. Later, it was handed over to Hanawa Naomasa, who formed a small naval force as a necessary organization to connect the castle with those inside and outside.

Now that Makishima Castle has been restored, the Makishima clan can organize themselves, move to the Seta River, and prepare to encircle Sakamoto Castle on the water.

"I'll give you only one day." Nobunaga was the type to simply give orders; that was his nature.

"Understood." Shichibei naturally agreed, since the Otsu troops could be brought out immediately, and it wouldn't matter if the Makishima troops arrived a little later.

"Where is Yamaoka Mimasaka?" After giving him this instruction, Nobunaga summoned Yamaoka Kagetaka, who had come with him.

"The minister is here."

"If you were to set up the battle formation, where would you place it on the opposite bank?" Nobunaga pointed to the lakeside plain on the opposite bank of the river.

Setting up battle lines on a plain is difficult because there's nothing to rely on. This is especially true in Japan, where the morale of its mixed troops and peasant soldiers is extremely low, and they are vulnerable to...

A surprise attack would inevitably cause them to scatter, and only the samurai and regular foot soldiers had a certain level of morale and were able to resist.

Placing troops on an open plain is irresponsible to both the commander and the soldiers under his command.

"Kenbe Shrine," Yamaoka Kagetaka said, pointing to the cluster of buildings that were faintly visible on the opposite bank.

"Yes." Nobunaga nodded, clearly also thinking it would be set up at Kenbe Shrine.

In open-field warfare, without the support of a fortified city, one would naturally choose a large-scale temple or shrine for defense. To this day, Tsuneoki Ikeda still lives in Hoanji Temple in Osaka, temporarily using the temple as a fortified city, since it already had many defensive structures built during its construction.

"Why not at Seta Castle?" Oda Nobuharu, who had caught up from behind, asked.

“Unlikely…” Yamaoka Kagetaka pointed to the woods surrounding Kenbe Shrine.

The reason is obvious: even in 2025, the place will still be called "Kamiryo" (Divine Territory). A large number of trees have been planted around Kenbu Shrine. Firstly, to create a sense of mystery; the atmosphere of a sacred area needs to be enhanced. Secondly, the extensive planting of trees will provide building materials for future temples and shrines.

It can be used when there is a need, or when it is destroyed and rebuilt.

Later generations had groves planted specifically for the Ise Grand Shrine, and the timber used for the most recent relocation and reconstruction of the shrine was planted during the Edo period, more than 300 years after the relocation.

Seta Castle is a flat castle, offering virtually no view. You might be able to see something facing the street to the east, but the view of Kenbe Shrine and Seta Bridge to the west is completely obscured.

"Hmm..." Nobunaga continued to nod.

He's traveled from Azuchi to Kyoto so many times, always passing through this area, that he's very familiar with the local situation. Clearly, Yamaoka Kagetaka wasn't lying; if Asai Nagamasa wanted to be close to the site to direct operations, he would inevitably choose Kenbe Shrine.

"By the way, send someone to tell Nagamasa that I am at Setagaya." Nobunaga waved his horse saddle and pointed directly towards Azuchi Castle.

"Oh dear," Shichibei thought, his heart skipping a beat upon hearing this, but he immediately relaxed. "We were right, just like Todo Takatora. We've actually aligned ourselves with Nobunaga himself. Nobunaga is clearly well aware of the allure his own mind holds for Azai Nagamasa."

Nagamasa would inevitably be driven by greed in his desire to kill Nobunaga.

Once greed takes hold, people become worse than pigs and dogs.

The mind would be instantly clouded. The most typical example is a gambling addict at the card table. It's incredibly easy to get a gambling addict who's lost everything to sell their children or scam their parents. You don't even need to entice them; the gambling addict will do it on their own.

The point is to let Nagamasa attack. As long as it's a field battle, Nobunaga isn't afraid.

"Yes."

On the opposite bank of the Seta River, there were a few yurts and guards deployed by Nagamasa, but not many. After all, they could simply set the bridge on fire, so there was no need to leave tens of thousands of men there. Mitsuhide and Nagamasa were allies before, so there was even less need for a large number of guards.

Seeing so many people on the opposite bank, the Asai soldiers craned their necks to look out from the pier.

"The Right Minister has arrived at Seta. You must quickly summon the traitor Asai to fight!" The attendant, acting on Nobunaga's orders, rode alone onto Seta Bridge and shouted loudly to the Asai guards on the other side of the bridge.

Fearing the other side might not have heard him clearly, he shouted again, "The Right Prefect has arrived at Jinseta! You must quickly summon the traitor Asai to fight!" After repeating this once, he turned his horse around.

As expected, the Asai army on the opposite bank split into two riders and sped towards An.

Tsuchijo ran away. On this side, Shichibei was observing the Setagawa Bridge that the servants had crossed. It was simply covered with wooden planks, without any reinforcement or replacement of the railings.

Bridges like these are difficult to advance on quickly.

Nobunaga was clearly observing as well, but he didn't say anything. He let his attendant run back, then turned his horse around and headed for Gijū-ji Temple.

As dusk approached, the shores of Lake Biwa, still in the winter month, were quite chilly. Shichibei first made arrangements for Oda Nobunaga and his entourage before having time to look after the other generals. Fortunately, the rebellion had occurred so suddenly that there was almost no large-scale fighting or looting, which meant that the buildings in Sakamoto and Kyoto were largely undamaged.

Large areas of residential houses were preserved, and there was no need to drive away the people. The people of the Warring States period had a sense of smell even more sensitive than a dog's nose. Women and the elderly would hide in small houses in the mountains, while the men would often become warrior hunters, closely monitoring the development of the situation around the battlefield.

Once an army is defeated, it can expect to be taken down by these virtuous villagers. The way Akechi Mitsuhide died is the same way the defeated side will die.

Since the common people have fled, the generals will take over the nearby villages in batches and move into the existing houses. The area around Lake Biwa is one of Japan's most densely populated agricultural regions, with villages one after another, usually...

There are at least 10,000 people living in this area. Nowadays, a dozen or so people can squeeze into one room, which is perfectly adequate.

"Report!"

Just as they were returning to camp, they saw a foreign envoy leading a man, rushing towards Yizhong Temple as fast as he could. They wondered what had happened to cause such a hurry.

Thinking he hadn't gone far, Shichibei turned back to Gijū-ji Temple. Nobunaga's retainer at the gate stopped him, asking his name and purpose. The envoy introduced himself as a subordinate of Kuchiki Motonatsuna of Takashima District, Kohoku, and said he had brought important people with him.

Kuchiki Motonatsuna? Kuchiki Motonatsuna is in Shichibei's camp. He fought fiercely against Saito Toshimitsu and Kami Yoshinaga during the Battle of Akutagawa Mountain and made great contributions.

"Who are you from the Kuchiki family? What brings you here?"

"I am Shikibei Shikibei, a retainer of the Kuchiki family. I have been ordered to bring this man here to pay my respects." The envoy replied immediately, seeing that Shikibei was quite dignified.

"And who are you?" Shichibei turned to the person carrying the large box.

“Kyoto, I am Heihachiro.” Through the shadows, Tadashi immediately bowed to Shichibei.

"Heihachiro! You're not dead? Where is the Lieutenant General now?!" You say you are Tadamasa, so how could Shichibei not recognize him? He's Oda Nobutada's trusted general, Umawari.

“Waaaaah… My lord… My lord…” Then they saw Zhongzheng, who had returned to the ground, holding out a wooden box.

With a deafening roar, Shichibei stood frozen in place. Although he had anticipated Nobutada's death, he was still utterly horrified when Nobutada's head appeared.

"Come, follow me to pay respects to the lord." Shichibei tried his best to remain calm and not show any sign of shock.

To everyone's surprise, Zhongzheng was already limp and had no strength left. His men immediately grabbed him and dragged him inside. As for the wooden box, the guards carefully carried it.

Upon entering the temple, Nobunaga was still sketching battle maps of the surrounding area, not yet resting. Seeing Shichibei suddenly enter, Nobunaga stopped drawing. When he saw the wooden box, the pen in his hand immediately fell onto the tatami mat.

"My lord, this is Lieutenant General Umawari Heihachiro. We are bringing back his head." Shichibei stated the matter as concisely as possible.

"..." Nobunaga didn't say anything, and in a very unruly manner, he crawled to the door on his hands and feet.

The servant hurriedly opened the lid, and a very unpleasant, nauseating odor wafted out. It was indeed Oda Nobutada who had processed his head with lime and other substances, but after more than ten days, even though the weather wasn't hot, the smell was still unavoidable.

Nobunaga disregarded everything and took out the head. Almost instantly, he confirmed that the head belonged to Nobutada. He did not hold the head in his arms and weep, but simply placed it quietly on the wooden box.

"Lieutenant General, you have lived up to the reputation of the Oda clan." Nobunaga stepped back several paces and spoke sternly to the severed head of Nobutada.

"Now that you have returned to the battlefield, watch how your father will defeat the enemy for you." Nobutada could not possibly answer, so Nobunaga, with an almost frosty expression, promised Nobutada's severed head.

509. Shunqing rebels and intends to surrender.

The news that Nobunaga had arrived at Sakamoto greatly alarmed Azai Nagamasa in Azuchi Castle. He was eager to send troops to attack Nobunaga immediately.

Lady Oichi, watching her excited husband, felt utterly lost. Nagamasa was unaware that it was Lady Oichi's tip-off that allowed Nobunaga to escape. But now that Nagamasa and Nobunaga were openly opposed and effectively plotting rebellion, he, as the wife of the Oda clan, had virtually no voice.

Seeing his wife, who had draped armor over him, remain silent, Asai Nagamasa showed some understanding and explained that he was doing this for the sake of the country, to eliminate treacherous officials.

Therefore, apart from Nobunaga and Nobutada, the other members of the Oda clan would not be slaughtered. As long as Kitabatake Nobuo, Miyoshi Nobutaka, Kagawa Nobusumi, and others were willing to surrender and submit with courtesy, he would accept them with tolerance and ensure their peaceful existence.

Even Nobutada's children were not hunted down indiscriminately. Earlier, after he captured Gifu Castle, Kawajiri Hidenaga escorted Takeda Matsuhime and Nobutada's children to safety, hiding in North America and Hiraki. With Ando Morinari's cooperation, the chances of capturing them were actually quite high, but Nagamasa did not send anyone.