Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Go catch it.

In a sense, it was also to take into account Mrs. Oichi's feelings.

By achieving this, Azai Nagamasa had truly done right by Lady Oichi. Normally, defeating an enemy clan meant eliminating all the male members. Women were less important and were often given as rewards to retainers.

Seeing Nagamasa's words, Lady Oichi simply nodded slightly. It was virtually impossible for her to stop Nagamasa; there was no other way but to try and save Nobutada's offspring.

As for the battle between Nagamasa and Nobunaga? She didn't know who to pray for to win, because both sides were her closest family members.

"I will definitely donate funds to build the Oda Shrine in Azuchi."

Even in his final moments before leaving, Azai Nagamasa remained confident, and thus he spoke to Lady Oichi: He would not desecrate Nobunaga's head; at most, it would be displayed in Kyoto for three days before being moved to the Azuchi-Oda Shrine for burial.

Just like the Yoshino-ji Temple where Nobunaga's main camp was located, a shrine was built specifically to commemorate Nobunaga, and then bestowed upon the shrine's leader to ensure the shrine's operation and allow Nobunaga to have incense offerings every year.

"..." Lady Oichi did not answer, but knelt on the ground, offering sacrifices to Nagamasa.

Row.

At this point, Nagamasa had still not received news of Sakamoto Castle. Naturally, he was unaware that the forces surrounding Sakamoto Castle and stationed at the Setagawa River numbered as many as 60,000 cavalry.

In his plan, Mitsuhide was defeated by 30,000 Oda troops. Mitsuhide's army suffered as many as 6,000 casualties, with the remainder either scattering or fleeing. Only 2,000 to 3,000 were gathered by Fujita and others and entered Sakamoto Castle to defend it to the death.

In such a large-scale battle, it's impossible for Oda's army to have no casualties. Historically, Mitsuhide's resistance was also fierce, with approximately three thousand killed in the Battle of Yamazaki. The Hashiba army, with its greater numbers and superior advantage, suffered three thousand three hundred casualties, even more than Akechi's army.

Based on the normal casualty ratio in battles, a fight between 30,000 and 20,000 would result in at least 2,000 to 3,000 casualties. In those days, there was little difference between being seriously wounded and dead among the common soldiers, so it's entirely possible that Shichibei was short 3,000 men.

Of those 30,000, only 27,000 remain. Should Yamazaki and Shūryū-ji be left behind? Should Kyoto be left behind? If 2,000 or 3,000 are left behind, then the maximum number of people who actually arrive at Setabashi will be 25,000.

Even disregarding the thousands of people monitoring Sakamoto Castle, Nagamasa believed that Nobunaga would at most send 20,000 men to confront him.

How many men did Nagamasa have? He left 3,000 men to garrison Kitazō and led 22,000 cavalry south. Almost no one died in the attack on Azuchi. Nakagawa Hidemasa was chopped into seven or eight pieces by smashing a cup as a signal when he rewarded the troops. Fukutomi Hidekatsu was so drunk that he couldn't even hold Azuchi Castle and died in a daze.

Of the 22,000 men, only a hundred or so were lost, which is negligible. The Koga and Iga forces mobilized nearly 10,000 men to support Nagamasa, and Nagamasa also mobilized 5,000 peasant soldiers in the north of the river.

Five thousand peasant soldiers are currently stationed at Nagahama Castle north of the river, while three thousand Asai soldiers and several thousand men recruited by Ando Morishige are guarding and repairing Gifu Castle. In reality, only twenty-eight thousand men followed Asai Nagamasa to Setabashi.

With 28,000 against 20,000, the advantage is mine!

Upon arriving at Kenbu Shrine and observing the Oda army's formation from afar, Azai Nagamasa felt that the Oda army's situation was roughly as he had predicted. Although the army numbered over ten thousand and stretched endlessly, the banners of the various feudal lords who had come to participate in the battle were correct.

The Oda army that appeared at the front indeed numbered only about 20,000. To avoid his sons fighting each other to the death, Nobunaga chose Ikeda Tsuneoki and his son Ikeda Motosuke to attack Sakamoto. Facing Azai Nagamasa at Setabashi Bridge was naturally Kawamura Nagayoshi.

Miyoshi Nobutaka, Kagawa Nobuzumi, and Chosokabe Motochika surrounded Nobunaga's main camp on the flanks and rear, while Takayama Shigetomo's five or six thousand men formed Nobunaga's main force. Nobunaga realized that Takayama's forces couldn't immediately engage in high-intensity combat and could only rely on their numerical advantage to shout "666" from the outside.

So, aside from the 6,000 Settsu troops surrounding Sakamoto and the 10,000 Kishu troops (originally planned for 20,000, but Nobunaga adjusted), the remaining 43,000 cavalry were all deployed to the Setagaya River.

The well-trained and highly motivated Kawamura army of 13,000 cavalrymen arrayed themselves in the front, blocking out their allies behind them. This further convinced Azai Nagamasa that Nobunaga's main force consisted of the Kawamura army that had fled back by boat, with the remainder being a small contingent of loyalist forces within the Kinai region.

It's true that he looked down on Kawamura Nagayoshi's military strategy, but it's also true that he admired the fighting strength of Kawamura's army.

Leaving aside the Kawamura army's past battle records, the fact that they had just defeated the Akechi army was enough to make Asai Nagamasa take it seriously.

"Where is Tsutsui Yoshunbo?" To be on the safe side, Asai Nagamasa was still cautious.

It had been agreed beforehand that Tsutsui Junkei would be involved in the decisive battle. As Japan's Sengoku period progressed to this stage, the trend towards decisive battles became increasingly apparent. Often, a single decisive battle could determine the fate of several, or even dozens, of provinces.

The fate of the nation.

This is related to the fact that during the Warring States period, the feudal lords often eliminated troublemakers within their territories and basically began to implement a unification process. The various schools of thought were no longer in a state of numerous independent factions, which also meant that after a major defeat, there was little local resistance.

Before the Onin Rebellion, even if defeated, the smaller scale and narrower area of ​​the battle would have allowed the defeated to retreat to a mountain fortress. They could then gather a few hundred or even a thousand remaining soldiers and besiege the city, leaving the enemy outside helpless.

Unable to capture the city, they naturally couldn't capture the villages on the surrounding plains. They could only loot extensively before retreating in disappointment.

Things are different now. The feudal lords have begun to dismantle the outlying cities within their territories, or rather, the cities held by powerful clans, and are finding ways to house their retainers there. After a major defeat, the enemy army marches in unimpeded; before the city can even prepare its defenses, the enemy is already there.

The defeat and collapse of an army is an inherent phenomenon.

“We just arrived in Kizu,” Isono Kazumasa, standing beside Nagamasa, replied.

“What?” Nagamasa asked incredulously.

Kizu Castle is located on the border between Yamashiro and Yamato, only fifteen kilometers away from Yamato-Koriyama Castle. At this distance, normal travel...

The army arrived in a day, or less than four hours if marching at full speed. So you're saying Nagamasa had already reached Setabashi from Mino Gifu Castle, while Tsutsui Junkei had only just arrived from Yamato Koriyama Castle to Kizu?

“Kizu, Sagaku-gun.” Isono Kazumasa repeated.

"Send a message to Tsutsui Yoshunbo, requesting that he arrive in Uji today for the battle tomorrow." At this moment, Asai Nagamasa suddenly had a bad feeling.

Because so far, there has been no news about Hosokawa Fujitaka and his son Hosokawa Tadaoki. Even Akechi Mitsuhide couldn't persuade the father and son, so Azai Nagamasa certainly couldn't.

Tsutsui Junkei, who had already captured Tamonyama Castle and Shigetakayama Castle, openly rebelled with the Oda clan, and even plundered Kawachi Province, was now hesitant and reluctant to approach the battlefield.

Kizu is 12 kilometers from Uji and less than 40 kilometers from Setabashi. That's a distance that could be covered in a day's march. What does it mean that Tsutsui Junkei didn't arrive?

This means that Junkei Tsutsui is observing the situation!

Indeed, Tsutsui Junkei not only received battle reports from the Battle of Akutagawa-yama and Takatsuki, but also a letter from Akechi Mitsuyoshi requesting reinforcements. He hesitated, worried, and became somewhat reluctant to proceed.

If Mitsuhide had only suffered a defeat and could have retreated to Sakamoto to reorganize his remaining troops, then perhaps he would have continued to follow him. But Mitsuhide himself was killed in battle—so how could they possibly continue?

Akechi Mitsuyoshi is young and inexperienced, and unreliable in his work. Asai Nagamasa is an even more ruthless and cunning man, someone he barely knows. Following Nagamasa might not end well for him.

So is it possible that, while Nobunaga was eager to quell the rebellion, they could express their surrender to Nobunaga, offering to participate in the battle against Azai Nagamasa, in exchange for the safety of approximately 400,000 koku of land in Yamato Province?

Well, the conditions are a bit high, but these kinds of things are meant to be negotiated back and forth.

Previously, Tsutsui Junkei only possessed Yamato-Koriyama Castle with a 180,000 koku acreage. He subsequently seized Tamon-yama with a 70,000 koku acreage, Shigetaka-yama with a 50,000 koku acreage, as well as other Nobunaga direct territories and miscellaneous territories of 10,000 to 20,000 koku acreages. Tsutsui Junkei truly did not want to relinquish these territories.

If all else fails, they can give up Tamonyama Castle, which yields 70,000 koku, so that Nobunaga has a bridgehead in Yamato Province to monitor Yamato-Koriyama.

On the surface, Tsutsui Junkei spoke with righteous indignation, claiming that he would return all of Kawachi, which he had seized, and surrender to the Right Minister Nobunaga.

"Hmph." That night, Tsutsui Junkei, who had already moved to Uji, sent a secret letter and messenger to Yoshinaka-ji Nobunaga's main camp.

Who was the secret envoy?

Junkei's uncle Fukusumi Junhiro.

Fukusumi Junhiro was a key figure in the Yamato Southern Army, and Tsutsui Junkei was really going all out, sending his own uncle to Nobunaga's side, not even afraid that Nobunaga would just draw his sword and kill him.

At this point, they have no choice but to take a gamble. Fukusumi Yoshihiro, as a hostage of sufficient weight, can certainly gain at least a basic level of mutual trust with Nobunaga. Then, surrendering to Nobunaga again would be a logical next step.

"I was tempted by the traitor Mitsuhide and am guilty." Anyway, Mitsuhide is dead, Fukusumi Junhiro will definitely put all the blame on Mitsuhide.

"Hmph." Nobunaga continued to sneer, casually tossing Tsutsui Junkei's secret letter.

"I'd rather hand over Hanoi and surrender anyway." Fukusumi Yoshihiro wasn't intimidated by Nobunaga's posture and continued to explain.

"Hahaha, return Hanoi?" Nobunaga laughed.

As for those smaller castles, Tsutsui Junkei truly did capture them. Takaya Castle, garrisoned by Miyoshi Yasunaga, was still under the Oda clan. So how could it be returned? It was simply a matter of not being able to hold onto it.

"I am willing to act as an inside agent to join forces in attacking the traitor Nagamasa." Finally, Fukusumi Yoshihiro brought out the most important point.

"Oh?" Nobunaga finally stopped sneering and stared sharply at Fukusumi Yoshihiro.

"We will surely defeat the rebel Nagamasa's army!" Seeing that Nobunaga still hadn't agreed, Fukusumi Yoshihiro could only make a boastful statement.

"Bring me Nagamasa's head, and I will not concern myself with the rest," Nobunaga finally replied.

There's only one condition: if Tsutsui Junkei can obtain the head of Azai Nagamasa, then everything is negotiable, and Nobunaga will be lenient with him. Tsutsui Junkei will be allowed to reside peacefully in Yamato Province, with a real fief of 400,000 koku.

If they did not obtain the head of Azai Nagamasa, they would be considered traitors with unwavering loyalty and a tendency to change their minds. They would not be forgiven and would not receive any leniency from Nobunaga.

"We must bring back the head!" Having come this far, what else could Fukusumi Junhiro say?

As an ally, Tsutsui Junkei could quickly approach the Asai army. This was at the request of Asai Nagamasa, and it wouldn't arouse Nagamasa's suspicion at all.

Once the war begins, Nagamasa's main focus will be on Oda Nobunaga. This will allow the Tsutsui army to mobilize and launch a direct attack on Azai Nagamasa.

With 10,000 cavalry, the Tsutsui army was fully capable of directly attacking Azai Nagamasa's main camp at Kenbe Shrine. In this way, by beheading Azai Nagamasa as a pledge of allegiance, the Tsutsui clan could surely be preserved.

The news quickly reached Uji Tsutsui Junkei, who learned that Nobunaga had written a vermilion seal promising that if Tsutsui Junkei presented Nagamasa's head, he would be pardoned and Yamato Province would be secured. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Chaos truly is the best ladder to advancement, and Tsutsui Junkei has finally secured his position as the lord of Yamato Province. He has struggled for most of his life to finally become the ruler of a nation; the journey has been incredibly difficult.

Shima Sakon, a retainer standing nearby, volunteered to lead the vanguard and directly attack Azai Nagamasa's main camp. Encouraged, the generals set off early at Setabashi.

Simply follow the south bank of the Seta River to reach the area around the Seta Bridge and Kenbe Shrine battlefield.

At noon, the Tsutsui Army, with 10,000 cavalry, appeared in full force south of Seta Bridge. They sent a messenger to Azai Nagamasa, informing him that they had arrived in battle as requested and asking Nagamasa to assign them tasks.

I learned that Tsutsui Junkei was dragging his feet, but at least he finally arrived at the battlefield.

Nagamasa Asai was now at ease, feeling that he had the victory in this battle almost certain.

In the afternoon, a general attack can be launched against Oda Nobunaga, and the battle can be resolved in half a day. Nobunaga will be killed, and Kyoto will be captured. At that time, Azai Nagamasa can also sit on the throne of the Shogun.

On the opposite bank of the Seta River, Oda Nobunaga remained calm and unmoved as he watched the allied forces of Azai Nagamasa and Tsutsui Junkei. The war hadn't even begun, yet the scales of victory had already tipped in Oda Nobunaga's favor. Now, all that remained was to roll the dice and await the final outcome of the war.

510. Reduce the fief by 100,000 and go to Guishan.

What does it mean for an army to collapse like a house of cards?

Nagamasa Asai knew.

In the Battle of Leigu, Oda Nobunaga of the Western Army and Azai Nagamasa of the Eastern Army met at the Seta River. Azai Nagamasa launched the first attack, with the fierce general Isono Kazumasa leading the first wave, the brave general Endo Naotsune the second wave, and Mitamura Sadataru the third wave, all charging forward with overwhelming force.

Despite their best efforts, they were still unable to completely defeat the Kawamura army that was blocking their path. Therefore, Azai Nagamasa demanded that Tsutsui Junkei immediately send troops to attack Oda Nobunaga from the rear. Tsutsui Junkei agreed, but said that he would send troops immediately afterward. His envoys repeatedly asked why they needed to wait a moment.

Our troops are eating lunchboxes.

One sentence left Azai Nagamasa speechless with anger, but all his generals, including Azai Nagamasa himself, knew very well that Tsutsui Junkei had failed to see the advantage his army possessed. If their army had been in a favorable position, Tsutsui Junkei would probably have sounded the horn and launched an attack. Now, the Azai army hadn't even broken through Kawamura's forces in front of them, and they certainly lacked the morale to fight back.

Historically, regardless of the so-called old or new accounts, figures like Mōri Hidemoto, Nagatsuka Masaie, and Chōsokabe Morichika, who joined the battle after advancing from Ise and capturing Anōtsu Castle, were unaware that the battle was lost.

Is everything over? Is he going to be exiled, or even beheaded and his head hung on the streets of Kyoto?

You know that? So what? They didn't participate in the Battle of Sekigahara. Upon hearing the news of the defeat, they immediately scattered and fled, serving no purpose whatsoever.

Among this group of ordinary people, who else, besides Ishida Mitsunari and Otani Yoshitsugu, has such a strong bond? Even Ishida Mitsunari has his own little schemes.

So much so that when Yoshitsugu Otani realized he couldn't persuade Mitsunari Ishida, he bluntly said that he, being blind, could only follow the equally blind Mitsunari Ishida to the afterlife.

There was no other way, so Azai Nagamasa beat the drums and advanced into battle, leaving the Kenbe Shrine, which was protected by trees, high walls, fences, and moats, and entering the open field.

Unless Kawamura Nagayoshi is defeated, Tsutsui Junkei probably won't go into battle.

"They've moved!" Matsukura Ukon, the military magistrate surrounding Tsutsui Junkei, pointed to the surging Asai army's main force of cavalry.

"Sakon, everything depends on you." Realizing that the opportunity had arrived, Tsutsui Junkei entrusted the survival of the Tsutsui family to Shima Sakon.

"I will not fail your trust." Shima Sakon, already on horseback, merely held his gun.

He returned the gift to Tsutsui Shunkei.