Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

"Sōrin, what do you think?" Oda Nobuo looked at Ōtomo Sōrin.

"To abandon one's commander and flee at the slightest setback is a grave crime." Based on the report, Ōtomo Sōrin had a basic idea of ​​what Ōtomo Yoshitō had done, and naturally would not immediately defend him.

"In that case, first detain Otomo Takei, and send someone to Higo to verify his identity before discussing further." Oda Nobuo nodded slightly and immediately pointed to two men...

His trusted attendants prepared to depart for Higo.

"The matter of Satsuma?" Hideyoshi Hashiba asked.

“Yes! What does the Major General think? What do you think, Attendant?” Oda Nobuo pressed his hand down, signaling the two attendants to wait for the opinions of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hashiba Hideyoshi.

"If we can capture the inner castle, we can secure the entire province of Satsuma." Hideyoshi thought for a moment. If Shimazu Yoshitora was willing to raise an army, he could at most secure his own territory. But if he could break through the inner castle, then securing the entire province of Satsuma would be perfectly reasonable.

"That's a good idea." Tokugawa Ieyasu thought about it and decided that it was feasible.

"Did you hear that?" Only then did Oda Nobuo order two attendants to hurry to Higo and relay the central army's decision to Shichibei.

"With the Shimazu flank crumbling, our army has won. We should immediately launch an offensive against Kadokawa," Hideyoshi continued.

With the deaths of Shimazu Tokichi and Shimazu Yoshihiro, the collapse of these two men has reduced the Shimazu army by eight thousand men. With one arm of the Shimazu forces severed, an offensive is indeed warranted.

"The Shimazu troops have retreated! The Shimazu troops have retreated!" Oda Nobuo's subordinate, Hijikata Okihisa, pointed outside the tent.

The generals rose and climbed Mount Atago to observe the situation across the river. They indeed discovered that the Shimazu army inside the castle was retreating, and the upper parts of both mountains...

The troops under the command continued to march south. The flags on the walls of Menchuan City also disappeared.

Perhaps Kawamura Nagayoshi has already led his troops into Satsuma, but unfortunately the two armies are separated and unable to establish real-time communication. But at least it is certain that Kawamura's army has turned its attention to Satsuma.

What to do now? Should we pursue them relentlessly, or wait and see?

Ito Yuhei immediately volunteered, saying that he was willing to lead his troops to first occupy Kadokawa Castle and search the nearby valleys, and then report back after confirming that it was safe.

It would be best to have those willing to take the initiative to probe. Hideyoshi immediately ordered Ito Yuhei to set out, and Ito Yuhei, who was the first to act, immediately went into battle.

After the Shimazu army retreated, they immediately burned down the bridges over the Isuzu River and set fire to all the boats of all sizes that were available on the shore.

Looks like they're scared!

While Hideyoshi and Ieyasu still had their suspicions, Nobukatsu judged that the Shimazu army was filled with fear and preparing to retreat to the Satsuma-Osumi stronghold. Of course, Nobukatsu did not speak, but simply ordered Hijikata Okuhisa to accompany Ito Yuhei to search the area around Kadokawa Castle.

As expected, Kadokawa Castle had been completely abandoned, and the valleys on either side, searched by the local Ito Yuhei, yielded no ambushes. Oda's main force then moved forward and immediately sent men out to search the area around Takagi Castle and to assess the situation at Satohara.

News that delighted the generals came again: the Shimazu army had even abandoned Takagi Castle and was heading south, seemingly preparing to defend the Satsuma-Osumi stronghold.

The only thing to be wary of is that the Shimazu army left 5,000 cavalrymen at Satohara Castle. This is a threat, and judging from the Shimazu army's posture, they seem to intend to use the fortified Satohara Castle as a base to continue resisting the Oda army's attack in Hyuga. Their main force will return to Satsuma to defeat the Oda army's flank.

Only then did Hideyoshi and Ieyasu breathe a sigh of relief. Everything indicated that Shimazu Yoshihisa Iehisa was going to rescue Satsuma, and the Hyuga could easily defeat him.

Following a military council, Tokugawa Ieyasu's 7,000-plus men and Ito Yuhei's 2,000 men were swiftly stationed at Takajo Castle. The main army, meanwhile, slowly traversed the mountains north of Hyuga, aiming to move the entire force of tens of thousands of men into Miyazaki Hirano Satohara within three days.

They stormed into Satohara and captured Minamoto no Hisashi alive.

You ask why it took three days? Because after Ōtomo Yoshitomo fled back, five or six thousand Ōtomo troops continuously fled back to Bungo. Originally...

This thing can be dealt with by sending someone with a few thousand people.

But this meant that Ōtomo Yoshitomo had been captured, and the army was stationed in Bungo, one of the three most important ports in Kyushu. No disturbances in Bungo were to be tolerated. Therefore, the army split up to return first to gather and disarm all the defeated soldiers in Bungo. Afterwards, they would proceed according to the judgment against Ōtomo Yoshitomo.

It was through dealing with Ōtomo Yoshitomo and the Ōtomo army that Oda Nobuo learned more details. These included the "Seven Spears of Iigake"—Todo Takatora, Kawamura Naokichi, Hara Nagayori, Sanada Masakiri, Goto Mototsugu, Watanabe Ryo, and Hiratsuka Tamehiro—who bravely defeated the enemy, as well as Shiga Chikatsugu, who fought repeatedly in the battle and served as the vanguard of the entire army.

A new idea came to Oda Nobuo's mind: to secure the entire province of Bungo and the county of Bunzen. In fact, Ōtomo Yoshitomo did not feel much gratitude towards the Oda family.

Now that Ōtomo Yoshitaka has committed such a grave crime, he should be reformed. However, his father, Ōtomo Sōrin, has already become a retainer of Oda Nobunaga and receives an annual stipend of 8,000 kan.

Originally, Nobunaga promised Ōtomo Sōrin 100,000 koku to Hyuga in exchange for the Kyushu branch account in his possession. Now, Hyuga no longer needs Anchi; instead, Anchi will give him 100,000 koku in Bungo and preserve the Ōtomo family name.

Anyway, Yoshishige Otomo had more than one son, and Yoshitomo Otomo also had a son.

Bungo gained an extra 300,000 koku of land. This 300,000 koku of land, along with the 100,000 koku of land in Hyuga, could be used to place many lords who were close to Nobukatsu.

Nobukatsu even considered placing his sworn brother, Chosokabe Nobuchika, in the 300,000 koku of Bungo. Currently, the Chosokabe family nominally owns 300,000 koku, which is 100,000 koku in Tosa and 200,000 koku in Minami-Iyo.

Of this, 100,000 koku belonged to Chōsokabe Nobuchika. By removing Nobuchika from Minami-Iyō and establishing him as a lord of a castle with 100,000 koku in Minami-Iyō, and making Nobuchika a quasi-lord of Bungo with 300,000 koku, the Chōsokabe clan would not suffer any loss.

Although Ōtomo Yoshitaka is a fool, it is precisely because of fools like him that Kyushu is able to suddenly have an extra 400,000 koku of rice to reward its people. "Serving the emperor with imperial favor, the emperor's favor is immense, only by serving the emperor can one work diligently!"

He wasn't envious of the "Seven Spears of Iigake" under Shichibei, because everyone actually had those kinds of "pig samurai." For example, there was Ieyoshi under Oda Nobuhiro, and Honda Tadakatsu under Tokugawa Ieyasu. Nobuo himself also had Nakagawa Kanemon. With just bravery, they could lead three to five hundred samurai into battle, and with some knowledge, they could recruit them.

It depends on whether they can grow into generals who can command thousands of men.

Those who have grown up and matured are perhaps the ones who inspire the desire to recruit. Besides, Oda Nobuo has already recruited Atake Kiyoyasu, and he can't afford to recruit anyone else now.

Hideyoshi, please ruthlessly gather together the forces of Ōtomo Yoshitomo and his army from Bungo Province. Oda Nobukatsu is still chatting with Ataka Kiyoyasu. The battles to come will probably not be too troublesome. The Shimazu clan is attacked from two sides, and their defeat is not far off.

Ataka Kiyoyasu has now practically become Oda Nobuo's personal guard, serving by his side, and he is optimistic about the current battle situation. However, he believes that if Shimazu Yoshihisa withdraws his main force back to Satsuma, then the pressure on Kawamura's army will increase.

Including Hachiya Yoritaka, Shichibei had about 15,000 cavalry. Facing at least 30,000 Shimazu troops with only 15,000 men would be no easy task, even with the support of the Aso army.

The Shimazu clan clearly intended to first eliminate Kawamura's army before rushing back to fight Oda Nobukatsu. Therefore, Ataka Kiyoyasu believed that they should quickly attack Satohara, seize Hyuga, and weaken the Shimazu clan's power.

"Should we advance quickly?" Oda Nobuo thought to himself that Shichibei had come to ask him whether or not to pacify Shimazu Yoshitora, which meant that Shichibei was not rushing into Satsuma.

"Yes, speed is of the essence in war." Ataka Kiyoyasu hoped that Oda Nobuo would quickly lead the main force to Takajo to join Tokugawa Ieyasu.

574. The decisive battle begins at Takagi Castle.

This must be the "fishing in the wild and ambushing" tactic.

On the walls of Takajo Castle, Tokugawa Ieyasu looked down at the 35,000 Shimazu troops, several times larger than those inside the castle, but showed no particular panic. He simply asked Ito Yuhei if this was the Shimazu clan's prized ambush tactic.

Of course! First, feign a retreat to lure a portion of the enemy army into pursuit. Then, the main force, scattered and hidden throughout the field, will launch a fierce attack and wipe out the enemy's vanguard.

Thus, the enemy, whether terrified, panicked, fleeing in panic, or determined to retaliate, will inevitably lose their composure. Losing reason on the battlefield means defeat is not far off.

Unfortunately, Shimazu Yoshihisa encountered Tokugawa Ieyasu.

It's been said that if Hojo Ujiyasu, Mori Motonari, Oda Nobunaga, and Tokugawa Ieyasu stood together and started arguing, the first three were renowned generals who won crucial battles that determined the fate of Japan or parts of the country. With their deaths, Tokugawa Ieyasu was the most famous general. Now, with the older generation either dead or weak, in terms of actual combat, Tokugawa Ieyasu is already in the first tier.

Thirty-five thousand Shimazu soldiers were divided into six groups. One group protected Shimazu Yoshihisa, while the other five groups took turns attacking Takagi Castle. In order to...

To facilitate the siege, the Shimazu army even set fire to the Otemon gate of Takagi Castle during their earlier retreat.

Unfortunately, Takashiro is situated between two rivers: the Tani-Seto River to the north and the Takashiro River to the south. The castle was built on a 60-meter-high platform between the two rivers. It is surrounded by sheer cliffs on three sides, with only one side suitable for normal warfare.

The main keep and the second keep were built in layers, meaning that only the Ōtemon gate was burned down; otherwise, it would have been impossible for the Shimazu army to launch a quick attack. They could only watch helplessly as the city fell, or resort to a supply siege.

Upon noticing the Shimazu army surrounding him after he entered the castle, Tokugawa Ieyasu immediately began demolishing houses and setting them on fire without a word. To be fair, the old fox's skill was far superior to that of eight Ito Yusuke bound together.

The dismantled roof beams were nailed together with wooden planks and used to block the burned-out gate. The remaining hundreds of houses outside the castle that hadn't been demolished were all set ablaze by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The fire raged all night and into the early morning, preventing the Shimazu army from advancing an inch, while giving the Tokugawa and Ito armies time to prepare.

Not only were the city walls and gates repaired and reinforced to some extent, but Tokugawa Ieyasu also ensured that the soldiers who had marched so quickly had a full night's rest.

Although the Tokugawa army suffered losses of four or five hundred men during their fierce attack on the county seat, and the troops were exhausted, Oda Nobukatsu was still very generous in distributing rewards.

One thing he should learn from is his father, Nobunaga. When the poor bastards of Mikawa go out to fight, as long as the money is there, their mental exhaustion is somewhat comforted.

Now I can sleep soundly through the night, which is much better than fighting continuously without a moment's rest.

Looking at the raging fire below the castle, Shimazu Yoshihisa knew he had met his match. As for Ito Yuhei, he was a mere defeated foe, not worth mentioning. And as for Tokugawa Ieyasu, based on accounts from the defeated soldiers in the surrounding prefectures and daily intelligence gathering, he was nothing more than a normal Sengoku-era Japanese army.

Just like when Shimazu Yoshihiro chose the Kawamura clan, was he more resilient in battle? Was there anyone in all of Japan more resilient in battle than me, Satsuma Hayato? In terms of sheer bravery, he was unparalleled. Then Shimazu Yoshihiro encountered a core group of elite soldiers fed with Tensho Kinpan and Yongle Tongbao coins, while Shimazu Yoshihisa encountered Tokugawa Ieyasu, now in the top tier.

On the first day, they launched a fierce attack, but the fire broke out and they could not fight for long. On the second day, the Shimazu army fought desperately and launched a fierce attack on Takagi Castle. Under the command of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the entire castle remained unmoved and there was no possibility of it falling.

On the third day, the Shimazu army found itself in a dilemma.

It's understandable that Oda's vanguard advanced swiftly with light troops, given that Takagi Castle is near the Mimikawa River, a crucial pass for entering Miyazaki, Hirano, and Satohara.

Only by capturing Gaocheng can we move in and out at will.

Therefore, Shimazu Yoshihisa gave himself only three days. In his view, three days was more than enough to conquer Takagi Castle, wipe out Oda's vanguard, and thus influence or intimidate the entire Oda army.

They failed to win.

This is war—a war that is ever-changing, where one wrong step can lead to certain doom. Those who can seize the opportunity in such a rapidly changing world are extremely rare.

Shimazu Yoshihisa, Yamada Arinobu, and others hurriedly advised that they should attack for another day, and if they could not capture the castle, they should immediately withdraw their troops. If they lingered at the foot of Takajo Castle for too long and encountered the main force of Oda's army, the Shimazu army would be in danger of being overthrown.

Naturally, Shimazu Yoshihisa was someone who would listen to advice, and immediately agreed to the proposal. He then personally led the Shimazu Omakai troops to attack Taka Castle, intending to break through the castle and annihilate Oda's vanguard.

Shimazu Tadahira and Saruwatari Nobumitsu also joined the battle, launching fierce attacks on the high castle from both the front and rear. The Tokugawa generals, all valiant and fierce warriors, defended their own walls and engaged in a protracted struggle with the Shimazu army at the Otemon Gate.

The sound of cannons booming from both the city walls and the surrounding area was like thunder, almost never ceasing. The twang of bowstrings was deafening, and arrows rained down from the city walls like locusts, as if they were being drenched in rain.

From dawn to noon, the position at the Great Gate changed hands repeatedly. The Tokugawa Ito army had a thousand cavalrymen fighting to the death, while the Shimazu army had more than two thousand cavalrymen fighting to the death. The two sides fought with bloodshot eyes, vying for this one last bit of pride.

As the afternoon light began to shift, the two armies resumed their battle. At this critical moment, inspired by Ataka Kiyoyasu, Oda Nobukatsu did not wait for Hashiba Hideyoshi to gather the defeated Ōtomo troops in Bungo. Instead, he sent his son-in-law Amago Katsuhisa as the vanguard, heading straight for Taga Shrine northeast of Takagi Castle.

After capturing Taga Shrine, the Amago army discovered that tens of thousands of Shimazu cavalry were besieging Takagi Castle, and gunfire erupted from both sides. Realizing that the situation had changed drastically, Amago Katsuhisa immediately reported the news to his father-in-law, Oda Nobukatsu. He then led a fierce attack with Kamei Tsukinori as the vanguard and Yamanaka Shikanosuke as the flanker.

Amago Katsuhisa himself led the troops into battle, leaving 2,000 men to control Taga Shrine while the rest marched straight to Takajodai. Oda Nobukatsu, upon receiving this news, was greatly alarmed; they had fallen into a trap set by the Shimazu army.

His first reaction was regret; he should have waited until he and Hideyoshi met up before going into battle together. But soon, his ambition—that he was now a candidate for the throne and had come to Kyushu to earn face for himself—resurfaced.

They can't run away. According to Amago Katsuhisa, Takagi Castle is still under battle. Tokugawa Ieyasu's abilities are still considerable; it's impossible for him to do this.

Falling into the city so quickly.

Since the valiant Amago army has already charged forward, the worst that can happen is a piecemeal battle. The Oda army numbers in the tens of thousands, with reinforcements arriving continuously. They were already trying every possible means to fight a full-scale decisive battle against the Shimazu army.

Now, by adding fuel to the fire and continuously deploying troops to Takajo, the main force of the Shimazu army will be tied up in the field. At most one or two days, Hideyoshi Hashiba will be able to arrive upon receiving the news. At that time, the army will be handed over to Hideyoshi Hashiba's command, and he, as the supreme commander, will reap the glorious victory of defeating tens of thousands of enemy troops in a direct confrontation in the field.

Seeing his doubt, Kiyoyasu Ataka quickly tried to persuade him, saying that the battle had already begun and the situation was not to be swayed.

Nonsense, buddy, I'm just dreaming about a bright future, what are you hesitating about? Oda Nobuo may be a bit of a coward himself, but he's incredibly brave to send his son-in-law and sworn brothers to the front lines. You guys go for it, I've got tons of money for you.

Without a word, Oda Nobukatsu ordered Chosokabe Nobuchika to send 5,000 cavalry to respond to Amago Katsuhisa. He then mobilized the elite troops and generals that his father had assigned to him, including Hori Hidemasa, Kimura Yoshikiyo, Azai Masasada, and Oda Nobuhisa. He ordered them to go and kill the Shimazu barbarians along the route into the Miyazaki Plain.

They arrived to fight; the generals didn't need any rhetoric, they just grabbed their swords and spears and charged forward.

Seeing that Oda Nobuo remained quite calm, Ataka Kiyoyasu had nothing more to say. As the supreme commander, he didn't need to personally engage in battle; instead, he commanded his samurai to fight and rewarded them appropriately after victory—that was what made a competent supreme commander.

Currently, the Oda army unanimously agrees to fight a decisive battle with the Shimazu army, and this arrangement is perfectly reasonable. The question now is whether they can defeat the Shimazu in open battle.

When Kamei Tsukinori led six hundred men and suddenly appeared beneath the castle, the entire battle situation subtly shifted. Both Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ito Suhei, defending the castle, and Shimazu Yoshihisa and his generals besieging it, knew that the decisive moment might be approaching.

Having failed to capture the castle and then encountering enemy reinforcements, Saruwatari Nobumitsu directly advised Shimazu Yoshihisa to "blow up" his troops, dividing them into eight groups, and retreat to Satohara first. Satohara Castle still had 5,000 cavalry under Shimazu Iehisa, who could hold their positions with their backs to the city and still have a chance to turn the tide.

Before Shimazu Yoshihisa could make a decision, Yamanaka Shikanosuke of the second rank of the Amago army had already charged forward, brandishing his cross-shaped spear. The Amago army hadn't participated in the earlier attack on the prefectural city. But they had surrendered Kadokawa Castle themselves, and the Amago army...

They were just watching. Finally, they encountered a field battle, and Yamanaka Shikanosuke had been itching to join in for a long time.

The third wave was led by Shinji Motomichi, and the fourth by Tachihara Mitsutada. Wave after wave of Amago soldiers arrived on the battlefield. They simply hacked at anyone they saw. For the past ten or twenty years, the Amago soldiers had lived every day of killing people, and the more they killed, the more energetic they became.

And so they succeeded, finally reclaiming Izumo's old home of 300,000 koku of rice. Oda Nobunaga and his son Nobukatsu were extremely grateful, with Amago Katsuhisa calling Oda Nobukatsu their adoptive father with utmost sincerity.

When Amago Katsuhisa's four-eyed bridle appeared on the battlefield, seven or eight thousand Amago soldiers were all thrown into a fierce attack on the Shimazu army. Even Amago Katsuhisa himself wielded a spear and charged into the fray.