Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Under normal circumstances, even with a relatively strong mobilization, 500 men for every 10,000 koku of rice, or 20,000 cavalry for every 400,000 koku of rice. But Uesugi Kagetora managed to mobilize more than 30,000 men, demonstrating an extremely strong determination to resist.

In addition, Kagetora also sought help from other vassal states such as Ashina, Daihoji, and Honma. He repeatedly explained to them the principle of mutual dependence and pleaded for their military assistance.

Therefore, the Homma and Shonai Daihoji families in Sado each dispatched one thousand cavalrymen to reinforce Kasugayama. The Homma army had already arrived at Naoya.

Jiangjin and Daibao Temple soldiers are on their way.

Don't underestimate these two thousand men. At this critical moment, these two thousand men are able to defend Kasugayama and hold off Oda's army of ten thousand.

Furthermore, after receiving the request, Ashina Moritaka made up his mind and ordered Kanehime Totomi-no-kami to lead 3,000 men to aid Uesugi Kagetora. In just over ten days, he brought 5,000 reinforcements to Uesugi Kagetora; he really worked hard!

The two armies clashed fiercely from dawn till dusk, engaging in four battles. Uesugi Kagetora twice launched attacks on Oda's central army. Unfortunately, Oda's forces were too numerous and could not break through. Exhausted, the Uesugi army was forced to retreat after leaving behind thousands of corpses.

Shichibei, who had seen it all, was amazed as he watched the Uesugi army retreat in such an orderly manner.

After all, they were the elite troops of Echigo led by Uesugi Kenshin. Although they suffered severe losses due to internal strife, and even the entire Ueda clan of Sakado Castle was wiped out, it did not prevent their fighting power from remaining high.

It's no wonder that Oda Nobuhiro spent many years in town, repeatedly pulling in and out against the Uesugi army, until this year when he finally gained a significant advantage and achieved a complete breakthrough.

However, even such a powerful army is now facing annihilation. —Takada

After the battle, the Battle of Noriyama ended with Uesugi Kagenobu's voluntary withdrawal. The remaining 20,000 Uesugi cavalry, along with 5,000 reinforcements, gathered around Kasugayama Castle for a final, desperate resistance.

If they can delay until the first snowfall of winter, Uesugi Kagetora can be saved, and the Oda army will retreat because of the heavy snow that can bury a person.

Furthermore, the sheer number of troops exceeding 60,000 gathered at the foot of Kasugayama Castle, requiring countless cartloads daily, posed a significant problem. Uesugi Kagetora, still undeterred, deployed his forces and continued to engage the Oda army in fierce combat.

"Goro-zae." Shichibei spotted Niwa Nagahide again.

"Shichibei," Niwa Nagahide quickly greeted.

Without further ado, Niwa Nagahide inquired about Oda Nobuhiro's condition and, upon learning that Nobuhiro was nearing the end of his life, sighed deeply. Nobuhiro was six years older than Oda Nobunaga, who was forty-nine this year, normally fifty. Nobuhiro's health had collapsed at fifty-six; one could only say that his time had come.

If he were to pass away, who would take over as the head of the Oda clan's inner circle?

Oda Nobunaga's designated third branch, Oda Nobuhiro's eldest son, Oda Saburogo

Lang is around ten years old, Oda Sanboshi will be thirteen next year, and Oda Nobuo's second son is still a liquid. Isn't this ridiculous?

"It's up to our lord to decide." Niwa Nagahide thought to himself that with Nobutada dead, the Oda clan was really getting into a lot of trouble, and it was mostly internal.

If Nobutada hadn't died, Nobuyuki would have been the head of the family after Nobuhiro's passing. But now that Nobuyuki is the eldest son, the position absolutely cannot be given to Nobuhiro, who is both powerful and an adult son. It's not that we're afraid of Nobuhiro, but we can't arbitrarily strengthen his position, lest he become too powerful to control.

"That's the only way." Shichibei didn't have a good idea for the time being.

"What do you think of Mount Kasuga before us?" Niwa Nagahide was indeed Nobunaga's good son-in-law, good henchman, and good lackey, always prioritizing official business.

"Take down the branch castles, burn down the castle town, surround the main castle, and then send people into the castle to persuade them to surrender." Shichibei's approach is a very normal Japanese approach.

This attempt to persuade someone to surrender was certainly not a genuine surrender of their territory. To give a more recent example, when Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu was opened to the enemy, Shimizu Muneharu committed seppuku, and his territory was transferred, but the 5,000 castle soldiers were spared.

To put it more directly, at Satsuma Imperial Castle, Shimazu Yoshihisa surrendered, and all the direct territories and vassal territories of the Shimazu clan were stripped away. He then went to Kyoto in white robes to apologize to Oda Nobunaga and beg for forgiveness.

The same thing happened to Ryuzoji Takanobu and Nabeshima Naoshige of Saga Castle next door, except that the entire hereditary retainers of the Ryuzoji family were wiped out, while the Shimazu family was not.

Therefore, Ryuzoji and Nabeshima only received a total of 7,500 koku, while Shimazu Yoshihisa, a monk, received 20,000 koku as retirement provisions.

At this moment, Uesugi Kagetora is resisting the imperial army, and sparing his entire family is already a great favor. To be able to shave his head and submit, and then serve as a member of Nobunaga's guards, is incredibly fortunate.

“That’s fine.” Niwa Nagahide had come all the way from Uozu Castle in Echigo Province, and his men were quite exhausted.

If it weren't for the immense military challenge of attacking Kasugayama Castle, the generals of Hokuriku wouldn't be putting in such effort. After all, Echigo is a territory of over 400,000 koku; even a small taste of it would be quite delicious.

"Kyoto Palace, Echizen Attendant Palace." As the two were exchanging information, an attendant ran over.

"What's the matter?"

"Prime Minister Matsushiro is on his deathbed." These words startled the two men, who immediately spurred their horses toward the Niōdō Hall, which was located a short distance away.

At this moment, Oda Nobuhiro had already woken up and was waiting for the two to arrive. Upon seeing his two good sons-in-law, Oda Nobuhiro even squeezed in...

He gave a smile.

Before the two could speak, Oda Nobuhiro said, "I don't have much time left, please listen to me. My son, Oda Saburo-goro, whose coming-of-age name is Oda Nobuhisa, wishes for Oda Nobunaga to personally shave his head and bestow a crown upon him. I also wish to pass on my domain of over 400,000 koku in Shinano and Matsushiro Castle to Oda Nobuhisa, as a token of his unwavering loyalty to Nobunaga Nobukatsu."

"Alas, I will never see the world unified..."

589. The battle raged like a raging storm at the foot of the mountain in spring.

Nobunaga, who had set off several days earlier than Shichibei, only made it to Sakai by sea. After settling in briefly, he sped off towards the Shinano-Echigo war zone. Suddenly, he appeared at Niōdō.

Nobunaga and Nobuhiro were by no means a pair of star-crossed lovers. Although they had loved and fought each other for decades, Nobunaga could not help but shed tears when he saw Nobuhiro's frail and dying appearance.

Although Nobunaga had many brothers, most of them were not particularly brave or resourceful. Nagano Nobukatsu and Hirate Nobumasa were examples of this, and many others died at the Battle of Mikatagahara. As a result, although Nobuhide left Nobunaga with more than a dozen brothers, it was always Nobuhiro, who was six years older than Nobunaga, who took the lead.

Even though Nobuhiro had plotted a rebellion and even considered colluding with Saito Yoshitatsu to assassinate Nobunaga, that was all in the past. Now, Nobuhiro was Nobunaga's trusted elder brother, serving him faithfully. He was the chief retainer of the Oda clan and the commander-in-chief of the entire Oda clan's eastern front.

In Nobunaga's previous plans, Nobuhiro was supposed to be one of the cornerstones of Nobukatsu's regime's stability. Little did he expect that Nobuhiro would actually be the one to die before him.

Nobunaga was able to travel thousands of miles, rushing all the way from Usugi in Bungo Province.

Perhaps the one who would see him one last time was Nobuhiro. Who else could it be but him?

Nobuhiro, on the other hand, suddenly seemed to regain some energy, even managing to stand up and walk with Oda Nobunaga. Nobunaga was no ordinary man; he was the Grand Chancellor, yet he was supporting his elder brother as they slowly strolled through the courtyard in front of the Niōdō Hall.

It is impossible to know what the two talked about. Everyone knelt quietly on the eaves of the hall, leaving the time and space to the Nobunaga brothers.

"It's probably just a last gasp before death."

A thought welled up in Shichibei's mind: fifty years in the human world, and Nobuhiro had lived to be fifty-six, so it couldn't be considered an early death. It was just that his son was only ten years old, and he couldn't rest easy about him.

He glanced sideways at Niwa Nagahide, whose eyes were closed, seemingly unconcerned about Nobunaga and Nobuhiro's meeting. But his hands betrayed him; his fingers hung on his thigh, tapping rapidly and incessantly.

With Nobuhiro's passing, the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Front will definitely need to be changed. Although it's highly unlikely to be Niwa Nagahide, he will inevitably be involved. This is because the generals of the Hokuriku Province army under Nagahide's command may be transferred to the new commander-in-chief.

The result was that, like Hideyoshi and Shichibei, they were stripped of all their power and resources. Although they were given a large country with more than 500,000 koku of rice, they could only go to the distant Kyushu region.

For example, if he were to transfer his fiefdom to Echigo-Shonai with 500,000 koku, he could relinquish Echizen Province, which is close to the core ruling area of ​​the Kinai.

The summer afternoon was still sweltering, and sweat unconsciously beaded on everyone's faces. Nobunaga and Nobuhiro, strolling in the shade, seemed quite engrossed in conversation, walking and stopping as they pleased without any intention of resting.

Ultimately, the world belonged to the Oda family. The two brothers had so much to say and so many plans to make. Unfortunately, they didn't have that much time left.

They talked for about fifteen minutes before finally ending their conversation. Nobunaga helped Nobuhiro back inside. The monks of Niōdō Hall had either fled or been driven elsewhere, leaving only a few junior monks to care for Nobuhiro. Surrounding them was Oda's army camp and two thousand men protecting Nobuhiro.

Two things were announced: first, a coming-of-age ceremony would be immediately held for Oda Saburo-goro, and he would come to "take command" of the Kai and Shinano armies. His name was Oda Nobuhisa, chosen by Nobuhiro, and Nobunaga immediately appointed him as Chamberlain and Governor of Shinano. He was then promoted in order of rank: Major General, Lieutenant General, and finally Councilor and Middle Counselor.

Secondly, Nobunaga personally commanded the general attack on Kasugayama Castle.

The Daoist sect brought Oda Sanboshi from Mino territory. The twelve-year-old Oda Sanboshi, along with Oda Saburo and Goro, came of age together.

These are truly two orders that leave much to the imagination.

However, no one would object to Nobunaga taking over the entire army. Shichibei was also reduced from commanding the nearly 30,000-strong Kai-Nobu army to commanding only the 11,000-strong Nobuhiro main force.

Soon, all the generals from Kai and Shinto, as well as those from Hokuriku, rushed to a meeting to pay their respects to Oda Nobunaga. Upon seeing the Grand Chancellor, everyone kowtowed, not one showing any dissatisfaction. In those days, the only ones who dared to defy Nobunaga were Uesugi Kagetora and Hojo Ujimasa. Seeing that Uesugi Kagetora was about to die, who would dare to speak ill of Nobunaga?

Are you out of your mind?!

The lord of Matsukura Castle in Etchu, Shiina Kagenao, who had been captured earlier, was temporarily placed under the care of Matsui Tomokazu, the Kyoto magistrate. This last 100,000 koku of land in Etchu was granted to Sasa Narimasa, the vanguard leader of the main attack. Thus, Sasa Narimasa became the daimyo of the Toyama Domain in Higashi-Etchu, with a 200,000 koku, and was already a daimyo of the rank of lord.

Now, Sassa Narimasa shouldn't be the vanguard; let others take the credit. Sassa Narimasa certainly knew the principle of moderation, and besides, it was Nobunaga who had instructed him, so he didn't say a word and immediately agreed to be the one to follow up.

Immediately afterward, Nobunaga appointed Niwa Nagashige and Maeda Toshinaga, both sons-in-law of Nobunaga and Nobukatsu. These were important Owari hereditary leaders left to Nobukatsu for his rule. One held 100,000 koku in Kanazawa, Kaga, and the other 100,000 koku in Masuyama, Etchu, each with four to five thousand men in his ranks. They could serve as the main force in attacking Kasugayama Castle, launching successive assaults.

Let's go to Bashi Castle first, and then the two of you can have a contest. The Uesugi army is a tough nut to crack, and Uesugi Kagetora is no pushover either; the power of a cornered beast fighting to the death is still considerable. In a battle like this, no one would say that Nobunaga is protecting Niwa Nagashige and Maeda Toshinaga.

In addition, the reserve force consisted of 8,000 cavalrymen from Kaiyama Prefecture. Yamagata Masamitsu's mission was not simple: to block the 5,000 reinforcements who were strategically positioned outside Kasugayama Castle, as well as the 3,000 Uesugi troops under the command of Hojo Kagehiro.

Like the main castles of other Sengoku lords, Kasugayama Castle was surrounded by numerous branch castles, forming a complete defensive system. Coupled with the castle's inherent ruggedness, Uesugi Kagetora was not without a chance to turn the tide.

With 25,000 troops, they can succeed if they hold out until winter.

Unlike fighting in the western country, Kasugayama Castle could not be besieged for one or two years. Winter lasted five months, with heavy snow blocking the gates for two or three months, making it impossible for the besieging army to stay in the open.

The plan is to use the superior force of over 60,000 men to wear down Uesugi.

The soldiers were worn down. No matter how strong the city walls or how cold the weather, without an army to defend it, it's nothing.

"What do you think of Awa no Kami's strategy, Lord?" Since Nobunaga was in charge of the main camp, everyone else was more flexible and could come to the front lines to observe the battle.

"To arrive upright and righteous, to prevail with authority, and to win through justice." Sanada Masayuki felt a sense of longing for this.

Historically, he first sent most of Ōkubo Tadayo's family to their deaths, then held Tokugawa Hidetada captive in Ueda Castle for several days, employing various ingenious strategies and employing tactics that were unpredictable and elusive. However, this was mainly because his strength was weak, and he could only exhaust all means and methods to achieve victory.

If he really had the chance to fight a decisive battle, he wouldn't want to waste so many brain cells. He'd rather use the momentum of a victorious army, advancing step by step, and completely overwhelm the Uesugi army with the force of Mount Tai.

"In my opinion, that's also true." Shichibei made a small boast, and Sanada Masayuki and I shared the same thought.

"However, I heard that it might snow in Yuezhou in mid-September, but it's already early July now." Sanada Masaki rarely gets to go back to his hometown, and he sees his brothers and buddies chatting and joking around with people these past few days.

It's clear they weren't just boasting; they at least found out that it was mid-September in the lunar calendar.

Snowfall in Echigo usually occurs after October 15th. Around that time, Echigo typically experiences its first snowfall.

Once it snows, the Oda army will have to retreat. Calculating the time, there are still two months to fight. If they can't wipe out the Uesugi army within two months and manage to defeat or subdue Uesugi Kagetora, this year's war will have been for nothing.

"What? Is it a bribe, or an inside agent? Or does the Vice Minister of War know about some secret passage?" Since Shichibei doesn't actually command the battle, he can speculate.

"Thirty branch cities, I'm afraid they'll be hard to bribe." Sanada Masaki is not only a tough guy, but also quite shrewd.

That's right. Kasugayama Castle has more than thirty branch castles, forming a dense network within a 3-5km radius of the main castle. And they aren't all small fortresses; for example, the Odate Castle, which was used for defense by the Uesugi government, was a central location capable of accommodating several thousand people.

These secondary core castles were built in the four directions of Kasugayama Castle: east, west, south, and north. Essentially, the main castle managed several branch castles, which in turn controlled the surrounding fortified villages. A single fortified village might only have three to five hundred men, but due to the narrow fighting surface, you could only send one or two thousand men to attack.

Then men poured out from the surrounding fortresses, attacking from the front and rear, supporting each other from all sides. Those who could fight fought, those who couldn't retreated; those with the advantage opened the gates of the secondary core castle. Two or three thousand men poured out.

Attack the enemy.

Such a fortified defense, with its defensive concepts, was not entirely outdated even into the 19th century. This was the source of the Uesugi army's confidence in retreating completely into the castle and holding out to the death.

If the outlying cities are not destroyed, the main city will remain unshaken.

Kagetora Uesugi, who reigns supreme over Mount Kasuga, is truly a great tiger lurking on the snowy plains, watching for the wolves attacking from both sides. He seizes an opening and bites the wolves hard, leaving them severely wounded.

"Don't worry, if you two brothers can buy a fortress, I guarantee a reward of ten gold coins. Price is not a factor, just open the city gates." Talking about money? Talking about money is too easy. What I fear most is you talking to me about courage, patience, and combat skills.

And you're talking to me about money? That's ridiculous. I could easily afford millions.

Go ahead and try to bribe them. As long as the fortresses are willing to open their gates, the seven guards of the city will spare your lives. Don't even think about the safety of your territory; you'll be lucky to survive. Furthermore, whoever successfully bribes someone will be rewarded with one hundred taels of gold.

You said this would disturb Maeda Toshinaga and Niwa Nagashige's attack on the enemy.

Fortresses are for establishing merit and achieving great things. There are more than thirty fortresses, and they only have four thousand men. It would be remarkable if each person could take down three or five fortresses.

"Team Maeda has withdrawn." Masayuki Sanada waved and pointed ahead.

"Normal." Is the castle defense system built by Uesugi Kenshin so easy to take down?