Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

So you know Kinoshita Koichiro...

This can be considered an interlude, because after Kinoshita Koichiro received the thirty-odd soldiers and five horses that Nobunaga had assigned to his brother, he was ordered to lead a force of about three hundred men across the Kiso River to the north bank to intercept Saito Tatsuoki's reinforcements from Mino.

As long as Oda Nobukiyo remains alive, Nobunaga will be unable to launch a full-scale attack on Mino. Although Saito Tatsuoki is a "young lord," he is by no means a fool. He understands the principle of mutual dependence and will certainly send troops to rescue Oda Nobukiyo.

Inuyama Castle is located on the south bank of the Kiso River, and the Mino troops would have to cross the river to provide support. Kinoshita Tokichiro's orders were to intercept the Mino army at all costs and prevent them from crossing the river.

If Mino were to send several thousand men, Kinoshita Tokichiro's three hundred or so men would certainly not be enough, but at least they could serve as an early warning, buying Nobunaga time to divide his forces.

However, in the Inuyama guide, no anecdotes about the historical Kinoshita Tokichiro appear.

It turns out he was sent to fight reinforcements. Presumably, the Mino soldiers didn't come, so he didn't get any merit and therefore left no record.

By the way, why did Kinoshita Tokichiro have 300 men under his command? It consisted of himself, a few early retainers, more than 30 soldiers aided by Nobunaga, plus 100 foot soldiers originally assigned to him, totaling about 150 men. The other 150 men were grooms, junior servants, flag bearers, and small porters.

Because he was handing over supplies to the Tsushima clan to Murai Sadakatsu, Shichibei couldn't spare the time to go see what Kinoshita Tokichiro looked like. It wasn't a big loss, though; they'd meet sooner or later anyway.

"Shichibei, you will be joining the army with Kyuemon, understand?" After Murai Sadakatsu had checked and packed up all the supplies, he assigned Shichibei to an acquaintance.

"Understood, understood." The packhorses, which had put down lead ingots and saltpeter, now pulled grain and arrows.

Lead ingots and saltpeter, etc., should have been prepared at the foot of Komakiyama Castle before being handed over to Nobunaga's personal arquebusiers. I wonder how those Christian townspeople who came to the castle last month fared; did they manage to fire any arquebuses?

20. Watching the Battle of Inuyama Castle

In the preceding months, Nobunaga had successively captured the various branch castles of Inuyama Castle. Whether through pacification or a direct assault, Inuyama was now an isolated castle, with Oda Nobukiyo fighting a desperate battle.

Komakiyama is only a dozen kilometers from Inuyama Castle, and it wouldn't take much time to walk there. It was only because Nobunaga mobilized an army of several thousand that Shichibei and Kato Nobutaka from the neighboring Atsuta were needed. If they had attacked in the morning and returned to the castle in the evening, there would have been no need to send horsemen.

Let's go to camp. Inuyama Castle is a flat mountain castle, or to put it more bluntly, the outer city was built on flat ground, while the inner city and the palace were built on a hill with an elevation of about forty meters.

Without a castle tower, Oda Nobukiyo was relatively poor, that's all.

At this time, the castle had only two floors, overlooking the land on both sides of the Kiso River. Because of its location by the river, the castle was actually flanked by sheer cliffs on both sides, making it quite difficult to attack in a sense.

Construction began during the time of Nobuyasu, the father of Nobukiyo. The outer garrison, situated at the foot of the hill, not only had a moat but also a steeply sloping earthen rampart. The main garrison was even fortified with stone walls to enhance its defensive capabilities.

The outer garrison, nestled beneath the hills, was also equipped with a folding gate and four archer towers. In terms of siege capability, it was probably Nobunaga's first formidable castle since his rise to power.

how to spell?

You can ask Shichibei, but even he won't know. Anyway, we weren't qualified to attend Oda Nobunaga's military councils; quite a few people didn't come, like Shibata Katsuie. Because Shibata is still being sidelined by Nobunaga, and with manpower still plentiful, there's no hope for his comeback.

However, Ikeda Tsuneoki and Sakuma Nobumori led the military council; among those currently in power in the Oda clan, these two were considered quite outstanding. Mori Yoshinari was also present; it remained to be seen whether Kono Sanzae would be the first to attack the castle.

Oda Nobukiyo, who was inside the castle, naturally did not sit idly by and wait for his death. He quickly lowered a bamboo basket from the cliff and sent the person out of the castle to ask Saito Tatsuoki of Mino for help.

Interception was definitely necessary, but Saito Tatsuoki wasn't foolish. Once Nobunaga launched his attack, he would certainly begin military mobilization. However, his mobilization would be slower than Nobunaga's, who had a large number of direct troops and only needed the cooperation of some of his retainers and lords to mobilize.

The Saito family of Mino is different. The local lords are quite powerful, especially since his father, Isshiki Yoshitatsu, used their influence to kill Saito Dosan. This allowed the local lords of Mino to expand their power further, becoming too powerful to control.

Now that Longxing wants to send troops, he has to notify his people one by one and gather them at Inabayama Castle. It could take at least a week, and that's under ideal circumstances.

Will Xinqing be able to hold on?

Shichibei, who was watching from the sidelines, remained calm. "We don't need to swarm the city walls, and we don't need to storm the gates. We can just stay back and watch the show."

That night, unwilling to accept defeat, Oda Nobukiyo launched a surprise attack from outside the castle. However, Nobunaga was prepared and did not tolerate Nobukiyo's actions, engaging him in a fierce battle with fire. Nobukiyo's surprise attack failed, and he lost thirty or forty elite soldiers.

The city already had only a few hundred people left, and now they've lost thirty or forty elite soldiers. It's a devastating blow.

After circling the castle several times, Nobunaga immediately ordered the archers and arquebusiers to provide cover for the ronin, while the ronin launched the first attack on the castle gates and archers.

At this point, Shichibei finally had something to do. He took apart the rice shields brought with him, filled them with soil or straw, tied bamboo around the outside of the shields to make bamboo bundles, and gave them to the foot soldiers going out to fight.

It's only right that logistics personnel do this; the battlefield won't allow anyone to freeload. Even Kotake, who delivered arquebuses to Ito, was packed up and taken into Nobunaga's army. Right now, he's holding a bundle of bamboo, chopping it with a small axe.

Who knows, he might become her brother-in-law in the future. Shichibei, unusually compassionate, told Kotake to tie up the bamboo properly while he went to split the bamboo stalks.

Sugaya Nagayori, as the leader of the small pack animals including Shichibei, stood with his hands in his pockets, gazing at the battlefield. Although he was a magistrate, a magistrate was still a samurai, and samurai, after all, had a hard time getting promoted without military merit.

"Shichibei, is it done yet?"

"Alright, alright, that's all." The bamboo bundle is just a consumable item; it's made and used on the spot.

"Look!" Xiao Zhu, who was holding a bundle of bamboo and handing it to the young men who came to help carry it, shouted, pointing at the battlefield.

While talking with Sugaya Nagayori, Shichibei looked up at the battlefield and saw a soldier wearing only simple foot soldier clothes, holding a katana in his mouth. He had already climbed the earthen rampart and was fighting against the Inuyama army behind the palisade.

This is what is meant by being the first to arrive.

Ichiban!

Behind the soldier, others continued to follow, assisting the man while hacking at the ropes binding the fence, attempting to pull it down or push it over.

With this man leading the charge, the ronin, driven forward, intensified their attack. One after another, men scaled the earthen ramparts and engaged the Inuyama army behind the palisade.

At this moment, Nobunaga, who was riding on horseback and observing the battle from the range of bows and cannons, casually asked Sasa Narimasa beside him what the name of the ronin who had led the charge was. Sasa Narimasa had obviously handled the entire process of recruiting ronin.

Unfortunately, having recruited hundreds of people at once, Sasa Narimasa didn't have such a strong memory. He could only secretly memorize the lacquered pattern on the soldier's foot soldier's body and confirm it when he returned.

However, I vaguely remember another samurai, Maeda Toshiie, who was by Nobunaga's side. He said that this man seemed to be a local samurai from Owari. Who was he again? I think he was the son of a retainer from some fallen branch of the Oda clan.

After pondering for a moment, Maeda Toshiie finally remembered. This person was a former retainer of the Iwakura Oda clan, Yamauchi Kazutoyo.

Nobunaga nodded slightly, remaining silent as he continued to observe the battle. The Inuyama army had clearly noticed that Yamauchi Kazutoyo had taken the lead, so they immediately selected several archers to shoot him down in order to demoralize the Oda army's ronin.

In the blink of an eye, a long arrow hurtled straight toward Yamauchi Kazutoyo's face. Yamauchi Kazutoyo was shouting for battle when he suddenly felt the danger approaching. He tilted his head, and the arrow accurately pierced his mouth, passing through his left cheek.

Anyone else would likely have fallen by now, but Yamauchi Kazutoyo possessed remarkable courage, managing to bite the shaft of a long arrow in a flash. Even as his cheek was pierced by the arrow, he continued fighting.

Just then, the three of them, master and servants, finally cut down the fence in front of Yamauchi Kazutoyo. As the fence collapsed, Goto Kichibei shouted that it was Yamauchi Inoemon Kazutoyo who had been the first to break into Inuyama Castle.

Shouts of approval rose from all sides, and even Nobunaga on horseback shouted "Good!"

21. Nobunaga Scroll: My Whole Family Horses

Wow, this kid's really something.

Shichibei was terrified watching from below the castle, let alone the soldiers who were currently attacking it. He just wondered who the first soldier to scale the walls was; someone as fierce as him would most likely shine under Nobunaga's command.

After all, Nobunaga was in the midst of conquering the world, and he needed either unparalleled fierce generals or incomparably wise strategists. If you had even a little talent, you could gain a foothold in Nobunaga's court.

Upon hearing the name Yamanouchi Inoemon Ichitoyo Ichibanjo, Shichibei nearly chopped his own foot with his axe. Wait, he doesn't care about the murder of his father? He's risking his life to serve Nobunaga?

"This Yamauchi Inoemon is truly brave and fierce." Shichibei glanced at Sugaya Nagayori, who was watching the battle intently, and said this in line with the situation.

"Yes, yes, thankfully it wasn't allocated to the special operations unit before." Sugaya Nagayori, the chief magistrate of the small detachment, participated in the military council.

There were actually several special task forces. Kinoshita Tokichiro, mentioned earlier, was assigned to over thirty ronin and foot soldiers to cross the river and guard against the Saito clan. There were others to defend against the Kawanami clan on the Kiso River. The Kawanami clan not only engaged in general water transport but also collected tolls and protection fees on the river.

Of course, when necessary, it's not unusual to occasionally act as a "pirate" and treat those who don't pay to a meal of knife-cut noodles or wonton noodles.

Therefore, Nobunaga also had to guard against the possibility that the Kawanobu garrison in the Kiso River region might be bribed by Oda Nobukiyo and then launch an attack on Oda's army. A force of about a hundred men was also dispatched to guard against this, as the war was currently on a small scale.

They send out troops here and there, recruiting hundreds of ronin, but that might not even be enough.

"So it was meant for Kinoshita Group Leader." Shichibei wasn't entirely unaware of this.

“Yes, Fujikichiro and the others have all gone out to patrol.” Sugaya Nagayori simply nodded.

Having said that, Shichibei probably understood a little. Yamauchi Kazutoyo had joined the army hoping to take advantage of the fighting to strike Oda Nobunaga. But he discovered that Nobunaga was sending people around everywhere, and he didn't even have a chance to get within ten meters of Nobunaga.

So what's the best way to meet Nobunaga directly? A single battle, a single ride, a single headshot—anything goes. As long as you achieve merit in battle, according to the customs of that era, Nobunaga will certainly meet you after the battle, then bestow appropriate rewards, and perhaps even grant you the title of Governor-General.

At this point, he would most likely be right in front of Nobunaga, perhaps even only half a meter or a meter away from Nobunaga's feet. And there certainly wouldn't be much convenience to be in the left or right, since he was receiving a meritorious general from his own side.

If he drew his sword and slashed, wouldn't Nobunaga die instantly?

If that's the case, then Yamauchi Kazutoyo does have some strategy; he's not the kind of straightforward, brainless samurai. He's got some brains, no wonder he succeeded in history.

With Yamauchi Kazutoyo leading the charge, followed by a dozen or so ronin and foot soldiers, they scaled the earthen rampart using both hands and feet. Soon, the felled fence became the breach in Inuyama Castle's outer garrison.

If Nobunaga couldn't seize such a crucial opportunity, he wouldn't truly be a hero of Owari.

With a wave of his pistol, the foot soldiers immediately dispatched a force of about forty or fifty men, half armed with guns and half with swords, to fight for the breakthrough point.

To increase pressure on Inuyama Castle, several dozen members of the Mima Kaiju were ordered to reinforce the castle gates. A fierce attack was launched on the gates to prevent the enemy forces there from splitting up.

The archers and arquebusiers who were originally firing from behind bamboo bundles and shields were ordered to advance and suppress the enemy. In particular, they were to suppress the soldiers on the watchtowers of Inuyama Castle, minimizing the damage the attacking forces would have to endure.

Seeing this, Oda Nobukiyo was also desperate and ordered his son, Oda Nobumasa, to lead his entire clan of followers to fight to the death to defeat Nobunaga's army at the point of breakthrough.

Surrounded by no more than three sections of barricade, both sides committed over a hundred soldiers each, engaging in relentless fighting. One moment Nobunaga's army had the advantage, the next Nobukiyoshi's army.

That life, like flesh and blood, was stuffed into the millstone, pushed, piled up, and intertwined.

Seeing that he couldn't quickly gain an advantage by breaking through the defenses, Nobunaga immediately spurred his horse to the moat in front of the earthen ramparts. He shouted and charged into the castle, earning twenty kan from the ronin and three supporters from the foot soldiers.

The reward boosted morale. Nobunaga's two men, Sasa Narimasa and Maeda Toshiie, who were standing in front of him, brought out a small taiko drum. The two men supported it from under his horse, and Nobunaga took the drumsticks and started striking it loudly.

The drums beat rapidly, like thunder and lightning. The Nobunaga army, united in purpose, shouted and pushed their way through the fence with their lives. With a crash, seven or eight sections of the fence collapsed at the same time, and screams of agony filled the air.

Stepping over the bodies of the dead and wounded soldiers of Nobunaga's army, the first blue-dyed papaya flag of Nobunaga was planted on Inuyama Castle.

From the Kiso River to the castle walls, shouts of victory erupted. The gate, already teetering on the brink of collapse under Nobunaga's attack, crashed to the ground, and Nobunaga's forces stormed into the castle.

Oda Nobumasa, his face covered in blood, was escorted by his retainers to retreat towards Matsunomaru. The disorganized Nobukiyoshi army's foot soldiers and junior soldiers were scattered and their armor and weapons were discarded, leaving corpses strewn across the field.

The shouts of "Victory!" echoed all the way to the foot of Matsunomaru in Inuyama Castle, causing the gates of Matsunomaru to vibrate and hum. The soldiers inside the castle were terrified and had lost most of their fighting spirit.

With the outer castle lost, even launching a midnight raid on Nobunaga's army would be impossible. Moreover, the main military buildings, such as granaries, stables, wells, and foot soldiers' residences, were all located at the foot of the slope. With this loss, the entire castle would almost inevitably fall into disarray.

He's lost, he's lost. Oda Nobukiyo has been defeated.

Nobunaga, having the upper hand, temporarily halted his military operations. Niwa Nagahide, who had been in charge of pacifying the Inuyama Oda clan, and Nakajima Bingo-no-kami, who had previously surrendered to Nobunaga, jointly entered the castle to persuade Oda Nobukiyo to surrender.

In any case, with the war at this stage, the Saito family's reinforcements will take at least five or six days to arrive, and the small Inuyama Castle Matsunomaru definitely cannot hold out for five days.

Furthermore, Nobukiyo's retainers suffered heavy losses in the previous surprise attack and the recent siege. Samurai are not like radishes, which are everywhere; training even one takes effort and time.

The Inuyama clan has already lost so many samurai. If the fighting continues, even if Oda Nobukiyo manages to defend the castle in the end, what good will it do?

The branch of the Oda clan led by Nobukiyo will become completely weak, having lost the vast majority of its hereditary retainers and samurai. What daimyo will they be called? The Imagawa clan in history is exactly like that. His father sacrificed a large number of hereditary samurai from three generations in Suruga at Okehazama, and the entire Imagawa clan was ruined.

Surrendering now, even if Inuyama Castle is lost, at least Oda Nobukiyo's retainers can be preserved. Taking them with him on a journey to find Saito Tatsuoki, they still have some leverage as a guest general, and there's hope of retaking the city.

Holding out at Inuyama will only lead to mutual destruction.

Let's have a proper talk and save ourselves the resources to make a comeback.

Niwa Nagahide entered the castle and escaped within an hour. Shichibei, who was delivering hot soup to Nobunaga's main camp, coincidentally overheard Oda Nobukiyo's surrender terms.

Nobunaga gave Nobukiyo one hundred horses and allowed him to leave Inuyama Castle with his trusted retainers, attendants, servants, concubines, and others. Nobunaga was not allowed to obstruct or harm them. To show his sincerity, he was also required to send a senior retainer or a member of his own clan to Nobukiyo's army as a hostage until Nobukiyo was safe.