Owari Yumeki Golden Day

All the soldiers had no choice but to fight to the death, from Hosuga Koroku, Maeno Nagayasu, to Ikoma Shinmasa and Yamauchi Kazutoyo, all had to carry guns and charge at the walls and gates of Asaka Castle.

Nobunaga was sitting on the edge of the field, so he would either be carried down while lying down, and Nobunaga wouldn't blame you. If you tried to stand and retreat across that line, you'd be beheaded.

The city was already in turmoil due to the huge internal conflict that morning. Ōmiya Dainojo saw everyone as a traitor, thinking they were all accomplices of his uncle. However, he was currently defending the city and had no way of clearing out the inhabitants.

After the cleanup, there were only a few hundred people, dozens of them were killed or injured, and Omiya Hanninsai took away dozens of them, so there was no one to defend the city.

Then, they encountered the most desperate and frantic charge by the entire Kinoshita team. Nobunaga was sitting under the castle, so who would dare not to fight?

Even Omiya Hanninsai, who had just surrendered to the Oda army, donned his armor and ran to the city, shouting that he would surrender and be spared. Whether he really was spared or not is hard to say, but at least he tried to disrupt the morale of the defenders a little.

Speaking of which, the sheer sheer force of these genuine Japanese warriors risking their lives to attack the city meant their fighting prowess should not be underestimated. After all, someone who had trained in swords and spears since childhood, spent the vast majority of their lives in military warfare, and was subjected to the harsh demands of military orders, could unleash considerable fighting prowess in the midst of feudal warfare.

Even before the cannon fire from below had ceased, someone had already begun to attack the city walls. Although this was a life-or-death struggle, at least it was in front of Nobunaga.

If you can really succeed and be noticed by Nobunaga, then you will have it in this life.

Two attendants brought a small drum and rushed towards the castle, encouraging the attacking troops. Hachisuka Koroku took the lead, wearing a manzabu and wielding an iron rod to smash the wooden gate of Asaka Castle.

Shouts, clashes, the clashing of longbows, cannons, and blades filled the battlefield. No one dared to retreat; one after another, the battle roared.

Even the seven soldiers watching from below the castle were terrified. The defender, Omiya Dainojo, stood on the earthen wall, holding a Japanese bow, drawing his bow and releasing arrows in rapid succession. But the Oda army outside the castle swarmed like ants, impossible to kill.

With a loud bang, seven or eight foot soldiers carrying logs directly broke open the gate of Asaka Castle. Several warriors shouted their names and rushed into the city. Long spears shot out from the city, killing many people instantly.

But the Oda army outside the city was really brave. Yamanouchi Ichitoyo also climbed to the front of the city at this time. He did not use a spear but a katana. He held a small wooden shield and chopped towards the city gate with the spear bayonet.

Two of his old men came over, also in their foot soldiers' robes, with their guns drawn, to protect him. They were all killing madly, their faces covered in blood, their eyes stained with blood.

The first papaya flag of the Oda family was inserted into the wall of Asaka Castle, like a heavy punch hitting the city, and the soldiers who had originally had some will to resist finally collapsed.

Some people surrounded Omiya Dainojo and searched for a fake door and tunnel, some knelt down and begged for surrender, and some even directly knocked down the fence and chose to roll down the slope to escape, and so on.

Nobunaga, who was at the foot of the city, returned to Hideyoshi's bedside and confirmed Hideyoshi's condition.

177. The troops were exhausted at the gate of the city

Although Asaka Castle was eventually captured by the fierce attacks of Hideyoshi's generals, the offensive against the main castle, Ohkouchi Castle, did not make much progress.

After all, if Hideyoshi died in battle, the men in Hideyoshi's army would be beheaded legally and no one would find fault. Naturally, everyone would risk their lives to attack the city. After all, if the city was captured, their merits and demerits would be offset, and everything would be back to normal.

But Nobunaga, who was standing under Ohkouchi Castle, was not hit by an arrow. The samurai looked at Ohkouchi Castle standing on the hill. Who would be willing to risk his life and fight to the death to attack the castle?

Hideyoshi had regained consciousness, but he was certainly unable to stand, and hundreds of his men had died during the siege. Since Asaka Castle had already been captured, he withdrew and returned to Nobunaga's main force to recuperate.

Hideyoshi, who had to be carried on a stretcher, looked quite comical. All the generals in Owari knew that he had been shot in the testicles, and they all came to see him if they had the chance.

I sighed while watching it, brother Kinoshita, oh, a moment of silence...

In fact, when Shichibei was cleaning Hideyoshi's wound, he touched it carefully and found that both of Hideyoshi's testicles were still there. After all, the arrow mainly grazed the skin of the testicles and penetrated into the thigh.

When Hideyoshi first regained consciousness, he asked himself if he only had one egg left. He didn't even have a son, so what could he do? Tears welled up in his eyes as he spoke, and he even wanted to touch his crotch to confirm.

How could he be allowed to touch that dirty hand? Shichibei had to tell him both eggs were there. Don't worry, I'm your brother and I'm in perfect harmony. I won't play tricks on you. If I say there are two, there are two.

Perhaps because Shichibei's improvisation was adequate, Hideyoshi's wound didn't become inflamed. Plus, Hideyoshi's physique was good; in this day and age, to live past sixty and die of old age meant he was in excellent health. At this point, Hideyoshi was even able to sit up, occasionally secretly caressing his testicles.

"Okay, okay, stop touching. It won't add one more." Shichibei brought over a bowl of porridge and saw Hideyoshi doing his handicraft while no one was around.

"Is it not enough for me to touch it?" Hideyoshi was happy when he touched the two eggs, but felt disappointed after letting go. He was probably worried that his eggs were not working and was afraid in his heart.

"Okay, okay, go ahead and touch it." Putting the bowl next to the straw couch, Shichibei didn't hesitate and directly lifted Hideyoshi's fig leaf to take a look.

After all, it was the egg that he had saved, so he had to take a closer look. The subsequent cleaning and dressing were done by a doctor sent by Nobunaga. Nobunaga still loved Hideyoshi very much, so if he could save Hideyoshi, he would definitely save him.

"How's the battle going outside?" Hideyoshi was probably a little embarrassed by being stared at by a man, so he changed the subject.

"Not very good." Shichibei put down his fig leaf.

It's also a shame that Hideyoshi, a former soldier, wasn't influenced by the Japanese Warring States period's shodo-scholarship. If it were Nobunaga, he certainly wouldn't have seen anything wrong with it, as he practiced it all the time. Hideyoshi was completely insensitive to this practice and had no interest in it at all, so much so that some say Toyotomi's retainers were unwilling to fight for him because he refused to sleep with them.

Ugh...

Back to the battle outside, Kitada Tomori and Kitabatake Tomofusa, father and son, realized the Oda army's offensive was weak, and their confidence in defense grew stronger. After Nobunaga's main force failed to break through after several attempts, they finally changed their strategy and began constructing the Shikagaki, using the arm-thick timber they had originally planned to build as a defense against the 16,000-man Kitabatake army.

The wooden fence initially surrounded the two sides of Ōkouchi Castle that were not facing the water. Later, when it was discovered that some members of the Kitabatake army were communicating with the outside world via waterways, a total siege was implemented.

The third level of Deer Wall is now being built. It seems that Oda Nobunaga intends to not stop until the entire city is surrounded.

Furthermore, the previously mentioned proposal to deplete the rations within Ōkouchi Castle was also implemented. Takigawa Kazumasu and Inaba Yoshimichi were dispatched to Take County, and the Kiriyama Palace was set ablaze and looted, forcing the civilians to flee to Ōkouchi Castle for safety.

Since many of the civilians were actually family members of the soldiers guarding Ohkouchi Castle, the Kitabatake family did not implement any separation of soldiers and farmers. There were many conscripted farmers, and when they saw the family members crying and shouting outside the city, they had to let them in, otherwise the defenders would be shaken.

As a result, Ōkōchi Castle, which had previously been able to sustain the army for over three months, enough to feed 8,000 men until the Lunar New Year, was suddenly plunged into a food crisis. Over 20,000 civilians fled into the city, making it difficult to maintain food and water supplies and significantly impacting even the space available for survival.

The streets and alleys and the eaves were crowded with fleeing civilians. It was already autumn, and the nights were cold and dewy. Dozens and hundreds of people had frozen to death at night.

If the soldiers were not allowed in, their morale would waver. If the soldiers were allowed in, their morale would also waver because of the daily deaths.

Kitabatake Gukuni was in a dilemma. He was praying that Nobunaga's so-called 100,000-strong army would eventually choose to retreat due to lack of logistical supplies.

Just endure it and see who can endure longer.

Nobunaga was indeed in a difficult situation. With 75,000 men, the daily rice consumption alone would exceed 1,500 koku. 30,000 to 50,000 koku wouldn't even make a dent in this situation. If he hadn't purchased rice from Minamisei at a significantly higher price beforehand, he would have been shipping rice from Tsushima to support the troops.

It was originally a military contest between 75,000 troops and 16,000 troops, but as the fighting went on, it turned into a contest between patience and wallets.

"The Kitabatake family refuses to surrender?" After Hideyoshi finished his porridge, he also understood the situation outside.

"If they are willing to surrender, we will all go back to Gifu to prepare for the New Year." Xiaoliu also walked in and immediately responded when he heard Hideyoshi's question.

But it was just a matter of picking up the smudge, and I had to lift Hideyoshi's veil to take a look. When I saw that Hideyoshi's thighs were clean and had no odor, I also reminded Hideyoshi to remember to shake them clean after peeing and then wipe them.

This is a true brother, speaking the truth.

"Not necessarily. The food in the city won't last long." How could he not know about the southern military food attack that Shichibei personally deployed?

"Tsk, at least 20,000 people have entered the city." Xiaoliu just smiled meaningfully.

You know what? These 20,000 people are eating food now, but what will they eat later? Or will they be eaten? It's hard to say. Didn't the Japanese defenders eat people? They definitely did. Wasn't cannibalism the end of Miki Castle? Of the 8,000 soldiers and tens of thousands of family members, only a few hundred survived. It was cannibalism.

“…” Hideyoshi nodded slightly, and Shichibei remained silent.

Everyone could understand what Xiaoliu meant, but at this time Hideyoshi and Shichibei still looked like human beings, and their bottom line of cannibalism had not yet been crossed.

When did Hideyoshi become inhumane?

Anyway, Hideyoshi was doing fine. When everyone came to visit his testicles, they were chatting and laughing, teasing each other. Especially the many Owari samurai who rose from humble beginnings were very close to Hideyoshi. They were just about to come up and touch them to see if they were intact.

"By the way, the Kuki navy defeated the Obama family in Toshi County and has already landed." Xiaoliu, as Hideyoshi's commander, was holding a meeting with Nobunaga's main force.

"Kuki Yoshitaka..." Shichibei nodded slightly. This guy is really good at water fights.

"In about three to five days, Shizhou will fall to our side." Now that Obama Kagetaka has been driven away, the people of Shima will surely be happy to welcome the royal army.

There are 75,000 people behind the royal army, and there is also a shogun in power. Anyway, the eldest brother has run away. If he doesn't surrender now, when will he surrender?

Hideyoshi was being looked after by Koroku, while Shichibei returned to his own small pack caravan. Actually, it wasn't really an independent camp; it was completely intermingled with Nobunaga's main force, as Shichibei's "main camp" was located at the Kawamuraya branch in Anozukuri, and he could simply go there with his flying feet and a seal to get whatever he wanted.

Nobunaga wasn't at the main camp at the moment, but was instead overseeing the repairs to the deer antlers. Don't laugh, this isn't surprising. How did Xiahou Yuan die? He was being slashed by Huang Zhong while he was repairing his deer antlers.

This earned Huang Zhong the extraordinary merit of "beheading a general," a feat considered a top-tier military achievement, along with other feats like being the first to ascend the mountain or capturing the flag. From then on, no one in the entire Han Dynasty dared to look down on Huang Zhong, even at his advanced age.

It was a shame that Oda Nobuhiro, who had previously stayed behind to guard the shogunate, was not there, otherwise Shichibei could have had a chat with his cheap father-in-law. Even Sakuma Nobumori was not there now, having been ordered by Nobunaga to set fire to and loot the entire city, forcing the people into Ōkouchi Castle.

Everyone was busy, leaving behind the main camp was Hayashi Hidetada. Surprisingly, as a senior family member, Hayashi Hidetada was still working for Nobunaga. Historically, his family had been instrumental in the capture of Ise. And unlike his father, who had long served as acting internal affairs officer, the Hayashi family's eldest son, Hayashi Shinjiro Michimasa, was a man of exceptional military strategy and tactical prowess.

In the Oda clan, which was known for its brave generals, he was ranked among the "Forest of Spears" alongside the "Three Lefts of the Spear" and the "Mataza of the Spear." He bravely led his troops in the Battle of Anegawa and the Battle of Ishiyama.

Under normal circumstances, Hayashi Hidemasa would stay in Gifu to handle government affairs, while the Hayashi family's army would be led by Hayashi Michimasa, who would fight for Oda Nobunaga everywhere.

During the defeat at Ise-Nagashima, Hayashi Michimasa and Ujiie Bokuzen were the rearguard, both killed in action. If he had lived, the Hayashi family would have been less likely to be defeated, and they would have been able to secure at least 100,000 or 200,000 koku.

Nobunaga was very cold towards his retainers who could not serve in the army and fight in the war.

Lin Xiuzhen saw Shichibei nodding his head. They were all from the old Owari family, so even though they were unfamiliar with each other, they felt naturally close. As Nobunaga's family business grew larger and larger, with more and more people, it was natural for them to form small circles.

After saying hello, if no one familiar is around, then just open the curtain and leave. Just as Shichibei was about to raise his hand, one of Nobunaga's attendants came over and helped open the curtain.

Horikutaro Hidemasa.

The future "Celebrity Kyutaro," now a teenager, still works as a door curtain for Nobunaga. He boasts about this person on online forums in later generations, as if his death would give the Toyotomi family an extra arm.

It's like saying that even if Hidenaga died, there would be a Hori Hidemura who could become the Toyotomi family's written elder and restrain Maeda Toshiie and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

But that was all later. How big of a scene could a teenager like him have? He nodded to Shichibei, who nodded back and asked if Nobunaga had said when he would be back.

After a brief thought, Hori Hidemasa said that Nobunaga usually only made a round of inspection and would be back in an hour at most. It was not a big deal for the general to be away from the main camp for a long time.

How long had Nobunaga been gone? Hori Hidemasa smiled and said that he had returned early to prepare hot tea for Nobunaga.

Both of them were smart people. They looked at each other, and Shichibei retreated back to the shogunate. Hori Hidemasa also went in and picked up the iron kettle to prepare to boil water.

After only a moment's wait, Nobunaga strode in. Seeing Lin Xiuzhen, Shichibei and the others standing up to greet him, he didn't pay much attention and sat down with a big horse and a golden sword, catching his breath before discussing it.

After he drank a cup of hot tea, he asked Shichibei what business he had in coming to the Honjin Shogunate.

It's nothing, I just told him that the 40,000 koku of annual tribute rice collected in Owari has been eaten up, and now they have to eat the rice bought at a high price from Minami Ise.

The rice was bought for one stone and four strings of cash!

Tsk tsk tsk, Nobunaga was really willing to spend money to buy out all the rice in Minami-Ise. Shichibei actually made some money from this, not all of it was bought with four kan, but that's definitely how he reported it, and it did basically empty the rice reserves in Minami-Ise.

Even if Shichibei hadn't reported it, Nobunaga could have figured it out himself. But after hearing this, Nobunaga's face darkened. The battle, with its flying dragons charging at him, had nearly cost the samurai general Kinoshita Hideyoshi his life. After nearly a month of fighting, there had been no progress at all, and Ōkōchi Castle remained firmly in place.

Annoying!

Who wouldn't be annoyed? The battle has gotten this bad, and it really feels like old soldiers are tired. Everyone who participated in the battle wondered how they could lose with a dragon on their back. The result? They didn't lose, but they didn't win either.

And just as Kitabatake Gukuni had initially envisioned, Nobunaga would only stay in Minamisei for a couple of months at most. After all, the sheer expense of 75,000 men was something even Nobunaga couldn't possibly afford.

178. Fire Arrows Shoot Down the City

"General, please send an envoy!"

Nobunaga was feeling depressed when someone rushed into the tent to report something to him. However, the report was about...

What's up with Ashikaga Yoshiaki again? Nobunaga is already feeling frustrated. He thought the arrival of the royal army would be enough to crush them. However, he never expected the Kitabatake clan to put up such a resolute resistance. It seems there's no hope of victory at all.

But after all, he is the general he supported, and now they are still in the process of transitioning from being in the same boat to sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams. He must see him, not only must he see him, but he must see him as soon as possible.

When he invited someone in, it turned out to be an old acquaintance among old acquaintances: Akechi Mitsuhide. Nobunaga saw that it was Mitsuhide, and his originally sullen expression softened slightly. Mitsuhide was someone he admired very much, and he deserved a good response.

It wasn't a big deal, but Ashikaga Yoshiaki sent Mitsuhide to ask if Nobunaga had any difficulty advancing. If so, he could call for reinforcements.

As the current legitimate shogun, Yoshiaki has some appeal, although not much. At least he can call on Hatano Hideharu, Wada Koremasa, Isshiki Yoshimichi and the like without any problem.

It wouldn't be a big deal, but it would be easy to recruit 10,000 or 20,000 people. Of course, Nobunaga would be responsible for feeding these people. Yoshiaki was only responsible for recruiting people and didn't care about anything else.

Or rather, he did ask, but Yoshiaki didn't say it explicitly.

For example, Yoshiaki wanted to further assert the authority of the Muromachi shogunate, arguing that victory was achieved under the wise leadership of the shogun. It wasn't uncommon for the shogun to personally lead an army into battle in Japan. In fact, leading an army in person was easier to gain public support, and the more powerful the shogun, the more influential he became.

In Kanto, the Koga shogun Ashikaga Haruji wielded a knife to kill Hojo Ujiyasu, and the Koguru Ashikaga Yoshiaki also wielded a knife to kill Hojo Ujiyasu.

What a great hatred and resentment! Including Ashikaga Fujiuji, Ujiyasu alone offended three shoguns.

Akechi Mitsuhide was actually amused by this. With the two thousand men directly under Yoshiaki, it was a good job they could defend Kyoto. Given the current situation in Okawachi, Yoshiaki would be better off not interfering.

"Why don't you ask the general to send an envoy into the city to issue an order to Kitabatake Nakaguni." Shichibei thought that since the situation has become so bad, it would be better to find an older brother to go into the city and persuade him.

The generals were unwilling to put forth a desperate effort to siege the city, and Dahe Neicheng was a fortified city that was impregnable. Even the stored rations had been completely devoured. After fighting for over a month, there was no sign of even a glimmer of hope of breaking through the city.

If Dahe Nei City really chooses to eat people, it won't be difficult to defend it for a year or two.

There are only a few thousand people in his city, he can hold on. But Nobunaga has 75,000 men outside, can you hold on?

So, send someone in to persuade them. If it works, that would be great. If not, forget it. There is no loss anyway.

"..." Nobunaga did not answer. In fact, the generals of the Oda army already knew what he was thinking.

Isn't it just about beating the Kitabatake family half to death, forcing them to surrender to Oda wholeheartedly, and turning them from independent daimyo into an umbrella power like Saito Tatsuoki. Then, he would send all the Kitabatake retainers to his son Oda Chasumaru, giving him a share of the family business while also expanding the power of the Oda clan and maintaining the balance of power within the family.

Nobunaga's main supporter was his elder brother, Oda Nobuhiro, so much so that it was Oda Nobuhiro who defended the main camp during the battle. When Nobunaga attacked Kyoto, Nobuhiro assisted Oda Qimyoumaru in defending Gifu. When Nobunaga retreated to Gifu, Nobuhiro led his troops to defend Kyoto.

In history, Nobunaga went out to fight and left his hometown of Owari to Oda Nobuhiro to guard. As a result, Nobunaga was defeated and died in the battle against the Ikko Ikki of Nagashima. It can be said that Nobunaga's forgiveness and trust in him were not in vain.

As the territory grew larger and larger, it would not be enough to just divide it among the retainers. It was also necessary to support a powerful clan.

After Hideyoshi's death, the Toyotomi family was left without a single respectable clan member. The consequences are well known. If the Yamato Grand Councilor family had been around, the situation would definitely have changed.

"I am willing to go into the city and give it a try." Nobunaga did not express his opinion, but Akechi Mitsuhide took the initiative to ask for it.

The fact that Nobunaga didn't object spoke volumes. Sending so many troops out to fight was a daily expense. Nobunaga couldn't afford to delay any further, but if he went into the city now to try to persuade them to surrender, they would most likely agree, not surrender.