Japan's Warring States Period: The Rise of the Wakasa Tiger

Chapter 119: All the troops rise up

Obviously, no matter how dull Hongo Mitsuyasu was, at this moment, he knew what the Wada brothers were going to do.

"My lord, we can't win, so open the city." Wada Shaosada "persuaded" earnestly.

"Yes, you are a servant of the Shogunate, there is no need for you to stick to the end for the Takeda family." Wada Noritari also echoed.

"Since you know that I am serving the public, you should also know that Muei-den is the guardian of Wakasa and Tango appointed by the shogunate, so it is reasonable for me to do this." Mitsutsuyasu Hongo refuted righteously.

Seeing that Hongo Mitsudasu was unmoved, Wada Shojo didn't want to talk to him any more, so he winked at Wada Kensada who was standing beside him. The latter waved his hand, and a group of Wada family warriors immediately rushed forward, drawing their swords and trapping Hongo Mitsudasu and others.

"My lord, will you open the city gates on your own initiative, or will I open the city gates on your behalf?" Wada Shaosada formally gave Hongo Mitsuyasu two options, but in fact both pointed to the same result.

"Damn it! How dare you threaten our lord like this?!" Upon seeing this, one of Hongo Mitsuyasu's followers angrily drew out his sword, apparently ready to fight to the death to protect his master, but was stopped by Hongo Mitsuyasu.

"Awaji-no-kami, Gorobei, you two are the elders of my Hongo clan, not of his Itsumi clan, let alone of the Naito clan. Do you really want to do this?" Hongo Mitsuyasu said in an almost pleading tone: "Believe me, Wue-dono will come to rescue our clan. Don't let the temporary predicament get to your heads."

As a member of the royal family, Hongo Mitsuyasu had heard about Yoshishige's actions after he went to Kyoto when he was in Kyoto. In addition, after Yoshishige succeeded as the head of the Takeda clan, the face of Wakasa changed greatly, which made Hongo Mitsuyasu firm in his support for the Takeda clan.

However, Mitsutsu Hongo was away from home all year round, and over time his prestige was not even as high as that of the Wada brothers, which made the latter dare to launch a coup in front of him.

Although the Wada brothers were once shaken by Hongo Mitsuyasu's earnest advice, when they thought of Naito Katsutaka's coercion and inducement, the two short-sighted people finally chose to stand on the side of Itsumi Masatsugu.

"My lord, since you are unwilling to choose, I will choose for you." As he said this, Hetian Shaosada ordered his men to remove the swords of Hongo Mitsuyasu and others. The latter could see the situation clearly and did not resist, but made a final effort:

"Wuweidian was able to defeat Asakura and Isshiki, and was able to gain the favor of the Kofu and Kanrei and be promoted to a companion. He is definitely not an ordinary person. You still have time to stop now, otherwise..."

"My lord, please stop talking." He Tian Xiansada interrupted Hongo Mitsuyasu's advice and said impatiently: "I only know that the army outside the city is approaching. If we don't surrender now, when will we surrender? You should keep those words of 'looking at the plum to quench thirst' to yourself."

Seeing that all the knives had been collected, Wada Shojo shouted "Open the gate!" The Wada warriors who had been waiting on both sides of the city gate slowly opened the gate. Not far outside the gate, Naito Katsutaka and a group of soldiers were waiting eagerly.

As the Ote Gate opened, the Wada brothers walked out of the gate. Naito Katsutaka showed a satisfied smile on his face. This was the second city he had captured in one day. The task assigned by Itsumi Masaki was successfully completed.

At this time, Isshiki Yoshiyuki of Katayama Castle had led his old subordinates and about 300 ronin to station outside Tanabe Castle, preparing to take the castle first in the morning of the next day, capture Isshiki Yoshinobu, and regain his position as the head of the Isshiki family. After that, he would send troops to Miyazu Castle and seize control of the southern part of Yosa County.

However, Shirai Mitsutane of Miyazu Castle had received a secret letter from Yoshishige a few days ago, and immediately mobilized the Takeda clan's direct territory in Tango and the Shirai territory. By the time Isshiki Yoshiyuki started his rebellion, Miyazu Castle had already gathered a thousand troops. Of course, the main purpose of this army was to guard against attacks from Tajima, and its secondary purpose was to quell Isshiki Yoshiyuki's rebellion.

The 750-man Tango army also gathered at Kurabashi Castle, under the direct command of Kumagai Takanao, who was sent by Yoshishige. However, this army was not used to attack Isshiki Yoshiyuki, but to guard against Itsumi Masatsune, who had a territory in Tango Kasa County.

On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, just after dawn, Isshiki Yoshiyuki immediately ordered a strong attack on Tanabe Castle. At this time, he could be described as high-spirited and vigorous. Tanabe Castle seemed like a piece of meat in his mouth, waiting for him to eat it.

But what he didn't expect was that when the morning mist cleared, what came into view was not only Tanabe Castle, but also 500 soldiers standing in battle array not far away. "My lord, it's the Takeda army!" Nobunaga Yukinobu, the son of former Tango guardian Nobunaga Harunobu, pointed at the army on the opposite side and said nervously.

"Takeda army?! How could they come so quickly?!" Isshiki Yoshiyuki was obviously a little panicked.

According to his plan, his 300-man army could quickly capture Tanabe Castle, which had only a hundred Takeda soldiers, and then join forces with the famous Tajima Mountain army in the west to attack Miyazu Castle.

But the current situation is that the Takeda army seemed to have been prepared and appeared in front of the battlefield in just one night. This was a heavy blow to Isshiki Yoshiyuki who wanted to quickly capture Tanabe Castle.

"Have you sent anyone to investigate? How many people are there on the other side?" Isshiki Yoshiyuki pursed his lips and asked with forced calmness.

"The envoys have already been sent out." replied Nobunaga Yukinobu.

As soon as he finished speaking, the messenger ran into the tent in a panic and knelt down in front of Isshiki Yoshiyuki.

"My lord, I have been observing from a nearby hill and estimate that the enemy on the other side should be around 500 people."

"Five hundred people?!" Isshiki Yoshiyuki couldn't help but take a breath, "How could the Takeda family mobilize five hundred troops to support Tanabe Castle so quickly?"

"Do these five hundred people include the defenders of Tanabe Castle?" Nobunaga Yukinobu asked nervously.

"It should not be included," the envoy replied with a gasp, "I have investigated and found that the number of Takeda troops outside Tanabe Castle is roughly the same as yesterday. The more than one hundred defenders should not have joined forces with these five hundred people."

"In other words, if the troops inside and outside the city join forces, the Takeda army will reach 600 people, which is twice as many as ours?!" Nobunaga Yukinobu exclaimed and turned his gaze to Isshiki Yoshiyuki.

At this moment, Isshiki Yoshiyuki also frowned and sweated. After thinking for a long time, he stammered and said, "Everyone, do you have a good plan to defeat the enemy?"

Most of his old subordinates and recruited ronin were planning to follow Isshiki Yoshiyuki to fight a favorable situation, but they did not expect that they would be against the wind when the war started, and they were suddenly at a loss.

Only Nobunaga Yukinobu, who had a grudge against the Takeda family for killing his father, managed to calm down and encouraged Isshiki Yoshiyuki not to back down, to gamble on the honor of a samurai, and to fight a good battle with the Takeda army.

When they heard that they had to fight head-on against the Takeda army which was twice their size, the ronin were the first to back off. Some used illness as an excuse to refuse to go to the battlefield, some chose to return their commissions to save their lives first, and some simply left in disgrace without saying goodbye. After a short while, only seventy or eighty of the original three hundred men in the Isshiki army had left.

Not only that, many of the old subordinates that Isshiki Yoshiyuki had called together also backed out, and some even whispered to each other in front of him: "Why not go to the one in Tanabe Castle (referring to Isshiki Yoshinobu)? After all, they are all from the Isshiki clan, and at least they can preserve the family name."

"They are all a bunch of cowards!" Seeing these guys around him retreating one by one in the face of battle, Isshiki Yoshiyuki said indignantly: "My Isshiki family is a famous family with a history of hundreds of years, but now it has fallen to this point! I have made up my mind. I will fight the Takeda army to the death. Even if I die on the battlefield, I will accept it!"

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(End of this chapter)