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

While the two armies were fighting fiercely, the armies of Watanabe Michi and Katsuramoto Sumika, who had been lying in ambush for a long time, rushed out together. The Amago army was immediately thrown into chaos and was quickly defeated. They retreated towards the Aoyama main camp. Misawa Tameyuki, known as the "Demon of Izumo", was unfortunately captured by the Mori army. In addition to him, as many as 500 Amago soldiers left their lives on this land.

Afterwards, the Mori army pursued the victory and attacked Aoyama Main Camp of Akehisa Niwa, cut off the outer fence, broke into the camp and fought fiercely with the Akehisa army until the next morning. This famous "Aoyama Dotori Battle" forced Akehisa Niwa to withdraw his main camp to Koyama Castle, and the battle situation became stalemate.

While the front was defeated, the Amago army also had problems with logistics. First, the army transporting food and rations was attacked by the rebellious Iwami people when crossing the river in Tsuga, and a large amount of food and fodder was washed away by the river. Later, the food and fodder and military supplies stored in Binge were attacked and burned by the Mori army many times.

The news of this tragedy greatly dampened the morale of Akihisa and his generals. Furious and humiliated, Akihisa repeatedly urged the Takeda clan in Aki, who was in Ginzan Castle, to send troops to support him, but his letters fell on deaf ears and he received no response.

It was not until late October that after a long wait, Akihisa Niwa finally received the secret letter sent by Takeda Nobumitsu.

What shocked him was that the letter said that Shinagawa Nobumasa had a fierce conflict with Kagawa Mitsukage over whether to support the Amago army, so that the Takeda clan could never reach a consensus on sending troops.

At the time of the stalemate, Shinagawa Nobumasa was assassinated by a ninja in his own house. The Shinagawa clan naturally believed that the mastermind was Kagawa Mitsuki, so they launched an attack on the Kagawa clan's home castle, Yagi Castle, and it was in vain for Takeda Nobumasa to mediate for many days.

But just a few days ago, another family elder, Naoyuki Kifaki, suddenly joined the war, broke through the Shinagawa clan's castle from the rear, and attacked from the front and back together with Kagawa Mitsuki in Yagi Castle. After a fierce battle, they completely wiped out the Shinagawa army. At this point, the war came to an end.

After learning from the letter that the Shinagawa clan loyal to him had been defeated, Akihisa Niwa was furious. He hammered the table in front of him and shouted angrily: "Where is Hoshinji-den? Where are the 500 soldiers he led? Why didn't he come forward to stop the fight? Why did he watch the Shinagawa clan being slaughtered?!"

Of course, the messenger who delivered the letter had no way to answer Akihisa's doubts. The only thing he could tell Akihisa clearly was that the pro-Ouchi faction in the Takeda family in Aki was now the only one in power. Not to mention sending troops to support the Amago army, they would probably join the Ouchi army and participate in the battle against the Amago army.

"My lord, if the Takeda family surrenders to Ouchisuke, the situation of our family will be critical." Amago Makoto, who had just experienced a defeat, said worriedly.

"Although Sakyo Ryo's faction was destroyed, Takeda Iesada was also seriously injured. With their current strength, they pose no threat to the main family." Akihisa Niwa analyzed to himself.

"The Takeda family is indeed not a threat to the main family, but we were counting on them to resist the Ouchi army's eastward support. Under the current circumstances, I'm afraid the Ouchi army will reach Yoshida-gunyama Castle without any resistance."

After hearing what Niwa Seihisa said, Niwa Akihisa felt that it made sense. The battle was already going badly, and if the Ouchi army was allowed to rush straight to the city, it would be very difficult for the Niwa army to capture Yoshida-gunyama Castle.

Thinking of this, Akihisa Niwa ordered: "Then dispatch the Yoshikawa army to block the attack. Yoshikawa Tamebu is a fierce general. With him, we can always hold out for some time. Right now, the most important thing is to immediately launch a fierce attack on Yoshida-gunyama Castle. I don't believe that with the troops of our family, we can't take this small mountain castle!"

Although Niwa Akihisa was arrogant in words, he was honest in body. After many disastrous defeats, he became cautious and no longer rashly sent large troops to attack. Instead, he surrounded the city and sent small troops to harass and investigate, intending to find the weaknesses of the defenders in the city and then use them as a breakthrough point for a strong attack.

Despite his successive victories, Mori Motonari did not seek to boast. Seeing that the Amago army was defending tightly and besieging without attacking, he had no choice but to stay in the city and wait for the rescue of the Ouchi army. Therefore, for more than half a month, no large-scale battles occurred around Yoshida-gunyama Castle.

However, the increasingly cold weather sounded a wake-up call to the Amago army that had come from afar.

"My Lord, the weather is getting colder and colder. It is not a good idea to continue like this. It is better to withdraw the troops and return to the country until the beginning of next spring..."

Kamei Hidatsuna, the family elder, was stopped by Niwa Akihisa just as he was talking. He glared at him, lowered his voice, and asked unwillingly, "We have 33,000 troops, and now we have lost more than 8,000. Are you going to let me retreat to Izumo like this?"

"But, pardon my honest opinion, what's the point of besieging without attacking now? In a few days, Ouchisuke's reinforcements will arrive, so won't we have to retreat?"

Kamei Hidatsuna's meaning was very clear. If they were to fight, they had to resolve the battle as soon as possible. Hesitation and siege without attacking would be very disadvantageous to the Amago army on a long-distance raid, especially now that there were problems with logistics supplies in Iwami and Bingo, and with the cold winter approaching, there was not much time left for Amago Akihisa.

"I understand." Although Akihisa Niwa was very unhappy with Kamei Hidatsuna's straightforward reply, he realized it was true. Therefore, he decided to let the army rest first, and launch a general attack on Yoshida-gunyama Castle in two days!

However, opportunities are always fleeting. Having wasted half a month, Akihisa Niwa is about to pay the price for his indecision.

On November 24, the day after Akihisa Amago made up his mind to launch a general attack, Tao Takafusa led 10,000 Ouchi troops to arrive at Ginzan Castle. Takeda Nobumitsu led Takeda Motomitsu, Shirai Kiyotane, Kagawa Mitsukage, Miki Naoyuki and other retainers to line up outside the Ote Gate to greet them.

Thinking about the last time he had seen Takeda Motomitsu and the others, it had been more than four months, Tao Longfang was very emotional. When he arrived in front of the Otemon Gate, he first bowed to Takeda Nobumasa, then came to Takeda Motomitsu and greeted him cordially: "Hoshinji-den, how are you?"

Takeda Motomitsu smiled back and said politely, "Your Excellency is still as handsome and polite as ever."

"Haha, you're too kind." Tao Longfang laughed heartily, and then he leaned close to Takeda Motomitsu's ear and whispered, "Your Highness has handled Zuo Jingliang's matter well."

After hearing this, Takeda Motomitsu was stunned at first, but soon reacted and responded quite naturally: "I am deeply sorry about the matter between Sakyo Ryo and the Shinagawa family. Now is the time to use people, and the main family has lost such an important official and such a family. It is really sad."

Tao Longfang naturally understood what Takeda Motomitsu meant, so he pretended to empathize with him and said sadly: "This is God's will, Your Highness, please don't be too sad. In the future, our family will strongly support you to prevent such a tragedy from happening again."

For Takeda Motomitsu, Tao Takafusa's words were a "reasoning pill". It was not only a "reward" for eliminating Shinagawa Nobumasa, but also a "guarantee" for the survival of the Takeda clan in Aki.

Upon learning that the Ouchi army had openly entered Ginzan Castle, Aki Akihisa was immediately furious. While he denounced Takeda Motomitsu for his betrayal, he swore to heaven that after taking over Yoshida-gunyama Castle, the first person he would destroy would be the Aki Takeda clan.

Seeing that Nizi Akihisa was so angry, Kamei Hidatsuna hurriedly tried to comfort him:

"It's possible that Hoshinji-dono can't be blamed for this. The Kagawa and Kifi families are all loyal to Ouchisuke, and they recently wiped out the Shinagawa clan. Now they have absolute control over the Takeda family. Hoshinji-dono has just arrived, how can he fight them with only 500 soldiers? I think that we can't just look at the surface of things. Don't be impulsive and jump to conclusions before we understand the whole story."

"It seems that you trust that monk very much." Akihisa Niwa said sarcastically.

"One more friend means one less enemy. Besides, it is not convenient to jump to conclusion without evidence, so as not to hurt the relationship in the future." Kamei Hidatsuna advised sincerely.

"Well, since you said so, what else can I say? Let's fight this battle first and talk about the rest later." Niwa Akihisa was unwilling to give in, but he could do nothing about the possible defection of the Takeda clan in Aki, so he could only be "incompetent and furious". "My lord is wise!" Kamei Hidatsuna responded hurriedly. At this moment, he was also worried that if the situation continued to develop like this, the Niwa army might really not be able to capture Yoshida-gunyama Castle, and there was a high probability that they would return in defeat.

Just when Akihisa Amago was in a dilemma, Yoshishige, who was far away in Hokuriku, had completed all preparations before the war and was ready to go to Kosumiyama Castle in person to discuss the next action plan with Yamana Yutoyo.

But just before he set off, he received a report from his retainers that a group of Mikawa warriors had come from afar with their families, and they were holding a handwritten letter from Yunfeng Longxing to Yoshishige.

Upon hearing that this group of people were recommended by Yunfeng Longxing, Yoshishige did not dare to neglect them. He immediately arranged for them to stay in the best inn in the castle town of Takeda clan mansion, and summoned this group of Mikawa samurai the next morning.

Entering the Takeda clan's mansion, the Mikawa samurai were all amazed by the carved beams and painted buildings and the courtyard layout. In particular, when they entered the "Tora-no-Ma", the two tigers painted on the wall were so lifelike that the samurai sighed in awe.

"As expected of a daimyo that spans four countries," said Sakakibara Nagamasa with emotion, "This place is much more luxurious than Okazaki Castle and Ansho Castle."

"Before I entered the city, I discovered that the castle town here is full of shops and is bustling with people and merchants. It is as prosperous as Tsushima and Atsuta." Takagi Kiyohide, who lived in the Owari Ogawa area when he was young, praised sincerely.

"Yesterday evening, Fujizo and I went to Obama Port. Not only is the castle town there larger, but there are merchant ships shuttling back and forth, and the fishing lights are a backdrop, which gives it a unique charm." Nagasaka Nobumasa recalled last night's erotic experience in Obama, especially in the "Yukaku", and he still looked unsatisfied.

Just as these "country bumpkins" from Mikawa were discussing what they had seen and heard in Wakasa, a voice from the man behind the screen, "The Lord has arrived," immediately quieted them down.

Sakakibara Nagamasa and others bowed their heads respectfully towards the front, while Yoshishige, accompanied by Matsumiya Kiyonaga and Muto Mitsuyuki, wore a folded eboshi hat and a dark brown straight gown with "four-cut diamond" printed on it. He walked slowly into the hall and sat down in front of the screen.

"Everyone, stand up." Yizhong held a folding fan in his hand and ordered in a friendly yet dignified manner.

"Ha!" After hearing this, Sakakibara Nagamasa and others slowly stood up and looked up at Yoshishige.

Although he had known from Yunfeng Longxing that Yoshishige was very young, he was still somewhat surprised when he actually saw the 19-year-old head of the Wakasa Takeda clan in front of him.

Especially Sakakibara Nagamasa and Nagasaka Nobumasa, the two powerful retainers who followed Matsudaira Kiyoyasa to conquer the world, suddenly seemed to see some shadows of their former lord in Yoshishige.

"I am deeply touched and pleased that you have come from afar," Yizhong said first.

"Your Highness, please don't say that," Sakakibara Nagamasa said modestly, "It is a great honor for us samurai from a small country to come to Wakasa to pay homage to Your Highness."

"You are Lord Nagamasa, right?" Yoshishige asked with a smile, "Master Longxing told me in his letter that I was able to find you all this time thanks to your assistance."

"I am Sakakibara Magojuro Nagamasa. I am honored to serve Your Highness!" Sakakibara Nagamasa hurriedly bowed to express his gratitude.

"I will have to trouble you again in the future." Yoshishige looked at the young man in his twenties in front of him and said with a sly delight, "Who would have thought that this unknown young man would be the father of Sakakibara Yasumasa, one of the famous 'Three Great Tokugawas' and 'Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa' in history?"

"Ha! I will serve my country wholeheartedly and it is my duty!" Sakakibara Nagamasa answered excitedly. He understood that Yoshishige's words were a formal recognition that he was a retainer of the Takeda clan.

"Who is this gentleman?" Yoshishige looked at Nagasaka Nobumasa who was standing next to Sakakibara Nagamasa.

"I am Nagasaka Kuro Nobumasa, and I am here to greet Your Highness!"

"Are you 'Bloody Spear Kuro'? The master's letter said that you are very good at spearmanship and you defeated Kuchiki Yahachiro in just a few rounds." Yoshishige praised.

"It was just a moment of luck," Nagasaka Nobumasa said modestly, "I heard that Your Highness has many famous spear masters and generals under his command. I hope to have a chance to learn from them."

"We are a family from now on. There is a long way to go." Yoshishige smiled and thought, "It is a great honor that this brave general who served Kiyoyasu, Hirotada, and Ieyasu in history and made great contributions in the early days of the Matsudaira family would work for me."

Then, Yoshishige looked at the two young samurai sitting behind Sakakibara Nagamasa and Nagasaka Nobumasa.

"These two are Yonezu Fujizo and Takagi Zenjiro, right?" Yoshishige asked.

The two young men were stunned for a moment, and then under the reminder and urging of Sakakibara Nagamasa, they hurriedly kowtowed to Yoshishige.

"My name is Yonezu Fujizo Tsuneharu, and I am here to greet Wuweidian."

"My name is Takagi Zenjiro Kiyohide, and I'm here to meet you, Wu Weidian."

"I heard that you two are only fourteen years old this year, but you have already participated in several battles and killed many enemies. I admire you very much." Yoshishige praised the two young warriors.

"Your Highness, thank you for your praise," Takagi Kiyohide replied with a grin, "I and Fujizo are still young, so we will need your guidance from you and the other adults in the future."

"Yes, lord, please stop praising them." Nagasaka Nobumasa naturally changed his address to Yoshishige at this time, and said jokingly: "It's just that they killed a few foot soldiers. If you keep praising them like this, they will be so proud of themselves."

After hearing this, Yizhong smiled and said with emotion in his heart: "Longxing, Longxing, you have brought me two of the 'Tokugawa Sixteen Divine Generals'." (End of this chapter)