Japan's Sengoku Period: The Sanada Clan's Ambition

Chapter 14: The Oda Clan withdraws its troops, plunging Shinano into chaos!

"What?"

Nobuyuki Sanada smiled and continued, "Shinano is already in chaos, and judging from the actions of Mori Nagayoshi and the others, it seems that they are about to leave Shinano. As a result, Shinano is like a no-man's land."

"Reclaiming territory is important, but what happens after it's reclaimed?"

Will the Oda clan make a comeback?

"Will the Uesugi clan of Echigo take advantage of the chaos to invade Shinano again?"

"What about the Hojo family in Kanto?"

"At that time, what will become of us, the people of Shinano?" After saying this, Sanada Nobuyuki spread his hands and looked at the group of people who were deep in thought.

As Nobuyuki Sanada said, it was easy to reclaim the territory, but what should Shinano do afterward?

If we send troops to reclaim our territory, it would be a betrayal of the Oda clan. What if the Oda clan comes back to fight us?

Moreover, the Uesugi clan is next door, and they will definitely send troops to Shinano again to reclaim the territory that Mori Nagayoshi had previously occupied.

After a moment of silence, Izuura Morikiyo glanced at the confident Sanada Nobuyuki, crossed his sword to his chest, and slowly said, "So, what will the Sanada family do?"

"Gentlemen, at this critical juncture, I believe that the first thing we, the people of Shinano, should do is to unite."

"Moreover, you cannot fight individually. Otherwise, if you encounter a powerful enemy that invades, even if you reclaim your territory, you will not be able to defend it."

"Therefore, the most urgent task is to elect a respected and capable warrior to oversee the overall situation."

Izuura Morikiyo, a seasoned straight man, nodded in agreement, "Then who is capable of undertaking this important task?"

Nobuyuki Sanada smiled slightly, practically wearing his name on his face.

"Damn it! Shut up! You little brat!"

Looking at the two people in front of him, singing in unison, Muroga Masatake felt that his intelligence had been insulted.

"You little brat, how dare you speak so arrogantly? You actually think you can make us listen to you? On what grounds?" Muroga Masatake said, his beard bristling and eyes wide.

“That’s right, even if your father, Awa-no-kami, were here, he wouldn’t dare say such a thing,” Katsunaga Yashiro chimed in.

Muroga Masatake's father was Yashiro Katsunaga's uncle, and he was adopted into the Muroga family, so the two were cousins ​​and naturally very close.

Faced with their questions, Nobuyuki Sanada remained calm and took out a document from his pocket.

"Why?"

"Because I have this!"

The document slowly opened, and before anyone could see what it contained, the Uesugi family's red seal and monogram were clearly visible.

In fact, the situation in Shinano was even worse than Morinaga had anticipated.

When news of the deaths of Oda Nobunaga and his son spread throughout Shinano, local lords and commoners across the country began to take action.

All roads were blocked, and the people who had lost their castles began to gather troops to retake them. Some of the weaker people also began to band together for mutual support, and the whole of Shinano was in complete chaos.

When Mori Nagayoshi arrived at Kaizu Castle, Inaba Sadamichi had already gathered all the families of the Shinano Province residents.

Looking at the hostages in his hands, Sen Changke felt a little relieved.

"What's the situation now?"

Inaba Sadamichi shook his head with a grave expression. "Not very optimistic."

"The Kiso clan has placed Fukushima Castle under siege, and the road to Mino has been blocked, making it impossible to pass through."

"Should we go through Kai?"

"An uprising has broken out in Kai. It is said that Lord Kawajiri is being besieged by the uprising forces, and Kai has nowhere to go."

Mori Nagato is so cute.

Yesterday, I was the general of the Oda clan in the Konobu region, leading 5,000 troops to attack the Uesugi clan.

How did I end up like a stray dog ​​today?

"What about the people of our nation?"

"Any unusual activity?" Inaba Sadamichi quickly replied, "An uprising broke out in the territories of the Yashiro and Muroga clans, and the uprising forces have occupied Yashiro Castle and Muroga Castle."

"Moreover, suspicious individuals have appeared near Haijin City today, and I am worried that this place may also become a target of the uprising."

"Right now, everything is as it is in the Sanada clan's territory in the small prefecture. Why don't we go there to take refuge temporarily?"

Mori Nagayoshi hesitated for a moment, then said calmly, "Don't worry, as long as we have these hostages, these Shinano people won't be able to cause much trouble."

"We will not enter Sanada territory for now. With these hostages, we will proceed slowly southward, sending out scouts along the way to avoid enemy ambushes."

"what!"

At this point, Mori Nagayoshi no longer trusted anyone, not even the Sanada family, who had performed exceptionally well under his command.

Moreover, having a hostage in hand gives Sen Changke a certain degree of confidence.

Not long after Mori Nagayoshi and his party left Haijin City, they heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats behind them.

The Oda clan members, already on edge, were greatly alarmed and quickly formed a battle formation.

However, it was Sanada Nobuyuki who arrived.

"Genzaburo?"

“Lord Musashi, you left without saying goodbye. You don’t consider me, Genzaburo, a friend.” Sanada Nobuyuki dismounted and came to Mori Nagayoshi’s side.

After glancing behind Sanada Nobuyuki and confirming that he was alone, Mori Nagayoshi waved his hand, signaling the people around him to put down their weapons.

"Genzaburo, who has come?"

"I've come specifically to escort Lord Musashi!" Sanada Nobuyuki replied without hesitation.

Mori Nagayoshi was immediately filled with respect, "Excellent! There are countless people in Shinano Province, but only Sanada Genzaburo is a true samurai!"

"But you're all alone?"

"Even if I am alone, I am willing to charge ahead for the Oda clan!" Sanada Nobuyuki said, patting his chest.

There was no other way. There were uprisings all over Shinano. Although the Sanada family's territory was temporarily safe, in order to guard against possible attacks, they had no choice but to let the Kawahara Tsuna family take the foot soldiers back to their territory first.

However, Sanada Nobuyuki was not alone; Oyamada Shigemasa was behind him with thirty Sanada samurai.

If too many people are brought, it may cause Morinaga Yoshiyuki to misunderstand, while if too few are brought, Sanada Nobuyuki himself is afraid of encountering the Rakubuja hunters on the way.

With the Sanada family leading the way, Mori Nagayoshi and his party soon arrived in Suwa District.

Because they were carrying hostages, they were moving very slowly.

Suddenly, a force of soldiers appeared from the hillside ahead, numbering at least four or five thousand, and blocked the road.

Mori Nagayoshi immediately ordered the entire army to be on alert, and then rode forward, only to find that the people blocking his way were the local lords of northern Shinano.

Just two days ago, Muroga Masatake, who was drinking and chatting with Mori Nagayoshi, came up to him and said, "Lord Musashi, since you are leaving Shinano, why don't you release our families first?"

"Lord Muroga, if it weren't for these family members, would I have been able to leave unscathed?" Mori Nagayoshi looked at Muroga Masatake with amusement.

"Hand over your family members, or there's nothing more to discuss!" Muroga Masatake threatened.

After he finished speaking, the archers and arquebusiers behind Muroga Masatake raised their weapons and aimed them at Mori Nagayoshi.

Mori Nagayo appeared calm, but his back was almost soaked with sweat.

At that moment, Sanada Nobuyuki rode forward and blocked Mori Nagayoshi's path, then glared at him angrily and said, "Lord Muroga, have you forgotten the oath we made here?"

"That's Suwa Taisha over there. Have you forgotten what was written on the invitation?"

The sacred spiritual site for the people of Shinano is Suwa Taisha Shrine in Suwa District, where Oda Nobunaga accepted the surrender of the people of Shinano. The petition submitted by the people of Shinano also included an oath in the name of Suwa Daimyojin.

"Since you have already pledged allegiance to the Oda clan, how can you do such a treacherous thing?"

"If you want to harm Musashi, you can simply step over my body, Sanada Nobuyuki!"

Sanada Nobuyuki stood before the two armies, gun in his right hand, his impassioned words echoing across the battlefield.

For a moment, everyone turned their attention to him.

(End of this chapter)