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

Chapter 69 Battle of Numata Castle

Suruga, Suruga Mansion.

After seeing Hojo Ujimasa off, Tokugawa Ieyasu sat in the council chamber, lost in thought. He was undecided about whether or not to attack Shinano immediately.

Honda Masanobu, who was standing to the side, seemed to have noticed Tokugawa Ieyasu's concerns, so he spoke up and asked, "Is my lord worried about Oda's attitude toward this matter?"

"Yes," Tokugawa Ieyasu sighed.

“After all, the main family and the Oda family are allies, and the Sanada family is subordinate to the Oda family.”

"I heard that the monkey was very fond of the Sanada family and personally led the Sanada family to Kiyosu Castle to obtain permission for the land of Shinano for the Sanada family."

"If we were to fall out with the Oda clan because of this, it would not be a good thing for our main family."

"Furthermore, the Uesugi family is paying close attention to Shinano. I am worried that if we launch an offensive against Shinano, we will also attract the Uesugi family."

"We can't just stand by and watch the Sanada family take it away."

"Alas, the thought of all this fills me with unease." With that, Tokugawa Ieyasu began to chew on his nails again.

Honda Masanobu quietly looked at Tokugawa Ieyasu, and after a while, he said, "Since my lord has some concerns and cannot make a decision for the time being, why not wait patiently?"

"At least our main family gained Kai, but the Hojo family has gained nothing."

"I imagine the Hojo family will make a move soon."

"Once the Hojo launches an attack, we can wait and see."

"Firstly, it will lower Sanada's guard against our main clan, and secondly, it will allow us to observe the reactions of the Oda and Uesugi clans. If the Oda and Uesugi clans do not take any action, it will not be too late for our main clan to send troops."

Tokugawa Ieyasu's eyes lit up immediately, and he gave Honda Masanobu an approving look.

“Sado no Kami’s words are exactly what I thought.”

"However, we can't just do nothing. Sanada really embarrassed me before." A ruthless glint flashed in Tokugawa Ieyasu's eyes, and his right hand unconsciously squeezed the walnut in his hand, crushing it.

Honda Masanobu nodded. "Rest assured, my lord, I will take care of this matter."

Ueno, Mabashi Castle.

Hojo Takahiro looked at the letter in his hand with mixed feelings, and after hesitating for a long time, he lit it on the candle.

Standing atop the castle tower of Ueno, Hojo Takahiro looked north, only to find the endless Ueno Mountains blocking his view.

"Lu Cong is white tonight, and the moon is the hometown."

"So, I still can't forget him?" Hojo Takahiro looked at the bright moon in the mountains, his thoughts seemingly returning to that afternoon many years ago.

With a white horse and a long spear, the man named Uesugi Kenshin swept across the eight provinces of Kanto.

Half an hour later, Hojo Takahiro returned to his residence.

Two days later, Hojo Takahiro, the lord of Masahashi Castle, announced his return to the Echigo Uesugi clan and his separation from the Hojo family, which shocked Kozuke Province.

Meanwhile, Hojo Ujinao, who had just withdrawn from Shinano and was marching towards Numata Castle, was furious upon hearing of Hojo Takahiro's rebellion.

"Sanada is one thing, but why does Hojo Tango-no-kami also rebel against the main clan?"

"Does this mean that the Hojo clan has lost all its power in the Kanto region?"

Just as Hojo Ujinao was enraged, Itabe Oka Esetsai walked in from outside.

"My lord, the Sanada clan refuses to hand over Numata Castle."

"Hahahaha!" Hojo Ujinao couldn't hold back any longer.

"The army will immediately attack the city of Jiqiao."

"Noto-no-kami, Numata Castle is in your hands." Hojo Ujinao looked at Kasahara Yasukatsu beside him, "Don't let the disastrous defeat at Komoro Castle happen again."

"Ha!" Kasahara Yasukatsu felt a little embarrassed that Hojo Ujinao had brought up the defeat at Komochi Castle in public.

Soon, the Hojo clan's army split into two groups.

Hojo Ujinao personally led 30,000 troops to besiege Masahashi Castle, while Kasahara Yasukatsu also commanded 8,000 men to attack Numata Castle in Ueno.

After learning of Hojo Takahiro's rebellion, Hojo Ujimasa, who was stationed at Odawara Castle, personally went to Hachigata Castle to take charge.

On October 25th, the Battle of Numata Castle broke out.

At the age of sixty-four, Yazawa Yoritsuna, fully armed and holding a long spear, personally guarded the castle, while outside the castle, the sound of conch shells rose and fell incessantly.

In the thin mist, rows of Hojo clan's three-scaled battle flags approached Numata Castle in neat formation.

The neighing of warhorses and even the voices of samurai commanding their troops could be heard from time to time into the city, and even Yazawa Yoritsuna, a veteran of countless battles, couldn't help but grip his gun tighter.

The other Sanada samurai were also on high alert, their expressions tense as they watched outside the castle, fearing a sudden attack from the Hojo clan.

"Don't rush to fire the muskets; wait until the enemy gets close before firing."

"The bows and arrows were fired alternately while the cannons were being loaded."

"Move some more stones over. We don't need so many people at the city gate. Go to the western watchtower!"

Yazawa Yoriyasu was in charge of frontline command, and the 1,500 foot soldiers in Numata Castle were divided into three detachments. Two detachments guarded the Sannomaru and Otemon gates, while the other detachment served as a reserve force to provide support at any time.

Through the thin mist, Yazawa Yoriyasu could vaguely see the Hojo clan's forces split into two groups. One group crossed the Usane River and was approaching the cliff below Numata Castle, while the other group bypassed the cliff and prepared to attack the side gate.

Yazawa Yoriyasu held his breath, quietly waiting for the fog to dissipate.

Before long, the fog in the direction of the Great Gate gradually dissipated, and the Hojo clan foot soldiers hidden in the fog finally revealed themselves.

Soon, a series of rapid conch shell sounds rang out, and the rumbling of the Hojo family's troops moving came from all directions at the same time.

Yazawa Yoriyasu immediately took Hineno Kabuto and lay down by the city wall, silently counting the distance of the enemy troops.

Two hundred steps.

One hundred and fifty steps.

One hundred steps.

Fifty steps.

The distance is enough.

"Fire!"

Bang bang bang!
At the same time, the cannons in Numata Castle fired, and the Hojo clan foot soldiers who were at the forefront fell one after another.

The Hojo clan's forces outside the castle immediately launched a counterattack, with hundreds of foot soldiers armed with arquebuses firing into the castle under the cover of wooden shields.

Gunshots rang out incessantly for a time.

Yazawa Yoriyasu kept observing the situation on the battlefield. When he discovered that the Hojo clan's forces on the right flank were approaching the gate, Yazawa Yoriyasu immediately took his cross-shaped spear and went to the gate.

Numata Castle sits high above the city, with only a winding and rugged mountain road leading out of the gate.

Through the gun slit in the wall, Yazawa Yoriyasu saw the Hojo clan's foot soldiers huddled together on the path.

"The opportunity has come!"

"Everyone, follow me!"

"Kaicheng!"

sizzle.

The gates of Numata Castle opened, and Yazawa Yoriyasu was the first to rush to the front.

The spear danced incessantly in Yazawa Yoriyasu's hands, repelling all the enemy soldiers who tried to approach.

Because they were attacking from a high vantage point, the Sanada clan's foot soldiers could effectively utilize their long spears, striking from above.

The Hojo clan foot soldiers climbing the slope looked quite disheveled; they couldn't even stand steadily, let alone launch a counterattack, and were forced to retreat repeatedly.

The Hojo clan foot soldiers in the front row were forced to retreat continuously, but the Hojo clan foot soldiers in the back row continued to climb upwards.

Yazawa Yoriyasu had already charged into the enemy ranks, with several Sanada samurai behind him constantly wielding their katana to ensure that Yazawa Yoriyasu did not escape their sight.

With such a brave general leading the charge, the Sanada clan's foot soldiers naturally possessed explosive fighting power.

Led by Yazawa Yoriyasu, more than two thousand Hojo clan foot soldiers were scattered.

Kasahara Yasukatsu was positioned at the rear of the army formation, watching helplessly as his foot soldiers were repelled.

The only option was to order a retreat.

Yazawa Yoriyasu did not dare to pursue, and quickly led his troops back into the city.

"Father, the Hojo's offensive has been repelled." Yazawa Yoriyasu excitedly walked to Yazawa Yoritsuna's side.

Compared to Yazawa Yoriyasu's excitement, Yazawa Yoritsuna appeared much calmer.

"This is just a probing attack by the Hojo clan; the real battle is yet to come."

　Hojo Takahiro: commonly known as Tango Mamoru, the lord of Hojo Castle in Echigo-Kariwa County.

　　In 1554, during the battle between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen, Hojo Takahiro was turned against the Takeda clan, and a rebellion subsequently broke out in Echigo.

　　Not long after, Hojo Takahiro surrendered to Uesugi Kenshin's attack and continued to serve the Uesugi clan.

　　In 1563, Uesugi Kenshin appointed Hojo Takahiro as the lord of Ueno-no-Masahashi Castle, giving him full responsibility for the Uesugi family's military and political affairs in Ueno.

　　However, four years later, Hojo Takahiro and Hojo Ujiyasu once again betrayed the Uesugi clan.

　　The following year, the Uesugi and Hojo clans formed the "Echigo-sō Alliance," and Uesugi Kenshin adopted Hojo Ujiyasu's son as his own (Uesugi Kagetora). Hojo Takahiro returned to serve the Uesugi clan once again.

　　After Uesugi Kenshin's death, Hojo Takahiro's support for Uesugi Kagetora failed during the Otate Rebellion, and his castle, Hojo Castle, fell. Hojo Takahiro then fled to Echigo and sought refuge with Takeda Katsuyori.

　　In the tenth year of Tensho (1561), after the Oda clan destroyed the Takeda clan, Hojo Takahiro switched allegiance to Takigawa Kazumasu.

　　A few months later, the Honnoji Incident broke out. Takigawa Kazumasu was defeated in the Battle of Kannagawa and withdrew from Ueno. Hojo Takahiro surrendered to the Hojo clan again.

　　A month later, the Hojo clan went to Shinano. Due to Sanada Masayuki's betrayal and defection to the Uesugi clan, Hojo Takahiro also defected and returned to Echigo.

　　The Warring States period is a grand stage; if you dare, come and join us.

　　Hojo Takahiro, the epitome of traitors in Echigo.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)