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

Chapter 96 Tokugawa retreats, a great victory
Night falls, at the Tokugawa main camp.

At this moment, Sakai Tadatsugu had lost the confidence he had during the day. Looking at the dozen or so wounded Tokugawa retainers below, his face was so gloomy it was almost dripping with water.

Most importantly, he still doesn't understand how his several thousand men were surrounded.

"Lord Mizuno, you go first." Sakai Tadatsugu looked down at Mizuno Katsunari, whose head was wrapped in blood, which had seeped through the headscarf, turning the white headscarf bright red.

Mizuno Katsunari felt very wronged.

During the day, he affectionately calls me by my common name, Rokuzaemon, but how come he becomes Mizuno-sama at night?

I came all the way from Kai to help out, so even if I didn't do anything special, I still put in a lot of effort.

But Mizuno Katsunari could only grumble silently in his heart; he dared not act recklessly in front of Sakai Tadatsugu.

"Kiso and Ogasawara launched an attack on Uehara Castle without following the established battle plan."

"I was in a hurry to provide support, which is why I was caught off guard and fell into the Sanada family's ambush."

Since they can't shirk responsibility, they can only try to shift the blame onto others.

Tadatsugu Sakai didn't speak, but turned his head to look at Yoshimasa Kiso and Nobutaka Ogasawara on the other side.

Their hearts skipped a beat.

There's no way to refute it; it's true that they wanted to get ahead of the enemy, which is why they didn't wait for Mizuno Katsunari to arrive before launching their attack.

Thinking of this, the two of them lowered their heads at the same time, not daring to look directly into Sakai Tadatsugu's eyes.

At that moment, Nobumasa Okudaira slowly walked in from outside the tent.

"The casualty figures have been confirmed."

"Among the Mizuno family members, including Mizuno Sanzaemon, 137 were killed, 321 were injured, and more than 200 fled."

"54 members of the Suganuma family were killed, 171 were injured, and 39 fled the battlefield."

"The Okudaira family suffered 9 dead samurai, 92 foot soldiers, and 200 wounded."

"In this battle, our family suffered a total of 292 deaths. Including the wounded and those who fled, the casualties amounted to nearly 1500."

"Among them, the Mizuno and Suganuma squads suffered more than half their casualties and are no longer able to fight." Given the current medical conditions of the Tokugawa family, it is estimated that less than a third of these wounded soldiers will survive.

As Nobumasa Okudaira reported, his heart was bleeding.

If it weren't for Uncle Okudaira Sadaharu's desperate resistance today, the casualties in the Okudaira family would probably be even greater.

The funniest thing is that most of the casualties suffered by the Okudaira family did not come from the Sanada family's attacks, but from deserters of friendly forces.

Fortunately, Sadaharu Okudaira was not seriously injured, otherwise Nobumasa Okudaira would definitely be demanding an explanation from Katsunari Mizuno and Sadayoshi Suganuma.

"You all heard it!"

Tadatsugu Sakai stood up from his seat and walked to the center of the main camp. After looking around, he continued, "Such casualties in just half a day? How long has it been since our clan suffered such a crushing defeat?"

"Order the entire army to retreat to Matsuo Castle and deploy."

Upon hearing that Tadatsugu Sakai was going to leave, Yoshimasa Kiso, who had been silent just moments before, could no longer sit still.

"Lord Sakai, what about the main family?"

Tadatsugu Sakai glanced at Yoshimasa Kiso and replied casually, "Good luck to you."

Kiso Yoshimasa was stunned and quickly turned his pleading gaze to Ogasawara Nobutane, who was standing to the side.

Ogasawara Nobutaka quickly turned his head away, pretending not to see.

He was a vassal of the Ina district and had long since pledged allegiance to the Tokugawa family, so naturally he stood with the Tokugawa family.

As for Yoshimasa Kiso?

Sorry, we're not that close yet.

The Tokugawa clan has just suffered a major defeat, and the morale of their foot soldiers has been severely affected. They will certainly be unable to launch another attack in the short term.

Sakai Tadatsugu could only lead his army to retreat to Matsuo Castle in Ina District to reorganize his forces and absorb the troops of the local populace. Tokugawa Ieyasu had entrusted him with not only the task of capturing Uehara Castle, but also the responsibility of bringing Ina District under the control of the Tokugawa family.

Since Uehara Castle cannot be captured in a short time, the only option is to control Ina County first, which will ensure that military supplies and provisions from the rear can be transported to the front line smoothly.

In contrast to the oppressive atmosphere at the Tokugawa main camp, the Sanada family was celebrating their victory at Uehara Castle, across Lake Suwa.

Sanada Masayuki enthusiastically grabbed Obata Nobusada's hand and shook it repeatedly, not even noticing that he had spilled the sake in his hand.

"Kamizumi-suke, you've come at just the right time."

"I never expected that you would personally lead troops from Ueno to provide support. Thank you so much."

Obata Nobusada waved his hand, then picked up the sake bottle on the table and filled Sanada Masayuki's cup. "Awa no Kami, it's too formal for us to talk like this."

“The Obata clan and the Sanada family have been friends for decades. Back then, during the Battle of Nagashino, it was you who carried me out of a pile of dead bodies.”

"If it weren't for Awa no Kami, how could I, Obata Nobusada, be where I am today?"

"Let's not talk about that anymore, let's drink! This is a great victory. It's been a long time since Mikatagahara that we've had something like this to celebrate." Obata Nobusada raised his glass and put his arm around Sanada Masayuki's shoulder.

Sanada Masayuki nodded and quickly drank it all in one gulp.

When Sanada Yukitaka fled to Ueno and sought refuge with Nagano Narimasa, he established a close relationship with the Obata family.

In the Battle of Nagashino, Sanada Masayuki, who was then known as Muto Kihei, fought as a guard for Takeda Katsuyori, while his elder brother Sanada Nobutsuna led the Sanada clan into battle.

When the brothers Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masaki died in battle, Sanada Masayuki was about to rush to their rescue when he accidentally saved Obata Nobusada, who was surrounded and seriously injured.

Unexpectedly, his unintentional act that day would earn him Obata Nobusada's full support today.

"The samurai of Koshu truly prioritize loyalty and righteousness," Sanada Masayuki couldn't help but remark.

On the other side, Nobuyuki Sanada also pulled Sadakazu Ogasawara aside to pour out their hearts to each other.

Although the Ogasawara clan did not have many troops participating in this battle, their choice to stand with the Sanada clan during the Shinano uprising was enough to prove their loyalty to the Sanada clan.

"Lord Genzaburo, the Ogasawara family was able to restore its name entirely thanks to the Sanada family's assistance."

"Rest assured, my Ogasawara family will continue to serve the Sanada family in the future," Ogasawara Sadakae said firmly, patting his chest.

Sanada Nobuyuki played a significant role in enabling him to return to Fukashi Castle to succeed as head of the Ogasawara family and drive out his uncle, Ogasawara Sadane.

Although there was an element of coercion involved, Ogasawara Sadayoshi was not someone who couldn't distinguish between good and bad.

The Ogasawara family's current status is due to the Sanada family obtaining permission and a guarantee of safekeeping from the Oda family. If they had submitted to the Tokugawa, it's uncertain whether they could have preserved their territory.

After all, the territory of Chikuma County was taken back from Kiso Yoshimasa, who had already surrendered to the Tokugawa. These territories would definitely be returned to Kiso by the Tokugawa family afterward.

"My lord, the enemy's head has been prepared for burial." Yamagami Michiki arrived at Sanada Nobuyuki's side at this moment.

Nobuyuki Sanada nodded. "Bury it on the spot."

After saying that, Sanada Nobuyuki looked at Suwa Yoritada beside him and said, "Lord Aki no Kami, please have the Suwa clan send someone to perform a ritual for these departed souls."

“This is my duty, and I will certainly do my best,” Suwa Yoritada replied immediately.

The battlefield was in the territory of the Suwa clan, and the Suwa clan was the chief priest of the Suwa Grand Shrine, so it was their duty to take the lead.

"Doki, have we gotten our casualty count yet?" Sanada Nobuyuki was very concerned about the losses of his foot soldiers. These were all foot soldiers from his territory, and every one that died was one less.

A flicker of excitement crossed Yamagami's eyes, and he replied with a look of exhilaration, "Only 15 people were killed, and more than 100 others were slightly wounded, most of them minor injuries."

"After news of this battle spreads, the name of my Sanada family will surely resound throughout the world."

What about enemy casualties?

"Only more than 100 enemy corpses were found at the scene. It is estimated that the number of enemy killed was at least 300, and the number of wounded is incalculable."

Sanada Nobuyuki sighed, "Although we won this battle, the Tokugawa clan did not suffer too many losses. I believe the enemy will return soon."

"This should not be underestimated."

(End of this chapter)