The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

With a sharp whooshing sound, a heavy arrow flew past my ear and into the jungle behind me, embedding itself deeply in the trunk of a tree as thick as a bowl.

Muto Shunshu subconsciously turned around and was startled when he saw the tail feathers still shaking violently.

Good heavens! I thought the surrounding countries were lacking in talent and had no worthwhile warriors, but I never expected to encounter a sharpshooter wielding a powerful bow.

Judging by the force, a blow to the face protected only by a mask would most likely be fatal.

One cannot afford to be careless on the battlefield!

In an instant, Muto Shunshu almost shouted, "Brothers, let's go first!"

But noticing the gazes of his allies around him, he immediately realized that he couldn't show any weakness at this moment!

The squad of less than a hundred men beside him was not a regular army under a certain daimyo, but a group of brave and ruthless men that Muto Shunsuke had gathered during his year and a half in Tajima.

Or to put it another way, they were all unruly gentry and bullies who hoarded weapons and refused to submit to the king's rule.

They usually addressed each other as brothers, drank and made merry, and became familiar with each other. Then, Muto Shunshu used Kubo Yoshiaki's name as a shield and used his silver tongue to describe the prospect of promotion and advancement, which "tricked" dozens of volunteers who brought their own food.

How can such a force have much cohesion?

He had just launched a surprise attack amidst the chaos, routing a small group of spearmen under Kakiya Mitsunari's command. On the surface, he seemed to be riding high, but if Muto Shunshu showed the slightest sign of retreat, his dozens of "good brothers" would probably scatter like birds and beasts.

If we end up in that situation, wouldn't all the boasts we made earlier become a joke?

Muto Shunsuke thought to himself: A samurai's glory must ultimately be earned through the sword. Rather than hesitating and wasting his life in vain, he should fight to the death for an opportunity. So, feigning composure and fearlessness, he looked around and shouted boldly, "The rats of the Kakiya family are nothing to worry about. Follow me and we will achieve merit and be rewarded today!"

Then he was the first to dart out, aiming at the archer with good aim, who was dozens of paces away.

The dozens of "good brothers" around him were all young and vigorous men, and they had all experienced struggles such as resisting taxes, fighting bandits, and fighting for water. None of them had never seen blood. Seeing their "big brother" take the lead, their blood boiled, and they all let out loud roars and followed like bloodthirsty beasts.

Rushing headlong into danger may seem reckless and foolish, but it's actually just right.

The two sides' spearmen had just fought for a while. First, the Yamana army couldn't hold on and collapsed, and then the Kakiya army was also scattered by the ambush. Now that both sides' formations have broken down, it's the perfect time for a melee attack.

Moreover, Muto Shunsuke knew that Yamana Yutaka, who was behind him, was a middle-aged man who was easily impulsive, and would definitely bring his personal guards to support him in this situation.

Furthermore, with the ever-victorious general Kubo Yoshiaki in charge of the easternmost main camp, they will be able to mobilize troops in a timely manner and seize the opportunity to send reinforcements.

For children from poor families, this is a gamble worth taking!

All thoughts were thrown to the back of his mind. Muto Shunshu, carrying a half-inch infantry lance, rushed to the front of the enemy archer in a few breaths.

The enemy hastily fired another arrow, which struck him squarely in the waist and abdomen. Although it did not completely pierce his armor, it caused him excruciating pain, with veins bulging, likely resulting in a bruise.

But in the face of life and death, there is no time to complain. Muto Shunshu bit his lip tightly, enduring the excruciating pain as he stepped forward, wielding the butt of his gun and yelling as he leaped forward with all his might, thrusting swiftly.

As a result... the archer on the other side, who seemed quite formidable, turned around and attacked without saying a word.

Then, several soldiers who looked like attendants followed suit and retreated without hesitation.

Even if only four or five cowards run away during close combat, it can have a huge impact on the morale of the group. At the same time, the dozens of mountain hermits organized by Muto Shunshu became even more courageous upon seeing this, each of them like Benkei or Kintoki reincarnated, fighting with increasing ferocity.

It seems that the soldiers of the Daigakiya family, the guardians of Tajima, are indeed not to be feared. With this thought in mind, Muto Shunsuke relaxed a little. The excruciating pain in his waist and abdomen could no longer be endured. He could only stand up with his gun and had no strength to fight again.

At this moment, a great roar was heard from behind, and the large army scattered and rushed forward in disarray to provide support. Among them, a general dressed in gleaming golden armor, surrounded by a dozen or so large and small banners, was Yamana Yutaka, who was shouting orders at the top of his lungs.

However, Muto Shunshu couldn't help but shake his head when he saw this.

A moment later, the drums and conch shells sounded, and another friendly force appeared. This time, they were divided into several small teams, each maintaining its formation and moving with slow but firm steps. Each team consisted of three rows of soldiers standing close together, yet there were appropriate gaps between the teams.

Judging from the banners, this well-organized army was the "Ōyū Castle Army" of Tanba-Kuwata District, led by the younger brother of Kubo Yoshiaki.

Muto Shunshu finally caught his breath and hurriedly unfastened his armor from the side. He looked down at his waist and abdomen and saw a large area that was red and swollen, but it was just dry and painful and there was nothing serious. So he endured the pain and insisted on not leaving the battle.

……

In Shinzaburo's view, Yamana Yutaka's troops, relying on Muto Shunshu's ambush, gained the upper hand over Kakiya Mitsunari's troops. After a period of pursuit, they were blocked by the opposing reserve force, their offensive gradually weakened, and they fell into a disadvantageous position.

Fortunately, reinforcements from Oogami Castle and Kawakatsu-ejima Castle had been sent to support them, which helped maintain the front line and prevent the collapse of the left flank.

However, this also means that the enemy's hidden Inaba Takeda army has already been mobilized.

He managed to salvage the situation after Kakiya Mitsunari's defeat, withstand Yamana Yutaka's attack, and then engage in a standoff with Kubo Shingoro, which shows he has some skill.

The "Great Bow Castle Clan" of Tanba-Kuwata District was not known for their bravery and fearlessness, but over the years they had accumulated a group of wealthy foot soldiers. They also enjoyed the priority of "go-kaku-zuku" (a type of armored vehicle), so the armor rate was very high, and the combatants were equipped with at least a simple suit of armor.

In the era of cold weapons, armor was the source of a soldier's courage.

Therefore, the "Great Bow Castle Army" can be considered a main force in all sixty-six kingdoms.

Unfortunately, this main force was a bit small, consisting of only about four hundred combat soldiers and three hundred auxiliary soldiers.

Next to them were the "Shimajo Clan" from Shingoro's brother-in-law's family, also a fighting force carefully trained by the Kawakatsu family, but slightly weaker in various aspects due to limited resources.

The fact that Inaba Takeda Takanobu's troops were able to fight to a draw with the Ōmiya Castle troops and the Shima Castle troops despite having a numerical advantage suggests that their combat strength probably exceeded the average level of the Wakasa soldiers.

On the left flank, the fighting is still intense as both sides have committed new forces. However, when Shinzaburo turned his attention to the other two directions, he found that the pace of the battle had deteriorated to the point of becoming a "stalemate."

The formations of both sides in the middle lane remained unchanged, still a standoff between long spears. After several rotations, all the soldiers were almost exhausted. Now it was all talk and no action, and the casualty figures had basically stabilized.

The right flank, situated at the confluence of two small rivers, was inconvenient to attack from either side. Each side sent warriors to wade through the water and engage in close combat, but to no avail. After that, they kept a certain distance between them and exchanged sporadic, haphazard shots, with whether anyone was killed entirely depending on luck.

The stalemates are a characteristic of this era, something we have to experience, and we can't really blame the Wakasa soldiers in the center and the Tango soldiers on the right.

To truly make a final decision, it would be necessary to mobilize the Kubo family's personal guards, arquebusiers, or the Mikuriya clan.

The hatamoto guards are all composed of the youngest sons and illegitimate sons of powerful clans within the territory who have no right to inherit. Their martial arts skills, equipment, and initiative are far superior to those of ordinary soldiers. The arquebusiers, on the other hand, are armed with firearms, which represent the power of technology. The visual effect of each volley is quite impressive. The Mikura no Toshihiko is the most eager to make a name for himself and is known as a "lowly but brave man".

There seemed to be opportunities on all three routes—left, center, and right—but Shinzaburo decided to attack the left route.

Compared to Mimasaka Miura Sadahisa and Harima Unomura Yori, Inaba Takeda Takanobu's troops were considered the "elite" of the San'in and San'yo regions.

To teach the local bullies a lesson, we're taking down the elite forces today!

250 Square Formation and Assassination

Approximately three hundred "Mikura-no-Kuri" soldiers, each wielding a three-section spear, advanced slowly and orderly in a dense square formation, one in front of the other. On each side, sixty arquebusiers led twenty paces ahead in a skirmish formation.

Once within firing range, following the commander's loud orders, the arquebusiers in the front row successively removed their firearms from their shoulders, raised their guns, and fired at the enemy. After repeated reminders, they turned 180 degrees to the left and moved to the rear to reload. Then, the arquebusiers in the second row were driven forward five steps to repeat the previous steps.

Amidst the swirling smoke, a series of crackling sounds erupted, and the inexperienced soldiers of Inaba Takeda Takanobu's army, terrified, cried out in agony.

Of course, since they were known as the elite of Shanyin, they were not easily defeated and quickly organized a counterattack.

However, Kubo's close-combat infantry had also made prior arrangements. The front square formation remained stationary, while the rear square formation spread out sparsely to the left and right, blocking the enemy's path. In addition, several dozen warriors wielding greatswords or short spears were placed among the spearmen, intended to counter any desperate charge by the enemy.

After losing the opportunity to fire a volley from the spot, the arquebusiers, led by their leader, broke up into smaller groups and retreated to the flanks and rear of the battlefield to find good firing positions and continuously unleash firepower on the enemy's front-line soldiers.

This tactic of using long spears and matchlock guns in positional warfare is roughly the same as the so-called "Spanish square" popular in continental Europe.

After assembling over a hundred arquebusiers and four or five hundred cavalrymen, Shinzaburo finally assembled a sizable, full-time force, ready to try out some tactical innovations.

This time it seems to have worked well. Although the movements were a bit mechanical and sluggish, and the formation changes were slightly chaotic, it was basically developing according to the expected plan.

It was precisely because the enemy's forces were of relatively limited quality and were already clearly exhausted that they failed to exert much pressure, thus providing a valuable opportunity for training.

If faced with a stronger opponent in the future, the current combat strength may not be enough to secure victory. However, with accumulated experience, our side should become more proficient by then.

But for today, this is enough.

The combination of arquebuses and spear formations clearly caught the Western Country folk off guard, forcing them to retreat repeatedly. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the troops of Ōkō Castle and Ōshima Castle launched an encirclement, forming a coordinated attack.

Before long, on the south side of the battlefield, Kubo's left flank, which was the opposite right flank, was almost completely routed.

But at that moment, they suddenly spotted fresh enemy troops from another direction, numbering around a thousand.

Judging from the flags and horse markings, it was still Inaba Takeda Takanobu's army. Shinzaburo inquired with the local samurai and learned that the commander was the renowned and fierce general, Ōtsubo Jinbei.

It appears that the opposing side has given up on the idea of ​​reversing the disadvantage on the southern front and instead committed its last remaining forces to the northern front.

This is a solution.

Kubo's right flank consisted mainly of soldiers from Tango, Kumano, and Takeno districts. These were cannon fodder troops hastily recruited in newly surrendered territories, lacking adequate equipment, morale, and organization. Previously, they had barely held on across the river with the assistance of Oi Shigeie and Inatomi Shigenobu. If they were attacked again now, they would indeed be at risk of collapse.

In contrast, the central position was formed by four reserve units from Wakasa in a circular formation. Although they were somewhat fatigued, their shape was solid and they were not likely to reveal any weaknesses.

After a brief calculation, Shinzaburo determined that the enemy would not have any more mobile forces, so he no longer needed to hold back.

He immediately ordered Takemura Hidetoshi, Harumi Ujitaka, and others to take the last two reserve units of the main camp and rush to the right flank, at least to neutralize the enemy's offensive, and even better if they could launch a counterattack.

He also sent a message to Takaya Akimasa, Oi, Inatomi, and others, instructing them to act according to circumstances and not to be reckless.

As for the ragtag troops, if they can gather enough men for a short time, that's considered to have served their purpose. When it's time to retreat, they should just retreat directly. Forcing them to hold their ground might only cause more trouble.

This left the general with only two hundred men, most of whom were envoys, assistants, servants, and attendants, with only a few dozen personal guards who were combat personnel.

But Shinzaburo didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Even if the enemy had extra troops, it wouldn't be possible for them to bypass the crowd on the front lines and attack our main camp directly.

As for the sides and rear, those are all steep slopes that are difficult to pass through, making it impossible for the main force to deploy.

……

The subsequent developments were almost exactly as Shinzaburo had predicted.

As expected, the Tango troops on the right flank could not hold out and were forced to retreat under the pressure of the enemy's fresh forces.

Standing at the main camp, Shinzaburo couldn't see the specific details clearly, but the advance and retreat of the flags were still very obvious, and his side was clearly losing ground.

Fortunately, the area was where small rivers converged, and there were many field ridges and marshes. The enemy troops were affected by the terrain, so their movement speed was not very fast, and they could not fight with an invincible momentum.

A little while later, Takemura, Harumi, and others led reinforcements to arrive, and they immediately maintained the battle line.

It seems that "Inaba's fierce general Ōtsubo Jinbei" wasn't all that powerful after all.

Shinzaburo looked around, surveying the entire battle, and concluded that victory was assured.

At this moment, Tomita Nagashige, who had been watching from the side, spoke up to flatter him: "Lord Kubo Sado commanded with composure today, and the arrangement in front of his tent was imposing. He truly deserves to be called a famous general. What's even more remarkable is the military's impressive appearance and composure in the face of the enemy. Indeed, under the command of a fierce general, the soldiers are all tigers and wolves."

Shinzaburo smiled and was about to reply when he suddenly heard a commotion behind him, and vaguely heard some movement.

He quickly turned around and heard a series of whooshing sounds as several arrows flew towards him from fifty paces away. One of the long arrows hit its mark, but it only grazed his armor and failed to cause any damage.

I'm so grateful to my father-in-law, Master Mingzhou, for gifting me that set of five gold-embroidered red silk pendants! The quality is truly excellent; I've been using it ever since and it's still a reliable choice.

Immediately afterwards, someone shouted: "Take Kubo Sado's head, and you'll get a reward of 500 kan!"

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo was greatly surprised.

How did an enemy force suddenly appear out of nowhere? Did they parachute in by helicopter? Or did our own personnel, including the observers, inspectors, and envoys, make a huge mistake and fail to see any suspicious troops approaching?

He quickly suppressed his emotions and observed carefully before he could finally catch his breath.

It turned out to be a small squad of less than thirty people who climbed up the steep slope behind the main camp in an attempt to launch an attack.

That's not my fault. If such a small squad were to deliberately hide, it would indeed be difficult to detect.

However, with all the reserves deployed, they managed to get within fifty paces... indicating that there is still room for improvement in battle discipline.

Fortunately, we survived the first round of shooting and there was no further threat.

The twenty or thirty men on the other side might have strong willpower and mobility, but in order to conceal themselves and traverse the steep slope, they weren't even wearing much armor. Unless they were all like Xiang Yu or Li Guang, what kind of trouble could such a small force possibly cause?

Of course, a son of a wealthy family shouldn't sit under a dangerous roof, so Shinzaburo didn't intend to take action himself. He simply looked around and asked, "Who will take the heads of these traitors for me?"

Actually, he didn't even need to say it; his personal guards had already crowded around him.

Leading the charge was a burly young man named Tomita Nagashige. He moved with incredible speed, covering fifty paces in a few large strides, raising his greatsword and swiftly finishing off one of the men.

The other guards followed suit, hacking and stabbing with knives or spears, quickly killing most of them and capturing four prisoners.

They didn't even give the raiding party a chance to fire a second volley of arrows.

Shinzaburo felt somewhat relieved and satisfied with his subordinates' quick reaction.

As for Tomita Nagashige's actions, it's unclear whether they were intended to show off his martial prowess or express goodwill.

Immediately, the main force's personnel expanded the search area, carefully checking for any remaining dangers; the flag bearers deliberately raised their flags to indicate that the main force was unharmed; the guards stripped and tied up the four surviving prisoners to await interrogation, and then dragged away the other corpses.

After doing all this, looking ahead, we can see that Kubo's left flank has already pushed all the way to the enemy's southern front, and the enemy's main force has begun to retreat.

All that's left is to pursue them.

251 The people are fierce, but the army is weak.

"Inaba Mitsuhiro was defeated by my Tango Takaya Akimasa!"

"But I, Tanba Katsutsugu, have taken the head of Masuzumi South Left Guard Commander!"

"Mimasaka Goto Juro Ubei has been defeated by Yamada Nobumura!"

The soldiers at the front kept shouting to report their achievements, and it seemed that the progress was going quite smoothly.

Looking out from the main camp, the ragtag coalition of Tajima Gakiya, Inaba Takeda, Mimasaka Miura, and Harima Uno had completely collapsed and scattered in all directions.

Unfortunately, after a long time of tallying, the results were limited to enemy generals at the level of a hundred-man squad commander, and did not include higher-ranking personnel.