The winter sky is covered with thick, oyster-colored clouds.
Below lies a vast grassland area in Yamashiro Province, overgrown with wild grasses.
Katsuryuji Castle was built at the confluence of the Obata River, a first-class river that is a tributary of the Katsura River in the Yodo River system, and the Inukawa River, a tributary of the Obata River.
This flatland castle was designed to intercept enemies advancing from the Settsu region, and it offered overwhelming defensive capabilities against attacks from the south by utilizing the natural water moats of the Obata River and Inukawa River.
Ultimately, this meant that they could only offer average defensive capabilities against attacks from the north.
Therefore, the allied forces, centered around the Oda army, are showing their determination to cross the Obata River and launch a full-scale, daring attack to capture the castle.
It appears the use of a decoy unit, which the leadership had been discussing until just now, has been cancelled.
And Haruhime, the very person who had the plan proposed by Naoya scrapped, was now lying low in the lush reed fields along the Obata River, along with 200 of Takenaka's men.
(The Iwanari army's gaze was fixed entirely on the massive northern army of over 10,000 men... It may be unavoidable, but their vigilance on the south side was indeed neglected. I understand that it would be difficult to send out scouts considering the possibility of the enemy taking advantage of the situation to infiltrate the castle.)
Chihime, who was hiding face down in the reed field, swatted her cheek with her thumb.
It's a weed that grows alongside the reeds, and it seems I accidentally cut it down at some point.
A tiny drop of red dripped down her pure white skin.
However, this is a battlefield. Though she is a woman, Princess Osamu does not want her skin to be injured.躊躇chucho
Or perhaps, given that his entire body is covered in scars from his time as a member of the Saito family, he feels there's no point in worrying about it now.
Wavy, dark brown hair.
With her hair tied back in a ponytail, her appearance is dignified, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a goddess of war.
By her side is her younger brother.重矩Shigenori
He, who suffered serious injuries in last year's battle, has finally been able to return to the front lines.
Unlike his slender sister, the muscular young man from the Takenaka family held two swords, each with a blade 10 inches (about 30 cm) long.大鉞Oomasakari
On his back, he carries a powerful bow that only a warrior of superhuman strength could draw.
"My older sister"
When Haruhime was called, she looked at her brother's face.
"What's wrong, Shigenori?"
Her voice was dignified, yet it also possessed a certain gentleness.
Perhaps he is worried about his younger brother, who has returned to the battlefield after a long absence.
"...I can't sense any enemy presence at all. It seems all their attention is focused north, where the Lieutenant General is."
"I suppose so."
Haruhime responded.
After all, the hero who succeeded in the falconry hunt and the unparalleled priest who pacified the dragon had come forth himself.
Furthermore, Matsunaga Hisahide, who could be considered Iwanari's arch-enemy, was also present—so it's only natural that their vigilance would be concentrated in the north.
(And they probably don't even consider the possibility of being attacked from the south, which is protected by a river.)
The Takenaka forces marched alongside the Asai army for part of the way, but separated when crossing the Obata River, and continued their advance while hiding in the reed beds along the river.
To silence Naohisa, who had suggested using her lord Nagamasa as bait, Haruhime gathered detailed information about the terrain from Myo and then devised a plan to personally destroy the enemy.
"Shigenori, I'm relieved to see that your senses haven't dulled..."
"Don't be ridiculous, big sister."
Hiding in the reed field, Shigenori said:
"It's been so long since I've been on the battlefield... my body is trembling uncontrollably."
"Oh, I wonder if they're scared?"
"Of course."
The muscular warrior gripped the large axes in both his hands tighter.
"Our sister's and the lieutenant general's future depends on our actions . How can we not be trembling?"
"Yes."
With a wry smile, Haruhime approached Shigenori and gently stroked her brother's cheek.
"But don't worry. If you follow my instructions, I'm sure it will work out."
Shigenori nodded. His younger brother knew his sister's abilities well.
Therefore, I don't have the habit of doubting her.
And that deep trust was common to everyone in Takenaka's group.
"We will now cross the river and burn down the samurai district that stretches out in front of the south gate of Shoryuji Castle."
Princess Chihime announced this to her 200 elite soldiers.
"The Iwanari army's attention is focused to the north. We must distract them. If the enemy comes out when we start the fire, we will retreat immediately without engaging in combat. We will escape by crossing the river."
The men nodded.
"However, if they don't come out... we'll burn down the samurai residence to the ground. If that happens, they certainly won't be able to stay there silently any longer. If they do come out, we'll flee as well. But even then, if the enemy still doesn't come out..."
Haruhime continued with emotionless eyes.
"Let's fire flaming arrows at the castle—yes, until the enemy comes out. Once they do, we'll basically just run away. Our job now is to disrupt the enemy's concentration of forces at the north gate. If Shoryuji Castle falls into disarray, the Oda army will immediately launch a siege. There is nothing more difficult for a commander to control their troops than a chaotic castle. And when it becomes difficult to maintain control of the troops, the castle will fall."
She stated it with certainty.
The plan proposed by Naohisa, and endorsed by Hisahide, was a strategy to weaken the Iwanari army's strength through a field battle using Nagamasa and Hisahide as decoys.
However, in that case, both the Oda army marching to Kyoto and the Asai and Matsunaga forces would inevitably suffer considerable losses.
If they had launched a siege after suffering casualties in open battle, the damage could have been doubled.
Therefore, Princess Osamu decided it would be better to disrupt and confuse the enemy castle itself before launching a coordinated and decisive attack to capture it.
Furthermore, Iwanari's army surely did not anticipate an attack from the south.
If attacked, they will inevitably panic, and Tomomichi, the defending commander—considering his personality—will likely become enraged and lose his composure.
And if we could just make them angry, we would win.
Cooking for an enraged opponent is undoubtedly something that cunning generals like Matsunaga Hisahide and Ukita Naoie excel at.
"We're crossing the river. Make sure you don't get your flint or oilcloth wet..."
"Yes, for the sake of the Lieutenant General."
"For the sake of the Lieutenant General"
All of Takenaka's men, including Haruhime, placed their hands on their chests and repeated the phrase.
The voices of the 201 men and women even conveyed a sense of ecstasy.
The husband of the head of the Takenaka family.
Knowing all about her past experiences in the Saito family, Hideo treats her as if she were his wife, despite her status as a concubine.
The Takenaka forces, from the lord down, were all deeply devoted to Nagamasa. They recognized him as someone worthy of their lives.
And I was encouraged by his actions and his guidance for the future.
They began to cross the river quietly and swiftly, in coordinated movements.
Then, hiding in the reed beds on the opposite bank, they crawled forward towards the castle town of Shoryuji Castle.
In his mind, all he could think about was helping the hero on his path to power.
◆
Haruhime and the Takenaka forces arrived silently at the samurai district located south of Shoryuji Castle.
As expected, there was no one there, not even his wife and children. Everyone must have evacuated to the castle.
Furthermore, Takenaka's forces have yet to be discovered by Iwanari's army.
It seems that scouting from within the castle is indeed difficult when trying to intercept a small force.
Winter air is dry. It's the perfect season for arson.
While keeping a watchful eye on the castle, the princesses struck the flint they carried with them.
Then, they would light a cloth soaked in oil, and using straw and other fuels found within the samurai residence, they would set the entire house ablaze.
Their lower bodies were thoroughly soaked from crossing the river, but the heat of the spreading flames made them feel themselves drying up quickly.
It is clear that there is great turmoil inside the castle.
We don't know when the castle gates will open. If horses come out, there's nothing we can do.
Therefore, the princesses were prepared to escape at any moment, but there was no sign of the south gate opening.
"Sister, let's roast it."
"Yes, let's keep burning it while remaining cautious."
The 200 men under Takenaka's command continued their arson efforts in a disciplined manner.
For Katsuryuji Castle, which had only one defensive structure in the main enclosure (Numata-maru), the samurai district located in front of the south gate played a role in hindering the movements of enemy forces.
Therefore, burning everything down here—even if this siege is unsuccessful—could provide a starting point for attacking from the south.
Without raising a fuss, Takenaka's forces silently set fires and burned down the samurai district.喊声Completed
Shigenori had scratched the pillars of the house he had set on fire.鉞Masakari
This is to make it easier to collapse if the fire spreads.
Meanwhile, the weapons and clothes that had gotten wet during the river crossing were drying rapidly.
It became clear that Shoryuji Castle was in turmoil, and soldiers who had been concentrated at the north gate were beginning to gather at the south gate in droves.
Ultimately, this simply means that the forces at the north gate are decreasing.
"They must be having trouble estimating our exact numbers... After all, it's all fire and smoke."
Having spread the flames far and wide enough, Princess Osamu gathered her troops and ordered them to prepare fire arrows.
A fire arrow is shot by stuffing oiled paper into the hole at the tip of the arrow and then igniting it.
If it had successfully pierced a wooden structure, it could have caused the fire to spread from there.
"Burning down the enemy's home and unsettling their hearts is a dirty tactic... But the true nature of war is the stagnant sludge at the bottom of the water. It's all for the sake of victory. There's no point in saying pretty things and then losing, because when people are killing each other—there 's no such thing as prettyness anymore."穢Here it comes
Between the raging fire and smoke.
Amidst the roaring sounds of the burning and collapsing samurai district, Princess Osamu's commanding voice rings out.
200 Takenaka soldiers lit flames on their arrows and pointed their tips towards the sky.
" Eh!"射hand
As Princess Osamu spoke, several streaks of flame streaked across the oyster-colored sky.
Suddenly, Shoryuji Castle became chaotic. The number of people wasn't the problem. The fact that fire was raining down on their heads was the problem in itself.
"Second, huh?!"射hand
The renowned military strategist gave the order. He did not order a retreat.
Though frightened, shocked, and angry, they still haven't mustered the courage to come out.
I sensed that kind of atmosphere among the soldiers of Shoryuji Castle.
I could see Shigenori's powerful bow piercing deep into the leg of the wooden watchtower.
The flames slowly spread to the watchtower, and, albeit slowly, began to spread throughout the castle.
That was the deciding factor. A loud shout echoed from Shoryuji Castle.
Just as the castle gates began to open and the enraged Iwanari army was about to rush out,
"Hey, hey, yeah!"
"Hey, hey, yeah!!"
"Hey, hey, yeah!!!"
Takenaka's forces raised their first battle cry.
A terrifying voice. A signal announcing the start of battle.
It certainly likely led to the north side, beyond Shoryuji Castle.
Of course, the main force of the Asai army was led by the Takamine clan's leader, who had excellent hearing. There was no way they could have missed it.
"Ooooooooo!!!!"
彼方Kanata.
The massive armies of Oda, Asai, and Matsunaga, numbering over 10,000, roared. It was a deafening roar, like the ground shaking.
The Iwanari army, who had rushed out of the gate, also noticed the commotion, and everyone turned around to look behind them. They had no choice but to look around.
After all, the 10,000-strong Oda army began to swarm towards the north gate of Shoryuji Castle, causing the ground to shake.
"Pull back!"
A conducting voice came .迸gushing
In my mind, there were two options: charge through the open South Gate, or retreat.
I had a feeling that Katsuryuji Castle, in its current state of disarray, could be easily taken down.
However, the choice made by the hero's strategist was—as his words indicated—the latter.
"Shall we attack, big sister?!"
"If we charge in, it will become a battle for the Asai! Besides, the reward money we'll receive from Oda later won't buy back the lives we've lost! We must retreat here, without losing a single person!"
"Yes!!"
Takenaka's forces responded and shouted.
Then, he hurled insults at Shoryuji Castle, taunting them with provocative shouts.
I couldn't just back down for free. I had to back down in a way that would make the other person lose their reason as much as possible.
Ultimately, that's what led to the victory of the army marching to Kyoto.
"You cowards!!"
"Your house was burned down, and you're still going to keep quiet?!"
"As expected of people who are obsessed with Kyoto, they're nothing but worthless scum who have lost their spirit!!"武士warrior
In response to the cheering and taunts from Takenaka's forces, a small number of soldiers rushed out from the south gate.
That's the moment when emotions transcend the rules. At that point, discipline and rules are meaningless.
If group behavior becomes dysfunctional, the only future that awaits them is one in which they will be crushed by a well-organized opponent.
Shouts of anger and insults, laughter and the sound of raging infernos.
From the scene where these grand choruses were taking place, Takenaka's forces quietly withdrew.
The situation and its consequences are now so obvious that they hardly need to be seen.
Taking advantage of the enemy's indifference, the well-disciplined Takenaka forces achieved results far exceeding what Princess Osamu had anticipated.
Our losses were zero. The enemy's losses were immense.
However, there was no joy in Princess Osamu's heart.
All that remained was contempt for the two strategists who had tried to use their beloved lord as bait.