Two herds of horses and riders were heading south through Yamashiro Province.
However, their characteristics are quite different. That is, they are the pursuer and the pursued.
One of them was the Iwanari Army.
Having their order disrupted by the brilliant tactics of the Takenaka group led by Haruhime , they began to flee in a chaotic swarm through the south gate, accompanied by their wives and children.火計Kakei
Their destination is the Settsu region. The areas along Osaka Bay, including Settsu Province, are within the sphere of influence of the Miyoshi Three.
They probably believe that if they can just retreat there, they will be able to launch a large-scale counteroffensive against Oda's army marching on Kyoto.
The other side is the combined forces of Oda, Asai, and Matsunaga.
Having captured Katsuryuji Castle in no time with little damage, the army, after fortifying the castle they had seized, pursued Iwanari's forces with great momentum.
Personally, I strongly wanted to lead the charge with the cavalry and finish the job decisively, but that idea was strongly discouraged and rejected by Princess Osamu.蹂躙Juurin
The news that the Oda army had launched an attack on Shoryuji Castle had probably already spread to the Miyoshi Three.
If that's the case, they must have mobilized a considerable number of troops to provide relief.
And they are probably surging towards us right now.
What would happen if a cavalry unit of less than 100 men attempted a pursuit under those circumstances...?
"Please think about this calmly," Haruhime said, her face like a mother scolding her bad son.
(Even if you are honest and straightforward as a general leading troops—that must mean you should never be honest with your own feelings.)
As she has repeatedly emphasized, this time their role is strictly that of reinforcements for the Oda family.
A side dish should never become the main course.
In that sense, the all-out, daring cavalry charge tactics that I excel at are a very bad match for this strategy.
However, given my fighting style up until now, I could have predicted that I would eventually run into difficulties.
I see this as a good opportunity, and I must follow Princess Chihime's advice and learn military strategy not as mere knowledge, but as something practical.
(After all, we've never been involved in any foreign wars until now... and because we've been fighting monsters for so long, we've never really had a proper fight with humans.)
While I was thinking about all that, the Allied forces halted their march at Yamazaki and immediately deployed their troops.
Historically, this land was the site of a decisive battle between Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide, and where Mitsuhide's three-day reign came to an end.
Moreover, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is an extremely important territory for Yamashiro Province.
After all, this area is the gateway to the Kyoto Basin.
The Yodo River, a first-class river flowing out of Lake Biwa, has undoubtedly played an extremely important role in the history of Japanese civilization through its water transport.
And of the mountains that jut out across the Yodo River—the northern one is called Tennozan, and the fortress Yamazaki Castle was built on it.
This castle is the next one we must conquer.
However, the Miyoshi Three also had their pride.
A crushing defeat at Katsuryuji Castle.
Having learned of this through Iwanari's army, they deployed a massive force of 30,000 men at the foot of Mount Tennozan, waiting for us.
Moreover, the one who has emerged as the supreme commander is Hosokawa Akimoto, the shogunal deputy of Ashikaga Yoshihide, the 14th Muromachi shogun supported by the Miyoshi Three, and thus the second highest-ranking official in the shogunate.
In short, it seems that Princess Osamu's premonition was correct.
Surely, one can judge that charging into an army of 30,000 with only about 100 people is not courage, but reckless bravery.
"We must summon Lord Nobunaga immediately."
That was the common understanding among the Oda shogunate officials who were part of the advance guard of the Oda army.
Common sense dictates that one would want to avoid directly engaging in a head-on fight with an opponent three times their size.
After all, the enemy had brought out their own commanding officer, and their morale was extremely high. Moreover, it seemed as though they intended to defeat the Oda vanguard here and recapture Shoryuji Castle.
Therefore, it is understandable that the first thing that came up in the discussions at the Allied headquarters was the idea of a defensive strategy.
"I believe the best course of action would be to wait for Lord Nobunaga's arrival before engaging in a decisive battle. What do you think?"
It was Mitsuhide who first advocated a defensive strategy.
The fact that he, while dedicating himself to assisting Katsuie, managed to unite the assembly, probably meant that he anticipated that no strategy other than a defensive one would be proposed.
You get a strong sense of the attitude that you should absolutely never take risks.
The main point of Mitsuhide's argument is that we must proceed cautiously and move towards a situation where victory is certain.
"Lord Nobunaga currently commands 40,000 troops at Tofuku-ji Temple. Even if he has to leave some troops behind to defend Kyoto, he will surely bring at least 30,000 with him. In that case, we will surpass the Miyoshi Three in terms of troop numbers."
I think it's a very clear and classic move.
The idea of securing a numerical advantage before engaging in a decisive battle is not inherently wrong. However...
"I, Hisahide, disagree with your opinion."
" mosquito"何故Why?
The most notorious villain born in Yamato Province shook his head from side to side and said to Mitsuhide:
"Let's just say that a waiting stance is very dangerous at the moment... Even if Lord Nobunaga arrives, it could be overturned at any time..."
Hisahide continued in a sticky, lingering voice.
"Indeed, at present, the only enemies participating in this campaign are the Miyoshi Three... But there is something you must never forget, is there? That is, the Hon'genji sect of the Ikkō sect is also showing signs of opposition to the Oda army marching to Kyoto... is that right?"
"Hmm..."
Mitsuhide frowned, and Hisahide grinned, showing his teeth.
"Those guys are extremely troublesome, you know? Hardcore lunatics who are willing to die for their doctrine... We must annihilate our army before the cult sends out a letter of uprising against them. We must make the cult realize that now is not the time for all-out war."彼mosquito
Katsuie made a sour face. And Naoyoshi laughed.
"It's true that Oda and Asai seem to be quite unpopular. I've heard that it's all political maneuvering by Asakura of Echizen, but...that's irrelevant right now."
Naoya said.
"The important thing is that the time we spend waiting for Lord Nobunaga is equally their time to prepare. They have the current Ashikaga Shogun and the Kanrei (deputy shogun) in their hands. Therefore, their justification is more than sufficient. And authority is inferior to man ... If they give the order, the Saika clan of Kii, the Suzuki family, and the Hatano clan of Tanba, and other powerful families may unite. Furthermore, if disciples of Ikkoso join in, then no one will be able to stop them."靡Navi性Saga
"nothing..."
Mitsuhide groaned. That was certainly true.
Even if Nobunaga were to personally attend the battle, if he were to suffer a defeat in that battle, the Oda family's dream of ruling the country would surely be set back.
"So, what do we do? What should we do? Should we charge in and wipe them out?"
Katsuie asked, letting out an animalistic growl.
"No, that would be dangerous."
Hisahide replied with a smirk on his face.
"The sun is about to set. It's standard practice to avoid a regular battle at night. Especially since we are outnumbered, even a single lapse in command could easily lead to our immediate annihilation."
"In that case, we should adopt a night attack."
Naoya flashed a cheerful, yet sinister smile.
"Of course, I'm not suggesting we attack the enemy lines. They're probably wary of a night attack. Besides, the Yamazaki area is quite cramped, literally sandwiched between mountains... Even at night, a unit approaching on flat ground could easily be intercepted by the enemy."
"Then where should we attack?"
Katsuie asked, trembling with excitement.
In response, it was neither Hisahide nor Naohisa who answered, but Haruhime.
"Of course, I'm sure you two would like to say Yamazaki Castle..."
As she watched the two scheming generals, who wore sinister smiles, Chihime stood firm and said:
"That strategy is certainly effective. It appears that most of the enemy has descended to Mount Tennozan. This is because Yamazaki Castle is located in the mountains of Mount Tennozan, making it unsuitable for a decisive battle. Since the Miyoshi Three have put forward the Kanrei (deputy shogun), they must defeat the 'rebels' in a spectacular open battle at all costs. Consequently, the defenses of Yamazaki Castle will inevitably be weakened. If they are defeated in an open battle while still holding back their strength to support the Kanrei, they will have no other options left."麓foot of the mountain
"Yes, that's it... my lady. You've really understood my intentions, haven't you?"
Hisahide looked up at me with his eyes wide open and grinned, baring his teeth.
This is probably the least pleasing upward glance in the world.
And at that moment, I realized that Princess Chihime had become entangled in the web of the strategists' schemes.揚羽蝶swallowtail butterfly
"If it's a night attack, we'll have to bring out our horses."
Naoya wore a truly refreshing smile.
He has a sweet face that would likely captivate weary housewives.
"We humans have difficulty even seeing without light. However, horses, being monsters... can roam outside even at night."
"But that!"
Mitsuhide hastily offered a defense.
"You are absolutely right, Mr. Ukita; horses have excellent night vision. Therefore, the basis of night attacks on plains lies in cavalry breakthroughs and overwhelms. As a result, this means that we, too, must keep our cavalry deployed at night in order to be vigilant against night attacks."
A reduction in the number of horses increases the risk that the Oda army marching to Kyoto will be annihilated by a night attack.
Mitsuhide said this, his eyes wide with surprise.
(That's right, you're right...)
I, too, was reminiscing with my arms crossed.
This happened when they were based at Odani Castle.
When Ichihime and Taishakutsukimo first soaked in the hot springs of Kotaniyama and made love, Taishakutsukimo calmly made his way home despite the dark of night.
"Currently, our Oda advance guard possesses no more than 80 horses. Once Lord Nobunaga's main force joins us, the number will reach 200, but at present, we cannot afford to diverte our horses..."
"There is a suitable person, isn't there?"
Naoya gave me a refreshing smile that would suit a beer commercial, the kind of smile that would look good in all-white clothes.
"With all due respect, the head of the Asai family possesses a horse collection that is disproportionate to the size of their forces. With his cooperation, I'm sure we can launch a night attack."
Whether it will succeed or not is another matter—he said, smiling at Haruhime.
Then, in an incredibly gentle, sweet voice, as if whispering to a partner after the act, he continued.
"This is an action to support the Oda family in order to win the battle. This will truly be an opportunity for them to demonstrate their true capabilities as reinforcements. Lord Takenaka is determined to remain a reinforcement, so I am sure he will once again show us some magnificent skills. I have high expectations."
"Heh heh heh... That's right, the youngster from Bizen is right."
Hisahide said with a low laugh.
"From now on, let's burn down castles and our enemies every day. We should just burn down all our enemies. Of course, I'd like to participate in this night attack as well."
The villain from Yamato said this, glancing upwards at the members of the leadership.
"To find your base of operations reduced to ashes overnight...that will surely cause unrest among your soldiers. It will expose an opening for us to exploit."
"I would like to give my soldiers a rest."
Haruhime responded in a way that suggested she was resisting. In response, Hisahide nodded dramatically.
This is the confident composure of a cunning giant spider, with its prey entangled before it.
"That is certainly true. The Takenaka forces, who set the stage for the fall of Katsuryuji Castle, should rest well. That's what I think, and I'm sure the Oda forces feel the same way. They have truly done a great job... Takenaka will become famous throughout the land—but..."
Hisahide twisted his neck all the way around and looked up at me from below.
"It appears that the Takenaka family does not possess horses. In this case, I would like to ask Lieutenant General Asai, a hero of falconry boasting a glorious military record, to demonstrate his skills in battle...for the sake of future learning. I humbly request that you teach this old fool your true capabilities as a reinforcement. "奉Tatematsu
Haruhime said nothing. Or perhaps she couldn't say anything.
I slowly nodded to the mysterious woman beside me. She understood and left the main camp.
If we don't know what's happening at Yamazaki Castle, we can't launch an attack.