The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 98

After a while, the Asakura army launched another attack.

The group immediately turned and formed ranks, returning to the battlefield.

What happened next was pretty much the same as before.

The fourth squad, composed of the Ichikawa, Hatada, Nagai, and Hisamura families, stood guard in high spirits. Although their equipment and physiques were inferior to their opponents, they managed to hold on with sheer willpower until they could no longer maintain their formation and retreated.

Then the Third Division immediately assisted from the side, filling the gap and giving the allies a chance to regroup.

But unlike the previous two times, a group of armored soldiers wielding short spears or large katanas suddenly appeared on the other side and charged forward swiftly, giving them no chance to catch their breath.

The others were slightly flustered, but the samurai of the Shingu faction reacted immediately, each throwing a stone at the height of the other's face, slowing down the Asakura family's assault team.

As the team leader, Nobumura Oyamada quickly issued an order, telling his men and women to follow.

Murai Takamori hesitated for a moment before stepping forward to meet the enemy.

He hadn't really learned any advanced martial arts; he fought based on experience. But he was naturally tall and strong, with immense power, which made him appear very imposing, and he quickly reached the front.

He swung his long, rolled-up naginata in a wide arc, sweeping it heavily across one man's helmet and striking another's shoulder armor. Although he didn't penetrate the armor, the force was so great that it forced the enemy samurai to retreat repeatedly.

The weapon in Murai Takamori's hand was a specially made, thickened one, twice as heavy as a regular naginata, and quite powerful enough to be used to smash someone.

Just as they were getting into the swing of things, a sharp pain suddenly shot through their side.

Only then did they realize that someone had pierced the weak point where the armor was joined, and blood was gushing out.

"Such a tall and strong man, it's a pity his martial arts skills are lacking. I, Asakura Kagehiko, will take his life!"

Upon hearing the enemy general's words, Murai Takamori realized that the general of the Tsuruga clan had personally come to the rescue.

The first few words reminded him of the moment he went from being a farmer to a close attendant.

"He ate thirty shi of rice from Lord Jibu..."

Murai Takamori muttered something unconsciously, and a surge of energy, seemingly from nowhere, sustained him as he dragged his severely blood-loss-stricken body, focusing all his strength on one point to launch a final attack, slashing his sword upwards in a reverse motion.

Then everything went black, and I lost consciousness.

"Gather quickly! Lord Saemon is injured!"

"Asakura Saemon-no-jō has been defeated! The Tsuruga forces have been defeated! The Tsuruga forces have been defeated!"

"Nonsense, I'm still alive! Just a minor injury!"

The world remains noisy, but it has nothing to do with Murai Goldman Sachs anymore.

185 After a resounding victory

Shinzaburo learned of the situation on the northern front much later.

Asakura Kagekage's army collapsed completely, and he himself fell in a pool of blood. Ōi Shigeie took the lead, intending to cut off the head, but Inatomi Shigenobu noticed that he seemed to still be breathing, though unconscious, and quickly warned him to change his mind and capture him alive.

That's a pretty good result.

After all, a living person can be killed at any time if you want to, but a dead person cannot be resurrected.

Let's remove Asakura Kagekage's armor, stop his wounds, and assign a few men to keep an eye on him. As for whether he can wake up, that's up to fate.

Most of the enemy troops had obviously fled, but the corpses they left behind were piled up all over the ground, making it difficult to count them all at once. The supplies in the two makeshift warehouses also couldn't be inventoried in time.

After joining up with the Settsu troops, the people of the five provinces, led by the Ikeda father and son, gathered around to greet them. Some said, "Kubo Genban is truly a rare and unparalleled strategist in Kansai," while others said, "It seems that even Tanba Zhongkui could slay the demons of Echizen," and so on.

Miyake Kunimura was a bit special; his words carried a hint of reminder: "Kubo Genban is a commander-in-chief who rewards merit, so of course he can win battles."

Shinzaburo interrupted the flattery with a gesture of his hand, and said seriously, "The enemy is divided into three parts. We have only lost one part. One part is still attacking on the northern front, and the other part is staying behind to defend the rear. We cannot yet say that we have won."

The soldiers of Setsu were indeed of high quality; they immediately calmed down and awaited orders.

The samurai of Wakasa and Tanba were still excitedly discussing when Shinzaburo said something that finally quieted them down.

So, should we head north to confront the elite Tsuruga forces, or go directly south to attack their remaining troops?

Shinzaburo chose the latter without hesitation.

He ordered those who still had the strength to launch a pursuit as soon as possible, driving the fleeing enemy soldiers eastward.

If the panic is conveyed, the troops remaining near Sanfang Lake should be greatly shaken.

There were also more than 3,000 people on that side, but half of them were the Higashi-Wakasa rebels, whose morale had been severely damaged; the other half were the Asakura clan of Echizen, who were not known for their fighting prowess.

After the order was issued, Itsuki Masatsune was quite shocked: "It's getting late, and it will probably be dusk in less than half an hour. What should we do next? Should we march at night?"

Shinzaburo nodded without hesitation: "After nightfall, a small number of people should still be sent to pursue them with lanterns."

"This..." Itsuki Masakatsu seemed a little confused: "Isn't it a bit dangerous?"

“Of course, it is difficult to guarantee safety when marching at night.” Shinzaburo seemed very confident: “But in comparison, the enemy’s retreating soldiers can still feel the presence of pursuers in the dark, and their courage will be lost in an instant.”

Katsumasa Ikeda immediately chimed in, "That's right! Now that we're on the battlefield, there's bound to be danger. What we need to consider is how to put the enemy in a situation a hundred times more dangerous than our own."

The rest of the people had no objections.

Then quickly select some people to chase eastward, while the others, except for those cleaning up the battlefield, should take turns resting in the enemy's positions as soon as possible, and can take turns acting at dawn tomorrow.

In addition, the Settsu soldiers brought a total of over a hundred riding horses with them, but they were completely useless in the battle just now, so they were all resting behind the lines.

This is perfect; we can chase the routed troops eastward.

Commander Hongo Kunitada of the Wakasa Second Division hesitated for a moment before raising his doubts: "Is it appropriate to use only a hundred cavalrymen to advance and pursue several thousand enemy soldiers? What if the Asakura army finds that there are fewer people behind them? Won't they stop and fight back?"

This question caught Shinzaburo off guard.

By the standards of a Wakasa samurai, Hongo Kunitada's performance over the past year has been quite good. I thought he was a brave and skilled general, but it turns out he lacks even basic common sense.

It was the ever-enthusiastic Katsumasa Ikeda who offered the answer: "If a squad of die-hard soldiers could turn back and fight successfully, it might inspire the morale of the entire army. But a group of defeated soldiers who have lost their will to fight will hardly generate such courage."

Hongo Kunitachi still looked like he understood but didn't quite, but he nodded nonetheless.

Shinzaburo thought this might be an opportunity to prompt his subordinates to think and to show off his wise image, so he smiled calmly, adopted an inscrutable posture, and said slowly and deliberately: "Those who are born fearless are ultimately rare. Ordinary people need to help each other with their allies in order to gain the courage to face the enemy."

Upon hearing this, everyone praised it.

……

In wartime, there's no time to worry about conditions. After a quick night's rest, they set off again the next day.

While there were some physical discomforts, everyone was quite excited.

They set off at dawn, boosting morale, and marched eastward for twenty kilometers. Along the way, they constantly saw Asakura soldiers with fatal wounds in their backs, with countless flags and weapons lying on the ground.

Approaching Sanfang Lake, they saw that the enemy's positions were empty, clearly indicating that Asakura Kagetaka had hastily retreated and didn't even have time to burn supplies.

Six or seven kilometers further east lies Kuniyoshi Castle, a crucial point between Wakasa and Echizen. Its lord is Awaya Katsuhisa, a pillar of the Higashi-Wakasa resistance. Although he had previously shown goodwill, his current attitude is unclear, so it is not advisable to approach him recklessly.

Shinzaburo ordered his troops to remain in place, while only sending one hundred cavalry and five hundred elite soldiers to conduct a probing pursuit.

Several hundred men, exhausted from yesterday's fierce battle and the all-night pursuit, immediately went to sleep in the enemy's carefully constructed camp.

A few quarters of an hour later, the cavalry returned to report that Asakura Kagetaka had led the main force back to Echizen, but the rearguard that remained had been mostly wiped out by our army.

Two hours later, Shinzaburo finally learned about the northern front from the very dedicated Monomi Bantou.

As expected, the third and fourth reserve squads of Wakasa were unable to stop the 3,800 ferocious Tsuruga soldiers and were forced to retreat after paying a heavy price.

However, the fierce battle lasted for half a day, which also brought a lot of trouble to the other side.

In particular, the third squad's vice-general, Murai Takamori, delivered a desperate blow before his death, injuring Tsuruga District Chief Asakura Kagehisa's knee so he could not walk. He had to temporarily cut down bamboo and wood to make a makeshift sedan chair, which greatly affected morale.

So the Tsuruga group also stopped where they were.

Shinzaburo found it difficult to judge the movements of this last enemy force, and considering that he could enjoy the newly captured camp and supplies anyway, he decided to hold back for the time being.

Since we've already occupied the only route the other side can take back to Yue, we're not worried about not being able to stop them.

On the same day, news arrived that the Asakura navy had retreated to Tsuruga port. Ultimately, they were only cooperating with the army and had no intention of launching an independent attack.

Unexpectedly, a day later, the new intelligence received was that the Tsuruga forces turned around in front of Koseyama Castle, neither attacking the castle nor wreaking havoc in the port town.

However, instead of rushing to return home via the northeast, they took a mountain path and crossed the Mizusaka Pass to reach Omi Province.

Shinzaburo was somewhat surprised when he first heard the news. But upon reflection, it made perfect sense.

The southern valley road from Koseyama Castle to Lake Mikata does indeed have a branch leading to Takashima District in western Omi Province. The lords along the border are called the Numata family, who are staunch supporters of the shogunate. Takashima District, on the other hand, has seven semi-independent forces that are nominally subordinate to the Rokkaku family, known as the "Takashima Seven Heads." Although these seven families have not openly declared their stance, they have consistently been pro-shogunate and anti-Miyoshi.

Otherwise, why did Ashikaga Yoshiteru not stay elsewhere during his exile, but instead reside in Kuchiki-dani in Takashima District?

The Echizen Asakura family must have been in contact with them long ago.

As expected, Shinzaburo led his troops in pursuit, killing only a few unlucky ones who lagged behind.

Most of the people from Tsuruga successfully made their way onto the mountain path and retreated into the western part of Jiangxi.

However, Shinzaburo was blocked by the Numata family's Kumakawa Castle.

The other party was just a small powerful clan with fewer than 300 soldiers, but considering the diplomatic implications, they still sent someone to deliver a message requesting passage.

The Numata family replied that the Tsuruga clan was traveling through Takashima District in Omi Province to seek mediation from Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiteru, so the Wakasa clan should not pursue them.

Hey, that's quite a perfectly respectable excuse!

Shinzaburo himself didn't care about the shogunate's reputation, but the nominal leader, Hosokawa Ujitsuna, and the de facto leader, Miyoshi Nagayoshi, were both people who valued the old order.

Moreover, the Miyoshi family is currently negotiating with Ashikaga Yoshiteru, and it is said that an agreement is about to be reached.

There was nothing we could do, but we couldn't fight.

Shinzaburo wasn't angry; he simply pleaded with the other party to obtain a signed and stamped written statement.

Then he sent someone to deliver it to Miyoshi Nagayoshi, along with his own question: "I wonder if this was truly Lord Miyoshi's intention?"

The subtext is that if this truly is Ashikaga Yoshiteru's intention, then the shogun was biased and unreasonable during the peace talks, and therefore deserves some compensation.

We didn't provoke the Echizen Asakura; it was the Asakura who launched the attack from Echizen.

Conversely, if Ashikaga Yoshiteru did not acknowledge it and claimed that the Numata family had acted on their own initiative, Shinzaburo would have a sufficient excuse to lead his troops to wipe out this small family.

That would also allow them to recover some health and control the pass from Wakasa to Omi.

186 Chongzhi Family Governor

"Lord Jibu, are you really planning to accept the Asakura family's invitation and move to Ichijodani?"

Katsuhisa Awaya, the lord of Kuniyoshi Castle and a key figure in the Higashiwakasa resistance, had a more serious expression than ever before.

“I know that Ukyo Ryo has always disapproved…” Takeda Yoshitomo’s eyes flickered, hesitant and timid, clearly aware that he was in the wrong, but he still stammered out his words: “However, things have come to this point, and if there is no place for us in Sakai, this is the only way to preserve our hope…”

“…Alright!” Katsuhisa Awaya sighed, abruptly stood up, grabbed a decorative folding fan from the side, and tore it in two. Then he turned away, leaving only his back view. “Since that’s the case, please forgive my impertinence, but our relationship as lord and subject ends here. The next time we meet, we may be enemies!”

"...Ah? Why is that?" Takeda Yoshitaka was shocked and his legs went weak, causing him to collapse onto the mat. He said tremblingly, "I have befriended the Asakura family in Echizen, and Ukyo Sumeragi is holding Kuniyoshi Castle. If something happens in Wakasa, we can plan to restore him to the throne... Isn't there still hope? You don't really want to return to my father's command, do you? Hasn't he done enough foolish things?"

“Your father was certainly not a good ruler.” Katsuhisa Awaya still only showed his back, his voice somewhat heavy and hoarse, “However, the actual master of Koseyama Castle now is Tanba Zhongkui Kubo Genban.”

“Ukyo Ryo…you would rather trust a son of a commoner of humble origins than follow the prestigious Echizen-Asakura family?” Takeda Yoshitomo was incredulous. “I heard that before he came to Wakasa and received instruction from my father, he had never even read The Tale of Genji. So crude and uncultured…”

"Is the elegance of the century-old Echizen Asakura family truly reflected in their act of looting and burning over a dozen temples and shrines on their first visit?" Awaya Katsuhisa finally turned around, clenching his fist and expressing his long-held dissatisfaction. "Kubo Genban has spent most of the last two years in Wakasa, yet he hasn't destroyed a single temple or shrine. I wonder which side truly understands the meaning of propriety?"

"This...this..." Takeda Yoshitomo was at a loss for words, and blurted out as if possessed, "Ukyo Ryo, your family's property, didn't it suffer no loss?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately regretted it and felt somewhat contemptuous of himself.

Katsuhisa Awaya frowned, lowered his head, and remained silent, seemingly feeling that there was no need to pay attention to such a low-level explanation.

"Alright... then farewell. Although... although I don't know what to say, I wish you... I wish you good fortune in battle!" Takeda Yoshitomo finished speaking haltingly, then gritted his teeth, turned around and strode out the door, heading without hesitation toward the Asakura army outside the city that was about to return home.

He knew that if even Katsuhisa Awaya had changed allegiance, it meant that after this parting, he would never have the chance to return to Wakasa as a governor-general again.

However, Yoshitomo Takeda found that the sense of loss he felt was not as great as he had imagined; on the contrary, he felt increasingly relieved and happy.

Meanwhile, Katsuhisa Awaya stood silently in the Honmaru of Kuniyoshi Castle, solemnly bowing several times to the back of his former master. Then, he returned to his study alone, but suddenly became nervous. He reached out with trembling hands, took out a letter with dried ink, sighed deeply, and finally made up his mind.

……

Inside the palace in Echizen Ichijogaya Castle, two refined scholars are sitting on either side of a wooden chessboard, playing a game of Go.

One was dressed in fine clothes, exuding an air of elegance; the other wore only a simple cloth robe, appearing serene and aloof.

"We've lost this battle. Just as Lord Jubei predicted." Asakura Yoshikage gave a wry smile. "If we can't take Ruoxia easily, we should reorganize our internal affairs first."

“If the three armies each act independently, how can they not be defeated?” Akechi Mitsuhide said calmly, “Lord Kingo must have foreseen this.”

“Yes, how can we revitalize our family business if everyone goes their own way?” Asakura Yoshikage pondered for a long time, placed a piece, and his tone suddenly became decisive: “Just as Lord Jubei said, let’s take this defeat as an opportunity to reclaim our power!”

"Lord Kingo is wise." Akechi Mitsuhide responded calmly, nodding and flattering, "Echizen Asakura has cultivated for a hundred years, and although it has reaped abundant fruits, it has also inevitably produced many weeds. If they are not removed, they may cause great disaster."

“In that case…” Asakura Yoshikage observed the situation on the chessboard, unable to make a decision for a long time, but smiled with delight, “According to what Lord Jubei said, this defeat is actually an advantage.”

“That’s right. If we win this battle, we can take Wakasa Province into our possession; if we lose, we can use the opportunity to eliminate the powerful Ichimonji. In any case, Lord Kingo is sure to win.” Akechi Mitsuhide said sincerely, “The losses suffered by the Ōno and Tsuruga clans are not necessarily a bad thing. Although the Ashiba District Chief is relatively submissive, he has ultimately established his own independent force. As for the Ichijōdani clan that went to war this time…”