socalfunplaces Page 32
Page 32
As the ancients said, "In battle, courage is paramount."
It is also said: "The implementation of orders and prohibitions is the beginning of a king's rule."
Previously, Shinzaburo Kubo did not have any direct feelings about these words.
But this time, he was initially the commander of Noguchi Township, rather than taking over temporarily halfway through the campaign, so he had a different experience than before.
First, the "Military Inspector" read aloud the prohibitions personally signed by Matsunaga Nagayori to the heads of each reserve unit. These prohibitions included items such as not to launch attacks without authorization for the sake of merit, not to hesitate after receiving the order to advance, and not to make noise in the camp unless necessary.
One particularly noteworthy rule is that "one must not retreat on one's own before retreating to the main camp. Even if defeated, one should try one's best to return to the main camp and re-form up to await orders."
This can be interpreted in reverse as follows: if the main camp collapses, then everyone can escape on their own without violating military orders.
In a sense, it's quite humane.
Back in the reserve, Kubo Shinzaburo ordered Oi Shigeie, a burly samurai from out of town, to read the decree aloud to all the peasant soldiers with a fierce expression.
Hopefully, this will serve as a warning.
Then, the next morning, Matsunaga Nagayori personally led his entourage to each reserve unit and briefly explained the various rewards.
Aside from the most conventional method of calculating merit based on enemy heads, there was no emphasis on things like "first shot," "first sword," "first entry," or "first head." Instead, it reiterated that recklessly attacking to steal credit would only result in being held accountable, and even if a kill was achieved, it would not count; on the contrary, maintaining the formation to the end according to military orders would be considered meritorious even if no enemy was killed.
Matsunaga Nagayori was a very strong and eloquent man. He spoke fluently and eloquently, and used himself as an example, saying, "We were just like you guys when we were young. It was because we obeyed orders and fought bravely in every battle that we were promoted and have achieved our current positions!"
Regardless of how sincere his words were, they were enough to fool the peasant soldiers of the 16th century. Moreover, after the "three-day fasting and meditation prayer" at the previous Seiryo Festival, his name had gradually spread throughout Funai County, Tanba Province.
After the mobilization, it was clear to the naked eye that the entire army was eager to try. Some people who had previously shown signs of fatigue and lethargy were now generally much more energetic.
By the standards of this era, this is already a satisfactory appearance!
In theory, soldiers should bring their own rations for the first seven days of military service, and the daimyo would take charge of their meals from the eighth day onwards.
But on this morning, after Matsunaga Nagayori finished his mobilization, he ordered that white rice balls be distributed again.
Everyone knew that they were about to go into battle.
However, the excitement shown by the crowd far outweighed their worries.
At least that was the case with the Noguchi-go reserve unit next to Shinzaburo Kubo.
Shortly after, the conch shells rang out, the drums sounded, and the entire army shouted "Whale Wave!" The reserve force, chosen as the vanguard, marched out proudly against the powerful background music, striding forward with murderous intent.
Next came the Second Division and the Third Division. The "Yushi" (traveling forces) on the left and right wings also began to deploy.
Carrying banners, wearing traditional clothing, riding military horses, and with their armor painted in bright colors, the horsemen, as was customary, acted as "envoys," carrying the orders of the supreme commander to various places.
With over 140 men from Noguchi Township and a dozen or so "external reinforcements" from the Amago Shingu faction, Kubo Shinzaburo was not far ahead of the main camp when he kept hearing orders for other reserve units to be transferred to various directions, which made him feel somewhat conflicted.
In his previous experiences on the battlefield, the first time he stayed in the camp to guard the house, the second time he failed to encircle a small group of enemy cavalry, and the third time he was directly sent to harvest barley. He didn't have many opportunities to face swords directly.
This time, it was clear that the Hatano family was determined to fight a major battle because of the defection of Motome Castle, and Matsunaga Nagayori also made all-out preparations to deal with it.
What will happen?
It's impossible to say that you're completely without worry about your own life.
However, besides that, a strong sense of anticipation is also surging forth.
In an era dominated by cold weapons, how romantic it would be to lead your troops into battle and capture enemy generals, seize flags, and break through enemy lines first!
At this moment, all the artistic and cinematic works I had encountered in my past life started playing in my mind like a revolving lantern.
From "Wanting to chase with light cavalry, but the snow fills my bow and sword" in "Following Zhang Pushe's Frontier Song" to "Don't laugh at me lying drunk on the battlefield, how many have returned from ancient battles" in "Two Poems of Liangzhou"; from Wallace's thunderous roar in "Braveheart" to Balian's lone boat charging into the sea in "Kingdom of Heaven," these repeated cycles brew in my heart like a fiery liquor.
……
After an unknown amount of time, the messenger finally arrived and delivered a loud order: "Uno Sukeemon, Oda Shirobei, Kubo Shinzaburo, these three squads, follow Fukui Shima-no-kami and support the western route!"
Immediately afterwards, a middle-aged samurai appeared with twenty or thirty followers carrying various flags of different sizes. He repeatedly shouted, "Fukui Shima-no-kami is here! You will all follow my Black Bird Horse Intent! This place is not suitable for riding horses, everyone dismount and fight!"
Shinzaburo Kubo immediately stood up and shouted in a loud voice, "Shinzaburo Kubo is here! Gentlemen of Noguchi Village, follow me!"
Previously, under Naito's rule, Noguchi Township did not need to prepare its own flags. Later, Matsunaga Magoroku came and brought two flags, the larger one bearing the inscription "Tanba Naito" and the smaller one bearing the inscription "Matsunaga Magoroku".
This time, Shinzaburo was acting as the commander of the reserve team. He hadn't originally planned to make a flag, but Master Mingzhou sent someone to deliver one at the last minute, saying that Miss Adou had also participated in its production. It simply had the Chinese characters "Kubo Shinzaburo" written on it.
So they brought all three flags.
The group set off one by one in the pre-arranged order.
Leading the way was the black bird flag of "Fukui Shima-no-kami", followed by Uno's team, then Oda's team, with Kubo Shinzaburo following behind, advancing towards the relatively spacious valley on the left side of the battlefield.
Soon, Shinzaburo Kubo heard the sounds of battle and shouts, then gradually smelled the stench of blood, and then could vaguely see the fighting on the front lines.
From a distance, it was impossible to tell who they were. All that could be seen were two groups of people with different insignia, crammed into the valley in a chaotic mass of people. Their formation was in disarray, and people were constantly falling in the waves, making sounds that were either loud or tragic.
Shinzaburo's breathing quickened; infected by the atmosphere, he felt an urge to immediately draw his sword and kill.
However, at this moment, the "Fukui Shima-no-kami" in front issued an order: "Remember not to be greedy for merit! Maintain the formation! After engaging the enemy, Uno will be in the center, Oda on the right, and Kubo on the left!"
Shinzaburo then realized what was happening and quickly instructed his subordinates in each village to pay attention to their formation.
After walking about a hundred paces, Fukui Shima-no-kami ordered them to stop and line up in place.
After repeating this process several times, they finally reached the distance to engage the enemy.
The group was now situated between two mountains, the deafening shouts of battle echoing through the valley for a long time. The stench of blood was so strong it was almost pungent, and the ground was littered with corpses and pools of blood.
Provoked by this, Shinzaburo Kubo calmed down.
Judging from the intensity of the war, it shouldn't have been something that ordinary peasant soldiers could do; it was probably an engagement between the elite troops of both sides.
So now it's probably that the elite troops on both sides have been pushed to their limits, and the reserve teams are being sent in to take over.
It seems our team has been relegated to the middle tier by the higher-ups. We won't get a chance in the first wave, but we might be useful in the second.
At this moment, Shinzaburo saw that his own soldiers, who had been fighting for a long time, seemed to have exhausted their fighting spirit and strength. When they saw someone to take their place, they consciously retreated to the left and right sides.
However, the enemy showed no intention of pressing their advantage, probably because they were also in poor condition. They moved to the sides to make way for the enemy.
Their second wave of men has almost arrived as well.
If it weren't for the numerous corpses and blood nearby, the scene would resemble a group of workers on three shifts, heading home on time to let their colleagues take over.
A moment later, Fukui Shima-no-kami's order came again: "Form ranks with long-handled spears and attack, with those in armor at the front! Those with bows, fire!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the sound of a bowstring rang out.
The Uno Sukeemon and Oda Shirobei units at the front have already carried out their operations as instructed.
They are indeed a relatively high-quality unit.
Kubo Shinzaburo's team was initially a little flustered and at a loss.
But Shinzaburo ordered Oi Shigeie to lead the Kubo Village troops ahead to scout the enemy lines. Seeing his strong back, the men followed with great enthusiasm. The archers were also able to draw their bows and fire with ease.
063 The Blue Demon Momii Kyo-yaku is here.
Ordinary soldiers mostly carried mediocre bows and arrows, which they could only fire from a hundred paces away. Their aim was terrible, and their killing power was limited. They mainly served as a deterrent.
Shinzaburo didn't know what the mental state of the people in Noguchi Township was like before.
In any case, what he saw today was that the villagers basically ignored the arrows flying haphazardly in the sky and strode forward with their heads held high.
After sixty or seventy paces, he shot again, but the shots were still wildly off target.
These days, battles between long spear formations are the most important spectacle.
When the two sides were about thirty paces apart, a third round of shooting ensued.
This time, however, it did cause some casualties.
Shinzaburo sensed a small number of peasant soldiers around him and instinctively turned to protect his head, almost as if he wanted to avoid battle.
Then a fellow villager screamed from the side.
Another person nearby exclaimed in grief and indignation, "Oh no! Awan has been shot in the neck! He's done for!"
Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo sensed something was wrong, but then a sudden inspiration struck him, and he shouted, "Fight bravely to kill the enemy and avenge Aman!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several people were moved by his words and shouted in unison, "Avenge Awan!"
The man who first reported the death also shouted, "If I get the reward money today, I'll give half to Awan's son!"
Shinzaburo raised his katana high and roared once more, "Kill the enemy! Avenge them!"
One hundred and fifty men, all chanting in unison: "Kill the enemy! Avenge them!"
Then he quickened his pace and charged toward the enemy.
Neither side's archers will have a third chance. Otherwise, there's a high risk of them hitting their own men, which would damage morale.
In hand-to-hand combat, the soldiers, following the combat principles of the era, raised their spears high, shouted loud slogans, and first struck, then thrust.
then……
Most of the people on both sides were probing each other and exhausting their energy in a fierce shoving match, making it impossible for them to strike successfully in one blow.
However, Kubo's ten spearmen knocked down three of the enemy with just the first three rounds of slapping and thrusting, and killed one of them.
This wasn't entirely because the exceptionally brave Ōi Shigeie carried a long spear and fought among the peasant soldiers—although the enemy soldier who died in battle was indeed killed by him.
The key point is that the enemy's guns are not as long as the guns in the hands of the villagers of Kubo!
The soldiers of the Hatano clan over there generally carried spears that were a little over two ken long, which could only be barely called "long spears." But here, each spear cost one kan coin, a proper two-and-a-half ken long spear.
It's likely that the enemy didn't expect that after withdrawing their elite troops, they would encounter high-quality opponents in the second round of peasant warfare.
Moments later, the enemy's first rank began to waver. It was only thanks to the replacements from the rear that the line was able to hold.
Kubomura's ten lancers were perhaps a little too excited at first and exerted too much force. They were stopped by the second wave of enemy troops, and their morale declined slightly.
But at this moment, Shinsaburo arrived at the front of the battle line with three flag bearers, calling out the names of the villagers one by one:
"I am here, be more energetic!"
"Yu Ping, don't embarrass the village!"
"Go for it, Amao!"
……
Finally, he roared, "Today is the day to make a name for myself!"
This brought everyone's spirits back to normal.
Just then, a series of loud crackling sounds came from the direction of the main force on the opposite side.
Immediately afterwards, a voice that appeared to be that of a general from the Hatano clan was heard: "My lord has been attacked by arquebusiers! Come to his aid immediately!"
Following the sound, Kubo Shinzaburo saw that in the distance, where the banners of the Hatano clan's main camp were gathered, smoke was rising and the sounds of firearms were becoming more and more frequent and intense.
Suddenly, things changed. The soldiers opposite them looked at each other, all hesitant and uncertain.
The fact that they didn't immediately collapse and flee shows that they were among the better peasant soldiers.
Seeing this, Ooi Shigeie handed his two-and-a-half-meter spear to the person next to him, quietly retreated to Kubo Shinzaburo's side, took a shorter spear from the flag bearer, and then, taking advantage of the enemy's distracted and unstable spear formation, he forcefully pushed aside several spear tips, leaped in, and used the momentum to kill one of them.
Seeing this, Shinzaburo drew his sword and stepped forward, shouting, "The main camp of the Hatano clan has fallen! Gentlemen, follow me in this attack!"
Of the more than 150 people around, apart from the Amago Shingu faction who were still waiting for their chance, everyone else was excited and roaring as they sped forward, seemingly in a state of self-sacrifice.
The Kubo Village squad, spearheaded by Oi Shigeie, charged forward. The other villages' forces then deployed, again using the Kubo Village squad as their spearhead.
The enemy troops, already in a state of disarray, gradually collapsed and began to flee.
Then this defeatist sentiment continued to spread, and soon the battle lines became one-sided.
Shinzaburo was worried about being isolated and deep in enemy territory. He glanced to the side and saw that his allies, Uno's and Oda's teams, were also encouraged and were pushing forward. Only then did he feel relieved.
But just as the Kubo Guard was advancing with unstoppable momentum, two rows of robust samurai in identical blue armor and helmets suddenly emerged from behind the enemy lines.
One of them shouted in a rough, loud voice, "Our camp is safe and sound, no need to worry! Aoki Momii Noriya is here, all soldiers, follow me to kill the enemy!"
Then all twenty of them shouted in unison—
"The teachings of the Blue Demon Momii are here!"
"The teachings of the Blue Demon Momii are here!"
"The teachings of the Blue Demon Momii are here!"
These samurai in blue armor and helmets charged towards the Noguchi-gō garrison under Shinzaburo Kubo's command without hesitation, crossing the slope on one side of the valley. Clearly, they had assessed the situation before setting out and knew where the most urgent need for rescue was.
The leader of the group wore a helmet with a crescent-shaped front, a fierce-looking mask, and a white flag with a blue animal face stuck behind him, which was very conspicuous.