different warring states of japan

Chapter 2184: The Lion is Determined to Win the Rabbit
In response to Hideyoshi Ichijo's gentle questioning, Kobayakawa Takakage narrowed his eyes.

The situation of the Mori family at this time was actually not good. They were no longer the unrivaled overlord that swept across the west.

Mori Motonari had a life of ups and downs. Although he was a humble citizen, he conquered such a large territory. He can indeed be called a wise general.

But her greatest achievement was that she successfully brought her three daughters together and stabilized the Mori family's base with the Mori Ryokawa system.

It is difficult to tell whether the story of Mori Motonari using the Three Arrows Pact to persuade his three daughters is true or not, but it is true that the three daughters each performed their duties and worked together in unity.

However, Mori Takamoto died early, and Yoshikawa Motoharu was excluded and marginalized by Ichijo Hideyoshi because of his tough personality, and died in depression.

The current Mori clan is headed by Kobayakawa Takakage, who cooperates with Ichijo Hideyoshi in political line to fight against the Sasaki clan.

Although Kobayakawa Takakage was known as a wise man, the samurai family valued bravery, and among the three Mori sisters, the one who was famous for his fighting skills was Yoshikawa Motoharu.

Yoshikawa Motoharu and Kobayakawa Takakage had been at odds for a long time. Although Yoshikawa Motoharu was older, she had a bad temper, while Mori Motonari preferred the steady and wise Kobayakawa Takakage more.

Even in the legendary Treaty of Three Arrows presided over by Mori Motonari, the order of signing was Mori, Kobayakawa, and Yoshikawa.

From this we can see that Yoshikawa Motoharu's status came more from her fighting skills rather than her mother's favor.

After Mori Motonari died, Mori Takamoto died early, and the Mori family was actually divided between Yoshikawa Motoharu and Kobayakawa Takakage.

Unlike the moderate Kobayakawa Takakage, Yoshikawa Motoharu was a hardliner who opposed the Oda clan.

Yoshikawa Motoharu was also very upset about Hideyoshi Ichijo's great return to the west after the Honnoji Incident, and felt that Hideyoshi Ichijo deceived the Mori family into signing an armistice agreement.

However, Kobayakawa Takakage believed that the Mori family must cooperate with the Ichijo family, because after the death of Niwa Katsuhisa, the blood feud between the Mori family and the Niwa family could no longer be resolved, and the Sasaki family could not communicate.

Without Hideyoshi, how could the Mori clan fight against the rising Sasaki clan? When the Amago clan came back, what would the Mori clan do to resist?
The dispute over the routes between Yoshikawa Motoharu and Kobayakawa Takakage ended with Yoshikawa Motoharu being marginalized and then dying. From then on, Kobayakawa Takakage led the Mori family and began to work closely with the Ichijo family.

But to this day, there are still voices of opposition within the Mori family, who believe that there is no need for the Mori family to be completely tied to the Ichijo family.

As the situation of the Ichijo family became unfavorable, such voices within the Mori family cast a shadow over the relationship between Ichijo Hideyoshi and Kobayakawa Takakage.

In an army, only one family has no retreat, while other samurai families and daimyo still have retreats. This is a bad tendency.

Hideyoshi Ichijo needed the most powerful ally in his camp, the Mori family, to have no way out, and there was a perfect opportunity right in front of him.

When it comes to fighting, Kobayakawa Takakage actually did not have a very impressive record. Most of the tough battles of the Mori family were fought by Yoshikawa Motoharu, and Kobayakawa Takakage was at most a second-rate general.

Ichijo's camp is full of talented people, but this time Hideyoshi Ichijo insisted on letting Kobayakawa Takakage preside over the hunt for Uesugi Yoshikage. This is a trust in Kobayakawa Takakage, but also a pressure on Kobayakawa Takakage.

The tens of thousands of troops planned to encircle and suppress Uesugi Yoshikage with a high success rate, and Hideyoshi Ichijo was determined to win.

As long as the commander-in-chief of this battle is Kobayakawa Takakage, she will completely offend Sasaki Yoshikane and can only bite the bullet and suppress the opposition of the Mori family and follow Hideyoshi all the way.

Hideyoshi Ichijo understood this logic, and so did Kobayakawa Takakage, but could Kobayakawa Takakage refuse?

An inexplicable smile appeared at the corner of Kobayakawa Takakage's mouth. It was unclear whether it was a bitter smile, a sneer, or perhaps relief from having made up his mind.

She said, bowing.

"I have a great trust from the Chancellor. I dare not disobey his orders."

Hideyoshi Ichijo slammed the table and said.

"Good! I am very relieved to hear your words!
All the ladies present here will obey your orders. If anyone disobeys, they will be punished by military law!"

Kobayakawa Takakage looked at the sky outside, calculated the time, and said.

"Originally, the Kanpaku sent two armies from Tominomori and Senryomatsu to test the Toba-Fushimi defense line on both sides of Yokooji Swamp.

Since Uesugi Yoshikage is young and energetic and has taken the initiative to run out, we cannot let her retreat.

I remember that the Senryomatsu direction is under the charge of Lord Kato, right?"

Kato Kiyomasa stepped out and bowed.

"Yes."

Kobayakawa Ryuki nodded. "Then please, Lord Kato, proceed as planned. Bring as many horses as possible with your troops and go through Yamazaki Street as quickly as possible, go around to the rear of Uesugi Yoshikage and cut off his retreat.

Lord Kato, please arrive at the battlefield before 15:30, organize defense on the spot, and cut off the communication with Toba Palace."

"Hi!"

"Lord Fukushima, delay your troops until noon and head to Tominomori to attract Uesugi Yoshikage's attention."

"Hi!"

Tominomori and Senryomatsu are passages on both sides of Yokooji Lake, which means that Yokooji Lake is an oval in the middle of the road and you can walk around it.

Originally, Fukushima Masanori was going to take the Tominomori route, and Kato Kiyomasa was going to take the Senryomatsu route, with the two routes advancing simultaneously to test the flexibility of the Toba-Fushimi defense line.

But now, Kato Kiyomasa's mission has changed. She doesn't need to go to Fushimi Castle to test it. She just needs to circle around Yoko-oji Swamp and go behind Uesugi Yoshikage.

This small change is difficult to notice before the troops are actually in place.

The two armies only had a time difference in their departure order, which cut off Uesugi Yoshikage's retreat and formed a two-pronged pincer attack.

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Kobayakawa Takakage looked at Hideyoshi Ichijo, bowed and asked.

"May I ask the Chancellor, are the Hosuga army united and unanimous in their determination to side with the Sasaki family?
Or, during the battle, will there be loyal and righteous people who stand up and help our army to fight back? "

Ichijo Hideyoshi nodded.

"There are always loyal and righteous people. The Hosuga army should not be an obstacle for our army to hunt down Uesugi Yoshikage.

But if I were you, I would not place my hopes on those fickle retainers of the Hosuka clan. Only my own strength can ensure safety."

Kobayakawa Takakage bowed.

“That’s what the Kanpaku taught me.

In this case, please ask Lord Tachibana Muneshige and Lord Konishi Yukinaga to gather the troops and follow Lord Fukushima Masanori's army.

After the battle in the front, the two armies immediately entered the battlefield, defeated the army of Hosuga as quickly as possible, attacked the troops of Uesugi Yoshikage, and stuck to her.

The section from Tominomori to Toba-rikyu has a river on one side and a swamp on the other. The terrain is narrow, muddy and watery, making it not a place where cavalry can be used.

The cavalry under Uesugi Yoshikage's command must be hatamoto cavalry, but in this muddy ground, even a few elite soldiers could be killed by just piling up the men.

The only thing to worry about is that Uesugi Yoshikage would force his way across the river, escape to the open area on the other side, and take the opportunity to slip away.

Therefore, I will lead the armies of Mori Motoyasu, Kobayakawa Hidekatsu, Yoshikawa Hiroie and others, wait for Uesugi Yoshikage to cross the river on the other side, and attack him when he is halfway across.

Kanpaku, do you think my arrangement is appropriate?"

Ichijo Hideyoshi nodded with satisfaction.

Kobayakawa Takakage personally led the elite troops of the Mori family, including Mori, Kobayakawa, Yoshikawa, etc., to encircle and suppress Uesugi Yoshikage. His attitude was very upright. What could Hideyoshi Ichijo be dissatisfied with?

It was just that Hideyoshi Ichijo was tolerant on the surface and entrusted full power to Kobayakawa Takakage. However, whether he could capture Uesugi Yoshikage was related to the next strategic plan, so Hideyoshi Ichijo had to be cautious.

So, Hideyoshi Ichijo said softly.

"His plan is very good, but if we rely solely on Kato Kiyomasa, I'm afraid we won't be able to withstand the troops of the Sasaki family who will come after hearing the news, plus Tachibana Muneshige's troops.

In addition, I will personally lead the charge, and Kuroda Kotaka's troops should also move and act with me."

Hideyoshi Ichijo made the final decision, and all the female warriors knelt down and accepted the order, united as one.

In this battle, an army legion was fully mobilized, and a force of thirty to forty thousand soldiers surrounded the small narrow area of ​​Tominoseki Forest like a dragnet, like a lion attacking a rabbit, determined to win.

The three thousand evil-minded Hosuga troops and the more than a thousand elite Shiba cavalry were like a small boat in huge waves, which would be tossed by the wind and rain in a blink of an eye.

At this moment, Uesugi Yoshikage did not know that he had been exposed under the nose of Ichijo Hideyoshi, and the crisis had already arrived.