Japan's Warring States Period: The Rise of the Wakasa Tiger

Chapter 52 Surrender
Yamazaki Yoshiie howled with a ferocious expression, fell off his horse in pain, and became motionless after struggling for a moment.

Not far away, Katsuie Kuriya slowly put down the square bamboo bow in his hand, his eyes full of pride. He snorted coldly and said, "You can't pretend to be a hero at this time!"

After saying this, he rode quickly to the corpse of Yamazaki Yoshiie, raised his sword, and raised his head high above his head, shouting: "Yamazaki Shinzaemon-no-Kichiie has been captured by me, Kuriya Goroemon! The children of the Asakura family, why don't you surrender quickly!"

"What, Lord Yamazaki is dead?!"

"It's over, we're finished!"

"Run quickly, or you'll die!"

The Asakura samurai, who had been putting up a little resistance, instantly lost their morale when they saw the head of Yamazaki Yoshiie. Many samurai began to flee in panic, and the Takeda army was in hot pursuit. They were reluctant to give up such a good opportunity to receive credit and reward.

"Shinzaemon-jo!" Asakura Kageki witnessed the whole process and tears instantly welled up in his eyes.

The two have been through so many days of fighting and are not only comrades-in-arms but also friends. Now that Yamazaki Yoshiie has been beheaded by the Takeda army, how can Asakura Kageki bear to see him suffer such humiliation?

"You bastard!" Asakura Keinori cursed and was about to rush into the chaos to avenge Yamazaki Yoshiie.

"Your Highness, please don't act on impulse!" Sanwu Mahui beside him grabbed the reins of the horse tightly and tried his best to persuade him: "Keep your life so that you can avenge Lord Yamazaki in the future! Please think twice!"

"I'm incompetent..." Asakura Keiki complained with a hammer.

"Since you know you are incompetent, then don't leave!"

A cold voice came into Asakura Keiki's ears from not far away. He wiped his tears and looked in the direction of the voice, and couldn't help but get angry: "Asshole!"

The person who said this was none other than Kuriya Katsuie, and next to him were Kuriya Katsuhisa and more than a hundred foot soldiers.

"Sir, if you leave now, will you not care about the Asakura army that is scattered all over the mountain, and the corpses lying on the ground?" Kuriya Katsuhisa said, pointing at the head of Yamazaki Yoshiie tied to Kuriya Katsuie's horse, and continued to provoke:
"Yesterday, one of the two lords who boasted that they would capture the Northwest Curved Wheel and reach the top of Honmaru is already here. Is the other one going to get on my horse?"

"Damn it!" Asakura Kageki was extremely angry. He tightened the reins and was about to rush into the Takeda army regardless of the obstruction of the surrounding stables.

"My lord, please calm down and let me go meet this guy!" Before Asakura Kagetaka could react, a young horseman from the Tsuruga clan rode his horse to the front of the battle.

"I am Nobumasa Sakai Rokurobei, a subordinate of Tsuruga Gunshi, and I have come to seek your advice!"

"Why, Lord County Magistrate doesn't dare to go up himself, so he sends his servants to die?" Katsuhisa Kuriya sneered.

"Rokurobei, come back!" Asakura Kageki, who was burning with anger, could not stand such humiliation, and shouted at the young horseman to retreat.

"Kuriya Genbei, right?" asked Asakura Kageki.

"That's right." Kuriya Katsuhisa nodded and said, "I am the Lord of Kuniyoshi Castle, Kuriya Genbei Katsuhisa."

"Very good. I have no regrets to fight with you here. However, please promise me one thing." Asakura Kageki came to the front of the battle.

"Please go ahead." Katsuhisa Kuriya replied. Asakura Keinori stared at the head of Yamazaki Yoshiie on horseback, and his tone regained some calmness: "If I win by chance, please return the head of Shinzaemon-no-jo to me. I will take it back to Echizen for a proper burial."

"Goroemon, what do you think?" Katsuhisa Kuriya turned sideways and asked Katsuie Kuriya who was standing beside him. After all, it was he who asked for the Yamazaki Yoshiie.

"It's rare that Your Highness is so loyal and righteous. I promise you." Kuriya Katsuie nodded in agreement.

"But what if His Highness the County Magistrate loses?" Katsuhisa Kuriya asked back.

"Of course I will die to atone for my crime." Asakura Kageki answered straightforwardly.

"Your Highness was just following orders when you attacked Wakasa. What crime did you commit?" Katsuhisa Kuriya was not satisfied with his answer and continued to ask, "Your Highness, since you are the governor of Tsuruga County, how about this? If Your Highness loses, you will follow us to take over Kanezaki Castle. How about that?"

"Dream on! How can I put Tsuruga County in danger for my own selfish reasons?"

Asakura Kageki roared. He knew in his heart that Kanezaki Castle was the residence of the Tsuruga County Governor. Taking over this city meant handing over the entire Tsuruga County. As the Tsuruga County Governor, he had a heavy responsibility, so how could he reach such an exchange with Kuriya Katsuhisa?

"What if we add the Asakura troops all over the mountain? Will that be enough bargaining chips?" Katsuhisa Kuriya said with a half-smile, "Besides, do you think that if you don't agree, Tsuruga County can be saved? You should already know that the Jinshan Castle where you stored food and grass has fallen into the hands of our army."

Hearing the word "Kaneyama Castle", Asakura Kageki couldn't help but shudder: Yes, if Kaneyama Castle had not been lost, Asakura Kageki would not have led his troops to leave Nakayama Castle, and the Takeda army would not have taken the opportunity to set fire to Nakayama Castle and burn grain, the army would not have withdrawn in a hurry, Yamazaki Yoshiie would not have been beheaded, and he would not have fallen into such a situation.

This series of disasters all started with the fall of Kaneyama Castle. What was even more terrible was that he had no idea how many Takeda troops were there in the surprise attack on Kaneyama Castle, and whether they would go straight to Kanezaki Castle after taking Kaneyama Castle. After all, there was a flat land between the two cities.

"How about this, if I lose and Jinshan Castle is not recaptured by our army, I am willing to take you to take over Jinzaki Castle."

Asakura Keinori had his own plans in mind:
Now the Asakura army is all in Wakasa, and Kanegasaki Castle has no food or garrison, which is equivalent to an empty castle. If Kanegasaki Castle is recaptured, the Takeda army will not be able to go deep into Tsuruga, and there will be no talk of taking over Kanegasaki Castle; if Kanegasaki Castle is not recaptured by Asakura Kageren, it means that the Asakura army is completely defeated, and the Takeda army can capture Kanegasaki Castle without him leading the way. In any case, he does not have to bear too much fault.

Katsuhisa Kuriya thought for a moment and gave an affirmative answer: "Okay, then I promise you."

After saying this, he rode his horse to the front of the battle formation, holding a hook-and-sickle spear.

Seeing this, Asakura Kageki decided to strike first. He held the Chidori Jumonji horizontally, shouted loudly, and rushed towards Kuriya Katsuhisa like lightning.

……

In just half an incense stick of time, with a "thump", Asakura Kageki was knocked off his horse. Even with the protection of armor, there were still many scars on his cheeks, chest, and wrists. The blood dyed the snow beneath him red. Seeing this, the stable boys beside him wanted to step forward to support him, but were stopped by him.

"Since I have lost, I will take you to Tsuruga Castle, but please ensure the safety of my Asakura family's soldiers." Asakura Kageki struggled to get up from the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood and said.

Katsuhisa Kuriya nodded and said, "Of course. I will definitely do what I promised Your Highness."

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(End of this chapter)