Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

The sound of a small bell rang out from within the ranks; it was Sakuma Nobumori announcing the retreat and sending out about a hundred cavalrymen to collect the heads. There wasn't much of value to be gained on the battlefield, and heads were laughable—killing two farmers wasn't anything to boast about. Let's just cut off Ganshoji Shoyoshi's head and ask Nobunaga for a reward.

The generals laughed heartily and prepared to attack the city, while a messenger on horseback galloped out from Xiaomujiang and headed straight for Changdao.

Chapter 210 Rapid Rescue in Jiangzhou

With the believers fleeing, Ganshoji Temple was left isolated and helpless. One wonders if the temple's master, Joi, regretted not having fought back earlier. But there's no going back in life. Sakuma Nobumori, being the kind of person he was, immediately gave orders and made plans to attack Ganshoji Temple from all sides.

Yuanzheng Temple is a flat city on a large sandbar island. Although it has city walls and moats, it is open on all sides and requires a large garrison. Now the ratio of internal to external troops is at least one to five. If they defend the east, the west will be on alert; if they defend the north, the south will be in danger. They're in for a tough time.

Shichibei, being a merchant leader, was naturally not included in the initial assault plan. His main responsibility was to negotiate with the merchants who rushed to Tsushima upon hearing the news, and to sell off everything he had stolen, beaten, picked up, including those he had tied up, whether alive or dead, expensive or cheap.

Expecting these samurai, who have little brains but plenty of muscle, to sell themselves is like selling themselves out; they'd be helping count the money. It's true, we can only rely on Shichibei to handle everything.

Therefore, Kondo Kensei (Nobumori and Riki) went to attack Ganshoji Temple as the first to go, Kuki Yoshitaka went as the second, Ikeda Tsuneoki went as the guerrilla, Hayashi Michimasa went as the last, and Shichibei stayed behind as the main force.

Let's get started!

Everyone knew that Ganshoji Shoyo's head could definitely be exchanged for some hereditary official position with Nobunaga, so who wouldn't be eager to join? Not only the generals were eager, but the samurai below were also eager.

Battles are easy to fight but difficult to win. These samurai, who have rolled around in the mire of countless battles, can easily tell the difference. It's obvious that Ganshoji Temple is a big piece of meat, and a big piece of meat with little protection. If they don't make a name for themselves now, they'll never have another chance.

"I wonder who will win." Shichibei was wiping the bronze bowl in front of him. If it's dirty, it won't sell for much, but if he wipes it clean, he can sell it for several more dollars.

“That’s true…” Takenaka Hanbei was pouring water on a crane candlestick with a ladle, which was covered in soot.

"Where's that Go set?" Shichibei put down his bowl and looked around at the spoils of war that the generals had given him.

"Someone just bought it for 700 wen." Ito Sojuro held a teacup and looked it over, trying to determine whether it belonged to Song or was given away for free.

"Oh dear, this chessboard." Shichibei bent over and realized that he was sitting on a chessboard.

Ito Sojuro glanced at it, pursed his lips, and thought, "Whose fault is this?" Shichibei could only call a waiter and hurry to find the guy who had just bought the Go set; there was still a Go board to play.

“This bundle of peacock feathers is troublesome.” Ito Sojuro put down his teacup and opened a paper tube containing ten peacock feathers.

"Those that can't be sold will be sent to Sakai." Shichibei has no use for them anyway.

Sakuma Nobumori didn't stay at the main camp; he went to watch the other armies attack the castle. Shichibei had given him a heads-up: the materials used to build Gansho-ji Temple were all of good quality, and even if it were demolished, they could be sold for a good price. So Sakuma Nobumori had to instruct the troops that normal siege warfare and destruction of buildings were fine, but they absolutely mustn't set fire to the Buddhist halls and pavilions.

Tsushima is a timber distribution center at the mouth of the Kiso River; any kind of timber taken to Tsushima is immediately in demand. In particular, the main beams and pillars of Ganshoji Temple are sure to fetch a high price.

"A messenger has come urgently from the lord!" The people in the main camp were cleaning up the debris when a messenger rushed in.

"That looks familiar...it's someone from Nobunaga's personal guards," Shichibei thought, but he didn't recognize them at first. After all, Nobunaga had two hundred pageboys, and aside from a few who were so close that they shared a bed with him, how could he possibly recognize all the others?

"Quickly, please!" But what fate did Nobunaga have? Why did he chase after them all the way to Nagashima?

"Where is Lord Sakuma?" The group looked around and found that Sakuma Nobumori was not in the tent. The tent was filled with spoils of war and Shichibei and the others.

"They're urging us to attack the city."

"Who's looking for me?" As he spoke, Nobumori Sakuma lifted the curtain and came in. He had just finished giving instructions to Kenshinori Kondo and the others when he returned.

"My lord, please summon all available troops from Nobori immediately to break the siege of Yokoyama Castle and then relieve the siege of Nagamitsu Temple!" The Momoshiro immediately relayed Nobunaga's military order.

"What!" Sakuma Nobumori immediately told people to sit down.

The situation in Omi is extremely dangerous. Hideyoshi only has 500 regular soldiers in Yokoyama Castle, while the Ikko-ikki in Kanemori has several thousand men. Originally, the Nagashima Ikko-ikki were going to capture Ogiga Castle, completely connect the Ise Road, and join forces with the Kanemori Ikko-ikki to attack Yokoyama Castle.

Hideyoshi's few hundred men were surrounded by several thousand, their situation precarious, and they were on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, Shibata Katsuie inside Chōkō-ji Temple was in an even more dire situation, as their water supply had been cut off.

The water supply was literally cut off; it hadn't rained recently, and the pools and water tanks inside Changguang Temple were quickly depleted due to the fierce fighting. Meanwhile, the Asakura army outside the city managed to send in the Kinpoku troops to cut off the city's water supply.

Mori Yoshinari, inside Usayama Castle, wasn't in such a hurry. Shichibei had helped him fortify the castle, so even though he only had a thousand soldiers, he still requested reinforcements from Nobunaga. However, Nobunaga prioritized the tasks and ordered Sakuma Nobumori to rescue Kinoshita Hideyoshi and Shibata Katsuie first.

Sigh, Nobunaga has no idea about the messy battles on Noo's side.

Norio was almost completely destroyed as well, especially now that Sakuma Nobumori had finally landed on Nagashima and was about to take down Ganshoji in three to five days, Nobunaga called him away.

Once they left, and Yuanzheng Temple had gathered all the people, tens of thousands of rebels had sprung up in the city. With the help of ships of all sizes, it would take many times more effort to take them back to the island.

But even Hideyoshi and Katsuie had no choice but to save them!

Sakuma Nobumori slowly sat down, glanced at the crumbling Ganshoji Temple, and then looked towards Kyoto in the distance. Without much hesitation, he ordered the Moi-shu to report to Nobunaga, and he immediately raised an army to rescue Yokoyama and Nagamitsu Temple.

Shichibei, sitting to the left, naturally understood the importance of the situation and didn't object at this crucial moment. After all, Omi was Nobunaga's escape route, and since he was currently in Settsu, protecting Omi meant protecting Nobunaga.

The bells of the main camp rang, and the Oda army generals who were fighting fiercely for the castle were summoned back to their lines. Having learned of the chaos in Jiangzhou and the impact on Nobunaga's retreat, although he was reluctant to abandon Daifuki, who had captured Ganshoji, he ultimately understood the bigger picture.

The Oda clan's prosperity is their only source of wealth. If the Oda clan falls, none of you here will escape unscathed.

The generals immediately packed their bags, reorganized their troops, and broke camp. The monks inside the castle of Ganshoji believed that this was a ploy by Sakuma Nobumori to lure them out in pursuit, so they kept the gates closed and watched as the Oda army withdrew from Nagashima.

Upon returning to Tsushima, Kuki Yoshitaka was ordered to remain in Shimo-Owari in cooperation with Oda Nobuoki. With this force present, at least the situation could be maintained and prevented from deteriorating again.

As for the others, including Shichibei's more than a thousand men, they too had to go into battle. Nobunaga was now desperate for soldiers, and almost every single one of them needed to be mobilized.

When the generals arrived at Ōgaki Castle, Nobunaga's younger brother, Oda Nobuharu, who was left to guard Gifu Castle, had already led a thousand men to the front lines to rescue Chōkō-ji Temple. The forces within Gifu Castle were simply too small to be mobilized; even if a thousand men could be sent, it would be at the risk of unrest in Mino.

Nobunaga was really anxious.

At this moment, the end was near for the castle of Changguang Temple in Jiangnan. All the water stored in the castle was stored in ten porcelain bottles. Shibata Katsuie himself did not drink it, but instead allowed each of the hundreds of remaining soldiers who were defending the castle to take a sip if they were thirsty.

Everyone was indeed parched, but no one stepped forward to take the water. They simply watched Shibata Katsuie silently. Katsuie smiled and said that this was all the water left in the castle, and once it was all gone, the castle would surely fall.

So now everyone took a sip and then followed him in a desperate fight to break out of the city. Oda Nobuharu's thousand reinforcements had arrived, and with the combined efforts of those inside and outside the city, they defeated the enemy forces that had come to besiege the city, thus buying time to preserve water and defend the city.

Don't hesitate any longer, everyone take a sip, and once you've finished, go all out and attack.

The soldiers, no longer hesitant, stepped forward to drink. Ten bottles, one sip each, were barely enough. Seeing everyone else had drunk, and with only a small half-bottle left for himself, Shibata Katsuie laughed heartily, smashed the bottle in front of him, and returned to drink deeply.

Having said that, he used the spear in his hand to shatter the water bottle with a single thrust, and led several hundred remaining soldiers in a fierce charge out of Changguang Temple Castle to meet Oda Nobuharu, who had come to their aid.

The force surrounding Chōkō-ji Castle numbered over eight thousand, the main force of Asakura Yoshikage. Their numbers stretched as far as the eye could see. Meanwhile, the Oda army, attacking the Asakura forces from both flanks, numbered only a little over a thousand, a truly pitiful sight, like an ant trying to shake a tree or a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

But there's no water left in the city, and not leaving the city means certain death.

In the Asakura army, Mizoe Kageyasu and his son Mizoe Nagayasu bravely confronted Katsuie's hundreds of soldiers fighting to the death. Katsuie brandished his spear, charging repeatedly and breaking through Mizoe Kageyasu and his son's reserve troops, before colliding head-on with Uno Kagehisa. Uno Kagehisa met him head-on, fighting Katsuie for several rounds. He was still holding on, but his reserve soldiers were no match for the valiant Shibata army.

Scatter!

Katsuie scattered five formations of Asakura troops in succession, getting closer and closer to Asakura Yoshikage's main camp. Unfortunately, he now had less than two hundred soldiers with him. Oda Nobuharu, far less valiant than him, had not yet broken the siege of Nagakoji Castle to come to its rescue.

With a final, desperate cry, Shibata Katsuie mustered his remaining strength, licked his chapped lips, and launched a desperate charge against Asakura Yoshikage's main camp.

Yoshikage's men, Umai Moya Inosuke, Toda, and Jiro, charged forward together to hold off Shibata Katsuie's attack. Katsuie, who was now seven or eight tenths exhausted, was caught off guard by the two young men and was knocked off his horse.

Five or six Asakura soldiers on either side, seeing that Katsuie was about to stand up, pounced on him like a pile of blankets, stacking six layers on top of him. Even someone as strong and brave as Katsuie found it difficult to get up. Moya Inosuke rode in on his horse and plunged a small knife into Katsuie's neck.

Shibata Katsuie deserves to die!

The scattered troops that Katsuie had led to the retreating soldiers regrouped and surged forward, nearly wiping out the remaining two hundred Shibata soldiers. Katsuie's head, impaled by a spear, turned and appeared before Oda Nobuharu's army, which collapsed in disarray.

Oda Nobuharu was caught off guard and surrounded by dozens of Asakura samurai. After a fierce battle, he too was killed. Nagakoji Castle fell, and Oda's army was completely annihilated.

The victorious Asakura army burned down Chōkō-ji Temple and immediately moved into Usayama Castle. They ran headlong into Sakai Masahiro and his more than a thousand men who had come to reinforce Usayama Castle. The outcome of eight thousand victorious soldiers colliding with a thousand disorganized reinforcements was predictable.

Masao Sakai begs for death!

The entire 1,000-strong Sakai army was wiped out, but it bought Mori Yoshinari and his forces at Usayama Castle a day. The Asakura army, having fought two battles, ultimately stopped halfway and did not immediately advance to encircle Usayama.

Just then, Sakuma Nobumori, leading over six thousand men including generals from Mino and Owari provinces, arrived at Yokoyama Castle. Passing by Ōgaki Castle, Sakuma Nobumori also received an additional five hundred men, including Ando Uemon-suke, the second son of Ando Morishige. At this point, he truly wanted everyone, accepting anyone who came his way.

However, Ando Uemon was an old acquaintance of Shichibei. It was Ando Uemon who came to Owari to negotiate terms with the three men of Mino. He was also acquainted with Takenaka Hanbei, who was the son-in-law of the Ando family. So the Ando men were handed over to Shichibei and went into battle together.

After a day's march, Oda's army arrived at Yokoyama Castle. The Kanemori rebels surrounding the castle did indeed number in the thousands, and they had already launched several attacks. The main reason they hadn't captured it was because Yokoyama was a mountain fortress; without a determined resolve, it was difficult to seize the castle quickly.

Upon seeing Sakuma Nobumori's several thousand troops approaching, Hideyoshi, inside Yokoyama Castle, immediately opened the gates and led his soldiers to attack the Kanemori rebels from both sides. As one of Nobunaga's generals stationed in Omi Province, Hideyoshi was well aware of the situation in Omi. He knew that only by quickly defeating the Asakura army could he possibly reverse Nobunaga's defeat.

Caught in a pincer attack, the Kanamori Rebellion, whose morale was low after several days of unsuccessful sieges and whose numbers were fewer than Oda's army, began to falter. Before they could put up a long resistance, they began to crumble under the attacks of Kondo Kenshinori, Aoji Shigetsuna, and others who were trying to return to their homeland.

This time, the goal isn't just to arrest people, but also to capture the leaders of the various groups and sects within the Pure Land True Sect—in other words, the grassroots organization members. Killing a few followers and letting the others escape back home will allow them to recover in a month or two and potentially reorganize.

Only by completely eliminating all grassroots members of the organization can the power of the Ikko-ikki in Omi be eradicated, or at least prevented from rising again in the short term.

The importance of grassroots organizations is evident throughout history. Those who control strong grassroots organizations can rise again even after defeat, or at least escape with their lives, once they return. Without grassroots organizations and a solid base, a single defeat can lead to total annihilation.

"Fujikichiro, we still need to go to save Chōkō-ji Temple. You must guard Yokoyama well." Sakuma Nobumori spoke to Hideyoshi almost like issuing a command.

Originally, Sakuma Nobumori was a very influential figure in the Oda clan; even the Samurai Generals were inferior to him in status.

"Please be sure to save Lord Shibata and clear the way to support our lord!"

Chapter 211 Heiraku Nobunaga humbles himself before his enemies

Changguang Temple was in ruins, and headless corpses were scattered across the wilderness. When they saw soldiers passing by, the villagers who were "cleaning up" the remains fled in all directions.

This is this...

Not only was Shichibei terrified, but even the army's commander, Sakuma Nobumori, wore a grave expression. He immediately dispatched men to nearby villages to gather information and search the battlefield for any survivors.

With the fall of Nagakoji Castle, the main force of the Asakura army will inevitably move forward to Usayama Castle. If Usayama Castle is also breached, Kyoto will be within reach, and the Asakura clan's advance to Kyoto will be assured.

What is Asai Nagamasa doing in Odani? Doesn't he know to jump out and seize the Asakura army's supply lines? Nagamasa wanted to jump out too, but unfortunately he was blocked in Odani Castle by more than four thousand Wakasa soldiers.

Asakura Yoshikage was already preparing to build a fortified castle next to Odani Castle, completely trapping Azai Nagamasa. This was because Nagamasa's samurai corps had suffered heavy losses, losing hundreds of men at Kiyama Pass, severely damaging their foundation. Furthermore, Nagamasa's push for unification of northern Jiangsu had led many local nobles to defect to Hori Hidemura and follow him to Kyoto.

In addition, the autumn grain of the Asai Army in Jiangbei and the Ika County was looted and harvested by the Asakura Army. If the construction of the castle is completed and Nagamasa is completely trapped in Odani, then within half a year, people in Odani Castle will be eating each other.

Before long, upon seeing the Oda clan's papaya crest and Sakuma Nobumori's Marunouchi Miyuki's two large horse emblems, several soldiers ran out and knelt before Nobumori's horse, weeping.

The news of Shibata Katsuie and Oda Shinji's execution has been confirmed!

Let's go! There's no time for grief or hesitation; we must get to Usayama Castle immediately. If even Mori Yoshinari is lost, the Oda clan will truly suffer a devastating blow.

Inside Usayama Castle, Mori Yoshinari and Takigawa Kazumasu were peering through the gun ports of arquebuses at the surrounding army of over 25,000 men.

Having nearly gotten lost during his bizarre adventure in Iga, Takikawa Kazumasu arrived at Usayama to find the castle surrounded by the Asakura army. Fortunately, the siege was short-lived, and some of the Asakura troops seemed to have gone to plunder Otsu and Katada. Using his skills, he leaped into the castle. After all, if Usayama Castle was surrounded, even a fool would know that Nagakoji, Yokoyama, and Otani behind it were certainly surrounded as well.

Returning to Gifu via Jiangzhou would certainly be very difficult. It would be better to temporarily enter Usayama Castle and observe for a while. Usayama Castle was built with the help of Shichibei Kagawara, a relative of the family. It used a lot of materials from Kannonji Castle, and it is located in a mountainous area. There are also more than a thousand people, including Mori Yoshinari, inside the castle. So it may not be a dead end.

So the two men, together with two thousand men, held their ground at Usayama Castle, desperately resisting the attack of over ten thousand anti-Nobunaga allied troops. Fortunately, Usayama's advantageous terrain allowed them to hold out. However, Mori Yoshinari also sent an urgent message to Nobunaga, requesting that he find a way to send reinforcements.

Previously, the two sides had been evenly matched, with Mori Yoshinari even sending men out of the city to raid the Asakura army that had plundered Katata. However, once the siege of Nagakoji Temple was won and the Asakura Yoshikage main force, which had annihilated Shibata Katsuie's and Oda Nobuharu's troops, arrived at Usayama, the pressure on the entire city increased dramatically.

The best course of action now...

I will continue to report to Nobunaga on the actual situation of the great upheaval in Jiangzhou, and also express my loyalty once again. In any case, I am prepared to die for my country, and I wish Lord Nobunaga a long and prosperous military career.

If you were Nobunaga, what would you think?

At this time, Nobunaga, who was on the front lines in Settsu, saw the chaos and collapse of Goshu, the plundering of Katada, the indiscriminate capture of people in Otsu, and the urgent report that the Asakura clan's forces were advancing directly to the Uji River. Finally, he began to waver.

I give up, okay?

Nobunaga immediately requested the Imperial Court to mediate and issue a peace request to the Miyoshi Triumvirate, including the Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple, the Settsu Ikeda clan, and the Kishu Saiga clan.

The conditions were quite straightforward: acknowledge the Miyoshi Triumvirate's control over the area around Settsunoda and Fukushima Castle, allowing them to regain a foothold on Honshu Island and come and go as they pleased.