Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

The Ōdachi, or more specifically, the nodachi, is indeed difficult to wield on foot. It is only on horseback, relying on the momentum of the horse, that it is possible to spin it swiftly and cut grass everywhere. Akechi Mitsuhide in the Oda army, Magara Naotaka in the Asakura army, and Sanada Nobutsuna in the Takeda army were all brave generals who could use the Ōdachi on horseback.

Within the Tokugawa army, only a handful of men were capable of wielding such a weapon. After all, it required both exceptional strength and exceptional horsemanship. For example, Honda Tadakatsu was more accustomed to using a long spear and was unable to wield a greatsword on horseback.

Tsuchiya Masatsugu was unaware that Torii Tadahiro was one of these fierce generals. He charged forward with his spear, only to be met head-on by a katana that slashed down directly onto his helmet.

This helmet has a history; it was made by Myochin Nobuie, who was praised by the Japanese Emperor as the greatest armorer in Japan. In later games, the "Thirty-two-door helmet," a family heirloom passed down through generations of the Hojo clan, and the helmet that Hojo Ujikuni wore every day on the battlefield, was also made by Myochin Nobuie.

However, Nobuie Myōchin has already passed away, many years ago. Tsuchiya Masatsugu was able to possess such a family treasure because of his valiant performance in the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima, which allowed him to succeed to the throne before his spirit tablet, becoming an heir to the Tsuchiya family of the Miura school of the Kanmu Taira clan, and thus obtaining this treasure.

The treasure had its reason for existing; when Torii Tadahiro cleaved it in two, the helmet absorbed the vast majority of the damage for Tsuchiya Masatsugu. Even after the helmet shattered and the greatsword struck, Tsuchiya Masatsugu was completely unharmed.

But at this moment, Torii Tadahiro's greatsword had already fallen, and he had to raise it again. Seeing their lord threatened, the close associates and attendants of the Tsuchiya family rushed forward to protect him. Three or four spears thrust at Torii Tadahiro, and his retainers on either side also joined the fray.

Having survived the ordeal, Tsuchiya Masatsugu also came back to life. Without even checking if his head was still there, he thrust his spear forward before Torii Tadahiro's second slash could come down.

The enemy general, Torii Shirozaemon Tadahiro, has been defeated by my Tsuchiya Uemon!

The enemy general, Amari Saemon no Nobutada, has been defeated by my Torii Hikoemon Mototada!

On the battlefield, only a few dozen meters apart, two loud shouts rang out simultaneously. Soldiers from both the Takeda and Tokugawa armies yelled in unison, trying their best to drown out the sound from the other side.

The battlefield at Zhutianzaka descended into complete chaos.

The battlefield on the Oyamasaka side was equally chaotic. The burning Kagaki were pushed over or fell apart, and the Oda army finally began close-quarters combat with the Takeda army.

Later generations often say that Owari had a weak military, but this is mainly because Owari was the birthplace of two generations of rulers, which almost completely drained Owari's samurai. Even ordinary village chiefs, and even the taller and stronger farmers in the village, were likely to be drafted into samurai.

This resulted in extremely poor troop quality in Owari in its later stages, making it practically weak. However, correspondingly, from Kyushu in the west to Oshu in the east, almost all of Japan has various graves and tombstones inscribed with the names of so-and-so who lived in Owari.

The elite figures of Owari spread throughout Japan, and according to the theory that poverty does not last beyond three generations, it is quite possible that later generations of Japan were indeed descendants of Owari.

The Owari army at this moment was one of the strongest in the land, especially the standing army gathered around Nobunaga. Seeing that Kagaki had been pushed aside, Nobunaga was overjoyed and immediately dispatched Nonomura Masashige with 300 arquebusiers to blast open the front of Ōyamasaka, making it easier for the Oda army to enter Mikatagahara.

Oda Nobuhiro, who had been chatting idly with Shichibei, immediately tightened his headgear and gripped his musket, ready to go into battle at any moment.

Seeing this, Shichibei stopped blowing and immediately began checking his armor and headgear. According to Nobunaga's plan, once they broke through Ōyamasaka, the Oda army would press forward on Mikatagahara to engage the Takeda army in a decisive battle.

At that time, not only will Oda Nobuhiro be deployed, but Nobunaga's main camp will also have to move forward. With the main camp moving forward, Shichibei of the rear guard will also have to move forward to follow the main force.

War is dangerous and unpredictable; who knows how this battle will turn out?

The sound of arquebuses echoed incessantly along the slope; the Takeda army also possessed arquebuses, and it seemed that the two sides were engaged in a passionate exchange of fire. After a series of crackling explosions, the third wave of troops let out a shout and charged forward in a flurry, clearly having broken through the Takeda army blocking the way on the slope.

"Keep up! Keep up! Keep up!"

The pageboys flanking Nobunaga shouted, mounted their horses, and began to advance, spears in hand. Shichibei, without hesitation, saw Ota Gyuichi holding a longbow, Mori Jiro wielding a crimson spear, and Todo Takatora leading the horse, and his courage surged even higher, making him fearless and unstoppable.

Chapter 272 Treating a Veterinarian Like a Military Doctor

The fact that the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces were able to break through the Sakamichi defenses and capture Mikatagahara was entirely within Takeda Shingen's expectations. After all, Nobunaga was a figure who had been mired in the quagmire of the Kinai wars for several years and was still alive and kicking.

That's definitely something to look into. The Hojo family next door, mired in the quagmire of Kanto for four generations, still haven't achieved unification. That Kanto problem is just too persistent to eradicate.

Uesugi Norimasa's three sons were all captured and killed by Hojo Ujiyasu. So what? He simply adopted Uesugi Kenshin and let him continue fighting against Hojo Ujiyasu.

So, anyone who can survive in this kind of situation is definitely not a novice. But what if they attack Uehara? The Kai army is well-rested and has a solid formation, so they still have the advantage even against the Oda-Tokugawa alliance.

Moreover, judging from the previous siege of Saka, the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces were extremely eager to win, which meant they would definitely launch a relentless attack and neglect the defense and vigilance on both flanks.

This was a golden opportunity for the Koga army, which was adept at maneuvering through mountainous terrain and skilled at flanking maneuvers. Historically, the Sanada army exploited the Tokugawa army's overconfidence in its numbers, their aggressive advance, and their neglect of their flanks and rear. The Sanada army then launched surprise attacks from both flanks, ultimately inflicting a major defeat on the Tokugawa army.

How many Tokugawa soldiers died? Three thousand? That bastard Okubo Tadayo almost had his entire family wiped out by Sanada Masayuki. Poor thing, he thought he was going to rack up some achievements, but he almost ended up losing his whole family.

After finally climbing the steep mountain slope and entering the relatively open Mikatahara, Shichibei's vision suddenly opened up. The banners of the Kaijun army fluttered, standing like mountains on the plateau, like tigers lying in wait, ready to devour their prey.

"It's Army A!"

Shichibei touched his brow with his hand, observing intently. Kawamura's various units were also looking out; having just entered Mikatagahara, those charging forward were undoubtedly the second and third divisions, while Oda Nobuhiro had been relegated to the fifth and sixth divisions. Kawamura's army? Was it Kawamura's turn to fight? How could the Oda clan possibly fare well? Oda Nobunaga would have to give up on a solo mission.

I glanced at the flags; they belonged to Ando Morinari, Nakajo Ietada, and the Maruge brothers—a decent lineup. Inaba Yoshimichi made the first move, and I heard that two of his men were killed by stones thrown by the armored soldiers. Don't think it's impossible; there are records of soldiers being hit in the eyes by stones thrown by the Spanish during their conquest of the Aztecs. In those conditions, there was no cure, and they cried out for a long time before dying.

However, those two Inaba soldiers were probably knocked to the ground by the impact and then trampled to death by those behind them. The rest were hit by arrows, arquebuses, or had holes punched in them by spears. The Inaba army suffered dozens of casualties, and this year's blood tax was finally paid.

I reckon they're retreating to their main camp to regroup right now. By the way, where's Hidenaga? Hidenaga also led the Sunomata troops in the first phase of the attack; I wonder what their casualties were. Judging from the shouts on the battlefield, there didn't seem to be any cries to kill the general, so Hidenaga is probably alright.

Wave after wave of troops retreated to the rear of Nobunaga's main camp to regroup. The wounded received virtually no medical treatment; that's just how things were these days—life and death were predestined, and wealth and status were left to fate. Named samurai might receive treatment from the medical monks at the main camp, but it was very limited; on the battlefield, it mainly involved bandaging and giving them some pills or powders.

A large crowd had gathered around Kawamura's army. While others might not know, everyone in Owari knew that Kawamura's team had plenty of "veterinarians" to treat their livestock. After all, horses were Kawamura's livelihood. His business, including transportation, sales, and post stations, was largely reliant on horses.

Therefore, Shichibei's team was equipped with a large number of veterinarians and veterinary apprentices, and they also had common medicines for horse injuries on hand. For example, if a horse had diarrhea, was hit by an arrow, or needed to eat certain special feed, there were specific instructions on how to handle it.

I don't know who started this rumor, but at least when it comes to Kawamura's team, they'll try anything, even if it's just a last resort. Who cares if it's herbs for horses or people? If they don't eat it, they'll definitely die; if they do eat it, they'll just have to compete with the horse in terms of vitality.

As a wilderness survival expert once said, if you really have nothing to eat in the wild, then see what bears eat. What bears can eat, humans can basically eat too. They are all creatures that have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years in nature, so you have to believe in the convergence of evolution.

This deserves praise for Takeda Shingen; he and Mori Motonari each had dozens of doctors stationed at their main camp. Whether they charged fees or not is unknown, but they certainly brought organized teams of doctors with them.

Let's not talk about that now. Anyway, Kawamura's army keeps bringing in hundreds of people, all sorts of them. They're all crying out, "Brother Shichibei, save me! I'm from Kaisei District in Owari!"

Save those that are quiet or making little noise first. If they can still shout and scream, it means they are quite resilient and won't die immediately.

Who could have imagined? Because they brought dozens of veterinarians, they ended up having to save not only the horses but also the people. Is that reasonable? At least in Shichibei's opinion, it was quite unreasonable. But the horse itself didn't mind taking horse medication, so what could Shichibei say? At most, he would instruct the veterinarians to halve or reduce the dosage by a third.

I happened to see Nambu Shigeaki, the former head of the small horse ranch, setting the leg of a soldier with a broken leg. His technique was quite meticulous and skilled. I've heard that horses' hooves are actually quite easy to break on the battlefield, so I guess Nambu Shigeaki is used to binding horses' legs. Now he's quite adept at putting on a splint for a person, at least he doesn't have to dislocate the thigh.

He usually trembles when he speaks, but he doesn't tremble when he's tying someone's calves. He's really a good veterinarian.

"The employer has done a good deed; they will definitely build you a memorial tower in the future." A worker with blood on both hands, as if he had just finished nocking an arrow on someone, rushed past Shichibei.

"You can..." Before he could finish speaking, the person had already disappeared.

"Big brother, big brother, big brother!" Then they saw Hashiba Hideaki carrying someone on his back and rushing in like a whirlwind.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Shichibei first checked if Hashiba Hidenaga was alright. After a closer look, he saw that Hashiba Hidenaga was perfectly fine, so he didn't care.

If the others die, they die. People die every day these days. Even if Shichibei wanted to save them, he couldn't possibly save them all.

"This is Xiao Liu's uncle, Yasui Yabei." Hashiba Hidenaga didn't waste any words, and laid the man flat on the oxcart before noticing a large gun barrel on his side.

He must have been stabbed with a spear, but it didn't pierce through. Judging from the amount of bleeding, his chances of survival are slim.

"First, peel off the armor." Since they were practically relatives, Shichibei quickly started peeling off the armor, at least to clean up the area around the wound, otherwise there would be no way to treat it.

He frantically tore off the clothes, and after peeling them off, he found that the wound hadn't been pierced, and the spear had been pulled back in. That meant there was probably no bone stuck, and maybe no internal organs were damaged. If there were no fractures and no internal bleeding, even though the wound was covered in blood, there was still a chance of survival.

How to cure?

First, press on the wound to stop the bleeding; there's no chance of a blood transfusion these days. Then, try to stop the bleeding. Several horse doctors were pulled over, all speaking in unison. After all, this Yasui Yabei was practically a relative of Shichibei, so they would definitely be much more concerned than if he were just a regular foot soldier.

Before Oda Nobunaga went into battle, Shichibei secretly sent someone to summon the medical monk who served him. This medical monk's specialty was acupuncture! Seriously? My goodness, what was Oda Nobunaga thinking before going into battle? Why did he bring an acupuncturist with him?

However, an acupuncturist is still a doctor. When he saw that the wound was quite large, he couldn't just cover it with ashes and call it a day. He immediately said that he would first use a knife to check the wound for any foreign objects, such as broken pieces of wood, arrowheads, iron filings, or even other human tissue.

After cleaning, wash the wound with sake and then sew it up. The rest is up to fate; if your parents have accumulated good karma, you'll live; if you did evil in your past life, then you'll be going to Hirasaka.

Row!

The acupuncturist immediately began treatment, causing a flurry of activity on one side, while on the other side, the battlefield seemed to be progressing smoothly. The Oda and Tokugawa armies simultaneously broke through the Takeda army's frontal blockade, and there was even a scene where the leaders, Ōsuga Yasutaka and Ōkubo Tadayo, encountered Oda army's Ichihashi Nagatoshi and charged forward together.

While we were risking our lives to save people, the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces could already see Takeda Shingen's banner that proclaimed "Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am Supreme," and the large horse emblem inscribed with "Namo Suwa Nangu Hōshō Daimyojin."

These days, it's not always necessary to completely crush the enemy. If you can behead the enemy general or cause his main force to collapse and flee, the enemy army will also crumble. Warfare is about flexibility and adaptability. Back then, Oda Nobunaga captured Imagawa Yoshimoto's main force, which led to his glorious victory.

Charge! Charge! Charge!

We cut that faithless and treacherous old man, Shingen, down from his horse, so that he may know the might of us Owari and Mikawa samurai. One after another, Oda and Tokugawa troops charged into the main camp of Takeda Shingen.

At the forefront of Takeda Shingen's main force were Anayama Genban Yoshinobu, Takeda Nobutoyo, and Ichijo Uemon no Nobutatsu. This was the force Takeda Shingen had positioned before himself, the biggest "bait," to provide a safety net. These three generals would withstand the attacks and fiercest charges of the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces' most valiant warriors.

However, as long as they hold off and exhaust the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces, thus diminishing their morale, then Baba Nobuharu, who has been poised to attack, and Yamagata Masakage, who has come from Okumikawa to join them, will deliver a devastating blow to the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces.

The main force of the allied forces was charging into Shingen's main camp. Once they were separated from the main force by Yamagata Masakage and Baba Nobuharu, they would face the annihilation of their entire army.

Seeing that the Oda-Tokugawa alliance had already fallen into their trap, Takeda Shingen sat calmly in the center of the army, showing no sign of panic. The drums in the formation continued to beat loudly and continuously, and the soldiers fought bravely, all dreaming of defeating the alliance in one battle, taking over Kyoto, and becoming the best of men.

At this point, even Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was already charging into the Takeda army's ranks, was unaware that he was gradually falling into the Takeda army's trap. Although Oda Nobunaga had a vague feeling that something was wrong, he looked at the Takeda army being gradually defeated by his arquebuses, but he didn't perceive any concrete problems.

The resistance from the Takeda army was extremely fierce. The battle was absolutely unmasked, with real swords and spears clashing and heads rolling. In those two hours, the Takeda army must have lost no fewer than several hundred men, with the number of wounded even greater. Takeda Shingen must have been in a terrible state.

Of course, by this time, the Tokugawa army had only a little over a hundred dead soldiers left, while the Oda army had advanced wave after wave, with nearly a thousand dead. Both sides were fighting for this crucial territory, and the samurai were fighting with all their might. With seventy or eighty thousand people gathered, this battle probably wouldn't end until three to five thousand had died.

At this moment, Nobunaga's Hirate brothers, Hirate Hirohide and Hirate Hisahide, Hayashi Michimasa and others all rushed forward. Even Oda Nobui, who almost became Shichibei's father-in-law, and Nobunaga's uncle Oda Nobutsugu, also charged forward. They were all exceptionally brave and eager to achieve the unparalleled feat of beheading Takeda Shingen.

If we could take the head of Takeda Shingen, given Nobunaga's current status, it would be a disservice to Nobunaga's power as regent if we didn't grant him a hereditary title of 5,000 kan.

The prospect of a hereditary fiefdom of ten thousand strings of cash is perhaps too tempting.

"No, there are too many people. Pull them down the slope. There's no way to deal with them if they're left on the plain." Shichibei couldn't keep an eye on the battle. These people were too greedy; they all came to the veterinarian after getting injured.

This reminded Shichibei of a news story from later years: a charlatan who claimed to cure all diseases. People would go to him for minor ailments, drink his talisman water, and even if it didn't cure them, it would at least alleviate their symptoms.

Later, when they broke with feudal superstition, they arrested him and discovered that he had actually drawn the talisman using veterinary antibiotics. Damn, with such potent veterinary antibiotics, wouldn't it have been a cure-all?

But you can't actually come to see a veterinarian!

“That’s right!” said the same thing, referring to the former head of the Nanbu branch of the family, who had once again tied down a powerful figure.

Those that looked similar were all loaded onto oxcarts and transported to Sakashita. Since the army had carried a month's worth of supplies, there were quite a few carts and horses in the camp. It was a good idea to first haul them all to the Toda River pontoon bridge, and then have the people from Okazaki and Yoshida post stations take them to Owari.

Forget about whether the transportation and transfer process will cause secondary damage. They've already fallen to the point of needing vet treatment; what's the point of worrying about secondary damage? Staying on the battlefield and making a scene is what's more likely to cause secondary damage.

"Quickly, quickly, those who can sit up, sit up and squeeze in." Shichibei hurriedly began directing everyone to load the cart.

Anyone wounded who could sit up was pulled out while still seated. Those who couldn't sit up were laid out on two layers of straw and pulled out lying down. But a vehicle couldn't carry only one person; they'd have to squeeze in with their comrades. Conditions on the battlefield were harsh; if they managed to pull you to the rear, you were incredibly lucky.

Something feels off about this scene. More and more wounded are being brought over, and more are running towards us. Looking into the distance, isn't that the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces already at the forefront of Takeda Shingen's main camp?

I just heard someone say they've spotted the Takeda clan's banner, huh?

Chapter 273 Fighting for Every Point Between Enemy and Ourselves

The Origami Army and the German Army advanced side by side, heading straight for Anayama Nobuhito and Ichijo Nobutatsu. There was a palisade in front of the two generals, which was better than nothing. However, the troops under these two generals were all battle-hardened soldiers, and they were extremely brave in the face of death.

Oda Nobunaga, who had already advanced to the center of the formation, began to spin again with his keen sense of opportunity. To his right was Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had already seen the large horse emblem that read "Desire to leave this defiled land, yearn for the pure land" rushing towards a dragon.

To his left was a formidable force of Oda troops. His good brother, Oda Nobuhiro, had led over two thousand soldiers, and Sasa Narimasa's five hundred arquebusiers were bombarding the Takeda army in front of him.

later?

Behind him were his younger brother, Oda Hidenari, as well as Ose Kiyonaga, the older brother of Sugaya Nagayori, and Oda Nobumasa, the second son of Oda Nobumitsu. These were all veterans of Owari, and although they numbered a total of eight or nine hundred, there was also Kawamura Shichibei further back. Nobunaga had personally led Kawamura's troops for a few days, so they were quite capable.

What's bothering me?

For a moment, Nobunaga felt a little confused, because he really couldn't see what he had done wrong. The Takeda army in front of him was being broken down layer by layer. The Takeda army that hadn't been broken through on the outer perimeter was still fiercely attacking Oda Nobuhiro and Sasa Narimasa, trying to cut off the vanguard of the Oda army.

This would cause the Oda army to become disjointed, allowing them to seize the initiative and achieve a great victory. It might even trap Nobunaga and kill him.

But Sassa Narimasa has five hundred arquebuses!