Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Akai Naomasa, who was solely focused on returning to Kuroi Castle, was so anxious to see himself blocked by Mitsuhide and unable to go back that it goes without saying. Although the Akai family claimed to own the three districts of Okudanba [Note 1], their actual base was actually in Hikami District.

Amada County and Hero County are more like entities shielded by Hyogo County, with Kuroi Castle in front, and they will still be subordinate to Akai Naomasa. Once Kuroi Castle falls, it's hard to say which side these two counties will choose to side with.

Anxious and distraught, Akai Naomasa made wild promises to his soldiers, even guaranteeing "eternal life" to some of the soldiers from Amada and Hero counties who had come to fight. This finally boosted the morale of the troops, and they continued their fierce attack on Akechi's army the next day.

The renowned warriors of the Akechi army, such as Tsumagi Kazue, Miyake Tobei, Fujita Dengo, Matsuda Tarozaemon, and Ikeda Iki no Kami, were successively defeated or scattered by him. Knowing that he probably could no longer fight against Akai Naomasa, Akechi Mitsuhide ordered the arquebusiers to concentrate their fire on Akai Naomasa.

Akai Naomasa's warhorse was hit by a bullet and fell to the ground, bleeding profusely. But Akai Naomasa leaped to his feet and continued to fight fiercely, shouting wildly. His attendants brought over a spare horse, and they continued their relentless attack on the Akechi army.

Mitsuhide was overwhelmed by the attack and finally understood why Akai Naomasa was called "Tanba Red Demon." This wasn't just a local term used by the people of Tanba; it was probably a term used by many nearby forces who knew and had experienced Akai Naomasa's martial arts skills.

How to do?

Of course, we should call for reinforcements.

Oda's army numbered 20,000, but less than 4,000 were with Mitsuhide. Some stayed at Yagami Castle with Hosokawa Fujitaka, while others maintained a passage between Akechi's army and Nobunaga's main force. The actual number of soldiers present was only 4,000, and more than 300 were killed or wounded in yesterday's battle.

Everything will be alright as long as Oda's reinforcements arrive. Nobunaga was in the midst of a fierce siege when he suddenly received Mitsuhide's plea for help, and he paused for a moment.

At first, I thought Akai Naomasa would only have three or four thousand men to attack Tajima, so Mitsuhide alone would be enough. Now it seems that Akai Naomasa is quite interesting.

Seeing Kuroi Castle gradually crippled and its branches uprooted, Nobunaga declared he would continue the siege and attack from there. Shichibei led his troops to support Mitsuhide, instructing him to follow Mitsuhide's orders. Mitsuhide's abilities were still quite good; Shichibei didn't need to think too much.

Upon hearing this order, Shichibei had nothing to say. In any case, his brother-in-law Hara Nagayori was a fierce general, and his subordinate Todo Takatora was also a fierce general. With them protecting him, Shichibei could go anywhere.

The military situation is urgent; we must set off immediately.

At this moment, Naomasa Akai is launching a new offensive against Mitsuhide...

[Note 1]: The origin of the name "Oku" is the border between Tanba Province and Tango Province. Oku Tanba is the Tanba region near Tango. Similarly, Oku Mikawa and Oku Shinano are also named because they are located on the border.

Chapter 339 Dumplings Make Akai a Killer

Shichibei's cavalry unit was mostly left to Nobunaga as guards and ceremonial escorts. However, Nobunaga also left Shichibei with one hundred men. Although cavalry, especially horse archers, were of little use in the mountains of Tanba, some cavalry was still needed to maintain contact with Nobunaga's main force and to coordinate supply lines.

The main skill is to use someone who runs fast, without needing to ride and shoot.

Upon hearing that Shichibei had personally arrived with approximately four thousand men to provide support, Mitsuhide was overjoyed. He had already struggled to hold off Akai Naomasa, who was desperately trying to return home. After all, Akai's army numbered three to four thousand, and their commander was exceptionally brave, making them a formidable opponent.

But after Shichibei arrived, the battle became much easier. Upon his arrival, Shichibei declared that command of the army rested entirely with Mitsuhide. From Shichibei down, everyone in Kawamura's army obeyed Mitsuhide's orders.

This attitude alone made the generals of the Akechi army nod repeatedly, and Mitsuhide repeatedly expressed that he would definitely live up to Shichibei's trust.

Kawamura Chokichi is a kind and honest man!

Shichibei, with a very clear understanding of himself, had no intention of vying for command. He believed in doing what one is meant to do. He figured that only the right person could handle the right amount of work, so he put Mitsuhide in charge.

Looking at the elite Kawamura army, Mitsuhide didn't hold back and immediately organized his arquebusiers to form a powerful frontal firepower with his own arquebus troops.

Then he asked Shichibei to personally take charge of his left flank, with four hundred of Hara Nagayori's men in the front row and two hundred of Todo Takatora's men in the middle. With long spears and large shields, the formation was quite impressive.

The right wing was composed of members of the Akechi Army who came from the shogunate, whose fighting strength was slightly weaker, but Mitsuhide had his own ideas.

The next day, when the battle resumed, Akai Naomasa immediately discovered that Mitsuhide's central army had significantly increased its firepower. Upon seeing the newly arrived large cavalry insignia with two vertical lines and two horizontal lines, he knew that one of his nemesis from this battle, Kawamura Shichibei Nagayoshi, had also arrived.

Let's go for it!

The Akai army was fierce, but the Kawamura army was no pushover either. Hara Nagayori was a brave general who dared to be the first to charge, and Todo Takatora's body riddled with holes was something to boast about. The two generals stood in a formidable formation at the front, withstanding Akai Naomasa's fierce attack. Shichibei, thinking he had nothing better to do, ordered a hundred yakuza horsemen to dismount and approach to fire at the charging Akai army.

As everyone knows, the bow and arrow were longbows with heavy arrows, reaching distances of twenty or thirty meters, or even thirty or forty meters. When fired at close range, a hit would be instantaneous. This was personally experienced by Qi Jiguang, and his records are reliable.

When Nagawa Sadaharu heard that it was just a simple matter, he thought it was easy. Standing behind the bamboo shield, it was much easier than shooting arrows from horseback.

The stringed instruments rang out one after another. At times like these, Shichibei would sigh that the money had been well spent. Where could he find such a fine troop of archers? It was just a pity that Namae Sadaharu and the others still hadn't agreed to become Shichibei's retainers, and he didn't know what they were holding on to.

The Akai army, which came to attack, could not break through the spear formation, and many of them were shot dead by the archers of the Kawamura army. Finally, they turned to the right flank of the Oda army, that is, to the direction of those useless former shogunate officials.

"What's Hyuga-no-kami's plan?" Shichibei asked Takenaka Hanbei, watching the Akai army retreat in a flurry.

"Half of your troops have been borrowed, that's obvious." Takenaka Hanbei was still in good health, observing the enemy formation from horseback.

"Oh? Please go ahead."

“Our army has eight thousand men, while the enemy has only three or four thousand. Moreover, the Regent's Palace is right behind us…” Takenaka Hanbei understood the situation very well.

Mitsuhide's original plan was definitely to stop Akai Naomasa. As long as Nobunaga captured Kuroi Castle, the war would be won. Without the protection of Kuroi Castle, Amada and Hero counties would soon be in turmoil.

However, with the full support of Shichibei's four thousand men, Mitsuhide's army is now considered a first-rate force within the Oda clan. After all, Shichibei is wealthy and powerful, with top-notch equipment and stipends, and the Kawamura army has followed Nobunaga in battles for many years, so although they are not the first to engage in combat, they are still very experienced.

In front of Nobunaga, Mitsuhide would definitely want to fight a decisive battle of annihilation, ideally taking advantage of his superior numbers to wipe out the entire Akai army. He wanted to make a grand impression on Nobunaga and, incidentally, seize three new districts as new territories.

Shichibei held the line, while Mitsuhide's central army was strong and formidable. He placed his weaker forces on the right flank, waiting for Akai Naomasa to attack. Once Akai breached the right flank, his next move would undoubtedly be to sweep through the entire Akechi army.

Therefore, Akai Naomasa will surely attack the rear of Mitsuhide's central army.

The rear guard of Mitsuhide's army? Didn't you notice that Watanabe and his son, Aochi Shigetsuna, Ogawa Yutada, Mori Jirozaemon, Kuwayama Kazue, and others weren't there? They were just there to reinforce the rear guard of Mitsuhide's army.

With over a thousand to nearly two thousand Kawamura troops holding off Akai Naomasa, Mitsuhide's central army went directly to outflank Akai Naomasa's rear. If Shichibei were to come and encircle Akai's army as well, it would be the perfect encirclement and annihilation battle.

Mitsuhide had such faith in the fighting capabilities of Kawamura's army that he even entrusted the rear of his central army with their protection.

"The right flank has been scattered!" Shigeharu Kuwayama, who was observing the battle, suddenly shouted.

"Whoa!" Shichibei and Takenaka Hanbei turned their heads at the same time and exclaimed in a low voice.

Although the former shogunate's retainers and the Yamashiro troops were weak, they were in a defensive position. The fact that they were defeated by Akai Naomasa in a mere quarter of an hour is enough to demonstrate Akai Naomasa's bravery and his grasp of the ever-changing military situation.

As expected, everything was just as Takenaka Hanbei had predicted. After the Akai clan scattered the right wing, they sent a portion of their forces to pursue the scattered right wing of the Akechi army. Akai Naomasa himself led his elite troops to launch a fierce attack on the rear of Mitsuhide's central army, attempting to destroy the Akechi army's command center.

Then they ran into Watanabe Ren and Watanabe Kanbei, along with other soldiers from Kawamura's army. Kawamura's army remained calm and composed, unmoved by the scattering of their allies. Their orders were to defend the area until a new order was delivered.

"My lord, Hyuga no Kami requests that you prepare to encircle Akai's forces." A messenger who had been seconded to Mitsuhide's central army rode back on horseback.

"Understood!" Shichibei wouldn't eat lunch at this time, so he immediately ordered the army to prepare to turn around.

Mitsuhide was to flank Akai Naomasa, while Shichibei was to reinforce Watanabe's flanks to prevent Akai Naomasa from escaping. It was imperative to kill Akai Naomasa in battle and achieve a great victory.

Eight thousand Oda troops surged forward. Mitsuhide used himself as bait, appearing beside Watanabe to draw Akai Naomasa's continued attack. Meanwhile, Akechi Hidemitsu and Saito Toshimitsu led over a thousand men to flank the enemy.

A fairly large dumpling, under Mitsuhide's kneading and rolling, took shape more and more. Meanwhile, the filling, Akai Naomasa, was still relentlessly attacking.

Chapter 340 Each made mistakes and committed major taboos

Although Shichibei was on the march, he did not stop observing the battlefield. Even if we are not qualified generals, we at least understand the importance of listening, observing, and learning.

The battlefield is ever-changing, and while Akechi Mitsuhide could grasp the situation, Shichibei might not. If the situation changes, Shichibei could call upon Hara Nagayori and Todo Takatora for help.

Thus, Shichibei discovered a rather interesting place.

The Yamashiro soldiers, who had been scattered by Akai Naomasa earlier, had now regrouped into groups of twenty or thirty and were rushing back to the battlefield. When they collapsed just now, they ran away so fast that they directly exposed the right flank of Mitsuhide's central army.

Shichibei originally thought they would definitely withdraw from the battlefield, either to join Oda Nobunaga at Kuroi Castle or Hosokawa Fujitaka at Yagami Castle.

After all, several hundred of them only chose to join Akechi Mitsuhide's forces a little over a year ago when cannibalism was about to break out at Makishima Castle. What loyalty could such people possibly have? They might even fire three arrows for Mitsuhide in battle—that would be considered a favor to him.

Besides, they weren't very loyal to Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

After Nobunaga surrendered Makishima Castle, he allowed his followers to retreat to Wakae Castle with Ashikaga Yoshiaki. At that time, most of his followers, including Takeda Nobutora, either joined Hanawa Naomasa, Akechi Mitsuhide, or, like Takeda Nobutora, went to live in Kyoto. Only about a hundred people followed Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

They could easily abandon the general's family that had served them for generations, let alone Mitsuhide, who had only served them for a year.

So it's not surprising that the people of Yamashiro ran away. Mitsuhide didn't find it surprising, nor did Shichibei. What is surprising is that they have actually come back now.

For a moment, Shichibei was puzzled.

But he quickly realized that in this day and age, going out to fight for lords and daimyo and getting scattered wasn't shameful. There was even a historical example of the Battle of Anegawa, where Isono Kazumasa single-handedly scattered eleven Oda army units.

As long as one retreats slowly after being scattered, regroups, and then rejoins the battle, it conforms to the samurai code at that time. It can even be described as a display of loyalty and bravery, worthy of praise.

After all, who in all of Japan dares to claim they have never been defeated?

Even the best can make mistakes, and even the best horses can stumble. It's not shameful to be slightly inferior on the battlefield. Just turn around and fight again; a fierce battle all day long can also be a admirable feat.

However, Shichibei suddenly understood how the Shogunate, which had basically lost its core strength after Ashikaga Yoshinori's death, managed to maintain a loyal following.

That's how it's maintained. In peacetime, battles are fought by the troops of the commanders, government officials, or the soldiers guarding the mountain fortresses. The public, on the other hand, follows the winds of fortune; when victorious, they cheer wildly and advance; when defeated, they flee in panic.

The simpletons and brutes should all be dead by now; the genes of bravery have disappeared from the bodies of these mountain city dwellers over the past hundred years. What remains are all cunning and shrewd individuals, but with extremely "bright" eyes.

After so many years of bloodshed in Kyoto, they've still managed to survive. Those eyes of theirs truly understand the political climate.

Seeing that Mitsuhide was unharmed and the central army had held off the onslaught of Akai Naomasa, they hurriedly returned, perhaps even joining the pincer attack on Akai Naomasa.

good good!

What a remarkable bunch! No wonder they managed to survive in the heart of the war until now.

Anyway, they were Mitsuhide's soldiers and had nothing to do with Shichibei. Shichibei saw through it but didn't say anything, and just led his men to surround Akai Naomasa.

Drawn by Mitsuhide's azure-colored bellflower banner, Akai Naomasa launched a fierce attack for a while, but failed to break through Kawamura's defenses. Mitsuhide stood there on his horse, within reach, yet forever out of reach.

So he finally spared his attention to observe the changes on the battlefield. He then saw that the two large horse emblems of Kawamura's army were being driven toward his flank, and the Yamashiro soldiers, who had been scattered and seemingly fled the battlefield, were now gathering in groups behind him.

It's clearly a pincer attack!

Startled, Akai Naomasa realized that in his attempt to defeat Akechi Mitsuhide, he had committed the grave offense of greed on the battlefield. This momentary lingering and distraction immediately turned the tide of battle against him.

Just as he was hesitating whether to charge Mitsuhide's main camp again or immediately retreat and flee, Akechi Hidemitsu arrived with several hundred men, circling around to join forces with the troops of Yamashiro, and together they completely surrounded Akai's army of two to three thousand men.

In this situation, even Shichibei, who knew almost nothing about military affairs, shouted "Good!" The trap of closing the door to beat the dog was now complete, and they were trapped like turtles in a jar.

Even Shichibei noticed, how could Akechi Mitsuhide and Akai Naomasa not notice? The two spoke almost in unison, except one shouted "Attack!" and the other cried out "Oh no!"

The young samurai yearns to achieve great deeds.

Tōdō Takatora and Hara Nagayori, who were originally the vanguard of Kawamura's army, each led two or three hundred men and charged forward like lightning. The small drums in the formation immediately began to beat, and the continuous drumbeats boosted the morale of the troops. Apart from the hundred yūbō jōmen and some foot soldiers surrounding Shichibei, all the samurai excitedly went forward, ready to cut off heads.

At this point, Akechi Mitsuhide and Shichibei committed a cardinal sin in military strategy: the encirclement from all sides was indeed impenetrable. However, once the Akai army realized there was no hope of escape, they would fight to the death.

Even peasant soldiers need an escape route to break free and flee. Now they are surrounded on all sides by Oda's army, with no one to turn to for help. There is no other way but to fight their way out by risking their lives.

Unless they surrender in the face of battle.

Judging from the Oda army's posture, they had no intention of surrendering. After all, Mitsuhide needed genuine land grants to attract heroes and recruit warriors.

How could 50,000 koku of Sakamoto's wealth be enough? If we kill Akai Naomasa today, we may still have some trouble dealing with Amada and Hero counties, but Hyoukami county will definitely fall into Mitsuhide's hands.

Just kill them all. Only by killing them can we install Akechi Mitsuhide's own retainers and recruit loyal foot soldiers.

Terrified, the Akai army, though having exhausted most of their strength by this point, still fought with all their might to survive. Needless to say, Akai Naomasa had already tried many times over the past two days and knew that Mitsuhide's main force and Kawamura's army were formidable opponents, while only the Yamashiro soldiers were slippery.

Almost without hesitation, Akai Naomasa left about a hundred men to cover the rear and led his troops to attack the Yamashiro soldiers who had returned to join the battle. A clash further crushed the already demoralized Yamashiro soldiers, who were only looking to scavenge the spoils.

The key point is that the Akai army broke through Akechi Mitsuhide's blockade and opened the road to Kuroi Castle. He had retreated all the way from Takeda Castle in the west, specifically to reach his stronghold in Kuroi Castle in the east.

Even Mitsuhide, who was usually very cultured, cursed loudly upon seeing this. If Akai Naomasa were to appear before Oda Nobunaga, Mitsuhide would lose all face.

How to do?