Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

How could Nobutada's army, modeled after his father's, be anything less than formidable? The number of second and third sons from various families sent to Nobutada's ranks was considerable. Add to that the samurai from various countries placed there through land grants, and their skill level was absolutely top-notch.

Naito Masatoyo, already fifty-four years old, fought for a long time until he was so exhausted that he could barely lift his sword. When he encountered the surging momentum of Nobutada's followers, he was immediately separated from the Kozuki followers.

Dan Tadamasa, who had only recently joined Nobutada's ranks, was the first to spot Naito Masatoyo, who was fighting on foot after dismounting. Because Naito was older, Dan Tadamasa initially wanted to skip over this elderly samurai. He wanted to take on younger opponents, those in their twenties or thirties, who could prove their bravery.

Historically, when Dan Tadamasa was attacking Takato Castle in Shinano Province, Nobunaga ordered his generals to advance slowly and gradually subdue the defenders. However, Dan Tadamasa ignored this order and, braving the muskets from the castle walls, launched a human assault. Nobunaga watched as he swarmed into the castle like an ant.

Takato Castle was indeed captured, but his merit in conquering it was erased. Nobunaga sternly rebuked his foolishness, but then he received no punishment whatsoever.

Nine days later, Tuan Tadashi once again charged into the Takeda army's ranks. Those around him were astonished; this was a fearless brute. Perhaps he was born for war, thinking only of killing.

Naito Masatoyo, who had been ignored by Tadashi, directly questioned the young man in front of him, "Haven't you heard of the great name of Naito Ryosuke Masatoyo?"

Of course he'd heard of him. Upon learning that the person before him was Naito Masatoyo, Tuan Zhongzheng stopped and loudly announced his name. After announcing his name, he thrust out his spear, and before Naito Masatoyo could even react, he had stabbed him to death.

The wise and sagacious Naito Masatoyo never imagined he would die like this; his eyes were wide open before he died.

Tuan Tadamasa, on the other hand, ordered his family to quickly cut off the heads and put on hoods, as he was going to kill more Takeda samurai. How he killed them was irrelevant; the important thing was to satisfy his urge to kill.

His family, however, were quick-witted. They impaled Naito Masatoyo's head on the tip of a spear and shouted everywhere that Naito Shuriyoshi had been killed by Dan Heihachiro. This terrified the soldiers on both sides, including Kawakubo Nobuzane and Okabe Masatsuna, who followed Naito Masatoyo, all of whom showed expressions of shock. The various units collapsed one after another and fled in panic.

The Oda soldiers, who had been suppressed or were merely defending, saw that the Takeda army had finally collapsed and disintegrated. They crossed the bamboo and wooden shields, drove the Takeda army away, and charged towards them.

Baba Nobuharu and Yamagata Masakage, who had just retreated to Takeda's main camp, immediately advised Takeda Yoshiyori to retreat immediately. Retreat? Retreat my foot! The pontoon bridge over the Kiso River had been captured by the Oda army.

Upon hearing this, the two veteran generals' expressions immediately changed, but they quickly made a decision. They stood there holding up the banner and horse emblem of Takeda Yoshiyori, and Takeda Yoshiyori led his close retainers and fled first.

As long as Takeda Yoshiyori escapes, everything will be fine. Even if we lose this battle, we can always try again next year.

Stop dawdling now. The front lines are in a state of collapse, and the pontoon bridge has been captured. Stop acting like women, dawdling and refusing to leave. It's impossible for me to leave you behind. Takeda Yoshiyori immediately asked the two to stay behind, and took the opportunity to remove his own armor and headgear, giving them to one of the shadow warriors.

Yamagata Masakage immediately had his son, Yamagata Genshiro Masamitsu, put on the costume and disguise himself as Takeda Yoshiyori to help Takeda Yoshiyori escape smoothly.

"What a beautiful scene!" Nobunaga leaped onto his warhorse, admiring the Oda army as they pursued the fleeing enemy.

"May our lord's military fortunes prosper!" Shichibei mounted his horse, and most of the samurai in Shichibei's ranks rushed out to behead men.

Only Nobunaga's few dozen pageboys and 500 men of Ose Shirozaemon, who had just joined Shichibei's command and were still in the process of redeeming himself, remained.

The Takeda army was in complete disarray. Even if one or two fearless individuals wanted to launch a counterattack, they would remain undaunted by the protection of these approximately six hundred men.

"Tell the entire army that I only want the head of Takeda Shinano-no-kami," Nobunaga instructed a messenger.

"We only want the head of Takeda Shinano-no-kami!" the messenger repeated before rushing out like lightning and shouting to the Oda army.

"The Takeda clan has suffered a great loss of strength after this battle." Shichibei wondered if the outcome of this battle could surpass the historical Battle of Nagashino.

Judging from the situation on the ground, the casualties might have been even greater. If 20,000 Takeda soldiers were killed in one battle, the Takeda clan would be finished, truly finished.

The total mobilization capacity was only 50,000 to 60,000 people, less than half. The entire army's organization was completely destroyed, its structure vanished, and there was absolutely no possibility of rebuilding it.

Like the Yamauchi-Uesugi clan after the Battle of Kawagoe, they had nothing left to do but prolong their lives. They had many wandering samurai, but even if they recruited them, they could only serve as lower-ranking officers. Their mid- to high-ranking officers were undoubtedly the most loyal, cultivated themselves; bravery was secondary.

If all the samurai generals are foreign ronin recruited last year, then this daimyo will be finished that year. In the chaotic Warring States period, who wouldn't want to build a great empire?

"It's a pity that within the Takeda clan, not even one or two important retainers were managed." Nobunaga's words seemed to have a hidden meaning.

The person being referred to was, of course, Shichibei's brother-in-law, Yamagata Masamitsu. If Yamagata Masamitsu were willing to defect and assist the Oda army in entering Shinano and Kai, then Nobunaga might be able to take advantage of the situation and directly destroy the Takeda clan.

"I'm ashamed..." Shichibei did write to his sister, O-Uki, but the Yamagata family had a fortune of 23,000 kan, which was about 100,000 koku, belonging to the Takeda family.

How should Shichibei price him?

Moreover, he is one of the Four Heavenly Kings in Kai and a senior retainer of the Imperial Household. Unless he offers a reward of 200,000 koku of the entire Kai province, he shouldn't even open his mouth.

The Four Heavenly Kings of Takeda were Yamagata Masakage, Baba Nobuharu, Naito Masatoyo, and Kosaka Masanobu. Naito Masatoyo's adopted son, Naito Masayuki, surrendered directly to the Oda clan after the fall of Takeda and served Takigawa Kazumasu.

Baba Nobuharu's son, Baba Masafusa, surrendered to Oda Nagamasu and handed over Fukashi Castle in Shinano Province while Takeda Katsuyori was still alive and had not yet surrendered. There are two versions of what happened afterward: one is that he was killed by Nobunaga without a word; the other is that he tried to flee, encountered Oda's army, and was killed in battle.

It's undignified no matter how you look at it.

The same was true for Kosaka Masanobu's son, Kosaka Masamoto. After the fall of the Takeda clan, he naturally surrendered to Mori Nagayoshi and became a retainer of the Kawanakajima Mori clan.

Yamagata Masakage's sons weren't particularly loyal either. Yamagata Masamitsu, the Tanaka Castle Governor of Suruga, surrendered to Tokugawa Ieyasu and was killed by Nobunaga. Yamagata Masashige fled, and Yamagata Masahisa joined Oda's retainer, Uemura Saemon. His son served Yuki Hideyasu and earned 3,600 koku. Yamagata Nobutsugu became a Tokugawa vassal with 500 koku.

To put it bluntly, rulers and their subjects are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately.

The first generation of the Four Heavenly Kings were probably more loyal, but the sons of the Four Heavenly Kings, well, they were just so-so.

"If we can capture them, I will grant them the entire province of Kai." Nobunaga didn't waste any words; his confidence was truly unmatched. He offered a whole province as a reward, certain that he could win over the Yamagata family.

"Hehe." Shichibei nodded in agreement.

As for when they could make contact with Yamamoto Masamitsu, that was another matter; the immediate priority was to hunt down the Takeda army. Shouts demanding the capture of the Takeda general echoed throughout the ranks.

Soon, someone spotted Takeda Yoshiyori, and countless people rushed forward, trying to seize this unparalleled achievement. Killing Takeda Yoshiyori would surely bring at least 10,000 koku of reward, and 20,000 koku wasn't out of the question. After all, he was a powerful daimyo with a territory exceeding 1.5 million koku, a major threat to Nobunaga.

Unfortunately, Yamagata Masakage was guarding around "Takeda Yoshiyori" and couldn't break through for a while. Someone shot Yamagata Masakage directly.

Chapter 367 Intending to persuade Jin Xin to surrender

On the battlefield of Kamo, thousands of armored soldiers lay dead. Along the banks of the Hida and Kiso rivers, the water surged and churned, clogging the rivers due to the sheer number of corpses.

On the filthy, foul-smelling mudflats, crows and vultures rose and fell, cawing and cawing, thoroughly enjoying the unexpected feast before them.

After Oda Tadahiro, Gamo Fuehide, and others seized the Kiso River pontoon bridges, they kept only one of them, burning and releasing the rest. The remaining pontoon bridge became a street of death, with countless soldiers dying both inside and outside it.

However, Yoshiyori Takeda and Kihei Muto were clever enough to drive their horses into the river and escape by grabbing their tails. As mentioned before, due to the large-scale floods that occur year after year in the Kai Basin, every household in Kai has a small boat, and everyone is a skilled swimmer.

Anyone who couldn't swim or maneuver a boat had already been eliminated by the natural environment of Kai. This resulted in a unique situation where the people of this mountainous region were all exceptionally skilled swimmers.

Samurai or soldiers with horses could drive their horses across the river, but those without horses had no choice but to swim to survive. At the confluence of the Hida and Kiso rivers, the current was swift, and the soldiers were exhausted and on the verge of death. Even if they abandoned their armor and jumped into the river naked to escape, they often drowned in the raging torrent.

The dark red corpses were piled up in the river at the confluence, and even Shichibei, who was used to seeing dead bodies on the battlefield, couldn't help but gag.

"The mountains of Kai have collapsed..." Nobunaga rode his horse on the shore, but instead of the joy he felt when he was victorious, he did not feel it.

"If descendants cannot maintain their legacy, it is their own fault." Shichibei saw it clearly. Nobunaga was not unhappy, but he began to consider whether to continue the advance into Kai or turn around and prepare to take action against the greedy Mori clan.

It mainly depends on how many men the Takeda clan lost this time. If they lost 10,000, that's a hundred days of crippling damage, but not enough to kill them. If they lost 20,000, that's brain death, and Nobunaga will definitely continue his relentless onslaught.

"My lord, we have captured Takeda Shinano no Kami!" An Oda samurai, overjoyed, rushed over, led by Nobunaga's page.

"Bring it up!" Nobunaga immediately turned around, his voice tinged with excitement.

But when they brought the man up, Nobunaga didn't move, while Shichibei, who was standing to the side, saw it clearly. This wasn't Takeda Yoshiyori at all; this was clearly his good brother-in-law, Yamagata Masamitsu.

"Genjiro?" Shichibei was a little confused.

"Brother?" Yamagata Masamitsu hadn't expected to run into Shichibei right away.

"Is he your brother-in-law?" Nobunaga, who was initially slightly agitated, calmed down and turned to ask Shichibei.

"Yes, this is Yamagata Genshiro Masamitsu."

The Oda samurai who came to present the captive quickly recovered from his euphoria, realizing he hadn't captured Takeda Yoshiyori, but rather a renowned samurai of the Takeda clan. While a renowned samurai was impressive, he was no match for Takeda Yoshiyori, whose fief was worth 20,000 koku.

Nobunaga waved his hand, signaling his servants to take the man away. He then asked Yamagata Masamitsu where that brat Takeda Yoshiyori had run off to.

As a result, Yamagata Masamitsu was untied and sat down, just crying. Nobunaga was almost annoyed by his crying, but was woken up by Shichibei's two big slaps. He then rambled on and on about how Takeda Yoshiyori had already fled under the protection of his close attendants. He himself was acting as Takeda Yoshiyori's bodyguard, protected by Baba Nobuharu and Yamagata Masakage.

During the battle at the main camp, Yamagata Masakage was killed by a stray bullet, the cause of death unknown. Baba Nobuharu escorted him towards the pontoon bridge. At the pontoon bridge, Baba Nobuharu held the rear, but was overwhelmed by the pursuing Oda army and his fate remains unknown. Yamagata, on the other hand, was thrown into the water by a spear from the pontoon bridge.

The Oda samurai on either side frantically tried to pull him out, but he accidentally fell into the water and choked on it, fainting. He was then pulled out alive, captured, and brought before Nobunaga.

In other words, although Yoshiyori Takeda fled, two of the four Heavenly Kings of Takeda, Nobuharu Baba and Masakage Yamagata, who was also the father of Masahiro Yamagata, died.

died.

Otherwise, why would Masamitsu Yamagata be crying? Almost everyone he knew, was close to, or understood in Kai was dead, dead by the sea, too many to count. Even his old servant and cook were dead, lying in the muddy ponds on the shore, trampled into mangled flesh.

There's no point in saying all this. Nobunaga frowned at Shichibei, who understood. But Shichibei's father had just died, and his remaining family members were all in Tsutsuzaki Castle. How could he possibly persuade him?

However, the Grand Chancellor didn't care about any of that. When he used people, he only looked at the results, not the process.

"I will immediately send someone to retrieve your father's head. After that, I will release you. That's all I can do." Shichibei certainly wouldn't immediately offer to give him the entire province of Kai in exchange for his immediate defection.

"Brother, brother, wailing..." The experiences that Yamagata Masamitsu had today were not so much exaggerated as they were just too numerous.

Generally, when people experience intense suffering, two scenarios can occur. One is a complete mental breakdown, like Masamichi Yamagata, who cries uncontrollably and needs two large diapers to speak. The other is a quiet state as if nothing happened. There was an interview online later, where a man carried his deceased wife's body home after the Wenchuan earthquake. When asked about his two children and wife, he learned that his entire family had died.

The reporter, seeing his calm demeanor, assumed nothing had happened to his family. But when others mentioned the deaths of this person and that person, the reporter was speechless and unsure what to ask.

"Sigh..." Shichibei knew that there was no point in saying anything now, so he ordered his servant to bring a gourd of rice wine and had it poured down Yamagata Masamitsu's throat.

Nobunaga realized that there would probably be no results for the time being, so he instructed Shichibei to continue the work while he went to urge the reconstruction of the pontoon bridge and urged the troops to cross the river to continue the pursuit of the Takeda army.

Kanayama Castle was restored. Kiso Yoshimasa, who was defending the castle, had no idea what had happened and was trapped inside by the pursuing Oda army. Then, Takeda Yoshiyori's armor and the heads of the three Takeda kings were displayed outside the castle. The castle troops collapsed, and Kiso Yoshimasa himself, along with his brother Kaematsu Yoshitoyo and others, were captured alive.

Oh, and by the way, let me mention Sen Changke.

Alas, how tragic, Mori Nagatoshi is truly pitiful.

When Mori Nagayoshi went out of the castle to repel the Takeda army that came to burn and kill, he was surrounded and captured by the Takeda army under the castle. Nobunaga did not come to his rescue at all, but instead ordered the army to retreat twenty chō (a unit of area) to prepare to exhaust the Takeda army.

Thus, Mori Nagayoshi, surrounded and severely wounded, left behind a final message to his mother and samurai wife, and committed seppuku at the young age of eighteen.

How can I describe it? It's both tragic and lamentable.

However, it was precisely because he left the castle that a series of subsequent wars were triggered. Many of Nobunaga's plans were based on the premise of selling out Kinzan Castle.

In a sense, Mori Nagayoshi's death was significant. He was the eldest son of Mori Yoshinari, the commander of the Oda clan's army, and Mori Yoshinari had just fought for Oda Nobunaga at Tennoji in Osaka. No one would have imagined that Nobunaga, after seeing Mori Nagayoshi go into battle, would choose to betray him instead of immediately coming to his rescue.

Now that he has died a heroic death, the territory of Kinzan Castle will likely be handed over to his younger brother, Mori Ranmaru. At least in this matter, Nobunaga was still able to act like a decent human being, and didn't even strip him of his territory.

There was no news about another person, Saito Tatsuoki.

As a member of Takeda Yoshiyori's Mino vanguard, Saito Tatsuoki appears to have gone into battle alongside the Takeda army. However, during the actual battle, Saito Tatsuoki's reserve force was not seen going into battle.

It's understandable, really. Although Long Xing became the lord of Mingzhi City, his territory of only a few thousand shi (a unit of land measurement) was simply not enough to support many full-time soldiers, and he even had a hard time feeding a thousand people.

Unfortunately, many non-essential foot soldiers were laid off. Although the Takeda clan provided some additional assistance, they ultimately only managed to support three hundred men for Saito Tatsuoki.

One hundred and fifty men to defend the city, one hundred and fifty men to go out into battle. In a decisive battle involving sixty or seventy thousand men, what use are a hundred or so men? If you have a hundred heavily armored cavalrymen who can break through enemy lines and overcome difficulties, then that's fine.

For example, Beigong Chun of the Western Jin Dynasty led a hundred cavalrymen from Liangzhou straight towards Wang Mi, who was besieging Luoyang. They slaughtered tens of thousands of Wang Mi's troops, leaving them powerless to resist. It should be noted that Wang Mi at this time was no ordinary man; he had seized the treasury of Xuchang, and his armor and weapons were well-prepared, far surpassing those of the government troops.

It is only this kind of invincible, fierce man who can lead one or two hundred elite soldiers that can be useful on the battlefield. Ordinary one or two hundred people, in a large-scale battle, would probably be worn down into flesh and blood in the blink of an eye.

Finally, Ryūō led these hundred-odd people and fled with Takeda Yoshiyori, thus avoiding falling into the hands of Oda Nobunaga.

Nobunaga was quite frustrated that he hadn't captured Ryūshō. But that was that. He left Shichibei to persuade Yamagata Masamitsu, and Nobunaga personally led a large army towards Iwamura Castle and Akichi Castle. Even if he couldn't conquer Kai and Shinano, he could at least completely reclaim eastern Mino to prevent Gifu from being threatened by the Takeda clan again.

Then, at the scene where Shichibei was persuading Yamagata Masamitsu, another pair of Kiso brothers were brought in.

"Sit down, everyone. Now that you've fallen into the hands of the Oda clan, are you prepared to commit seppuku?" Yamagata Masamitsu was still in a state of collapse when Shichibei turned to ask Kiso Yoshimasa.

To be fair, Kiso Yoshimasa historically allied with Oda Nobutada, enabling Oda Nobutada's army to advance unimpeded and directly attack southern Shinano, thus often being portrayed as a treacherous minister. However, Shichibei prefers to call such people "opportunists," always switching sides with whoever is stronger, and their fickleness is inevitable.