Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Not to mention Awakawa Sadanori, who had already sided with Oda, and Kasuya Masao, Bessho Yoshichika didn't even leave Miki Castle undefended, sending out his entire force.

right?

"How could there be seven or eight thousand cavalry?" Not only Shichibei didn't believe it, but neither did Takenaka Hanbei and the others.

"The true banner of the emperor can be seen in their ranks." Of course, the envoy would not report this carelessly, as falsely reporting military intelligence was a capital offense.

"Another evil monk from the Jodo Shinshu sect!"

Shichibei wasn't surprised to learn that Miki Michiaki of the Eiga Gobo had joined Bessho Yoshichika's forces. Miki Michiaki could already command several hundred men, and after all, he controlled Eiga Port, which, although not a major port, probably earned him at least a thousand or two thousand kan a year.

Five strings of cash for one foot soldier, so a thousand strings would be two hundred. The other thousand strings could be used to gradually acquire inexpensive imperial guards and long spears that cost five hundred cash each. Over ten years, that would amount to three to five hundred foot soldiers.

Moreover, he also had the support of the Ikko-ikki followers from Eiga Gobo. The monks, soldiers, and civilians combined could easily muster three to five thousand men. Of course, the civilians were not very useful, merely having numbers; the main fighting force came from the local lords and monks who had been absorbed into the Jodo Shinshu sect.

"The siege must be paused." Hachiya Yoritaka was eager to make a name for himself, but he also knew what was important.

At this point, the priority should definitely be to engage Bessho Yoshichika first, and then consider attacking Oshibe. If all he could think about was killing, Nobunaga would never have sent him to be Shichibei's vice-commander.

"Send two thousand men to block the main gate and the outer gate of the city to prevent the city soldiers from coming out," Xiu Chang immediately added.

"Yes, yes, is there anything else?" Although Shichibei didn't understand, he had a large group of people who did, and they could come up with a result by discussing it together.

While it might lead to arguments, fortunately everyone was on the same page this time: kill Bessho Yoshichika first, then turn around and kill Nagai Masashige.

Therefore, Shichibei no longer needed to make decisions; everyone brainstormed and quickly finalized a plan of action.

"My lord, sit firmly in the center of the army and watch us kill the enemy." Todo Takatora said, putting on his large bag.

This isn't meant to belittle Shichibei's lack of military skills. It's a sincere sentiment; the Emperor's favor towards Shichibei is something we can never repay in a lifetime. Naturally, we must do our utmost to serve him and eliminate all enemy forces before him—that's the "Way of Service."

"I will certainly not be stingy with the reward!" Shichibei wanted to say something more, but then he thought that he shouldn't bother with such lofty pronouncements to a bunch of lowly people.

What's the significance?

He kicked over the rattan box, and the thousand small gold coins inside tumbled to the ground with a clatter, gleaming brightly. For every headhead beheaded, the soldiers would be rewarded with one tael of gold.

416. Gou Dongzhai sends out troops first.

Bessho Yoshichika led 3,500 cavalry, Kamiyoshi Yorisada led 1,500 cavalry, Miki Michiaki and the Ikko-ikki forces led 2,500 cavalry, and Goto Motonobu led 500 cavalry, totaling 8,000 troops. They neither entered Miki Castle nor pressed directly to Oshibe Castle, but instead chose to set up camp about two kilometers away, at Musashi, south of Miki Castle.

Yes, when Shichibei heard this name, he was reminded of Mori Tahei Tomonobu.

That's right, this Muli Village is the domain of the Muli family. However, the Muli family line has ended. In the Battle of Qingshan-Tuqishan, all twenty-four members of the Muli clan perished, leaving not a single male descendant.

It's obvious that Muli Youxin was brought from somewhere unknown, or perhaps he married a widow or daughter, and then revived the Muli family. Searching for a Muli Youxin who doesn't even exist in the vast ocean is quite difficult.

At this time, the lord of Mori Village was named Uehara Tango no Kami Yumitsu, who was Bessho Nagaharu's brother-in-law. Although he had rebelled with Bessho Yoshichika, he saw that Bessho Nagaharu had returned to fight, so he secretly sent someone to inform Bessho Nagaharu.

He spouted nonsense like, "If you say anything, everyone will rebel; if you don't follow, you'll be targeted." He also said that if Changzhi said just one word, he would immediately switch sides.

Especially after seeing the boundless Kawamura army, Uehara Yuuki's desire to defect became even stronger.

"Nonsense," said Nagaharu Bessho with a smile, and Shichibei also smiled. They were both old hands; they could take such talk with a grain of salt. However, it was good to have someone willing to deliver inside information, so Shichibei sent Uehara's family back.

We don't expect him to switch sides immediately; just sending someone to deliver intelligence every day will suffice. The other army has a total of eight thousand men. Spending a day or two to investigate their strengths and weaknesses, and to understand the deployment of their various units, is a good way to prepare for both situations. It won't be a waste of time.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.

Especially after learning that the Ikko-ikki had also joined, Shichibei immediately thought that perhaps he could first defeat the Ikko-ikki and cause them to collapse. Then, by driving away the scattered enemy troops, he could disrupt the entire Bessho camp.

With Bessho Yoshichika's entire army now present, the large groups of cavalry that had been scattered outside were all brought back and focused on engaging the Bessho army in battle around the Musashi area.

While we were eager for battle, Bessho Yoshichika was terrified. Where in western Japan could you find such a large-scale mounted samurai force?

You might have seen plenty of that during the Kamakura period, but these days, nobody plays one-on-one duels anymore. Or to put it more bluntly, a group of us taking on one of you isn't out of the question either.

In the western region, with its continuous mountain ranges and valleys, large-scale cavalry could not operate effectively. Naturally, aside from witnessing a large force of mounted bannermen during his battle against Miyoshi Nagayoshi, this was only the second time in his life that Bessho Yoshichika had seen such a large cavalry force.

The key difference lies in Shichibei's cavalry, which differs from Miyoshi Nagayoshi's cavalry. Miyoshi Nagayoshi's cavalry was primarily designed to enhance mobility and facilitate the protection of his lord, Nagayoshi. Their typical combat method involved mounted mobility followed by dismounted attacks upon arrival at the enemy's location.

And what about Shichibei? He immediately pulled out his longbow from his horse and started firing wildly, the bowstring twanging erratically, killing one enemy after another with a clatter.

No dismounting!

How are we supposed to fight this? I've never seen anything like it before. Actually, Bessho Yoshichika is overthinking it. He already said that the terrain in the western region simply can't support a large-scale cavalry battle; they might not even be able to launch a swift charge. A dozen or so riders chasing and killing the enemy's foot soldiers is no problem.

If a thousand armed cavalry were to charge, the frontal width would need to be two to three kilometers, requiring a plain or a wide valley. It would need to be that large.

On such a flat plain, people in the West would have fought each other to the point of brain damage long ago.

Because some of the Monomi were killed or driven away by Kawamura's army, Bessho Yoshichika still couldn't determine the exact number of Shichibei's men. The only vague description was the 20,000 cavalry sent by Awakawa Sadanori in the early days; now, it was impossible to ascertain the exact number.

A messenger was sent to contact Nagai Masashige at Oshibe Castle, but the castle was completely blocked, making it impossible to enter and establish contact. The only recourse was to release smoke signals from the mountaintop near Musashi to inform Oshibe Castle that reinforcements had arrived and to continue the defense.

"The enemy has more than 8,000 cavalry, while we have 13,000. We are in a winning position." Hachiya Yoritaka pointed to a very simple map and explained it to everyone.

Why did it become 13,000? Because more than 2,000 went to blockade the city of Yabu, and 300 remained in Danhe City, with dozens dying in battle there.

The army was divided into two groups, located on the Nyogang and Xionggang mountains respectively. Both mountains were located directly west of Oshibu Castle. Neither was a large mountain, but they were still somewhat reliable.

"Where are the generals?" Shichibei asked the scouts who had gone out to scout, since he had some ideas.

"Set up a formation on Mount Hachiman, north of Mori." Saegusa Morina pointed to the sketch, roughly between Miki Castle and Mori Village.

"Besshoyama Castle is considered a veteran," Takenaka Hanbei said, glancing at the position.

That's my assessment.

The fighting strength of the Yikui clan has always been inconsistent. They can fight well when things are going smoothly, but they can also be defeated and run away when things are going against them. However, they cannot withstand the arrival of at least two thousand people to join the battle.

To prevent the main army from being affected, they were independently stationed on Mount Hachiman. This had its advantages; ordinary soldiers wouldn't have much of an experience, only seeing thousands of friendly troops waving flags and cheering behind them. This gave them confidence and a greater sense of security, making it easier to drive them into battle.

Moreover, Miki Michiaki doesn't just have a small rebellion of commoners; he also has several hundred regular foot soldiers and retainers. These are all highly capable troops, and even if Shichibei flanks and attacks the Bessho family from behind, it will buy time for the main army.

With so many people controlling Mount Hachiman, the route from Mori Village to Miki Castle is now under the control of the Bessho family. Although there is more than one way back to the castle, having one completely under their control brings Bessho Yoshichika some peace of mind.

Katsuyori Takeda attacked Oda at Shitarahara precisely because his rear was cut off by Tadatsugu Sakai. There are still narrow paths back to Shinano, but the main roads that could accommodate tens of thousands of people are gone.

If we cannot strike bravely before the news is fully revealed...

They defeated the combined forces of Oda and Tokugawa. Once the tens of thousands of Shinano and Kai soldiers realized they had no way out, the army might mutiny or collapse on its own.

"The enemy's left flank, Ikeuchi Village, is composed of the Shinji Corps; the right flank, Tenma Village, is composed of the Miyake Corps and the Goto Corps; and the central force is the Besshoyama Castle Commander Corps," Hachiya Yoritaka continued.

Miyake is Miyake Harutada, and Goto is Goto Motonobu; together they make about a thousand men to form a team. Thus, Bessho Yoshichika's main force was reduced to three thousand men.

"So the right wing is weak?" Shichibei looked at the sketch.

"The area around Tenma Village is full of ponds and marshes, which is not conducive to our army's deployment," added Saegusa Morinao.

So that's how it is. Those with weaker combat strength went up the mountain, while those with fewer combat troops guarded the pool. Bessho Yoshichika and Kamiya Yorisada, who had both manpower and combat strength, were deployed head-on, preparing for battle.

"The area in front of Mount Kō is flat, but if both armies are involved, our forces will only number five or six thousand." No matter how loudly everyone shouted before coming, those were just slogans. But on the battlefield, we still had to deal with the facts. Hachiya Yoritaka was not reckless.

Actually, if you go further south, you'll reach the plains along the mouth of the Kakogawa River.

Later, the Kansai and Chugoku railways in Japan followed the coastal plains.

The area where Kawamura's army and Bessho's army were located was a region where mountains gradually turned into hills and valleys, which was advantageous to Bessho's army, which was outnumbered.

"Five or six thousand is five or six thousand, what's there to be afraid of?"

"Huh?" Shichibei couldn't help but turn his head. It was actually Inudousai who said this. How strange.

Don't blame Shichibei for judging people with prejudice; it's just that Koudou Sai advised Oda Nobutada to be a samurai and fight to the end, while he himself fled through a dog hole. That kind of thing is really disgusting.

"I am willing to make the first move!" Dog Dongzhai, perhaps having recently inherited the Hirate family, wanted to show off to Nobunaga, or something like that.

He was very proactive. After all, from being Nobunaga's half-brother who didn't even have two hundred retainers, being adopted into the Hirate family, the hereditary chief of the Oda clan, Inudousai's future seemed quite promising.

Given Nobunaga's relationship with Hirate, if Inudouzai were to work hard and diligently, he might actually become a chief retainer again and gain a territory of 100,000 to 200,000 riel.

The position of chief retainer isn't fixed. Someone can become a chief retainer if they reach a certain level of status and receive Nobunaga's approval. Shichibei became one, didn't he?

Nobunaga's retainers, while Ikeda Tsuneoki and Hayashi Hidesada, who were originally Nobunaga's retainers, were reassigned by Nobunaga to serve as retainers for Nobutada.

Mori Yoshinari, who died in battle, was originally a chief retainer. His son, Mori Ranmaru, was even close to Nobunaga, but at this time he was just a junior headman.

"That's fine." Shichibei was eager to see what Goudouzhai was capable of.

Everyone knows that Inudousai is Nobunaga's younger brother, and even Hachiya Yoritaka can't compete with him. He's there to earn merit and be rewarded, so naturally he goes first.

With him taking the lead, no one can compete with him.

The first move is a draw against Nagamasu, the second is Hachiya Yoritaka, and the third is Ito Hisahisa. The left flank, facing the right flank of the Bessho army, is only fielded with a small force of Akaza Naoyasu, Aochi Shigetsuna, Ogawa Yutada, and Tsuchida Chikakiyo. As for the left flank of the Bessho army, the first flank is Todo Takatora, a main force under Shichibei, the second flank is Hara Nagayori, and the third flank is Shibata Nagakatsu.

Ota Gyuichi, Mori Jiroza, and Kuwayama Kazuharu, as generals of arquebus and bow respectively, went forward to fire at the enemy formation.

Namie Sadaharu, Sanada Masaki, and Miegawa Morinao were appointed as cavalry generals, commanding over a thousand riders as a flanking force. When the yūbō-machi (a type of cavalry unit) launched a harassing attack, Sanada's red-armored cavalry charged into the fray, waiting for an opportunity to engage.

Shichibei's main force was guarded by Bessho Nagaharu, Hashiba Hidenaga, and Takenaka Shigeharu, along with the gun-wielding samurai, bow-wielding samurai, and spear-wielding samurai of Shichibei's main force.

There was no other way; aside from the small force sent to intercept Goto Motonobu and Miyake Harutada, only 6,000 men could be deployed to the battlefield. This meant a large number of samurai had to remain at Shichibei's main camp. Even those who went into battle had to leave their servants and grooms at the main camp.

Should we launch a surprise attack on the Ikko-ikki of Hachimanyama? After some discussion, everyone decided to let it go. The Ikko-ikki were just ordinary people; their heads weren't worth much.

Hey, that's just how honest we are.

A foot soldier is worth one tael of gold, but what is a commoner worth?

So no one mentioned it at the military council. Shichibei thought attacking the mountain would be very difficult, and everyone disagreed. That's all there is to it, nothing complicated.

The drums beat loudly, and the conch shells urged the army forward. Shichibei stood on a small hill, watching the army surge towards the main force of the army that was arrayed in the Muli.

Two kilometers between Muri and Chikayama, there were no fortifications in the village, so Bessho Yoshichika could not possibly defend it. Upon seeing Kawamura's army coming out, he did not hesitate to raise his troops to meet them.

To be honest, Shichibei didn't feel he had much experience commanding such a large-scale battle.

No one was in charge. But so many people were gathered under Shichibei's command, obeying his orders, and ultimately going to the battlefield.

It felt quite strange. It wasn't like playing Total War in the future; it felt more like putting the money you'd saved to buy a house into a gambling table.

The soldiers advanced in rows and columns, and soon the arquebusiers and archer foot soldiers at the front began to unleash long-range firepower.

If the enemy's morale can be weakened and their formation broken by arquebuses and bows, it will greatly help in the subsequent melee combat. If arquebuses and bows also come from other units, and both sides stop to exchange fire, it might buy time for one's own side to regroup.

At this moment, only Shichibei and Takenaka Hanbei were watching from the mountain, while Bessho Nagaharu and Hashiba Hidenaga were commanding the main force of the army to guard the central army at the foot of the mountain. Takenaka Hanbei even praised the Bessho army, saying that the Bessho army had fought very hard when they went to fight the Sayō Akamatsu clan, and that they were a strong force.

Moreover, he fought alongside Kawamura's army of six thousand men for a year, and had met many of Shichibei's generals, so they were acquaintances.

"Tate Gengo is very determined to win." Takenaka Hanbei pointed to the troops of Inudou Sai, who had already assembled and were preparing to advance with their spears.

"Hmm..." Shichibei didn't respond, but instead observed the battlefield.

"The arquebusiers have retreated."

Before the words were finished, a shout came from the foot of the hill. The more than 1,000 soldiers of the Hirate Army ran straight into the vanguard of Bessho Yoshichika, but an unbelievable scene appeared. A cavalry general emerged from the vanguard of Bessho, wielding a two-foot-seven-inch long naginata. He fought left and right as if divinely aided, and killed seven or eight foot soldiers in succession, his body covered in blood.