Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

It requires highly skilled warriors, as well as long-term cooperation and experience. It can be said that without sufficient mutual trust, it would be impossible to achieve such intermittent gatherings and repeated, exhausting battles.

"Order Awaga and Ota's second squad to attack the Shimazu left flank." Unlike Shimazu Yoshihiro's unit, which was immediately shattered, Shimazu Toshihisa's unit retreated slowly and did not completely break apart.

How could they allow him to leave? Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the Aso army disrupting the Shimazu's rear, Shichibei immediately deployed his reserves to the battlefield. They relentlessly pursued Shimazu Toshihisa, killing one at a time to weaken his forces.

The second team of Awaga Sadanori and Ota Ushiji, who were also eager to try, also beat their drums and went into battle. Seeing the Kawamura army's winning momentum, if they were not brave now, when would they be?

"Mansuke, it's your turn." Shichibei called over Okinawa Sadaharu's younger brother, Okinawa Sadakage.

Okinawa Sadahisa, being of advanced age, remained at Kishiwada Castle to defend it.

The team was handed over to the second brother, Nianjiang Dingjing, who led six hundred cavalrymen. They were not only skilled in archery and horsemanship, but also brave and fierce warriors.

"We will surely seize Weizhuang Fortress and bring it to you." Without further ado, Nianjiang Dingjing blew his whistle and sped off.

The six hundred-odd cavalrymen, originally positioned behind the main army for protection, were now being deployed by Shichibei, who no longer needed their protection. Most of the Shimazu troops inside Kuma-sho Fortress chose to engage, leaving only a hundred or so men to defend. Taking advantage of this chaos, a charge into the fortress would cut off the Shimazu's retreat, and success was assured.

Takenaka Hanbei, standing nearby, was overjoyed to see that Shichibei could command without his advisor. However, he turned his head to look at the battlefield, where Kawamura's army had already gained the upper hand.

With the collapse of the Sagara army, the disintegration of Yoshihiro Shimazu's forces, and the retreat of Toshihisa Shimazu's forces, the Shimazu army that had gone into battle was in complete disarray and could no longer form a complete defensive posture.

In the midst of chaos, nothing is certain.

I wonder which lucky one will be the one to behead Shimazu Yoshihiro. And which lucky one will be the one to behead Shimazu Toshihisa. These are the most important achievements of this battle, and either one will be rewarded with a fief of ten thousand koku.

The shattered Shimazu army was besieged like ants swarming across the mountains, while the Kawamura army...

Those were seasoned veterans, seasoned soldiers who had fought for years; how could they not know that this was the perfect opportunity to seize enemy heads and achieve glory? Shouts and cries rang out from the crowd, and everywhere one could hear the loud cries of enemy generals being slain.

The Shimazu units fought and retreated, constantly being worn down by the Kawamura army.

571. After many years, the road ahead was cleared for the execution of the deceased.

"My lord, please remain calm!"

Among the Shimazu troops that had broken into several units, one unit launched a resolute and fierce attack on the direction of Shichibei's central army. Could this be the "sacrifice-the-traitor" tactic known as the Satsuma Shimazu?

The guards who had been standing around Shichibei hurriedly helped him down from his horse. They used their bodies as a wall to protect Shichibei's life and the banner of Kawamura's army.

With a "crack," the cannon exploded, and a servant was shot in the thigh, collapsing to the ground. Immediately, someone dragged him away and placed him in front of Shichibei.

Shichibei only felt a tightness in his throat, but there was no trembling. He had seen many grand scenes, but this was the first time he had seen such a small one. The Shimazu army was divided into groups of seven: three charged forward to kill, three sniped with arquebuses, and one followed behind with a flag. Like a swarm of bees, they tried to penetrate Kawamura's central army.

Another arquebus blast rang out, whizzing past Shichibei's ears. The commander of the main camp, Takenaka Hanbei, ordered his younger brother, Takenaka Shigenori, to fight, while also summoning arquebusiers to specifically target the Shimazu samurai with their banners.

At a range of thirty meters, the accuracy of a musket is quite good; even Qi Jiguang from next door praised the wonders of the musket. It's said to be both deadly and long-range, but loading it is rather troublesome.

You can snipe? Of course I can!

Moreover, among the gunners in the Shichibei Formation, there is one named Suzuki Shigehide.

Originally, Suzuki Shigehide was a priest at Fujishiro Shrine, serving in the military for the Hatakeyama family. Unexpectedly, our seventh son, this adopted son of Nobuo's, managed to curry favor with him and was transferred to Nagato Province. The 63,000 koku of Kii Province was left to Shichibei, and since Suzuki Shigehide was a priest, he naturally remained in his home province without being transferred.

Besides, there weren't any anime, military memorabilia, or novels promoting Suzuki Shigehide's name at the time. So what if he lost it? Nobody cared.

When the Kishu soldiers were conscripted for battle, Suzuki Shigehide joined the ranks of Kawamura's army, serving as a gunner under Shichibei's direct command. He originally did not have a gun, but Shichibei saw him when he was climbing the castle at Kishigishi, and thus he became a gunner.

He had a deep-seated hatred for Nobunaga, who had killed his entire family, but not for Shichibei.

The sound of cannon fire rang in his ears like celestial music. He raised his Kishu cannon and thrust it at the oncoming Satsuma samurai, striking him squarely in the chest. Blood splattered, and he was instantly dead, before the Satsuma samurai could even utter a cry.

"What's there to be afraid of? Back then, even when the Takeda cavalry numbered 36,000, I wasn't afraid." Shichibei pushed aside the attendants blocking his way, returned to his horse, and ordered the drummer to beat the drum to prepare for battle.

As for your question about where the 36,000 cavalry came from, that's the charm of history books. Anyway, most of the people involved are already dead, and if we wait a few more years, they'll all be dead anyway, so the final interpretation will inevitably rest with Shichibei.

No, we should get Ota Gyuichi to revise Nobunaga's Chronicle when we have the chance.

Forget it, he himself might not be willing to revise it, and anyway, this thing won't be published anytime soon. Let him submit it for review first, then organize an expert group to evaluate it, an expert group to refine it, and finally, organize the writing team to polish and revise the entire piece. Unnecessary content should be deleted.

Even though I, Lord Nobunaga, the Great Minister of State, am a divine and mighty warrior who swept away all the other countries and conquered Japan, I still have to speak out of respect for you.

Looking back, the Takenaka army and the Makai troops guarding the main camp all came out to fight.

If you, Satsuma Hayato, swarm in like bees, then I, Kawamura, will be swept away by waves of money. As long as money flows like water, there will be a massive army like a tidal wave.

Kawakami Tadakatsu had assumed that with Kawamura's army going all out, their main camp would be poorly defended. He never expected that Shichibei would be surrounded by a large force of at least one or two thousand cavalry, making a breakthrough impossible.

On the contrary, his charge drew all the attention of Kawamura's central army. This had its advantages; at least it kept the thousand or so men around Shichibei from paying attention to other places, allowing them to focus solely on killing Kawakami Tadashi.

Shouts of killing rose from all sides. Takenaka Shigenori had previously joined Ando Morinari, but fortunately he did not participate in Ando Morinari's rebellion. He came to join Takenaka Shigeharu two years ago, and was just waiting for merit.

The two armies charged forward without hesitation, neither giving an inch.

Seeing that Kawakami Tadakatsu was unable to break through the front flank of the main camp, Shichibei felt even more at ease, merely gazing at the distant Kuma Sho Fortress. Shichibei had been holding back his attack on Namie Sadakage's six hundred elite cavalry, intending to use them as a trump card to decide the outcome of the battle if necessary.

The generals on the battlefield were fighting against the Shimazu Yoshihiro's forces, which had been shattered into pieces, while Hachiya Yoritaka, Awakawa Sadanori, Ota Ushiji, and others were keeping an eye on the Shimazu Toshihisa who was slowly retreating.

There are just too many "Shimazu Yoshihiro"s. Hachiya Yoritaka captured a squad, but when he beheaded them, they were all at least thirty years old. How could they possibly be Shimazu Yoshihiro? Instead of continuing to capture them, it's better to attack the men that must be Shimazu Toshihisa. Shimazu Toshihisa is worth 10,000 koku, and Nobunaga will reimburse him.

Not only were they targeting Shimazu Toshihisa, but even Todo Takatora, who was guiding the Aso army to attack Shimazu's rear, had his eye on him. After hearing the cries of "Shimazu Yoshihiro is here!" echoing throughout the world, Todo Takatora knew he had no time to gamble on luck.

So he immediately turned around, grabbed Aso Yusho, and said one sentence: "Since you're here today, you have to offer your pledge of allegiance." There was no better pledge of allegiance than the Shimazu brothers, Yoshihiro and Toshihisa. Yoshihiro was hard to find, but Toshihisa was right in front of him.

After being reminded by Todo Takatora, Aso immediately assigned him three hundred men, led by his clansman Osato Koichika, to help him take the head of Shimazu Toshihisa.

Just then, Nagawa Sadakage and over six hundred cavalry arrived at Kuma-zō Fortress, a 25-meter-high earthen platform, neither particularly high nor low. Nagawa Sadakage and his men, armed with large bows, galloped around the fortress, unleashing a hail of arrows. Dozens who had scaled the walls were killed, and the remaining garrison inside the city, numbering less than a hundred, was wiped out after just three arrows.

Before the remaining half could react, dismounted samurai scaled the wall to seize it. That two-meter-high wooden fence was only on a raised platform; if it were flat ground, Kawamura's troops could have easily leaped up on horseback.

In no time, the banner of Kawamura Shuji was raised on Kuma Village Fortress. The soldiers guarding the city were mostly old and weak who had been left behind, and they were quickly wiped out by Nianjiang Dingjing.

The change of hands at Kuma-sho Fortress not only greatly affected Shimazu Yoshihiro, who was launching attacks from all sides, but also Shimazu Toshihisa, who was slowly retreating. This was tantamount to the main camp being breached. Although Kuma-sho Fortress was only a starting base, the Shimazu army was now in Aso territory, surrounded by enemies on all sides. Without a foothold, they became rootless duckweed.

The flag, raised high, was visible to everyone, including Shimazu Toshihisa's troops. The forces, which had initially been advancing steadily and retreating slowly, inevitably began to waver.

Especially now, the wavering is a wavering of the entire army. This is completely different from when Shimazu Yoshihiro had previously taken the initiative to split his troops and launch an attack from all sides. At that time, Shimazu Yoshihiro could still order each unit to bravely charge forward, turn left and right, and engage in close combat with Kawamura's army, disrupting Kawamura's ranks as much as possible.

Even if he wanted to use some ingenious move now that he's so old,

It's going to be difficult. And those he's facing are all seasoned veterans. Awagawa Sadanori was the first to fight desperately, braving the Shimazu army's arquebuses to send his troops in. Hachiya Yoritaka almost immediately followed suit, also confirming that Toshihisa's forces had been mobilized.

Surrounded and swarmed, Shimazu Toshihisa's forces were scattered. Seizing the opportunity, Todo Takatora, along with Osato Koichika, launched a pincer attack from the west. The desperately resisting Shimazu Toshihisa's forces collapsed completely, and the retreat of his flanks was almost unstoppable.

It wasn't that the Shimazu army lacked the endurance for a hard-fought battle; rather, the situation had completely collapsed. Enemy cavalry roamed freely, and everyone trembled with fear. Having lost their composure and their foundation, how could they not descend into chaos?

The shouts of battle were deafening. Shinnosuke Uemori, who was guarding Shimazu Toshihisa, immediately advised them to flee towards the sea. There must be boats at Shimabara Bay; if they could return to Satsuma, they could rise again.

Honda Shirozaemon offered the same suggestion: Toshihisa's forces could also be broken into eight squads and flee to Yatsushiro District in Higo Province. The lord of Yatsushiro Castle was Shimazu Yoshihiro, so there wouldn't be much chaos for the time being. Moreover, by splitting up, they would be smaller targets, increasing their chances of escape.

As the most intelligent and courageous general among the four Shimazu brothers, Shimazu Toshihisa knew that his retainer's words were true. After a moment's thought, he ordered his troops to break up and escape. The generals were ordered to run towards Yatsushiro Castle, while he himself ran towards the sea.

The army was instantly shattered, with men and horses fleeing in all directions. Shimazu Toshihisa, however, clung tightly to his horse's neck and galloped westward toward Shimabara Bay. His retainers, including Kiwaki Yusada, Kamata Masakane, Toya Yoshitoki, and Uetoko Shinnosuke, also led their troops southward. Honda Shirozaemon protected Shimazu Toshihisa on his wings.

With the collapse of Shimazu Toshihisa's forces, all large-scale enemy forces on the battlefield were routed. From east to west, the cheers almost shook the rooftops of Mifune Castle.

Victory, peace, and protection; [unintelligible characters] ...

As for Kawakami Tadakatsu, who came to launch a fierce attack on Kawamura's main camp, he was also defeated by Takenaka Shigenori and died at the hands of Iida Gaku. The troops of Higo Province suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Kawamura's army, with thousands dead and corpses covering the fields. Even the fleeing soldiers were terrified and could no longer muster the courage to fight against Kawamura's army.

"Shimazu Matarokuro has already obtained it for me, Todo Toraemon!"

A tall figure leaped over the enemy ranks at the main camp, carrying the head of Shimazu Toshihisa, and rushed to Shichibei. It was none other than Todo Takatora.

"Toroh!" Shichibei waved to Todo Takatora, who was running towards him.

A giant over two meters tall wearing a helmet, he was the only one among tens of thousands in a large-scale battle; there was no possibility of him being an imposter. Hearing his shout, Shichibei turned his head to look at Kai Muneun, who had been sitting motionless. Kai Muneun understood immediately and stood up to examine the severed head.

As expected of Shimazu Toshihisa!

Unexpected wealth fell upon Todo Takatora, who failed to catch up with Akechi Mitsuhide when he went to pursue him the other day. Later figures like Akechi Mitsuyoshi, Azai Nagamasa, and Azai Terumasa had little to do with him, and even figures like Takeda Motoaki, Kyogoku Takatsugu, and Ando Morinari were largely irrelevant to him.

Without merit, promotion is unlikely; with merit, one can rise like Watanabe Kanbei, from 2,000 kan to 50,000 koku. Now, everything is fine, promotions and rewards are due.

"You have done a great service, Toraga!" Shichibei looked at Todo Takatora, who was kneeling on one knee and presenting the severed head to him, and his joy was evident.

How did you cut it? It's not complicated, I just bumped into it on the road.

Commanding 300 men under Osato Yuichika, Todo Takatora charged straight at them.

Shimazu Toshihisa's troops, upon their initial encirclement, were met with a chaotic rout as they scattered and fled. Amidst the chaos, Todo Takatora astutely observed that one group of enemy soldiers was not heading towards Shichibei or the southern Yatsushiro district, but rather towards Shimabara Bay.

A sudden, divine inspiration led him to decide to capture the group; the rest is history. Even though Shimazu Toshihisa was a wise and brave samurai, when faced with a young, tall, and fierce samurai like Todo Takatora, death was inevitable.

When the headband bearing the name tag of Shimazu Toshihisa, along with the armor and sword that proved his identity, were presented, Kai Muneun carefully reviewed them once again, and his success was confirmed without a doubt.

"My lord, Shimazu Yorokuro has been beheaded, and Shimazu Yoshiro has been defeated. In the south of Fei and the north of Satsuma, there are no soldiers or generals left." After finishing his killing, Todo Takatora was excited and his mind was racing. His thoughts were all clear.

“That’s right! Exactly.” Takenaka Hanbei was a magistrate, so he was naturally standing next to Shichibei.

"The only one to worry about is Shimazu Yoshitora (Shimazu Yoshitora) of Izumi Castle in Satsuma Prefecture." Kai Muneun was incredibly excited when he heard that he was going to beat up the Shimazu, and immediately joined in.

"How so?" Shichibei's heart stirred; Kai Muneun must have something to say about this.

“The Shimazu clan of Satsuma Province is a prestigious family that rivals the Shimazu clan of Soju Province.” Kai Muneun pointed out the problem in one sentence.

The main branch of the Shimazu clan had long been divided, and the details of its internal strife were too numerous to recount. In any case, it was known that the Shimazu Satsushu family, to which Shimazu Yoshitora belonged, and the Shimazu Sōshū family, to which the four Shimazu brothers belonged, were both de facto collateral branches.

However, the three wise rulers of Shimazu—Tadayoshi, Takahisa, and Yoshihisa—forcefully subdued all the branch families of Shimazu and successfully inherited the position of Satsuma governor.

The leader who was vying for power with Shimazu Tadayoshi and his son Takahisa at that time was Shimazu Yoshitora's father, Shimazu Sanehisa. Within the framework of the Muromachi Shogunate, Satsuma actually had a somewhat dualistic political structure.

While the governor of Satsuma was Shimazu Yoshihisa, Shimazu Yoshitora was a powerful figure granted the title of "Yoshi" by Ashikaga Yoshiteru and possessed various privileges as a governor. His territory stretched from Satsuma to the Higo-Amakusa region, holding 31905 koku, making him the highest-ranking official in the Shimazu family.

If Shichibei could find a way to support Shimazu Yoshitora's uprising to seize the Satsuma governorship, there's a high probability he could persuade him. If Yoshitora were willing to become Oda's collaborator, the Oda clan could easily penetrate Satsuma, and while the people of Satsuma might not exactly offer them food and drink, they certainly wouldn't openly rebel.

Of course, the premise is that we have to convince Shimazu Yoshitora, and the price must be at least the Satsuma Guardian position. Can Shichibei offer this price?

572. Deep Water Crying Appeals for Preservation

This……

The fate of Satsuma Province must be decided by Oda Nobunaga. At the very least, it must be approved by Oda Nobukatsu. Nobukatsu is a supreme commander with the power to make decisions on the spot, and even Hideyoshi Hashiba, the chief retainer of the Oda clan, is nominally under his command.

Oda Nobukatsu had the de facto decision-making power regarding the allegiance of the various provinces of Kyushu. If he agreed, and then submitted his proposal to Oda Nobunaga, it was highly unlikely that Nobunaga would reject his request.

The problem is that we are currently at Mifune Castle in Aso territory, while Oda Nobukatsu is at Usuki Castle in Bungo, and this was just over ten days ago. It's possible he has already moved forward; if Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hashiba Hideyoshi have captured the major prefectures in northern Hyuga, he could then advance into Hyuga province.

Just this round trip will take at least four to five days. In that time, Shichibei could have already reached the inner castle (the inner castle).

Another issue is that Shimazu Yoshitora was a general of the Shimazu clan, possessing the mobilization capacity of over a thousand men. Given the current conflict, he was most likely not at Izumi Castle, but rather commanding troops in Hyuga.

This leads to another problem. If he leads a large...

With some troops stationed in Hyuga, we launched a fierce attack on Izumi Castle and captured it. Excellent, the only downside is that we entered Satsuma without any guides.

Satsuma is a close-knit community with a tough, independent spirit. Without a local strongman like Yoshitora Shimazu to guide you, you'd likely find it impossible to make any progress.

It would be a shame not to capitalize on our victory and advance to Satsuma. But if we do try to do so, it seems incredibly difficult.