Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Seeing that the Yoshikawa army was struggling and retreating, they needed to regroup to regain their fighting strength. In short, they were scattered by the Shimazu army, handing the battlefield over to the successor, Sakuma Nobuege.

After defeating the Yoshikawa team, the Shimazu army still had some strength left, with the Sanada and Goto-hara teams being particularly formidable new forces. They swarmed across the river, heading straight for Sakuma Nobue.

The people of Kanto were truly astonished. What benefit did the Shimazu family have in the Oda family? Why bother? Even if you became Nobukatsu's son-in-law, you could never enter the central government. Why work so hard?

Before the Kanto troops could even utter a sound, the Sanada brothers, Nobuyuki and Nobushige, had already led their men, fearless of death, straight towards the Sakuma army.

Have you ever seen three thousand men surround three thousand or even five thousand men? The Sanada army is trying to use rapid infiltration to divide and surround the Sakuma army, asking friendly forces to hold off the unsurrounded Sakuma troops while they devour the enemy troops already surrounded.

Chapter 655 Shengjiu's First Victory at Jinshan

Urge Takeda Nobuka to come up!

Takeda Nobufusa's opening of the gateway to the east and the sea route—Sunpu and Kakegawa—allowed the Eastern Army to advance rapidly, reaching the gates of Hamamatsu Castle in just four days. They were already people who couldn't possibly abandon ship; now that the great war had begun, who else would be urged to fight if not such people?

Following closely behind were the Sanada army led by Shimazu Tadatsumi, among whom Sanada Masaki was the most renowned. Since the Battle of Ueda Castle did not occur in this plane, there was no epic victory as described in the story of the 3000 Sanada soldiers decisively defeating the 20,000 Tokugawa soldiers, killing 1000-3,000, and nearly wiping out the Ōkubo clan.

The father and sons Sanada Masayuki, Nobuyuki, and Nobushige were not particularly famous. However, Sanada Masaaki was praised as "Japan's number one soldier of the Sanada clan" for his fierce charge and great defeat of Akechi Mitsuhide's army in the Battle of Akutagawa-yama-Takatsuki.

The generals in Sakuma's army also shouted that the general who swung his greatsword on horseback, cutting through the grass as if it were cutting grass, was "Oni Sanada".

Little did they know that Sanada Masaki had two smaller Gundams behind him, while Sanada Masayuki was at the rear of the formation directing the troops to divide and surround Sakuma's army, in an attempt to destroy one of Sakuma's flanks.

Three thousand men, three thousand men fought with the momentum of thirty thousand men.

After a brief rest, Goto Mototsugu and Hara Nagayori led 3,000 men across the Kiso River to assist the Sanada army in defeating the enemy. It was once again a battle of 6,000 against 10,000, with the advantage of 6,000 men again.

Anyone else would have rushed to drive Takeda Nobufusa forward to stop the Western Army, which was on the verge of breaking through.

"We've already crossed the river!" Shichibei was overjoyed upon hearing the report.

After capturing the pontoon bridge, the main force of the Western Army in the Inuyama direction can be pushed all the way to the south bank of the river and look for an opportunity to advance towards the main camp of the Komaki East Army.

"Ukita Bizen no Kami is advancing his troops," the messenger reported, bringing good news.

Ukita Nagaie, along with his Bizen and Mimasaka troops, also crossed the pontoon bridge. This served both as a follow-up to the initial offensive and as a means for the Western Army to firmly establish its positions on the south bank of the river. As long as the positions were secure, the Western Army could continuously send reinforcements into battle.

"Order Shiga Taro to advance when the opportunity arises," Shichibei decisively issued the order.

The five thousand Bungo cavalry have been away from their main camp for some time now and should still be on the north bank of the Kiso River. Once the battlefield gradually shifts from the riverbank to the south bank, they can move out.

"Lieutenant General Kagawa controls the north bank of Ecuador in the third wave."

"Send someone to Kamono again, and report back immediately."

Orders were issued rapidly, and although it was somewhat chaotic, Shichibei had at least managed to find a way to sort things out and seize an opportunity to win.

The battle of Kamo had already begun. Amago Katsuhisa and Watanabe Kanbei were confronting the Shinshu forces. The Eastern Army, consisting of over ten thousand cavalry led by Mori Tadamasa, Kiso Yoshimasa, Sanada Nobuoki, and Mori Hideyori, was the vanguard. They were followed by six or seven thousand cavalry led by Takigawa Masushige. The Eastern Army had the advantage.

Mōri Hideyori was quite capable. As a general who rose through the ranks of Oda Nobunaga's army, he managed to secure a fief of 100,000 koku in Iida, Shinano Province. In Nobunaga's era, those who could reach the 100,000 koku level were generally second only to those lords and army commanders.

Unfortunately, Shichibei was deployed to fight alongside Amago Katsuhisa. Watanabe alone was no match for them, and once Amago Katsuhisa arrived, the rebuilt Amago Ten Banners were immediately thrown into battle.

The so-called Amago Ten Banners were like the Minowa clan of Nishi-Ueno. With Toyama Castle as the core, ten branch castles were set up in Izumo and Saihachi to protect the main castle, and each branch castle was staffed with a general.

This ten generals organized troops to strengthen defenses and support the Amago clan in the city. Most of these generals were hereditary high-ranking officials and members of the Amago clan, who formed a strong military and political group through intermarriage, adoption, and other means.

The original Amago Ten Banners, such as the Misawa and Mitsuya clans, had already surrendered to the Mori. The newly reorganized Amago Ten Banners consisted of elite soldiers who had followed Amago Katsuhisa and fought for more than ten years to revive the Amago clan.

Its core group of three to four thousand men were all veterans who had followed Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi from Kyoto all the way to Yoshida-Koriyama Castle.

They fought to the death, battling all day long, never giving up until they were destroyed.

Both teams were known for their aggressive and daring fighting style, and the moment they clashed, the battle escalated to a fever pitch. Elite troops repeatedly charged forward, annihilating entire groups of enemies.

The bloody scene terrified the junior members Mori Tadamasa and Sanada Nobuoki, who each had only two or three thousand cavalrymen. At this moment, they could only serve as flanks for Mori Hideyori and provide support from the sidelines.

Kiso Yoshimasa's troops, however, possessed considerable fighting strength; his family had been one of the four great generals of Shinano Province in their day. Kiso Yoshiyasu, Kiso Yoshiaki, and Kiso Yoshimasa—three generations of generals fought across eastern Japan, witnessing many major battles. They quickly joined the fight against the Amago Ten Banners.

Before the war, Oda Nobushige promised a reward of 100,000 koku of rice for the two districts of Azumi and Chikuma, which was well worth Kiso Yoshimasa's efforts. After all, his father and grandfather had struggled their whole lives but failed to unify the entire Chikuma district. By serving as Oda Nobunaga's guide, he had received 50,000 koku of rice for the entire Chikuma district, and now it was time to strive for both districts.

Unfortunately, Mōri Hideyori only had 4,000 cavalry, Kiso Yoshimasa only had 2,000 cavalry, while the Amago Army had a formidable 12,000 cavalry.

One should press on with one's might, but one's strength will wane after a second attempt, and decline after a third.

At the first drumbeat, Mōri Hideyori and Kiso Yoshimasa were still able to fight to a standstill against Amago Katsuhisa and Watanabe Kanbei. By the second drumbeat, the old forces had been exhausted and new forces had not yet emerged, while the Amago army's reserve troops had already charged forward.

With sheer courage and determination, the Shinano soldiers managed to hold on. By the third drumbeat, the Amago army, having gained the upper hand, pressed their advantage and launched a fierce, shouting battle.

The more than 10,000 cavalrymen of Shinano collapsed in disarray and fled towards Kanesan Castle. Takikawa Masushige, who was stationed at the rear, only then realized how formidable and valiant the Western Army's Kamono detachment was, but he had no choice but to beat the drums and gongs to encourage them to fight.

As the "core" of the troops under Takigawa Kazumasu, the former Kanto Kanrei, Takigawa Masushige's 7,000 men were no less capable than the Amago army. Tokugawa Ieyasu also followed a strategy of combining strong and weak forces and focusing on strengthening key areas. However, Takigawa Masushige's mission was to wait for the Shinano troops to break through the western army's flank, and then coordinate with the northern Shinano troops to launch a strong attack on the western army's center.

Unexpectedly, the defenders on the western flank of Kamono were not defeated. Instead, the defenders launched a fierce attack and were poised to seize Kanesan Castle.

If Jinshan City is lost, regardless of whether the strategy of surrounding the city on three sides and leaving one side undefended succeeds or not, the Eastern Army will lose the advantage that it has worked so hard to gain.

There was no other way but to fight.

Seeing Takigawa Masushige's banner surging forward, Watanabe Kanbei simply exclaimed, "Good!" This guy was the kind of kid who was kicking people's heads around when he was twelve; once he started fighting, he didn't care about his life and just kept hacking and slashing.

During this brief lull, the father and son, Kananishi Motomichi and Kamei Tsukihiro, from the Amago Ten Banners, also led their troops past Yamanaka Shikanosuke and Mayuki Sanaenosuke, who had just fought a battle, to engage the Takikawa army.

With each advance and retreat, the Takikawa army gradually began to falter. While the main force around Takikawa Masushige was still fighting fiercely, the "volunteer soldiers" that his nephew, Takikawa Ichisuke, had temporarily recruited from the Umayashi Domain, began to waver to some extent.

Although they joined Takigawa Kazumasu under the guise of defecting from their domains to join the Eastern Army, they were in fact still members of the Masahashi Domain. If Takigawa Kazumasu were still alive at this time, he would most likely have supported Oda Nobushige and rallied his brothers to fight alongside him.

However, Takigawa Kazumasu had already passed away, and at the time of his death, Takigawa Ichigo was only thirteen years old. It would be difficult for a thirteen-year-old lord with no achievements to form a comprehensive "feudal sentiment" among his subjects.

As a result, the samurai of the Masahashi Domain each had their own agendas. The Eastern Army's attack came suddenly, and the samurai were split in two, with half being handed over to Takigawa Masushige. Then, in a daze, they followed him to the Kiso River battlefield, many of whom were not truly committed to supporting Oda Nobushige.

In ordinary battles, under the leadership of Takigawa Masushige, they could fight the enemy to a standstill. Just like the "exciting" battles between Hatakeyama Nobutaka's Nagato followers and Endo Yoshitaka and Sato Hidekata of Kitano, this was the veterans' comfort zone.

But this is a tough battle, a life-or-death struggle. With Takigawa Kazumasu present, perhaps he can motivate them to fight to the death, never retreating an inch. Without Takigawa Masushige, whose authority is questionable, leading them would prevent them from unleashing the full fighting power of the Masahashi Domain soldiers.

Both sides were seasoned veterans, and the Takikawa army's formation gradually wavered and became unstable, which was obvious to everyone.

The Shinano forces had long since collapsed, leaving Takigawa Masushige's reserve force completely isolated. Therefore, Takigawa Masushige dispatched his personal guards, the "Makai," to the most intense battlegrounds to launch close-quarters assaults and desperately salvage the crumbling front.

Meanwhile, he sent people to inform the Shinano troops that they must reorganize their forces no matter what, and that they do not need to fight in the central army, but only need to maintain the front line on the two flanks.

Mōri Hideyori was the first to respond, given his high level of skill among the Shinano forces. Furthermore, as a senior retainer of Owari, he would inevitably become a chief retainer and wield power once Oda Nobushige succeeded. Therefore, he devoted himself to reorganizing the forces scattered by Yamanaka Shikanosuke and others, attempting a comeback.

Just as he was shouting from his horse, he heard the Kiso clan's men wailing. Dozens of men surrounded Kiso Yoshimasa, preparing to flee the battlefield. They saw that Kiso Yoshimasa had been hit by a musket and was now barely breathing; they didn't know if he could survive.

Kiso's crying startled the other Shinano soldiers nearby. Fortunately, Kaneyama Castle was Mori Tadamasa's territory, so he had nowhere to run. He made way and sent Kiso Yoshimasa into the castle for emergency treatment. Whether he could survive was unknown, but they could only try to save him for now.

How can they possibly reorganize and reorganize now? Logically speaking, the battlefield is extremely noisy, but this crying was particularly piercing, penetrating the ears of every Shinano resident.

It could also be very likely to instill fear. Crying? Who died? Looking around, I don't see Kiso Yoshimasa, so it must be Lord Kiso, the lord of the Kiso-Fukushima Domain, who died in battle.

Fear is contagious, and so are rumors. If one person shouts it out, it won't be long before hundreds or thousands of people misunderstand it.

That's why commanders always wore prominent horse badges and distinctive headbands. It was so that soldiers could see them on the battlefield, thus boosting morale.

In reality, many of those exaggerated helmets have detachable front panels, so you can just wear a pocket for everyday use. Only in actual combat would you install those fancy front panels.

The Shinano troops, having lost their morale, were utterly demoralized. Even though Hideyori shouted from his horse, he was unable to regroup the army.

Mori Tadamasa rode over and suggested that they open the city gates and let the army in. Once inside the city, they could still defend it, but their forces had already been exhausted along the way.

With no other options, Mōri Hideyori could only ride into Kinzan Castle, effectively eliminating Takikawa Masushige's forces. Meanwhile, the Amago Ten Banners had been replaced by Akikami Hisaie, who continued their fierce attack on Takikawa Masushige.

Alas, it is not that our army did not try hard enough, but the enemy was too brave.

The Takigawa Masashi Domain troops on both flanks collapsed in disarray, and Takigawa Masashige could only organize his Ashikaga Domain troops to fight and retreat in defeat.

The Kamono-Kaneyama side was the first to determine the winner!

After blocking the Shinano troops and Takikawa army inside Kanesan Castle, Amago Katsuhisa and Watanabe Kanbei faced a new choice.

The pontoon bridge built by Mori Tadamasa still spans the Kiso River. The enemy forces have lost their nerve and are unable to organize their troops for an effective attack in the short term. At this critical moment, should they besiege Jinshan Castle and attempt to persuade them to surrender? Or should they abandon the enemy forces within Jinshan Castle, cross the Kiso River directly, and counterattack the Eastern Army's flank?

Coincidentally, both Amago Katsuhisa and Watanabe Kanbei were the kind of military commanders who dared to take risks and use bold tactics. This had already been demonstrated in the pre-battle military council.

After only a brief hesitation, the two decided to abandon Jinshan City and cross the river directly to attack Xiaomushan, where the main force of the Eastern Army might be located.

If you can attack my flank, then I can attack your flank too.

Without a word, tens of thousands of cavalry from the Western Army swiftly crossed the river. Takikawa Masashige and others on the city walls, seeing this, cried out in alarm. But what good was it? Their soldiers were terrified; they could barely muster the strength to follow the Western Army.

They could only immediately send an envoy to the central army at Komakiyama to report. The key point was that they didn't know where Tokugawa Ieyasu was, since they had set off a day earlier and arrived at Kanesaka Castle.

The battle around the Kiso River has gradually slipped out of the supreme commander's control. Many smaller battlefields have begun to rely on the individual qualities of their commanders to fight.

On the side of Kagosho, the central army of the Western Army could also faintly hear the sounds of battle as Todo Takatora and Akizuki Tanemi were blocking the southward invasion of the Kitano army.

How could the Kitano army possibly fare well against a formidable force like Todo Takatora? The Kawamura family could clearly mobilize 25,000 troops, but in reality, they only sent 15,000, all of whom were elite soldiers. Blocking a Kitano army that had come from afar would be a piece of cake.

"General Sunpu, what a remarkable General Sunpu." Shichibei sighed deeply upon hearing the report that Takeda Nobufusa was fighting desperately against the Western Army's attack.

The tide of battle seemed to be turning in favor of the Western Army, but the Eastern Army, facing them, continued to fight tenaciously against the Western Army.

Chapter 656 Ieyasu's Battle Map: Encirclement

"Cross the river, cross the river."

Shiga Chikaji urged the soldiers to head south, while Takahashi Shōun and Tachibana Muneshige encouraged them from behind.

At this time, the vanguard of the Western Army, led by Ukita Nagaie, was engaged in battle with Takeda Nobufusa. Although Takeda Nobufusa bore this name, he had not inherited any of the Takeda family's essence. The main remnants of the Takeda family were taken in by Kawamura Nagayoshi, with another portion in the hands of Yamagata Masamitsu.

As for Takeda Nobufusa, his three retainers were Inuyama Tessai, Okabe Motonobu, and Asahina Nobuoki. Among them, Okabe Motonobu and Asahina Nobuoki were powerful local lords in Suruga. They were only subdued by Oda after Nobunaga invaded and were then assigned to Takeda Nobufusa as his retainers.

Inuyama Tessai was Oda Nobukiyo, who had been driven out by Nobunaga. He first served Takeda Shingen, and later Takeda Nobufusa. Despite bearing the daimyo of the Takeda army, the Suruga troops performed rather poorly.

Although Takeda Nobufusa had done his utmost, Ukita Nagaie had also come with all his might, aiming to win a decisive victory and gain further influence within the Oda regime.

As feudal lords who originated from Oda Nobunaga's page and retainer, the Ukita Nagae family is generally recognized as a hereditary successor of the Oda clan, not as an outsider. Shimazu, who surrendered later, although they married women from the Oda clan, are generally considered outsider daimyo; there is still a difference between the two.

Since there are even higher-ranking generations within the Owari family lineage, it's generally impossible to select a member from the Ukita Naga family through normal means. To advance further, one has to risk everything on the battlefield.

The two armies clashed fiercely, and the battle line had already advanced to the south bank of the Kiso River. This gave the Bungo forces room to maneuver, allowing them to quickly move to the south bank and infiltrate towards Komaki Mountain.

Outside the Bungo forces, Kagawa Nobusumi's Bunzen forces provided cover. Once the Ukita Nagaie defeated or was defeated by Takeda Nobufusa, Kagawa Nobusumi could advance and join the battle.

As for Shimazu Sanada and his men, after crushing Yoshikawa Motonaga's army and effectively dispersing Sakuma Nobuege's forces, they had now halted on the south bank of the Kiso River to rest. Having won two battles in quick succession, they could be said to have exceeded expectations in fulfilling the mission assigned to them by Shichibei to breach the Eastern Army's defenses.

Based on this, Shichibei explicitly demanded that the Bungo troops launch an attack as soon as possible and head straight for Komakiyama.

"General, Todo Akizuki has defeated the Anekōji and his men!" Shichibei was still observing the battlefield from the Himi-yagura when a messenger below the yagura loudly reported.

"Alright!" Shichibei simply replied.

Akizuki Tanemi and Toudou Takatora, having waited patiently and prepared in advance, saw Anekōji Yoritsuna and Toyama Tomotada charging towards them. Without a word, they attacked without hesitation.

Originally, Akizuki Tanemi only intended to make a brief appearance, as a way of repaying Nobunaga Nobukatsu's promise of 120,000 koku of rice for his Akizuki clan. He initially thought that a token gesture would suffice. The Akizuki clan was based in northern Kyushu, a notorious and long-standing problem, which had at one point been so severed that they had lost all their land.

To be able to revive and reorganize again and again, and even rise to the position of a lord of 120,000 shi (a unit of land measurement), requires considerable skill.