Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Upon first meeting them, Qiuyue Zhongshi immediately realized that Bei Nongzhong's level was average, his abilities were limited, and he was not a particularly sharp and strong elite force.

That's for sure. Throughout the entire Sengoku period of Japan, there was no such claim about the army's endurance and bravery. They were simply an average Sengoku army. The Anagoji clan's unification of Hida was only possible because of a major earthquake that sent the entire Uchijima clan to their deaths.

What did I think it was? It turns out it's just a noob-stomping game.

So the old psoriasis of Kitakyushu, the Akizuki Army, charged forward. Todo Takatora aimed at Toyama Tomotada's former Nobutada Makai followers, while Akizuki Tane actually set his sights on the father and son, Anagoji Yoritsuna and Hidetsuna.

Needless to say, Tōdō Takatora, besides the few hundred men he personally led with his 30,000 koku of rice, also had the standing foot soldiers and hatamoto samurai reinforced by Shichibei. He was a burly man standing at 1.92 meters tall, and when he led his men, he charged forward without any fear of two thousand or four thousand.

Once you're on the battlefield, it's all about fighting; just charge in!

Todo Takatora usually seems quite calm and wise, but on the battlefield he's truly fearless. By the way, he's still unmarried, though he has a few concubines. He's incredibly ambitious; his life's goal is probably either a general's daughter or a prime minister's daughter.

An adopted daughter probably won't do; it has to be a biological daughter. In fact, given his status, Shichibei had long been thinking of marrying a daughter to him. The young admiral had even asked him what kind of woman he wanted to marry, and he said he absolutely had to marry the daughter of the most prestigious family.

He had a similar idea to Hideyoshi after he became powerful in history: a real man should not worry about not having a wife; if he was going to marry, he should marry a princess.

If this battle goes well, then the thirty-year-old Todo Takatora might actually marry the first daughter born to Nobuo and Komatsuhime.

A thirty-year-old looking at a four-year-old, tsk tsk tsk...

The scene on the battlefield was quite spectacular. Not long after the battle began, Todo Takatora and Akizuki Tanemi were relentlessly attacking the Kitano army. They routed them almost without any suspense, demonstrating that the Kitano and Nagato armies were merely the minimum standard of Japanese Sengoku-era troops.

Unfortunately, they ran into two teams hovering around the elite level, and were immediately overwhelmed upon first encounter. The initial barrage of attacks ended, and they immediately switched to melee combat.

In no time, the North Nong army collapsed.

The good news reached the western army headquarters in Kagami-no-sho; the Bungo troops had already crossed the river. At this point, Shichibei realized that he had a chance of winning.

"General, we have won the victory at Kamono! The Amago and Watanabe squads have crossed the river to attack Komakiyama." Another messenger ran to the foot of the turret to report the victory to Shichibei.

"Sun Shiro, Kanbei..." Shichibei muttered to himself, these two are really bold.

Since they both have this judgment, let them be. In any case, they have already completed their mission and crushed the Eastern Army's Jinshan City Special Operations Unit.

The messenger below asked Shichibei if he wanted the heads inspected, but there's no time for that now. Just have someone register the heads. After that, the price per head can be kept on record.

"Our army has won!" Takenaka Shigeharu was getting old and could no longer go into battle to kill people. At this time, he mainly stayed at the main camp to protect the enemy.

“That’s not the case,” Shichibei disagreed.

Since neither of the two forces had yet appeared on the battlefield, one was the army of Yamagata Masamitsu, Shichibei's good brother-in-law. He inherited a portion of the Takeda army and later assisted Oda Nobuhiro and Takigawa Kazumasu in carrying out the mission to attack the Uesugi-Hojo alliance. He had been fighting for many years and his skill level was definitely not bad.

The key point is that Shichibei promised him a reward of 450,000 koku of Shinano province if he defected in battle, so Shichibei was anxiously investigating the situation of the Kai people.

In addition, there are Tokugawa Ieyasu's troops, with 690,000 koku in Edo and 110,000 koku in Yuki. With such a high territories, it wouldn't be surprising if they could mobilize 40,000 to 50,000 men.

Aside from the troops left behind in Edo and Kanto, Tokugawa Ieyasu would need to bring at least 25,000 men to Nobi for the decisive battle. Oda Nobushige, on the other hand, had 250,000 koku of Shinano, so bringing 10,000 men to Nobi would be easy. Add to that the 18,000 to 19,000 men from Nobutada's former army in Nagoya, and the total force could easily exceed 30,000.

With a total of 55,000 people, how could they all be just watching from the rear without participating in the battle?

It is known that Oda Nobushige was fifteen years old and still immature. He needed the assistance of Dan Tadamasa and others to control his newly reorganized retainers. It was impossible to expect him to personally lead the Makai army into battle like his grandfather, Oda Nobunaga.

So, when Tokugawa Ieyasu saw the Western Army cross the Kiso River, he was bound to make a move. Meanwhile, Shichibei had yet to receive any intelligence that Tokugawa Ieyasu's troops were among the fighting forces, and the same was true for Sunomata.

People like Harada Nobumasa and Miyoshi Yasutoshi from Ise, and Tsuda Nobuhiro and Takayama Shigetomo from Noo, all said that Kobayakawa Takakage saw the banner.

Well……

Surely the Eastern Army isn't planning any other moves? There's one route north of Mino, another on the Kiso Road to the east, and aside from the Inuyama front, the Eastern Army can't deploy any more troops.

Unless Tokugawa Ieyasu personally takes a detour, leaves the main battlefield at Kiso River, takes a waterway to the Ise Road, and then heads north to attack Ōgaki Castle, cutting off the Western Army's supply lines.

But Shichibei had his own plans. Ataka Takeyasu, with Shichibei's former comrades and ten thousand cavalry, was stationed at Tsushima. If the Eastern Army really wanted to take the Ise Road, Ataka Takeyasu would have already sent a tip to his headquarters.

So where is Ieyasu?

Ieyasu's Tokugawa army, numbering slightly over 20,000, is moving towards the Inuyama battlefield. Because Takeda Nobufusa's men are holding off the Ukita Nagaie clan with all their might, the battle situation is not yet clearly decided.

However, the tide is turning in favor of the Western Army, and the Eastern Army is not without a chance of recovery. Tokugawa Ieyasu is seizing this opportunity to prepare to lead his troops into battle.

Furthermore, Tokugawa Ieyasu was bold when necessary and cautious when appropriate. Takeda Nobufusa could hold out for some time and wouldn't immediately collapse. As for Yoshikawa Motonaga and Sakuma Nobuege, although they both suffered significant losses due to the collapse of their regimes, there was still a possibility of reorganization.

Ieyasu changed his mind and divided his forces into two groups. The Tokugawa army, as the main force, led the scattered Yoshikawa and Sakuma armies to counter-encircle and surround the Western army that was crossing the river.

The most capable and valiant Honda Tadakatsu and Sakakibara Yasumasa led the way, forming the left and right arrowheads, and thrust directly at the Western Army's pontoon bridge. These two units not only had to attack the previously outstanding army of Shimazu and Sanada, but also had to defeat Kagawa Nobusumi, who was forming his battle lines and preparing to enter the fray.

By this point, Tokugawa Ieyasu realized that Kawamura Nagayoshi had deployed his most elite troops as the vanguard. This proved highly effective; the Shimazu samurai and Sanada Red Guards charged out, hacking and slashing, forcing Yoshikawa Motonaga to retreat.

In fact, Ieyasu miscalculated. Shichibei still had an ace up his sleeve: Kawamura Naokichi, or rather Ii Naokichi, whose personal guards were directly inherited from Takeda Shingen and Takeda Yoshiyori. They were still sitting outside Shichibei's tent at this moment.

This is also why Takatora Todo dared to leave and confront the Kitano army. Although Masaki Sanada, Nagayori Hara, and others had all been dispatched, there was still Naokichi Ii.

However, in Ieyasu's view, Shichibei had probably played most of his trump cards. The strongest, Shimazu Sanada, was in the first tier, Ukita in the second, and Kagawa in the third; their skill levels were indeed quite different.

Divide the forces!

Ieyasu himself went to reorganize the retreating Yoshikawa Sakuma army, and then divided 10,000 men equally among Sakakibara Yasumasa and Honda Tadakatsu, ordering the two to attack from the left and right flanks, charge straight at the pontoon bridge, and defeat Kagawa Nobusumi.

Later, Ieyasu personally led a large force to join the attack, and defeated the Shimazu, Sanada, Goto, and Hara forces guarding the pontoon bridge. Tens of thousands of the main force of the Western Army would then be doomed.

If we can wipe out these tens of thousands of elite Western troops, the Western army will be terrified and collapse today.

The opportunity to strike was fleeting, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, without the slightest hesitation, dispatched his troops. Sakakibara Yasumasa and Honda Tadakatsu were equally decisive, leading their forces into battle. Soon, the two led their troops away from Tokugawa's main force, throwing themselves into the fierce battle with high spirits.

Turning to Shichibei, when he saw Honda Tadakatsu's long black and white flag with the character "本" (Hon) appear on the south bank of the Kiso River, he immediately slapped the railing and shouted "Good!"

Great! Tokugawa Ieyasu has made his move!

With Ieyasu's move, the core of the Eastern Army is affected. Regardless of whether the surprise attack on Komakiyama succeeds, if Ieyasu's main force can be annihilated, Ieyasu will still be destined for defeat, while Shichibei will undoubtedly win.

"Toromatsu!" Shichibei shouted at Ii Naokichi, who was sitting quietly under the rudder and had not spoken.

"Give the order." Ii Naokichi, clad in red armor, finally stood up.

"Aim at Tokugawa's troops and send them out to disrupt them!" Since the Kitano army has already been defeated by Todo Takatora, Shichibei is not afraid of sending another three thousand men from the main camp.

"Kuro-zae!" Shichibei called out again to Namae Sadataka.

The six brothers of the Nianjiang River—Sadaharu, Sadakage, Sadakoku, Sadako, Sadamasa, and Sadataka—are all quite old and no longer participate in battles. Shichibei is currently calling for the sixth brother, Nianjiang, who is young and strong, capable of drawing a bow on horseback.

"Your subject is here," Namie Sadataka replied loudly.

"Follow behind the Ii squad and coordinate to defeat the enemy." Shichibei doesn't have a trump card, but he does.

"Hehe." In response, Nianjiang Dinggao leaped onto his horse, and more than seven hundred riders of the swift-horse cavalry charged out at full speed.

Looking around, Shichibei saw that Hiratsuka Tamehiro and Suzuki Shigeaki were still guarding the main camp. With these two tough guys, Shichibei had nothing to fear and could rest assured.

If necessary, even these two tough guys can be thrown out to smash the Eastern Army's defenses. At this point in the war, we must play our cards.

Honda Tadakatsu, charging fiercely, was naturally incredibly brave, being a famous warrior in Japanese Sengoku history who could wield a long spear in battle.

The Dragonfly Cutter in his hand was less a spear and more a double-edged greatsword stuck in a four-and-a-half-meter-long shaft.

Furthermore, the surviving artifacts are worn down, but Honda Tadakatsu was at his peak at that time, so there was no need to wear them down; when he wielded them, they were truly powerful and impressive.

Kagawa's army did not have such a valiant general. Upon seeing Honda Tadakatsu leading his troops in a charge, Kagawa Nobusumi uttered only one sentence.

"That man is Honda Heihachiro Tadakatsu!"

Chapter 657 With Chung-sheng dead, the battle collapsed first.

Some might ask, why is it that only Honda Tadakatsu's flag appears on the south bank of the Kiso River? That's because Honda Tadakatsu advanced directly from Ieyasu's position on the west side of Inuyama, while Sakakibara Yasumasa needed to go around the battlefield, making a semi-circle, to join forces with Honda Tadakatsu in attacking Kagawa Nobusumi and achieving the military objective of encirclement.

Ieyasu then encircled the Western Army from the rear, attempting to wipe them out on the south bank of the Kiso River. Even if he didn't kill them all, forcing them to surrender would be enough to cause a major rout for the Western Army.

Therefore, Honda Tadakatsu had to face Kagawa Nobusumi alone first, and not only that, he also had to face the rapidly approaching Ii Akabane and Kawamura Ryūkama.

Kagawa Nobusumi, unaware that Shichibei would send troops to reinforce him, saw Honda Tadakatsu rushing towards him and shouted for his men to fire.

The cannons roared like thunder, but fortunately Honda Tadakatsu was riding a fast horse, and given the effective range of the cannons at that time, he would basically have no chance to fire a second shot against cavalry.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been unable to stop Li Rusong's three thousand Liaodong personal guards at Byeokjegwan. If they really charged, their cannons would have been at a great disadvantage on the open field with no cover.

After a volley of arquebus fire, several of Honda Tadakatsu's attendants fell. But this did not hinder Honda Tadakatsu's advance at all; his troops even quickened their pace.

Ieyasu naturally had elite troops under his command, and logically, both sides should have first used firepower to try to shake or even crush the enemy's morale with long-range attacks. However, Honda Tadakatsu, who was carrying out Ieyasu's strict orders, had no interest in playing with arquebuses. In a narrow encounter, the brave would win, and they immediately launched an attack.

Seeing that he couldn't kill Honda Tadakatsu, Kagawa Nobusumi became even more determined and rallied his personal guards and soldiers, who formed a spear formation to meet the Eastern Army.

As the son-in-law of Akechi Mitsuhide, Kagawa Nobusumi needed to maintain a firm foothold within the Oda regime and resolutely defend the bloodline of Oda Nobunaga – Oda Nobukatsu – Oda Katsuhoshi. Only in this way could he demonstrate his unwavering loyalty.

In terms of combat strength, the Buzen-Kagawa army might be somewhat inferior, but they still possessed determination and resilience. No matter how fierce Honda Tadakatsu was, he was still just one person; his personal guards and attendants were far inferior.

Upon first encounter, Honda Tadakatsu indeed charged into the enemy lines, breaking through several layers of Kagawa troops. But once he was inside, his strength would determine his fate. Wherever Honda Tadakatsu personally charged, he could break through to the next layer. As soon as he left, the Kagawa soldiers on his left and right shouted for another battle, and he immediately took his place.

Just then, Ii Naokichi and Nagie Sadataka led their troops to attack, gradually forming a pincer movement to encircle Honda Tadakatsu.

At this point, Shichibei, perched atop the high tower, would ask: Where is Sakakibara Yasumasa, one of the most formidable generals under Ieyasu and the man for whom Toyotomi Hideyoshi had a bounty of 100,000 koku?

Tokugawa Ieyasu's most trusted force was his 8,000-strong bannerman vanguard, a fact known to his contemporaries. His main generals were Honda Tadakatsu and Sakakibara Yasumasa, along with Torii Mototada, Ōsuka Yasutaka, Honda Hirotaka, and others, but Honda and Sakakibara were the most famous.

Could it be that Ieyasu has a backup plan?

No, no, at this stage of the war, both sides have already revealed all their trump cards. The Western Army has already crossed the Kiso River; if Tokugawa Ieyasu were still holding back, what would he be after?

So why? Because after taking a long detour, Kagawa Nobusumi's attempt to flank him from the east was met head-on by Shiga Chikatsugu and the other three generals of Bungo, who were charging all the way.

Shiga Chikaji was even more anxious than Shichibei. Shichibei entrusted the three of them with the important task of launching a surprise attack on Komakiyama. To this end, he also transferred many elite soldiers and generals away from his side to serve as vanguards and clear the way for them, so that they could win the great merit of killing generals and capturing flags.

If he couldn't even do this simple thing well, then Shiga Chikaji would truly feel that he had let Shichibei down and betrayed Shichibei's trust.

Without him needing to say much, Tachibana Muneshige and Takahashi Shōun understood immediately. The three of them attacked from the left and surrounded from the right, while Shiga Chikaji personally charged in from the front.

Isn't that Sakakibara Yasumasa? We crossed paths back in Bungo-Hyuga. Both sides had five thousand men, all brave and valiant soldiers, and their clash created a cloud of blood.

Tokugawa Ieyasu's decisive action in the face of danger led to the collapse of his newly reorganized offensive. Such is the nature of the battlefield; things change in an instant, happening every second without any logic.

Fighting a war requires both the wisdom and decisiveness of the commander-in-chief and the flexibility and adaptability of the middle-level commanders; neither can be lacking.

Honda Tadakatsu, who was bravely charging into battle, waited and waited for Sakakibara Yasumasa, but he didn't come. Seeing that he was about to be surrounded by tens of thousands of troops, he finally started to feel uneasy.

The plan was as follows: he and Sakakibara Yasumasa would each attack from one side, not aiming to completely annihilate the Kagawa army, but merely to disrupt them, control the pontoon bridge at the river crossing, and block the western army from crossing. Later, Tokugawa Ieyasu would gather his main force to encircle them, thus securing a decisive victory.

Now, only Honda Tadakatsu remains, facing Kagawa Nobusumi's 10,000 cavalry, Shimazu's 6,000 cavalry, Sanada's 3,000 cavalry, Goto's 2,000 cavalry, Hara's 1,000 cavalry, Ii's 3,000 cavalry, and Namae's 700 cavalry.

A total of 25,700 people.

Honda Tadakatsu, the peerless warrior of the East, could certainly take on five opponents single-handedly, charging left and right as if entering an empty field. However, his main force of first-strike troops could only manage two opponents at best. Moreover, the deeper Honda Tadakatsu charged, the more surrounded they became.

At this moment, Honda's 5,000 cavalrymen were firmly surrounded by the Western Army's 20,000-plus men. Even Honda Tadakatsu had to consider how he could break through.

It's not that I, Honda Heihachiro, am not putting in the effort; it's that Sakakibara Koheita isn't cooperating.

They could only leave, but not completely. Honda Tadakatsu believed he had to remain on the outskirts to continue containing and harassing the Western Army, lest they swarm forward and continue their southward advance.

This put Honda's elite spearmen in a difficult position, as they had to repeatedly advance and retreat in battle against the Western Army. Even the most capable soldiers would eventually become exhausted, while the Western Army had plenty of fresh soldiers to replace them. In the face of life and death, a single breath could determine the victor.