Owari Yumeki Golden Day

If they really exhausted the people's strength to recruit people, for example, Mimura Motochika was just a wavering daimyo of 100,000 koku in Bizengoku. During the Battle of Myozenji, 20,000 people suddenly emerged to fight against Ukita Naoie.

If Nobunaga were to mobilize troops at this rate, he could have an army of 150,000.

Is that reasonable?

"Nanabe, Nanabe." Just as he finished making the arrangements, he heard someone calling his name from behind.

Turning around, he saw Oda Nobuya. This man had nearly become Shichibei's father-in-law, but things never quite worked out, and now Shichibei had to become Oda Nobuhiro's son-in-law. Oda Nobuya had no opinion. It was all Nobunaga's arrangement, so who could change it? So, he maintained his usual attitude towards Shichibei, handling the matter impartially.

"My lord, what are your orders?" Nobuya was Nobunaga's stable boy. He must have come because Nobunaga had something to tell him.

"Prepare at least 600 long torches, more than three feet long, and 1,000 would be best!" The order conveyed by Oda Nobuya was not surprising.

"clear."

"Make sure to get it to the front line before dark and hand it over to Kinoshita-dono."

"Toukichiro wants it..." Shichibei thought it was Nobunaga who wanted it.

Oda Nobuya nodded, had Shichibei repeat his order, and then rode across the river. Preparing torches was a trivial matter; torches were a common occurrence in battle.

The frontline troops could actually make their own, but they needed torches three feet long, a little over a meter, which was a bit more complicated. A typical torch would be sixty centimeters long, and including the twenty-centimeter oil rope, it would still be eighty centimeters.

Now, you have to insert pine poles into bamboo holes to make a one-meter-long torch. Cutting more than a meter of pine poles on the spot is too troublesome. This is not the 21st century. A planer can make one in tens of seconds.

After fetching hundreds of torches, Shichibei examined the oil ropes wrapped around the tops. These were straw or hemp ropes soaked in tung oil, dried in the shade, and then wrapped around the tops of pine branches. The length was usually 20 centimeters, but for longer-lasting use, 30 centimeters.

Want to wrap it longer? Then it's not for lighting. It's a fire stick, wrapped around a bamboo bundle and thrown into the fire to set fire for attacking the city.

But Hideyoshi's army only had 2,300 people, what did they need a thousand torches for?

As we said before, only half of Hideyoshi's army was made up of combatants, and the rest were grooms, sergeants, flag bearers, formation men, etc. This was essentially giving each of his troops a gun, and no matter what kind of battle, all the combatants had to be brought into the fight.

Oh, it seems that in history, Minasaku Castle was captured in a day. Is there going to be a tough battle ahead? No way.

Shichibei's predictions were spot on. Mizuku Castle's chief, Yoshida Izumo-no-kami, fought tooth and nail to defend the castle, but Niwa Nagahide and Takigawa Ieyasu, who had attacked the castle that morning, were defeated. Niwa Nagahide had 3,000 men, and Takigawa Ieyasu 5,000, both large armies. Yet, they were unable to defeat Mizuku Castle.

The construction and design of the Guanyin Temple's Eighteen-City Defense System began during the time of Rokkaku no Tadaie, which makes sense.

This castle defense system, going back to the defense system of Minowa Castle, a branch castle owned by the twelve sons-in-law of Nishi-Ueno, had been under Takeda Shingen's attack for years. He'd only just finished it last year or the year before, completely destroying the entire Nishi-Ueno area. Even though Shingen seemed to have gained a third of the territory, his power hadn't increased significantly.

Looking back, we have to look at the Hojo family. The Odawara Castle branch castle defense system, which began to be built in the era of Hojo Ujiyasu, and continued to be built by Hojo Ujimasa and Hojo Ujinao, lasted Hideyoshi for several months.

In the end, Odawara Castle wasn't destroyed due to lack of food; it was ultimately due to the morale of the defenders. Look at Oshi Castle, where the morale remained unwavering. Even with Masayuki Sanada in the line, Oshi Castle still wasn't defeated despite being besieged by 23,000 men.

Yoshida Izumo-no-kami fought desperately and, in just one day, used a tight defense system to cause more than a thousand casualties to the Oda army.

That’s right, it’s those who died in battle, not the total number of casualties.

Although the death of one thousand men was nothing for an army of 60,000, Nobunaga was still shocked when he heard this number.

If a thousand soldiers were to die in each of the eighteen tributary castles, then forget about going to Kyoto and return to Owari to seek justice. If eighteen thousand soldiers were to die, the Oda clan would be doomed and unable to survive.

Niwa Nagahide and Takigawa Kazumasu were both helpless in the face of a fierce and difficult battle. However, Hideyoshi, who replaced them in the evening with the drums beating, did not see it that way.

"Why are you here?" I was putting a bamboo tube on a torch when Hidenaga Kinoshita came running over.

"Hehe, my brother asked me to come find you." Kinoshita Hidenaga smiled. In fact, Hideyoshi in front was worried that Shichibei could not provide a thousand long torches.

"There are already five hundred of them. Why don't you take them back first?"

"No, no, no, it's not dark yet, no rush." ​​Both sides are brothers, one is his half-brother, and the other is his brother-in-law. Xiuchang really can't offend both sides.

"Can't take down Jizuo City?" It's almost dark, this shouldn't be possible.

Could it be that the historical records are wrong? But historically, the Rokkaku family did collapse in one battle, and they didn't resist for long.

"The defenders are very resolute in their defense, and they have cannons." Xiuchang looked at the torches piled on the carriage and subconsciously counted them.

"So Toukichirou is planning a night battle?"

It's not that I look down on Hideyoshi, it's that I look down on all armies of that era. Not to mention the soldiers' night blindness, how many people can organize an army at night, ensure they set out safely from camp, and maintain formation before being thrown into the battlefield. Finally, they have to successfully launch an attack and try to win.

"I'm not too sure. My brother has his own ideas." Hidenaga certainly knew that fighting at night was not easy, but Hideyoshi was the commander-in-chief of the army, and he was not even a deputy general.

The deputy general is Hosuka Koroku.

"It can't be..." Shichibei suddenly thought.

During the pre-war meeting, Hideyoshi had said he couldn't let a newcomer take over. Akechi Mitsuhide's salary was 4,000 kan, while Hideyoshi's was 2,500 kan. He felt outshined by the newcomer. So, he wasn't convinced and wanted to challenge him, to surpass Mitsuhide?

It's not impossible. If Hideyoshi didn't have ambition, why would he fight so hard? But what can we do in a night battle?

132. Bet on the enemy being exhausted

After a brief thought, Shichibei decided to follow Kinoshita Hidenaga to the front lines. If Hideyoshi really gets wild, we have to talk him down. After all, we are friends.

It was not easy for him to have such a small amount of capital. He started carrying straw sandals for Nobunaga in his teens and twenties, and only had such a small army at the age of 32. There were still many tough battles to fight in the future.

After dark, Shichibei arrived at the siege camp at the foot of Minosaku Castle. It was called a camp, but in reality it was just a high point with fences erected and trenches dug. Because it wasn't a field fortification, it seemed quite casual.

Takigawa Ikki, Niwa Nagahide, and Kinoshita Hideyoshi led the three divisions, with Nobunaga's Oda Nobuya and his men following behind. They were supposed to be assisting in the battle, but they felt more like military supervision. No wonder Hideyoshi requested six hundred or a thousand torches, and even sent Oda Nobuya to personally notify them.

He probably went to report to Nobunaga. In order not to trouble two masters, he just did it all.

Before I even reached the camp, I heard screams and groans everywhere. A thousand dead, that meant another three thousand wounded. Takigawa had five thousand, Niwa three, Kinoshita two thousand three, and Nobunaga had one thousand more. Eleven thousand men, and 35% of them were killed or wounded in just one day of siege. It was a well-managed army that didn't collapse.

No, they should be considered as elite soldiers and generals in the feudal era.

Just because of this level of casualties, Nobunaga had to send people to replace these three teams, and let the three teams retreat and reorganize, and never participate in any major battles again.

"What? Aren't you building a pontoon bridge in the back?" Hideyoshi saw Shichibei and Hidenaga driving a carriage together.

"I'm afraid you'll have to fight at night, so I came to persuade you." Shichibei took a look and saw that there were not many wounded soldiers in Hideyoshi's camp.

During the daytime siege, the main force was Takigawa Ieyasu and Niwa Nagahide, while Hideyoshi joined the siege in the evening, so the casualties were relatively small. But even if there were fewer casualties, it's not worth wasting time. In the face of the dangers of war, how could we afford to waste time?

"How do you know? Oh, haha..." Hideyoshi asked subconsciously, but when he looked at the thousands of torches, he immediately understood.

Yes, Shichibei was no fool. Seeing so many torches, he knew they were going to be a night battle. There was no need for so many torches for a normal camp, and they had to be delivered before dark.

"Night fighting is indeed too difficult." Hidenaga also spoke to persuade them. The Kinoshita brothers were not night blind because they had eaten well in the past two years. They would have been night blind before.

Expecting a night-blind soldier to go to war with only a torch is pure joking.

"Just because it's difficult doesn't mean it's impossible! What you should have seen when you came here is that both the Takigawa team and the Niwa team were vying for the first spot and were trying their best to attack the city." Hideyoshi pointed to the other two camps.

"so what?"

"We have over 10,000 soldiers attacking the city, while the enemy has 3,000 defending it. From morning till night, four hours, there's almost no stopping. Our soldiers can still rest and rotate, but what about the enemy?"

"Ah!" Shichibei suddenly understood.

So this was Hideyoshi's plan. Yoshida Izumo-no-kami Takashige of Minasaku Castle had only 3,000 men, and the three Oda generals had been fighting non-stop for eight hours, from dawn to dusk. Warfare is a very physically demanding activity, and the defenders of the castle hadn't gotten any rest, so they must have been extremely exhausted by now.

Hideyoshi in front of us had just attacked the city in the evening and had not put in any effort at all. He had to retreat and leave the camp because it was getting dark.

If we fight at night, we can not only achieve the effect of a surprise attack, but also take advantage of the enemy's exhaustion and break through in one fell swoop.

Maybe the defenders in the city don’t even have the strength to draw their bows and arrows, or raise their swords and guns to fight. What’s so difficult about taking advantage of the situation and attacking them?

I just want to ask you if this is a chance to win!

Yes, definitely.

"What do you think, Shichibei?" Hideyoshi was quite pleased with himself. He felt that his plan was quite feasible.

As long as they could capture Minasaku Castle, they would be considered to have won the First Spear Award at the Battle of Kanonji Temple. If they had won the First Spear Award in Japan, then the First Spear Samurai would definitely have a share of the awards given to them in the future.

With the merit of breaking Minuzaku Castle, Hideyoshi might really have been awarded the corresponding title of knowledge and action, and then surpassed Mitsuhide, who came later than him.

"Hmm..." After hearing what Hideyoshi said, Shichibei really couldn't be persuaded.

They're their own soldiers, they're willing to do it, and the plan seems interesting, so whether or not to try it is Hideyoshi's decision. As friends, we're already doing our duty of warning; there's no need and no way to interfere with actual military operations.

"So you're planning to have the ashigaru attack the city with torches?"

"No, haven't you ever thought about why you need a torch longer than three feet?" When Hideyoshi was fighting, he actually felt quite "charming".

This kind of charm wasn't just about good looks; in terms of bravery and strength, even the 1.82-meter-tall Asai Nagamasa couldn't compare. Hideyoshi displayed a kind of confidence, a self-assurance that emanated from within, a belief in his ability to win.

what……

Hideyoshi actually looked so "heroic".

"Stick it in the ground!" Shichibei looked at Hideyoshi playing with the torch and understood.

No wonder the torches were lengthened. The average Japanese ashigaru warrior was only about 1.40 to 1.50 meters tall. A torch a little over a meter long, stuck into the ground, would have been just below their chest. It would have allowed them to see the ground clearly and provided sufficient brightness, perfectly tailored to the height requirements of the soldiers.

"Hahahaha..." Hideyoshi patted Shichibei's shoulder, which naturally meant that you understand me.

"Tsk." Shichibei really had nothing to add this time, so he just watched Hideyoshi's siege performance.

Did Hideyoshi capture Minasaku Castle by night raid? It's possible. Shichibei doesn't know the details, so everything is still a mystery. It all depends on Hideyoshi's performance.

Hosuka Koroku also came over and saw Shichibei nodding. The torch, over a meter long, was too short for Koroku, who was over 5'7", but it was just right for Kinoshita Hideyoshi and Shichibei.

Since they were all friends, Xiaoliu didn't care and used the torch to measure their heights. After measuring, he said it was very good and just right.

Hideyoshi didn't take it seriously, and Shichibei certainly didn't think anything of it either, he just rolled his eyes in his heart.

What did this big black guy eat to grow up? We ate sardines every day when we were young, so we got enough protein. How come he, a pirate, is 1.72 meters tall, while I, a groom, am only 1.42 meters tall?

Give you a round of applause, go for it.

The troops lit a fire and cooked. They were going to fight a night battle, so they had to eat a full meal before going into battle. Without enough rice to eat, the soldiers would lose their energy.

According to Hideyoshi's plan, torches were placed along the mountain path leading to the city walls. Placing torches below the city walls was simple, but once inside, within a range of about thirty to fifty meters where cannons and bows could cause significant damage, two men were assigned, one holding a bamboo bundle or wooden shield and the other holding a torch.

Dozens of teams took turns advancing toward the city walls. Don't worry about whether they'll fall or tilt; the main goal is to take advantage of your weakness. The city soldiers will get some sleep tonight. While they won't be as energetic tomorrow, at least they can exchange arrows and artillery fire with the Oda army again.

At this point, the Kinoshita Corps was still a vibrant community. Having recently transitioned from pirates to the imperial army, they'd lived through the bloody days of life and death, so they weren't lacking in courage. Hosuga Koroku donned his domaru, surprisingly not even a helmet. With a shout, he was the first to raise a torch and charge toward the city.

Yoshida Izumo-no-kami Takashige was also a veteran, otherwise he wouldn't have earned the trust of Rokkaku and his son, who gave him 3,000 cavalry. Seeing the large candles burning below the city, he knew it was over, and the Oda army prepared to fight all night.

The soldiers in the city had already struggled to hold off more than 10,000 people during the day, and now they had to get up and fight again after just lying down. This was simply unbearable. Some people may understand that after a long period of high-intensity exercise, lying down to rest may cause exhaustion.

Once you become exhausted, you will feel uncomfortable all over when you want to get up, your hands and feet may even tremble, and you will be completely unable to continue high-intensity exercise.

The same was true for the Minasaku Castle soldiers, but they were still at war, and Yoshida Izumo-no-kami had some reserves that could temporarily fill in, so they weren't completely overwhelmed. They could still hold their own today, but tomorrow, when the Oda army brought in new reinforcements, it was hard to say.

No matter what, just focus on the present.

Despite the darkness, the burning "fire dragon" was still erected outside the city wall, led by Hosuga Koroku. It took almost an hour, and five or six people were killed by cannon fire from the dark.

In battle, this little damage was acceptable. Hideyoshi simply fastened his hood and armor at the bottom of the slope. Once Xiaoliu and his men retreated, he would charge forward.

Even though he was the commander of 2,300 men, it was useless. He had to charge the city wall. Although Hideyoshi's martial arts were mediocre, he was still quite courageous, after all, he had practiced it for so many years.

With a shout of "Follow me", two or three hundred people followed him along the candle-lined road and charged towards Jizuo City.

Such a grand move was naturally observed by Takigawa Ieyasu and Niwa Nagahide. They hadn't expected Hideyoshi to even plan a night battle, so they all sent people to investigate. The three of them were considered part of the same "front army," so they certainly needed to keep each other informed.

As they were questioning, the crackling sound of frying beans filled the city walls. In the darkness, under the candlelight, only the shadowy figures of a crowd could be seen. There was nothing they could do, so they could only listen to the footsteps and fire at the city walls. Immediately, several ghostly howls erupted from the slopes. The cannonballs hadn't hit their vital points, so they wouldn't die immediately. For example, Ii Naomasa, who was hit by a cannonball, lived for over six months.

Some people were even shot and lived for eight months.

They didn't die but they were in pain. Some people even rolled down the hillside in pain, but it was a good thing the slope wasn't steep. If it were steep, they would have hit the rocks and died.

Hideyoshi's charge failed, costing over a dozen lives, and he ultimately retreated. However, he remained resolute, ordering Maeno Nagayasu to lead a hundred men to continue the charge. The soldiers were undoubtedly exhausted. The cannons had been firing all day, their barrels nearly boiling hot, and the number of shots fired was clearly lower than during the day.

If we charge two or three more times, we will definitely be able to break through the city wall!

As long as they stormed the city, the massive Oda army of 60,000 could crush the Rokkaku army. Minasaku Castle was a small branch fortress, and there was no room for street fighting. If the walls were breached, they would be doomed.

Shichibei watched with trepidation from the bottom of the slope. During the night battle, some even slipped and fell. Those near the torches were even shot in the head. It was extremely horrifying.

Well, following Hideyoshi's line of thought, most of the soldiers in the city are exhausted, and those who are now defending the city walls are the only remaining soldiers who can move.

How about we make a feint to the east and attack in the west?

133. Rapid attack into the city

Hideyoshi was still charging fiercely from above, and Shichibei didn't dare to go up and call him back. Besides, if Hideyoshi retreated, the soldiers under his command would also retreat, and the battle would be impossible.

We have to find Hosuka Koroku.

Now Xiaoliu is the second core figure of the Kinoshita team. It was not until Hideyoshi deliberately supported Hidenaga and Hidenaga demonstrated his strong internal affairs skills and mediation role that he gained the knowledge and power of 103,000 stones in the seven counties of Tajima, surpassing Xiaoliu of Hosuka in terms of territory.

After arranging the torches with his cannon, Hosuka Koroku didn't sit down to rest, but instead nervously watched the battle unfold. He and Hideyoshi were now more like allies than lord and subject. As the largest shareholder of the Kinoshita Corps, Hosuka Koroku felt both shareholder and founder, willing to contribute to this thriving group.

"Xiao Liu, how do you think the battle is going?" Xiao Liu of Hosuka was very easy to find. After all, he was so tall that he was obvious even in the dark.

"It's not clear." Xiaoliu answered briefly, because Hideyoshi was still charging and there was no obvious defeat on the slope.