The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

"At that time, Yueshan City will be isolated, cut off from both inside and outside, and unable to replenish its water and food supplies." Ikeda Katsumasa nodded excitedly and exclaimed, "Lord Kubo Genban is truly a genius!"

Everyone else agreed and showered him with compliments.

Takemura Hidetoshi, who had been expressionless, suddenly spoke up, saying in a calm voice, "If the enemy discovers our army building a dike from a high vantage point, they might guess the secret behind it and take corresponding precautions."

“That’s right.” Shinzaburo said with satisfaction, “That’s why I chose Kakiki Gorge earlier. The mountains on the north side block the view, making it difficult for the enemy to spot us. Of course, to ensure that everything goes smoothly, there will be other ways to attract the attention of the Utsu clan’s garrison.”

Ikeda Katsumasa closed his eyes and recalled for a moment, then said confidently, "About three hundred paces northwest of Yueshan Castle, on the other side of Renwei Pass, there is a mountain peak that is only slightly lower than Yueshan Castle, but its steep peaks are difficult to stand on. If our army pretends to level the land and set up a high platform there, the defending army will definitely be very wary."

"Brilliant!" Shinzaburo clapped his hands and said, "Let's proceed according to this plan! Does anyone else have any brilliant ideas?"

After exchanging glances for a while, none of them had any intention of expressing their opinions further.

There was only one young man who looked a little hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

That man was none other than Araki Murashige, who was following behind the Ikeda father and son.

Seeing this, Shinzaburo pretended not to remember the name, pointed, frowned as if thinking, and hesitated, "This...this Araki..."

Araki Murashige immediately bowed and said respectfully yet decisively, "I am Araki Murashige, a retainer of the Ikeda family. I greet Lord Kubo Genban!"

"No need for formalities, please rise!" Shinzaburo waved his hand and smiled, "I think Lord Araki Murashige has some ideas, so why not speak them directly?"

Araki Murashige looked embarrassed and said in a low voice, "No... I'm just a little slow to think, and I haven't fully understood Lord Kubo Genban's brilliant plan yet."

"Is that so?" Shinzaburo knew this was untrue, but he didn't pursue the matter, assuming the other person was telling the truth: "It's alright, sometimes people who think slowly are more comprehensive. If you have something to say after you've thought it through, come find me again."

"I dare not accept such praise!" Araki Mura bowed to the ground once more: "Thank you, Lord Kubo Genban!"

Next, Shinzaburo assigned tasks.

Ikeda Nagamasa's 750 men feigned setting up a high platform on the northwest mountain to draw the defenders' attention. Nara Nagataka's 500 men provided cover nearby and launched a diversionary attack.

As for the construction of the dike, there are other arrangements.

Then he dismissed everyone.

After some time, Araki Village sought an audience again.

Shinzaburo had anticipated this and ordered them to come in immediately.

Araki Mura re-entered and knelt down, saying, "Lord Kubo Genban's plan is ingenious and unparalleled in the world. Inspired by it, I have thought about it repeatedly and feel that if we do one more thing, we can make the water attack even more successful."

Shinzaburo extended his hand and smiled, "Please enlighten me."

"How dare I!" Araki Murashige feigned fear and said cautiously, "I believe that if the water attack succeeds, we can create a flooded area out of thin air, submerging the enemy's two branch cities and isolating Yueshan City. However... once the enemy reacts, they can still send troops from their rear to cross the flooded area and supply Yueshan City. And if we try to stop them, a fierce battle is inevitable..."

“That makes sense.” Shinzaburo agreed without hesitation, then asked, “So what do you think we should do?”

Araki Murashige lowered his head and said softly, "I think we can prepare some boats and rafts upstream of the Daii River in advance. After the water attack is successful, we can send people with supplies onto the boats and rafts and sail downstream to the puddles. Then we can destroy the dam, restore the flow of the Daii River, and expose the two branch cities at the foot of the mountain again. Our soldiers can then return to the plains, enter the cities, and completely cut off the defenders' retreat."

"Hahaha..." Shinzaburo clapped his hands and laughed, then pointed east: "It seems great minds think alike. A few days ago, I had people start making raft planks. By now, we should have almost enough."

Actually, knowing the plan beforehand and then thinking of supplementary solutions isn't that surprising. It's not that we necessarily have to deliberately dismantle the dam; it's just that after the flooding is complete, there's no need to continuously invest manpower and resources to reinforce it.

However, the other generals were so stunned by the unprecedented water attack strategy in Japanese history that they were inevitably shaken and had no time to think about anything else.

Araki Village values ​​this person highly; he is so young yet has such outstanding performance, his talent is indeed remarkable.

They also have their own set of ideas about interpersonal relationships and social interactions.

"Ah... so Lord Kubo Genban was prepared all along..." Araki Murashige chuckled awkwardly for a moment, then quickly composed himself, bowed respectfully, and said in a sincere manner, "I was just being presumptuous and did something unnecessary."

“That’s not necessary. It’s rare to be able to offer suggestions proactively,” Shinzaburo praised, then asked, “Since you had this idea all along, why didn’t you bring it up during the military council earlier?”

“Uh…this…” Araki Murashige stammered, remaining silent.

"Rather than displaying your talents in front of others, it's better to conceal your abilities first and offer your advice privately." Shinzaburo stated the other party's purpose without hesitation and laughed, "Interesting, very interesting!"

"Such a trivial little scheme was seen through instantly by Lord Kubo Genban," Araki Murashige complimented repeatedly, then added, "In my opinion, your wisdom surpasses even that of Miyoshi Hyuga and Matsunaga Danjo. One day you will surely..."

"Strange, we're inside a military tent, so why is there a sudden gust of wind?" Shinzaburo maintained his smile, but firmly interrupted the other person, his eyes instantly sharpening. "The wind was so strong just now, I couldn't hear what you were saying at all."

"Forgive me, forgive me!" Araki Murashige quickly bowed again, trembling as he said, "I was overwhelmed by Lord Kubo Genban's majesty and lost my composure, uttering disrespectful words. Please forgive me!"

"Huh?" Shinzaburo looked surprised: "Could it be that the sentence I didn't hear clearly just now was an arrogant and ignorant statement? Well, it's a good thing I didn't hear it clearly."

"Ah...yes, yes..." Even though it was only springtime, Araki Murashige seemed to be very afraid of the heat, and his forehead was instantly covered in sweat.

124. The weather was perfect.

In fact, the matter of water attack was not as simple as Shinzaburo made it out to be.

The story begins a few months ago.

At the end of last year, Takeno Jōō, a famous tea master in Sakai, suddenly fell ill and passed away. Many wealthy merchants, monks and cultural figures from all over the Kinai region attended his funeral.

It originally had nothing to do with Shinzaburo.

But Takeno Shōō had a son-in-law named Imai Munehisa. They were good friends who met instantly.

Because of this connection, Shinzaburo also took the time to visit Sakai-cho to offer his condolences.

Mr. Takeno Jōō was not only a scholar of tea ceremony but also a successful businessman with considerable wealth. However, his only son was only five years old. Therefore, Imai Munehisa, as his son-in-law, temporarily became the guardian of his estate.

Just as the new year began, the Miyoshi clan launched military campaigns in both Izumi and Sanuki.

Imai Munehisa had already obtained the exclusive rights to the Sakai leather business and had a close relationship with the Miyoshi family. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he used his father-in-law's inheritance to expand his business and venture into more industries, and his business became more and more prosperous.

At the beginning of the year, upon hearing that Shinzaburo had been appointed as the general to suppress the Utsu family of Kuwata County, he immediately visited him with Uozumi Hikoshiro, promising to provide a large amount of money and supplies for logistical support.

The condition is that after the conquest is successful, they will take over all trade in the new territory.

Besides common food and cash crops, the Utsu family's territory had two products that were popular in the Kinai region: excellent timber resources from the valley and ayu (sweetfish) with a unique flavor.

Previously, business was definitely controlled by someone else's confidants, but if the lord changes, new privileged merchants will naturally move in.

Imai Munehisa saw this clearly.

Shinzaburo responded, "I am not confident of defeating the enemy. If Lord Munehisa invests heavily but does not receive any return afterward, what should I do?"

Imai Munehisa stated without hesitation: "In business, the higher the profit, the greater the risk. If you don't have the courage to bear the losses, you're destined not to gain much."

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo couldn't help but laugh and said, "It sounds more like you're talking about gambling."

Imai Munehisa chuckled and said, "Gambling is purely based on luck, entirely dependent on the will of gods and Buddhas. But doing business is about doing your best and leaving the rest to fate. I'm afraid there's still a slight difference."

Shinzaburo said, "However, everyone needs to be prepared to accept the consequences of their bets."

Imai Munehisa nodded solemnly.

Thus, the engineering costs and manpower for building dikes and diverting water for the attack were resolved.

……

Let's go back to March.

Shinzaburo ordered Ikeda Nagamasa to stage a performance on the west side of Gakuyama Castle, using several "fire arrows" as the core, pretending to have set up a high firing position on a hillside 300 paces away from the defenders.

This indeed had a diversionary effect.

The Utsu clan's army in Yueshan Castle did not appear to be poor, and they were also equipped with two large-caliber "fire arrows," capable of attacking targets three hundred paces away.

Of course, having a good range doesn't guarantee accuracy.

To aim a distant target with a 30-eye barrel firing a flintlock breechblock, a projectile firing method is required. Even a slight deviation in the muzzle angle will result in a significant error.

After Ikeda Nagamasa found the location of the high firing position, he immediately ordered his men to begin work.

They immediately opened fire from inside Yueshan City.

The first two "fire arrows" were fired and landed dozens of feet away.

But after repeated adjustments, more than half an hour later, the enemy gunners finally got the hang of it after continuous attempts and hit a group of laborers who were digging earth, killing one and wounding two.

Although the number of casualties was not large, the loud explosions of the debris, the blinding flashes of light, and the dust kicked up frightened the soldiers into retreating.

Moreover, once the opponent has gained successful experience, as long as they maintain the original angle and there are no problems with the loading process, the accuracy of hitting a fixed target will be greatly improved.

Such a busy day, yet nothing was accomplished.

The next day, Ikeda Nagamasa had to change the location of his position, but the situation remained the same. The defenders inside the castle spent most of the day conducting sufficient test shots, gradually finding their aim, and thus were able to disrupt the construction.

On the third day, they tried a different location, but it still didn't work.

The defenders fired from their high vantage point on the steep mountaintop, and the attackers were unable to find a place to set up their fire arrows. Despite having more firearms, they were unable to suppress the attackers.

On the fourth day, several times the manpower was dispatched, with soldiers also serving as laborers, all to carry out engineering projects and dig in several places at the same time.

Now the city's fire arrows were caught in a dilemma, unable to attend to one thing at a time.

But they simply opened the gates of the pass and sent troops out of the city to meet them.

The soldiers had all removed their armor and weapons, and were now using hoes and shovels to work. How could they possibly fight? They had no choice but to flee.

In fact, at this moment, Shinzaburo had ordered Nara Nagataka to set up an ambush, hoping that the enemy would rashly pursue and kill them.

Unfortunately, the Utsu family's garrison was very cautious and did not fall for the trick, resolutely refusing to leave the area within five hundred paces of the city gate.

And so another day passed without any progress.

……

In conclusion, due to the limitations of the terrain, Shinzaburo's soldiers fought valiantly but were unable to achieve any results.

At the same time, Hirano-ya, a merchant from the Izumi region skilled in dike construction and excavation, arrived at Kaki-gi Pass, a bend in the Oi River, through the introduction of Imai Munehisa.

The project plan had been formulated long ago, and 1,500 farmers from the surrounding area were hired to dig soil, bag it, and transport it to the riverbank.

Taking advantage of the low water level in March and the relatively slow flow of the river, an underwater frame was first built using boulders, bamboo poles, and planks. Then, bags filled with sand were thrown into the appropriate places to form a temporary barrier.

Next, based on this, continue to expand with clay and stones to build a trapezoidal embankment that is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, ensuring that it can withstand the rainy season.

Money had a significant effect. With a large sum of money poured in, the project was completed in less than twenty days.

At this moment, Ikeda Nagamasa was still leading his troops in a vigorous performance, while the defenders of Yueshan Castle were probably gloating over their strong defenses, unaware that disaster was about to strike.

The weather was relatively sunny throughout March, so the dikes were not very effective and the water level rose only slowly.

However, by mid-April, the upper reaches of the Daiyen River gradually gather warm and humid air currents from the Pacific monsoon, entering the high-water season as usual.

First came a light drizzle, then fleeting showers, and finally a torrential downpour.

At this point, it was impossible to attack the city, so Shinzaburo moved his main camp to the towering Chitose Mountain in the south to better observe the water level.

On the third day of the fifth lunar month, the torrential rain lasted for six or seven hours, finally becoming the last straw that broke the camel's back. This was more than half a month earlier than the normal flood season.

Quantitative change leads to qualitative change; the water level rises sharply, flowing back into the tributary at the foot of Black Tail Mountain, which was originally only one or two meters wide.

This was a man-made river diversion.

The two branch cities below Yueshan City, about two or three hundred paces apart and at similar altitudes, were both single-story buildings constructed along that small tributary. As the water level changed, they quickly entered the flood zone.

The rain will continue for the next few days.

On the morning of the fifth day, only a few rooftops of the two outlying cities were visible above the water. The soldiers inside had either fled or drowned, and a very small number were clinging to life on the rooftops.

The pass at Renwei Pass was also mostly flooded. Only two arrow towers remained standing.

The Dayan River was blocked by the dam, so it took a detour around the dangerous peak of Yueshan City, adding an extra kilometer to the journey before it could reach the downstream area.

The troops in the city were probably too frightened to have seen such a scene before, and without receiving orders, they did not take any action.

That afternoon, the rain finally stopped for a while, and the Utsu family finally reacted, sending some people out from the heart of the valley to stand by the puddle, probably to observe the situation and discuss solutions.

At this moment, five hundred elite soldiers from the Miyoshi family's main force, led by Nara Nagataka, set off from the upper reaches of the Oi River on sixty rafts, rapidly moving downstream.

The men sent by the Utsu family were completely unprepared and retreated immediately after being hit by a burst of gunfire.

Soldiers who were huddled on rooftops to survive were even less capable of fighting.

The defenders of Yueshan City reacted quickly and immediately opened fire.

Nara Nagataka ordered his soldiers to climb the mountains on both sides of the river and use the rafts as large shields for self-protection.

Although the enemy troops on the mountain had the advantage of a high vantage point, their numbers were insufficient. If the attackers were not in a hurry to scale the city walls and instead used their large shields for self-defense, the defenders would have little recourse.

Thus, the two branch cities behind Yueshan City, which connected to the heartland of the Yujin family, were conquered.

125. Cut off from both inside and outside.

In mid-May, seeing that the water level was still rising and the temporary dike he had built was about to collapse, Shinzaburo was too lazy to put in any more effort to reinforce it. He simply took the initiative to dismantle a corner of it and let the river wash it away.

The flow of the Dai'i River quickly returned to normal, and the two submerged fortresses were brought back to light. Although they had been submerged for several days, their structures remained intact. With a little repair, they were still relatively sturdy earthen fortifications.

Nara Nagataka led 300 men to garrison one castle, while ordering his deputy Yamamoto Hisamasa to garrison another.

Inatomi Shigenobu and Oi Shigeie easily entered the gate of Hitoo Pass, since almost all the guards inside had drowned.