Chapter 50

"This is bad, this is really bad!"

Sukumaru Nobushige, the second-ranking elder of the Oda family, was alone, feeling anxious.

Nobushige, in fact, was the de facto head elder of the Oda family.

In the past, when his lord Nobunaga's younger brother Nobuyuki rebelled, and even Hayashi Masaharu, who was the chief retainer of the Oda family, supported Nobuyuki, Nobushige firmly declared his support for Nobunaga and fought, and since then, he has been heavily relied upon as the de facto head elder.

Hayashi Masaharu was nominally the head elder, but when comparing authority and the size of territories, Nobushige was undoubtedly the de facto head elder.

However, the rescue mission for the Tokugawa family was not going well.

He had even led to the death of his colleague, Hattori Hanzō, who went to provide reinforcements.

Nobushige thought that Ieyasu, who advocated for field battles in this situation, was at fault, but Hattori Hanzō was the son of Hattori Masaharu, who had advised Nobunaga to commit seppuku, and was one of Nobunaga's favorite retainers.

There was a possibility that this incident would incur Nobunaga's displeasure, but Nobushige was initially optimistic.

Although they had been defeated by the Takeda army in the initial battle, Hamamatsu Castle was still standing, and thanks to the additional reinforcements from Oda Nobutada and Dan羽 Nagahide, the fear of the castle falling was almost gone.

However, another event that disturbed Nobushige's mind occurred on a different front.

First, Shibata Katsuie's campaign in Echizen and Kaga.

The scattered battles with the Ikko-ikki of Kaga, who ignored the ceasefire order from Ishiyama, continued, but Katsuie had almost secured the safety of Echizen and had defeated many of the Ikko-ikki in Kaga.

Katsuie was praised by Nobunaga with the words, "You are truly Kurokichi!" and was even given rewards. Akechi Mitsuhide and Hashiba Hideyoshi, who performed well in Tamba, were also praised.

Even though he was an outsider, the evaluation of Matsunaga Hisahide, who helped Nobunaga well in the Ishiyama war, was also good.

The one who achieved even greater results than them was Shinji Mitsuaki, who helped Azai Nagamasa to redeem his honor and performed excellently in Settsu.

To Nobunaga, Mitsuaki was no longer just a retainer but an ally.

He calmly carried out even the most unreasonable orders from Nobunaga and had pacified Kii, which no one had dared to touch the previous year.

He had eliminated the rebellious kokujin, including the Saika group, and the temple forces with their own military and economic power.

They had become harmless entities, reading sutras and giving sermons for money from the Shinji family.

Then, he sent reinforcements to Ieyasu and Takigawa Kazumasu, who were defending eastern Mino, and defeated Akiyama Nobutomo, who was appointed by Shingen as the commander of eastern Mino and Oku-Tōtōmi.

He then invaded southern Shinano, advanced north to Takatō Castle, and skillfully governed the occupied territories.

He continued to invade Oku-Tōtōmi and recaptured castles like Nagashino.

"This is bad..."

Nobushige was anxious.

If this continued, he would lose his place in the Oda family.

He, who had sworn loyalty to Nobunaga before he became the head of the family, was being surpassed one after another by Katsuie, who supported Nobuyuki, the peasant-turned-retainer Hashiba Hideyoshi, the outsider Akechi Mitsuhide, and Shinji Mitsuaki, and was losing his status.

He thought he had to do something, but for that, he needed a great achievement.

Nobushige, who believed he understood Nobunaga better than anyone, knew that slandering others to hinder their progress would be counterproductive.

There were those who slandered the highly active Shinji Mitsuaki to Nobunaga, but all of them failed.

They were scolded by Nobunaga with the words, "Disgusting!" and were demoted or had their chances of advancement cut off.

"If this is the case, I will defeat Shingen and make my achievement unparalleled."

It was well-known that Nobunaga feared Shingen.

That was why he had maintained an alliance through gifts and the engagement of Nobuyasu and Matsuhime.

"I hear that Shingen is spitting blood..."

This was a report from the Iga ninja hired by the Tokugawa family.

If this was true, the Takeda army would not be able to command as they used to.

"This is a good opportunity!"

Nobushige began to plan a decisive battle with the Takeda family to defeat Shingen and achieve a great victory for Nobunaga, thereby securing his position as the head elder.

"Will you agree to a decisive battle with Shingen? I am willing."

Nobushige consulted with the generals defending Hamamatsu Castle and began to seek their approval.

Ieyasu, who had been defeated earlier, agreed with Nobushige's plan.

"Will you agree?"

"I am a samurai. Is it wrong to wish to avenge our defeat?"

"No, I don't think so."

Of course, it wasn't just that, and Nobushige immediately realized this.

"Undoubtedly, it's about Oku-Tōtōmi..."

After this battle, Ieyasu's greatest concern was the ownership of Oku-Tōtōmi.

Since Shinji Mitsuaki, who served the Oda family, had recaptured it alone, it would not be easy to demand its return.

The Oda and Tokugawa families were supposed to be allies on equal terms.

However, considering the size of their territories, the Tokugawa family was more like a vassal of the Oda family.

Ieyasu, who was in a lower position, could not boldly ask for it to be returned for free.

Therefore, Ieyasu aimed to secure the ownership of Oku-Tōtōmi and the eastern part of Enshū through his achievements in this decisive battle.

Nobushige understood Ieyasu's feelings, who was in a similar position.

"Isn't this reckless?"

Mizuno Tadamasa, who had advocated for a siege at the Battle of Mikatagahara, opposed the plan.

From his perspective, the previous battle had ended in a defeat because the opinion of others was ignored and a decisive battle was chosen.

He was honestly worried that another reckless battle would be chosen.

"Shingen is ill. The morale of the Takeda army is low, so we can do it."

"…I will stay in the castle."

Mizuno Tadamasa told Nobushige that he would remain in Hamamatsu Castle.

The Mizuno family, who ruled the eastern part of Chita District in Owari Province and the western part of Bishū District in Mikawa Province, were in a position similar to that of the Oda and Tokugawa families, so Nobushige could not strongly insist.

"I will participate."

"Since we are divided, it is not good..."

Oda Nobutada and Dan羽 Nagahide showed a reluctant agreement.

They judged that if they were to launch an offensive, they needed to go with almost the entire army to avoid being defeated one by one.

Nagahide thought that even if they could not defeat Shingen, this battle could be a catalyst for the Takeda army's retreat or a peace agreement.

"With this, our army is 32,000, and the Takeda army is 25,000. There is little time to keep staring at each other. Let's win the decisive battle and take Shingen's head!"

Nobushige's opinion that there was no time to spare was strongly agreed upon by Ieyasu and Shingen.

Since both were mobilizing peasants for the war, a prolonged confrontation could severely damage the economy of their territories.

"Nobutada, why did you agree to Nobushige's plan?"

"Even if I deny it, Nobushige will not stop the decisive battle. Nagahide, send a letter to Shinji at Nagashino Castle."

"Understood."

Following Nobutada's order, one of Nagahide's retainers sent a messenger to Nagashino Castle.

Nobutada, though a less prominent figure compared to Nobunaga, was a calm and tactically skilled person, which is why he was appointed as a general for reinforcements by Nobunaga.

"Is it going to be a short-term battle now? What is Nobushige thinking?"

Mitsuaki, who received the letter from Nagahide's retainer, rarely shouted.

He had planned to wear down the enemy's supplies and bring the war to a negotiated victory, but this action could ruin everything.

However, Mitsuaki did not have the authority to order Nobushige to stop.

There was no way to stop him.

"Anxiety, I suppose."

In place of Shōshin, who was governing southern Shinano, Seishō, who was nearby, said only one word.

"Anxiety?"

"Yes, my lord, and also Hashiba, Takigawa, and Shibata."

Seishō explained that the head elder, Nobushige, was being overtaken by his subordinates and that this decisive battle was a way to break that crisis.

"Defeating Shingen, whom the lord fears the most, would be a great achievement, and Nobushige's position would be secure."

"Don't destroy the battle lines for such a troublesome reason."

Mitsuaki did not think that Nobushige could defeat Shingen.

"Perhaps he can win."

"Hmm, you, who know more about military affairs than I do, think he can win. What is your basis for that?"

"Well, it's just a possibility. Battles are unpredictable."

Though it was a malicious way of saying it, it seemed that Seishō also did not think that Nobushige could defeat Shingen.

"I will go to support, but I want you to stay and defend Nagashino Castle, Seishō."

"Understood."

"Are you not really wanting to go?"

Whether he could win or not, it was a battle against Takeda Shingen.

Mitsuaki, who did not understand, gradually began to understand that there were samurai in this era who were excited by battles against strong enemies.

"I am not without such thoughts, but this time, time is the key. It's best to leave it to the original Mikawa group."

Seishō advised Mitsuaki to entrust the guidance to Honjō Masaharu, Watanabe Morinari, and Hachiya Masatsugu, who were familiar with the geography.

"Alright, I will entrust the guidance to the three of you."

"““Understood!””"

Considering the defense of Oku-Tōtōmi, the 13,000-strong Shinji army left Nagashino Castle and rushed to Hamamatsu.

They passed through Noda Castle and headed east along the Hime Highway, finally arriving at Hamamatsu Castle, where only Mizuno Tadamasa and his