Chapter 64

On the morning of May 11th, in the ninth year of the Tenshō era, after a hurried night of preparation, the families of Kogaki and Fujiwara set out from their respective territories with their banners raised. After more than an hour of marching, the two families finally met at the border with the Taira family's territory, outside a small pine forest. After a brief discussion, they immediately combined their forces, totaling over two hundred men, and marched in grand procession toward the Taira family's checkpoint.

Upon receiving news of the approaching forces, the dozen or so ashigaru (foot soldiers) guarding the checkpoint immediately fled into the surrounding woods without a second thought. They planned to wait and see the situation before coming out. As for fighting for the Taira family? That would be foolish, with over a hundred men on the other side, they wouldn't even be enough to fill their stomachs.

Faced with an empty checkpoint, the combined forces of the two families easily occupied it but did not stop. They did not even leave a single soldier to guard it, continuing their march without pause. After the allied forces passed, the Taira family's ashigaru, who had narrowly escaped, emerged from the woods. Some of them took a detour to return home, while others took a shortcut to report back.

The allied forces of the two families advanced like a storm, until they finally encountered the hastily gathered forces of the Taira family about a mile from the checkpoint. On the broad field, the two armies faced each other from fifty meters apart. On the allied side, the Fujiwara family, with about 160 men, faced the Taira family's 170 men. On the right, the Kogaki family, with about 90 men, faced a band of about 50 mountain bandits sent by "Ishizaka Tarō." Although the allied forces had a numerical advantage, in terms of the number of samurai, who were crucial in determining the outcome of the battle, the Kogaki and Fujiwara families had fewer than 30 samurai, while the Taira family had nearly 40. Thus, the two armies were evenly matched.

Generally, the number of troops a powerful family could field was limited by the koku (a measure of rice) of their territory and various other factors, and this number varied depending on the family's situation. The "troops" referred to here were mostly the standing army. In actual large-scale battles, especially conflicts between small powerful families, they would mobilize almost everyone, regardless of age or strength, as long as they could wield a weapon. As for how they were paid? They would take it from the enemy! Therefore, real wars were fought with all available resources, not by the numbers game of how much income equates to how many troops. Now, the powerful families were all throwing everything they had into the fight.

On the right, Kogaki Daisuke, dressed in simple armor, was the first to curse, "Old Taira, you killed my son. Today, I will tear you to pieces."

On the left, Fujiwara Heishin also broke into a tirade, "Rebel Taira, today I will avenge the ancestors of the Fujiwara family by slaying you, the disloyal traitor."

"Ha ha ha, Fujiwara bastard, you finally came out of your shell? I thought you would hide in your lair forever. The Fujiwara family has a bastard like you, it truly tarnishes its former glory. Old Kogaki, your father once bowed to our family's might, always groveling. Now that you have rebelled, I will cut off your head and use it as a wine bowl," Taira Tadayoshi retorted, his heart filled with cold laughter. "Killing your son? What nonsense. It's just an excuse to invade."

"Ah?" Fujiwara Heishin and Kogaki Daisuke were enraged. Fujiwara Heishin shouted, "Everyone, the goal is Taira's head. Whoever takes Taira's head will be rewarded with five tan of good rice fields and ten koku of rough rice. Kill!" On the other side, Kogaki Daisuke also shouted, "Whoever takes Taira's head will be rewarded with fifty koku of rough rice. Kill!"

"Kill!" The troops behind the two leaders were greatly excited. Five tan of good rice fields, combined with their own land, would make them the lowest level of small powerful families. Such a good deal was hard to come by, so they all shouted and charged forward.

"Target the heads of Fujiwara and Kogaki. Whoever takes their heads will be rewarded with six tan of good rice fields and fifty koku of rough rice," Taira Tadayoshi was not to be outdone. "You're tough, but I'm tougher." The ashigaru behind him, like they had been injected with adrenaline, roared and charged forward. Even the band of mountain bandits were roused, howling as they charged at the enemy.

Seeing this, Taira Tadayoshi was elated. The effect was excellent, especially the mountain bandits, whom he had been carefully monitoring. Seeing them fight with all their might, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Fifty steps, forty steps, thirty steps..." As the distance between the two armies shortened, the faces of the Kogaki family's troops became clearer. Tadayoshi silently calculated in his mind. Occasionally, a few long arrows were shot from the other side, but at this distance, they were only for show and had no killing power. As the distance between the two sides approached twenty steps, where the arrows would become more effective, Tadayoshi suddenly shouted, "Act now," and sprinted toward the edge of the field on the right. The "mountain bandits" behind him followed closely.

In fact, this was a plan that Masahiro had instructed them to carry out, to desert the battlefield just before the battle. For the territory, each ashigaru was precious, especially the former mountain bandits who had become blacksmiths. Masahiro had never intended to fight to the death for the Taira family, not even to lose a single man. As for the fear of being accused of lack of honor by other powerful families? Ha, these were just the mountain bandits of Takayama, with no connection to the Rō family. Besides, everyone knew that no one would truly uphold honor. Even the so-called "righteous cause" was just a fig leaf.

The sudden change on the battlefield shocked both sides. Taira Tadayoshi's laughter abruptly stopped, his mouth still open in an "O" shape. As the mountain bandits quickly fled, he finally reacted, his face contorting in rage, his eyes bloodshot. He shouted in the direction of the fleeing bandits, "Damn bandits, what are you doing?" The "bandits" in full sprint did not respond, only continuing to run for their lives. Arrows rained down from behind, and although not many, two of the bandits at the back were hit in the arm. Fortunately, they were not hit in the legs, which would have slowed down the group's escape.

"Ha ha ha," this time it was Kogaki Daisuke who laughed out loud. He shouted, "Quick, don't chase those bandits. Head for Taira. The goal is Taira's head." The men who had been chasing the bandits immediately turned and quickly surrounded the Taira family's forces.

At this point, the Fujiwara and Taira family forces had already clashed. After years of conflict, both sides had lost family members to each other, and the sight of their enemies made them even more enraged. They immediately engaged in a fierce battle. The Fujiwara family's troops, seeing the sudden turn of events, were greatly encouraged.

The Taira family, however, found themselves in a difficult position. If they fought to the death, they would be at a disadvantage after the sudden desertion of the mountain bandits, likely leading to a crushing defeat, especially with their morale already low. If they fled, it could lead to a chaotic retreat, exposing their flanks and making them easy targets, leading to the Taira family's downfall. Tadayoshi hesitated, and this moment of hesitation allowed the Kogaki family to quickly cut off the Taira family's retreat, forming a pincer attack with the Fujiwara family. The Taira family's morale was further damaged, and their ashigaru were killed one after another.

"Ah!" Tadayoshi shouted, "Everyone, our retreat is cut off. Please fight bravely. After this battle, whether alive or dead, I will reward each family with fifty koku of roasted rice." Seeing their retreat blocked, Tadayoshi knew they had no choice but to fight to the death. To boost morale, he immediately promised a substantial reward. Some ashigaru immediately fought bravely, but more continued to retreat slowly, moving toward the woods on the left. The reward was generous, but they needed to survive to enjoy it. Given the current situation, they were likely to lose their lives. They could always hide at home after escaping, and the victorious lord would not pursue them individually.

"Kill!" Tadayoshi led the charge, drawing his katana. If he did not lead by example, the Taira family would be close to destruction. His kinsmen and samurai followed closely behind. For a moment, the two sides engaged in a fierce battle.

(PS: The new book is entering its fifth week, already A-signed, with over 170,000 words updated, and will not be discontinued, with at least 1.5 million words. It was on the Sanjiang Potential List in the third week, the New Book Recommendation List last week, and the Historical Category Strong Recommendation List this week. It is the top new historical book. Dear readers, after reading, please don't leave immediately. Even if you don't have votes, add it to your bookshelf. I beg you, my goal is to write over 1.5 million words, even if it means a spectacular failure. I enjoy writing and enjoy solitude.)

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