Chapter 77

On the 18th day of the fifth month of the year 1540 (Tenchō 9).

Rō Shigeyoshi, who was inspecting his territory, received an urgent message from Ino and hurried back to the Fujihira Castle to gather the nearby retainers for a discussion.

"Everyone, according to the reports from the scouts, the Takara family gathered their forces at the Fura Castle yesterday and suddenly made a secret movement. It is said that nearly 200 peasant soldiers were moved to the base of Fura Castle," Shigeyoshi said.

"The Takara family has about 30 samurai, and if they mobilize all the peasant soldiers in their territory, they would have about 300 men in total. To move so many troops at once is very suspicious," Ōnishi Kuniharu said.

"Could the Takara family be planning to attack the Oda family?" Tōgō Heizō asked.

"No, if the Takara family intended to annex the Oda family, they would have done so long ago. There's no need to wait until now," Shigeyoshi looked at Ino, who had been silent but seemed eager to speak, and then asked, "Ino, what do you think?"

"Your Excellency, I believe the Takara family is likely to attack our main family," Ino immediately bowed and said.

"Are they planning to engage in a fierce battle with our main family at the border? That would be detrimental to both sides," Hira Satarō, who was attending the council for the first time, said.

"No, their target is Tashiro Castle," Ino said.

"Whoa," the retainers immediately drew in a sharp breath.

"Your Excellency, should we immediately reinforce the defenses at Tashiro Castle?" Tōgō Heizō immediately asked. "It is a crucial route connecting the western and eastern sides of the Yatake Mountains. If the Takara family occupies it, our territory will be split in two."

"No, Lord Heizō, it's too late for that. I believe we should immediately send troops to attack the Takara family's forces at the border and then directly take Fura Castle," Ōnishi Kuniharu loudly suggested.

"Ha ha, encircling Wei to save Zhao, is it?" Shigeyoshi smiled slightly. "Don't worry, I intentionally left Tashiro Castle for the Takara family." In fact, three days ago, Shigeyoshi had already arranged for Kōsuke, who was responsible for guarding Tashiro Castle, to start dismantling the castle and secretly evacuate the residents. Even if the Takara family eventually occupied it, they would only get an empty ruin. Could they hold it?

"Your Excellency, this is...," the retainers were clearly confused by Shigeyoshi's response.

"You will understand in time," Shigeyoshi did not directly answer the retainers' doubts. "Kuniharu, send someone to inform our ally, the Oda family, of this news. I'm sure Oda Taikō will be very pleased. At the same time, Hira, immediately gather 100 peasant soldiers. Once the Oda family's forces move towards Fura Castle, immediately occupy their territory and block all the entrances and exits connecting the Saji, Myōkō, and Taku families. If these families' forces invade, try to delay them as much as possible. Reinforcements will arrive as soon as possible. Kuniharu, prepare the foot soldiers and samurai for mobilization. A major battle is imminent."

"Ah? Your Excellency, the Oda family may not necessarily move towards Fura Castle," Ōnishi Kuniharu said worriedly. This was undoubtedly a gamble.

"They will, they definitely will," Shigeyoshi said firmly. This battle would directly determine the ownership of all the land between the Yatake and Jōga Mountains.

......

Continuous drizzle had made the mountain paths muddy and difficult to traverse. At this moment, a group of about 200 men was struggling to march forward. Takara Harunori, riding a small horse, was anxiously urging his men to quicken their pace. However, after nearly an hour of rapid movement, these peasant soldiers, carrying various weapons, were already exhausted. If not for the fear of their lord's severe punishment, they would have deserted halfway.

"Lord," a scout ran up.

"What's the situation ahead?" Takara Harunori dismounted and asked the scout.

"Lord, we are less than two miles from the border, but the original checkpoint is already deserted," the scout knelt and bowed.

"Hmm? Are you sure no one is there?" Takara Harunori was puzzled. Given the other side's shrewdness in quickly annexing three powerful local lords in a single day, it was impossible for them not to know that he was heading towards Tashiro Castle. According to his original plan, he was striking first. Even if the other side detected his intentions, they would not be able to provide timely reinforcements. The only hope was that the original garrison at Tashiro Castle could hold out until reinforcements arrived. For this, Takara Harunori had prepared for a fierce battle to quickly capture Tashiro Castle. However, he never expected the other side to withdraw even the peasant soldiers from the border. Was the strength concentrated in Tashiro Castle? Or was there another plan? Or even an ambush on the way into the border? Takara Harunori was indecisive.

"Lord, I have already entered the other side's former checkpoint. There is nothing there except for the fence," the scout said confidently. "And I walked a bit further along the path and found no abnormalities, not even a single person. The nearby villages are also deserted."

"Whoa," Takara Harunori drew in a sharp breath. Could the other side have foreseen this? No, that was impossible. In such a short time, the other side could not have turned the tide. Was the commander of the defending forces setting a trap? Yes, that was very likely. Hmph, do they think they can scare me with such a petty trick? Impossible. Having made his decision, Takara Harunori, known as the "Wolf of Higashimatsuura," immediately announced that whoever reached Tashiro Castle first would be rewarded with ten koku of grain, and whoever captured Tashiro Castle first would be rewarded with a fertile rice field. The exhausted peasant soldiers immediately became agitated, and the entire group's pace quickened significantly.

Just as the group was advancing rapidly and approaching the border, a foot soldier, riding a horse, came galloping up from the rear, and the peasant soldiers immediately scattered to make way.

"Lord, Lord..." the foot soldier shouted breathlessly from the horse.

"Hmm," hearing the commotion in the rear, Takara Harunori became furious, turned around, and was about to shout when he suddenly saw the foot soldier charging towards him. Wasn't this one of the two regular foot soldiers left to guard the castle? Could something have happened in the castle?

"Lord," the foot soldier finally reached Takara Harunori, rolled off the horse, and crawled to him, "Lord, something terrible has happened. The Oda family suddenly attacked our border checkpoint and is now almost at the base of Fura Castle."

"Hmph, just a small ant. With the defenses in our castle, we can handle it," before setting out, Takara Harunori had made thorough preparations. Although he had no regard for the Oda family, who were left to linger, he still left several regular foot soldiers and a dozen peasant soldiers under the command of Kizao Shigetada to guard against any sudden attacks.

"Lord, some of the people left behind have rebelled? Although they were quickly suppressed, Lord Kizao Shigetada was seriously injured, and there are fewer than ten soldiers left to defend the castle. Now, rumors are spreading in the castle that the Oda family is advancing towards our main castle, and many people have already fled to the outside," the foot soldier, having caught his breath, said anxiously.

(PS: The new book has been released for a month, already A-signed, and has been updated with over 200,000 words. I will not stop updating, at least 1.5 million words or more. Running naked for two weeks, on the Sanjiang Potential List in the third week, on the New Book Recommendation List in the fourth week, on the Strong Recommendation List for the History Category this week, and on the New Book Selection List for the History Category next week. Everyone, don't leave after reading. Even if you don't have votes, add it to your bookshelf. I beg on my knees. My principle is that even if I flop, I will write at least 1.5 million words, flopping spectacularly! Enjoy writing, enjoy solitude.)

Page flip AD starts

Page flip AD ends