Chapter 98

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The Castle of Miyajima stands on a high hill in the Yukan Mountains. After generations of the Saji family's continuous reinforcement, the castle walls are now 5 meters high, with inner and outer baileys. This is the only castle that Seirou has seen so far that can be called a "castle." The others he has seen are merely small, upgraded fortresses.

Looking up from the foot of the castle, one can see the densely packed ashigaru (foot soldiers) standing on the walls, ready for battle. As the conch horn sounds, the forces of the various powerful families, who have already surrounded Miyajima Castle, surge towards the castle like ants from all directions. In front of the castle, dozens of ashigaru carry a thick log, freshly cut, and advance towards the gate.

This is Seirou's first time witnessing a siege in person. It seems that the powerful families, lacking siege weapons, can only use the human wave tactic to attack the castle. Seirou even saw some ashigaru trying to climb the walls with grappling hooks, while the Saji family's ashigaru on the walls continuously rolled stones and logs down. This siege is indeed not an easy task.

"Let's go," Seirou thought, knowing that what follows will be a prolonged battle. It will take at least two or three days to determine the outcome. Looking back at his retainers, Seirou mounted his small horse and led the way down the hill. There is still a defensive battle waiting for him.

According to the plan discussed last night, the three powerful families are divided into left, center, and right camps, responsible for blocking the road to Miyajima Castle. The Roshii family is on the far left, closest to the sea, which is the most dangerous direction. They not only face the enemy from the front but also the possibility of an attack from the port. More fatally, if the right flank collapses, the left flank could easily be surrounded due to the inability to retreat in time.

After setting up camp with 30 ashigaru, Seirou received a report from the scouts that three groups of forces with different banners were approaching. Seirou immediately led all his men into formation. The two nearby minor lords, upon receiving the information from Seirou, also quickly formed their formations.

Soon, the three groups arrived. Seeing the road blocked, they also formed three formations facing Seirou's allied forces, clearly ready to engage. Ichiro pointed out the origins of the opposing forces: the forces directly opposite the Roshii family were from the Hashimoto family, the middle group was from the Nakase family, and the rightmost group was from the Fujisaki family. All three families have marital ties with the Saji family.

After the formations were set, a man on a small horse from the opposing side waved his large sword, and dozens of archers from the three allied forces stepped forward. Similarly, dozens of archers from the other two families also stepped forward. Seirou remained calm, knowing that at this distance, the arrows would have minimal impact. He didn't want to waste his arrows. However, the Hashimoto family thought the Roshii family was afraid and burst into laughter.

Seirou noticed the anger on his men's faces and smiled inwardly. This was exactly what he wanted. Let them hold their anger for now, and they will unleash it in battle. As the commanders on both sides gave the order, the ashigaru began to shoot at each other. Seirou watched the arrows land a few steps away from his formation and shook his head with a bitter smile. Soon, the archers finished shooting, and the commanders ordered the formations to move forward. Now it was time for the infantry to show their skills.

However, the Roshii family's formation did not move. The laughter from the opposing side grew louder, and even the two nearby allies couldn't help but curse the reputation that had led to this. Who said the Roshii family had taken dozens of heads? Who called them the fierce warriors of Higashimatsu? They looked like cowards now.

"Archers, prepare," Seirou shouted as the enemy approached. In the rear of the Roshii family's formation, 11 men in cloaks and 10 archers formed a long-range attack team. As Seirou gave the order, all the bows were drawn.

"Fire," Seirou shouted as the enemy entered the 20-step effective range. "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh," 21 arrows instantly shot towards the approaching enemy. "Ah, ah..." cries of pain came from the enemy ranks. The enemy also shot back, but their aim was poor while moving.

"Archers, free fire. Spear formation, prepare," Seirou shouted, "Bring me a bow."

Seirou's special heavy bow was quickly brought to him. Seirou raised the bow, drew the string, and aimed at the man on the small horse who had been commanding. That man was incredibly arrogant, riding a horse so close to the enemy. Seirou focused, released the string, and the arrow flew. The man, who was still shouting arrogantly, was hit in the face and fell off his horse, causing chaos in the enemy ranks. Seirou regretted that his target was the man's neck.

"Charge," Seirou seized the opportunity, drew his sword, and ordered.

The nearly 70-man spear formation quickly moved forward, with the archers continuing to shoot. The enemy ashigaru, seeing this formation and their commander injured, stopped advancing. The Roshii family's forces, not letting up, shouted "Charge, charge, charge" and advanced with their spears.

The enemy forces were clearly made up of conscripts. When the battle was going well, they would bravely follow the main force, but now, facing the fierce enemy, they were unwilling to fight. Despite the samurai's desperate attempts to stop them, the conscripts turned and ran. The samurai, pushed by the fleeing conscripts, were scattered, greatly reducing their combat effectiveness.

At this moment, the two forces began to clash. Seirou, seeing the opportunity, charged forward with his spear, impaling a samurai who was trying to stop the fleeing conscripts.

"The Hashimoto family's commander has been defeated!" "The Hashimoto family's commander has been defeated!" The cries echoed across the battlefield. The fleeing conscripts, hearing that their commander had been defeated, ran even faster, fearing they would be the next target. Soon, the Hashimoto family's 100-strong force was in full retreat. A few samurai desperately guarded their injured commander, fleeing forward. The surrounding powerful families were shocked by the sudden ferocity of the Roshii family, who had been hesitant to advance.

"Where are you running?" Seirou, now on his small horse, charged from behind with his spear.

The fleeing conscripts wished they had more legs, crying and retreating. A samurai emerged from the crowd, trying to intercept Seirou. Seirou's spear pierced the samurai's throat, and he fell with a scream. The piercing cry echoed across the battlefield, even reaching the ears of the other forces in battle nearby.

"Charge," Seirou, like a demon in the night, charged through the crowd, leaving a trail of fallen enemies. As he approached the injured enemy commander, a large, round-faced man shouted, "Do not harm my lord," and lunged at Seirou. Seirou had no choice but to thrust his spear at the man.

"Clang," the spear was blocked by something hard. Seirou saw that it was a genuine do-maru armor. Indeed, they were wealthy, while Seirou himself wore a simple armor. Even a minor samurai on the enemy side wore a do-maru, which made Seirou envious.

In that instant, the man grabbed Seirou's spear with both hands, refusing to let go. Seirou, unable to exert force on the horse and surrounded by enemy samurai, could not escape. Seeing the enemy commander being carried away by a few samurai, Seirou shouted in anger, dropped his spear, drew his sword, and rolled off the horse. He rolled past the samurai, who, unbalanced by Seirou's sudden release, fell with a scream. Seirou, in his anger, used the secret sword technique "Kongoriki" to sever the samurai's legs.

At this moment, several samurai responsible for the rear guard also charged. Seirou, enraged, shouted and charged forward.

Half an hour later, due to the Hashimoto family's defeat, the other two supporting families were forced to retreat. The battle was over. The Roshii family, without a single casualty, killed 13 men from the Hashimoto family, including 7 samurai, and injured dozens more, achieving a great victory. In this battle, Seirou, riding his small horse, performed a "one-ride charge," severely injuring the Hashimoto family's commander, killing 5 samurai, and injuring several others, once again becoming the focus of attention. The two minor lords, who had witnessed Seirou's bravery, put aside their previous contempt and became respectful and obedient to him. After the battle, they even sent congratulations.

After cleaning up the battlefield, the Roshii family's forces returned to their original camp. All the guards were on high alert, ready for any intruders.

In the tent, Seirou gently stroked the do-maru armor in front of him and asked, "How was the harvest this time?"

"Your Highness, we seized 7 swords, 30 spears, 10 bows, 8 simple armors, 2 abdominal armors, 3 do-maru armors, and one horse from the battlefield," the military supervisor, Roshii Kousuke, reported.

"Hmm, it wasn't a wasted battle," Seirou nodded. "What about the Saji family's navy?"

"The Saji family's navy has officially set sail from the port this morning, leaving only a few ashigaru to guard it. I observed that there are still many ships left in the port," the scout leader Ichiro reported immediately.

"It seems it's time to act. Kousuke, prepare immediately. We must act tonight to avoid any changes," Seirou instructed. "Sun Goro, the success or failure of tonight's operation depends on you."

"Yes, Your Highness," Kousuke and Sun Goro bowed and accepted the order.

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