Chapter 125 13. The Two Armies Confront Each Other
At this point, even a fool can see it. Everyone go home and gather your friends and get ready for the fight.
The Yamanouchi clan's war machine started up again, and Kobayata went home to prepare.
Tatsuzo and Heiroku had never experienced war (the last time the bell rang for emergency entry into the city was not a war at all, and they just put on a cheap domaru and ran into the city quickly, and never went into battle properly), and they were at a loss for a moment. On the contrary, Aji had fought for two years. Although he was only fifteen years old, he looked like an old veteran, wearing the foot soldier domaru that Kobayata bought for him, and his sister Kono tied the horse mark for him.
Akichi excitedly taught the two junior followers how to wear simple foot soldiers' armor, and the old family members of Tsunara's uncle had to dress up again (this time, the whole territory was mobilized, and the soldiers were sent out according to the upper limit. According to the history books, they were almost all apprentices, and all the remaining envy. Therefore, the old family members over fifty had to dress up and become the flag-bearing foot soldiers of Tsunara's uncle). In less than half an hour, two horses, four foot soldiers, and two flag bearers ran out of this house in Zixiao Road. Then the two samurai's military expansion obligations, more than 30 foot soldiers with bows and iron cannons, were also summoned and gathered at the foot of the city.
On the night of the gathering, neither the samurai nor the foot soldiers could go home to spend the night. The soldiers set up tents in the playground under the city, made fires and camped, and the samurai went into the city to discuss. The next day, most of the troops in Yamauchi rushed to Yamauchi Fuchū Castle in a noisy manner. As for the troops in Ejiri, they couldn't wait any longer, so they were asked to follow after the gathering. Who knows where Takeda Harunobu has gone? Maybe he has already set out from his old nest, Kai Fuchu Castle. The opportunity for war is fleeting.
Yamanouchi Yoshiharu did not make any pre-war mobilization speeches, but directly ordered the armies to march in sequence. Kodaira and uncle Tsunayoshi formed a team, and the regular soldiers and farmers gathered about 500 people, marching in the second formation with the Nikko-Moonlight horse mark and Fujinomaru horse mark.
Soon, along the Azumi Chikuma Street near the Kiso Valley, through the southern edge of Chikuma County, intending to go straight to Suwa, which was owned by the Takeda clan. The army was only halfway there when the envoys and the Nagashi sent news one after another that Takeda Harunobu had mobilized a huge army of 5,500 people from Kai and pounced on Suwa and Ina. The father and son of Suwa Manlin and Suwa Yoritada in Suwa County also gathered under the command of Takeda clan's headmaster Gaki Suruga Morinobu, and the Oyamada clan and Saku Oi clan in the county also came to help.
When they reached the Chikuma River, the army could not move. Countless Takeda diamonds were flying in the opposite Shimojo area. Across the Chikuma River, thousands of Takeda troops had occupied favorable terrain, controlled various highlands and shallows, and were fully prepared.
So Yamanouchi Yoshiharu also ordered the entire army to stop, first set up his main camp at Tenpaku Mountain, and then set up a formation to face the Takeda army from a distance. Then the scouts were sent everywhere, and the outposts on the battlefield of both sides gradually unfolded.
After a little investigation, the Yamanouchi army knew almost what the Takeda army facing across the river was doing. The troops on the other side were mainly the Takeda clan vanguard led by Itagaki Suruga-no-kami Nobukata, the elder of the Takeda clan. The main force was the 3,500 Shinano vanguards from the two and a half counties of the Shinano side, and the 500 Koshu foot soldiers from Itagaki Nobukata's headquarters.
Itagaki Nobukata was obviously a former tutor of Takeda Harunobu. He arranged the 4,000 Takeda troops into a crane wing formation across the Sanchuan River. The left and right wings were led by Koshu's brave general Koyamada Sabei (this person should not be Itagaki Nobukata's entourage. It is speculated that he was a general of the Koyamada clan who came with some reinforcements from Koshu people) and Komiyayama Tangomori (this person, like Tada Mitsuyori, should be Itagaki Nobukata's entourage. He was listed in Itagaki Nobukata's troops during the Battle of Odawarai?).
Under the supervision of the two Koshu brave generals, the Suwa and Saku troops under their command were also arranged in a ladder. There was no panic at all when encountering the enemy, but this state was faintly defensive and counterattacked.
Yamauchi Yoshiharu saw that the initiative had been lost. The whole army of 7,000 people had a slight advantage in numbers, but he could not fight an unprepared battle and could not rush into the enemy. He now made it clear that he wanted to confront Itagaki Nobukata. You have a rear team of Takeda Harunobu with 5,500 people, and I also have a rear team of Isshiki Miyauchi with 4,500 people.
The total number of Takeda's army is 9,500, and the total number of Yamauchi's army is 11,500. Let's face it and see who can beat the other. Did you still think that the Yamauchi family was the second-rate stuff with only 5,000 or 6,000 people eight years ago? Now it is different from the past, and everyone can arm wrestle.
The Yamauchi generals set up camp along the slope of Tenbai Mountain, where Yamauchi Yoshiharu's main camp was located. The Yamauchi armies divided their defense areas and set up a four-sided square formation, surrounding the hatamoto main team and the horse circle of Yamauchi Yoshiharu and his son in the middle. He also pretended to defend and counterattack, and confronted Itagaki Nobukata.
The commanders of each army gathered in the shogunate, and as expected, Yamanouchi Yoshiharu asked about the battle strategy. The chief of the family, Yamanouchi Shukei, as the head of the family, as the military magistrate (previously, Hosokawa Harumiya held this position, but now that he is not here, Yamanouchi Shukei will take over. This position should be a temporary position during combat. The position of the military magistrate held by Narimatsu Nobukatsu of the Ryuzoji family is roughly the same as the military magistrate of the Yamanouchi family, responsible for managing military affairs. The names are similar) began to talk in detail, explaining the confrontation between the two armies across the San River and the generals and troops of the A army that he observed.
In the records of later generations, the Jia army has been praised to the sky, and all kinds of deeds have been spread as if they were miraculous. There are always people who lament that if it weren't for the five times of Kawanakajima and the military god who spent ten years, my Lord Shingen would have been able to go to Kyoto early, and how could the Oda children of Owari have seized the world? The last few hundred years of the famous family, the Minamoto bloodline passed down by Silla Saburo, was actually killed and exterminated in the generation of Takeda Katsuyori.
It would be a lie for Kobayata to say that he was not at all in awe, but he had also seen the Mitsukoshi soldiers of Echigo Uesugi Terutora. Since Takeda Harunobu's Jia army and their five times of Kawanakajima fought to a draw, their level should be about the same. Based on Kobayata's understanding of the Yamauchi army, the combat effectiveness of ordinary military servicemen is still good. They may not be as fierce and brave as the Koshu mountain people in frontal battles, but they should have no problem defending. Moreover, the Yamauchi army has 7,000 people, which is more than the Takeda army. The generals are also very harmonious and united, and there will be no traitors or traitors.
Kobayata thought that he would finally fight with a team of generals (because Yamanouchi Yoshikatsu led a team alone, which diluted the strength of Yamanouchi Yoshiharu's main team, so uncle Tsunayoshi and his regular foot soldiers were unfortunately withdrawn to the main team of the Konoe Guards, and the Renkawa people were all handed over to Kobayata), and started a battle in this place called Shimo-no-jo.
Maybe his bravery will spread in Shimo-jo.
I think it's time for all the big brothers to love me again. Big brothers, please do it. If the ranking is good this week, we will do it on Tuesday and Friday next week!