Chapter 195 38. Fighting for Life and Death in the Rain

This fateful but unexpected encounter went against Oda Nobunaga from the beginning. It was raining on this restless autumn afternoon.

It was supposed to rain, and the normal battle mode was: Oh wow! It's raining. Listen to me, the opponent, I was going to kill you today, but the weather was not good, I'll take your head tomorrow. Then the opponent also cursed at each other, trying to save face.

After the verbal show of power, both sides retreated a few hundred meters and set up camp. Each side sent out a small force to test guerrilla warfare, and the two sides kept in contact.

When the rain stopped the next day, they observed the battlefield and found that they could fight. So they arranged their battle formations like gangsters, fought back and forth, and fought until one side was exhausted and defeated.

But it was impossible for Azusaka to fight again tomorrow in such a peaceful way. Oda Nobunaga wanted to keep all 6,000 people. Master Taiyuan wanted to quickly bring these troops back to Yoshida to preserve Imagawa Yoshimoto's strength. This meant that the two of them could not settle the matter peacefully today, and they had to stop and wrestle.

The two armies had not yet really launched a large-scale fierce confrontation, but because of the rain, the ground began to become slippery before they stepped on it a few times, and the straw sandals soon became rotten and even unusable after stepping on the muddy ground. Moreover, due to the rain curtain, the visibility on the battlefield was also reduced by nature, and the sight of the commanders of the two armies was greatly affected.

Although the soldiers could barely line up, the warriors' horses were soon stained by mud because their horse shoes were also straw sandals, and they could not launch a charge attack at all. The horses' hooves slipped one by one, making it inconvenient to walk.

The cavalry, which was supposed to be the backbone of the three armies and the decisive fighting force, is now no longer used by everyone. Many warriors who are skilled in archery and horse riding can't help but be very upset, losing the opportunity to show their skills on horseback.

Now the cavalry could only dismount and join the ranks of the infantry with their guns. Although the bows were not afraid of getting wet by the rain, they were not made of beef tendons and glue. However, in such a heavy rain, the arrows would certainly be inaccurate.

The entire battle mode has been completely simplified since then. First, the iron cannons were not many, and second, it was raining. Although the bows and arrows were not afraid of getting wet, their accuracy was greatly reduced and they could not be used. The horses' hooves slipped and were difficult to ride. Poor! Poor! In the end, everyone became muddy infantry, struggling in the filthy mud, and engaging in the most unspectacular melee.

The flags and horse emblems of each team were soaked in rain and could not be waved open. The shouts of the messengers and messengers became inaudible in the rain.

But in general, the Imagawa army, which took the lead in occupying the high slope and relatively high terrain, had the advantage (geographic advantage). Both sides had 6,000 people (people), and neither side could suppress the other in terms of numbers. Taiyuan Zen Master also observed the situation of the battlefield clearly. With such heavy rain (weather), whoever couldn't stand it first would lose first. In this way, no matter which part was changing in the direction that was favorable to the Imagawa army.

But he also suffered from the poor communication and vision on the battlefield. In the end, he simply gathered all the big and small drums of the Imagawa army to the main camp, and then selected the strongest and tallest warriors among the guards, beat the drums fiercely, and ordered the whole army to bravely attack the Oda army and win the victory.

Taiyuan Xuezhai Zen Master naturally had confidence in his army. Although it cannot be said that all his troops were top-notch at the moment, they could clearly distinguish the golden drums and hear the war, which was already a mighty army in the world.

Several drummers shouted "Ah~~Wow!", and the drumsticks in their hands were like raindrops in the four fields, continuous and endless. The rumbling sound of the drums finally suppressed the noise of the rain on Azuzaka. The front-line teams of Imagawa heard the order to attack so clearly and inspiringly, and they were all in high spirits, attacking the Oda army regardless of the bad environment.

Oda Nobunaga also heard the attack of the Imagawa army. The army commanded and dispatched by the old monk Taiyuan was indeed different from the one led by the rookies. The soldiers were more willing to believe in Taiyuan Xuezhai because of his fame in the sea route for decades. The biggest advantage of veterans is their reputation. Many Imagawa soldiers even grew up listening to the reputation of Taiyuan Zen Master.

But Oda Nobunaga was not willing to admit defeat. Taiyuan Xuezhai Zen Master did this because he could see clearly the troops under his command, and they were definitely not rookies. And did Nobunaga have no confidence in the Owari people under his command? Of course not.

Oda Nobunaga saw that the soldiers began to become a little unstable due to continuous attacks from all sides, so he hurriedly mounted his warhorse, regardless of the danger of falling off the horse, and bravely rushed to the front line of the battle.

He shouted to the soldiers of the Oda army that he was Oda Nobunaga and that he was on the front line with them.

When all the soldiers focused their attention on him, Oda Nobunaga jumped off his horse, took off his straw sandals without saying a word, and threw them away.

The foot soldiers commanding the front line saw Oda Nobunaga's behavior, and with his experience as a servant serving Nobunaga, he immediately understood what was going on, and shouted loudly for the soldiers to throw away the straw sandals that had long been tattered.

The foot soldiers said they were soldiers, but five days ago they were ordinary farmers harvesting rice in muddy paddy fields. The feeling of stepping on the muddy ground with their feet was a million times more familiar than wearing shoes. Even if it was a little slippery, they didn't care, but walked faster and more conveniently.

After all, they had been dealing with the land for years, or dealing with paddy fields. The muddy road made the Oda foot soldiers who took off their shoes seem to have returned to the fields they were very familiar with.

Oda Nobunaga saw that this was the effect he wanted, and immediately picked up a long spear that had fallen on the ground, and asked Kinoshita Tokichiro to use the long spear to point at his helmet as a horse mark, and he himself was the leader of one wing, forming a tight line of spears, shouting in unison and rushing towards the Imagawa army fiercely.

The sudden counterattack of the Oda army, which had just retreated repeatedly, stunned the Imagawa army. Oda Nobunaga ignored this and still shouted at the soldiers of the Kinoshita team to charge forward.

On the hillside on the other side, Maeda Toshiie cut off thirteen heads alone, and his body was covered in blood with a red spear. The rain could not wash away the blood on it. Because of his momentum, the Imagawa army on the hillside finally wavered.

Mori Kanari also continued to attack the Imagawa army. The two worked together, and finally the Imagawa army on the hillside could not bear it, and retreated down the mountain in disarray.

So Mori Kanari stayed on the hillside, and Maeda Toshiie's 400-plus men rushed down the hillside and hit the Imagawa army on the side, so the Imagawa army was attacked from both sides.

The Imagawa army on Azuzaka won first and then lost, and the entire battle line retreated again and again, and it seemed that they were about to fail.