Chapter 206 10. Imagawa and His Son Die Together
In the tea room of Enshu Ejiri Castle, Yamauchi Yoshichika's face was covered with stains and his hair was disheveled. The gorgeous Tang-style armor that was specially made for him was already in pieces. The golden flower haori made of high-quality Koshu silk was gone, and the pocket decorated with gold foil was nowhere to be found.
And Yamauchi Yoshichika was shoveling tea rice in a mess. That look and momentum made him want to swallow the whole bowl. He did not have the manners of the descendants of the 100,000-kan Genji family. However, Konishihara Saemon, Uncle Tsunayoshi, and Matsushita Ichima beside him were all like this.
An hour ago, more than a thousand Yamauchi soldiers, like beggars and refugees, fled to Ejiri Castle in a panic. Kobayata knew that the timeline had finally concluded, and the most powerful tyrant in the Genji family, Imagawa Jibe Daisuke Yoshimoto, was defeated, but he still did not break away from the trajectory of history.
After settling the army, which was already in disarray and suffering from hunger and cold, several generals were all invited to live in the residence by Kobayata. They had not eaten a meal for almost two days.
Konishihara Saemon was the head of the hatamoto, with the highest status and broad knowledge. The Yamanouchi family had lost battles before, and it was not the first time for him to flee, so after eating a big bowl of hot tea rice, he calmed down.
Others also slowly came out of their panic. Except for Yamanouchi Yoshichika, who was still in a daze during his first battle, the other veterans looked at Kobayata with worried faces.
But no one spoke. Yamanouchi Yoshichika was the general general and the young master. No matter what to say, he should speak first, and others will supplement it.
"Young master, how is Imagawa Osamu Daisuke?" This is the key among the keys. If Yoshimoto is not dead, then the Imagawa family is just a big defeat, and the death of two or three thousand people is not a serious injury to a big force like him, but just to come back next year.
"We found a few scattered samurai from our team on the way. My father-in-law has been captured by the Oda army." Yamauchi Yoshichika said a result that Kobayata had expected a long time ago.
"Is it true that Jibu Daisuke died in the battle?" Kobayata looked at several deputy generals and forces.
"Two days ago, we were attacked in Okazaki, and defeated a group of local people who had revolted, and rescued several hatamoto from Suruga. Four days ago, it rained heavily in the afternoon, and Suruga Jibu was attacked by Owari Josuke, and was undoubtedly killed." Matsushita Ichima nodded, indicating that it was correct.
"What about those Suruga hatamoto? Have they been brought back to Ejiri?" Kobayata hurriedly confirmed.
"He went to Kutsukage and joined Okabe Sakyoshin (Okabe Masaga)." The governor of Kutsukage Castle, Okabe Masaga, still had 1,500 people stationed in the city. Because of sufficient food and fodder and strict military discipline, they did not collapse immediately.
"What about Imagawa Hikogoro (Imagawa Ujizane)?"
"At that time, my sworn brother was in Otaka, and he was the first to receive the news that his father-in-law had died in the battle. Asahina Suruga no Kami (Asahina Taicho) urged my sworn brother to leave the battlefield as soon as possible and rush back to Suruga to stabilize the situation. So 500 elite soldiers from Suruga Totomi protected my sworn brother and went ahead. Who knew that people's hearts were unpredictable, and the 500 people collapsed before fighting. Before reaching Mikawa Kutsukake Castle, there were only more than 200 riders left. They ran into Owari Josousuke who was withdrawing his troops and fought hard, but they were not provoked and were killed together." Yamanouchi Yoshichika looked sad.
"What! Imagawa Hikogoro also died in the battle!" Kobayata was shocked. In history, this person lived to be 77 years old, with children around him, and finally survived to the Meiji era as a 1,000-koku shogunate family. Now, by coincidence, they died together at the hands of Oda Nobunaga. Imagawa father and son died on the same day!
"What about Takeda Taro?" There is another important person who needs to be asked clearly.
"It seems that I heard from the defeated soldiers on the road that Yoshio was conducting guerrilla warfare outside Gudu at that time, and there happened to be dozens of warships of the Ikko navy outside Atsuta. Yoshio and most of the Takeda hatamoto took the boat and left. They should have arrived in Suruga by now." Yamauchi Yoshichika said a shocking coincidence.
Takeda Harunobu and Honganji Akira were brothers-in-law. It happened that dozens of warships of Hattori Tomonori of the Ikko navy Ebiura Party were conducting guerrilla warfare outside Atsuta Port, and they happened to pick up Takeda Taro Yoshinobu to escape! What a coincidence!
As for the others, there is not much to say. Imagawa Yoshimoto's helmet was held up by the Oda army and paraded around the battlefield. First, the 16,000 ronin mercenaries collectively mutinied and collapsed, turned around and attacked the Imagawa army, and robbed money, food and weapons.
So the 5,000 troops of Okazaki Castle and the 4,000 troops of Yoshida Castle all disappeared overnight, and those assigned to various cities and forts also fled. Then came the 8,000 people of Mikawa. When the 4,000 people of West Mikawa heard that Yoshimoto had died, they immediately scattered like birds and beasts and returned to their homes. Udono Nagateru of East Mikawa fought and retreated, and fled to Yoshida.
Once these 24,000 people were dispersed, leaving behind the 5,000 people of the two sons-in-law, the Imagawa army was left with only a few melons and two dates.
The people in the Owari Mikawa area immediately showed their "Warring States character". The locals rose up, and all the villages and towns along the roads and forests were hunting for the laggards. They frantically attacked the lone samurai and miscellaneous soldiers, which was also the reason why Yamanouchi Yoshichika lost hundreds of people on the land route.
The reason why they were able to return intact was because they kept running for their lives along the way, and kept throwing away rice, military rations and various property along the way, attracting the mobs along the way to rob them. Even so, the losses were not small, which was heartbreaking.
Yamanouchi Yoshichika's gold foil helmet was also thrown to a group of hundreds of fleeing soldiers in order to escape the ambush. Everyone ran across Mikawa for two days and one night, day and night, and finally escaped and returned to the Ejiri territory.
As for the movements of the Imagawa clan's generals who were stranded at the front line, they did not know. They only knew that the lord of Takatenjin Castle, Okabe Motonobu, entered Narumi Castle to cover the retreat of the remaining Imagawa army, and his brother Okabe Masatsuna was in Kutsukake as his backup and support.
Udono Nagateru should have fled back to West Mikawa with Suganuma Sadayue, and seems to be defending the city to the death. Okudaira Sadano seems to be doing the same. The news of the families in East Mikawa is unknown.
After listening to the narration of several people, Kobayata immediately shouted to the outside, "Yoshiro, Minggoro!"
Ogasawara, Shiro Nagamasa and Kanai Minggoro immediately came in from the outside. Kobayata wrote down everything that happened here in a letter and handed it to the two of them respectively.
"Change the horse but not the person. If the horse dies, walk on foot. Make sure to deliver it to the lord and the left horse head day and night."
"Yoshiro, you are familiar with Kyoto. I will arrange a speedboat tonight to send you to Ise. Make sure to deliver it in person."
"Minggoro, two days! Two days at most. His Highness must see this letter! Take three horses and leave now. Hold my nameplate. You can requisition all the horses of the famous lords along the way. Just ask for speed."
The two did not ask the reason, took the letter, turned around and left the hall, and set off immediately.
"Young Master, from now on, your name will be Imagawa Surugamori Yoshichika, and your father is Imagawa Osamu Daisuke!"