Chapter 742 23. The Oda Clan Takes a Sharp Turn for the Worse

The dazzling thousand-gold bamboo leaf horse flag kept moving forward, and every time it moved forward, it put pressure on the Oda-toku coalition on the other side of the Rengo River.

It was not because Fujiwara Danmasa under the horse flag was incomparable in bravery. In terms of bravery, almost any samurai in the Oda-toku coalition could easily defeat Fujiwara Danmasa. Even an ordinary soldier could fight Fujiwara Danmasa for several rounds, and it was not impossible to defeat him.

But what this horse flag represented was dozens of battles of varying sizes in the past twenty years, the ingenious strategy to break Odawara, the victory of a small force at Negawa. Three hundred people held the entrance of the Jingzhi Yue without a break, and ten thousand people attacked the 50,000-strong Kitabu coalition. The world praised the unparalleled general of ancient and modern times, Akechi Koji Tsunaie!

With a "bang" that seemed to be audible to human ears, the Oda clan who were still holding on to the third horse fence in the center were oppressed by the momentum of only a thousand people. In the distance, under the Qianchengjin bamboo leaf horse flag, a thin general with a southern barbarian body suddenly grew taller and rushed forward surrounded by the troops.

The Oda army was defeated!

"Now is a good opportunity!" Fujiwara Danjo raised his green bamboo stick and pointed forward. The Nagakawa army, who had been waiting for the battle for a long time, shouted and rushed forward.

Ikeda Terumasa, who was riding on a horse, shouted loudly not to retreat, but it was obvious that his rank was far inferior to Fujiwara Danjo. The soldiers, who were already shaken in the army, were now oppressed by the powerful momentum and were unwilling to fight back. Even if Ikeda Terumasa's horse stick hit their faces, they ran back with their hands and feet.

Seeing the rolling Yamauchi army, Ikeda Terumasa looked at the Yongle Tongbao horse flag on the Danjo platform, sighed, and fled backwards with the crowd.

Once the center collapsed, Oda Nobutada, Kawajiri Hidetaka and Sakai Tadatsugu, who were still fighting on the right wing of the Oda-German coalition, were shocked. Their connection with the main team was cut off. Moreover, they were still under fierce attack from Yamauchi Shukei, and they could not quickly withdraw, whether to run away or join Oda Nobunaga.

"Hizen, what are you doing now?" Oda Nobutada was a little panicked.

After all, he was only eighteen years old. Although he had already had several battle experiences, Oda Nobutada still felt somewhat powerless about the current situation.

"What does the young master think?" Kawajiri Hidetaka looked back.

The Okazaki people there were trying to regroup under the shouting of many samurai. Although they were hit hard by Yamauchi Shukei and his son, the patience of the Mikawa soldiers was still acceptable. Since the samurai have not fled the battlefield, as long as there is enough time, they may not be unable to fight again.

"Give up this place and go to Daihara where my father is?" His assistant Kawajiri Hidetaka did not answer his question as usual, but asked for his opinion. Oda Nobutada could only answer tentatively.

"So the young master thinks that His Highness is still winning?" Kawajiri Hidetaka's eyes suddenly became sharp for some reason.

"The situation is turning around, and Shimotaro is more likely to win!" Oda Nobutada is a son of a samurai family, how could he not see this.

"Then the young master thinks that with just a few thousand cavalry, the situation can be turned around?"

"It seems impossible..."

"Since it can't! What should we do!"

"..." Oda Nobutada is not a stupid person. In just a few words, he understood what Kawajiri Hidetaka meant.

The Okazaki clan who betrayed Tokugawa Ieyasu let these thousands of people crowd here to delay the Yamanouchi army that was rushing in. And the two of them did not go to rescue Oda Nobunaga. Anyway, the current situation is obviously leaning towards the Yamanouchi army, so it is better to run away as soon as possible.

As long as they run back to Owari, the 10,000 troops who stayed in Owari to guard against the Nagashima Ikko Ikki will join the thousands of troops under their command, and they will still have the capital to remedy and resist.

"No, no, no..." Oda Nobutada thought about it and shook his head in opposition.

"Okay! Since the young master is determined, I will go with the young master!" Kawajiri Hidetaka saw Oda Nobutada's reaction and knew that the young man could not be persuaded, so he immediately made a decision.

The two people quickly ended the conversation, but there was one thing that the two people had no hesitation or difference, abandoning the Okazaki people and letting them delay the tens of thousands of troops on the left wing of Yamauchi.

It's just that Kawajiri Hidetaka was ready to run directly, while Oda Nobutada was ready to save his father Oda Nobunaga. As for whether to continue fighting to the death or run with his father when they arrived at Danshodai, it depends on the situation.

As the two had expected, after Gamo Fuhide, Ikeda Tsuneoki, Fuba Mitsuharu and others who were defending behind the third central horse fence retreated, the Yamauchi army's first and second forces did not care about the Oda army that retreated, but left a group of troops to continue to drive away the fleeing soldiers, ensuring that the fleeing soldiers could not stop to gather.

The remaining troops immediately turned around and joined forces with Imagawa Yoshichika and other troops on the right wing of the Yamauchi army to surround the Sakuma, Takigawa, Niwa and other troops gathered around Tanshodai and the Oda main force.

……………………

"I am following the order of His Highness and ask the Lieutenant General to send troops!" Okada Shigetaka did not waste words. After seeing Kitabatake Nobutomo, he loudly asked him to send troops down the mountain quickly to support the two wings of the Oda army in danger.

"My Lord has not stopped having abdominal pain yet, and cannot dispatch troops." As a general of the Kitabatake clan, Kimura Tomomasa is the third brother of Kitada Tomonyori and the theoretical uncle of Kitabatake Nobutoshi.

"I see that the Vice Admiral looks normal, is it really because of abdominal pain that he cannot dispatch troops?" As Nobunaga's stable, Okada Shigetaka is a die-hard supporter of the Oda clan and a person who wholeheartedly supports the Oda clan.

It is obvious that Kitabatake Nobutoshi has nothing to do. It is clearly an excuse that he does not want to send troops to support Oda Nobunaga's war. Moreover, although these old retainers of the Kitabatake clan have surrendered to Oda Nobunaga and temporarily recognized Kitabatake Nobutoshi as the head of the Kitabatake clan, the Kitabatake clan is still an independent daimyo family.

The reason why he can come this time is because Kitabatake Nobutoshi is Oda Nobunaga's younger brother, and the Kitabatake clan cannot defeat Oda Nobunaga for the time being, so they need to obey.

"Don't talk nonsense! My prince is just slowing down for the moment!"

"I am the military supervisor sent by the Dansho-dono, and I am ordered to urge the Kitabatake people to send troops. Please do not delay any longer and send troops immediately!" Okada Shigetaka did not argue with others, and asked Kitabatake Nobutoshi to express his position immediately.

Kitabatake Nobutoshi opened his mouth, not knowing how to answer Okada Shigetaka. He was naturally willing to save his brother Oda Nobunaga, but he, the head of the Kitabatake family, relied on Oda Nobunaga's military power to get to the throne. Now that Oda Nobunaga was in danger, his authority as the head of the family was naturally in danger.

He also had a few close associates brought by the Oda family, but unfortunately they were powerless and had no way to control most of the Kitabatake family's military forces and territories. The father and son of Kitabatake Nobunaga lived in seclusion on the surface, but were active behind the scenes. The combination of the two undermined Kitabatake Nobunaga.

"Okada Nagato-no-mori!" Someone suddenly shouted from behind!