The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 97

Ōi Shigeie, seemingly at ease, dismissed the comment: "I haven't seen the Tsuruga troops, so it's premature to make judgments. Just look at these people today; they're far inferior to the Koshu army. What kind of formidable enemy are they?"

Inatomi Shigenobu genuinely envied the experience of fighting against the Eastern Iron Army, but then he thought that the entire family of that person had died at the hands of the Takeda family, otherwise they wouldn't be his brother-in-law. It was best not to mention this past.

Amidst their lighthearted conversation, they encountered the third group.

The force still numbered several hundred, all armed, but with a low armor coverage rate, clearly not the main force. The commander seemed to want to rally the troops to meet the enemy and gather the routed soldiers, but the soldiers' morale was low, and their movements appeared somewhat slow.

Led by Inafumi and Oi, about two or three hundred of the most skilled and spirited warriors led the charge. Before the enemy could form a formation, they pounced on them like wolves and tigers, charging into the enemy ranks. Despite being outnumbered, they showed no fear whatsoever.

After several rounds of fierce fighting, the Kubo clan's arquebusiers arrived from behind, circled around to the flank, and fired two volleys in the direction of the opposing commander. In less than three minutes, they had once again routed the already demoralized Echizen soldiers, who fled in disarray.

Perhaps he was just lucky to have killed the leader.

Further ahead, not far away, banners fluttered like a forest, seemingly indicating the location of the enemy general's main camp.

Inatomi Shigenobu couldn't help but remark, "The artifacts of the southern barbarians do have some commendable aspects."

Ooi Shigeie pointed behind him: "Look at the state they've become!"

Looking in that direction, one could see that most of the sixty-odd arquebusiers were already panting heavily and their faces were flushed, making it difficult for them to continue the pursuit.

In normal combat, each arquebusier is always followed by a junior officer responsible for carrying gunpowder, ammunition, and other supplies, as well as helping with miscellaneous tasks. But today, a small elite force is launching a surprise attack, so not many people can be sent.

Seeing this, Inatomi Shigenobu nodded: "It seems that breaking into the enemy's main camp will still require us to fight in close combat."

Ōi Shigeie proudly declared, "I've heard that the commander of the vanguard is Asakura Uemon, a senior retainer of Echizen and the governor of Ōno District. If we can defeat him, our military reputation will surely be renowned throughout the lands!"

Suddenly, the two heard Kubo Genban's loud voice behind them—

"The enemy's main force is right in front of us! Even if we can just fire a bullet into their territory without hitting anyone, it will be a great achievement!"

Then, inspired by this, the more than sixty arquebusiers began to unleash their full power and catch up with the group.

Inafumi and Oi exchanged another glance, both seeing the eagerness on each other's faces. They roared in unison and charged forward as if possessed.

183 The Commander-in-Chief's Decision

This attack, launched from behind the enemy lines, broke through three enemy lines in an instant, defeating at least two thousand men.

Since most of the enemy forces they encountered were members of the Koho team and unarmored peasant soldiers, they were almost easily defeated. Less than half of the Kubo raiding party actually participated in the fighting.

Most of them just followed behind, shouting orders.

In a river valley more than 500 meters wide, it is unlikely that a mere thousand elite troops could completely block the breach and win a decisive battle.

Shinzaburo had deliberately spread out his troops to the left and right, driving the fleeing soldiers to escape from east to west in order to disrupt their formation and demoralize them.

Upon advancing to Asakura Kagekage's main camp, they discovered that the enemy had managed to mount some effective countermeasures in their haste. Some samurai and armored soldiers, led by mid-level commanders, had formed small groups and put up a tenacious resistance.

It seems that the general's men are of some quality.

At this point, Shinzaburo naturally had no intention of driving away the fleeing soldiers anymore. Since the basic objective had been achieved, he decided to follow the principle of "not stopping the retreating troops" and let them escape on their own.

Asakura Kagekage's main camp was built on a slightly higher part of the terrain on the side of the valley. It was roughly square with sides of about 200 meters. Inside, there were only many cloth tents. There was no time to build any earthen fortifications. There was only a fence about half a person's height around the outermost edge, and some large shields and bamboo bundles were placed on it.

If the enemy's morale remains high and they fight to the death from their camp, it will be impossible to take them down in one fell swoop.

But now that things have come to this, there's no room for hesitation.

Shinzaburo shouted at the top of his lungs: "To live is to die, to fear death is to perish! Now is the time to make a name for yourself! Take the enemy general's head! Let the Echizen people never dare to look down on us again!"

Even without his prompting, the raiding party's morale was already extremely high. Each soldier clashed with the enemy soldiers with an indomitable spirit.

At this point, there was no point in setting up any gun formations. The arquebusiers were limited by numerous fences and tents blocking their view and could not find good firing positions. They could only rely on the traditional samurai skills of close combat.

They were in a state of anxiety for a while.

However, from an outsider's perspective, it can be said that Kubo has already won 90% of the battle.

Because not far ahead, they could already observe the scene of Settsu soldiers fighting against the main force of the Asakura clan.

Even if the raiding party cannot win for the time being, the enemy's reserve force will definitely notice that their main force is in chaos and will see the fleeing soldiers, which will inevitably affect them.

For a 16th-century soldier to see his supply train under attack and his main camp shrouded in smoke and teeming with people, not immediately collapse and flee was already a great act of devotion to his lord.

Based on the historical performance of the Asakura army, they could not possibly have been an elite force that transcended their time.

The Settsu troops, as the core force of the Miyoshi clan second only to the direct subordinates, possess considerable battlefield experience and will surely seize the opportunity. Once they eliminate the frontline reserves, a joint attack on the enemy's main camp will be as solid as a rock.

Why do we say that we only won 90% of the time?

Because the remaining 10% possibility is that if Shinzaburo were to die on the spot, the situation would instantly turn around.

Kubo's army was a mixed force of troops from Tanba, Wakasa, and Settsu provinces. It was hard to say how much trust they had among themselves. Once the commander-in-chief was no longer in charge, they would fall apart.

Knowing that his height was too conspicuous and his armor too ornate, Shinzaburo cautiously stayed in a safe area, leaving a few personal guards around him and relying solely on shouts to communicate.

……

"Two thousand armored soldiers? More than five hundred arquebusiers? No less than ten thousand in total? Do you think this is a military chronicle?" Asakura Kagekage was furious upon hearing the head of the Monomi sect's nonsensical report, kicking him several steps away. "Clearly, Tanba Zhongkui only led a small number of elite troops to flank and attack from the rear. It's no surprise that the rear guard was outmatched and suffered repeated defeats. Are you exaggerating like this because you think I'm easy to fool, or are you just trying to shirk responsibility?"

It must be said that although he made many mistakes due to selfishness and lack of experience, he was still smart enough not to lose his composure even in such a critical situation.

Unfortunately, this realization came a little too late.

The head of the group scrambled to his feet in a disheveled state, then quickly knelt down again, trembling and afraid to speak.

His younger brother, Asakura Kageji, sighed, pulled Monomi Banjutsu away, and then returned alone, kneeling on one knee and pleading, "Brother, now is not the time to worry about these things. You need to make a decision quickly, or it may be too late."

Upon hearing this, Asakura Kagekage's eyes widened in fury. He turned around, grabbed a stool, and slammed it to the ground, lamenting, "The six reserve units in front are still fighting against the Settsu troops, and our main force still has eight hundred elite soldiers. Even if we are attacked from both sides, we may still be able to turn the tide!"

"Brother, it's one thing to let your mind wander in the meantime, but please be clear-headed now!" In this situation, Asakura Kageji disregarded etiquette and hierarchy, stood up abruptly, and loudly retorted: "The samurai in the main camp may be able to continue to hold their ground under these circumstances, but what will the six reserve units in front do when they see the main camp under attack?"

Asakura Kagekage was first shocked by his younger brother's offensive words, then angry, and then frustrated. He turned around, grunted, drew his sword and slashed the curtain of the tent, but kept silent.

Asakura Kageji added, "Especially those six reserve units, half of which are from Ichijoya. Although we have a good relationship with them, we're not quite at the point where we'd entrust our lives to them!"

“…You’re right.” Asakura Kagekage turned around, managing to squeeze out the words with difficulty: “Unless a miracle occurs, my only option is to die here and restore the honor of the Ōno Gunji family…”

"Brother, you are mistaken!" Asakura Kageji was immediately filled with fear, losing the impassioned tone he had just spoken: "Without you... who can take charge? I can't do it!"

"Don't underestimate yourself!" Asakura Kagekage raised his head, a strange smile on his face. His voice was bitter, yet tender like never before: "You used to handle everything perfectly, the only thing you lacked was decisiveness. After today's painful lesson, I'm sure you've grown in that area!"

“This…” Asakura Keiji shook his head repeatedly, his eyes filled with hesitation: “It’s better for my brother to flee, and let me take your place in upholding this responsibility! I can’t bear such a heavy burden…”

"Jiroza!" Asakura Kagekage called out his younger brother's name, composed himself, and put on a serious face: "You know the atmosphere in the Echizen Asakura family. If I, as a general, were to flee back in such a sorry state, I would be repeatedly ridiculed by the other members of the clan, and the family name would be further tarnished!"

“But my elder brother is a renowned minister and tutor in Echizen, while I am just an ordinary person…” Asakura Kageji hesitated, his words trailing off, “Even our lord might not allow me to inherit the position…”

"Don't worry." Asakura Kagekage gave a wry smile, his words carrying a deeper meaning: "Once I die, the Ōno Gunji family's influence will greatly diminish. Given our lord's personality, he'll likely provide you with substantial support to maintain the balance..."

There was no time for him to explain in detail; some indistinct shouts came from outside.

"Let's retreat. We're not surrounded from behind. We'll be safe if we run all the way back to Echizen!"

"We are the Ichijōdani clan, directly under the head of the clan. There is no need for us to risk our lives for the Ōno district magistrate!"

"Is this all the magnanimity of Uemon-daifu? I misjudged him."

At the same time, there were also sounds of horses neighing.

Asakura Kagekage's expression darkened. He strode to the door, lifted the curtain, and glanced around. He immediately realized that a decision had to be made.

Not only the rank-and-file spearmen, but even the samurai were fleeing in droves on horseback.

This is probably the consequence of the head of the clan not participating in battle. In a disadvantageous situation, ordinary members of the clan are not like Asakura Sōteki of yesteryear, who had the ability to suppress his colleagues with his personal prestige.

"Jiro, break through among these deserters! Go quickly, that's an order!" Asakura Kagekage's face calmed down, but his chest heaved violently, his eyes filled with a sense of resignation to death.

"...Take care, brother!" Asakura Keiji managed to squeeze out a few words, wiped his eyes haphazardly with his hand covered in a leather tube, knelt down to pay his respects, and then turned and left without looking back.

Asakura Kagekage slowly let out a long sigh of relief, swaggered into the tent, and beckoned the guards who were still holding their posts to gather around him. At the same time, he shouted loudly, "Echizen warriors, there is no need to panic. Asakura Kagekage, the commander of Ōno District, is here! Tanba Zhong Kui, do you dare to come and fight?"

184 Reasons for Fighting

"Using only a thousand men to hold me back, it seems that Tanba Zhongkui's main force has gone to attack the southern route." Asakura Kagehisa quickly made the judgment, then nodded repeatedly, fully agreeing with the enemy's strategy. "The Ōno troops have been out of practice for a long time, and the Ichijōdani troops are not much better off. They can assist our Tsuruga troops, but they cannot fight against a strong enemy on their own."

Then next——

"What should we do?"

As the heir to the Tsuruga district chieftain family, Asakura Kagehisa truly possessed considerable battlefield experience.

Unlike Asakura Kagekage, who stayed in the tent and talked about war on paper, he went to the front line at the age of fifteen to observe and learn about everything from the combat, marching, encampment, and lodging of the grassroots squads.

In addition, he had visited Wakasa once before and had a general understanding of the terrain.

After a moment's thought, the battlefield model was already generated in my mind.

"Although the Uemon Daifu of the Ono Gunji family is a complete scoundrel, he is still an ally, so it's best to save him." Asakura Kagehiko muttered to himself, "Without a local to guide us, we can't possibly travel through the mountains. It's too late to set off again after returning to Mikata Lake. We can only defeat the enemy in front of us first, fight our way to Koseyama Castle, send some people to feign an attack on the castle but actually plunder the port town, and I will personally lead the Dekichiro Party back south."

Considering the time frame, this plan should be feasible.

With 3,800 skilled and battle-hardened soldiers, defeating over a thousand soldiers from Wakasa should not be difficult.

Suddenly, a retainer hurried over from a distance. It was none other than Handa Matahachiro, who had served as the vice commander in this battle. He knelt down with a look of shame and reported, "Lord Saemon, the enemy's reserve force carrying the 'Wakasa Fourth Battalion' banner had been driven back by us, but under the cover of the 'Wakasa Third Battalion,' they quickly regrouped and fought back! Our men were unprepared and suffered a small loss."

"What? The other side has such ability?" Asakura Kagehiko exclaimed in astonishment. "Are these really Wakasa soldiers? Or are they Kubo clan troops impersonating them?!"

In fact, he had never faced Tanba Zhong Kui in person, but had only seen him from afar once.

However, after extensive investigation and analysis, everyone in Tsuruga believed that the Kubo family was indeed quite powerful and could be considered as an opponent.

As for the elite troops, apart from a very few, their overall condition was mediocre.

Asakura Kagehira sensed that the situation was not so simple, so he immediately took his personal guards and went to the front line with Handa Matahachiro.

At this moment, both sides are engaged in a second round of fighting, and their momentum is waning, with a stalemate looming ahead.

After observing from a high vantage point for a while, Asakura Kagehiko discerned something amiss.

"The peasant soldiers' equipment and morale are quite ordinary, but the samurai's fighting spirit is exceptionally high." Asakura Kagehiko shook his head in surprise, then asked Handa Matahachiro beside him, "Have you fought against them and figured out their strengths and weaknesses?"

Such a simple question, yet Handa Matahachiro's eyes darted around, and he stammered for a long time before cautiously saying, "When we first engaged in battle, someone on the other side was shouting things like, 'The hatred for destroying the family temple...'"

“So that’s how it is.” Asakura Kagehiko didn’t seem embarrassed at all. “Since we’ve started fighting, why be polite? If you’re so capable, why don’t you attack Tsuruga to get revenge? Otherwise, you’re just a useless dog barking.”

Handa Matahachiro shifted his gaze and changed the subject: "The coastline is really narrow, and our army is entangled in a fierce battle, making it difficult to break through in the short term. Shouldn't we intensify our offensive?"

"Alright, I'll personally lead the men up there in a bit." Asakura Kagehira patted his retainer on the shoulder. "The mighty Tsuruga clan can't be stopped so easily. Besides, we agreed to take everyone to Kohama Bay to make a fortune!"

……

Early wars between the samurai class usually began with close-quarters mounted archery or one-on-one duels between generals, and then gradually evolved into chaotic and indiscriminate battles.

Back then, the fighting was chaotic and lacked technical skill, but the advantage was that once an advantage was gained, it was possible to launch a follow-up attack at any time and inflict damage.

Starting with the Onin Rebellion, spear formations gradually became popular. The concept of "long-handled" initially referred to a spear with a length of two spans (1 span being 1.8 meters), but later, spears with lengths of two and a half spans, or even three spans, became more common. In the late Warring States period, there were even outrageous spears with lengths of three and a half spans, exceeding six meters.

Select strong and robust individuals from the self-sufficient farmers, equip them with medium or light armor, form formations with spears, and combine them with ranged weapons to fight. This will render even the most valiant warriors helpless, while the cost per soldier is far lower than that of samurai, making it a very effective strategy.

However, no tactic is universally applicable. While spear formations are advantageous for holding a stalemate, they are not conducive to pursuit. Therefore, after suppressing the enemy with spear formations, it is necessary to deploy cavalry or infantry to engage in close combat and expand the gains.

What if they were unable to join the assault team in time due to negligence or other reasons?

That would give the enemy a chance to turn the tide.

Compared to the elite raiding party personally led by Shinzaburo, the two reserve teams on the coast were not particularly capable, but they were very tenacious.

The Wakasa Fourth Division, including the families of Ichikawa, Hatata, Nagai, and Hisamura, were filled with rage from the moment they saw their enemies burning their ancestral tablets. Their soldiers were also infected by this emotion, displaying a fighting spirit that transcended their time.

So after being repelled, they did not flee, but instead regrouped with the help of friendly forces in the rear and joined the battle a second time.

The Third Division next to them originally consisted of only six or seven hundred peasant soldiers recruited from the direct territory of the Takeda clan. However, with fourteen former members of the Shingu Party serving as grassroots commanders and two locals with excellent fighting spirit serving as captain and vice-captain, they also showed a remarkable spirit.

Oyamada Nobumura is a samurai from the sagacious Wakasa clan. A few years ago, he lost his territory and became a ronin, struggling to survive with a group of refugees. Now, back on the battlefield, he is much calmer and more composed than before.

Murai Takamori had always served as a close attendant to Takeda Nobutoyo. He lacked command awareness, but simply placing his tall figure in front of the battle lines and fighting alongside the soldiers was already a performance above average.

They held on for a long time under the pressure from the Tsuruga clan, but the second wave of attacks was also repelled.

The standoff between the gunners continued, and casualties weren't high. However, everyone was exhausted.

As both sides withdrew their troops, Oyamada Nobumura plopped down on the ground and loudly encouraged those around him, "Although it was tough, the fight was worthwhile! Kubo Genban is skilled in governance, and his territory is developing quite well. Once he comes to Wakasa to take charge, we can all enjoy a few good days!"

“I don’t have that many thoughts.” Murai Takamori took a deep breath, smiled sheepishly, and continued, “Because of my large appetite, I was disliked by my parents and looked down upon by relatives and friends since I was a child. Lord Takeda Osamu has fed me for so many years, and I can’t forget this kindness. Now, only Kubo Genban can support Takeda Osamu the most, so I should naturally listen to Kubo Genban.”

"Hmm... It's good that you're grateful." Oyamada Nobumura forced a smile, not very satisfied with the response.

"I've forgotten how many years it was, but when I was eating coarse grains, an adult rode his horse through the village..." Murai Takamori said, lost in his memories. "He looked me up and down a few times, and then said to me, 'Such a tall and strong man, is this all you eat? If you come to be my bodyguard, I'll give you a liter of rice every day!' From then until now, I've probably eaten thirty koku of rice?"

Oyamada Nobumura turned to look at the allies a little further away and asked, "Lord Takemura, do you have a reason to fight?"

Upon hearing this, Takemura Hideyuki raised his eyebrows slightly, but his face remained calm as he said indifferently, "It's nothing more than the matter of 'the restoration of the Imperial Family'."

He was unwilling to reveal the details easily, not because he was afraid of causing trouble if others found out, but because he felt that the revival was still too far away, and that making rash statements would only damage the image of the New Palace Party.

Nobumura Oyamada sighed softly, deeply feeling that true friends were hard to find.