The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 33

It is most likely the "Blue Demon" Momii Norikaze himself.

Although the rugged valley floor limited the mobility of ordinary people, the group of twenty moved with lightning speed and overwhelming momentum, leaping across the mountains and forests as if walking on flat ground. Their charge was as powerful as thunder, making them seem like a cavalry charge.

After defeating the enemy reserve, the peasant soldiers of Noguchi Township pressed their advantage, and although Shinzaburo kept them in check, their gun formation gradually became less tight. However, their morale was high after their victory, and they showed no fear in the face of the suddenly appearing samurai squad.

However, Shinzaburo, standing a little further back, witnessed firsthand that the phrase "Blue Oni Momii Norigaku is here" seemed to possess some kind of magic. Wherever the sound reached, some Hatano clan soldiers who had originally planned to flee actually mustered up the courage to turn back and join the battle.

No wonder he's someone who appeared in Koei Tecmo's games in the future; he's definitely got some skills. Just his name alone can reignite the fighting spirit of demoralized allies; this prestige must have been built up through his performance in previous battles.

Although the Noguchi village's reserve force was in excellent condition today, having repelled an equal number of enemy peasant soldiers, their formation is now somewhat loose, and they may not be able to cope with the counterattack of a large group of samurai.

Fortunately, Shinzaburo also had a hidden trump card.

He glanced sideways instinctively and met the gaze of Takemura Hidetoshi, who was slacking off next to him.

It had been agreed before the battle that the dozen or so samurai of the Amago Shingu faction would not appear at the beginning, but would hide and blend into the ranks of the peasant soldiers, and then exert their strength at the crucial moment.

In any case, their identities were rather awkward and they shouldn't expose themselves too much. They didn't want to become famous; they just wanted to cut off some heads to exchange for money to support their young master.

Having already gained the upper hand in the previous battle between the peasants and soldiers, Kubo Shinzaburo naturally didn't need them to intervene.

These dozen or so remaining members of the Amago Shingu faction remained quietly online, waiting patiently and occasionally chiming in to offer their support, showing no sign of impatience or agitation.

He truly looks like a veteran of countless battles.

And now, the "Blue Oni Momii Noriyuki" from the opposing Hatano team has entered the fray!

This man is a well-known and formidable figure in the Tanba region, qualified to be an opponent of the Amago Shingu faction.

Shinzaburo and Hidetoshi Takemura exchanged glances, and the latter, understanding immediately, nodded and said, "Go!"

Then the dozen or so remaining members of the Shin Palace Party quickly took off their straw hats and raincoats, revealing themselves to be fully armed.

Four men wielded "gold-crushing clubs" resembling spiked clubs, two men carried four-foot-long katanas, and the rest used cross-shaped spears.

They made no noise, simply running in an arc around their own peasant soldiers armed with long spears, rapidly approaching the enemy.

They seemed even more agile than those warriors in blue armor and helmets.

064 The enemy general has been defeated.

This was the first time Shinzaburo had witnessed a dozen or so samurai engaged in close combat since his time travel.

To his surprise, the seventeen members of the Amago Shingu faction, within twenty paces of the enemy, suddenly stopped. Each of them freed one hand, grabbed a cloth bag filled with stones, swung it twice in the air, and threw it away.

Isn't this how a sling is used?

I never expected to see this during the Warring States period.

And they were quite accurate at throwing.

A dozen or so flying stones flew past, and the blue-armored, blue-helmeted warriors led by "Blue Demon Momoi Kyogye" were stunned during their charge.

Two people lost their balance and fell to the ground, while several others instinctively dodged the flying stones and lost their footing.

Although they quickly got up and caught up, the charging formation inevitably became scattered.

Then Shinsaburo saw the four Shingu faction samurai wielding "gold-crushing clubs," two on each side, charging forward with fearless abandon, disregarding the swords and blades aimed at them, and using their bare hands to break through the enemy's formation.

Then, in that instant, several men wielding cross-shaped pistols rushed into the gap, forming a barrier and isolating the opposing leader, "Blue Demon Momii Kyogoku," in the middle.

Hidetoshi Takemura, as the leader, engaged the "Blue Oni" in battle with his spear. At the same time, two other members wielding four-foot-long swords immediately followed to assist him.

In an instant, the situation changed to others fighting against the many with few, but in the middle, it was a three-on-one gang attack.

The two sides quickly engaged in a fierce battle, creating a loud and ear-piercing metallic clang.

Generally speaking, once something develops to this stage, it's beyond the reach of ordinary farmers and soldiers.

However, the morale of the peasant soldiers in Noguchi Township is high today, while the enemy's spear line is full of holes and on the verge of collapse.

Shinzaburo then quickly pondered for a moment which villages in the reserve force had the most martial spirit and the best equipment, and then issued an order: "Kubo Village, Shimizu Village, and Owada Village, besiege the Blue-Armored Demon Masked One, the rest of you maintain your spear formation!"

Ooi Shigeie rushed to the front and shouted "Follow me!" before joining the ranks of the Shingu Party samurai.

With a flash of cold light, his spear moved with the agility of a dragon, accurately piercing the vulnerable spot where the enemy warrior's torso and shield met.

However, the enemy warrior was wearing fine armor and was not pierced by the spear tip. He even had the strength to drop his weapon and desperately grip the front of the spear handle.

At this moment, another person in blue armor and blue helmet launched a full-scale attack on the Oi Shigeie family.

In that instant, Shinzaburo Kubo was still a few steps away directing the reserve troops and had no time to react.

Just then, two of his relatives from the village, Kumakichi and Hashisuke, came to his aid. One swept the enemy's unprotected ankle, and the other stabbed the enemy in the back of the head through his helmet. The blue-armored and blue-helmeted samurai fell on the slope in pain, sliding upside down, thus relieving the Ōi Shigeie's predicament.

Someone shouted, "Use the short one when the long one is in the dorm!"

Then several other villagers from Kubo Village rushed forward, shouting incoherent slogans, and grabbed their hoes and shovels, smashing them relentlessly against the face and chest of the fallen samurai.

Taking advantage of the opening, Ōi Shigeie exhaled, exerted his strength, kicked the enemy who was grabbing the tip of his spear to the ground, and delivered a finishing blow. Then, led by him, more than thirty people from three villages surrounded them to support the Shingu faction samurai's actions.

However, some of the Hatano clan's peasant soldiers bravely charged forward, attempting to help the "Blue Demon."

……

As casualties rose and morale declined, the Noguchi village's reserve forces quickly became disorganized after three strong squads left.

Fortunately, the enemy was in even worse shape, constantly retreating and completely unable to mount a counterattack.

However, creating chaos is not a good thing either.

As Kubo Shinzaburo stepped forward to maintain order, an enemy peasant soldier wearing a "one-piece tunic" somehow approached.

Fortunately, Shinzaburo was highly focused. He gripped the katana with both hands and delivered a powerful "kesa-giri" (a type of sword cut) to the man's exposed shoulder and neck, severing the carotid artery.

Then blood gushed out like a fountain, splattering all over Shinzaburo's face.

Some even seemed to fly into their mouths.

Shinzaburo felt nauseous and quickly took two steps back, spitting out a large mouthful of saliva.

Just then, someone nearby suddenly shouted, "The enemy general has been beheaded!"

Looking in the direction of the sound, Takemura Hidetoshi, the temporary leader of the seventeen surviving members of the Amago Shingu Party, was holding up an indistinct head and shouting at the top of his lungs.

Although it was impossible to tell whose head it was, the flag behind "Green Ghost" had just been broken and was now in his hand.

Wearing the blue helmet that was erected half a month ago, he was placed on the flagpole.

Take a couple of steps closer and you'll see a mask that's been split in two lying on the ground.

A warrior in blue armor and helmet cried out in despair, "Lord Momii is dead, we're doomed!" and turned to flee.

Then the second, the third...

The speed of the collapse was a stark contrast to the momentum they had displayed when they arrived.

It even prevented the Kubo Guard from having time to pursue and kill them.

However, it doesn't matter anymore.

Hidetoshi Takemura, the temporary leader of the Shingu Party, took a few steps closer, silently handed over the head of the "Blue Demon," his banner, and his helmet, and gave him a wink.

They are currently facing hostility from the Amago clan, and their status is very awkward, so it is not advisable to expose themselves easily.

So, despite feeling somewhat ashamed, Shinzaburo still reached out and took the head of the "Blue Oni," held it high above his head, and shouted with all his might, "The Blue Oni, Momii Noriyoshi, has been defeated!"

Beside them, Kumakichi and Hashisuke were so excited that they danced around. One of them grabbed Momii Kyougye's white flag with a blue demon mask, and the other waved Momii Kyougye's half-moon stand-up pouch, cheering and jumping for joy.

Then, the hundred and fifty people beside him also shouted repeatedly:

"The Blue Demon Momii Kyoge has been captured!"

"The Blue Demon Momii Kyoge has been captured!"

"The Blue Demon Momii Kyoge has been captured!"

After shouting it three times, the men seemed to receive a supernatural energy boost. The fatigue from the march and long battle vanished, and they were all in a state of boundless excitement. Under the command of Shinzaburo Kubo, they charged towards the enemy's main camp like wolves and tigers.

Conversely, the already crumbling Hatano family's defenses finally collapsed completely.

Even the samurai fled in disarray, and the peasant soldiers cried out as they threw down their spears and scattered in all directions to escape.

Most of them did not retreat towards their main camp, but instead ran towards the hillside on the side.

Experienced locals know that Tanba is full of hills and woodlands, and as long as the locals can escape by taking a detour through the mountain paths, it is not difficult to avoid being hunted down by the army.

This is also the fundamental reason why the Tanba region has always been difficult to unify. Defeating a separatist force may be relatively easy, but eradicating it completely is very difficult; they can simply hide deep in the mountains and forests and become impossible to find.

Shinzaburo knew that pursuing these fleeing soldiers would be inefficient. Looking up, he saw that the smoke and sounds of battle still lingered in the main camp of the Hatano clan, and many banners had fallen, indicating that they were in chaos. So he threw the enemy general's head to the monk Jōjō, who was supervising the army at the rear, for safekeeping. He pointed his sword in the direction of the enemy's main camp and gave the order: "Don't worry about the soldiers. Let's press on and take the enemy's main camp to capture and kill the general!"

065 One Battle Slays Two Devils

As it turned out, Shinzaburo's judgment was correct.

When he led his troops to attack, the Hatano family's main camp was already in ruins, a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, broken walls and ruins, and the smell of gunpowder and blood mixed together to form a strange fragrance.

They arrived a little too late, as expected.

It was clear to the naked eye that the enemy's commander-in-chief had already fled, and many flags fluttered at the edge of the line of sight before disappearing into the bend of the mountain range.

Only a few resolute men remained, risking their lives to provide cover for their lord.

Meanwhile, several reserve units of friendly forces have arrived and are encircling and annihilating the rearguard of the Hatano clan.

Shinzaburo led his men from the west into a cluster of collapsed tents. In the complex and chaotic terrain, they saw an enemy warrior in black armor ahead, with only a few soldiers left around him, yet he was still fighting fiercely and making a great splash.

Beside them was a friendly reserve force that seemed to belong to the "Mountain City Clan." Although there were still dozens of them, they had suffered heavy casualties and were intimidated by the black-armored warrior's imposing presence, causing them to retreat repeatedly.

There were many broken flags all around, making it impossible to identify the enemy. Shinzaburo didn't bother to ask and, without thinking, ordered his men to attack.

Then, led by the Shingu faction, the soldiers charged forward, engulfing the remaining enemy soldiers in an instant, like a giant wave swallowing a small boat.

In this atmosphere, Shinzaburo naturally couldn't stay behind and rely on words to deal damage; he wielded his katana and charged forward alongside the others.

When the enemy black-armored warriors were surrounded, they shouted something at Shinzaburo, but it was hard to hear clearly amidst the shouts of the soldiers. It seemed to be something like wanting a fair "one-on-one fight".

Shinzaburo paid no attention to that.

This is a war, not a sword fighting arena. Who's going to have a fair fight with you?

Is this chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)?

The black-armored warrior was extremely brave and fought back several times, relying on the advantage of his armor. However, he was eventually exhausted and was surrounded by more than a dozen people who stabbed and hacked at him. He quickly lost his breath, and blood oozed from every crevice and damaged part of his body. He had clearly died a terrible death.

A moment later, suddenly, from the "friendly forces'" side, a man with a broken leg, slumped on the ground, complained loudly, "We fought fiercely for so long, lost so many men, and killed hundreds of enemy soldiers, only to have them pick up 'Tanba Oni's' head. We're so unlucky!"

It was only then that Shinzaburo realized that the black-armored samurai his soldiers had just swarmed and killed was none other than "Tanba Oni" Hatano Munetaka.

Now I understand a bit why the other person shouted something like "fair one-on-one" before they died.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

At this moment, Shinzaburo could not rightfully claim credit for the victory, but he was even less likely to allow his subordinates to hand over the precious enemy general's head.

Fortunately, a man who looked like a leader soon came out and shouted at the person who had just complained, "On the battlefield, one must not be reckless and seek personal glory! Whoever takes the enemy's head is something to be happy about!"

Then the man looked up at the flag, took two steps closer, bowed slightly, and said, "Congratulations, Lord Kubo Shinzaburo, on your great achievement! Do you still remember Yotei Saemon-no-jo?"

Shinzaburo quickly recalled that this man was the top-ranking retainer of the "Yamashiro Clan" under the Matsunaga brothers. He immediately bowed respectfully and said humbly, "I will tell the 'Military Advisor' afterwards that it was the Yamashiro Clan that killed most of the soldiers around 'Tanba Oni' that enabled me to achieve this merit."

The "Yotei Saemon-no-ju" silently shook his head, indicating that it was unnecessary.

A short while later, the current western commander, Shinzaburo's temporary superior, a middle-aged samurai named Fukui Shima-no-kami, also arrived with his troops. He gave Kubo Shinzaburo a deep look and exclaimed, "Lord Shinzaburo, you are truly invincible today! After the rewards are distributed for your merits in this battle, your position will probably not be lower than mine!"

Shinzaburo made a few more modest remarks, then suggested to the two senior samurai, "It seems the enemy's commander-in-chief has escaped. Should we pursue him?"

Fukui Shima-no-kami nodded, then shook his head, and said with a wry smile, "Of course we should chase after them, but given the terrain of Taki District in Tanba Province, it's impossible to catch up."

Yotsuji Saemon-no-jo said seriously, "Then let's see how we fare! Our troops have rested for a while, so we'll set off first!"

……

As expected, the various reserve teams searched and pursued the trail, but found nothing. They could only conclude that the chief general of the Hatano family had disappeared along a mountain path.

Shinzaburo Kubo had anticipated this, so he instructed the monk Jōjō to take more than twenty people and stay behind under the pretense of taking care of the wounded, but in reality, they were scavenging everywhere to collect any usable equipment left on the enemy corpses.

In comparison, this is a more stable return.

Two hours later, Kubo Shinzaburo returned empty-handed after failing to catch any enemy soldiers. Meanwhile, the monk Jingcheng had collected ten suits of armor that were not severely damaged, over twenty still-usable spears, five katana, and two strong bows.

Second-hand goods that respectable samurai families wouldn't even look at, but they pleased Shinzaburo. By repairing and mending these things, and distributing them among the villages according to their battlefield contributions, the fighting strength of the peasant soldiers could be raised to another level.

Monk Jingcheng was very happy. Although he hadn't gone to the front lines to claim lives, he had made contributions in other ways.

However, Ooi Shigeie found it unbelievable, shaking his head and complaining, "Several enemy generals were killed in this battle, and it was such a satisfying fight, yet Lord Shinzaburo still remembers to pick up the items. That's really strange."

The monk Jingcheng then said with great seriousness, "Only such a person can achieve great things!"