The night attack resulted in the fall of Yamazaki Castle—a small fortress that was a castle in name only—and dawn broke.
The main force of the Oda army finally joined the advance guard of the army marching to Kyoto, which had been positioned at the foot of Mount Tennozan.
I had already received news that my brother-in-law would be visiting.
However, it wasn't me who answered the door to the Oda army's messenger, but Princess Osamu.
While she takes care of the various chores, I adjust my military uniform again.
The golden hawk armor.
He puts it on, and then attaches the black and red two-colored cape, which is the wing membrane of a hawk, to his shoulders.
The monster's will to devour countless lives.
It feels like my thoughts are being invaded, and it's a really unpleasant feeling—but I can't dwell on that.
Just as he lowered his Ishiwari Kanemitsu, a sword made of fluorite, someone came through the camp tent. It was none other than Haruhime.
"Lieutenant General, Lord Kazusa-no-suke has arrived."
"I understand."
I nodded to her and then left the camp.
After shaking hands firmly with Nobunaga, who was already there, he led him into the camp and offered him a bench.
However, my brother-in-law refused and stood facing me.
"It seems that the Asai and Matsunaga families have already accomplished a major task before I arrived."
"That's often what war is like."
With a knowing smile, I responded to the hero before me.
"Now the Oda clan won't be able to fight a reckless battle."
"How insolent."
Nobunaga curled his lips into a smirk.
"But that's certainly true. If Oda fights a miserable battle here, the soldiers and officers could lose their standing."
"I wasn't worried about that at all."
"Our army has certainly bought quite a lot."
"It's an army led by the city's older brother."
"Shut up."
Finally, even Nobunaga couldn't help but chuckle and let out a laugh.
Behind them, Mitsuhide, who had somehow slipped through the camp curtain and was standing beside Haruhime, had an expression that seemed to say, "I can't believe this."
I'm sure Nobunaga rarely smiles in front of the members of the Oda family.
"Well, that's fine. In any case, we must win. There are battles that must be won now, and battles that do not need to be won now—this battle is clearly the former."
My brother-in-law said that and looked at me.
"For now, once we secure Yamashiro Province, our immediate objective will be achieved. We apologize for the trouble we caused the Asai family. The Oda men will surely not forget your contribution this time."
"You're getting ahead of yourself, brother-in-law."
I laughed.
"It seems they've already won, even though they're facing a large enemy army."
"Hmph, that's only natural."
Nobunaga, too, laughs.
"Those people are ghosts who cling to and are obsessed with old authority. The dead should be quietly returned to the underworld. This world belongs to us, the living, who live in this new age. The living must not be held back by the dead."
"Well then"
When asked a short question, Nobunaga nodded in response.
Then, putting her arm around my shoulder, she said:
"Once this battle is over, I want the Asai family to retreat to Kyoto. That's because I intend to mobilize all of the Oda forces currently stationed in Kyoto. We must unite and valiantly annihilate the dead. The Oda will definitely secure the area from Settsu Province to Kawachi Province—you understand what I mean, don't you, brother-in-law?"Warrior
"of course"
I nodded.
"So, you're saying we should win over the court nobles in Kyoto while Oda is conquering the Kinai region? Preferably in a way that suits our needs."
"That's right."
Nobunaga whispered softly in my ear.
"At the very least, to the next Lord Muromachi—and after that, to ensure that the court nobles do not fall prey to the Ichikōshū faction ..."靡Navi
"But I'm from the countryside, so I'm not very familiar with the aristocratic society."
"This would be a good opportunity to get to know him better. After all, my brother-in-law holds a high-ranking official position."
My brother-in-law continued.
"From now on, I intend to keep Mitsuhide and Hisahide in Kyoto as the Oda's liaison. They are in contact with the government, so if necessary, we can seek their guidance."有職故実Yusoku Kojitsu
"Leaving aside Lord Mitsuhide, would Lord Hisahide agree to such a decision? His fiefdom is in Yamato, after all."
"All we have to do is get them to agree."
Nobunaga wore an expression that seemed to say, "Isn't this easy?"
"We should have the head of the Miyoshi family, whom that raccoon is hiding, live in Kyoto. Kyoto has a good location; there's a place to escape to. If anything unusual happens, he can quickly escape to Omi. It would be far safer than staying in Yamato, surrounded by mountains with almost no escape routes."
It seemed that Nobunaga knew very well how to manipulate Hisahide.
◆
Same time.
Having lost Yamazaki Castle overnight, the Miyoshi Triumvirate retreated, fearing attacks from two sides.
Currently, their main camp is located in Shimamoto, on the border between Yamashiro Province and Settsu Province.
This area is a crucial transportation hub between the two provinces, and also a politically and economically important region because the Sanyo Road, which linked Yamashiro Province and Dazaifu in Kyushu, runs through it.
However, retreating to Shimamoto was a major blow to the Miyoshi Triumvirate.
There was also the humiliation of having the Matsunaga army, their sworn enemy, flying their flag over Mount Tennozan.
But more than that, the fact that they were forced to adopt a "retreat" stance against the marching army to Kyoto was nothing short of undermining the authority of the Miyoshi Triumvirate.
Therefore, their military success was a necessary prerequisite for regaining their lost authority.
At Shimamoto's camp, the main generals who will participate in the battle have gathered.
The three Miyoshi retainers—Miyoshi Nagayoshi, the elder of the Miyoshi clan; Iwanari Tomomichi, who had just escaped from Shoryuji Castle; and Miyoshi Masayasu, who controlled the former retainers of the Hosokawa shogunal family—were in charge of the proceedings.
Hosokawa Akimoto, the commander-in-chief, was seated in the place of honor, but he looked lost and unreliable. It was clear that he was nothing more than a figurehead.
"Now, let us begin the war council."
Aside from Akimoto, Miyoshi Nagayoshi, who held the highest rank, began to speak.
"Last night, that Danjo used underhanded tactics to seize Yamazaki Castle. We had no choice but to take a step back in the face of that cunning swindler."
Jinnai was eerily silent, not a sound to be heard.
"However, we have the Hosokawa Shogun. Justice is on our side."
Voices of agreement arose. Chang Yi remained silent until the excitement subsided, and then resumed speaking when the time was right.
"Oda forces are now lurking in Yamashiro Province. However, scouts have reported that Oda Kazusa-no-suke Nobunaga, the root of all evil, has appeared before us. If we can take his head, we may be able to half-destroy the Oda forces."犇Hishi彼奴That guy
Nagayoshi said this, pointing to a makeshift, hastily prepared map.
"We must immediately launch an attack toward Yamazaki, invade Yamashiro Province, and recapture Shoryuji Castle in one swift move. This is because as long as that castle remains, it will be difficult to advance from Settsu to Kyoto."
Everyone was groaning or nodding in agreement.
Everyone is acutely aware of the need to recapture the fallen Katsuryuji Castle.
And so, his distrust of Iwanari grew stronger, as he abandoned his castle in less than a day.
However, Nagayoshi, wanting to quell discontent with the leadership, continued.
"The operations we must undertake must be carried out in parallel."
The elder of the Miyoshi family pointed to the map.
"Of course, we must engage in a decisive battle with the Oda army, but we also need to recapture Yamazaki Castle. Therefore, we must allocate about 3,000 soldiers to climb Mount Tennozan and attack the castle, while the remaining forces must settle the score with his rebels."
"Please wait a moment."
"Hmm... what is it, Matsunaga-dono?"
The one who gives the disgruntled old man, whose conversation has been interrupted, a cold stare is Matsunaga Hisamichi, who is 25 years old this year.
With his slender build and gentle appearance, he addressed those gathered in a dignified voice—showing no respect whatsoever for Chōichi—and accurately conveyed his own opinions.
"Even with the reinforcements from Tanba Province, our current forces are on par with Oda's army marching to Kyoto. Wouldn't it be foolish to divert troops?"
"Lord Matsunaga!"
"How rude! Show some respect!"
Iwanari and Miyoshi Masakatsu shouted in reprimands.
In response, though silent, Hisamichi showed a look of disbelief, or perhaps a mocking expression.
Tension spread throughout the camp. Several tried to mediate, but the strategist's son was completely unresponsive.
After some time had passed, Hisahide's son said in a voice mixed with ri's tone:mockery
"There's no need to attack Yamazaki Castle. We can just burn down the whole mountain. It's winter now, so it'll keep us nice and warm."
"Don't say such ridiculous things!"
"I think that's a perfectly reasonable opinion, don't you?"
Hisamichi laughed.
"We must focus solely on crushing Oda, shall we? If so, we must create a situation where we don't need to worry about Yamazaki Castle. Besides, we're already in Shimamoto. There's no need to go all the way into the dangerous territory of Yamazaki. If we can lure Oda here, we can engage in a decisive battle with them to our heart's content. The way to do that is—"
"No, no!"
Nagayoshi shook his head violently.
He became so excited that his whole body began to tremble as if he were having a seizure.
"We must adopt an offensive stance; we must possess nothing but a fighting spirit. As long as we have the will to fight, we cannot be defeated!"
"Ha, how ridiculous."
Hisamichi let out a conspicuous sigh, as if to say, "That's enough."
"In that case, if you insist, I shall lead the attack on Yamazaki Castle, where my father is holed up. After that, you can all fight with all your might, as you see fit."
"Wait! Lord Matsunaga!"
However, despite the three men's attempts to stop him, Hisamichi went ahead and left the camp.
Akimoto could only look around nervously at the faces of the other generals.
"That damn bastard, he's got some nerve...that young whippersnapper."
"Now, please calm down, Lord Nagayoshi."
"Lord Matsunaga has his quirks, but he's a general who gets the job done properly."
"There's no need to increase the animosity any further here."
From among the assembled generals, voices of support for Hisamichi began to spread rapidly.
In fact, the young man, Hisahide's son, was a capable tactical commander.
His words and attitude were bad, but what he said had value—this has been the common view among the Miyoshi retainers since Nagayoshi's time.
However, Nagayoshi, the elder of the Miyoshi family, disliked this trend.
Alternatively, they were unwilling to acknowledge those more capable than themselves.
That's the root cause of his conflict with Hisahide, but this old man doesn't realize it. He doesn't even try to realize it.
He's the type of person who gets upset if an organization doesn't act according to his wishes, and he doesn't want to take the opinions of those younger than him seriously.
Chōitsu's philosophy is that one's own experience is paramount, nothing more and nothing less.
Back when the Miyoshi family had a brilliant lord named Nagayoshi, the horse had been kept under a collar, but now that collar had been removed, and there was no one to control it.
"Alright everyone...calm down!"
With a voice clearly showing his displeasure, Chōichi announced, as if to say that this was the end of it.
"Regarding Yamazaki Castle, I leave everything to Lord Matsunaga. We must not intervene under any circumstances; we must focus solely on the decisive battle against Oda!"