Great name!

Chapter 255: Katsurai's Three Battles with Nobutora
On the Omi Echizen side, Oda Nobunaga ordered Niwa Nagahide and Hashiba Hideyoshi to lead troops to approach Echizen, and the Wakasa clan also joined the battle, and the navy threatened the Echizen Ikki from the sea.

Shimomura Yoritsuru was actively preparing for war. At the same time, he also wrote a letter to Qian Honganji, asking for support from Xianru.

After receiving the letter asking for help, Xianruo naturally would not sit idly by. He immediately wrote a letter to Takeda Katsuyori, hoping that Takeda Katsuyori would send more troops.

In order to allow the Takeda family to send troops, Xianru also gave the Takeda family several thousand strings of money and food this time.

After receiving the letter, Takeda Katsuyori became more convinced of the Oda family's tactics, and he immediately summoned his retainers to discuss the matter.

Takasaka Masanobu was the first to oppose Takeda Katsuyori's military expedition.

He was a little angry and said loudly: "Master, my Takeda family has been fighting for years, but we have gained very little and suffered a lot. Even though my Takeda family is rich, we can't afford such a torment."

Takeda Katsuyori also felt a little embarrassed. The only military achievement he could show off in the past few years was probably the battle of Takatenjin Castle.

Atobe Katsusuke immediately defended his master and interrupted to explain: "Lord Takasaka, what do you mean? Now Tsuda Nobutora and Tokugawa Ieyasu are leading their troops to attack Takatenjin Castle. If our army does not fight, how will the other lords look at us?

If we don't fight, how will everyone view the head of the family? This is not a question of whether the head of the family wants to fight or not, but a question of the honor and disgrace of the Takeda family!"

Anayama Nobukuni snorted coldly and said, "The Takeda clan has been defeated by Tsuda Nobutora twice in a row. Which time was the loss not heavy? The battle of Iwamura Castle killed Akiyama Nobutomo, and the battle of Arikai killed the chief family elder, Lord Yamagata Masakage, and a number of other generals. How much more do you expect to lose in this battle?"

Nagasaka Mitsuken glared at Anayama Nobukuni and taunted him, "Lord Anayama, are you still ashamed to mention the Battle of the Sea? As a member of the Takeda clan, you led the retreat during the Battle of the Sea. Aren't you ashamed?"

Anayama Nobukuni immediately defended himself, saying, "In the battle at the sea, our army clearly fell into Tsuda Nobutora's trap. Tsuda Nobutora personally led his troops to attack us, and Lord Nobuyoshi and I were unable to resist, so we retreated.

Besides, if the master had sent in additional reserve troops earlier, we wouldn't have necessarily lost! This battle is not my fault!"

Many people lowered their heads when they heard this. Anayama Nobukuni was actually putting the blame for the defeat on Takeda Katsuyori.

After the Battle of Umi, Takeda Katsuyori did not blame Anayama Nobukuni and Takeda Nobumasa. After all, one was Takeda Shingen's son-in-law and the other was Takeda Shingen's younger brother. Because of their seniority, it was difficult for Takeda Katsuyori to deal with them.

As a result, Anayama Nobukuni began to look down on Takeda Katsuyori.

Takeda Katsuyori glared at Anayama Nobukuni and gritted his teeth, "Anayama, are you saying that the defeat of Arimi was due to my poor command?"

Yuan Changyin said directly: "The commander will naturally be held responsible for the defeat. The master should learn from the first lord."

"Bastard!"

Takeda Katsuyori shouted angrily.

"Do you still have my presence in your eyes?"

"You guys always want to avoid war and rest, but I'm a reckless man who only knows how to fight and waste people's money?

Then you are wrong. Ever since my father and the Oda family turned against each other, our Takeda family and the Oda family have been at war until death!
If I don't send troops to attack the Tokugawa family, the Oda family will join forces with the Tokugawa family to attack my Takeda family. Then, everyone, the war will affect your territories.

You can only live a good life as long as the Takeda family is still there. Now that the Takeda family is gone, can you still have such a good life if you go to the Oda family?

This time, Tsuda Nobutora went into battle in order to contain the Takeda family and provide Nobunaga with an opportunity to destroy the Echizen Ikki. If the Echizen Ikki was destroyed, Oda Nobunaga could send all his troops to Gyeonggi and attack Honganji.

Everyone, think about it, if Honganji is destroyed, who will be next? The Mori family, or my Takeda family, or the Uesugi family? At that time, it will be a dead end! "

Takeda Katsuyori's roar echoed in Hiroma. Most people fell silent, except for Atobe Katsusuke and a few others who were smug.

Seeing that no one else was refutating his words, Takeda Katsuyori softened his tone and said, "I have a plan to deal with Tsuda Shingen's attack on Takatenjin Castle this time. You don't have to worry."

Kosaka Masanobu asked, "I wonder what plan the master of the family is talking about. Can you discuss it with us?"

Takeda Katsuyori thought for a moment and said, "Takatenjin Castle is easy to defend but difficult to attack. I have already made Takatenjin Castle hold firm. Tsuda Shingen has been attacking for half a month. Even if we give him a month, it will be difficult to capture it.

In this way, the armies of Tsuda Nobutora and Tokugawa Ieyasu are exhausted under the Takatenjin Castle. At this time, our army can send troops to attack Nagashino Castle, forcing Tsuda Nobutora and Tokugawa Ieyasu to come to the rescue, and then fight a decisive battle with them in Nagashino.

At that time, our army was well-rested, while the Oda-Tokugawa coalition was exhausted. Once they engaged in battle, our army would surely win. "

Takasaka Masanobu looked at Hara Masatane, and the two nodded to each other, indicating that there were no flaws in this plan and it could be implemented.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Takeda Katsuyori breathed a sigh of relief and dismissed the meeting.

……

The city of God of the sky.

Tsuda Nobutora and Tokugawa Ieyasu had been leading their troops in the attack for half a month without any progress. However, everyone knew that this battle was just a feint, so they were not putting in much effort.

In the temporary mountain fort, Ii Manchiyo was carefully processing arrowheads. This was the task given to him by Tokugawa Ieyasu.

However, although he was dealing with the arrowheads, he was thinking about how to break through Gaotian City. Unfortunately, even if he came up with a strategy, it would be useless, as this battle was just a feint.

In fact, many generals of the Tokugawa family were complaining about this matter. After all, the area around Takatenjin Castle was the territory of the Tokugawa family, which was seized by the Takeda family last year. The Oda family might not care, but they could not.

Ii Manchiyo also heard their words and secretly told Tokugawa Ieyasu about them, who told him to shut up.

Time passed in a flash, and nearly a month had passed, and Takatenjin Castle was still in the hands of the Takeda army.

In the central wooden house of the mountain fortress, the generals of the Tsuda family and the Tokugawa family sat in the hall, looking at each other in silence.

Finally, Tokugawa Nobuyasu could not help but ask, "Lord Jingzhao Yin, how long are we going to wait here at the foot of Gaotianjin Castle? With more than 10,000 people, how much food will be wasted!"

Ishikawa Sumayoshi also said, "Sir Jingzhao Yin, this is not a solution. The soldiers don't want to return in vain."

Sakai Tadatsugu followed up by saying, "The Takeda clan hasn't made any moves either. How about we attack Takatenjin Castle and force the Takeda clan to come to our rescue?"

Tokugawa Ieyasu immediately stopped him and said, "Okay, stop talking, the Jingzhao Yin has his own arrangements."

Xinhu waved his hand and said, "Hey, Lord Mikawa-sama, there is no need to be like this. It is normal for everyone to have some complaints. In fact, I can't stand being idle anymore.

But considering the date, it is time for the Takeda family to take action, so our army will rest for a few days."

Seeing that Nobutora looked like he had a plan in hand, Tokugawa Ieyasu quickly asked, "Sir Jingzhao Yin, is the Takeda clan going to send troops to rescue Takatenjin Castle?"

Xinhu shook his head and smiled, "That's not the case. Lord Mikawa-sama, just wait patiently. It will only take a few days."

The Tokugawa family generals in the hall were shocked and confused, and Tokugawa Nobuyasu's face changed. Although he hated Tsuda Nobutora, he had to admit that this man was full of wisdom and needed to be dealt with carefully.

So when he saw Tsuda Nobutora's look, he knew that he must have been planning some trick, and it seemed that the Takeda family had fallen into the trap.

It was a pity that he could not guess it, and he could not help but feel anxious. Benda Tadakatsu below said with some displeasure: "Isn't this Jingzhao Yin trying to be mysterious again? Xiao Pingtai, what do you think?"

Sakakibara Yasumasa shook his head and said, "How can I guess that? I'm not a famous general like Lord Jingzhao Yin."

Honda Tadakatsu shook his head and said, "Are you afraid of offending people? What are you afraid of? He won't know. Just tell me."

Sakakibara Yasumasa couldn't persuade Honda Tadakatsu, so he had to say, "Maybe the Jingzhao Yin was worried that there might be spies from the Takeda family, so he deliberately didn't tell us. The head of the family should know this."

Honda Tadakatsu looked at Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was happily drinking with Tsuda Nobutora. He nodded and said, "Yes, you are right. I was wondering why the master of the family looked so relaxed. It turns out that everything had been arranged long ago. Let's wait and see."

After the banquet, Tokugawa Ieyasu personally went to arrange the rest of the Tokugawa army. After some rest, the morale of the Tokugawa army was boosted and they were no longer as complaining as before.

……

On a day in June, the Takeda army once again appeared near Nagashino Castle. Okudaira Nobumasa, who was responsible for guarding Nagashino Castle, immediately gathered the garrison and prepared for battle.

Afterwards, he immediately sent envoys out of the city to ask for help while the Takeda army had not yet besieged the city.

Two days later, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was at Takatenjin Castle, received a letter from Nagashino Castle asking for help from Okazaki Castle. He immediately gave it to Nobutora to check.

Nobutora smiled and said, "Okay, Takeda Katsuyori has taken the bait, it's time to close the net, withdraw the troops immediately and rescue Nagashino Castle."

He immediately sent his envoys back to Mino Iwamura Castle and asked Kawajiri Hidetaka to lead 8,000 troops to Nagashino Castle for support.

Although Nobutora and Tokugawa Ieyasu returned to support Nagashino Castle, Nobutora did not directly attack Nagashino Castle before the reinforcements from Iwamura Castle arrived. Instead, he retreated to Okazaki Castle.

This made Takeda Katsuyori a little angry. He felt that Tsuda Nobutora had discovered his plan and was planning to recuperate in Okazaki Castle before coming back to support Nagashino Castle.

If that was the case, it would be detrimental to his battle plan.

In order to force Tsuda Nobutora and Tokugawa Ieyasu to send troops to support, Takeda Katsuyori first withdrew a lot of troops surrounding Nagashino Castle, attacked Firengi Castle and Ushikubo Castle, and headed towards Yoshida Castle.

Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered Nobuyasu to lead 7,000 men to form an array at Hozoji Temple to defend the road leading to Okazaki Castle.

He led the remaining men into Yoshida Castle, while Nobutora remained in Okazaki Castle.

A few days later, the vanguard of the Takeda army arrived at Yoshida Castle. Tokugawa family members Sakai Tadatsugu, Mizuno Tadashige, Toda Samon, Watanabe Hanzo and others went out of the city to fight them, killing hundreds of people.

Later, Takeda Katsuyori's main force arrived, and the Tokugawa army retreated into Yoshida Castle and defended the city.

Three days later, Takeda Katsuyori realized that there was no point in continuing the confrontation, so he abandoned the siege of Yoshida Castle, returned to Shitara County, and surrounded Nagashino Castle again.

Takeda Katsuyori surrounded Nagashino Castle again and ordered the Kanayama tribe to dig a tunnel to attack Nagashino Castle. Three days later, they captured Hattori Quwaba and Hyomaru. Nagashino Castle was already in danger, but Okudaira Nobumasa still led the garrison to resist.

Two days later, in the early morning, Okudaira Sadamasa counted the supplies and personnel in the city.

There were only fifteen soldiers left defending Nagashino Castle, including five elders from the seven clans, fourteen from the Okudaira clan, thirty-five other generals, and seventy miscellaneous soldiers, and the food supply was only enough to last for four days.

With such a small number of people and military supplies, Nagashino Castle would fall in the next two days, but Torii Kyouemon Katsusho volunteered to go out of the city to seek help.

At this time, the Oda army led by Kawajiri Hidetaka had arrived at Okazaki Castle to join Nobutora, who had as many as 18,000 troops. Tokugawa Ieyasu led his own troops to join the force, and the two armies had a total of 30,000 troops.

Nobutora immediately held a military meeting in Okazaki Castle. He pointed to the map and said, "The attack on Takatenjin Castle was a false news I deliberately spread. My real purpose was to lure the Takeda family out for a fight.

I have set up two battlefields, one near Takatenjin Castle, and the second is Shitarahara near Nagashino Castle."

As soon as these words were spoken, Tokugawa Nobuyasu was shocked. He realized that he had fallen into Tsuda Nobutora's trap!
It was too late for him to pass the message to Takeda Katsuyori now. He could only hope that a miracle would happen in this battle between Takeda Katsuyori and Takeda.

Not only Tokugawa Nobuyasu was shocked, but Honda Tadakatsu, Sakakibara Yasumasa and others were also surprised.

They didn't expect that the famous general above had actually been planning this battle a month or two ago.

Nobutora looked at the admiring eyes of the crowd below and felt a little proud. He continued, "Next, Lord Mikawa-no-kami and I will lead the main force to Shitarahara to attract Takeda Katsuyori to fight.

At the same time, Lord Sakai of the Tokugawa family led 5,000 soldiers as a special forces team, crossed the river from behind, and cut off the retreat route of the Takeda army.

In this way, the more than 10,000 Takeda troops will either have to fight a decisive battle with our army or flee into the mountains and forests in a panic. "

Tokugawa Ieyasu immediately praised him, "What a brilliant plan, Lord Jingzhao Yin. After this battle, Takeda Katsuyori was defeated three times in a row. I'm sure the Takeda family will be afraid of Lord Jingzhao Yin's reputation in the future."

"Hahaha…"

Everyone laughed and flattered Xinhu.

At this time, Ii Manchiyo came in and shouted, "Report, Master, someone from Nagashino Castle is here!"

Tokugawa Ieyasu waved and said, "Let someone in quickly."

Torii Kyouemon immediately ran in, knelt down and saluted, saying: "I am Torii Kyouemon, a retainer of the Okudaira family, and I have come to ask for help from Mikawa no Kamiden on the orders of Lord Nobumasa.

Now there are only a hundred or so soldiers in Changxiao City, and the food and supplies are only four days at most. After four days, Changxiao City will not be able to hold out. "

Xin Hu nodded and praised: "Xin Chang did a good job, you go back and tell him immediately that our army will send troops to rescue Chang Xiaocheng tomorrow."

Torii Kyouemon was overjoyed and immediately said goodbye and returned to Nagashino Castle.

Unfortunately, he was captured by the Takeda army on his way back to Nagashino Castle.

The soldiers of the Takeda army took Torii Kyouemon to the foot of Nagashino Castle and forced him to deceive the castle defenders. If he did not do as he was told, his life would be in danger.

But between his own life and the kindness of his master, he resolutely chose the latter.

He shouted loudly to Nagashino Castle: "Reinforcements will arrive within three days. You must persevere."

Okudaira Sadamasa was overjoyed when he heard Shengshang's cry.

However, the enraged Takeda army immediately executed Torii Kyoemon by cruel crucifixion.

Okudaira Nobumasa and others in Nagashino Castle were furious when they saw the Takeda army outside the castle skinning Torii Kyoemon, who was tied to a cross, alive with their swords. They started cursing.

This matter was quickly reported to Nobutora by the Ninja Group. When Nobutora heard that Torii Kyouemon sacrificed his life for justice, he could not help but exclaimed: "This is a righteous man, a loyal minister, his body should not be left to lie in the wilderness."

The ninja group then stole his remains back in the middle of the night and buried them near Nagashino Castle.

(End of this chapter)