Great name!

Chapter 256 Take a gamble!
Takeda Katsuyori already knew that 8,000 Oda army reinforcements had arrived at Okazaki Castle, and the total strength of the Oda-Tokugawa coalition forces was as high as 30,000, twice as many as his Takeda army.

There was a huge disparity in military strength between the two sides, so Anayama Nobukuni, Takeda Nobumasa and others naturally opposed continuing the fight.

At the military meeting, Anayama Nobukuni said dissatisfiedly: "Master, is it necessary to continue this battle? The plan has failed!"

According to the original plan, the Takeda army was going to attack the exhausted Oda and Tokugawa army while they were well rested.

But now, the Oda-Tokugawa coalition was resting in Okazaki Castle, while the Takeda army was fiercely attacking Nagashino Castle. In addition, eighteen surrounding castles of various sizes were also breached.

It can be said that the Takeda army has been fighting for a long time. Although the morale is high, it now seems that the Takeda army is the exhausted army.

Takeda Katsuyori's face turned pale and his fists clenched, and for a moment he didn't know how to refute.

Atobe Katsuji below immediately looked at Muto Kibei who was standing there and scolded him: "Kibei, you made the plan, what do you want to say?"

Muto Kihei was also helpless. He quickly knelt on one knee and apologized, "Master, I am truly sorry. I am not talented enough and cannot match the enemy general Tsuda Nobutora."

Seeing his brother being humiliated, Sanada Masaki gritted his teeth and glared at Atobe Katsusuke: "Lord Atobe, although my brother has some talent, the opponent is a well-known general. Isn't it too much to ask my brother to defeat Tsuda Nobutora?"

The Sanada family is the leader of the Shinano vanguard. Sanada Masahiro's father, Sanada Yukitaka, is one of the family's important retainers and is highly trusted by Takeda Shingen. The previous head of the family, Sanada Nobutsuna, died in battle last year while covering the retreat of Takeda Katsuyori. Furthermore, Sanada Masahiro is also a famous brave general in the family.

Faced with such a family, Atobe Katsusuke did not dare to go too far.

Takeda Katsuyori quickly stepped forward and said, "Well, Tsuda Shintora's strategy is not inferior to my father's, so it's normal for Kibei to be somewhat defeated.

But our army has not lost this battle yet. Nagashino Castle is about to fall, and the enemy will soon send troops to support us. I decided to rest and prepare to fight the enemy. "

Takeda Nobumasa advised: "Master, this cannot be done."

Takeda Katsuyori stood up and shouted, "Our army has captured eighteen castles in a row. If we withdraw now, these territories will be taken back by the enemy. These territories are meant to be awarded to you. If you don't want them, forget it."

Everyone saw that this was a territory of tens of thousands of stones, and if each of the families present got a share, it would amount to several thousand stones. Who would say no? Atobe Katsusuke was the first to disagree.

Even if people like Anayama Nobukuni disagreed, the samurai below would not agree.

Takeda Katsuyori learned his lesson this time and directly used his territories to stimulate the army. Anyway, these territories were all in Mikawa. If he won, he would get more territories. If he lost, it didn't matter, because he couldn't keep these tens of thousands of stones anyway.

……

Nobutora did not let Takeda Katsuyori and the defenders of Nagashino Castle wait too long. On the second day after Torii Kyoemon came to ask for help, Nobutora and Tokugawa Ieyasu led their troops to march towards Shitarahara.

Shitara was originally a vast plain area, very suitable for large-scale military operations.

For Nobutora, this was suitable for him to form a hollow square formation, while for Takeda Katsuyori, this was a cavalry battle of his Takeda family.

Takeda Katsuyori was very happy when he received the news that the Oritoku coalition forces appeared in Shitara Plain west of Nagashino. He immediately led his troops to Shitara Plain to set up the battle array.

Shortly after Takeda Katsuyori arrived at Shitarahara, 5,000 Tokugawa troops led by Sakai Tadatsugu raided the Takeda army fortress near Nagashino Castle. The defending general Takeda Nobumasa led 2,000 defenders to fight desperately, but was eventually killed in battle because of the enemy's superiority and the 2,000 Takeda troops were defeated.

The news that the retreat route was cut off soon reached the Takeda main camp. Anayama Nobukuni and other old ministers could not hold back any longer. Anayama Nobukuni was the first to say, "Master, our army has fallen into a trap. Let's withdraw immediately."

Takeda Nobumasa also said: "Yes, master, as long as there is green mountains, there is no need to worry about lack of firewood."

Yuan Changyin also frowned and said, "Our retreat has been cut off. If the stalemate lasts for a long time, our army will surely be defeated."

Takeda Katsuyori listened to the discussion, his face becoming increasingly ugly. Didn't he know what the consequences would be if his retreat was cut off? Did he still need you to remind him?
Retreat, retreat, retreat! All these old guys know how to run away. After my father died, these old guys are like old dogs with broken spines. They can no longer fight!

Takeda Katsuyori was angry and cursed loudly, but he just said these words in his mind and didn't curse anyone directly.

As for retreating, he definitely would not retreat. If he retreated this time, he would have lost to Tsuda Nobutora for the third time!
What a disgrace!
How could he continue to be the head of the Takeda family after enduring such humiliation?

Takeda Katsuyori made a prompt decision and pointed at the army outside and said, "This is Shitarahara, where our army can show its strengths. Tsuda Shingen deliberately chose this place to lure me out. He is mocking our army!

If our army retreats without fighting, what will others think if this gets out? Will the Takeda family still have face?
I intend to take the initiative to attack, defeat the enemy's main force, and charge out head-on, so that we can have an explanation."

Atobe Katsusuke said, "Since our first lord Shingen, the Takeda family has never been afraid before a battle. Are you doing this to the deceased Shingen?"

Hara Masatane and others were old friends who had fought with Takeda Shingen for decades, and when they heard this, their blood boiled.

Yuan Changyin shouted, "Shut up! Do you think you can mention Lord Shingen's name casually? In today's battle, I, Yuan Changyin, will fight to the death for Lord Shingen!"

The Obata, Yamaeda, and Sanada families also expressed their opinions.

Anayama Nobukuni said anxiously: "What a mess! What a mess!"

However, the overall situation has been decided, and the appearance of the Takeda army is a foregone conclusion.

Takeda Katsuyori immediately took everyone away from the curtain and gathered all the samurai in front of the platform.

"Our army's retreat has been cut off by the enemy. The enemy in front of us is a large army of more than 20,000, and the enemy has more than a thousand cannons!
If we retreat now, our army can still preserve its strength."

As soon as these words came out, the morale of the Takeda army plummeted, and the samurai showed disappointment. Did they lose this battle again? This was the third time. Was there still hope for the Takeda family?
The retainers standing behind Takeda Katsuyori were a little confused. Wasn't the battle just about to start? How could they destroy the morale before the battle?
What are you going to do!
Takeda Katsuyori looked around and continued to shout, "However, is this really okay? Is retreating like this worthy of the glory of the Takeda family? Is it worthy of the dead Lord Shingen?"

Everyone quickly looked up and looked at Takeda Katsuyori with burning eyes!
Takeda Katsuyori nodded secretly, this was exactly the effect he wanted!
"Tokugawa Ieyasu, the lord of Mikawa-Totomi, and Tsuda Nobutora, the famous general of the Oda clan, their heads are right in front of us!

For those who want to escape, just go ahead and I won’t force you.

But for those who are willing to die on the battlefield in order to become famous, I want to tell you that the Takeda family will never have such an opportunity again!"

"Oh!"

The excited warriors raised their right hands and shouted!
Take a gamble, it's death or fame!
Takeda Katsuyori looked at the high-spirited warriors. He raised his hand and pointed to the sky, shouting, "Look, a rainbow has appeared. This is a good sign. Take down the enemy general's head and become famous!"

"Oh!"

"Kill them all!"

"Become famous!"

The Takeda army, whose morale was boosted by Takeda Katsuyori, was full of fighting spirit. Seeing that the morale of the army was good, Takeda Katsuyori became more determined to send troops.

Afterwards, Takeda Katsuyori deployed tactics and more than 10,000 Takeda troops launched an attack on the 25,000-strong Otoku coalition army from the front.

This time, Takeda Katsuyori placed his elite troops in the center, including generals such as Naito Masatoyo, Hara Masatane, Saegusa Moritomo, Sanada Masateru, and Tsuchiya Masatsugu.

The Obata team led the charge, which brought together all the Takeda clan's red armor, totaling 800 cavalry and 1,500 infantry.

These 1,500 infantrymen are fully armored, with sharp swords and spears, and their personal bravery is far beyond that of ordinary people. These 2,000 people can be said to be the essence of the entire Takeda family's army, and this is also the final foundation of the Takeda family.

The leading general, Obata Masamori, has received many letters of appreciation from the Takeda family since the time of Takeda Shingen, and is listed as one of the Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda.

Obata Masamori knew his responsibility, so he immediately mobilized the Red-armed Infantry to attack the Zhide Allied Forces first. The cavalry was divided into two teams to escort the two wings of the infantry.

He already understood the hollow square formation and also knew about the hard fight the Red Cavalry had fought last time, so he planned to use the infantry to break the formation first and then use the cavalry to reap the rewards.

"attack!"

Following the order from the general in front, several red-armored phalanxes started fighting with Nobutora's 3,000 Ise troops. Both sides were elite troops, and in an instant, the battlefield was filled with the sound of killing.

Nobutora was watching the battlefield in front of him from the well tower of the main camp. He saw that the Takeda cavalry did not enter the battlefield immediately, but he did not care too much. He had expected such a situation a long time ago.

Tokugawa Ieyasu asked, "Sir Jingzhao Yin, the Takeda cavalry won't join the battle. This is troublesome. How about letting Sakai and his men fight back?"

Xinhu waved his hand and said, "Don't worry, the war has just begun, let's see how the situation develops."

On the battlefield ahead, the hollow phalanx was somewhat dwarfed by the elite red-armored phalanx. This was mainly because the hollow phalanx's formation was thinner than that of a pure phalanx, and its replenishment could not keep up with that of the solid phalanx.

The foot soldiers in the rear phalanx were mobilized by the general, and the hollow phalanx gradually turned into a solid phalanx.

At this time, Obata Masamori immediately sent a team of cavalry to attack the phalanx from the flank, and this small phalanx of the Ise clan was defeated under the double attack.

This situation occurred one after another, causing the collapse of the five hollow square formations in front of the Ise army.

The war situation at the front was not going well, which made Tokugawa Ieyasu very anxious, but Xinhu was still watching.

Obata Masamori made progress, and Takeda Katsuyori was overjoyed. He learned from the last lesson and this time directly deployed most of his troops to launch a fierce attack.

After a moment, Nobutora clapped his hands and said, "Good, good, Takeda Katsuyori is courting death!"

An anxious Tokugawa Ieyasu asked hurriedly, "Lord Jingzhao Yin, what's wrong?"

Nobutora said excitedly: "Lord Mikawa-no-kami, look, Takeda Katsuyori has deployed most of his elite troops in the center, and the troops on the two wings are not strong.

Our army is almost twice as large as Takeda's. You and I should immediately mobilize some of our elite troops to hold back Takeda Katsuyori's elite troops, and then send our reserve troops to defeat either side of Takeda's army and attack him from both sides!"

Tokugawa Ieyasu was overjoyed when he heard this, and immediately cooperated with Nobutora to mobilize troops. The Ise clan, which was originally on the verge of collapse, received support from 13,000 troops and quickly stabilized its position and fought with the 7,000 elite troops of the Takeda army.

On the flank, Anayama Nobukuni and Takeda Nobumasa led two thousand men to attack the three thousand men on the right wing of the Oritoku coalition. At this time, the Takeda army was suppressing the Oritoku coalition.

But at this time, Bunyama Yu and Sakakibara Yasumasa led two thousand Oritoku coalition forces to come to support, and the Takeda army was immediately suppressed.

When Anayama Nobukuni saw the critical situation ahead, he quickly sent people to ask for help, but Takeda Katsuyori sent people to reply that the enemy must be stopped.

Anayama Nobukuni cursed: "I knew we couldn't win. We have 2,000 soldiers and the enemy has 5,000. How can we handle it?"

Takeda Nobumasa looked at him, raised his eyebrows and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Anayama Nobukuni gritted his teeth and replied, "Ask for help twice more. If there is still no reinforcement, we will retreat."

Takeda Nobumasa did not say anything and agreed with what Anayama Nobukuni said.

About half an hour later, the Zhide coalition forces were about to reach Anayama Nobukuni. Anayama Nobukuni looked at Takeda Nobumasa and said, "We have done our best. Let's retreat."

Takeda Nobumasa waved his hand and said, "Retreat, retreat quickly, run to the mountains!"

Anayama Nobukuni immediately rode away, and the remaining more than a thousand Takeda troops were immediately dispersed.

Now the flank of the Takeda army's center was exposed, and Bunyama Ue, Sakakibara Yasumasa, Matsudaira and others immediately led more than 4,000 soldiers and horses to attack Takeda Katsuyori's main camp.

When Atobe Katsusuke saw an enemy army coming, he shouted, "Master, turn around quickly!"

When Takeda Katsuyori saw the enemy appearing in the direction defended by Anayama Nobukuni and others, his teeth were about to break. He stared straight ahead, gritted his teeth and said nothing.

But Atobe Katsusuke and others had already dragged him back.

Takeda Katsuyori looked up to the sky and shouted angrily: "Retreat, retreat quickly!"

The Takeda army fighting in the front was very surprised to hear the signal to retreat from the rear.

At this time, the Takeda army was fighting fiercely with the main force of the Otoku coalition and was unable to escape.

When Yuan Changyin saw this, he immediately stepped forward and shouted, "I am already old, you go first, this time I will die for the Takeda family!"

When the others saw this situation, they knew that it would be better to leave for a while, so they could only lead their troops to rush out.

When Nobutora saw that the Takeda army was beginning to collapse, he immediately led his troops in pursuit: "Let the Sakai tribe also attack and intercept Takeda Katsuyori!"

"Kill!"

The Zhide coalition forces began to counterattack, and Yuan Changyin, who was in charge of the rear guard, resisted for a moment before being killed by a cannon.

Afterwards, Naito Masatoyo and Saegusa Moritomo covered the rear and blocked the main force of the coalition forces.

However, on his way to escape, Takeda Katsuyori was blocked by Sakai Tadatsugu. Sanada Masateru and Tsuchiya Masatsugu led their troops to stop him, and they died together on the river bank, ensuring that Takeda Katsuyori escaped.

Soon, Nobutora led his troops to kill Naito Masatoyo and Saegusa Moritomo, and rushed to the east of Nagashino. Sakai Tadatsugu led his troops to join them and said, "I am ashamed for letting Takeda Katsuyori escape."

Nobutora did not criticize him too much and said with a smile: "In today's battle, all the elite troops of the Takeda army were killed. Our army has achieved its goal, and that is enough."

When everyone heard this, their faces were filled with excitement, especially Tokugawa Ieyasu. He breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself: The boat has passed through thousands of mountains.

Ii Manchiyo, who followed Tokugawa Ieyasu, also admired Tsuda Shingen's strategy at this time. Such a powerful Takeda family was played around by him, and was defeated three times in a row, basically losing the strength to dominate the world. This was too terrifying. He should not seek death and just forget this hatred.

However, the only one who was unhappy among these people was Tokugawa Nobuyasu. The Takeda family lost again, and the Tokugawa family had to continue to lie dormant under the wings of the Oda family, which made him very uncomfortable.

(End of this chapter)