Great name!

Chapter 301: Defeat Takeda
After Nobutora arrived at Iwamura Castle and took over Kawajiri Hidetaka, he immediately wrote a letter to Tokugawa Ieyasu in Totomi, informing him that the Oda family would launch a full-scale attack on the Takeda family.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was also very excited when he learned about this.

Since he followed Tsuda Nobutora to defeat the Takeda clan in the Battle of Nagashino six years ago, the Tokugawa clan has also been getting better and began to gradually take back the territories occupied by the Takeda clan.

However, a major event happened in the past two years. Tokugawa Nobuyasu obtained the support of the Mikawa clan and prepared to split the power of the Tokugawa family.

When Tokugawa Ieyasu found out about this, he calmly summoned Tokugawa Nobuyasu to Totomi and imprisoned him, and then ordered the execution or exile of those Mikawa retainers who colluded with Tokugawa Nobuyasu.

Tokugawa Ieyasu acted very quickly on this matter, with the force of lightning. After dealing with these retainers, Tokugawa Ieyasu executed Tokugawa Nobuyasu and Tsukiyama-dono.

After doing this, Tokugawa Ieyasu wrote a letter to inform Oda Nobunaga. After reading the letter, Oda Nobunaga only said "I know" and there was no further news.

Although this happened, it did not affect the strength of the Tokugawa family.

At this time, Tokugawa Ieyasu was also eager to try.

After Nobutora wrote a letter to inform Tokugawa Ieyasu, he then sent Kamara Yoshishiro and Mochizuki Nagano to Kiso Valley in Shinano.

He remembered that Kiso Yoshimasa was a traitor to the Takeda family.

What's more, Kiso Yoshimasa was already very dissatisfied with Takeda Katsuyori's rule at this time. Since the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Nagashino, Takeda Katsuyori did not dare to advance westward, but instead developed eastward. He had many confrontations with the Uesugi and Hojo families, but did not achieve much.

Takeda Katsuyori used military forces many times and spent a lot of money but made no progress, which disappointed many of Takeda's retainers.

Kiso Yoshimasa is one of them.

As soon as Tsuda Nobutora sent someone to negotiate the conditions, Kiso Yoshimasa was tempted. Nobutora was overjoyed, the gate of Kiso Valley was opened, and most of Shinano was lost.

He immediately told Oda Nobunaga the good news, and Nobunaga wrote directly to Nobutora, saying that as long as Kiso Yoshimasa agreed to surrender to the Oda family, he would accept any conditions.

Nobutora would naturally not be like Oda Nobunaga. He gave Kiso Yoshimasa a condition to preserve his territory, which made Kiso Yoshimasa rebellious.

As for the Takeda family, Takeda Katsuyori had long been demoralized by Tsuda Nobutora. When he heard the news that the Oda family was attacking the Takeda family with all their might, Takeda Katsuyori immediately thought of sending hostages to seek peace.

However, times have changed. Oda Nobunaga wanted to unify Japan, so he naturally did not agree to such conditions.

Takeda Katsuyori could only prepare for war with all his strength.

In order to build the new castle, Takeda Katsuyori once again raised taxes, which made the already dissatisfied Kiso Yoshimasa finally decide to betray Takeda Katsuyori. He offered his brother Kamimatsu Yoshitoyo as a hostage to Oda Nobutada and Tsuda Nobutora and turned to the Oda family.

After learning from Marijime that Yoshimasa was planning a rebellion, Takeda Katsuyori was furious and ordered his cousin Takeda Nobutoyo to lead 5,000 troops as the vanguard to attack Kiso Yoshimasa. He then crucified Kiso Yoshimasa's biological mother, concubines, and children. Then Takeda Katsuyori led 15,000 troops into battle himself.

Kiso Yoshimasa had no time to mourn the death of his family, so he hurriedly gathered troops and resisted the attack of the Takeda clan while sending people to ask for help from Oda Nobutada.

The time is ripe to attack the Takeda family!

After Oda Nobunaga and Nobutada received the news that Kiso Yoshimasa had defected, they immediately decided to attack the Takeda family and issued a mobilization order to the relevant retainers and allied forces.

Oda Nobunaga and his son Nobutada marched from Ina.

The retainer Kanamori Nagachika attacked from Hida.

The ally Tokugawa Ieyasu attacked from Suruga.

After the Onate Rebellion, Hojo Ujimasa, who was hostile to Takeda, marched towards Kai and Shinano from Sagami, Izu and Ueno at the same time.

In an instant, the Takeda family was surrounded by enemies on all sides!
This time, the Oda clan's main army led by Oda Nobutada went out first. Nobutada's army included the main general Oda Nobutada himself, the vanguard Tsuda Naganobu, Mori Nagayoshi, Dantadamasa, Kiso Yoshimasa, and Toyama Tomotada.

The main team includes Tsuda Nobutora, Kawajiri Hidetaka, Mori Nagahide, Mizuno Moritaka, and Mizuno Tadashige.

They were affiliated with Oda Nagamasu and other members of the Oda clan, as well as the Niwa clan.

Finally, there is the military inspector Kazumasu Takigawa.

The army directly under Nobunaga included Mori Yoshinari, Akechi Mitsuhide, Sakai Masanari, Hosokawa Tadaoki, Tsutsui Junkei, Niwa Nagahide, Hori Hidemashi, Hasegawa Shuichi, Gamo Fuhide, Takayama Ukon, Nakagawa Kiyohide, etc.

On the day the letter was received, the vanguard troops led by Tsuda Naganobu, Mori Nagayoshi, and Dan Tadamasa set out from Gifu Castle first, and Kawajiri Hidetaka was sent from the main force to serve as military supervisor.

Three days later, Tsuda Naganobu, Mori and Dan's three teams entered Shinano from Kisoguchi and Kawajiri from Ina Kaido.

The Takeda castles along the Ina Kaido were panicked. On the same day that the Oda vanguard entered Shinano, Shimojo Kyubei, the retainer of Shimojo Nobuuji, the lord of Takizawa, the pass leading to Iwamura, immediately exiled Nobuuji and surrendered to the Oda army, and led the Kawajiri army into Shinano.

A few days later, the lord of Matsuo Castle, Ogasawara Nobumine, also surrendered to the Oda army.

At the same time, Oda Nobutada's main force and Takigawa Iemasu's force set out from Gifu Castle and Ise Nagashima Castle respectively, and entered Mino Iwamura Castle two days later. The next day, Takigawa Iemasu received a letter of request from Oda Nobunaga to "assist the young Nobutada."

Two days after the surrender at Ogasawara Nobumine, the Takeda army was defeated at Torii Ridge by the Oda army led by Kiso Yoshimasa, Toyama Tomotada, Oda Nagamasu, Inaba Sadamichi, Niwa Kansuke and others. More than 40 military commanders, including Atobe Jibu-sho and Ariga Bizen-no-kami, were captured.

The next day, Oda Nobutada arrived in Hiratani and attacked Iida Castle the day after. On the same day, Iida Castle lord Hoshina Masanao abandoned the castle and fled to Takato Castle. Upon hearing the fall of Iida Castle, Takeda Nobumasa lost his will to fight and also fled from Oshima Castle.

On the same day, Tokugawa Ieyasu set out from Hamamatsu Castle and entered Kakegawa Castle. Two days later, he surrounded Tanaka Castle held by Yoda Nobuhisa and sent envoys to persuade him to surrender. Yoda Nobuhisa then opened the city. Sanmaibashi Castle, Kokokuji Castle and other Suruga castles also surrendered to the Tokugawa family after the demise of the Takeda family.

Hojo Ujimasa sent his vanguards to the Obutsu Ridge and Misaka Ridge on the border of Sagami and Kai, and attacked the eastern part of Suruga when the Takeda clan was at an absolute disadvantage.

They then captured Tokura Castle, which was located on the border of Suruga and Izu, and then Izumizu Castle in Numazu and Yoshiwara.

In Ueno, Hojo Ujikuni continued to put pressure on Hojo Takahiro of Umabashi Castle and threatened the territory of Sanada Masayuki.

On the other side, on the Shinano battlefield, Kawajiri Hidetaka received an order from Oda Nobunaga to build a stronghold in order to capture Takato Castle.

The next day, Oda Nobutada surrounded Takato Castle, which was owned by Takeda Katsuyori's younger brother Nishina Morinobu.

Oda Nobutada sent local monks to persuade him to surrender, but was rejected by Morinobu and the envoy's ears and nose were cut off and sent back.

When Oda Nobutada saw the injured envoy, he was furious and said, "This guy really doesn't know what's good for him." Nobutora smiled and said, "Master, calm down. All along the way, the retainers of the Takeda family either surrendered or fled. I didn't expect that Nishina Morinobu still has such a backbone. I think Takato Castle will have a tough battle."

Oda Nobutada stood up and said, "Pass the order down. All troops should rest for one night and attack the city tomorrow!"

The next day, 30,000 Oda troops launched a general attack on Takato Castle. Due to the heroic fighting of a few people such as Nishina Morinobu and Oyamada Masayuki, the Oda family suffered considerable losses, including the death of Oda Nobuie, who was from the Iwakura family.

However, the Oda army finally broke through the city gate with its numerical advantage. Morinobu Nishina and Masayuki Oyamada committed suicide, and Takato Castle fell.

Among all the Takeda troops who fled, only Morinobu Nishina fought to the last moment, which could be considered the last fig leaf of the Takeda family.

The headless body of Morinobu Nishina was buried by local residents who worshipped him, and the burial place was later called "Gorō Mountain".

When Takeda Katsuyori heard the news that his fifth brother had died in battle and Takato Castle had fallen in Suwa, he was immediately panicked, especially when he knew that Tsuda Nobutora was in the battle. He abandoned Suwa and fled to Shinpu Castle.

The day after the fall of Takato Castle, Oda Nobutada, who was pursuing Katsuyori, immediately entered Suwa and burned down the Suwa Taisha Shrine, which was protected by Takeda. Baba Masafuse, who was guarding the strategic Fukashi Castle in Shinano, also surrendered the city, and Oda Nagayoshi took over Fukashi Castle.

At the same time, Anayama Baiyuki of the Takeda clan colluded with Tokugawa Ieyasu and defected to Oda. Led by Anayama Baiyuki, Tokugawa Ieyasu invaded Kai.

Forced into a desperate situation, Takeda Katsuyori had to hold a military meeting in Shinfu Castle and decided to flee to Sanada Masayuki's Iwagoki Castle (or Oyamada Nobushige's Iwadono Castle).

Masayuki Sanada urged Takeda Katsuyori to go there because of the strategic importance of Iwagoshi Castle, while Nobushige Oyamada urged him to go to Iwadono Castle because the journey to Iwagoshi Castle was long and the snow was deep.

Takeda Katsuyori finally decided to adopt Oyamada Nobushige's advice, burned down the Shinpu Castle under construction, and headed to Iwadono Castle.

It was at this time that Oda Nobunaga set out from Azuchi Castle and arrived at the Ibigawa the next day.

At this time, Oda Nobutada presented the head of Nishina Morinobu, the lord of Takato Castle, and later displayed it to the public at the head of the Nagara River.

Just four days after Takeda Katsuyori burned down Shinpu Castle, Oda Nobutada entered Kofu and raided many Takeda clan members and important officials, including Ichijo Nobutatsu, Suwa Yoritoyo, Takeda Nobumasa and others, all of whom were executed.

Oda Katsunaga, Mori Nagayoshi, Dan Tadamasa and others invaded Ueno Province, and powerful families such as the Obata clan and the Yasunaka clan, which were originally part of the Takeda family, surrendered one after another.

As for Takeda Katsuyori and his eldest son Takeda Nobukatsu, they were attacked by Oyamada Nobushige at Sasagori on their way to Iwadono Castle, and were refused entry to the castle.

Takeda Katsuyori did not expect that the Oyamada family would turn against him at this time. With no other options, he could only go to Tianmu Mountain, the place where the ancestor of the Takeda family committed suicide.

When he fled, he hid his family treasure flag and Tate no armor in a temple in Shioyama, thus avoiding the war.

Just as Tokugawa Ieyasu and Anayama Baisetsu met with Oda Nobutada to discuss future plans, Takeda Katsuyori and his party were found by Takigawa Ieyasu's team in the fields near Tenmoku Mountain.

Tsuchiya Masatsu, Komiyama Tomoharu and others fought bloody battles. Tsuchiya Masatsu's activeness in this battle earned him the name "the one-handed killer of a thousand people". Abe Katsutaka broke into the enemy's camp and died in battle. Takeda Katsuyori himself also fought hard to repel the Oda army.

However, they were ultimately outnumbered. First, Takeda Nobukatsu was killed in the siege of the Oda army, and then Takeda Katsuyori lost his ability to resist due to hunger and fatigue, and was captured by Ito Iemon Nagamitsu, who later became a retainer of Fukushima Masanori.

Takeda Katsuyori's wife immediately committed suicide, and Nagasaka Mitsuki, the Tsuchiya brothers, Akiyama Kiimori and others died there.

At this point, the direct line of the Takeda family was basically extinct.

A few days later, the heads of Takeda Katsuyori and his son were sent to Oda Nobunaga for inspection.

When Oda Nobunaga saw the heads of Takeda Katsuyori and his son, he could not help but sigh: "The world is so unpredictable. Takeda Shingen founded such a big Takeda family, but I didn't expect it to be destroyed in just over a month. Tsk tsk tsk tsk..."

Although the Takeda father and son died, there are still many things that have not been dealt with.

Two days later, Takeda Nobutoyo was betrayed and killed by his retainer Sone Kakuunsai, and Oyamada Nobushige was also executed at Kai Zenkoji Temple for "betraying his lord."

Yoda Nobuhisa was also ordered to be executed by Oda Nobunaga, but escaped with the help of Tokugawa Ieyasu. After the Honnoji Incident, he rejoined Tokugawa Ieyasu in Shinano and Kai and made contributions to the pacification of Kai. Many other Takeda retainers later became Tokugawa's subordinates.

In addition, Takeda Shingen's second son, Umino Nobuchika, who became a monk due to blindness, committed suicide after his son escaped. His son was later able to continue the family bloodline due to the protection of Okubo Nagayasu.

More than ten days later, Oda Nobunaga finally arrived in Kofu and began to reward people according to their merits. For example, Takigawa Ieyasu was awarded the province of Ueno, Shinano Koken County, and Saku County.

Kawajiri Hidetaka obtained Kai Province and Shinano Suwa County.

Tokugawa Ieyasu won the Suruga Kingdom.

Kiso Yoshimasa: Added Chikuma County and Azum County.

Mori Kashinari got Shinano Takai County, Minuchi County, Sarakina County, and Hanshina County.

Maori Nagahide obtained Shinano Ina County.

Anayama Baisetsu obtained Kaikawachi, and his legitimate son Katsachiyo inherited the Takeda family name.

Mori Ranmaru obtained Mino Kaneyama Castle, and Dan Chumasa obtained Mino Kuni Iwamura Castle.

After the demise of the Takeda clan, Takeda retainers in the Ueno area, such as Sanada Masayuki, Naito Masatsuki, Kuragano Hidekage, Hojo Takahiro, Obata Nobumasa, Wada Nobuyasu, and Annaka Hisaharu, were recruited as associates of Takigawa Ieyasu.

Takeda retainers in northern Shinano, such as Takasaka Masatoshi, Obata Mitsumori, and Ichikawa Nobufusa, were considered to be under the auspices of Mori Yoshinari.

Sone Masaya, Okabe Masatsuna, Itami Yasunao, Obama Kagetaka, Mukai Masatsuna and others from Suruga Province became retainers of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

At the meeting, Takigawa Ieyasu requested to be given the tea utensil "Pearlized Eggplant" but Nobunaga did not agree. In addition, he lamented that he was transferred away from Kinki and said, "I will never be blessed by the tea ceremony again."

He also appointed himself as the Kanto Kanrei without permission, but Nobunaga did not punish him.

As for Hojo Ujimasa, he was only praised for "doing a very good job in Suruga" and received no other rewards.

At this time, the Koshin region was basically pacified, except for Takeda's last retainer Imokawa Yoshimasa, who joined forces with Naganuma Castle lord Shimazu Tadanao to launch an uprising against the Oda army, and surrounded Inaba Sadamichi who was stationed in Iiyama Castle. Mori Kanonari who was stationed in Kaizu Castle hurriedly contacted Oda Nobutada, who sent Dan Tadamasa for assistance. After the two armies joined forces, they defeated the uprising of Takeda's last retainers.

Mori Kanari's army killed more than 2,000 Ikki troops, and Imokawa Yoshimasa and Shimazu Tadanao were defeated and fled to Echigo Province to rely on Uesugi Kagekatsu.

(End of this chapter)