A tour of Japan's Warring States Period

The situation on the battlefield suddenly changed. The life of the Imagawa army, which originally had an advantageous position, was hanging by a thread. Any straw would break the already overwhelmed camel.

The two sergeants are now intertwined. I am among you, and you are among me. The heavy rain falling from the sky and the muddy battlefield greatly consumed the physical strength of the soldiers of both armies. At this time, the beating was really just one breath.

At this time, Taiyuan Zen Master was also riding a tiger and was unable to get off. On the one hand, he gathered the defeated soldiers and sent the Suruga warriors beside him to organize these people to fill the loopholes everywhere. But after all, he himself was an old man in his sixties and could not fight in person. The brave generals of the Suruga clan, brothers Okabe Gennobu, were not here, and Asahina and his son were still coming from the Yabiki River with the special forces.

The only ones commanding the army on the front line were Katsurayama Motoka, Abe Motoshin, Kuno Sono and other samurai. You think they can't do it? They must all be qualified warriors, and they are all experienced in the army and have fought for many years. But they are not the kind of strong and brave men who bravely march through the three armies. They are better at marching and forming formations.

The courage of the generals, in the age of cold weapons, the brave will win when we meet on a narrow road. At this moment, the front lines of the Oda and Imagawa armies were completely involved in bloody hand-to-hand combat. Due to Nobunaga's personal visit to the front line of the Owari clan, the elite samurai of the Hatamoto clan were replenished to the front line. In terms of combat effectiveness, the more warriors, the stronger the combat effectiveness. If there is another one among the samurai who is very good at fighting, then the morale and combat effectiveness of the entire army will also increase steadily.

And it just so happened that Sasa Mutsu Morinimasa, the female commander of Oda Nobunaga's main team, was a fierce man who dared to run in the wilderness with a depth of minus 20 degrees and two meters of snow. He was originally one of Owari's most powerful people because he didn't take a good stand against Owari's brothers. Now he has stains on his body, so he fights even harder without slacking off at all.

Since Nobunaga personally drew his spear and went down to fight, Sasana Narimasa, who was guarding Nobunaga next to him, flew up with his spear. The blood and water mixed with the muddy water, and the heads of the killed people were rolling, and even the novices couldn't get into his body. The majestic posture penetrated the rain curtain, and there was no one in the Imagawa army on the front.

It would be fine if there was only one god of death, but this is not the end. Shibata Katsuie on Nobunaga's flank and Maeda Toshiie on the flank are both skilled martial artists. One is called "Advance Shibata" and the other is called "Gun no Mata". Left". The Imagawa troops on the left and right were howling like ghosts and retreating continuously.

Relying on the brave warriors and the high morale gained by the commander's personal performance, the Oda army completely overcame all the disadvantages on the terrain, and it seemed that victory was already within grasp. This is exactly what Oda Nobunaga thought and hoped for.

The fighting between the two armies became more and more fierce, and the sky became darker and darker. Due to the rain, it was completely impossible to fight at night with fire. Both armies were close to this point. The Oda Army felt that as long as the next round of fierce attacks, it was possible to completely destroy the already shaky Imagawa Army that was resisting frontally. The Imagawa Army felt that as long as the Oda Army's last wave of offensive was blocked, the entire Imagawa Army would be safe, and everyone could safely return to Yoshida Castle and even Suruga, waiting for another battle next year.

At this time, it is no longer practical to calculate casualties and losses. All sacrifices are just to increase one's own weight on the scale of war that devours all things. Money, weapons, and even the names of soldiers are all components of that heavy weight.

However, the balance of the war did not always seem to favor Oda Nobunaga. When both sides were breathing their last breath, the Asahina team of the special forces behind Imagawa Army stepped on the mud all over the ground and finally reached the battlefield, successfully competing with the Taiyuan Yuki team. Zhai meets.

When Oda Nobunaga only saw the crooked armor and the untidy troops, he knew that his original success today had quickly disappeared from the palm of his hand.

The reserve team on the battlefield, and the brave reserve team is one of the most important factors in determining the outcome of a battle. Unfortunately, Oda Nobunaga even went into battle himself, and he had no reserve team at his disposal. Zen Master Taiyuan Xue Zhai finally waited for his own reserve force, a brave army commanded by the famous Kaido general Asahina and his son.

The situation on the battlefield has changed again. Although the Imagawa Army's Rangers also braved the wind and rain and trudged to the battlefield, they had not experienced fighting after all, and they still had two or three points of strength. And because of the march, it actually allowed the soldiers to warm up.

Don't underestimate the warm-up. If two identical soldiers have the same physical strength and martial arts skills, the soldier who has warmed up can definitely defeat the one who has not yet warmed up. Just like our current sports such as swimming, basketball, etc., we all do warm-up exercises before going on the court. There is a scientific reason for this.

Holding the horse mark with the firebird pattern and the Erbiryo, the Imagawa Rangers did not immediately join the battle, but formed a team outside the battle group. Then separate a group of people and horses before joining the battle. Looking at the equipment and the number of people, you can tell that it is one of the fifteen hundred standing ashigaru of the Suruga clan brought by Zen Master Taiyuan Xue Zhai, as well as the relatively strong samurai Feng Gongren of the Mikawa clan.

There are only about five or six hundred people in this group. Compared to the twelve thousand people who are crowding on Azuki Saka and fighting for their lives, these people can't even make a small wave, but they are still pretty powerful. fierce. Led by a samurai wearing a powerful five-piece red body and a sun and moon pocket on his head, he walked through the rain and joined the melee.

What kind of person is Taiyuan Zen Master? Of course he immediately grasped such a fleeting opportunity and drove the last hundred or so Hatamoto Ashigaru in his team to protect him to join the battle. Imagawa Ni moved the two horses forward together and struck with all his strength.

The two sides continued to fight each other in the mud in the heavy rain for more than half an hour. Unfortunately, in the end, the addition of Imagawa's new force did not completely add enough weight to the balance of victory. The sky finally turned dark. At this point, both sides were unable to fight anymore. They gradually broke away from contact unwillingly and finally retreated.

From afternoon to night, the two sides fought at most a 50-50 tie, with both sides suffering many casualties. Of course, when each returns home, they still have to publicize it. They must say that their side has won the final victory, and they will even hold a grand banquet to celebrate it.

It can be said that there is no winner in the battle of Azukizaka. But on the other hand, the Oda family captured Anxiang Castle, an important town in Nishi Mikawa, and their power entered Nishi Mikawa, while Narumi Castle was just an isolated city. As long as the siege continued, it would fall sooner or later.

Although the Imagawa clan lost some territory in Nishi Mikawa, it greatly tested the level of the Oda clan and the current situation in Owari that was not monolithic.

It's like the first round of testing before the decisive battle. Both sides gain something. Already gearing up, waiting for the final confrontation.