A tour of Japan's Warring States Period

The army of 8,600 people rolled forward according to the inertia left over from their fathers and grandfathers' successive battles. It took only half a day to reach Futamata Castle, the most important branch city of the Yamauchi family in Enji.

Iwase Motaka had long known from Uncle Tsuna that Koheta had made his own decision, betrayed the marriage covenant with the Imagawa clan, and encouraged Imagawa Yoshiki to go to Sunfu to seize power.

He is older, and his fifties are already a rare longevity for a middle- and low-level warrior. Now he just wants to serve his father in peace and pass on his Iwase family fortune to his son. So when he first heard the news, it was like a lightning strike, but he was used to the betrayal in the troubled times of the Warring States Period, and he immediately understood Xiaopingtai's intentions.

So Iwase and his son gathered all the people who stayed in Futamata, and then armed the family members, servants and some peasants of the defenders in the city to guard Futamata. Iwase Motomasa took 300 Futamata men and cooperated with 300 men of uncle Tsunaro to attack Gaotian Castle.

Koheita saw that the fifty-three-year-old Iwase Motaka was wearing armor. There was a matzah and a small clay pot for making tea next to the Otemon bonfire. It was estimated that the old samurai had been really in disgrace for the past three days. The horses guard the city gate without taking off their saddles. Now that he saw Xiaoping Tai's eight thousand troops arriving all over the mountains and plains, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He carried the gun for the Yamauchi family for thirty-five years. When he was old, he was ordered to guard Futamata, an important town in the distant river. Yamauchi Yoshiharu trusted their Iwase family tree to represent the flag and was loyal. There were only fifty miscellaneous soldiers recruited temporarily in the city, and he would not allow his lifelong reputation to be ruined and let Yamauchi Yoshiharu's instructions go wrong. Xiaopingtai was so bold in killing Erma Zhong that he couldn't sleep peacefully for three days.

"I've made you suffer." Koheita jumped off the horse and held his hands towards Iwase Motaka.

"Tamasa is such a generous act." Motaka Iwase couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the more than 8,000 Ejiri people gathered around Futama Castle.

"How much food is left in the city?" Koheita was more concerned about this. Due to the hasty raising of troops, Koheta did not collect much food and grass in Ejiri. The amount was only enough for the entire army to last for less than ten days. But Futamata Castle was different. It was prepared to have hundreds of soldiers trapped for more than half a year. Not only was the defense strong, but a lot of food and weapons were also stored.

"There are also 120 shi of rice, 400 shi of wheat, and 150 shi of beans." Iwase Motaka is a qualified warrior and has a very clear plan for materials related to city defense.

Xiaopingta rolled his eyelids and calculated in his mind, that's enough, Futama's rations are enough to feed an army of 10,000 people for six days.

"Leave ten days' worth of food in the city, and take out the rest to supply the army." Xiaoheita even took away the Futamata defenders, so he didn't care if the food was taken away.

Iwase Motaka looked at Koheita. Logically speaking, only Yamauchi Yoshiharu could handle the food, but he did not resist and quickly directed the soldiers to open the Futama granary.

When the soldiers outside the city heard that they could receive food, they lined up outside the city according to the number of people in the team. The merchants of Jiangjizhong had already followed the army after smelling the smell of money, and soon set up a temporary market under the city, selling miso, salted fish, seaweed, pickles and other cheap foods. They watched Xiao Pingtai distribute large amounts of Yongle money to these soldiers. Now everyone in the army is rich.

Therefore, the city was full of soldiers cooking large pots of mixed rice. The quality of the food for the big-headed soldiers not only depended on the conscience of the lord, but also whether there was a good cook in their team. If you were lucky enough to bring a cook with you, you might be able to eat enough food for the march.

And what should the rough guys do without a cook accompanying them? Mostly the rice, flour, wheat and beans are washed and put into the pot, and then everyone shows off their skills. Those who can get wild vegetables and radishes also chop them up and throw them into the pot. Those who can steam two salted fish are even more luxurious. Everyone in the city was laughing happily. After all, you can have enough food during the war. Not long after the spring plowing ended, the wheat had not been harvested yet, so everyone could not have enough food at home.

Koheita immediately sent envoys and Changzuzhong to inquire about the news, and contacted Gaotian Shenshi Castle and Heiroku, who was supervising Ejiri, to try to purchase grains on the market and send them to the front line in a steady stream.

Soon the envoys sent by uncle Tsunada also arrived in Futamata. According to Koheita's plan, six hundred of them suddenly appeared at the foot of Gaotian God Castle. The Ogasawara clan on the castle was so brave that they closed the city and defended it, but the number was too small. , there were only about fifty people left in the city. Uncle Tsunaro attacked Tounomaru, and Iwase Motomasa attacked Nishinomaru. Within an hour, Nishinomaru was the first to fall. As soon as the city was broken, the Yamauchi army seemed to be in an uninhabited territory and attacked the imperial palace in one breath. Ogasawara Ujiko was captured alive before he could commit seppuku. Now they are all sent to Xiao Pingtai, who will deal with them.

While the prudent uncle Tsunada temporarily defended the city, Iwase Motomasa and his men immediately went to Oigawa to control the bridges and ships on the river to ensure that no one on the Oigawa side could escape.

Koheita was now completely relieved, the river was now stable, and there was only one Kakegawa Castle left, a Kakegawa Castle without Asahina Taito.

The men were left behind to set up camp and continue to transport military supplies. Xiao Pingtai drove the army to move forward.

At this time, Xiaoping suddenly felt that he was lacking people. It was not that there were not enough soldiers, but that there was a lack of people who could advise and plan. The only retainer, Heiroku, could write and calculate, and was a good abacuser, but he knew nothing about military strategy.

Needless to say, Aji’s calligraphy was taught by Xiaoping Taiji. Chen San was very well-educated, could write poems, sing songs, speak two foreign languages, and fire cannons, but he was still in a state of observing Xiao Pingtai when marching and arranging formations and making strategic plans.

Most of the Ejiri samurai are experienced in the military, but unfortunately they are not Xiaoheita's retainers or Yuli. If you get too close to them, it will be taboo. After all, they are Chinese.

Kodaira looked around and saw that only the youngest Murakami Yoshimitsu was left, the seventeen-year-old Hyakukan Hatamoto samurai. Yamauchi Yoshiharu once secretly told Xiaoping Tai that his father had just sacrificed his life for the country, and the Murakami family in the mountain had only a single seedling left, and asked Xiaoping Tai to take good care of him and not send any dangerous missions. Let him gain experience for a few years before getting married and having children. Otherwise, Murakami Yoshimitsu will also be tricked to death, and everyone will think that the Yamauchi family is too shady, and even after I die, my son will be tricked to death.

"Zuo Ma, please come here." Xiao Pingtai called out.

Murakami Yoshimitsu, who temporarily served as the team's security general, heard the call and came over quickly.

"What's Danmasa's order?" Murakami Yoshimitsu replied loudly, also riding a small Kiso packhorse, but he did not approach Xiaoheita directly, but was a horse's head behind Xiaoheita.

"Is your family's education about commanding the Ashigaru to line up and fight?" Kodaita knew that his family was an Ashigaru captain. For several generations, they had been infantrymen and led the Ashigaru to fight in formation.

"Yes, my father served His Highness for thirty years and fought more than forty battles. During every battle, he was the ashigaru captain in the front line." Murakami Yoshimitsu was very proud of their status as a samurai in their family tree, and even praised his father. Fight bravely.

"Then how do you think Ashigaru should fight?" Xiaoheita didn't mind seeing how much of this family's kung fu he had learned.

"Of course, thousands of people will form a large formation and march forward in a dignified manner." Murakami Yoshimitsu gave a very ordinary answer.

"That's it?" Xiao Pingtai was a little disappointed.

"Of course not. As you can see, the geography of Enshu is not a large plain. The road to Kakegawa Castle is winding and has undulating mountains. In such a shape, the Ashigaru cannot form a large formation of hundreds of people to attack. It is more suitable for lean people. The teams split up and attack together.”

"But Ashigaru is mostly like that. You have seen Danzheng. A formation of hundreds of people can still face the enemy. If we fight alone, we will only lose people's lives in vain."

"Squad cooperation is too much to force these ashigaru." Murakami Yoshimitsu is worthy of being a three-generation infantry family with a history of 100 years, and he sees clearly.

The Spanish Grand Phalanx, the Morris Grand Phalanx, and the Gustavian Diagonal Array. I'm sorry. The terrain in Japan is beyond the Kanto Great Plains and there is no place for it.

It’s not like there are no talented people in Japan. Who can’t see the power of the spear phalanx? It’s not like the samurai fighting experience in Japan is not as good as that of the city-states more than two thousand years ago.

Everyone also wants to come up with a method of warfare that suits the national conditions, but in Japan, playing with large square formations is a way of life. There are no such soldiers to play with small teams, so they can only fight embarrassingly bad battles.

Although Murakami Yoshimitsu has no solution, he sees the problem accurately. He is still young and has some ability.

Don't invest, I won't sign a contract.