A tour of Japan's Warring States Period

Oda Nobunaga looked a little tired when he arrived at Okazaki. After all, he was tired after marching for four consecutive days. That is to say, he is in good health, has been fighting for many years, and has been a real soldier for half his life, so he is used to it.

"Where is Taro Shimomataro?" Facing Hirate Fanhide and Tokugawa Ieyasu waiting on the roadside, Oda Nobunaga didn't talk nonsense or use any polite words.

Hirate Fanhide glanced at Tokugawa Ieyasu, and still asked Tokugawa Ieyasu, a major landowner, to come out and answer. In Anxiang City, he mainly served as Tokugawa Ieyasu's successor, and by the way, he guarded Owari's back door for Oda Nobunaga.

"Coming from Nagashino to Okazaki!" Tokugawa Ieyasu didn't know the news that Nagashino Castle had been opened at this time.

Except for Okuhira Sadamasa, who committed seppuku, the rest of the Nagashino Castle soldiers were gathered into the team by the Yamagata Sanfangzhong and Uden Nagateru to serve as hard labor. Torii Goemon was no exception, and no one was allowed to escape.

"What's wrong with Nagashino?" Nobunaga dismounted from his horse and threw the chariot to Mori Nagako.

"The situation is not good. Only Ninomaru and Honmaru are still resisting." Tokugawa Ieyasu's news was naturally delayed.

"Yes!" Oda Nobunaga sighed heavily after taking a look at the rain that was no longer falling heavily, but in fact, he probably already had a premonition about Nagashino.

"Urgent report! Urgent report!" As they were walking into the city, a loud shout from the envoy suddenly came from below the city, signaling the soldiers lining up to get out of the way.

"Greetings to the main hall, hello to your highness!" The messenger definitely didn't know Oda Nobunaga, but the person who asked Tokugawa Ieyasu to serve him carefully was Oda Nobunaga.

"Where to repay!"

"Nagashino opened the city! The city lord Okuhei Hataro has committed seppuku and committed suicide!" From the side of the Tokugawa family, it certainly sounds nicer.

"I got it! Back off!" Oda Nobunaga showed no expression, but Tokugawa Ieyasu frowned a little.

"Mikawa! What happened to the logs and ropes I ordered you to collect?"

"It's ready!"

"Very good! Give them all to Tokichiro! In addition, send out all the Monogami and Mesuke. I will hear Mataro's movements every half an hour!" Oda Nobunaga ordered as he walked.

"Save it, save it!" In front of Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu naturally had no choice but to obey orders.

Mikawa is not Oda Nobunaga's territory. Here, we have to rely on Tokugawa Ieyasu and other local snakes to conduct extensive reconnaissance of the battlefield and provide various local news. Therefore, after Oda Nobunaga gave his instructions, he sent another five hundred guan to Tokugawa Ieyasu to support Tokugawa Ieyasu's war of resistance.

The remaining issue was the food issue. Oda Nobunaga set out from Gifu with only ten days' worth of army rations, so as soon as he sat down, he immediately asked Tokugawa Ieyasu about the army rations and rice.

As expected by the Yamauchi family, only Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was in most of the Mikawa Kingdom, was very poor. As soon as Oda Nobunaga opened his mouth, Ishikawa Sumasa and Torii Motodada, who were sitting next to him, went out to report to him the grain storage situation in Okazaki Castle.

Only more than five thousand stones!

How many people did Oda Nobunaga bring? Fifty thousand riders!

Including Tokugawa Ieyasu's six thousand riders, the total is fifty-six thousand!

How long can more than four thousand stones of food last? Assuming that one person weighs one and a half kilograms a day, or a little less, he can only eat it for half a month at most. Of course, Nobunaga could also be transported from Owari and Mino, but this would be uneconomical because it would require a large-scale requisition of civilians, cattle, horses, and vehicles. The more straightforward reason is that the "local officials" such as the local waiters and others have been dragged to Okazaki by Oda Nobunaga. Without the organizational personnel, it is impossible for you to transfer food to the front line on a large scale in a short period of time. impossible.

However, Nobunaga was not prepared to stick to Okazaki. He could not afford to hold off Mikawa. After defeating the Yamauchi army, he would turn around and attack Nagashima Ichikui.

Counting the five or six days of food left in his army and the food stored in Okazaki's treasury, half a month is more than enough, enough to fight a general battle!

"How many Shimo Taro are there?" Oda Nobunaga stood in the hall and asked without resting for a moment.

"It's claimed to be 150,000, but it's actually about 40,000 to 45,000!" Torii Kyōemon had a clear view of the Yamauchi Army at Nagashino Castle at that time, so the difference in the estimated numbers was indeed not big.

"forty thousand!"

"Indeed!"

"Since Nagashino has broken the city, where are the streets for 40,000 troops to pass through?" Pointing to the crude map, Oda Nobunaga continued to ask.

"Along the valley of Mount Danto, you can reach Okazaki in a gentle way!" Tadashi Okubo has been around for a long time and is very familiar with it.

"Where's the distance?"

"About five to six miles!"

"It's difficult to march and set camp in the rain. It will take three to four days for Shitaro to reach Okazaki at the earliest!" Oda Nobunaga had just walked through the streets of Mikawa himself, and he already knew whether he could walk.

"Report! Yamauchi and others have arrived at Kiyoida! They are still at the lower camp!" According to Oda Nobunaga's request, Tokugawa's Mononomi began to penetrate crazily in the direction of Nagashino, and one message was broadcast every half an hour.

"Where is Qingjing Tian?" Nobunaga pointed at the map.

"Here!" Tokugawa Ieyasu stood up and pointed with his hand.

"How to describe it!"

"The remnants of the mountains are undulating. It slows down a bit and is generally flat, but there are still obstacles on both sides."

"What's ahead?"

"The Rengo River cuts off Taihara. The Kiyoda side is higher, but the main surface is narrow. The Shitarahara side is low, but there are quite a few terraces to rely on."

"Shitarahara?" Oda Nobunaga pondered and began to think.

"Win three!" After a brief decision, Nobunaga called Mori Nagako.

"You immediately go to Shitarahara with the guide sent by the Mikawa Guard Station to check the description and draw down the details. You must be quick!"

"Understood!" Morinagako immediately stood up and walked out. Tokugawa Ieyasu also immediately ordered Ishikawa Ienari to send a careful person to follow.

"The entire army will rest today. After dawn tomorrow morning, the entire army will move in the direction of Shitarahara, and the camera will select suitable terrain!"

"Ho ho!" All the generals responded in succession.

When the Yamauchi Army began to stabilize Kiyodahara's camp, Oda Nobunaga also began to choose a blocking position that could serve as the best blocking position to block the oncoming Yamauchi Army after asking.

Obviously, after questioning, the best place to stop the Yamauchi Army and prevent the Yamauchi Army from rushing into the undefended Yahagi River Plain is in Shitarahara, just five kilometers south of Nagashino in the Rengo River!

………………

A reader reminded me before that the Yabiki River was wrong and should now be called the Yahagi River. During the Warring States Period, it should have been called Yabiki River, because the word "秧" happened to be the word Yabiki, so it was directly marked as Yabiki River on some maps.

I didn't check it carefully and just copied the wrong name. I'm sorry!

According to records in the Kojiki and Nihonshoki, Takeru was victorious when he made arrows from Nakasu bamboo from the river during the Eastern Yi conquest, so the river was called the Yasaki River or the Yahagi River.