Chapter Ninety-Six: The General Strategy for the North
The Hojo clan did not escape from Mt. Mifune even though Ito Masayo was desperately dragging him, and the Kira clan and he encountered Toki Yori when he escaped from the bamboo forest to the west.
"Toki is a li! Why did you defect?! If it weren't for the Hojo family, you would have been wiped out by Satomi Yoshiyao a long time ago! "Hojo Clan Yao himself did not participate in the Battle of Kugahara, and he didn't know about Tominaga Naokatsu using them as cannon fodder.
"Humph! No more nonsense! You two should be props for me to return to Satomi's house! With a wave of his baton, the thirty samurai on horseback beside him rushed towards the Hojo clan and the two with their spears and scrolls in hand.
After two screams rang out in the bamboo forest, the lives of the Hojo clan Yao and Kira clan came to an end. Hojo clan Yao does not use but his own territory, Hojo clan Yasu has long given his fifth son Hojo clan light to him as an adopted son, and his identity as a white general will also be inherited by Hojo clan light.
The Kira clan is different, since the death of his adoptive father Kira Raiyasu in battle, although he is a member of the Hojo family, he has no children. The daughter of Hojo Phantom Nunnery will be a widow from now on.
Compared with Abe Motoma's father and son who were killed with men and horses, the deaths of the Hojo clan Yao and the Kira clan were not much better.
As the general was being captured, the samurai on horseback of the Satomi army shouted everywhere: "Hojozaemonzo has been taken!" "As soon as the ashigaru of the Hojo Army learned about it, they lost their fighting spirit, except for the samurai, who continued to fight.
Subsequently, the various units of the Hojo Army could only cover the retreat one after another, but the Satomi Army would not let them do so. If they were allowed to escape, then the Hojo Army would continue to attack the Boso Peninsula, and the Satomi family would have no time to continue to recuperate, not to mention that they had already learned that the Uesugi Army had arrived at the Uesugi Army, and Satomi Yoshihiro would not be afraid of the Hojo family at this moment.
When Hojo Naosadi realized that something was wrong, he hurriedly halted his army, and immediately after the Hojo army was ambushed, he sent his trusted samurai to report to Hojo Shiyasu, and he himself retreated to Kanaya Castle on the border of Kamisaokuni and Anbo provinces to receive the defeated army.
Because Hojo Shigeru was good at fighting, his army did not enter the valleys, swamps, and paddy fields, so it can be said that after he lost 700 troops and his retainers Jimbo Miyachi, Tanaka Shinyuki, Kawasaki Minobu, and Oniwa Saemon, he still withdrew from the battlefield under the cover of the broken back of the house. However, the 700 troops killed in the battle were all reorganized Huang Bei Army, and it can be said that the Hojo clan also suffered a lot of losses in this battle.
In other words, if it weren't for the fact that these military forces and retainers were desperately entangled with the Satomi army, it would still be crucial whether the Hojo clan could escape with his whole body.
But Tamu Yuanxing didn't have such good luck, as a pioneer general, his 1,700 troops were completely into the paddy fields. In order to prevent Kurobi's generals from being courted, the Kurobi generals who were originally subordinate to Tamu Mototada, the father of Tamu Motoko, such as Yoshinobu Otani, Doctor Itami, Mamoru Igamoru of Fukushima, and Shiro Uemon of Fukushima, were killed in battle, and the 1,700 Kubei troops were wiped out. In the end, Tamu Motoko did not disappoint these retainers, samurai, and ashigaru who died in battle, and he fled the battlefield alone.
In order to make the main force of the Hojo Army, Tominaga Naokatsu and Hojo Shigeru and others, all evacuate, he took the initiative to serve as the palace army. He asked his nephew Toyama Masaki to evacuate with a thousand troops, while he fought with five hundred troops and the menacing five thousand li army. Of course, he had only one fate in the end - to die on the battlefield. Along with him was Hayato Toyama who died. Tominaga Naokikatsu originally lost 1,100 troops in the Battle of Kugahara, but this time he lost 400 troops in another battle. He also managed to save 2,000 troops in front of him and retreated to Anfang Country.
The battle lasted until the afternoon, and the Hojo Army rested at Kanaya Castle with a formation of 7,800 troops, and the defeated troops entered Kanaya Castle one after another. When Hojo Shiyasuichi received Hojo's report that he was about to send troops to help, before he could send part of the 5,300 troops he had at hand, he received the news of the disastrous defeat of the Hojo Army in the First Battle of Mifuneyama.
This news was a bolt from the blue for the Hojo family, and it was even more devastating news for the Hojo family. Not to mention the 15,600 Hojo Army assembled at Mifune Mountain, and the 4,500 Satomi family rebel army, how could it be defeated by the 8,000 people of the Satomi Army?!
As the battle situation became clearer and clearer, Hojo Shiyasu also got more detailed news - Toki Yuri and Masaki Tokitaka defected. This means that the powerful family of the general manager no longer supports the Hojo family! Then the Hojo family can no longer gain a firm foothold in the Upper Chamber. The arrogant army will be defeated, and Hojo Shiyasu finally understands this truth. However, this price is not small.
As the list of the war dead on the side of the Hojo family was handed over to the Hojo clan, the Hojo clan found out that the first name was actually Hojo clanyao! That's not all, the Kira clan of the first family was also taken. The former Edo people's Yasumitsu Toyama and Hayato Yu Toyama were also killed in battle because of the temple army; The four important ministers of the Jade Rope Guard, Tanaka, Kawasaki Minobu, and Oteyama Saemon; The Imagawa army was completely wiped out, the main generals Abe Motoma and Abe Nobukatsu father and son were killed by iron artillery, and the fierce general Shikura Akihei was killed by random arrows······
Soon, in just a few days, the news of the Hojo Army's defeat at Mt. Mifune spread throughout the cities and ports. And now the Satomi family no longer has the extra strength to recover the Anbo country, and it is not easy to regain the original lost territory of the Kamiso country, and Satomi Yoshiyao also exiled Ashikaga Yorijun to Hitachi Province, and the Kokumi Gongfang immediately disappeared.
At this moment, the Hojo Army only had 13,100 troops to preserve its combat effectiveness and strength, and the defeated army had gathered more than 300 people in half a month. However, the Kira clan, the Hojo clan, and Abe Motozane were all wiped out, and none of them survived.
On the contrary, the Satomi family also suffered a lot of losses in this ambush, and they also lost a thousand people in the already small army. The retainers Murakami Chengqing and Yamamoto Kyomitsu were killed in battle, and the people of the sect were killed in battle. It can be said that the loss of the Satomi family is not small. In a short period of time, the family will not be able to fight a joint battle like Mifune Mountain.
Hojo Shiyasu himself did not expect that the Satomi family would burst out with such combat power in the battle of Mifuneyama and defeat the Hojo army, which was twice the size of the Satomi army. He also annihilated all the Imagawa army and Kira army, leaving no one behind, and Hojo Shiyasu now completely no longer thinks about the next battle. He just thinks about how to withdraw his skills is true, and the possession of Anfang Country is already the biggest result.
However, on September 10, Hojo Shiyasu received news that the Uesugi army had entered the Kamiso, and the Toki Sakai family was defeated and destroyed; The Higashi-Kana-Sakai family is being encroached upon by the Uesugi army. This news is completely worse, originally Hojo clan Yasu was counting on the wealthy family of the head of the company to hold back Satomi Yoshiyao father and son, and then buy time for himself to return to Sagami. It's good now, the Uesugi army must have entered the Shangzong a long time ago, but the news transmission was slow due to the war, if it was at this speed, Ota Zimasa's ability should be able to quickly destroy all the families in the northern Shangzong, then the rear of the Satomi family would be completely stable! In addition, Kokumi's Gongfang was also destroyed, and Ashikaga Yorijun was also exiled to Hitachi Province and handed over to Satake Yoshiaki to take care of.
Who is Yoshiaki Satake? The family, who completely wore the same pants as the Uesugi family, this time also transported grain, grass, arrows and other supplies from the sea to the Satomi family. Thinking about Hojo Shiyasu has a headache, his son-in-law is hanging, his younger brother is hanging, his important ministers are hanging, and the army has been damaged too much, this series of bad news has made Hojo Shiyasu feel really old, and he feels that if the Hojo clan is in charge of the Hojo family, it should make a difference.
Although the 45,000 koku of Anbo Ichikoku was taken by the Hojo family, the original capture of Hirooka Castle, Kururi Castle, Nekoya Castle, Taki Castle, Heizo Castle, Ikewada Castle, Sano Castle, and Tozaki Castle was all abandoned. After Toki Weiyori and Masaki Tokitaka returned to Satomi's house, Satomi Yoshiyao and Satomi Yoshihiro father and son, although they still greeted each other with a smile on the surface, they were secretly no longer ready to believe them. However, Masaki Tokishigeru and his son made a name for themselves in this battle of Mifune Mountain, and let the Satomi family see their loyalty.
What makes Ota Shimasa the happiest is that Sakai Toshibo, Mitani Yinliang, Ida Shiyin, and Yamamuro Katsunobu are united.
On September 6, Ota Shimasa faced the four combined armies with only 2,770 troops under Sakata Castle with 11,000 troops. There is no doubt that the overwhelming strength is poor, and this battle can hardly be fought. However, Sakai Toshifang and the others were assured by Hojo Shiyasu that as long as the Hojo army defeated the Satomi army, they would rush to help defend it.
While Sakai Toshifang and the others were waiting for the Hojo Army, Ota Shimasa would not let them succeed. He knows very well the truth that once the Satomi family is destroyed by the Hojo family, then the Uesugi family will have no protection from the south, and they will be attacked by the Hojo army anytime and anywhere. The Hojo family also has the foundation to fight another big battle with the Uesugi family.
On the 7th of September, Nambada Hiroyoshi led an army of 2,000 from Honsakura Castle and 1,500 troops from Nagajo Castle of Miyagi Masaki to meet with Ota Shimasa.
As a result, the morale of the Combine Army is even more underground. In addition, after the news that the Toki Sakai family was instantly destroyed by Ota Zimasa, they were originally unwilling to fight with the military forces of the Kanto Governor, not to mention that the difference in strength was so big!
Naturally, there are people in Sakata Castle who are willing to surrender to the Uesugi family. And this is the Mitani family's retainer Jinbao Taizong.
As an old minister of the Mitani family, he knows very well the consequences of the battle between tens of thousands of troops and nearly 3,000 troops, not to mention that this time the original target of the Uesugi family was the Togashi Sakai family, but Sakai Toshifang led the Uesugi army to the territory of the Mitani family!
On the one hand, Jimbo Taizong first sent his cronies to inform Ota Shimasa, asking him to wait a few hours first, so that he would have enough time to persuade Mitani Yinliang to surrender to the Uesugi family, and then dedicate the heads of the Ida clan, Yamamuro Katsunobu, Sakai Toshibo, and their retainers to all of them.
In order to reduce casualties, Ota Shimasa agreed, and he asked the 2,500 troops of Yamamoto Temple to go to Kururi Castle first, and there were tens of thousands of Uesugi troops besieging the city anyway.
Jinbo Taizong is also efficient, and Mitani Yinliang, who was already timid and afraid, immediately agreed to Jinbo Taizong's suggestion the next day, and asked him to lead the Mitani family army to kill all the samurai of the other three families.
But there are unforeseen circumstances, and this news is still known to Sakai Toshifang and others. Just when Jimbo Taizong was about to make a move, he was suddenly attacked by the Higashikinzakai family, the Yamamuro family, and the Ida family.
Just after Jimboh Taizong realized that he was no longer able to complete the assassination plan, he ordered the Otemen Gate to be opened to allow the Uesugi army to enter. In view of the possibility of the defeat of the Jimbo Taisukai, Ota Shimasa had already lined up the armies of Nambada Hiroyoshi and Miyagi Yuye near the Otemon Gate. Almost as soon as the gate of the castle was opened, the Uesugi army, which had been waiting outside for a long time, swarmed in under the leadership of Miyagi Masei.
Due to the rush of the Uesugi army into the castle, the tide of the battle was reversed in an instant. The forces of the Togashi Sakai family and the Ida family were the first to be wiped out, followed by Sakai Toshibo and Wada Yinshin (retainers of the Ida family) were captured, and the Ida clan was captured alive. However, because Yamamuro Katsunobu's army was the first to enter Honmaru, Mitani Yinra and Jimbo Taizong were killed, and the Mitani family was bloodied by the Yamamuro family.
Miyagi then attacked Honmaru and instantly packed up the only 100 troops of the Yamamuro family, and then captured Yamamuro Katsunobu, and was stabbed to death by the Uesugi army's spear due to the arrest of Yamamuro Shin and Yamamuro Kiyoshi.
After Shimasa Ota buried the deceased of the Mitani family and the god Ho Yasumune Yoshisheng and erected a tombstone, he ordered the beheading of Katsunobu Yamamuro and Ida Clan. Ota Shimasa then asked Nambada Hiroyoshi and Miyagi to garrison Higashigan Castle, Shuzo Castle, Sakata Castle, Odai Castle, and Iate Castle, and he accelerated his march to catch up with Yamamoto Temple and Yamamoto Temple Katsucho, who had already gone to Minami Castle.
According to the speed, Ota Zi was unable to catch up with the decisive battle with the Hojo Army, but he still seized the tens of thousands of stone territory in the north. This is the best opportunity for the Uesugi family to grow their strength, anyway, the Hojo family and the Satomi family can't reach out to the north of Kamizong, so the Uesugi family is very happy to take these territories. What's more, the current Satomi family still has a request from the Uesugi family, and they don't care about the territory in the northern part of Kamiso at all. Even if the Satomi family defeats those wealthy clans, then it will be impossible for them to have complete rule over this place, so it is better to give the Uesugi family a favor.