Chapter 361: Wait and see
In the third year of Yonglu, on the thirtieth day of the fifth month. Asadachi left Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle and embarked on the road back to Koetsu Castle. With the departure of the court, it was officially announced that the Uesugi family would not be able to help the Takasuiji Spo family recover the territory of southern Iwate and northern Spo (Shiba County) that had already been seized by the southern family.
When the news of Asada's departure from Minami-Mitsu and the change of the Uesugi family's Mutsu flag reached Minohe Castle, the southern family could be said to be jubilant.
For the southern family, the capture of the entire Iwate Prefecture and the capture of nearly half of the territory of the Sho Prefecture was of great significance.
The first is to expand the territory of the southern country and greatly improve the strategic living space of the southern country. Since the Minohe Nanbu clan gained the position of the head of the Nanbu clan, they have continued to expand their power around the Karanbe Gun, and even the Tsugaru region on the west side, which originally belonged to the Ando clan, including the four counties of Hiraga, Nosewa, Tensha, and Yamabe, as well as the areas of Gohama and Nishihama, have gradually taken control. However, the core ruling area of the southern family is still the Sannohe, North, East, and South Gates of Kabube-gun, and its strategic depth is extremely limited. Although the area of Nishiranbe County is ostensibly subjugated to the three southern households, there are still mutual attacks and killings by the lords of the countrymen: in the 21st year of Astronomy, Seven Households Qingyin led an army to invade the Eight Household Clans; Later, the Kushiki clan of the four households also invaded the eight households many times. However, the private war caused by the territorial disputes between the lords of the southern kingdom was not handled by the commander-in-chief of one party and ordered one side to stop fighting. It can be seen that most of the area of Kabube County cannot be used as a strategic depth for the southern country. The current threats faced by the southern family are the Hiyama Anto family in the west, and the Takasuiji Shiba family and the Uesugi family in the south. For example, a few months ago, during the Antler Rebellion, the soldiers of the Andong Army even once came to the east of Towada Koto. Of course, if this is only the three southern families who inherited the position of general leader, the situation is understandably critical. However, even after the first year of Eiroku, when the southern clan began to take the initiative to attack Iwate and Spa in the south, the heran was still under great threat. In the first year of Eiroku, through the people of his subordinate state, Asari Katsuyori, the lord of Binai Prefecture, he began to win over the Oyu clan and the Osatoshi clan under the command of the southern family of Minohe, as well as the Daidaikoji clan of Tsugaru Hiraga Prefecture and the Nanaoka clan of the Nanza Imperial Palace. However, when the southern family completely occupied Iwate and nearly half of Spo County, the situation was very different. Iwate and Spa provided an important barrier to the south of Kanobe Prefecture, and Iwate Prefecture provided sufficient strategic depth for Kubube Prefecture due to its unique geographical conditions, so that if the war went well, the southern clan could move its headquarters to Iwate Prefecture, and if the war was unfavorable, Minohe Castle could still serve as a last guarantee if the situation deteriorated. This is not only militarily, but also psychologically, a great encouragement to the people up and down the southern family.
The second is to increase national strength. In the original territory of the southern family, except for Sannohe, Tonai, Ouse, and Denboji Temple, the conditions were slightly better, and the areas of Hachinohe, Shichinohe, and Tanabu (Usotoshi) were either seriously damaged by the war and the population was greatly reduced, or the local people were poor and could not produce much food and materials, resulting in a low level of local economy. Iwate Prefecture has been run by the Takasuidaji Sappa family for more than 200 years, and has accumulated a wealth of products. And it has important strategic resources such as Dasheng Jinshan and Morioka Pasture. Nanbu Harumasa attaches great importance to the strategic resources of Iwate Prefecture, and now intends to let him go from his brother Ishigami Masayori (石鱼克Nobubo子) to Iwate County to serve as the county representative, with the intention that he will carry out a large-scale renovation of the Buraikakan on the hills of the confluence of the Kitakami and Nakatsu rivers in the western part of Iwate Prefecture, and build a new base for the southern family.
The third is to enhance the strategic advantage. The Nanbu family completely occupied Iwate County, and it was the first step for Nanbu Harumasa to conquer the Takasuiji Spo family. Iwate Prefecture is located in the upper reaches of the Kitakami River, and from a strategic point of view, the southern prefecture can make the troops under his command travel down the river in small boats, which can pose a great threat to the middle and lower reaches of the Kitakami River. On the whole, after the southern family captured the entire Iwate Prefecture, the first step provided a great boost to the plan to defeat the Takasui Temple Spo family, so that the Uesugi family had to maintain a considerable defensive force in the barnyard gun, Waga county, and Ethorn county at all times in the face of the threat from the north. As a result, the southern family and the Hiyama Andong family can form a comprehensive strategic coercive posture on a broader front, so that they will not dare to act rashly again.
Southern Harimasa wanted to take advantage of the war between the Uesugi family and the Takeda family in Sagami, Kita-Shinano and other places to quickly expand their territory, and at the same time sent his retainers to Kyoto to see Ashikaga Yoshiteru, hoping that the shogunate could let the southern family succeed the Oshu Detective or Mutsu Guardian, so that the southern family would have enough righteous standing to conquer the forces of the southern family in various parts of Mutsu.
However, it was also when Asadachi arrived at Shimono Otahara Makoto, Yamazaki Hidesen saw the reason why he had been depressed, and immediately proposed to Asada's strategy of "heavy peace and light war, wait and see what happens" against the southern family, and expected the southern family to have a big ups and downs of "its rise and prosperity, and its demise is also sudden".
The reason why Yamazaki Hidesen proposed the strategy of 'heavy peace and light war, and wait and see what happens' is that he saw that the lords of the southern family and the family of the family are intertwined and powerful, and several generations of southern family governors have not completely changed their situation, mainly focusing on entrapment and marriage. The power of the countryman lord and the clan territory is still very large, and its foundation is naturally not solid and reliable. For such a big name, Yamazaki Hidesen didn't feel that it would become a long-term henchman. At present, the real rivals of the Uesugi family are the Takeda family, which occupies Koshin, Junen, and other countries, and the Oda family, which rises to the west and occupies Ono and other countries. If you have been entangled by the southern family and can't get out, it's really a headache.
Since Koyama Asakuki invaded Kai in mid-April, he looted and destroyed the gold mountains of the Takeda family's economic lifeline, such as Akizuki, Otsuki, Kurokawa, and Sutama. After Takeda Shingen led his army back to Kai, Koyama Asakyuki also burned down the castles in the hinterland of Kai Province, such as Jokoji Castle and the key mountain castle, and once returned to the castle of Kai. As a result, Takeda Shingen, who had just returned to Kai, was furious, and immediately mobilized the people of Takekawa stationed in the northwest of Kai Province to besiege Koyama Asaki, intending to contain the Uesugi army led by Koyama Asaki in the north of Kai, so that he would have enough time to lead his army north to encircle it and annihilate it in one fell swoop.
However, after marching to Komai Castle, Oyama Asakuki learned that Takeda Shingen had mobilized Tokinobu Aoki, Nobuyoshi Yanagisawa, Zendai Ozawa, Masayoshi Qubuchi, Genshichiro Yokote, Jimasa Orii, Jimasa Orii, Jitadashi Orii, and Todaitsugi Yonekura who were stationed in the northwest of Kai Province to besiege him, and he also saw that Takeda Shingen intended to annihilate him in northern Kai in one fell swoop. Immediately, in order to prevent Takeda Shingen's treacherous plan from succeeding, Koyama Asakuki had to quickly lead his army to avoid the military momentum of the Takekawa people, and ordered Saito Toshizo to lead an army of 1,000 to raid Nakao Castle, Mikami Masaki and Ishimao to lead an army of 1,000 to raid Aoki Castle, and Koyama Asakyuki himself led an army of 5,000 to raid Hoshiyama Castle, Nomi Castle, and Takekawa Castle.
Just as Tokinobu Aoki, Nobuyoshi Yanagisawa, Zendai Ozawa, Masayoshi Qubuchi, Genshichiro Yokote, Jimasa Orii, Jimasa Orii, Jitadashi Orii, and Yonedu Todaitsugu and other generals of Takekawa arrived at Komai Castle with more than 3,000 troops, they found that Komai Castle had already been emptied. Before Tokinobu Aoki, Nobuyoshi Yanagisawa, Zendai Ozawa and others sent Hosaku and scouts to inquire about the whereabouts of Koyama Asakyuki's department, messengers from Aoki Castle, Nakao Castle, Nomijo Castle, Takekawa Castle and other places passed under Komai Castle. Subsequently, Tokinobu Aoki, Nobuyoshi Yanagisawa, Zendai Ozawa and others had no choice but to send an envoy to inform Takeda Shingen while rushing his army north to pursue Koyama Asakyuki's department.
Koyama Asayaki did not intend to fight, and after capturing Hoshiyama Castle, Nomi Castle, and Takekawa Castle, which were empty, he quickly led his army eastward, and under Hishi Castle, he defeated the two thousand Tsujin Kanese stationed at the northeastern border of Kai Province, including Koo, Hishi, Koike, Minowa, Murayama, Hachimaki, Shimizu, Ide, Takamisawa, and Kawakami, and then entered Kitashinano-Saku-gun to join Honjo Shiganaga and other tribes.