Chapter 349: Capture of Kanazawa
In the third year of Yonglu, March 20th. At the same time that the Asakura family successfully obtained the Enuma Prefecture of Kaga Province, the Kakizaki Keijia also successfully transferred the former Kaga guardian family, the Tomigashi family, to their side, and Tomigashi Harusada led his retainers, his wealthy clans, and some local samurai to raise troops in Kaga in response to the Uesugi army's attack in Kaga.
Although there were more than 20,000 followers of the Kaga Ichijo sect who were entrenched in Kanazawa Gobo, they couldn't believe it was true when they learned that Haruma Tomigashi had raised troops in the castle and had fallen to the Uesugi family. Once Harusada Tomigashi really falls to the Uesugi family, then Kanazawa Imperial Workshop is just surrounded by the east and west, and Kaga Isōmune has now lost the most powerful foreign aid of the Takeda family, so he will not be able to hold Nomi County and Ishikawa County at all, let alone recapture Hebei County, which has been captured by the Kakizaki Jing family.
When the news of Harusada Tomigashi's raising troops in Nono City Castle reached Kanazawa Gobo, Shimoma Yorikiyo, Shimoma Yorisho, Kokatsuji Kyoyoshi, Saikoji Shinkyo and others were all terrified, and in order to prevent themselves from being attacked on their backs, they immediately ordered Suzaki Sunshiro, Itami Sunzaburo (formerly a retainer of the Hatakeyama family), Hayashi Shisuke, Kuse Tsushima Mamoru, Hayatani Gozaemon, Takanose Ishimi Mamoru and other generals to lead more than 3,000 troops to Nono City Castle to crusade against Tomigashi Harusada.
At this moment, Kakizaki Keiya, who had just occupied Hebei Prefecture in Kaga Province, also learned from Hosaku that Kaga had always been preparing to send troops to attack Tomigashi Harusada, and he immediately led an army of more than 6,000 troops with Kameda Naganori, Kameda Mutoshi, Kameda Takatsuna and other generals to launch an invasion of Ishikawa County. Not only that, Kakizaki Keike also sent someone to contact Wakabayashi Ieyoshi in Nomi County, and ordered him to quickly raise troops in Komatsu Castle to contain the forces of Kaga Ichichi in Nomi County, so that he could not send troops north to support Kaga Ichichi in Ishikawa County.
The Tomigashi clan has been completely reduced to the puppet daimyo controlled by Kaga Ichizaki in the Tomigashi Rebellion, and his brother Tomigashi Minoru joined the Koichi Kazaka to fight against the big one, and after the defeat, he was captured and exiled from Kaga, and since then, the Tomigashi clan has been completely stripped of the false name of Kaga's guardianship. Many forces similar to Harusada Tomigashi who opposed Kaga Itsuji almost jumped out and took refuge under the banner of the Uesugi family, most of these countrymen lords and local samurai were persecuted by Kaga Ichijo and were deprived of their political and territorial positions, and some were the genealogical retainers of the Tomigashi clan of Kaga's guardian family, such as Kurita Beigo Mamoru and Yamakawa Mikawa Mamoru who voluntarily surrendered to the Uesugi family's military gate.
As more and more powerful countrymen lords and local samurai fell to the Uesugi family, Shimoma Yorikiyo, Shimoma Yorisho, Kyokyoshi, and Saikoji Shinkyo who were stuck in Kanazawa Gobo began to be overwhelmed. Originally, there were no more than 10,000 people in Kaga's Kakizaki Keijia department, but now Kakizaki Kei's family department has swelled to nearly 20,000 troops in an instant like a snowball.
Even some of the monks and soldiers in the Kanazawa Imperial Workshop were transferred by the Seven Miles Lai Zhou, and the Uesugi family had sent more than 50,000 troops into Kaga in the Kanazawa Imperial Workshop, and soon the troops would come to Kanazawa Imperial Castle, and if they surrendered early, they would be immediately pardoned, and if they resisted to the end, they would be sent to Sado, Dewa and other poor rural areas.
At the same time, the two brothers Suda Ukyo and Suda Shomono, who were stationed in Noto Wajima, also led 15 ships from Wajima to Kaga Motoyoshi, and transported more than 500 troops with the intention of landing in Ishikawa-gun and Nomi Prefecture in Kaga Province to assist Kagazaki Keiya's Kaga strategy. Because Noto was pacified by the Uesugi family not long ago, Usami Dingman could only send a small number of troops to support the Kaga strategy of the Kakizaki Kei.
However, no one expected that the small number of reinforcements sent by Usami Dingman would become the last straw that crushed Kaga's camel.
Shimoma Yorikiyo, Shimoma Yorisho, Kyokyoshi of Kokatsuji Temple, and Shinkyo of Seikoji Temple have always been high-level officials in Kaga, and after learning that the Uesugi family's naval army had appeared in the coastal area of Kaga, they believed that the Uesugi army was about to merge into the Kanazawa Imperial Workshop by waterway. Now that Kaga's sphere of influence is shrinking exponentially, Shimoma Yorikiyo, Shimoma Yorisho, Seikoji Shinkyo and others feel that if they want not to be captured or taken by the Uesugi army, they can only leave Kaga Province as soon as possible.
Subsequently, Shimoma Yorikiyo, Shimoma Yorisho, Chaoshengji Kyoyoshi, Saikoji Shinkyo and others quickly abandoned the city and fled to Echizen with a few cronies to seek the refuge of Echizen's guardian Asakura Yoshikage.
On March 26, just as Kakizaki Keiie, Shichiri Yorishu, Suda Ukyo, Suda Shomono, Kameda Nagashi, Kameda Munetoshi, and Kameda Takatsuna were going to conquer the branch cities of Kanazawa Gobo, Nagaya Castle, Wakamatsu Castle, Tomizu, Eagle's Nest Castle, and Katata Castle one by one, they learned that Shimoma Yorikiyo, Shimoma Yorisho, Kyokyoshi Kakushoji, and Saikoji Mankyo had already abandoned Kanazawa Gobo and fled to Echizen Province to join Asakura Yoshikei.
The more than 20,000 defenders in Kanazawa Gobo, who did not have the unified command of the commander, became a plate of scattered sand, and were captured by Kakizaki Keike Shichiri Yorishu, Suda Ukyo, Suda Supervisor, Kameda Nagashi, Kameda Munetoshi, Kameda Takatsuna and other generals with more than 15,000 troops effortlessly, most of the castle soldiers in Kanazawa Gobo surrendered to the Uesugi army, and Kaga's original base was occupied by the Uesugi army, which captured more than 200,000 stone of grain and grass, weapons, armor, arrows and various supplies without counting, In addition, gold, silver, jewelry and other property were converted into more than 32,000 pieces of Yongle Tongbao money, and the value of luxury goods such as tea sets, calligraphy and paintings was not calculated, and more than 3,600 war horses were captured.
Among them, the biggest gain of Kakizaki Keike in Kaga Province this time was to seize the most important port in Kaga Province, Honyoshiminato. As one of the seven minatos of Mitsu (Anotsu, Hakata, Sakai, Bozu, Mikuniminato, Wajima, Iwaseminato, Naoezu, Tsuchizakiminato, and Jusanminato), its trade, tax and other revenues are an important source of support for Kaga's fighting vitality, Kaga has always been a fighter against tens of thousands of troops, even more than 100,000, 200,000, and 300,000 people, and every time he recruits troops, Kaga has always abandoned the land in his territory, and if he has no money and no food to eat, he will only be starved to death.
After Motoyoshiminato's capture by the Uesugi army, it was equivalent to cutting off more than half of the blood transfusion source in Kaga Province. Although the ranking of Motoyoshiminato is relatively low among the Mitsu Seven Minato, it is not as famous as Echigo's Naoetsu, Echizen's Tsuruga Port, Shonai's Sakata Minato, and Noto's Wajima Port. However, it is always possible to compare with Mikuni Minato, Iwase Minato, etc., who has higher profits, and Kaga's foreign commerce, trade, and taxes are all supported by it.
However, Kenshin would not be able to completely leave the Kakizaki Keigai family in charge of such a lucrative port, so she then sent her retainer Kurada Goro Saemon (formerly Kasuga Yamajo Castle Joshita Town Commissioner) to serve as the Honyoshiminato Commissioner, and took Honyoshiminato under the direct jurisdiction.
Although Kenshin sent his own deputy officials to take care of Motoyoshiminato, on the other hand, Kenshin admitted that Kakizaki Keike had the Zhiyuki of the two counties of Hebei and Ishikawa in Kaga Province, and also granted Kagasaki Keike the right to freely take over Nomi and Enuma Counties in Kaga Province.
On March 30, in order to ensure that Hebei County was completely in their own hands, the Kakizaki Jingjia arranged for a family of important ministers to be stationed in various important towns in Hebei County. Katagiri Mitsuyoshi (Kakizaki Keijia's brother-in-law, Katakiri Manyoshi) settled in Takamatsu Castle and received 15,000 stone Zhixingdi; Igarashi Kobunsi (a branch of the Kakizaki clan) settled in Chongcheng and received 12,000 stone Zhixingdi; Kakizaki and Nanazaemon (a family of kinship) settled in Kamiyamada Castle and received 15,000 koku Chiyuki; Kakizaki Kiyoshichiro (the third male of the Kakizaki Keijia, the younger brother of the Kakizaki Yujia and Kakizaki Haruya) settled in Limu Castle and received 15,000 stone Zhixingdi. Subsequently, Kakizaki Keike also changed his base from Masuyama Castle in Echichu Prefecture to Kanazawa Gobo, and renamed Kanazawa Gobo to Kanazawa Gobo.
For generals such as Haruma Tomigashi, Kameda Nagashi, Kameda Munetoshi, Kameda Takatsuna, Wakabayashi Ieyoshi, etc., who had already submitted themselves, the Kakizaki Keijia gave them the treatment of being able to block them, and incorporated them as their own retainers. Among them, Harusada Tomigashi was appointed by Kakizaki Keike as the guardian of Kaga, and let him serve as the leading officer of the raiders of Nomi and Enuma Counties.