Although Oda Nobunaga was furious and immediately had Naoe Keitsuna bring his letter of war to Uesugi Kenshin, the war did not break out quickly.

The winter from the fourth year of Tensho (1576) to the fifth year of Tensho was very cold, and it snowed knee-deep in both the north and south of Hokuriku, and it was not until mid-April that traffic was basically restored, but in this winter, there was no need to think about the use of troops, and the countries of Echizen, Kaga, Echichu, Noto, and Echigo would all face a large-scale reduction in crop yields due to the short spring ploughing.

Oda Nobunaga was not too "particular" in terms of warfare, and he was originally going to take advantage of the spring ploughing to take advantage of the separation of soldiers and peasants to attack first. I didn't want Uesugi Kenshin to make a move and provoke a rebellion in Iga. Although he was in a hurry and finally subdued, he did not eradicate the roots because of the mountains. When Oda Nobunaga was free, Uesugi Kenshin also showed that the carriage and horses were ready.

In July of the fifth year of Tensho (1577), after Oda Nobunaga's repeated failures, the emperor could not mediate and issued an edict declaring Uesugi Kenshin an enemy and authorizing Oda Nobunaga to send troops to fight against him.

At the beginning of August, Oda Nobunaga appointed Shibata Katsuie as the general of the Echigo Expeditionary Army, mobilized 35,000 soldiers and horses from Kita-Omi, Echizen, and Kaga under his command, and separately ordered me and Yushiba Hideyoshi to lead the army into the war, and prepare their own grain and grass but under their control.

In mid-August, I began to lead an army of 12,000 troops northward, and at the end of the month, I entered the territory of Echizen and marched to Echizen Kitanosho Castle, where I had gathered this time.

This time, in addition to the people directly under the central government, I only recruited 500 iron guns from Nelai and 2,000 Ashigaru from Tanba Akai Naomasa. The combat effectiveness of these two forces is somewhat stronger, and it should not have much impact. If the vassals levy too much, not only will they consume a lot of food and grass, but they will also worry about their collapse at a critical moment, and it is not impossible to fight against Uesugi Kenshin.

"You say that we have a good chance of winning this battle with Uesugi Kenshin?" I rode on the "gold" and asked about the Gamo clan.

To be clear, this is not the first "golden", the horse has been honorably retired due to old age. Now this horse is a descendant of the first generation of "Gold" selected at the Yamashiro Katsura Kawaguchi Castle Ranch, and it is still called this name because of its similar appearance.

"To win...... I'm afraid it's going to be difficult! The Gamo clan also avoided the word "defeat" and went on an expedition to defend the town of Takenaka, while he took up the post of former enemy division. “…… It goes without saying that the Echigo army is strong, and at this moment they are afraid that they have already made sufficient preparations. According to the current situation, the battlefield should be on the line from Echichu to Kaga, and this is precisely a place that none of us are familiar with. As far as his subordinates know, the terrain here is complex and varied, and what is on the map may not be accurate and comprehensive. Although our ninja strength is quite strong, I am afraid that it will be difficult for the generals who rely on ninjas to lead the way everywhere! ”

"Hmmm! This is a geographical advantage...... "I am not optimistic about this war, to a large extent, Oda Nobunaga has the element of control. "Tell me about the people, do you know the situation of the Echigo Army?"

"Echigo's strength lies in people!" The Gamo clan was very emotional when he said this, and his thoughts seemed to have flown to that country that was not very far away. "Originally, Echigo was not a good place, and although it produced good horses and the land was quite fertile, the folk customs were too wild. Neither the previous guardians nor the later Nagao family really controlled it, and this continued until the appearance of Uesugi Kenshin......"

I was in silence, and I had a rough impression of what was going on there. Unlike Takeda Shingen's brutal killings, Uesugi Kenshin's personal charisma seems to carry a more veil of mystery.

“…… Now there is no one in the Echigo clan or the important ministers under Uesugi Kenshin who has not rebelled against him! "Roughly the same way I thought, the Gamo clan really mentioned this matter as well." It stands to reason that after so many times of treachery, ordinary people, even if they don't go crazy, should have become perverse and tyrannical! ”

"Just like the lord?" I made a joke that wasn't a joke, and I would say it in front of him because I was sure he wouldn't betray me.

"Yes! The reason why the lord has become what he is today is that his experience when he was young cannot but be said to be an important factor. A wry smile bordering on the corner of his mouth also hung out. But the betrayals that the lord experienced are really nothing compared to Uesugi Kenshin! Even so, Uesugi Kenshin still believes in everyone and helps everyone, no matter how many times he betrays him. Although he also took the position of governor from his brother, he was also forced to the last moment. He gave me the impression that he was almost a perfect man in moral character, and he had always stood on the side of justice, but it stands to reason that this kind of person should have died in this world a long time ago! ”

"It's really unbelievable that a commander like this, who is always surrounded by betrayers, actually let him go through so many battles of life and death!" I asked myself if I didn't have such a mind, and I didn't dare to test if I had such luck.

"Actually, when I was sorting out the background information of various places, I also found such a thing!" The Gamo clan sighed, as if he didn't believe it himself. “…… Prior to the First Battle of Kawanakajima, Takeda Shingen had tried to rebel against Echigo's generals, and Honjo Shigenaga and Nakajo Fujishi had already taken over the Takeda family's gold. It is said that Uesugi Kenshin also knew about this, but he didn't say anything, and everything went out with them as usual, and as a result, the two fought bravely on the battlefield, and nothing abnormal happened! ”

"There will be such a thing, is there an element of legend?" I haven't seen this record, and I can't go through every one of the vast archives. However, according to my feelings, if this is the case, it is impossible to be silent afterwards, and Takeda Shingen is not a person who can tolerate others playing with him.

"It's been too long to be sure, but there is some circumstantial evidence!" Gamo shook his head, but didn't say the answer I wanted to hear. "I just heard that these two people later asked the intermediary to return the gold, and brought a message to Takeda Shingen: No one can betray directly in front of Uesugi Kenshin, and those two eyes alone can crush a person's will. So I have to apologize to His Highness Takeda! ”

"Is there really such a thing......" I felt a visceral shock, a realm that even Oda Nobunaga could not reach. If Uesugi Kenshin really is such a person, at least I can't defeat it.

The Gamo clan looked at me and turned his gaze to the ground, he couldn't say anything about such an opponent.

"Sun Tzu said, 'Know yourself and know your enemy', after talking about the enemy, let's talk about ourselves!" I was so excited.

"In fact, the problems of this family are all in the eyes of His Highness, and everything is helpless!" He smiled bitterly and said: "Although His Royal Highness the Lord ordered his Royal Highness to join forces with Yuchai and Shibata, although there is nothing to say about the comprehensive forces, it is actually an invincible division. Even though His Highness and His Highness Hashiba accept the command of His Highness Shibata, it is actually impossible for them to be without resentment. Besides, victory is useless, defeat is excessive, how can everyone unite as one! ”

"Hmm......" I nodded silently, which was actually what I was worried about.

The "monkey's" eagerness for utilitarianism makes him a race to get ahead of him, and it is often almost impossible to get ahead of him. However, although I am closer to him this time, I have mobilized troops and horses from the four countries to which I belong, and his men and horses are concentrated in Harima, but at this moment the journey is seven days later than mine. In this state, his intentions can probably be guessed!

If I don't talk about others, I can't just talk about myself, and I can't take my old book to be cannon fodder for the Shibata Katsu family. Even if I'm really selfless (stupid) to this point, Shibata Katsuya will never think of me in the slightest. When the time comes, the three-way army gathers in one place, and the victory will be fought and defeated, and it will be a miracle to win the battle!

"Alas!" I let out a long sigh, and I had to walk and see things get to this point. In fact, there is one thing I don't understand, why didn't Oda Nobunaga personally fight such an important war? Is he looking down on Kenshin Uesugi, or is he himself unable to afford to lose? If it's the former, it's too big, and if it's the latter...... That is, he himself does not have any certainty about this war?

Since this is the case, I have no way to do it, it is unrealistic to rely on my wood to support the whole building, and it is better to be vigilant not to let the "dragon" eat it.

"Lord!" At this time, Kato Duanzo hurried from the front on horseback, with a look of wind and frost in his expression.

"Duanzang?" I was stunned for a moment and strangled the war horse under my seat, a little surprised by his appearance. This time, I sent him to the Vietzeong-Central area of the main battle to reconnoiter the situation, and there was someone else in charge of Uesugi Kenshin's surveillance, so why did he come back?

"My lord, Uesugi Kenshin is moved!" Kanzo Kato quickly came up to me and said to me a little nervously.

"Anything else?" I blamed him a little in my heart for not being able to hold his breath, and it was normal for Uesugi Kenshin to send troops at this time. Now it is even more important to keep an eye on his movements, how can he come back in person at the slightest situation.

"The day before yesterday, his subordinates received the news that Kenshin Uesugi had left Kasuga Mountain Castle, but it only took one day for him to sweep away the pro-Oda forces of Noto......"

"What?!" This time I was making a fuss, I didn't expect Uesugi Kenshin to be so fast. Because of the confrontation between the two major forces, there was a certain split in the Noto region, but I didn't expect him to be able to deal with it so quickly. "Is it all over?" I asked incredulously.

"The three families of Youzuo, Changxu, and Onjing are all finished, and the Echigo army is now estimated to have arrived at the Vietnamese-Chinese border at this moment!" Kanzo Kato gasped softly. "Because I was afraid that the lord wanted to know the details and the letter was not clear, my subordinates hurried back!"

"How many troops did Kenshin Uesugi dispatch?" After thinking about it for a long time, I asked.

"There are about 38,000 people, of which there are about 10,000 cavalry!" Danzo Kato said to me. “…… However, Echigo's cavalry was mostly light cavalry, and the armor was not much stronger than the average ashigaru, and the weapons were mainly spears! ”

Nearly 40,000 men and horses only need one day to fight across borders, and Uesugi Kenshin is really terrifying! "Set up camp here today!" I gave orders to my subordinates. "Tell me more about how Kenshin Uesugi did it!" I said to Kanzo Kato again.