Chapter Eighteen: The Dignity of Warriors

  "After Yamamoto Kansuke presented the Uesugi Kenshin's tactics to Shingen, he decided to adopt his plan and divided his army into two groups. One group was a separate mobile unit that launched a night attack on Uesugi Kenshin's main camp, while the other group formed the main force and arrayed at Yawata. However, this strategy was seen through by Uesugi Kenshin himself, who is said to have discovered it from the changes in the smoke of Takeda army..."

  Just as the traveler was speaking with relish, a ronin warrior interrupted from the side and said: "That's right, Lord Uesugi Kenshin is the incarnation of the war god Bishamonten, all-knowing and all-seeing. How could Sanemoto Sukechika's plan deceive him?"

  The traveler was interrupted by the samurai's words, smiled wryly and didn't dare to refute, smiling and said: "It should be as this samurai said, after all, the Takeda army's strategy was seen through from the beginning."

  Li Xiao swallowed a mouthful of clear wine, and stole a glance at Yamamoto Kanetsugu's expression. He saw that his hands were tightly pressed on the knees of his seiza, and his eyes forced out an astonishing gaze. Then he raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp, before heavily slamming it onto the table.

  Historically, Yamamoto Kansuke was identified due to the woodpecker tactic and died in a suicidal charge. Now, with Li Xiao's appearance changing history, in fact, due to Li Xiao's intervention, the Takeda army suffered fewer casualties than in history during the Battle of Kawagoe Island.

  But now it seems that Yamamoto Kan no Suketake has not put this matter down yet, and it will probably remain a knot in his heart forever.

  "What's next?"

  The many ronin warriors in the tavern all wanted to hear more, and they asked questions one after another. The traveler continued to spin his tale, adding a bit of exaggeration here and there to make it more interesting. However, some parts of his story were so exaggerated that even Takeda Shoryu and Li Xiaosan, who had participated in the Battle of Zhongzhoucheng Island, couldn't help but shake their heads.

  "When the Takeda and Uesugi armies were locked in a fierce battle, Kenshin rode his horse 'Mōseimatsu' and wielded his famous sword 'Junkyō Nagakura', charging towards the main camp of the Takeda clan. At that time, Shingen was not even guarded by anyone, nor did he have time to draw his sword, as Kenshin charged towards him."

  Upon hearing this, Li Xiao's ears perked up instantly, and he couldn't help but ask along with the other rascals, "What happened next?"

  Li Xiao opened his mouth to speak, and immediately felt several gazes sizing him up. However, upon seeing that he was dressed as a warrior with the Takeda crest on his clothes, they no longer continued to stare at him.

  The traveler smiled at Li Xiao and said, "In response to the warrior's words, of course, Shingen-sama was exceptionally calm at that time. He raised his gunbai in his hand and blocked three slashes from Uesugi Kenshin. Just then, the warriors of the Takeda army arrived to rescue him. At this point, the two famous generals looked at each other with a smile, and Kenshin turned his horse and left without striking a fourth blow."

  Li Xiao was stunned, inwardly cursing, damn it, my entrance scene, was it cut off by the director? Li Xiao was depressed, fortunately, Takeda Shori understood Li Xiao's mood and personally poured him a glass of wine to comfort him.

  After the death of Miyoshi Yoshimoto, Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin were considered to be the most qualified to go up to Kyoto and replace the shogun, as the two powerful daimyos who could bring an end to this era of war.

  The two men's four battles of Kawanakajima were once thought to have decided the future course of Japan's Warring States period. Unfortunately, the two met their match in each other and all ended with no clear victor. Even in the most intense fourth battle of Kawanakajima, where countless warriors fell and both commanders personally took to the field, drawing swords and clashing, neither side emerged victorious.

  As the traveler's voice fell, the warriors in the inn burst into applause, and this scene left them with countless imaginations. They were more concerned with the process than the result, and what they talked about with relish was the one-on-one duel between Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin, who had been arch-rivals for a lifetime, each admiring the other's heroic spirit.

  They seem more in line with the spirit of the samurai.

  But this feeling is something that Li Xiao cannot understand, after all he's just a small fry. In the Battle of Kawanakajima, people will remember names like Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, Takeda Nobushige, Yamamoto Kansuke and Baba Nobufusa, but no one will remember him, an unknown low-ranking samurai.

  Damn it! One day I'll make a name for myself and become a millionaire. Li Xiao cursed loudly in Chinese.

  In the midst of everyone's astonished gaze, Takeda Shōryū and Li Xiaosan walked out of the gate together. Takeda Shōryū was apparently in a good mood, having drunk several more cups of wine, and his walking was somewhat unsteady; at one point he carelessly stepped over the sword of a ronin warrior who was leaning against the fire pit resting.

  The katana is said to have the soul of a samurai, and ordinary people are not allowed to wear katanas (tachi), but can wear wakizashi. All samurai cherish their own katanas as their honor, and touching the scabbard of a samurai's sword is considered extremely impolite.

  This is also why the Japanese walk on the left side, and swords are worn on the left side. This way, even if two samurai meet in a narrow alley, their scabbards will not touch each other. When visiting someone's home, a samurai would first remove his sword at the entrance, then pick it up with his right hand before entering the house. Picking up the sword with the left hand and entering the house indicates that one can draw the sword with the right hand at any time, which is a sign of distrust.

  Takeda Shingen stepped over the sword of his opponent, and for a samurai who considered his sword to be a part of his body, stepping over it was equivalent to stepping over his own body, which was an extreme disrespect and insult to the master himself.

  The ronin samurai suddenly became furious, and the other party was not alone, but had three accomplices. The four of them simultaneously drew their swords halfway out, blocking the entrance to the inn, surrounding Takeda Shoryu and Li Xiaosan, demanding an explanation.

  Both sides quarreled for a while, and the ronin samurai kept saying that Takeda Shingen had insulted the other samurai's honor and demanded compensation in gold. But Takeda Shingen was proud and sarcastically said that the samurai's honor could be measured with gold.

  The two sides talked more and more, each pulling out their swords. Li Xiao and Yamamoto Kansuke stood on either side of Takeda Shingen, protecting him from behind. In fact, Li Xiao didn't have much hope for the fighting strength that Yamamoto Kansuke, a disabled man with a lame leg and one eye, could provide. Now that things had come to this point, he could only grit his teeth and go up himself.

  Thinking of this, Li Xiao couldn't help but curse loudly in her heart. What's wrong with Takeda Shingen, can't he just be a bit more low-key and not cause me so much trouble?

  When they saw it, they had to take action. At this time, these few people whispered a few words, originally worried that on the territory of the Takeda family, it would be difficult to deal with the people of the Takeda family, meaning to end the battle quickly.

  Li Xiao gave them the opportunity, taking the initiative to strike first, drawing his sword and grasping the hilt with both hands. Then, with a burst of speed, he swung his sword heavily at one of the men in front of him. The ronin warrior hastily raised his sword to block, but was knocked flying by Li Xiao's full-force blow.

  The man was thrown out three or four meters, crashing onto the wine table with a loud thud, and his wrists, legs, and feet were cut by shattered glass shards, bleeding profusely.

  Li Xiao's move left everyone in the tavern stunned. Although Li Xiao was tall and imposing, far surpassing the average height of this era, his swift motion had just sent a ronin warrior flying, and the wrist and arm strength he displayed was also terrifying.

  Actually, the tachi in Li Xiao's hand was specially made, compared to the swords of his contemporaries, the blade thickness of the tachi in Li Xiao's hand was greatly increased, although it reduced its sharpness, making the sword body heavier and more suitable for him to rely on his height, arm length, and strength advantages to fight with a big opening and closing style.

  After all, he is only proficient in marksmanship and not skilled in swordsmanship. If he were to compete with the Japanese warriors of this era in terms of sword fighting skills, it would undoubtedly be a suicidal move. This seemingly brutal way of fighting actually suits his style better.

  After knocking down one person, the other three accomplices saw their partner get hurt and rushed up, trying to take advantage of their numerical superiority to settle Li Xiao once and for all.