Volume 1: The Stormy Island in the River Chapter 3: Joining the Takeda Clan

  Facing Takeda Shingen's recruitment, Li Xiao concealed the joy in his heart, but hesitated for a moment and said: "Thank you, sir, for your kindness. Although I have no relatives in the Ming dynasty, I am a general of the imperial court. How can I serve another country?"

  Li Xiao's refusal was somewhat beyond Takeda Shingen's expectations.

  But Takeda Shingen had already determined that Li Xiao was a worthy opponent of his three brave generals, and he wouldn't let him go easily. So he opened his mouth to persuade: "Kai is thousands of miles away from the Ming country, and there is also a vast ocean in between. Although you have your hometown in mind, this journey is likely to be treacherous."

  Ma Changxin also spoke up, "That's right. According to the merchants who came from Vietnam, Minh Country has strict sea bans. If you rashly take a boat back to your country, you might stir up trouble."

  Li Xiao listened to Ma Changsheng's words and thought that it was indeed true. Of course, the Ming dynasty had banned maritime activities due to the coastal troubles, and if he were to return to China rashly, he might be accused of privately communicating with Japanese pirates.

  Seeing Li Xiao seemingly hesitant, Takeda Shingen thought there was a chance and spoke again: "Li Jun, I know you're worried about not being able to adapt to the environment. How about this? During your time serving in my Takeda household, all etiquette will follow the Ming dynasty's system, no need to follow the rules here. Even when you see me, there's no need for a ceremonial bow."

  It was exactly what I wanted. Li Xiao's face lit up with joy, and he stepped forward to bow and say: "Your Excellency is so generous to me, Li, that I must swear to repay you with my life."

  Takeda Shingen burst out laughing and held up Li Xiao's arms with both hands, and the two performed a touching scene of a monarch and his subject meeting.

  Afterwards, Takeda Shingen not only rewarded Li Xia with 100 kan of sand gold, but also gave him a high-quality armor and specially chose a 'high-headed big horse' for Li Xia, which was in comparison to the short Japanese horses.

  Li Xiaoxin knew that these objects were all given by Takeda Shingen in order to win her over.

  Just like when I played Nobunaga's Ambition before, for newly recruited ronins with low loyalty, casually rewarding them with a weapon or armor would instantly boost their loyalty from 70+ to 100, and this was effective even for powerful generals such as Date Masamune and Honda Tadakatsu.

  Although playing the game of Xin Chang, Li Xiao had been a crazy collector of military generals, collecting and gathering famous warlords under his command, all with loyalty 100, it's hard to drop them even if you want to. Playing such games for a long time can also get boring easily.

  In reality, human nature is too complex and multifaceted. Each person's "loyalty" to their lord cannot be seen, and the understanding of the word "loyalty" by military generals also differs.

  As for how much Li Xiao is loyal to the Takeda family in her heart, only heaven knows.

  While Li Xiao was constantly imagining his prospects in the Takeda household, a cavalry unit of twelve to thirteen men from the Takeda household arrived at the main camp. As far as Li Xiao knew, among warriors there were also high and low levels, and generally speaking, warriors who could ride horses were all high-level warriors.

  So Li Xiao carefully watched these dozen or so cavalrymen to see if he could spot one or two famous generals of the Takeda clan.

  "Xin Fan, you've finally arrived," Takeda Shingen walked up with big strides and came to the front of the mounted samurai. The mounted samurai immediately jumped off his horse, took off his helmet, and kneeled down on one knee saying: "Greetings, my lord."

  Li Xiao took a closer look and saw that the military general was wearing the distinctive red armor of the Takeda family. Except for being slightly younger than Shingen, the two men looked extremely similar, even their beards and hairstyles were identical.

  According to somewhat unreliable records, Takeda Shingen had two younger brothers who looked very similar to him. When he was not on the battlefield, one of them would often serve as a "shadow warrior", impersonating Shingen and commanding the entire army as the general-in-chief.

  This is also a tactic of "virtual reality" in the art of war, such as using a "shadow warrior" as a substitute, intentionally letting the enemy's spies mistakenly believe that Takeda Shingen was still stationed in Kai Province with no intention of invading, when in fact Shingen had already led his army to the enemy's castle.

  This person is naturally his second younger brother, Takeda Nobushige.

  "My lord, a report has arrived from Haizhong Castle that the army of Yue Hou has established its main camp at the foot of Qīqū River's Wife and Daughter Mountain."

  Takeda Shingen thought for a moment and said in a low voice: "What is Masanobu doing?"

  "Changxin sees that we are outnumbered, and has already set fire to the town below the castle and retreated into the castle. The enemy army seems to have plans to attack the castle as well. Should we speed up our advance?"

  Takeda Shingen thought for a moment, then said: "No, our army is advancing rapidly and has fallen into the large net laid out by the Echigo army. The Uesugi family has been seeking to engage in a decisive battle with us, if we advance hastily, the enemy will be waiting for us with ease, thus falling into the opponent's trap."

  Takeda Shingen paused, clearly not wanting to say more. He glanced at Li Xiao beside him and said, "Shingen, let me introduce you to a warrior from the Ming country. He is now a samurai of the Takeda family."

  Li Xiao was now fully armed, with a demeanor reminiscent of Japan's Warring States period. Takeda Nobushige couldn't help but exclaim: "What a magnificent warrior! Are all men from the Ming country so robust?"

  Takeda Shingen said with a hint of pride: "I believe this man is capable of holding off three armies."

  Takeda Shingen immediately called Li Xiao to come before him and said, "Li Xiao, this is my younger brother Nobushige. He is well-versed in the culture of your Ming country and has a deep understanding of the Four Books and Five Classics, as well as the calligraphy of Chinese characters. From now on, you will follow him for a while and learn from him as your teacher."

  Li Xiao looked at Takeda Nobutada who was smiling all the time, thinking to himself that this person is a China expert, and he must not show any weakness in front of him.

  Li Xiao naturally went forward to pay his respects, and Takeda Nobushige also looked extremely delighted.

  In most Japanese Sengoku games, Takeda Nobushige is a character who appears briefly, but for the Takeda clan at this time, he was the second-in-command, well-versed in both literature and martial arts, next only to his brother.

  In his early years, the head of the Takeda family, Takeda Nobutora, had intended to disinherit his eldest son Shingen and have his second son Nobushige succeed him. However, with the support of his vassals, Shingen later banished his father Nobutora and became the new head of the Takeda clan.

  In the midst of his father and brother's conflicting opinions, Nobushige chose to side with his brother. It was precisely due to his support that after Nobutora's departure, the Takeda clan's retainers rallied around Shingen in unprecedented unity.

  Afterwards, Shingen's younger brother Nobushige consistently supported his older brother, participating in every battle of the Takeda clan, following Shingen like a shadow. His strategic and tactical abilities were not inferior to those of his brother, and he was firmly established as the second-in-command of the Takeda clan.

  Following Shingen's orders, Li Xiao was sent to Nobushige's command as a vassal, but what he didn't expect was that his defeated subordinate, Takeda Katsuyori, would also be sent to serve under this uncle.

  Takeda Shingen actually meant for Li Xiao to instruct Katsuchi in martial arts.

  Sitting on the chestnut-colored horse, Li Xiao's heart was extremely nervous. As a modern person, he had no problem driving cars, motorcycles, or even BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes.

  But as for him riding a horse, Li Xiao's horsemanship was not even worth mentioning, let alone galloping, even the simplest walking was not stable.

  Walking on the winding mountain path, wearing a cumbersome suit of armor, especially the two oversized shoulder guards that made it impossible for him to control his balance with both hands. Moreover, the two waist swords at his waist, in Japanese terms, the short one was called Kodachi and the long one was called Tachi, these two swords were so tight that he could hardly twist his waist, making him extremely uncomfortable.

  Fortunately, Li Xiao did not wear a mask that covered his chin, cheeks and neck, otherwise he would have suffocated to death.

  But the situation is not too good now, fortunately Li Xiao this eastern horse is quite gentle, if really want to throw Li Xiao off the horse, that would be a big loss of face.

  "Li Xiao, I'm afraid this is your first time riding a horse?"

  Li Xiao turned his head and saw a smile that was not quite a smile on the face of Takeda Nobusada, who was riding steadily on horseback as he spoke to Li Xiao.

  Li Xiao couldn't help but adjust his posture on the saddle, feeling as uncomfortable as if he had constipation. He knew that he was now undoubtedly in a very embarrassing situation. The main thing was that he had publicly declared himself to be a Ming dynasty martial general, yet it was clear that he didn't know how to ride a horse, which was clearly inconsistent with his identity as a general.

  Li Xiao used an awkward expression to conceal his inner panic, and opened his mouth to say: "I'm really not good at riding horses. The Fujian that Li Mou guards is mostly hills and waters, so although there are no shortage of horses, it's difficult to gallop. Even as a general, I often walk on foot."

  Takeda Nobushige finally showed a look of understanding and laughed: "I see." But at this time, Takeda Katsuyori, who had previously lost to Li Xiao and still had some resentment, interjected: "A samurai will not ride a horse, it's simply shameful."

  Takeda Shōryū finished speaking and cracked his whip, galloping ahead of Li Xiao and leaving him far behind.

  Li Xiao saw Takeda Shori's childish temperament and couldn't help but smile, while feeling the gaze of Takeda Nobushige beside him. Li Xiao was secretly on guard, as both Shingen and Nobushige were meticulous people, making it difficult to not let them notice even a slight hint in details.

  For now, Li Xiao can only take it one step at a time. He must quickly adapt to his identity as a Warring States general and blend in with the atmosphere of the Takeda household, which is currently the most crucial thing. So Li Xiao immediately humbly asked Takeda Shingen to teach him horse riding.

  Takeda Nobutada did not hide his private thoughts, and shared some of his insights on horse riding. Li Xiao learned from him and quickly improved her skills, which made Takeda feel very accomplished. One was excited to teach, the other was happy to learn, and soon their "friendship level" rose rapidly.

  After Li Xiao adapted to the bumps of the war horse, the two began to chat, and Takeda Nobusada introduced him to the origin of the Takeda family.

  Starting from the ancestor Minamoto no Mitsuro, to his son Minamoto no Mitsuyoshi who changed his surname to Takeda and became the first generation head of the Takeda family. After experiencing internal strife, it wasn't until the 24th generation head Takeda Nobutora that the Takeda family rose again, unifying Kai Province under its current head, Takeda Shingen, reaching a brilliant peak, and basically swallowing up Shinano Province.

  All of this was already familiar to Li Xiao, a Warring States enthusiast, but he now cared more about what year in Japan's Warring States period he was currently in. The current era was definitely not the Tenmon era, nor was it the later Tensho era; most likely, it should be the Eiroku era.

  For Li Xiao, who has cleared the game countless times, knowing the starting year of each scenario is a basic common sense. Just like veteran players of the Three Kingdoms series, they can say with their eyes closed that the Yellow Turban Rebellion scenario starts from 184 AD.

  If it is said that Shingen has already occupied the entire province of Shinano, then an inevitable conflict with Uesugi Kenshin, known as the "Dragon of Echigo" in the north, will occur. In history, Uesugi Kenshin, after receiving support from the powerful families of Shinano who were driven out by the Takeda family, led his army to fight against Takeda Shingen five times in the Kawanakajima area.

  This piece of history was once detailed in the movie "Heaven and Earth".

  Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin were both known as the strongest in the land, with neither having an advantage over the other in terms of military strategy or troop strength. These two men fought each other for over ten years in Shinano Province, wasting a great deal of time and making no progress, thus missing their best chance to unify Japan, which is regrettable for many later historians.

  As Takeda Nobushige told, the fact was as Li Xiao expected. The Takeda family not only started a war with the Uesugi family earlier, but also confronted Uesugi Kenshin's large army on Kawanakajima three times before.

  In the year 1561, Japan's Eiroku 4th year, Takeda Shingen led his army for the fourth time from Kai to the north and clashed with Uesugi Kenshin near Kawanakajima, known as the Fourth Battle of Kawanakajima.