Volume 1: Stormy Weather in Kawajima Chapter 62: Voluntarily Guarding the Rear

  The thick fog in the mountains at dawn gradually dispersed, and the armies of Uesugi and Nagano suddenly appeared before the Takeda army overnight.

  In the mountain wind, on the distant hillside, all over the mountains and fields were the armies of the Uesugi clan with their backs to the wind, or the Uesugi Nagao's army with various colored flags, these were the local powerful clans' troops.

  Uesugi and Nagano armies each set up their main camps on two mountains, with troops advancing in an orderly manner, divided into units of gunners, cavalry, archers, and iron cannons, arrayed below the mountains.

  "The enemy army marched all night and appeared in front of our great army just as the Takeda army was entering the Hakone mountain pass."

  In the Takeda army's main camp, Sanemori Yamamoto, with his left eye covered by an eyepatch, observed the enemy forces with his one good eye and pointed to the rear of the enemy's main camp.

  The main camp of the Echigo army was set up directly on the mountain waist, overlooking the surroundings. The four sides of the main camp were surrounded by a square shape with the Uesugi family crest painted on the curtains. Above the curtains, the Ryūtō flag and the Bi character flag stood out prominently, and without thinking, Uesugi Kenshin must have been in the main camp at this moment.

  The character on the flag is taken from Bishamonten, one of the Four Heavenly Kings and a god of war. The Ryūjin flag, on the other hand, is derived from the Dragon Deity, one of the Eight Legions of Buddhist deities. The dragon character is written in cursive script, which at first glance appears to be the character for "confusion" or "disorder", hence this military flag is also known as the "Ryūjin flag". This is also the origin of Uesugi Kenshin being called the Dragon of Echigo.

  At present, all the generals of the Takeda army are gathered here in the main camp to discuss how to deal with the Uesugi-Nagano allied forces.

  "Uesugi Kagetora's military tactics are unpredictable, and we all overlooked this point. However, the issue at hand is not why the enemy appeared, but what our army should do next?" said Takeda Shingen in a low voice as the commander-in-chief.

  Everyone fell silent in the face of this problem.

  Uesugi's army has just taken down Kanayama Castle and marched overnight, the soldiers must be exhausted. I think if our army takes this opportunity to fight a decisive battle, it's not without its chances." Saneki Moritomo spoke up.

  "Is it possible for our army of 3,000 to defeat the enemy's army of nearly 10,000? Moreover, they are also famous generals in the world." His colleague Tsuchiya Shōji immediately spoke out against him.

  "Even if we can't win, I won't be afraid. At worst, I'll die on the battlefield. Shonai, if you're scared, just run back to Shinano, but I'm not going to retreat." Mitsuba Moriyuki said loudly, he and Tsuchiya Shonai were originally very good friends, but at this moment they were also arguing with red faces.

  "Enough!" Yamamoto Kan no Suketsune loudly interrupted their argument.

  The two of them also realized their mistake and hastily bowed to apologize.

  As the most resourceful person in the Takeda family, Yamamoto Kansuke said in a low voice: "If we are to fight, our chances of winning are less than 10%, so the only way out is to retreat to the entrance of Shirane Mountain in Shinano now. However, this will inevitably lead to the enemy's pursuit and attack, which will result in our army's defeat and heavy losses. Therefore, it is necessary to arrange for a group of soldiers to sacrifice themselves as the rearguard to block the attack of the Echigo army."

  Yamamoto Kanetsugu's words came out, and the many samurai present fell silent, but they also accepted this suggestion. However, who would be willing to take on this rear guard duty? This was a task that would certainly result in death. As the rear guard, one had to have not only the determination to die, absolute loyalty, but also the military strength to endure the battle.

  At this moment, Obata Masamori's face was slightly pale, and his eyes towards Yamamoto Kansuke had a hint of hatred. According to Yamamoto Kansuke's plan, the Takeda clan and the Sanada clan were excluded due to their weak military strength, leaving only the main army of the Takeda clan, the Takeda Shingen corps, and his own Obata Masamori corps.

  Apart from him, the other two teams were all members of the Takeda family, and it was absolutely impossible to let them make sacrifices. Among them, only he, Obata Toramori, was an outsider, and his role in the Takeda family was not crucial at all. Moreover, many of his family members were being held hostage at Tsukigasaki Mansion.

  Therefore he could never betray the Takeda family at this moment.

  Kobata Norishige's eyes flashed with a hint of resignation, and he thought to himself that it would be better to take the initiative to acknowledge this responsibility rather than being assigned a mission by others. If he were to die in battle later on, he could establish his own reputation for bravery and bring glory to his family. However, before that, he had to let his eldest son Kobata Nobusada leave with the main army first, and after his own death, he would inherit the Kobata family's estate.

  Just as Morinaga was about to speak, Takeda Katsuyori jumped up and said, "I will lead my troops in the rear guard."

  As soon as Takeda Shōryū spoke, everyone was shocked. In fact, the candidate for the throne belonged to whom, and everyone had already counted in their hearts, but they did not expect that at this moment Takeda Shōryū would stand up.

  Obata Norio was almost bursting with joy at this moment, and he couldn't help but want to throw his head back and let out three loud cheers.

  At this moment, Li Xiao, who was also under Takeda Shingen's command, almost burst into laughter, and in his heart, he scolded, "You stupid master, what are you doing at this time? You're still getting me into trouble!"

  Takeda Shingen seemed to have recognized Takeda Katsuyori at this moment, stretched out his hand to press on his shoulder and said in a low voice: "Shiro, have you made up your mind?"

  "Yes, everyone fears Uesugi Kagetora. Only I, Takeda Katsuyori, am not afraid."

  Li Xiao remembered that in history, there was a saying that when Takeda Shingen attacked the Tokugawa family, Uesugi Kenshin led an army of nearly 10,000 to Shinano to hold back, and at that time, Takeda Katsuyori was stationed in Shinano with only 800 men under his command, but he dared to go out and respond to Uesugi Kenshin's large army.

  Fortunately, Uesugi Kenshin, who adhered to righteousness, was also a straightforward person, or perhaps gave this rough Satoru a way out, intending to let him take over as the head of the Takeda family. Uesugi Kenshin not only praised Takeda Katsuyori's bravery but also refused to take advantage of his youth and retreated without fighting him. As a result, he withdrew his troops and returned home. This story between the two was surprisingly passed down as a good anecdote.

  Facing Takeda Shōryū's persistence, the other generals didn't say much. Takeda Yoshinobu came forward to comfort him and shed a few hot tears on the spot. Although it is unknown whether there was any pretentiousness in this, it was tantamount to acknowledging that Takeda Shōryū would be the rear guard.

  The various units of the Takeda army were moved by this and one after another they too volunteered to act as rear guard, in order to secure a chance for their own escape.

  They were worried that Takeda Shingen's military strength was insufficient to resist the Uesugi army, and they left their own elite warriors to help Takeda Shingen defend against the enemy.

  Sanada Nobuyuki bid farewell to his brother Sanada Masayuki and left behind a group of more than 30 archers.

  Yoshichang Mizuno left behind ten brave and skilled warriors of the Mizuno family.

  Takeda Nobuyori left all of the iron cannon troops in the main camp for Takeda Katsuyori.

  Among these people, the one who was most grateful to Takeda Katsuyori was still Obata no Chikara, and the people of Kozuke Province were originally brave, so there were not a few soldiers in the Obata army who admired Takeda Katsuyori's bravery, so 50 Obata cavalrymen volunteered to stay behind and follow Takeda Katsuyori.

  Apart from leaving Takeda Katsuyori's troops in the area, the various reserve units withdrew to the entrance of Shiraiwa Pass in an orderly manner.

  Before leaving, Takeda Katsuyori bid farewell to Takeda Nobuyuki on horseback. The battle-hardened Takeda Nobuyuki couldn't help but shed a few tears on the spot.

  Takeda Yoshinobu, Atobe Muneaki, Obata Masamori, Sanada Yukimura and Kiso Yoshiyasu all came before Takeda Katsuyori to say things like "May your military fortunes be long-lasting" and "Take care of yourself", bid him farewell, then mounted their horses and departed.

  But to Li Xiao, who was standing by, the expressions of these people seemed painful and mournful, as if they were attending a funeral. It wasn't until now that he finally understood how the monkey felt when it bid farewell to Oda Nobunaga behind the Golden Temple, perhaps because those leaving were the living, while those staying behind were the dead.

  Yes, no one expected Takeda Shingen to be able to withstand the nearly 10,000-strong army of Uesugi Kenshin, unless Uesugi Kenshin suddenly had another nervous breakdown and was moved by Takeda's fighting spirit and let him off, or else Takeda would have no choice but to surrender.

  At this time, even Ji Bu Sheng Zi also intervened, coming to Li Xiao's side and saying some comforting words. However, from the other party's eyes, Li Xiao clearly saw a hint of coldness, as if he couldn't wait for Li Xiao to die immediately.

  "Fine, I wholeheartedly wish that your entire family dies out, Lord Tsube, and may all the curses you've secretly placed on me rebound upon yourself."

  Because Li Xiao spoke in Chinese, Kiyotsugu asked back in surprise: "What did you say, Lord Li Xiao?"

  Li Xiao laughed and said: "Nothing, I just mean take good care of yourself."

  Kazari nodded in sudden realization and smiled, expressing his gratitude.

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