Chapter 63: Yamamoto Kanbei's Request

  "My lord, it seems that the Takeda army has begun to retreat. Are they not afraid of our pursuit?"

  The Uesugi army's main camp, under the fluttering flags of Ryūjin and Hidari Gomon, Deputy General of Echigo, Naoe Kagetsuna, looked at the Takeda army slowly entering the Hakone mountain pass and addressed Uesugi Kenshin.

  Uesugi Kenshin was still dressed in a simple white monk's robe, holding a rosary in his left hand and an iron-wrapped military fan in his right. He sat on a cushion, observing the movements of the Takeda army in front of him, then pointed to the small hill where the Takeda army's main camp was located and said to Sanada Yukitaka: "The Takeda army has arranged enough rear guards on that hill, so they dare to retreat calmly in front of our army."

  "Takeda Shingen himself is hesitant to advance this time, greatly losing his usual standard, truly disappointing. Straightening his armor, he expressed the doubts in his mind, unaware that Takeda Shingen was not commanding the army."

  Uesugi Kenshin did not speak, but suddenly asked Sanada Yukimura: "Who is the enemy general who serves as the rear palace?"

  Naoe Kagetsuna immediately ordered his men to go down the mountain and investigate, and when they returned to their own camp and reported back, they said: "The flag emblem on top of the Takeda army's main camp reads 'Suwa Myōjin Shrine Upper and Lower Shrines'."

  "Oh, this is not Takeda Shingen's personal flag 'Suruga Fugen Bosho-ki'." said Naoe Kanetsugu.

  Uesugi Kenshin smiled and said, "Shingen-sama himself as the commander-in-chief would never put himself in a position of death. It must be the Suwa clan from Shinano Province. After Suwa Yorishige's death, their current head should be Suwa Tatsunaga."

  Naoe Kagetsuna smiled and said, "My lord, you are busy with many things and may not know that the Tiger of Kai has already arranged for his fourth son, Takeda Katsuyori, to inherit the Suwa family's estate. It is likely that the one leading the vanguard and holding down the rear is none other than Katsuyori."

  Uesugi Kenshin's face showed a look of surprise, clearly unexpected. His tiger-like eyes gleamed as he spoke: "I didn't expect that Shingen would have such a brave son. I must say, I admire his courage. Rare, rare indeed."

  Before the Takeda army formation, the small squad leader who was in charge of the front row of the shield wall is digging two trenches in front of the shield wall.

  Behind the shield wall, the light infantry with bows and arrows, the iron cannon unit, the long-handled spear light infantry unit, and the cavalry unit lined up one by one on the mountain slope, surrounding Takeda Shingen's main camp in a semicircle. Inside the curtain of the main camp, there were flag units holding flags, attendants to the general, drummers who controlled the advance and retreat of the army, military supervisors, inspectors, logistics personnel, doctors, and Buddhist monks.

  In the precincts, two flags are hung high, one is a Sanskrit character flag of the Shinto shrine's divine nature, and the other is a flag with the crest of the shrine's family.

  As a high-ranking general, apart from its significance in the hierarchy, it also means that one can independently lead an army to fight and has the ability to take charge of a single aspect.

  In the Takeda army, a samurai general usually commanded a unit of 300 to 800 men. In addition to guns, bows and arquebuses, the unit was also equipped with cavalry and packhorse teams, which could operate independently. This formation was also known as "tsuwari" or "gun" (what an imposing name for a formation).

  Among them are the "Akatsuki" of Inahara Taira no Michi, the "Oban Akatsuki" of Obata Kagenaga, and the five-colored Akatsuki of the Hojo family, all of which were organized in units called "tsukuribanashi".

  As the rearguard, covering the retreat of Takeda Shingen's army, there were about 800 soldiers in total. The rest of the non-combat personnel all left with the main force. Li Xiao glanced at Obata Masami, who was dressed in armor, and saw that she was reluctant to part with her sister and brother, Obata Magosaburo and Kofukumaru, as they retreated towards Shiraiwa with the Takeda army.

  "Mr. Yamamoto, why don't you leave?" Li Xiao turned around and asked Yamamoto Kanosuke beside him.

  Yamamoto Kansuke, with his sword at his side, limped a few steps in the direction of Hakone Mountain and said: "This plan to defend the castle is one that I, Yamamoto Kansuke, proposed. It is only right that I should take responsibility for it. Moreover, since Lord Shingen is here, how can I, as his retainer, abandon him and leave first?"

  Li Xiao nodded and said: "It is an honor for me, Li Xiao, to fight alongside Lord Yamamoto."

  On the rough face of Yamamoto Kansuke, a rare smile appeared, with both hands on the scabbard supporting his body, pointing at the main camp of the Takeda army in the distance. He said: "Do you know? To be able to fight against Uesugi Shigenaga, such a famous general, for over ten years in Shinano and Suruga, this is the honor of my life as Yamamoto Kansuke. Lord Li Xiao, if I unfortunately die in this battle, please continue to assist Lord Shingen, Lord Takeda, and complete my unfulfilled wish."

  "Mr. Yamamoto."

  Li Xiao hesitated for a moment and finally swallowed back what she was going to say.

  Similar words were also spoken by Takeda Nobushige during the Battle of Kawanakajima, perhaps in the hearts of Yamamoto Kansuke and Takeda Nobushige, they both regarded themselves as able ministers who could assist the Takeda family in conquering Japan.

  At present, in the main camp of the Takeda army, there are Yamamoto Kansuke, Li Xiao, Hōjō Shigetada, Hōjō Shigeyuki, Hōjō Masatsune, Satomi Yoshitaka, Satomi Tadayoshi, Sanada Yukimura and others, all wearing thick armor. Except for Satomi Mitsutane who is guarding the Satomi territory, and Nishimura Kiyosuke who is defending the Takafu castle, all of the vassals under Takeda Shingen are gathered here.

  Takeda Shingen himself wore a helmet with deer antlers, and his body was clad in magnificent red silk laced armor, over which he wore a five-colored feathered cloak, making him look extremely dazzling, as if to tell others that I am the commander-in-chief of the rear army Takeda Shingen, come and take my head if you dare.

  Just like the tradition of warriors in this era, everyone who goes to the battlefield must have the determination to die and be beheaded. Therefore, before hanging, wearing a suit of the most dignified armor is also a perfect ending for one's life as a warrior.

  Bang! Bang!

  The drums in the enemy's formation at the foot of the mountain sounded, and the enemy began to attack.

  Group after group of ashigaru, grasping long spears, formed dense ranks. The Uesugi army's messengers galloped between the groups, issuing orders. Charging at the very front were the miscellaneous soldiers from Ueno's local powerful clans. It was clear that Uesugi Kenshin intended to use these vanguard troops to test the strength of the Takeda army.

  On the Takeda side, Koju's troops had already dug trenches and nearly a hundred men of the iron cannon corps quickly jumped into the two ditches, all raising their guns to aim at the advancing Hōjō clan soldiers.

  "Fire."

  The first row of trenches fired, a row of iron cannons spewed out flames, and the huge roar of the iron cannon's gunfire echoed through the mountains. With the launch of the shells, a thick smoke billowed from the muzzle, which was immediately blown away by the mountain wind.

  After firing a shot, the artillerymen crouched in the trenches, pointing their muzzles upwards. They first used a ramrod to clean out the residual gunpowder from the barrel, then loaded the gunpowder and cannonballs, and used an oak wood rammer to tamp them down tightly. Finally, they inserted the already ignited fuse into the touch hole.

  The Uesugi army's first volley shocked the Takeda cavalry, and as they watched their nearby comrades being killed by unseen bullets, and the massive roar of the guns, the Hojo clan soldiers who had never seen such a large-scale battle before were thrown into chaos.

  The iron cannons in the second trench opened fire again, and the deafening sound, the fallen bodies, completely destroyed the morale of the Ueno clan's miscellaneous soldiers.

  It was just the two rounds of iron cannonballs, and the military forces of the Ueno clan's first battalion were completely thrown into chaos, with many ashigaru abandoning their long spears and fleeing in all directions.

  This scene made Li Xiao, who was on the mountain slope, feel a mixture of sadness and laughter.