Volume 2: Thick and Heavy Winds and Clouds Chapter 52: Eight Banners of Dihuang

  It's midnight, so I'll write a bit more since I have some free time today. Not every day is inspiring, but at least I can guarantee one update. No choice, there are always a few days each month when I don't feel like writing, you know? Do you guys have any recommendation tickets to spare? Throw them my way!

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  After hearing the Northern General's 'outrageous remarks', Li Xiao couldn't help but frown, thinking who was so brain-dead to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere.

  Hōjō Ujiyasu saw a slight displeasure on Takeda Nobukata's face, turned his head to look at the general and said in a low voice: "Magoroku, you're drunk."

  The other party walked out of the crowd of North Taira's people, and when he saw his face clearly, several old generals who had been fighting on the battlefield for a long time, such as Atsushi Koyama, Nobuhide Obata, were suddenly surprised and exclaimed: "It is Terutora Hachimantaro."

  Li Xiao heard Tsuba Shin'aki shout out this name, his body shook, and he looked at him.

  His opponent was tall and imposing, standing with an air of majesty, his face scarred from the trials of life and death on the battlefield. If Li Xiao wasn't mistaken, this man was Beidao family's first general, Beidao Gangcheng.

  The father of Hōjō Ujiyasu, Odawara Nagateru, was originally the first brave general of the Imagawa family. At that time, the Imagawa family was at odds with the Takeda family. Odawara Nagateru led an army of 15,000 to attack Takeda Shingen's father, Takeda Nobutora. He was defeated by Takeda Nobutora in the Battle of Suruga and died on the battlefield.

  Later, Hōjō Tokimasa became the second head of the Hōjō family and was adopted by Hōjō Shigetoki. Hōjō Shigetoki highly valued him and married his daughter to him. The "Tokimasa" in Hōjō Tokimasa's name is a character from his father, Fukushima Masanari, while the "mune" character was bestowed upon him by Hōjō Shigetoki, and he became one of the leaders of the Hōjō family, commanding a large army.

  When it comes to the military strength of the Hojo family, one cannot help but mention the Five-Colored Regiments of the Hojo. The Five-Colored Regiments are five branches of the Hojo family's army, each with a mix of infantry and cavalry, wearing armor in white, black, blue, red, and yellow, respectively, and led by powerful generals from the family (except for the Black Regiment, which only has one commander-in-chief, Motouji).

  The great general among them was Hōjō Sanemori. It is said that on the 15th of every month, Hōjō Sanemori would go to the front of the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman to pray, and he was very devout. Moreover, his army's flag and armor were all dyed in a uniform yellow color, like autumn leaves, so when they charged into enemy lines, it was as if a wave of yellow surged forward, earning him the nickname "Earth Yellow Hachiman".

  Hachiman Daibosatsu is a god of war and also the god of archery. Many Minamoto samurai families, such as the Kiyohara Minamoto, have worshipped him for generations. The Kumano Navy of Tsukahara Bokuden's Nine Demons had white flags with Hachiman Daibosatsu at the bow, so they were also known as the Hachiman Navy. The banner of Ii Naotaka, who formed the first strong army of the Tokugawa family, the Akabeko Cavalry, also bore the image of Hachiman Daibosatsu.

  In the decisive battle of Kamakura's dominance in Kanto, the Battle of Kawagoe, facing the siege of 80,000 Kanto Allied Forces, Hojo Sanetomo defended Kawagoe Castle with 3,000 cavalry for half a year. Later, he joined forces with Hojo Tokimasa and his 8,000 cavalry to launch a pincer movement, defeating the Kanto Allied Forces and earning fame in the Battle of Yamanaka Hachiman.

  Hōjō Sanetoki was known as the Yellow Flag, because of his bravery and martial prowess. Every time the Hōjō clan engaged in a crucial battle, they would always use the yellow flag with eight hachimaki (a type of Japanese headband) as their vanguard. Therefore, the samurai from the Kantō region respectfully referred to Hōjō Sanetoki as the Eight-Trimmed Flag Lord.

  "Your Excellency, how can a banquet be without some contest to liven things up? The Takeda clan is a renowned martial house and the main line of the Minamoto clan. We eastern warriors have long wanted to test our mettle against them on the battlefield, but unfortunately, both houses are part of the same alliance, so we've never had the chance. Since that's the case, why not take advantage of this banquet to engage in a friendly competition and fulfill our long-held desires? I'll be the first to step forward; please grant me your permission."

  The gunpowder smell in Hojo's words is something that anyone can hear, but both the Hojo and Takeda families know that his father died in battle against the Takeda family, so it's only natural that he has some resentment towards them.

  Uesugi Kenshin nodded, looking at Takeda Nobuyori and said: "Compared to the trial, there is a distinction between winning and losing, I'm afraid that when the time comes, it will hurt the harmony, but the wine banquet is not as exciting as the trial, it's really dull, what do you think?"

  Takeda Nobuyoshi nodded solemnly and said, "It doesn't matter, everything will be done according to your arrangement."

  Hojo Ujiyasu burst out laughing and said, "In that case, I'll take charge. Sunokuro, you represent the Hojo family as the vanguard and meet with the heroes of Kai Province."

  Having obtained the master's consent, Hōjō Suketsune sent someone to bring a wooden gun with a removed tip. Immediately after, he swung the gun and pointed at the row of Takeda family generals sitting there, loudly asking: "Which one is willing to come out and compete with me?"

  The commander of the Takeda clan faced each other, but the opponent was the first brave general of the Hojo clan, whose bravery shook the Kanto region, and the Takeda clan currently had no fierce generals to match. Originally, there were also many brave generals in the Takeda clan, but recently they have withered away.

  Kohei Matsumae, known as "Oni-Ko", died of illness in Hatachi Castle in June last year. In the Battle of Kawanakajima, Tsunachika Anayama, one of the top three warriors of the Takeda clan, was killed in action. Meanwhile, Harutaka Mogami, known as "Oni-Mino", has been recovering from injuries at home after being wounded 53 times in 38 battles over the years and did not even participate in the Battle of Kawanakajima.

  As for the four famous retainers of Takeda, they were all seasoned veterans, but some excelled in military strategy and others in leading troops. Not everyone was exceptionally skilled in martial arts, and at this moment, none of them were present in the Takeda army's campaign against Western Kozuke.

  At this moment, facing the challenge of Hachijo Kotaro, the first strong general of the Hojo family, the many generals of the Takeda family thought about it and only 'Gunpowder Masamune' Hōjō Ujinori could barely match him in terms of reputation and strength.

  So 52-year-old Yasumasa Kawabata took the stage amidst the expectations of the other generals, and after persisting for over a dozen rounds, he lost with his head hung in shame.

  And Hojo Tadanobu, seemingly just warming up, opened his mouth and asked: "Is there anyone else who wants to try with me?"

  Facing the challenge of Hōjō Ujiyasu, Sanada Nobuyuki, the elder brother of Sanada Masayuki and a rising star among the young generation of the Takeda clan, stepped forward to accept the battle.

  Sanada Nobuyuki, though touted as the young and brave general of the Takeda clan, was no match for his opponent. After a few exchanges, he was struck by Hōjō Ujiyasu's fist on the right eye socket and retreated in defeat.

  After defeating Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin shook his head and said: "Has the once-famous Takeda family of warriors truly declined to the point where there is no one who can engage in a real battle with me?"

  After Hojo Masanaga finished speaking, no one from the Takeda side responded, and Hojo Masanaga suddenly showed a look of complete disinterest.

  "Then let me invite Takeda Shōryū Katsuchi to meet you." A loud voice suddenly came from among the many generals of the Takeda family. The challenger was none other than Takeda Katsuchi, who glanced sideways and saw Li Xiao sitting below, drinking wine with an air of not being concerned about the matter at all.

  Takeda Katsuyori took up his wooden spear and resolutely advanced to confront Hōjō Ujiyasu.

  On the night when the combined forces of the Takeda and Hojo clans were stationed at the foot of Matsuyama Castle, preparing to attack.

  In the mountains of Yue, hundreds of miles away, it was also snowing heavily. At this time, a black-clad and black-armored army was marching on the rugged mountain path.

  Soldiers wore straw hats, wrapped in cloak, and tied leggings slowly advancing. In the team, a general was wearing a white monk's robe outside, his head wrapped in white gauze, and riding a white war horse, walking leisurely among the mountains.

  Under the escort of the marching army, the general would occasionally take out the wine cup placed on the horse and drink while riding, admiring the snowy scenery in the distance.

  A strong gust of wind suddenly rose in the mountains, causing the flag with the word "毗" on it to flutter violently.

  Under the snowflakes filling the sky, this white-robed warrior general reined in his warhorse and gazed out at the land below the mountain. This was already the border of Agatsuma Province. He couldn't help but raise his whip and mutter to himself: "Who says Uesugi Kenshin will only take up arms when spring arrives and flowers bloom?"