Chapter 50: Ogasawara Style Horse Archery

  As soon as the term "female general" is mentioned, Li Xiao can't help but think of the TVB series she watched when she was young, which had hundreds of episodes and remained popular for a long time, "The Legend of the Yang Family Female Generals", Mu Guiying Takes Command.

  Alright, most of these people's stories are fabricated and untrue.

  However, Li Xiao knew that in the same era of the great Ming Dynasty, there were two famous female generals. One was Mrs. Wa, who led 6,000 Guangxi wolf soldiers to resist the Japanese pirates. The other was Qin Liangyu, whose White Rod troops fought all over the country, resisting the Qing army in the north and suppressing the rebellion of Zhang Xianzhong in the southwest.

  As for mentioning female generals in Japanese history, the first one that comes to mind is Tomoe Gozen, who was on par with the Four Heavenly Kings under Minamoto no Yoshinaka. Of course, some people might think of Uesugi as well, but if you're thinking that, then spare me.

  When it comes to the magnificent and heroic Genpei era, one cannot help but mention the beautiful women who shone alongside the heroes. At that time, Japan's most famous beauties included, in addition to Minamoto no Yoshitsune's concubine Shizuka Gozen, another was Tomoe Gozen, skilled in archery and horseback riding, and unparalleled in beauty.

  Minamoto no Yoshinaka's fate was surprisingly similar to that of Xiang Yu, both were "one defeat in a hundred victories". In Minamoto no Yoshinaka's Battle of Uji River, he was deeply surrounded and his original tens of thousands of elite soldiers had dwindled down to just five retainers including Baō and Niki no Jirō.

  Seeing no hope in the situation, at that time, Hashiba Hideyoshi said to Mōri Yoshinari: "Let's go back to Mino together."

  Kiso Yoshinaka had long been prepared to die in battle, but looking at the blood-soaked Tomoe Gozen, he couldn't bear her dying here too, so he sternly ordered her to leave.

  Tomoe Gozen then tearfully said to Minamoto no Yoshinaka: "Then let me fight for you once more!"

  After defeating the Musashi general Tsuchiya Masatsugu, who came to confront him, and beheading his opponent, he broke through the encirclement on horseback. From then on, he rode off into the distance, and no one ever knew what became of Hashiba Hideyoshi again.

  Later legend has it that after breaking through the encirclement, she heard that Mōri Yoshichika had died and returned to die on the battlefield. Another version says that she became a nun and spent her life guarding Mōri Yoshichika's tomb.

  Now that Obata Yumi has said she will serve Li Xiao and become his warrior, she must also show the corresponding level. It is worth noting that Li Xiao's other two warriors, Shimai Takeshi and Morooka Kazuha, were among the best in Japan at that time in terms of bravery and swordsmanship.

  If Kobayashi Yumi were to become a vassal of the Li Xiaowu, even if Li Xiaowu agreed, Shima Katsuo and Shiroyama Kazuhane might also think it's beneath them.

  After burying the parents and younger brother of Xiaofan Yumei, Li Xiao also sent someone to a nearby temple to invite monks to perform a Buddhist ritual at the grave, which would also comfort the wounded hearts of Xiaofan and her two siblings.

  Obata's sister and two brothers arrived at Takeda Shingen's camp the night before, resting for a night. The next day, Obata Yumi came to Li Xiao's tent, expressing her desire to show off her archery skills, if she could hit the target, Li Xiao would take her as his warrior, Li Xiao agreed.

  Takeda Shingen had heard from the Hōjō brothers, who had returned to report on the news, that Li Xiao had received a pair of beautiful sisters and was immediately very interested. Especially when he heard that the elder sister was skilled in archery, he wanted to see it for himself and suddenly became interested. He pulled along Yamamoto Kansuke and brought along Sanada Masayuki and others to go to the military camp's tent to see how they would perform.

  Kobayashi Yumi changed into women's clothing that day, tied up her long hair which originally reached her waist, and changed into a refreshing warrior attire. From afar, she looked like a beautiful young man. At the time, the aesthetic view was to like beauty, regardless of gender.

  At that time, there was a samurai with severe bipolar disorder under the command of Takeda Shingen who asked Li Xiao for Otobuki Yumi, and was naturally refused.

  Archery originated in China, where during the Spring and Autumn period of the Zhou Dynasty, nobles were required to learn six arts: rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and arithmetic. Among these, archery was a crucial skill. In those days, when a noble family had a newborn son, following tradition, the father would take up his bow and arrow and shoot one arrow in each of the four cardinal directions - east, south, west, and north. This symbolized the idea that a boy's ambition should reach all corners of the world.

  Later, the definition of Kyudo was introduced to Japan, and at that time, Zen Buddhism was prevalent. Archery belonged to a quiet exercise without an opponent, purely a contest between oneself and oneself, so it was often used by warriors to polish their minds.

  Kobayashi Yumi held her bow and shot, first at the 50-step target, hitting all three arrows, then switched to the 80-step target, again hitting all three arrows. At this time, everyone in the field had put aside their underestimation of Kobayashi Yumi's archery skills.

  Finally, Kobayakawa Yumi exchanged one hundred paces of shooting, shot three arrows in a row, and once again hit the bullseye. The warriors present let out a burst of astonished voices.

  After the shooting, the horseback riding skills were compared. In the Kamakura period, there was a so-called "three objects of horseback archery", which were "flowing arrow horse", "hat hanger" and "dog chasing object". This not only compares the accuracy of the archer's shooting technique but also tests the etiquette of his shooting technique.

  In fact, the modern Ogasawara school has already declined and degenerated into a mere ceremonial shooting, gradually losing its practical effectiveness in terms of power and accuracy, but at that time, the Ogasawara school's horseback archery could be considered Japan's number one.

  When Kobata Yumi, the successor of Ogasawara school of archery, rode a fine horse and advanced in a straight line at high speed, she steadily shot arrows from her quiver one after another without stopping for breath, hitting all targets thirty steps away.

  Both Island Victory and Shi Guang were stunned, they had never seen such archery skills before.

  Shima Katsutake walked up to Li Xiao and said, "Sir, I think Kobayakawa Yumi's archery skills are probably good enough to rank in the top ten even if she were part of the entire Takeda clan."

  Li Xiao listened to the island's victory and was also very surprised. At that time, the two famous families of Yumiya, Ogasawara and Takeda, although the horse archery of the Kai Takeda family had already begun to decline, it was actually flourishing in Aki Takeda and Wakasa Takeda.

  But however you say it, within the Kai province there are also skilled horsemen and archers. Among the tens of thousands of Takeda soldiers, Shima Katsuhisa actually said that Obata Toramori's archery skills could rank among the top ten - isn't this an exaggeration?

  "This evaluation is too exaggerated, she's just a woman." As soon as Li Xiao finished speaking, Kobayashi Yumi immediately performed an even more exaggerated act.

  Only to see Kobayakawa Yumi reach into the quiver and grab three arrow feathers at the same time, her left hand holding a nearly two-meter-long horse bow horizontally, her right hand placing the three arrow feathers on the bow body, one bow and three arrows!

  No way, with the bow of this era and Yumi's arm strength, a mere woman like her can really do it. Even so, such archery is only in legend.

  Illusion, illusion, must be an illusion. Li Xiao muttered to himself in his heart, but the Wudang family soldiers present collectively burst into exclamations of surprise.

  Kobayashi Yumi crouched on the horseback, turned sideways to draw her bow, and in one breath she drew it full. The bowstring burst with a loud crack, and three arrows shot out of the string.

  At this moment, everyone in the audience stared with their eyes wide open. Takeda Shingen was even more without the image of a lord, his mouth agape, and Yamamoto Kansuke, who had always been calm and composed, also showed an unbelievable expression on his face, not to mention those young warriors.

  Three arrows hit the target simultaneously, two of them three meters apart, and the arrow shafts stuck to the target, with the fletching at the back still quivering non-stop. The fact told Li Xiao that what he was seeing was not an illusion.

  Just as everyone was gazing at Kobayashi Yumi with a worshiping gaze, she rode her warhorse back to Li Xiao's front, lightly jumped off the horse, stood in front of Li Xiao, and with a determined yet pleading look in her eyes, said: "Please, sir, take Yumi."

  Li Xiao took a glance at Oboro Yumi, whose right hand was bleeding from the cut of the bowstring, and nodded: "Alright, from now on, you are my third subordinate, Li Xiao."