The Asai army's camp was located in Shimo-Ueno. Tents had been pitched there, and benches had also been set up.
A brazier is provided, allowing guests to stay warm.
Because bonfires are burning on all sides, the surrounding air is somewhat warm due to their heat.
It was winter, and the sky was cold and chilly. Naturally, without warmth, it was quite unbearable.聊Isasa
It was already past 11 PM. The entire area surrounding the camp was shrouded in complete darkness.亥stomach
On the desk, illuminated by the light.
There, you'll find a map with detailed information compiled by Myo and the Takamine clan's spies.
"I will explain the outline of the operation."
Princess Chihime gazed at the people participating in the war council.
Her eyes show deep signs of fatigue.
After all, I've been working non-stop all day. It's only natural that I'm tired.
But no matter how much they urged her to take a rest, Haruhime simply wouldn't listen.
And now, she speaks in a dignified voice that seems to completely mask any signs of fatigue.
"Please have a seat first."
Each participant was given a stool, and Princess Chihime first invited everyone to sit down.
The people present here are, of course, not just members of the Asai family. Matsunaga Hisahide, the ruthless warlord of Yamato Province, is also present.
From the Oda army, there was also Akechi Samanosuke, a relative of Akechi Mitsuhide and a renowned general known for his "crossing the lake."
"Currently, we are facing an enemy force that is roughly three times our size. While battles are not decided by numbers alone, being outnumbered will certainly affect morale. Furthermore, if we make even one wrong decision in our orders, we could be crushed in an instant."
Haruhime continued, trying to organize the situation.
"We are already at a numerical disadvantage. We must do everything we can to prevent the enemy, including the Hongenji sect, from taking advantage of this situation and rushing in as reinforcements. We need to quickly create a situation that will make them hesitate to send troops."
With the gazes of everyone participating in the war council fixed on her, she said:
Everyone except Hisahide looks at our strategist with eyes full of trust.
Samanosuke, who is participating from the Oda family as a general in this night attack, is one of them.
The Akechi family was a branch of the Toki clan, which belonged to the Seiwa Genji lineage.
In other words, they are distant relatives of the Takenaka family.
Furthermore, when Saito Dosan and Saito Yoshitatsu were engaged in conflict, the Takenaka family, like the others, sided with Dosan.
As a result of Yoshitatsu's victory, the Akechi family was annihilated. Mitsuhide and Samanosuke escaped the castle while their family and retainers committed suicide, and went on to serve the Ashikaga family in Kyoto.
Furthermore, it goes without saying that Kicho, Nobunaga's principal wife, was the aunt of Mitsuhide and Samanosuke.
Currently, Mitsuhide is serving as an assistant to Shibata Katsuie, the commander-in-chief of the Oda army's advance guard.
Since he has only recently joined the Oda family, he probably feels he must demonstrate a dedication to his work.
He has not made excessive contact with Haruhime, who was once his comrade, up to this point.
However, they must have become worried when the Asai army launched a night attack.
Mitsuhide dispatched Samanosuke, who had been strictly ordered to protect Princess Haruhime.
He expressed his excessive gratitude to me for saving the Takenaka family.
And our strategist, unaware of the feelings of those who survived the Akechi clan, continued speaking.
"The best-case scenario is to seize Yamazaki Castle tonight. That would allow us to launch a two-pronged attack from both the mountains and the plains when hostilities begin."
Currently, the Miyoshi Triumvirate, who have rallied behind Hosokawa Akimoto, the Shogunal Deputy of the Muromachi Shogunate, seem to have nothing on their minds but to annihilate the Oda army marching to Kyoto in a major battle on the plains.
Field battles, especially large-scale battles, were the pinnacle of samurai culture.
They probably intend to achieve a spectacular victory there, spread their military might throughout the land, and regain their power.
Therefore, the trio is struggling to figure out how to concentrate their maximum forces into the open field battle.
According to investigations by the Takamine faction, it appears that only about 200 soldiers remained at Yamazaki Castle—which would be the strongest evidence of the Miyoshi Three's inclination towards open-field battles.
Alternatively, they might be assuming that the Oda army marching to Kyoto, already surrounded by a large force, would be unlikely to divert troops to launch a surprise attack on Yamazaki Castle.
"The objective of this operation is therefore to capture Yamazaki Castle on Mount Tennozan in a short period of time and hold it to the death until dawn, thereby putting pressure on the Miyoshi Three from the mountaintop."
With graceful fingertips, Haruhime pointed to the map and explained.
The strategy itself is quite orthodox and unpretentious.
However, it was the one with the highest probability of success.
The fact that Hisahide has not expressed any dissatisfaction is the best evidence of this.
Our strategist continued his explanation.
Mount Tennozan, where Yamazaki Castle is located, has an elevation of 220 meters. Its summit is completely flat.
The objective was to gallop up the side of this mountain on horseback, launch a surprise attack on the main keep, and capture it.
This is typical .電撃戦Blitzkrieg
The planned operation will last a maximum of half an hour (1 hour).
The neighing of Indra will signal the passage of time. If we cannot capture Yamazaki Castle before that sound rings out, we must immediately withdraw our troops. If we succeed in capturing it, we will remain there.
Incidentally, as for me, regardless of whether we succeeded in capturing Yamazaki Castle or not, it had been decided that I would descend the mountain immediately after half an hour had passed.
Princess Chihime continued her explanation, and the soldiers absorbed her words into their minds.
She asked if there were any questions, but none were asked.
The plan was extremely clear, but more importantly, everyone present knew of the brilliance of the tactics demonstrated at Katsuryuji Castle earlier that day.
Rather than trying to stir things up, it's better to just go along with it...
They're probably thinking something like that. Everyone except Hisahide, surely.
"And, if I may ask you something... Lieutenant General."
The moment Princess Haruhime ordered the war council to end and announced that the operation would be carried out in half an hour, Hisahide called out to me.
◆
After ordering those around me to prepare for battle, I summoned Hisahide.
When I saw him up close, there was no trace of the unpleasant smile he had displayed during the day. He had an extremely serious expression.
If he were to remain silent, his appearance would truly suggest a sincere and dignified gentleman.
I can't help but think how incredibly popular he must be with young women these days—it's such a ridiculous thought.
"Please dismiss them."
In response to Hisahide's remarks, Haruhime displayed blatant suspicion.
Myo and Takatora, who were standing close by my side, were giving me looks that seemed to say, "What should we do?"
There is a somewhat suspicious atmosphere about this, but...
If we refused his request here, there was a possibility that we might face some kind of retaliation during the night attack.
"Understood. Osamu, Takatora, and Myo, I'm sorry, but...please step back for a while."
I nodded to them. The two zashiki-warashi followed behind Princess Chihime, who reluctantly stepped back.
Outside, Samanosuke was waiting for them.
It seems like there's something they want to talk about.
Upon seeing that sight, Hisahide crossed his arms and groaned.
Then, after rotating his neck with a cracking sound, he straightens his posture.
"...First of all, Lieutenant General Asai, I humbly ask for your forgiveness for the disrespectful behavior I have displayed since the daytime."
"Hmm? Oh, ah..."
The precise, meticulous movements, with their neat folds and cuts, are reminiscent of a butler.
Then the great strategist bowed his head. I could only be bewildered by this change in attitude.
I couldn't tell if this was Hisahide's true nature, or if it was just a mask he was wearing to reassure me before devouring me.
"However, if I don't do this... I can't deceive everyone. The best way to deceive people is to be hated... because then they won't be able to accurately judge me. It's tough for people who live in this world to be hated by everyone except their own family."謀Schemes
Hisahide chuckled softly.
Then, with unwavering eyes, he looked me straight in the eye.
"Putting that aside for now... I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of my lord, Yoshitsugu, regarding this matter. I had calculated that the alliance with the Asai family would lead to friendly relations with the Oda family, but I certainly did not imagine that Lord Nobunaga would lead such a large army to the Kinai region."
"That... also concerns our interests. It only happened because there was a mutual benefit to both of us..."
"Well, with this, all those who harbored ill will be eradicated. As the chief retainer of the Miyoshi family, that is the greatest joy for me..."邪wicked
Is Hisahide acting, or is that his true expression? He has the face of a kind old man.
(Thinking back, the origin of this cooperation with the Matsunaga family was actually a letter from Hisahide.)
A notorious villain and great warlord of the Sengoku period.
Matsunaga Danjo Hisahide, the epitome of intrigue, is someone no one would want to associate with.
They probably don't want to get involved with them at all.
(But now... this is what has happened.)
Since I've been forced to have a relationship with Matsunaga Hisahide, the next thing I have to do is to act in a way that avoids being poisoned by him.
And now, this great villain is trying to close the distance between us.
I was at a loss as to what his intentions were, when he said:
"Perhaps it would be best to be frank with Lieutenant General Asai."
"...What?"
"I'm talking about my wishes, Lieutenant General."
Hisahide said with a serious expression.
It was strangely intimidating.
"To put it simply, I would like you, Lieutenant General, to take in Lord Yoshitsugu, the current head of the Miyoshi family, after my death."
"..."
"Don't you understand? I would like Lord Yoshitsugu to be a retainer of the Lieutenant General."
The ruthless leader of Yamato Province said, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Everything I owe to the former head of the Miyoshi family, Lord Nagayoshi. And my only wish is to ensure that his bloodline is passed down to future generations... If that is fulfilled, I need nothing else."彼mosquito
"The blood of Miyoshi..."
"That's right. Lord Yoshitsugu is the head of the Miyoshi family, but he has no real power now. Without a protector, there's nothing he can do..."
And within the Miyoshi family, there are only treacherous retainers who want to use that person for their own gain—Hisahide declared indignantly.
"I wish I could stay active forever... but I'm no longer young. Death will soon come to me."
The unparalleled strategist whispered:
"Lately, that's all I've been worried about... I can't help but feel uneasy thinking about what will happen to him after my death, so I've been searching for someone to entrust Yoshitsugu to."
"...No, please wait a moment."
I hastily interrupted the old general. I had a feeling I was about to be dragged into a terrible quagmire.
"We only just met today. Given our relationship, it's difficult to suddenly be asked about something so serious..."
"Yes, yes, I suppose so."
The chief retainer of the Miyoshi family laughed in a low voice.
"The foundation of this world is lending and being lent...nothing happens without mutual benefit. I'm sure that you, Lieutenant General, would not accept this offer unless there was some benefit for you."
Then Hisahide approaches.
They had closed the distance so quickly that their breaths were wafting onto each other's lips.
Her mouth curved upwards into a smile, revealing her teeth.
"Well, yes... I too have many things I could offer you... But first, I, Hisahide, must show my sincerity to you, Lieutenant General. Please entrust this battle to this old man."
However, that is only if the Lieutenant General agrees to meet with Lord Yoshitsugu later on.
Hisahide displayed that cunning smile right in front of me.