After comforting Sanada Nobushige, Shiba Yigin rushed back to the front without stopping and led the rested cavalry across the river.
The morale of more than a hundred knights on horseback was high, and they followed Yiyin with the intention of making new achievements. But just as they crossed the river, they received bad news.
"What? Tame Gentada collected the defeated troops at Sano Castle? Didn't she retreat?"
Yoshigami frowned and looked at Kirigakure Saizo. The ninjas of the same military group were active around the battlefield, conveying the latest military information. At this time, she brought a very bad news to her lord.
Kirigakure Saizo bowed.
"Informed the imperial office that Tamu Genchu did not retreat, but instead led his troops to fight.
She gathered some of her broken troops to rest and prepare for war in Sano Castle, and led her own troops to ambush our army, which has already caused some losses to our army."
Kirigakure Saizo spoke implicitly, but Yoshigage understood immediately. The troops prepared by the Kanto servants on the northern front were all exhausted, and chasing the defeated troops was just a preoccupation with the hope of victory.
Tame Gentada's Sano Castle defenders took the initiative to attack and caught the pursuers off guard. The morale of the Kanto Imperial Guard's troops was dampened, and it was difficult to capture Sano Castle in one go.
Without removing the nail in Sano Castle, Yoshigan's cavalry would not be able to go south to pursue Hojo Umasa, putting themselves in danger of being attacked from both sides.
Yiyin sighed.
"Heaven will never end the Hojo family."
With the defeat of the Hojo army, the true story of the Hojo family began to emerge. The great defeat caused by the Ashikaga Yoshiji and the Hojo clan was actually saved by these loyal and good generals who were determined to die.
The Hojo family has been run for three generations, and successive generations of family governors have worked hard to govern and work closely with the retainers. At this moment, Yoshihiro finally realized the horror of the Hojo family.
Because of the rash advances of the Ashikaga Yoshiji and the Hojo Ujimasa, Yoshigan Saba could not help but feel contempt after the great victory in the joint battle, and a trace of respect and uncertainty emerged in his heart.
With so many important ministers who are willing to die for the Hojo family, and the Hime warriors who still have high morale even in desperate situations and fight to the death, the Hojo family deserves to be the new overlord of Kanto.
Teruhora Uesugi's plan to overthrow the Hojo family in one fell swoop with the help of a great victory in the joint battle may be difficult to realize.
The radical Hojo Ujiyasu caused great trouble, and the treacherous and cunning Hojo Uyasu will not let her act recklessly again, and will definitely come to the forefront again to stabilize people's hearts.
Because Hojo's loyal ministers took the initiative to cut off the rear, the core strength of the Hojo family was not completely wiped out in the Sano Territory, and Hojo Ujiyasu still had military strength to adjust his strategy and rearrange his layout.
The governor of his hometown has once again taken full control of power, and the test of the Echigo army has just begun.
Yi Gin sighed and stopped thinking about these troubles. He looked in the direction of Sano Castle and said.
"Send someone to Karazawa Mountain Castle, tell Sano Masatsuna of the victory of our army, and ask her to come down to participate in the Sano Castle strategy.
Then send an envoy to inform His Majesty Uesugi of the Central Army that the defenders of Sano Castle have counterattacked. I will take over the military affairs on the northern front, attack Sano Castle, and pursue the goal of pursuing the Hojo Ujimasa.
Inform Yamanaka Yukimori that I will take over the command. The reserve teams at the Kanto Palace are exhausted, so be on guard against Tamu Gentada's surprise attack. Wait for me to arrive to command the battle, and let her stabilize her position first."
———
In the golden autumn, Sano Masatsuna made a righteous move and fell to the side of Echigo. The Hojo clan invaded Sano Territory in a large scale and besieged Karazawayama Castle.
The Echigo army resolutely went south, with 8,000 soldiers versus 20,000 soldiers, to relieve the siege of Karazawa Mountain Castle. A great battle broke out between the two sides on the Sano Territory Plain.
The result of the joint battle shocked all the Kanto families. The powerful Hojo family was beaten to pieces by the Echigo army.
On the northern front, the Kanto general Ashikaga Yoshiji was captured, Hojo Ryuzan was killed in battle, and Tame Mototada defended Sano Castle and committed seppuku.
The central army, Hojo Tsunari and Shimizu Yasuhide, covered the Hojo clan's retreat and were killed one after another.
On the southern front, the people under the Hojo family discovered that the Hojo clan was retreating, and they all fled. Tominaga Yasukage and Toyama Tsunakage clung to the river bank and refused to retreat, and were lost in the battle.
Most of the elite members of the Hojo family were destroyed, and no one of the five colors was spared. They all fell on the plains of Sano territory.
The Hojo clan pretended to be victorious in the joint battle, and deceived Harusuke Kada of Furukawa territory with the imperial flag of Yoshigan Ishiba, took a detour with the remaining troops, fled in panic to Kawagoe Castle for supplies, and quickly returned to Odawara Castle.
After that, people from all countries fled the battlefield one after another, and the news of the defeat of the Hojo army could no longer be concealed and announced to the world.
The prosperity of Daidaiji Temple is struggling to support Kawagoe Castle, the people of Musashi country are disloyal, and the martial arts families of various countries in Kanto are even more ready to move.
For a time, the situation in Kanto changed drastically. The Hojo family was surrounded by crises, storms were coming, and they fell into a precarious situation.
———
Odawara Castle, castle tower.
Hojo Ujiyasu carefully read the information sent by the Fuuma Ninjas just now, with a solemn look on his face.
Bad news came one after another, and the warriors in the Guandong Plain contacted each other. At this moment when the situation became clear, they once again chose sides.
In Ueno, Nagano Yamasa, the leader of the Minawa clan in the Kitano, once again emphasized his loyalty to the Uesugi family in Yamauchi and united with the Nishi-Ueno clan to march south to attack Hirai Castle for Teru Uesugi.
Hirai Castle is the gateway to the mountainous areas of Ueno Musashi Ryogoku. Tame Motochu, the castle representative sent by the Hojo family, has been killed in the Sano territory. The territory is in chaos and is unable to stop the steps of the Nishi Ueno samurai family.
The Yuryaka family, the largest public figure in Ueno, began to unequivocally support Uesugi Teruhora, and launched an offensive against the Naha family, which was the strongest supporter of the Hojo family in the country.
Ueno families such as the Ueno family, the Nagano family, the Ohu family, and the Akai family were shaken one after another. The Echigo army powerfully defeated the Hojo army, making their previous resistance attitude very ridiculous and putting them in danger.
Outside of Ueno Kingdom, the five samurai families of Shimono, Hitachi, Shimoso, Kamosou, and Anfang all responded to Uesugi Teruhora's call, united under the command of the Kanto leader, and mobilized their military forces to defeat the rebels.
Within Musashi, the powerful people of Northern Musashi, the Narita family of Ninja Castle, and the Ota family of Iwafusuke Castle presented their swords and recognized Terutora Uesugi as the leader of the Kanto region.
In the central and southern part of Musashi Province, Matsuyama Castle Ueda Asanao, Edo Castle Ota Yasushi had an ambiguous attitude, Daidaiji Mingshou alone defended Kagotsu Castle. The Hojo family's three-city, one-line defense strategy had collapsed.
Overnight, the Hojo family seemed to have returned to before the Kawagoe Night War. They almost lost control of all territories outside of Sagami Country and were besieged by the entire Kanhachishu samurai family.
Faced with the rapidly deteriorating external situation, Hojo Ujiyasu was overwhelmed. But the worse the situation became, the more she had to show emotional stability and not be impatient.
The Hojo family had just suffered a huge defeat and suffered heavy losses. The eyes of the whole family were fixed on her. If she also panicked, the Hojo family would really be doomed.
After reading the information for a long time, there was no good news. Hojo Ujiyasu stretched his stiff neck and began to write a letter.
The Hojo family needs time to adjust, so she can only tear off her old face and beg everyone to think twice. She must find a way to slow down Uesugi Teruhu's offensive so that she can have a chance to breathe and regroup.
Hojo Ujiyasu, a great hero of the generation, dominated Kanto for decades, but now he begs for help in a low voice and is ridiculed by others. His reputation has been completely lost.