After pacifying Iga, the Oda family did not disband the troops. Instead, they led the victorious division to Settsu, preparing to put down the rebellion of Araki Murashige. At the end of last year, due to the rebellion of Araki Murashige and Matsunagahide, the Oda family
The Tian family's Western Kingdom strategy fell into a big bottleneck. However, a year later, the Oda family not only did not suffer from this defeat, but instead captured Kaga, Yamato, Iga, Tanba, Tango, and Tajima half of the country. This
The terrifying strength frightened the members of Oda's siege network - are the Oda family really invincible? If Araki Murashige is defeated again, the situation will be completely over.
As a result, the core members of Oda's encirclement network, including the Mori family, Miyoshi family, and Yamana family, gathered in Harima with their troops and launched a fierce attack on Hashiba Hideyoshi in West Settsu. The Oda family's army launched an attack on Araki Murashige in East Settsu.
During the siege, both sides were competing to see who could move faster. On Awaji Island, the Awaji people and the Awaji Navy also launched a wave of operations to recapture Iwaya Port and Iwaya Castle. Itami Yasukichi immediately led the Momiji Fleet to come to the rescue, with Iwaya
Relying on the forts of the castle and Iwaya Port, the Awaji people and the Awaji navy were helpless.
Just when the two sides were going back and forth and fighting extremely anxiously, a piece of news suddenly came from the front line that made the entire Oda family tremble.
Dragon Roar of the North Country.
The Dragon of Echigo, Kenshin Uesugi, moved.
·
On November 12, the fifth year of Tensho (1577), at Kanazaki Castle in Echizen Province, a huge red leaf army that had never been seen before was marching north along the Hokuriku Road. This red leaf army had a total of 6 reserve teams, Tokiwa Bei, Naibei Bei
, Liaoyuan Bei, Junling Bei, Wanjun Bei, Tongqiang Bei, a total of 9,000 soldiers, 18,000 auxiliary soldiers, and 30,000 civilians recruited along the way. The leaders are Yu Qiupei, Takenaka Shigeharu and Sanada Masayuki. They are on this trip
The purpose is to support the Oda Army in Hokurikudo.
At the end of September, the reinforcements led by Oda Nobutada once again arrived at the Hokurikudo front line, and in cooperation with Shibata Katsuie, they cracked the hard nut - Kaga Kunioyama Gobo, ending the Oda family and Honganji Temple's several-year relationship on the North Road.
The tug-of-war. Forced by the power of the Oda family, the Noto country in the northeast of Kaga country—that is, the daimyo Noto Hatakeyama family where the Noto Peninsula is today in Japan—submitted to the Oda family. After learning the news, Uesugi Kenshin left and returned.
A large-scale force was assembled in the Central Vietnam area with the intention of attacking Noto. Therefore, Shibata Katsuie and Oda Nobutada led their troops towards Noto in the northeast, intending to assist the Noto Hatakeyama family.
However, just a few days later, something unexpected happened. The important ministers of the Hatakeyama family, Yusa Tsumitsu and Onei Keitaka, were rebelled against by the Uesugi family. They suddenly launched a mutiny, murdered the head of the Hatakeyama family, Hatakeyama Yoshitaka, and instigated the Nanao Castle to rebel.
The Uesugi family lost its fulcrum and the Oda Army suddenly had no support. Shibata Katsuie and Oda Nobutada, who were marching halfway, heard the news and retreated hastily. However, they encountered the Uesugi Army with a total number of nearly 30,000 people in the Himi area.
attack. In the face of the fierce Echigo cavalry, the Oda army was defeated and fled. Shibata Katsuie was so brave that he actually captured Takaoka Castle in Echigo during the retreat and withdrew his troops into it.
This prevented the army from being pursued and annihilated by the Echigo cavalry on the plains.
However, Kenshin Uesugi, who arrived later, immediately joined forces with the rebels of the Hatakeyama family and surrounded Takaoka Castle, trapping Shibata Katsuie and Oda Nobutada in the city. Almost all of the main force of the Hokurikudo Army was surrounded, and the military supplies were at most supported.
By the beginning of next year, due to the isolation of Takaoka Castle in the Uesugi family territory, and the intelligence blockade by the Uesugi family Xuanyuanri ninjas and Echigo scouts, the Oda army trapped in the city could not even send a messenger. It was not until many days later that the Oda army was able to send out a messenger.
The samurai who fled back to Ichijodani Castle informed them of the tragic situation on the front line. Uesugi Kenshin was not satisfied with this, but continued to divide his troops and advance to Kaga Country in the southwest, aggressively conquering the territory. The Hokurikudo Army immediately moved towards Oda
Nobunaga asked for help.
Oda Nobunaga and his ministers, who were confronting the Western Allied Forces in Settsu, Harima, were shocked when they heard the news. Almost all the high-ranking samurai and troops in Hokurikudo were trapped in Takaoka Castle, and Ori was also trapped there.
Tian Nobunaga's favored successor, Oda Nobutada, and many Onon samurai. If Takaoka Castle fell, it would be a spine-breaking injury to the Oda family.
There was no room for loss in Takaoka Castle, but the confrontation on the front line prevented Oda Nobunaga from using his main force. Oda Nobunaga immediately asked Akihira Ume to lead all the red leaf troops that could be mobilized to go north to support. It was necessary to send Shibata Katsuie,
Oda Nobutada and the others were rescued. Uesugi Kenshin was a military strategist as famous as Takeda Shingen, and the Echigo Army had the best reputation for being good at fighting. In the eyes of everyone in the Oda family, only Amakihei's Momiji Army could defeat them.
It's arm wrestling.
Originally, Akechi Mitsuhide of Sanin () Road was sent by Oda Nobunaga to support Ua Qiupei, but Akechi Mitsuhide suddenly fell seriously ill and could not even see anyone. Ua Qiupei had no choice but to lead his army northward alone.
Marched with 30,000 civilians sent by Akechi Mitsuhide and Oda Nobunaga.
·
"I'm very grateful to you! Your Highness!"
On November 13, on the marching route of the Echizen Kingdom army, Osomatsu and a group of family members of the Hokurikudo samurai who were trapped in Takaoka Castle came to express their condolences to the supporting Red Leaf Army. Osomatsu had already burst into tears at this moment.
Yu Qiuping kept sobbing in front of him.
"This is Osomatsu's lifelong request... Please be sure to bring Master Maeda back! Please!"
Seeing so many women and children crying and begging in front of him, Yu Qiuping felt uncomfortable in his heart. If Gaogang City fell, I don't know how many families would be destroyed, how many wives would lose their husbands, and how many children would lose their fathers.
.
"Don't worry, my eldest brother and the others are all left to me." Yu Qiuping knelt down and comforted everyone with a smile, "There are many of you in Gaogang City, and I, Yu Qiu Hongye, always do what I say."
"Let's go." Yu Qiuping stood up slowly, shook the red leaf shawl on his body, and shouted to the officers beside him, "Let's go and rescue the brothers!"
·
However, God is not good enough.
"The snow is really heavy..."
Walking on the mountain road in Echizen, the guide of the Momiji Army, Chishima Komako, kept sighing. Chishima Komako was originally the daughter of the Chishima family, a wealthy family in Noto country. Later, her family moved to Kaga and surrendered to the Oda family, and she was quite familiar with the terrain of Hokurikudo.
Because of his familiarity with him, he was also sent to serve as a guide for the Red Leaf Army.
"Yeah, I didn't expect the snow in Hokuriku to be so heavy. It's only November." Yu Qiuping looked at the snowflakes as big as goose feathers falling continuously and the slightly raised snow on the ground. He couldn't help but feel glad that he had prepared it before setting off.
Got enough winter clothes.
"No way? There has never been such heavy snow in Hokurikudo!" Chishima Komako retorted, shaking her head, and after hesitating for a moment, she added, "At least since I was a little girl, I have never seen such heavy snow.
Already."
"Is this a heavy snowfall that only happens once in decades?" Yu Qiuping was shocked when he heard this, "This is really unlucky...it happened to happen when I was marching."
"Yes, I have never seen such heavy snow. Besides, we only reach Echizen here." Chishima Komako pointed to the snow marks under the horse's hooves and explained with a grimace, "The further north you go, the heavier the snow will be. Wait.
When we get to Kaga, the snow will only get heavier. I can’t even imagine what kind of heavy snow is going to fall in Noto and Etchu further north.”
"How long will it snow at this time in Hokuriku Road?" Yu Qiuping glanced at the snow-capped official road and the white-clad mountains on both sides, and hesitated in his heart, "Can I station in the city now?
Wait for a while, wait until the snow stops before marching?"
"It's hard to say, but looking at the sky, I guess it won't stop for ten days and a half." Qianjima Komako raised her neck and looked at the gray-white sky, then took a breath of mist and said, "Hokurikudo, or it won't go down."
Snow, once it snows, it will continue to fall for a long time...maybe even several months."
"I can't afford to wait for half a month." Yu Qiuping gave a helpless smile and whipped the buttocks of the horse that sat down on Pipa with a riding crop. "Gaogang City may fall at any time. How can I dare to waste time here? Your Highness Shibata,
My elder brother, Young Master Oda and so many people are trapped inside..."
"Please forgive me for speaking bluntly... If Your Highness wants to insist on marching, it is best to hire more local people. Don't count on the civilians from Kinki Sanin." Chishima Komako glanced at the long queue of the red leaf army dragging on the official road.
, suggested to Yu Qiuping, "This snow will get heavier and heavier, and within two days it will block the mainland and affect traffic. How have these Kinki people ever seen such heavy snow? I guess they can't even shovel snow. I hope they can open the road.
I don’t know when it will be.”
·
Chishima Komako was right, the heavy snow in Hokurikudo soon brought big trouble to the Red Leaf Army.
In the early morning of November 14th, Kanematsu Masakichi woke up from his sleep. He looked around drowsily. No one in the tent was awake yet, so the wake-up call should not have been blown. The quilt on his body was thick enough, but under the
He still felt chilly in the heavy snowy day. He touched the mattress under him, and it seemed that it was a little damp because of the melted snow.
"I need to put a wooden board on my bed before going to bed tonight." Kanematsu Masakichi planned to assign this task to the auxiliary soldiers. He was afraid that he would forget it after a while, so he got up from the bed and planned to open the tent door to find the captain of the auxiliary soldiers.
However, as soon as he opened the tent door, a pile of snow poured in from the tent door, directly burying Kanematsu Masakichi's feet in it.
"I'm going..." Kanematsu Masakichi looked outside the tent and saw that the snow had accumulated up to his calves. As soon as he opened the tent door, the snow rolled in.
"It rained like this in one night?" Masakichi Kanematsu held his forehead helplessly, and at the same time he pulled his two feet out of the snowdrift, shook the snow, and shouted to the platoon leaders who were sleeping beside him, "Don't
Go to bed, get up. Get up early today and let everyone shovel the snow, otherwise you won’t be able to leave."
Sooner or later, various reserve units of the Red Leaf Army discovered the snow accumulation problem caused by the sudden increase in snow last night, and the entire army began to shovel the snow to clear the way. In order to be able to set off before sunrise, Kanematsu Masagi took the lead and requested
All the soldiers also helped shovel the snow. However, the Red Leaf Army did not bring so many shovels. Many people were shoveling the snow with wooden boards, protective plates, and helmets.
"It's really troublesome." Kanematsu Masakichi inserted the shovel into the snow hard, picked up a large pile of snow, and slapped it on the snowdrift on the side. Just when he was about to rest for a while, the snowflakes falling from the sky began again.
A thin layer was piled up in front of him. Around him, the soldiers were sweating profusely at work and finally cleared the snow in the camp.
However, when Kanematsu Masakichi walked to the gate of the camp, the situation on the official road outside the tent once again made him frown. Yesterday evening, the heavy snow had already accumulated a thick layer of snow on the official road. As the night passed, the snow became deeper.
Not to mention the small carts used by the baggage team, even the soldiers were having trouble marching on foot.
"Inform Mr. Ji Gang to let the auxiliary soldiers go first. The auxiliary soldiers have to shovel the snow on the official road before they can advance."
The heavy snow seriously hindered the traffic on the official road. The Yuqiu family's army was blocked on the Echizen mountain road and could not go far for a long time. Takenaka Shigeharu's staff was trying its best to arrange for the troops to evacuate through small roads to share the burden.
The transportation pressure on the official road. However, the continuous heavy snow made the traffic conditions of the small road even more worrying. The snow shoveling army recruited from the Hokuriku Road worked day and night, barely opening a strip for the army to move forward slowly.