Chapter 239: The Harder You Work, The Stronger You Become
Ikuyama Castle was located not far from the north bank of the Kiso River. The primary purpose of this hillside castle’s construction was to guard this easily crossable river point.
Therefore, shortly after the Wanjin Army began its large-scale river crossing, Ikuyama Castle was alerted. However, the Wanjin Army’s swift and orderly crossing made Igi Seihei, who had just gathered his troops, quickly abandon the idea of “attacking them halfway across.”
Just as Yuan Ye was reluctant to attack the Mino people’s castles, Igi Seihei was also reluctant to engage in a large-scale battle with the Wanjin people.
The province of Mino was in chaos. Ando Morinari and Takenaka Hanbei, a father-in-law and son-in-law pair, had launched a surprise attack and seized Inabayama Castle, and were now in a standoff with Saito Tatsuoki, the lord of Mino. Neither side could gain the upper hand.
This was not good news for a frontline Commander-in-Chief.
During this period, not only had he received no support from the rear, but many of the local lords and Earth Warriors who were supposed to reinforce him had also left with their men without notice, rushing back to the Inabayama Castle area to choose sides.
Even some supply convoys that should have arrived long ago had disappeared en route. It was unclear whether they had gone to Inabayama Castle to pledge allegiance to the new lord or to serve Saito Tatsuoki.
With an unstable rear and dwindling troops and provisions, it was impossible to fight this war. If Igi Seihei could defend the castle, he would have done his duty to the Saito Family. Asking him to lead his retainers and followers into a pitched battle against Yuan Ye was asking too much.
Yuan Ye’s intentions were the same as his. This operation was more like a practical exercise for the Wanjin Army. A desperate fight was out of the question. He merely ordered a few rounds of Matchlock Gun fire towards the castle to show a threat, and then let Mikurō perform. After all, it was Oda Nobunaga’s business, and Mikurō was the one seeking merit. He felt it was a loss to have even one more person die here.
Of course, the main reason was that Ikuyama Castle was rather small and not a good target for practice. He had no interest in it.
Nakamura Mikurō had long since cast aside any thought of his own life. After Yuan Ye demonstrated his military might, he, along with Hashiba Masakatsu and Maeno Nagayasu, rushed to the foot of the castle, completely unconcerned about being riddled with arrows by the enemy.
Fortunately, at this time, the custom of not killing envoys was generally observed. The three of them shouted for a while on and below the castle walls, and a basket was lowered from the battlements, pulling the three of them up in turn.
Yuan Ye waited for over two hours, beginning to doubt if Mikurō’s eloquence was not up to par, and if he had already been beheaded by Igi Seihei. Suddenly, there was a commotion within Ikuyama Castle, and sounds of shouting and fighting could be faintly heard.
Not long after, the disturbance gradually subsided, and the first gate of Ikuyama Castle was opened. Nakamura Mikurō and the other two emerged, covered in blood, carrying over twenty heads. Igi Seihei, along with his son and retainers, followed behind. They had likely been persuaded by Mikurō and the others to “abandon the darkness and embrace the light,” slaughtering all the Warrior Officials sent by Saito Tatsuoki, thus severing ties with Saito Tatsuoki and becoming Vassal Local Lords of the Oda Family.
However, perhaps fearing that the Wanjin Army, as a guest force, might loot Ikuyama Castle, Igi Seihei, despite his “abandoning the darkness and embracing the light,” had no intention of letting the Wanjin Army enter the castle. He merely came to pay his respects and presented a batch of provisions, gold, silver, and Tea Sets, as thanks for Yuan Ye’s efforts in firing a few cannons.
Yuan Ye did not mind. He took Igi Seihei and Mikurō with him and, based on scout intelligence, turned west along the river, preparing to face Osawa Masahide, the Castle Lord of Unuma Castle.
Osawa Masahide was known as the “Tiger of Eastern Mino,” giving the impression of a budget version of the “Tiger of Owari.” He was leading over a thousand men directly towards Ikuyama Castle, likely having heard of its attack and coming to its rescue, albeit a bit late.
However, he was also clever. Even though the situation was urgent, he did not rush in recklessly. He discovered halfway that Ikuyama Castle had already fallen and the enemy’s main force was heading towards him. He did not display the “bravery of a tiger” and attempt to annihilate the Wanjin Army. Instead, he hastily turned back towards Unuma Castle, closed the gates, and prepared for a siege, intending to resist to the end.
He was truly determined to resist, completely refusing any communication. Although he did not directly shoot and kill Mikurō or Igi Seihei’s son, who had ventured to the castle walls to shout, he did not allow them to enter the castle, nor did he offer any response. He was completely unwilling to communicate, leaving Mikurō like a rat trying to find a way out.
Mikurō returned dejected. By then, it was late. He met with Yuan Ye briefly and then returned to his camp to eat and rest. They would have to find another way to persuade him.
Yuan Ye, however, had no intention of resting. That night, he launched an attack on Unuma Castle—this was his practice target. He wanted to accumulate experience for conquering strong castles in the future.
There was quite a difference between castles in Japan. A “fortress” like Aragiko Castle, which was merely a circumference of mud and logs, spanning over three thousand square meters, about half the size of a football field, was considered a castle. Similarly, Unuma Castle, which occupied an entire mountain with branch castles and Rock Fortresses built from the foot to the summit, was also called a castle.
The difference was as vast as comparing a low-speed electric vehicle to a supercar.
The architectural styles of these two types of castles also differed. Aragiko Castle was essentially a “bandit stronghold,” or even less than that. Unuma Castle, on the other hand, as an important stronghold controlled by the Saito Family on the north bank of the Kiso River, was a standard Japanese large castle.
Japanese castles indeed had their unique characteristics.
Of course, these characteristics were not the magnificent tenshu (keep) that most people in later generations imagined. Castles with tenshu were rare in this era.
The reason Japanese castles were considered to have characteristics was that they differed from Chinese and Western castles.
Specifically, the focus of defense in Chinese castles was generally on the city walls.
This was because Chinese cities often housed large populations, and during times of war, people from outside the city would desperately flee into the city. According to Chinese tradition, defenders had an obligation to protect the populace. Therefore, most of the defending forces were concentrated on the city walls, with additional facilities like barbicans, horse-face walls, and sheep walls built to enhance the defensive strength and functionality of the walls. They would even send soldiers out of the city to fight with their backs to the walls to protect them.
Simultaneously, if the city walls fell, the morale of the defending army and civilians would generally collapse, and with shouts of “the city has fallen,” they would scatter and flee, signaling complete defeat.
Western castles had fewer issues with protecting civilians.
Although Western castles also housed a certain number of civilians, their numbers were far fewer than in Chinese cities, which could have thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands. Therefore, Western castles often did not concentrate their main forces, manpower, and resources on the city walls but rather in various towers and fortresses within the city. Even if the city walls fell and the attackers began to harm civilians, the defenders would not intervene and would continue to fight.
Similarly, because less manpower and resources were spent on the city walls, the towers and fortresses would be more robust and have stronger defenses, allowing the defenders to hold out longer and have a greater hope of receiving reinforcements.
Genuine Japanese castles had no such issues because they did not house commoners within the city at all. They were left to fend for themselves in the castle towns. The entire castle was dedicated to military purposes, meant to protect the Daimyo and Samurai. Consequently, the focus of defense shifted: the defensive focus of Japanese castles was on the roads.
Most Japanese castles were built on mountains, or at least on a large hill. Taking Komaki Mountain Castle, recently constructed by Oda Nobunaga, as an example, a moat and a thick wooden palisade wall encircled the foot of the mountain—the moat was originally intended to be a moated castle, but due to time constraints, water was not introduced, and it was converted into a moat.
The thick wooden palisade wall had north and south gates for transporting supplies from the rear and for attacking to the north. Further up the mountain path, over ten Rock Fortresses and Arrow Towers were built along the route, mutually supporting and protecting each other, completely controlling the ascent. Scattered among them were Samurai residences, Ashigaru barracks, stables, and warehouses. Closer to the summit, there was another moat and wall, behind which was Oda Nobunaga’s residence—a small Volcanic Ash Cement fortress—and several watchtowers over five meters high extending to the mountain ridge, controlling the road to the summit.
Excluding castles like Aragiko Castle, which gradually expanded from residences due to pioneering efforts, most genuine Japanese mountain castles were like this. Simply breaking through the first wall was useless. One had to attack all the way to the summit along the roads, being attacked by the defenders through various hidden and overt defensive facilities along the way, being repeatedly worn down.
The defenders would fight and retreat, gradually withdrawing into the residence at the summit.
Often, at this point, the balance of power would shift. The attacking force, having lost soldiers and been battered, would reach the summit at the end of their strength. A counterattack could easily lead to their complete collapse, and they would roll back down the mountain as they had climbed up.
Oda Nobukiyo’s Inuyama Castle had a similar configuration. Oda Nobunaga had almost completely cut off all support for Inuyama Castle through diplomatic means but had consistently given Oda Nobukiyo opportunities and had not launched a direct assault. This was because a direct assault on such a large mountain castle was too troublesome, easily leading to excessive casualties and the possibility of the defenders turning the tables.
Alternatively, one would have to be like Takenaka Hanbei, infiltrate the residence, secretly open the gates at night, and head straight for the enemy commander in the darkness, so that the defensive facilities along the way could not react. However, this was generally impossible. It was difficult to find such a traitor, and the defenders might not be as lax as the Saito Family.
Since Yuan Ye rose to power by occupying the Chita Peninsula three years ago, he had no experience attacking large Japanese mountain castles. After all, most of the local lords on the Chita Peninsula were no stronger than the Aragiko Maeda Family; they were all mud and log mountain strongholds, utterly defenseless. The strategy was to find a way to blast open the earthen ramparts and then besiege the residences. With an absolute advantage in troops, the enemy could not even resist.
Therefore, he and the Wanjin officer corps had long wanted to see the defensive capabilities of genuine mountain castles in the Japanese Warring States period. However, they had never had the opportunity before. Now that the enemy’s will to resist was weak, it was a perfect opportunity for the Wanjin Army to conduct a practical exercise—not a real battle, but merely to observe the enemy’s reactions and countermeasures. A real fight would be on the Ise Peninsula.
Or rather, a small skirmish, with casualties to be controlled at around twenty, preferably not exceeding thirty.
At the same time, a large number of Matchlock Gunners from the Wanjin Army had been transferred to the Wanjin Navy. Currently, the new recruits severely lacked practical combat experience, so this was a good opportunity for them to experience the battlefield atmosphere and gain practical experience.
As the saying goes, the harder you work, the stronger you become, and the stronger you become, the freer you are. Yuan Ye had stumbled his way to where he was now, and he was now incredibly free, not needing to consider others’ opinions at all. If he felt it was beneficial, he would do it.
In the dead of night, as per the exercise requirements, batches of Wanjin Small Flags, which were in a state of rest, were suddenly awakened, silently assembled, and briefed before the battle. They then moved quickly, entering attack positions one after another. Thanks to good nutrition and the veteran selection system, the Wanjin Army had completely eliminated night blindness. Darkness was no longer an obstacle for the Wanjin Army but rather a friend.
Of course, there were still some minor confusions during the process. Large-scale operations could not be entirely without confusion, but it quickly disappeared under the response of veteran soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and officers. Vehicle forts began to leave the camp and advance near the moat of Unuma Castle. Trucks loaded with earth were forcibly pushed into the moat. Over ten heavily armored Small Flag units were divided into two batches, preparing to breach the walls and quickly clear nearby enemies.
Fire support was also deployed early. The heavily armored steel plates on the vehicle forts were raised, and the Matchlock Gunners took their positions. Under the command of the officers, they began to fire fiercely at any force attempting to resist behind the palisades and on the battlements. Simultaneously, small trebuchets with articulated arms were launched directly from the vehicle forts, hurling large quantities of “incendiary bombs” into Unuma Castle.
Indeed, the Wanjin Army had once abolished trebuchets, mainly because Yuan Ye, after beginning to cast cannons, considered trebuchets to be outdated weapons. However, in several subsequent internal exercises, they discovered that trebuchets were more effective than small-caliber cannons in siege warfare during this era. At least, before the widespread use of explosive shells in actual combat, trebuchets still had value. Therefore, when producing “vehicle forts,” the Wanjin Army re-equipped small trebuchets.
Now, dozens of trebuchets, with the help of horse-drawn winches, were cocked by animal power. Each launch fired three to five canisters, and within a short period, they were to throw the three thousand mixed oil cans they had brought into the city. Moreover, Yuan Ye never spared money on training. He considered training expenses to be more cost-effective than paying death benefits, as these people, if they survived and retired, could go back to production. If they died, it was a pure loss.
Therefore, he did not care about gunpowder. Matchlock Gunners and Arquebusiers fired at full capacity, allowing the new Matchlock Gunners to fully experience the urgency that could not be felt during training.
For a time, oil cans with delayed fuses streaked across the night sky like meteors, launched in batches by lever arms, flying in a rather orderly fashion to predetermined locations at varying distances.
The sound of gunfire and cannons intensified, forcing the barely responsive defenders of Unuma Castle to huddle behind the battlements and palisades, unable to poke their heads out to counterattack, prevent the filling of the moat, or dismantle defensive structures like bamboo fences.
Mikurō and the others were startled. Mikurō, in particular, ran all the way to find Yuan Ye. Upon seeing him, he was beside himself and stammered, “Lord Yuan Ye, Your Highness, what… what are you trying to do?”
He wasn’t scared, but angry. Yuan Ye had launched an attack without informing him, and his men were still inside the castle!
Indeed, after failing to persuade Osawa Masahide in the afternoon, he had not given up. He returned and consulted with Hashiba Masakatsu and others, and managed to find someone from the “Kawana Group”—Tsubonouchi Katsutarō.
This man was Osawa Masahide’s nephew and the casual brother-in-law of Osawa Motoyasu, the Vice General—his sister was a concubine to Osawa Motoyasu. Therefore, Mikurō and the others deliberated, prepared a sum of money, and had Tsubonouchi Katsutarō enter the city that night to persuade his brother-in-law to convince Osawa Masahide to surrender. If not, at least to ascertain why Osawa Masahide was so stubborn and insisted on remaining loyal to the Saito Family.
It went smoothly. Japanese mountain castles of this era had their advantages, but also their disadvantages. The frontline defenses were relatively less stringent, making infiltration and escape not difficult. Otherwise, Inuyama Castle would not have had fewer defenders as time went on. Moreover, Tsubonouchi Katsutarō could use his brother-in-law’s name to bribe the guards, so it was likely he could arrange a meeting.
Unexpectedly, just as Tsubonouchi Katsutarō successfully entered, Yuan Ye began his “madness.” Guns and cannons roared, and the firepower deployed in a short period was unprecedented, as if he intended to destroy Osawa Masahide in one battle.
This was truly a money-burning endeavor. In Mikurō’s opinion, if those oil cans and gunpowder were replaced with Copper Coins piled at the foot of the castle, the defenders would likely surrender. Why must they be killed?
Furthermore, if Yuan Ye forcefully captured Unuma Castle, who would get the credit?
He was still waiting for this merit to redeem his past sins and even to make a name for himself. What madness had possessed Yuan Ye to snatch it from him?
Mikurō’s eyes were red with urgency. If not for the vast difference in status and power, he would have eaten Yuan Ye raw without soy sauce right then. But Yuan Ye was unconcerned and said gently, “Don’t worry, Lord Mikurō. They don’t want to communicate with us. I am using force to promote discussion. Tomorrow, you will definitely have an opportunity to perform.”
“It’s just applying some pressure?”
Mikurō was slightly relieved. If it was just a display of firepower, it wouldn’t matter. In fact, it would be very beneficial for the persuasion effort. It was as if Yuan Ye was looking out for him and had helped him greatly.
He breathed a sigh of relief, his expression returning to one of respect. He let out a dry laugh and was about to say a few polite words of thanks when he suddenly heard a muffled thud. The ground beneath his feet trembled slightly. He turned in surprise and saw that the earthen walls at the foot of Unuma Castle and some wooden palisades had been blown into the air, with fragments raining down.
Behind the breach, flames raged. Some Ashigaru barracks, stables, and warehouses had caught fire, and even the smoke and dust could not conceal it. The defenders, let alone extinguishing the fire, could not even control its spread.
Yuan Ye also looked towards the demolition point and nodded slightly.
The first line of defense of mountain castles in this era was indeed vulnerable, not much different from the “city walls” of ordinary local lords’ residences—they were all at the level of mountain strongholds. And Japanese Castle Construction really liked to use wood, especially thick logs. Fire Attack was indeed a good choice.
Next, they would have to see how the defenses inside were structured, and they would try to control an area to observe the enemy’s response.
Yuan Ye thought to himself, leaving Mikurō behind, he turned to the staff officers and asked them to go to the frontline as well, to personally observe how the enemy deployed and defended, and to establish a tactical model for future siege training.
This was the real business. Whether Mikurō gained merit or not, that could be discussed later.
