Chapter 190: A Glimpse of All Beings, Part One
In mid-May, the evenings in Owari were cool and carried a faint salty scent.
Matsudaira Motoyasu, mounted on his warhorse, felt the cool breeze blowing from the sea onto the land. He then gazed at the scattered lights of Odaka Castle in the distance, maintaining his composure and silently awaiting reports from the front.
Several days prior, the Matsudaira family had joined Imagawa Yoshimoto’s army marching towards Kyoto with over three thousand men. Imagawa Yoshimoto was generous, assigning him command of one thousand of these men and entrusting him with a mission: to reinforce Odaka Castle.
The Oda Family had been besieging Odaka Castle for nearly two months, but they had not launched a direct assault. Instead, they had focused on destroying the rock fortresses, subsidiary castles of Odaka Castle, and attacking the villages and fields attached to Odaka Castle, leading to a shortage of military rations in Odaka Castle, making it increasingly difficult to sustain. Therefore, Matsudaira Motoyasu’s primary task was to break through the Oda army’s encirclement and deliver a batch of military rations.
Matsudaira Motoyasu had now arrived near Odaka Castle and had dispatched a capable vassal to scout the situation, to see if they could infiltrate under the cover of darkness.
Not long after, several bursts of fire suddenly erupted in the darkness ahead, accompanied by shouts and the whistling sound of arrows cutting through the air. The shouts grew louder, and large flares were also launched from Marune Fortress in the distance, illuminating the area. Under the dim light, they began to unleash firepower onto the enemy on the main road.
About ten minutes later, the vanguard of the Matsudaira family retreated, and the area around Marune Fortress became quiet again. The Oda Family members re-entered the darkness, becoming suspicious and uneasy.
Sakai Tadatsugu and Ishikawa Kazumasa, veteran retainers of the Matsudaira family, followed behind and found Matsudaira Motoyasu. Sakai Tadatsugu reported to him, “My Lord, the Oda Family’s defenses are tight. There are trenches dug on the main road and hidden sentries are posted, making it impossible to pass easily.”
Matsudaira Motoyasu looked towards Odaka Castle, silent for a moment.
Sakai Tadatsugu and Ishikawa Kazumasa exchanged glances, not surprised.
This Lord, only seventeen years old, had experienced a difficult life. His family had been in turmoil during his childhood, and he was sent to Sunpu Castle as a hostage. Halfway there, he was half-kidnapped and taken to the Oda Danjō no Chū family, where he lived almost as a prisoner for over a year. Then, he was traded as a bargaining chip to the Imagawa family, where he began to live for a long time, under the watchful eye of Taihara Yukisai. This experience had shaped him into a man of few words, deep and patient.
Sakai Tadatsugu and Ishikawa Kazumasa remained silent with him for a while before Ishikawa Kazumasa spoke up with a suggestion, “My Lord, let us retreat and set up camp. Jibu Dayū （ Imagawa Yoshimoto ）’s main army is behind us. Once Jibu Dayū’s army arrives, the siege of Odaka Castle will naturally be lifted.”
Matsudaira Motoyasu finally shifted his gaze and shook his head slightly, “No, we must complete the task assigned to us by Jibu Dayū.”
Sakai Tadatsugu hesitated, feeling that there was no need to be so dedicated to the Imagawa family, who were nominal “allies” but actual “rulers.” He spoke hesitantly, “But it is too difficult. The Oda Family has stationed many men here. The two rock fortresses blocking the road alone have twelve hundred men, along with an unknown number of rookies and ashigaru. Most of the cities to the north are also controlled by the Oda Family, and Oda Family’s senior retainer Sakuma Morishige is stationed here…”
In short, the Oda Family could mobilize at least over three thousand combatants in this area. Even though many of them were followers and ashigaru recruited from the Owari local lords, and their combat effectiveness was slightly inferior to the Oda Family’s direct forces, this was still an undeniable force that could not be underestimated. If they were all to attack them, they could be easily crushed.
Not to mention they were carrying over a hundred packhorses laden with four hundred and fifty bags of rice, making it difficult to move quickly. Breaking through the enemy’s blockade would be extremely difficult.
Matsudaira Motoyasu glanced at Sakai Tadatsugu, without sighing, and said calmly, “Lord Sakai, I am aware of these matters, but… Jibu Dayū’s success in marching to Kyoto is a foregone conclusion. Our Matsudaira family must demonstrate our value and show our obedience. We have no other choice.”
Ishikawa Kazumasa and Sakai Tadatsugu fell silent simultaneously, involuntarily recalling the good deeds of Imagawa Yoshimoto over the past two years. He had conducted extensive land surveys in Suruga and Tōtōmi, increased annual tribute and military service for local lords, and had anyone who dared to object or resist killed or exiled. Even some local lords who were merely suspected of disloyalty were killed by him.
Now Imagawa Yoshimoto had come to Mikawa, and he was advancing aggressively, on the verge of becoming the ruler of the world. At this time, their “vassal” status indeed needed to change. They needed to show some value and demonstrate complete submission, otherwise, the continued existence of the Matsudaira family would be uncertain.
Sakai Tadatsugu and Ishikawa Kazumasa pondered for a while, their expressions becoming serious. Their gazes turned to Odaka Castle, and they began to consider how many human lives would have to be sacrificed to break through the Oda Family’s blockade. However, after much thought, they had no confidence, as the Oda Family had stationed too many men here.
Matsudaira Motoyasu suddenly pointed to the north and asked, “Is that Terabe Castle over there?”
“That’s right, that direction is Terabe Castle.” The conflict between the Matsudaira and Oda families had lasted for three generations. Sakai Tadatsugu, as a veteran retainer, was extremely familiar with the border region between Owari and Mikawa. He immediately replied, “It’s a small castle, forty ken east-west and twenty ken north-south. Why do you ask, my Lord?”
“That should be where the Oda Family stores their military rations, shouldn’t it?” Matsudaira Motoyasu continued to inquire.
Sakai Tadatsugu and Ishikawa Kazumasa thought about it. The Oda Family had rushed to build fortresses, and the rock fortresses were not large, so they couldn’t store much food and supplies. They assumed that supplies would definitely have to be transferred from nearby castles, so they both nodded, “It’s highly likely to be there.”
“Then I’ll trouble you two again. Take five hundred men and attack Terabe Castle. It would be best to set it on fire.” Matsudaira Motoyasu’s voice remained calm, with no discernible emotion, as if his long period of “study abroad” had accustomed him to speaking this way.
Sakai Tadatsugu and Ishikawa Kazumasa, seasoned warriors who had fought many battles, immediately understood and felt that this idea was good. However, they immediately asked in unison, “My Lord intends for us to draw away the Oda Family’s men, and for you to personally lead men and supplies to force our way into Odaka Castle?”
“That’s right.”
“This…” Ishikawa Kazumasa hesitated for a moment and said, “It’s a bit too risky. Why don’t you, my Lord, stay in the rear, and let Lord Sakai and I lead the men to try?”
Matsudaira Motoyasu shook his head slightly and said softly, “We must show our obedience, Lord Ishikawa. We have no other path but obedience.”
Ishikawa Kazumasa thought about it and agreed. Nothing could demonstrate loyalty better than the head of the Matsudaira family personally leading men to risk their lives delivering grain. So, he silently endured it and no longer objected.
At the same time, his view of the young Lord subtly changed, as if he saw a shadow of his grandfather in Matsudaira Motoyasu. That is, the “hero who could pacify the world by thirty,” the “hero of the world,” but Matsudaira Motoyasu was not as flamboyant or as cheerful as his grandfather, yet he was equally intelligent and action-oriented.
He was momentarily stunned, then felt it might be an illusion. He quickly withdrew his gaze and began to discuss the details of the operation with Sakai Tadatsugu. They finally decided that Sakai Tadatsugu would lead five hundred men to take a detour to Terabe Castle and cause a great fire, feigning an attack. After Sakuma Morishige sent men to reinforce it, Ishikawa Kazumasa would then lead three hundred men to attack the rock fortresses from another side, drawing the attention of the remaining defenders. Finally, Matsudaira Motoyasu would personally lead the packhorse team and some elite followers to charge into Odaka Castle in one go.
This was an extremely crude plan, and its success depended on whether Sakuma Morishige would cooperate. However, their thousand-man force had no other choice. Otherwise, if they couldn’t charge into Odaka Castle under the cover of night, and by dawn the nearby rock fortresses figured out their numbers and positions, they wouldn’t even have this slim chance.
The plan was set, and soon they split up and began to act.
Matsudaira Motoyasu continued to purse his lips, his expression serious as he waited. After more than half an hour, a large fire suddenly erupted in the direction of Terabe Castle, and countless fire arrows streaked across the night sky towards the castle walls. From a distance, the momentum appeared exceptionally grand.
Subsequently, the main concentration of the Oda Family’s forces, namely Washizu and Marune Fortresses, indeed showed movement. Each sent a reinforcement unit towards Terabe Castle. Otherwise, if Terabe Castle fell, they could not remain here.
After the Oda Family’s reinforcements cautiously moved away, Ishikawa Kazumasa also launched a harassing attack, beginning to attack Washizu and Marune Fortresses at a distance from Matsudaira Motoyasu, and setting fires everywhere. The momentum generated was also considerable.
Matsudaira Motoyasu glanced at the fire and then waved his hand. Without a word, he led the packhorse team and set off, taking the lead.
…
While Matsudaira Motoyasu was in action, Yuan Ye also entered Oda Nobunaga’s residence.
Imagawa Yoshimoto was advancing aggressively. When he set out from Suruga, he brought twenty-five thousand men, claiming to have an army of one hundred thousand, and directly aimed for Kyoto. Along the way, he left behind reliable troops of several hundred or a thousand men to take over local areas, ensuring his rear would not be cut off.
However, the number of his troops had not significantly changed. He brought along all the local lords he encountered, and even expanded his army to twenty-seven to twenty-eight thousand men, further enhancing his momentum with the clamor.
Imagawa Yoshimoto was making such a big fuss, it was as if he was announcing his march to Kyoto with a loudspeaker. The Owari local lords were not dead; naturally, they were terrified and anxious, their loincloths soaked. They were now all gathered in Kiyosu Castle, discussing what to do – an army of one hundred thousand from the Imagawa family was coming, this was a death sentence!
Yuan Ye was also there to attend the meeting, preparing to observe the various reactions.
