Chapter 192: Imagawa Yoshimoto Has Fallen into the Trap
Oda Nobunaga departed under the cover of night, rushing towards the frontline. By the time daylight broke, the group behind him was no longer just a handful of people; a large number of Oda Family vassals and vassal local lords were riding to catch up. They had no choice but to follow; if they truly let Oda Nobunaga depart alone, they would have no face left, and there was a risk of being held accountable in the future.
At the very least, they had to follow and assess the situation, to understand what had happened.
However, due to Oda Nobunaga’s sudden departure, these individuals were unprepared. They had caught up, but they were all without their main forces, with only a few close attendants and no soldiers.
Oda Nobunaga didn’t care about this. He never intended to rely on these wavering individuals. His direct forces, the “full-time followers” raised by the “separation of soldiers and farmers” policy, were joining his banner in batches as they advanced.
These were the resources he intended to use for a sneak attack on Imagawa Yoshimoto.
By the time they reached Atsuta Shrine, he had dozens of vassal samurai, including senior retainers Hayashi Hidesada and Shibata Katsuie, numerous local lord leaders, and over a thousand well-trained soldiers behind him.
But even at this moment, Oda Nobunaga still had not revealed his intentions. He merely led these samurai, whose expressions were difficult to read, and the soldiers to pay respects at Atsuta Shrine.
Atsuta Shrine is one of Japan’s oldest shrines. It was ordered built by Prince Takechi during the reign of the twelfth Emperor of Japan and is a “Shinto sacred ground” second only in authority to Ise Shrine. The three divine artifacts that Japanese ancient emperors inherited upon succession—the Yata no Kagami, the Yasakani no Magatama, and the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi—are enshrined at Atsuta Shrine, with the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi being housed there.
This sword is said to be a treasure extracted from the hindquarters of the “Eight-Headed Serpent” after it was slain by Oda Family’s guardian deity, Susanoo-no-Mikoto. Therefore, Atsuta Shrine has deep ties with the Oda Family. After leaving Echizen, the Oda Family would also visit here for any significant sacrificial ceremonies.
Now that Oda Nobunaga was about to launch a desperate attack, he naturally had to pray to his “guardian deity” first, which also served as a departure ceremony—people in this era still believed strongly in such things.
Yuan Ye had no interest in this, as there were too many people inside, so he didn’t join the throng. He waited outside with A Qing and A Man. Standing outside Atsuta Shrine, one could already see smoke columns rising in the distance. Judging by the direction, it was likely Marune Fortress and Wazutsu Fort.
Yuan Ye glanced a few times and then asked A Man, “Is there any news from the frontline?”
A Man shook her head, “No new news. The Oda Family should still be resisting stubbornly, but there’s some movement in the rear. The Imagawa Family’s navy is still transporting troops to Kanie Castle. It’s estimated that the enemy in Kanie Castle has already exceeded four thousand, possibly even over five thousand. Once this force moves, Shimazu won’t be able to hold, and further attacking Kiyosu Castle won’t be difficult.”
“They’ve truly gone all in!” Yuan Ye sighed softly.
Oda Nobunaga has completely abandoned his lifeline and home base, clearly betting everything on success or death. Perhaps this is why he can achieve victory? In Oda Nobunaga’s position, most people would likely have surrendered like the Matsudaira Family and become a vassal ally, or perhaps holed up in their castle, hoping the enemy would retreat due to unbearable casualties.
At least, Yuan Ye asked himself, unless pushed to the brink of no return, he might not be able to make such a decision, risking the accumulation of three generations to be depleted in one go, to proactively attack and seize a sliver of hope.
He actually lacked a bit of an offensive spirit. It was fine to be an ordinary person who followed the rules before, but now… this personality should be changed in the future.
Of course, for Oda Nobunaga to win, Imagawa Yoshimoto also had significant problems. He had divided his army too much, launching attacks simultaneously in multiple locations such as Odaka Castle and Shirakawa Entrance, aiming to quickly crush the Oda Family and completely occupy Owari. He never considered that Oda Nobunaga would still resist.
He probably lost because of this, lost due to arrogance?
Yuan Ye analyzed the unfolding situation and future success factors in his mind, while also reflecting a little on his own shortcomings. As he was thinking about these jumbled matters, he heard a shout from the main hall of the shrine in the distance, which quickly turned into cheers, and then into “Oh-oh-hey,” sounding like the soldiers were very excited.
A Man was also very curious. Without Yuan Ye saying anything, she grabbed her sword and darted into the shrine to investigate. She returned with a look of astonishment and reported to Yuan Ye, “It’s miraculous! Atsuta Daimyojin has manifested. After Oda Nobunaga offered his written vow and paid his respects in the main hall, the sound of armor clanking and footsteps came from the inner sanctuary. Everyone there said Susanoo-no-Mikoto had moved and would join the army.”
Well, the main hall is where one offers prayers and money （ similar to incense money ）. The inner sanctuary is behind the main hall and is the dwelling of the “deity.” It’s usually empty, so if there’s suddenly movement from inside, and it’s very loud, it’s reasonable to suspect the deity is about to join the battle.
But Yuan Ye certainly didn’t believe that a “deity” could emerge fully armored from the inner sanctuary. However, he didn’t say much, just shook his head slightly and continued waiting outside the shrine.
“Who is it?!”
A Qing suddenly let out a low growl, her gaze sharp as she looked towards the “barrier” on the side of the shrine, her hand on her sword hilt. In this era, Atsuta Shrine had no outer walls. According to custom, the shrine was renovated every twenty years, involving burning and rebuilding to ensure “purity.” Therefore, the shrines were not large （ referring to the shrine itself, not including estates, residential areas, etc. ）, so building walls was unnecessary. Thus, only “straw ropes with talismans” were used to demarcate the area, and this straw rope was the “barrier.”
Now, a person was stealthily emerging from the bushes near the “barrier,” looking very much like an assassin, which alerted A Qing. The person, hearing A Qing’s low growl, was startled and immediately retracted the half-exposed body back into the bushes. But after a moment, as if realizing something was amiss, they poked their head out again for a look. It was Maeda Toshiie, who had made a grave mistake and been banished.
Yuan Ye was speechless for a moment, then smiled and waved, “What are you doing? Acting like a thief?”
Maeda Toshiie was also speechless. Everyone else was crowding in front of the shrine cheering, and he thought no one was here. Unexpectedly, this peculiar Yuan Ye, instead of praying for divine protection before a battle, was standing outside doing who knows what, and he had caught him red-handed.
Fortunately, Yuan Ye was not an outsider; he was Oda Nobunaga’s brother-in-law. If he were willing to join the Oda Family, he would surely be given the status of a family member. Maeda Toshiie truly emerged, dressed in a hemp robe, a kozode, and ōhakama, with a sword at his waist, his beard unkempt, looking like a rough fellow.
He ignored Yuan Ye’s jest, looked around, and then asked Yuan Ye, “Lord Saburo, are you also preparing to follow Lord Kazusa-no-suke into battle?”
Yuan Ye didn’t press further. The commotion in the inner sanctuary was likely caused by this fellow pretending to be a deity. There was no need to expose him forcefully. Moreover, judging by his words—”depart,” not “reinforce somewhere”—it was possible that this fellow, besides preparing to be a spy for Shibata Katsuie in the future, also had a mission now. At least, he must have been aware of the sneak attack on Imagawa Yoshimoto long ago.
Historically, he was very close to the Monkey. It’s possible he was involved in the early intelligence gathering for the Battle of Okehazama with the Monkey, fostering a unique camaraderie, which is why they were on such good terms.
Yuan Ye’s mind raced, thinking wildly, while he smiled and said, “No, I just came to… see the situation. You know, I am bound by a vow made before the gods. I cannot attack the Imagawa Family or the Matsudaira Family now.”
He was telling the truth. Although he didn’t believe gods had any binding power, violating a vow made before the gods in this era would ruin one’s reputation. Oda Nobumitsu was a prime example; even after death, he was constantly talked about. Therefore… it was better to preserve some political credibility, lest he end up like an Indian, having to pay in full before buying anything, otherwise no one would dare to deliver.
Maeda Toshiie already knew about this. As soon as Yuan Ye mentioned it, he remembered and nodded directly. Yuan Ye then asked with concern, “And you? This time… are you going too?”
Maeda Toshiie’s expression immediately turned serious, and he nodded, “For such a major battle, of course, I cannot be absent!”
“But your current status…” Yuan Ye intended to probe, as Maeda Toshiie was currently a ronin and had no reason to serve the Oda Family again.
Maeda Toshiie paused, hesitated, and then said with slight embarrassment, “If not, I’ll go with Lord Shibata… I have to go.”
Yuan Ye nodded gently. It seemed this fellow was indeed going to be a spy.
He stopped asking about his status and instead asked with concern, “Do you have armor, weapons, and a horse? If not, I’ll have my subordinates lend you a set.”
“No need to worry, I already… brought them.”
Maeda Toshiie was very grateful. Not everyone who falls on hard times can find a friend like Yuan Ye. Just as he was about to say a few more words of thanks, a fast horse galloped from a distance. As it approached the shrine, the rider dismounted. It was a young man, also dressed in rough hemp clothing, in his early twenties, with a topknot hairstyle, and quite handsome—ignoring the hairstyle, his face was decent-looking.
After dismounting from a distance, this decent-looking young man hesitated slightly as he looked at Maeda Toshiie. Maeda Toshiie also looked a bit embarrassed. Yuan Ye, however, was understanding and smiled at Maeda Toshiie, “If you have something urgent, go ahead and take care of it. We’ll talk later.”
“Alright!”
Maeda Toshiie clearly had something urgent to attend to. He didn’t waste any more words with Yuan Ye, turned, and went towards the young man. The two whispered for a moment, then the young man mounted his horse and left. Maeda Toshiie then disappeared back into the bushes and went inside the shrine.
A Man watched this scene with great interest and tried to identify the person. Then she said to Yuan Ye, “That guy has a small mole on his chin. He should be Yaguro, who disappeared earlier.”
“It’s him…”
Yuan Ye glanced at Yaguro’s retreating back. So this was what “Monkey Number Two” looked like? Was he delivering intelligence about Imagawa Yoshimoto?
Where had Imagawa Yoshimoto reached by now?
Had he reached his place of doom, Mount Okehazama?
…
Not long after Maeda Toshiie disappeared into the bushes, the Oda Family’s “full-time followers” emerged from the shrine and began setting up camp outside to cook and eat. Meanwhile, more “full-time followers” continued to arrive.
Around nine in the morning, about 2,000 professional soldiers of the Oda Family had gathered in the area of Atsuta Shrine. At Oda Nobunaga’s command, this extremely elite force immediately abandoned all baggage and long weapons like three-ken spears, and set off rapidly towards the southeast.
They first arrived at Tange Fortress. Upon reaching this point, Imagawa Yoshimoto’s location was basically confirmed, and the operation had officially begun. Oda Nobunaga no longer concealed his movements, or rather, concealment was useless now. The “ninja” of the “Kyōdan-shū” began to constantly arrive with reports, and they led the Oda army along an extremely remote and difficult path, bypassing Narumi Castle, and secretly arrived in the wilderness near Zenshoji Fort without alerting the Imagawa Family.
However, upon reaching the vicinity of Zenshoji Fort, the intelligence seemed to lag. Oda Nobunaga stopped again, and everyone who had been swept along could only hide there and wait.
A short while later, someone from the “Kyōdan-shū” delivered news, and there was a commotion on Oda Nobunaga’s side. A Man slipped over to eavesdrop and then used her charm to ask some acquaintances. She returned and reported to Yuan Ye, “Marune and Wazutsu Forts have fallen. Sakuma Morishige, Oda Nobuhira, Iio Sadamune, Iio Munenobu, and other defending generals have all died in battle. The defending forces have been completely annihilated; not a single person escaped.”
Yuan Ye was momentarily astonished, “Sakuma Morishige is dead?”
This was a senior retainer of the Oda Family, and currently one of the Oda Family’s three elders. Not only one elder had died, but a string of family members and important retainers had also perished, along with possibly over a thousand followers. If the defending forces were truly annihilated, and including ashigaru and others, the casualties could be around two thousand.
A Man was quite adept at gathering information and immediately said, “The Matsudaira Family began attacking the fortresses last night, launching a three-sided assault. After Matsudaira Iehiro, Okubo Tadayo, Matsudaira Shigeyoshi, and others distracted the defending forces, Matsudaira Motoyasu personally led Ishikawa Kazumasa, Honda Shigetsugu, and a large number of family samurai to storm the castle. They broke through the defenses in one fell swoop, and on the battlements, they killed Sakuma Morishige.”
Yuan Ye nodded silently. He was familiar with this tactic. When he went to the Chita Peninsula to seize territory before, the Matsudaira Family often employed this strategy: a large number of heavily armored samurai would charge first, quickly scattering the enemy forces and occupying the city walls. He had suffered losses because of this before. These samurai, having trained in martial arts daily since childhood, were extremely skilled in close combat. When they charged forward in heavy armor, disregarding their lives, one person could often take down several ordinary soldiers. They were truly formidable.
However, he truly didn’t expect the “Old Turtle” to have such a side to him in his youth, daring to personally don armor and storm the castle. Based on the impression he left in history, he should have been a calm and calculating schemer.
While Yuan Ye was pondering these things, Oda Nobunaga’s side had already begun to argue. Primarily, Shibata Katsuie, Hayashi Hidesada, and the local lords were confused, or perhaps disbelieving that Oda Nobunaga truly intended to kill Imagawa Yoshimoto. They all hoped he would quickly return to reinforce them. But Oda Nobunaga ignored them completely, forcing them to wait there until noon.
Only then did he receive an urgent report from Shinshu Maru: Imagawa Yoshimoto had fallen into the trap.
