Chapter 195: Matsudaira Motoyasu Ran Away
The Battle of Okehazama, a miracle in itself, had concluded.
Besides the foremost Shugo Daimyo of the era, Imagawa Yoshimoto, being pinned down in the mud and beheaded by two unknown villagers, the Imagawa clan also suffered heavy losses. A large number of core vassals and followers were killed in a frustrating manner. The leaders of the local lords from Suruga, Tōtōmi, and Mikawa, who had followed Imagawa Yoshimoto’s main force, were almost entirely wiped out. The Oda clan launched a sneak attack with over two thousand men and captured more than three thousand heads, many belonging to high-ranking samurai with names and reputations.
Familiar acquaintances of Yuan Ye, Toba Hirotsugu and Asahina Yasunaga, who had once blocked him and beaten him in Xin Wanjin, also perished here. Their heads were also severed. Moreover, the battlefield was chaotic amidst the downpour that day, with close-quarters combat everywhere. Afterward, no one could clearly explain how they died or who killed them; they died in an extremely frustrating manner.
Yuan Ye, however, could no longer concern himself with these minor details. He had returned to Xin Wanjin by boat on the very night of the Battle of Okehazama.
He had been planning for this day for a long time. Xin Wanjin had already entered a state of wartime readiness. With his command, the Xin Wanjin Army, comprising two thousand soldiers （ including six hundred professional logistics personnel and two hundred military police ）, immediately mobilized. They brought over two thousand strong laborers to serve as auxiliary troops, totaling over four thousand men. They were divided into several groups and began advancing north and west according to plan.
The northern route was the main force, personally led by Yuan Ye. Oya Castle was the closest to Xin Wanjin; in fact, some of Xin Wanjin’s villages occupied the Oya family’s territory. The two had been intertwined for so long that it was difficult to distinguish them. Naturally, they would be dealt with first, considered as eliminating hidden dangers, reducing the pressure on defending the home base, and ensuring the safety of the rear transport routes.
Thus, at dawn the next day, Oya Castle was surrounded by the Wanjin Army.
The Oya family had long faced the troublesome neighbor Yuan Ye, and had always felt that their existence was precarious. However, when the enemy truly attacked, they were still so terrified that they wet their pants.
The head of the Oya family, Oya Ujiiye （ Chubeiemon ）, under the rising morning sun, looked at the gourd flags fluttering outside the city and the over three thousand Wanjin soldiers preparing for siege warfare. His face turned ashen.
Over three thousand men were not enough to contend for the world, but for an ordinary local powerful family like the Oya family, it was an insurmountable force. Not to mention that the Wanjin Army had withstood the sieges of the Imagawa and Matsudaira clans. The Matsudaira clan’s method of breaking through city walls with heavily armored samurai and the Imagawa clan’s technique of building ramps to scale the walls had both been repelled with bloody noses before them. Their combat effectiveness was absolutely top-tier. Even with equal numbers, the Oya family would absolutely not be their match.
“Lord, what do we do now?” The senior retainers and vassals of the Oya family looked at the Wanjin Army outside the city, their faces equally grim.
Oya Ujiiye regained his composure. Facing an overwhelmingly superior enemy, he had no solution. He could only force himself to calm down and say, “No need to worry. They wouldn’t dare to act. The Yuan Ye Family has an alliance with the Imagawa and Matsudaira clans, so they definitely wouldn’t dare to act. The Imagawa clan… the Imagawa clan will also rescue us. Jibu Dayū （ Imagawa Yoshimoto ） is nearby. We just need to hold on… we just need to hold on for three to five days.”
“Yes, we just need to hold on for three to five days!”
Oya Ujiiye’s confidence grew as he spoke. In a sense, this was not a bad thing. Perhaps they could use the Imagawa clan’s hand to eliminate this neighbor who was madly seizing territory. The senior retainers and vassals of the Oya family were also invigorated by his words, feeling that their lord’s reasoning was sound. The Imagawa clan was on their way to Kyoto, and for the Yuan Ye family to cause trouble now would be suicidal!
The atmosphere on the battlements of Oya Castle temporarily improved. At least most of the vassals regained their fighting spirit, feeling that even if they couldn’t win in open combat against the Wanjin Army, holding out in the city for a few days was not impossible, and there was still a certain probability of preserving their family legacy. At this moment, several knights emerged from the Wanjin Army, carrying golden gourd flags, and stopped about an arrow’s shot away from the city, dismounting to wait.
According to the default rules of engagement of this era, this meant the other side wanted to negotiate, and it was implied that the envoy’s personal safety would be guaranteed.
Oya Ujiiye did not hesitate. Despite his confidence, he preferred to avoid fighting if possible, as the Yuan Ye family was truly formidable. If the city couldn’t be defended, even if Imagawa Yoshimoto later sent a large army to raze Xin Wanjin to the ground, the Oya family would be finished.
He instructed his sons to defend the city well and personally led two retainers out of the city to talk with the Yuan Ye family.
As he approached, he immediately recognized A Man. He knew she was an important figure in Xin Wanjin and an absolute confidante of Yuan Ye. Yuan Ye often sent her to handle matters. Even though he couldn’t stand her pretense of being a samurai, he quickly dismounted and bowed, politely asking, “So it is Lady A Man. May I ask what brings you here?”
A Man had no time for pleasantries. She had many things to attend to. She raised her Dou Dou eyebrows and directly stated, “My lord has ordered that Lord Oya cede Oya Castle. You may take all your belongings; we will not obstruct you. You have half an hour.”
Oya Ujiiye was not surprised and felt confident. He directly replied, “That is impossible, Lady A Man! Even if we were willing to yield, Lord Jibu Dayū would never agree!”
He paused, his tone becoming more forceful. “Furthermore, I know Lord Yuan Ye has an alliance with the Imagawa and Matsudaira clans. Your forceful seizure of Oya Castle is a breach of that oath. Is Lord Yuan Ye not afraid of divine retribution? Is he not afraid of Lord Jibu Dayū holding him accountable?”
“Your news is quite outdated!” A Man patted her helmet and drew her sword again, saying with disdain, “Haven’t you taken a good look at what I’m wearing?”
Oya Ujiiye’s gaze fell upon the “Eight Dragon Five-Plate Helmet” on A Man’s head, and then at the famous sword “Sōza Samonji” in her hand. He felt it was indeed excessively ornate and a serious overreach. Even Yuan Ye’s status and position did not warrant such attire. However, he did not recognize what it was. Moreover, A Man had been active in the vicinity for years, and her daily attire was very flamboyant and ostentatious, as if she wanted to wear her entire fortune to show off, so a bit more flashiness was not worth paying attention to.
Ah, given his status, he had only seen Imagawa Yoshimoto from afar during a tea party in Mikawa’s Okazaki Castle. He did not recognize his sword or helmet.
Oya Ujiiye’s ignorance displeased A Man, who directly cursed, “You truly are a country bumpkin, even a dung beetle has more sense than you! Open your eyes and look carefully. This is Imagawa Yoshimoto’s Eight Dragon Helmet and Sōza Samonji! That old fellow Imagawa Yoshimoto is dead. He was killed by the Oda clan at Mount Okehazama yesterday afternoon. The Imagawa clan has already begun a full-scale rout. Our Yuan Ye Family’s alliance with the Imagawa and Matsudaira clans has ended. What use is it for you to say these things now!”
“Imagawa… Lord Jibu Dayū is dead?!” This news was like a bolt from the blue, completely stunning Oya Ujiiye. He couldn’t believe it and instinctively retorted, “That’s impossible!”
The Imagawa clan had mobilized an army of fifty thousand to march on Kyoto. They were the strongest Shugo Daimyo of the era, and Kyoto itself had trembled when they departed. Who in the world could kill him, and how?
“As you wish. I’ve said what I needed to say! Starting now, you have only half an hour. If after half an hour there is still one person from the Oya family in the city, you will all die!”
A Man didn’t care if he believed her or not. She threw down a harsh threat and turned to mount her horse to leave.
Yuan Ye sent her to persuade them to surrender simply to buy time for the siege. Breaking through the city would also take time and inevitably result in casualties, which was not cost-effective. Furthermore, the kinship ties among the Owari local lords were a tangled mess. If he were to kill all the local lords on the Chita Peninsula, the political risk would be very high, and the repercussions would be significant. That’s why he sent her to persuade them, hoping they would voluntarily cede their territory. It didn’t matter if they took all their belongings from the city.
If they had the capability, they could even take the city itself. In any case, he didn’t care for this kind of “small earthwork” made of earth and wood. According to his plans, the core city in this area would be rebuilt by the seaside in the future, requiring a pier to facilitate the transport of supplies.
However, he was only trying to persuade them. He needed more territory to acquire raw materials and more population to train his army and expand his power. If these people insisted on not leaving, on not ceding their land and population, then he could do nothing but break through the city. In that case, he couldn’t be blamed if the Oya family was wiped out.
The Warring States period was essentially about seizing territory. If you weren’t strong, you should leave. This matter was unrelated to morality.
A Man couldn’t even be bothered to persuade further and was about to leave. Oya Ujiiye, however, began to believe her. After all, if Imagawa Yoshimoto were still alive and commanding tens of thousands of troops nearby, the Yuan Ye family would have to be insane to attempt annexation at this time. But if the Imagawa clan had indeed been crushed by the Oda clan, and had abandoned their ambitions in Owari and their rule over the Chita Peninsula, then…
Oya Ujiiye looked at the neatly arrayed Wanjin Army, then back at the dilapidated Oya Castle. He thought about how the Xin Wanjin had been seizing their territory for years, until they were left with only this castle and the surrounding fields. The number of defenders in the city consisted of only a hundred or so retainers and followers, along with several hundred rookie ashigaru. If a real fight broke out, they absolutely couldn’t resist.
Should they fight to the death, hoping for a miraculous victory, or surrender to preserve the lives of their entire clan?
Oya Ujiiye’s mind raced. Although he hadn’t figured it out completely, he quickly reached out and called out to A Man, “Wait, Lady A Man. Since Lord Jibu Dayū is already… then our Oya family is willing to offer a hostage and serve Lord Yuan Ye from now on. What do you think of this arrangement?”
This meant they wished to become vassal local lords of the Yuan Ye family, willing to offer annual tribute, provide military service and labor, and go to war with him.
They couldn’t win in battle anymore. To preserve their land, it was fine to pledge allegiance to the Yuan Ye family. After all, they had served the Shiba clan, the Oda clan, the Matsudaira clan, and the Imagawa clan as vassals before. Calling Yuan Ye “father” again wouldn’t be a problem; at least they wouldn’t be unaccustomed to it.
A Man had already mounted her horse. She looked down at him and said indifferently, “Wanjin doesn’t need local lords. You useless people are of no use. You have only half an hour. Either leave your land and population and get out, or die directly. That’s all!”
After speaking, she turned her horse and led her men back to the army formation, truly unconcerned.
Yuan Ye had developed a larger type of matchlock gun, which was said to be used for bombarding cities. He had also trained a “special operations team” capable of blasting city walls. She hadn’t seen it in action yet and was eager to try it out on the Oya family. After all, this family was truly weak, and it would be best to pick the weakest opponent for their first real combat.
She rode her horse through the formation and arrived at a small mound behind the lines. Yuan Ye was sitting on a folding stool, reading intelligence reports just delivered by the “Life Preservation Style.” Seeing her return, he didn’t pay much attention and didn’t even ask about the Oya family.
After half an hour, if the Oya family did not leave the city and surrender, the city would be directly attacked, aiming to end the battle within three hours. Then, according to plan, they would continue north, take Takeda Castle as well, and advance all the way to the “Odaka River” line. There, they would establish defensive positions along the river while ensuring their rear was secure, and then expand westward. This would serve to keep the Oda clan outside the Chita Peninsula, and if the situation allowed, they could even attempt to infiltrate from the northeast corner of the Chita Peninsula, coveting land and population within Mikawa Province.
However, according to the latest news, the land and population within Mikawa Province might be difficult to obtain…
A Man saw his displeased expression and, not understanding why, took the intelligence report. She read it and said with slight surprise, “Matsudaira Motoyasu ran away? He fled overnight last night?”
Yuan Ye nodded slightly, his mood not very good. He had been planning to sneak attack Matsudaira Motoyasu at Marune Fortress. However, Matsudaira Motoyasu was more cunning than he had imagined and reacted extremely quickly. Upon receiving the news of Imagawa Yoshimoto’s death, he fled immediately. He had likely already reached Mikawa Province by now.
After the Battle of Okehazama, not only the Oda clan would rise, but the Matsudaira clan would also rise in turn. And Matsudaira Motoyasu had fled so quickly that he couldn’t be stopped. It seemed difficult to avoid the emergence of the Tokugawa clan.
It was a bit of a shame!
