Echizen Province faces the Sea of Japan, and together with Wakasa Province forms the junction from Hokurikudo to Konki, it is called Wakasui Koshiyama. This shows that Echizen is very mountainous.
The Nosaka Mountains, Ibuki Mountains, and Ryobai Mountains wrap up the southern and eastern parts of Echizen Province. Because of the mountain barrier, the seven counties in the north of Echizen are alienated from the Tsuruga County in the south.
The relationship between Tsuruga County and Wakasa Country is even closer. Among the seven northern counties of Echizen, the Fukui Plain in the north is the richest and borders Kaga Country.
In other words, the Fukui Plain, the main grain-producing area of Echizen Country, is on the side facing Kaga Country, which is the direction in which the Kanto Allied Forces invaded.
Shibata Katsuie has not been idle all winter. He married the city lord and gained the status of the Oda clan. He received a reward of more than 400,000 koku from the Echizen Kingdom. Shibata Katsuie had to work hard.
With Oda Nobunaga's almost unlimited support, Shibata Katsuie built high walls, accumulated grain widely, dug deep holes, and built the Echizen defense line.
The Kuzuryu River runs through the Fukui Plain, dividing the plain into north and south parts. Mikuni Minato, the outlet of the Kuzuryu River, is a good port in the northern part of Echizen Province after Tsuruga Port.
Knowing that the enemy was outnumbered, Shibata Katsuie simply gave up all the territory north of the Kuzuryu River, huddled on the south bank, and defended the river as the first line of defense.
Secondly, Shibata Katsuie fortified Hokkaido Castle, located in the center of the southern plain of the Fukui Plain, as his residence.
The two sides of Hoizhuang Castle are Ichijodani Castle relying on the Ryobai Mountains to the east, and Imai Castle to the west of Mount Kunimi on the side of the Sea of Japan.
Hoizhuang Castle is located in the center of the plain. It has high walls and a moat. Shibata Katsuie personally led the elite garrison. Ichijogani Castle and Imai Castle are backed by mountains, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack. The east and west echo each other as external aid.
These three cities formed the second line of defense.
Afterwards, the third line of defense was behind the three castles of Kongo-in, Ryumon-ji, and Komaru in the northern part of the former Nanyue area, guarding Shibata Katsuie.
Among the people in the former South Vietnam area, they had long been hooking up with Asakura Kageki of Tsuruga County, and Shibata Katsuie could not trust them.
If the South Vietnamese front troops were instigated by Spo Yiyin to attack their back at a critical moment of the war, wouldn't it ruin the overall situation?
The third line of defense is not only Shibata Katsuie's last line of defense, but also her forward position to guard against the south.
In just one winter, Shibata Katsuie took a knife and forced Echizen peasant women to brave the cold wind and heavy snow to reinforce the city, build three lines of defense, and stockpile a large amount of military rations, just to prepare to defend until the last moment.
Oda Nobunaga tried his best to meet her requirements, as long as Shibata Katsuie was willing to defend, and she asked for soldiers for soldiers, food for food, and building materials for building materials.
Only then did the three lines of defense of Echizen Kingdom come into being, which made the Kwantung Allied Forces feel troublesome. They blocked the front of the Kwantung Allied Forces and prevented them from going to Luo to join Shiba Yoshigan.
Although the Kwantung Allied Forces easily controlled the northern part of the Fukui Plain and captured Mikuni Minato, the transport ships at Nanao Port could smoothly transport supplies to Echizen Country, greatly reducing the logistical pressure.
However, facing the defensive line that Shibata Katsuie had painstakingly built, the Kanto Allied Forces had no choice but to linger in the northern part of Echizen Province, unable to advance even an inch.
On the other hand, Yoshihiro Saba has sent an order to Mikuni Minato through Tsuruga Port, expecting the Kwantung Allied Forces to break through Echizen Country as soon as possible, join him, and launch a decisive battle against Oda Nobunaga.
The immediate difficulties and the call from afar have caused fierce debates and intense conflicts within the Kwantung Allied Forces.
———
On the north bank of the Kuzuryu River, the Sanada people are stationed.
There are only two people in this formation, Sanada Nobushige said to Umino Riichi with a sad face.
"Those bastards at the back are really going too far. When they easily broke through the Fukui Plain a few days ago, they were still trying to steal my credit.
At this moment, some skin was broken on the river defense line, a few people died, and they retreated one by one. What a bunch of irresponsible bastards.
Do you know that someone has suggested to Yamanaka Yukimori to bypass the Shibata Katsuie's solid defense line, go upstream along the Kuzuryu River, break into Mino Country from Mino Pass, and flank the Oda family."
Umino Riichi said coldly.
"The Fukui Plains were not broken through by us at all, but were the result of Shibata Katsuie's active retreat.
The Kwantung Allied Forces came from afar, and Oda Nobunaga gave Shibata Katsuie a generous reward, just to force her to commit suicide and defend until the last moment.
The ins and outs of our coalition forces must have been figured out by the other side, and they know that we are too talkative to form a joint force. That's why Katsuie Shibata tried his best to promote the three lines of defense to make us want to retreat.
The morale of the Kwantung Allied Forces was not high at first. The Sanada tribe was the most eager to make achievements, followed by the Sanada tribesmen of Yamanaka Yukimori and Shima Katsuo.
The rest of the people can just follow suit, but it will be difficult for them to fight through thorns and siege the city in a bloody battle.
The roads in the Ryohaku Mountains are rugged. Even if we break through Minoguchi along the Kuzuryu River upstream, not many people can get in. It will not threaten the foundation of the Oda family, but instead disperses our troops.
This is nothing more than partial harassment and an explanation to Tsudo-don, and it has no bearing on the overall situation of the war."
Sanada Nobushige said with disdain.
“These people are eating and drinking all the way, but when it comes time to contribute, they push back and forth, which is really shameless.
I don’t want to fight hard to kill the enemy, but just want to bypass the defense line and deal with you. This is simply unreasonable!”
Umino Li shook his head and said.
"Yamaka Yukimori and Shimakatsu Takeo have a certain prestige gap after all. If Tsuta-dono or Uesugi-dono were personally in charge of this battle, who would dare to be passive and sabotage?
Unfortunately, His Highness Uesugi is recuperating in Kasugayama Castle, while Tsuta-don is facing off against His Highness Oda in Takashima County, and both of them are not among the Kanto Allied Forces.
It's not that the Kwantung Allied Forces can't fight, but they lack a leader who can convince the masses and can only be a mess.
Shibata Katsuie has hoarded a large amount of military rations, and high walls and deep pits are waiting for us to hit. Attacking by force is indeed not a good idea, but if we slowly grind it out, it may take several months or even half a year.
As for the strategy of bypassing the defense line, it is not..."
As soon as Umino Rishi was speaking, there was movement outside one after another. Hime samurai entered the formation one after another and saluted Sanada Nobunaga.
When the time for the military meeting came, Umino Riichi stopped talking and waited for everyone to arrive first.
The Kwantung Allied Forces mobilized 50,000 to 60,000 soldiers, and the Sanada family sent 10,000 troops. It was an unparalleled moment and attracted everyone's attention.
But Sanada Nobushige knew in his heart that most of the people in Sanada's army at this time were not his subordinates, but poor ghosts from the Koshin Mountains who were tempted by food and prospects.
Originally, this matter was not easy, but Takeda Shingen secretly gave his support, so that the mountain warriors in Shinano did not have any scruples, and only then did they have an extra-large scale of 10,000 soldiers.
The mountain people of the Koshinobu Mountains are already tough. When the Genpei war broke out, Shinano's Kiso Yoshinaka once competed with the Genpei branch. They were a tripartite force.
Kiso Yoshinaka was good at fighting, but not political. She offended the military family, the public family, and the sect, and she was still able to survive for several years, just relying on her military talent and bravery.
Let’s not mention how talented her military is. The core members of her army are the Kiso soldiers, the Saku soldiers, and the Joshu soldiers.
The Kiso clan came from Shinno-Kiso Valley, the Saku clan came from Shinno-Saku County, and the Kiso clan came from the Ueno samurai family.
If you carefully calculate it, the Sanada people are the replica of Kiso Yoshinaka's mountain civilian army, and they are still a group of tough warriors who dare to die.
Sanada Nobushige was very satisfied with the soldiers under his command. The mountain people were simple-minded and joined the army just to earn a living. Their faith in the mountains made them unable to trust people outside the mountains and they clung to the group.
The powerful logistics of the Kanto Service House are most suitable for use on these mountain people. They eat white rice and wear linen clothes, allowing them to kill people as they please, and charge with bows and arrows without blinking an eye.
A poor family in the mountains only has one pair of trousers, and they starve to death every winter. As long as they have enough money and food, and good treatment, who cares about their lives?
Leading this group of wailing mountain people on an expedition, Sanada Nobushige was eager to take this opportunity to make achievements.
This is not only an explanation to the Kanto servants, making Shiba Yiyin look at him differently, but also for his own status among the mountain people.
The Shino clan is a major clan in the Koshin Mountains, the Umino family is the general leader of the Shino clan, and the Sanada family is a branch of the Umino family.
After the decline of the Umino family, the Shino clan went through many hardships, and was finally succeeded by Sanada Nobushige using the unlimited financial resources of the Kanto Palace.
If this battle is fought successfully, the Koshinobu Mountains samurai group will receive a military merit reward, and Sanada Nobushige's status in the Shino Tribe will rise to a higher level.
By then, her influence in the local area would transcend the boundaries of the Shino clan and become a representative figure of Jiaxin.
The plains and fields represent food, and the rivers and coasts represent trade. Although the mountains are extremely poor, the martial arts families in the mountains are the best source of soldiers.
The Sanadas boasted themselves as the most powerful soldiers in the Warring States Period. If the scene of the battle between Shiba and Oda can hold up, it will confirm their status as the most powerful soldiers in the Warring States Period.
This will be of great benefit to Sanada Nobushige's future.
To put it simply, the Sanada people are here for the dead this time. As long as they have great military achievements and generous rewards, they don't care about sacrifice.
But in the current situation, even if you want to die, I won’t give you a chance!
The enemy is cowering and defending, and the allies are cowering. Sanada Nobushige can't rush in and hit his head with blood, and he will be laughed at later. He is a fool, right?
Sanada Nobushige was upset. When he saw Yuri Kamanosuke walking into the main formation carelessly, he was even more furious. He went up and kicked her to the ground.
Yuri Kamanosuke fell to the ground, still a little confused.
"My lord, are you going to hit me?"
Sanada Nobushige stepped forward and stepped on him again, causing Yuri Kamanosuke to gasp and roll to the side holding his head.
“It’s you I’m beating!
You bastard caused me trouble again, didn't you? Did you cut off the logistics supplies of Daosheng Meng's tribe?
Taking other people's supplies and telling them to get out of here, good guy, I don't even dare to talk to Dao Shengmeng like that, you're so awesome, aren't you?
I’ll kick your troublemaker to death!”
Yoshitaka huddled on the ground, protecting his vitals, fearing that Sanada Nobushige would get angry and accidentally kick himself to death.
She never forgot to ask for mercy.
"Lord, that's not what happened. Please allow me to explain!"
After the bystanders came to their senses, a few people rushed out and quickly held back the furious Sanada Nobushige.
Miyoshi Isan stopped in front of Sanada Nobunshige and said.
"Lord, give her a chance to explain.
Although Yuri Kamanosuke likes to take advantage of small things, he is not confused about big things, so why not listen to what she has to say first."
Nezu Sadamori took Sanada Nobushige's arm and persuaded him.
"Lord, be angry.
This girl has always been a bastard, and it is indeed not a pity to die, but she must be given a chance to explain, how can there be any reason to kill her indiscriminately?"
Both of them were friends with Yuri Kamanosuke and quickly came out to stop them.
In fact, Sanada Nobushige didn't want to kill Yuri Kamanosuke, she just did it when she saw everyone was present. She knew someone would definitely stop her.
It's just that what this bastard, Rikanosuke, did was too much. He couldn't offend anyone, but he went so far as to offend those people under Shima Katsuruo's command.
The Hime Samurai Corps of Shima Katsuki is a samurai family affiliated with Shiba Territory in Kanto. Almost all of them have Shiba's establishment, and they are all masters!
These people are the old team who followed Yoshigashi Shiba in the battle of Yamato. They are young men from the old Hokuda Kazu and the old Iga clan.
Their seniority in the Shiba family is second only to Maeda Yoshitsugi, Ohtani Yoshitsugi, and Yamanaka Yukimori, who were born close to Shiba Yoshigan.
When the Shiba Territory was first established in recent years, Nizi Katsuhisa and Akechi Mitsuhide tacitly agreed to exclude these old Peking University and Iga tribes in order to facilitate the control of the new territory.
At that time, Yoshigan Shiba was in danger in Hokurikudo. Shima Katsuki rushed to Hokurikudo with these Ji warriors and followed Yoshigan to Kanto to fight as a sympathizer.
After that, the Shiba family established a firm foothold in Kanto and developed better and better. These old members also brought their husbands and children to Kanto and settled here.
They were the first batch of samurai families led by Shiba in Kanto. They had senior qualifications and deep backgrounds. Yoshihiro Shiba would always remember their contributions.
When Shiba Yiyin was allocating Shiba's staff, almost all the lists submitted by Shima Katsuo were approved, and even the Kamao clan did not dare to block anyone.
These people are all old people who left the Tongxinzhong. If the second generation of the Tongxinzhong in Pu Sheng's hometown dares to do something that is disappointing to their predecessors, they will not be able to live in the future.
As the prestige of Shiba Yoshiin grew, these people became the founding ministers of the Shiba family in developing Kanto.
Sanada Nobushige was still thinking about how to have a good relationship with them, but who knew that Yuri Kamanosuke would actually steal their supplies!
During the meeting, Shima Katsuo personally asked about Sanada Nobushige's situation. Although he didn't say a harsh word, Sanada Nobushige's heart was full of grass and mud, and he just wanted to kick this idiot, Ri Kamanosuke, to death.
Pulled by Miyoshi Izo and Nezu Sadamori, Sanada Nobushige pretended to struggle for a few times and then gave up. She pointed at Yuri Kamanosuke who was still curled up on the ground and cursed.
"Why are you pretending? Get up and explain this matter clearly to me. If the explanation is not clear, go to Dao Shengmeng's place and commit seppuku to apologize!"
Yuri Kamanosuke got up dejectedly, not daring to wipe the dust off his face and body, and said in a panic.
"How dare I rob those things belonging to the superior people compiled by Spo?
I heard someone say a few days ago that a newly shipped batch of supplies from Sanguo Minato was withheld by the monastery leader.
I think this is a good thing. We should hurry up and grab the things back before others do. Isn’t it ours?
Who knew that this batch of supplies actually belonged to Lord Shima Shengmeng? If I had known about it in advance, I would have sent it directly. How could I dare to transport it back?