Chapter 1531 The Kwantung Allied Forces are divided into three groups
Seeing that the two big guys were getting serious, Sanada Nobushige was secretly proud and told Umino Riichi's idea.
"Echizen Kingdom's two major ports, Tsuruga Port in the south and Mikuni Minato in the north, are two to three hundred miles apart. It only takes a few days to transport 10,000 soldiers to Tsuruga Port at the speed of sea ships.
There is no shortage of logistics in recent times. The supply of 10,000 soldiers can be fully provided by that side. The Hokuriku Road trade route is stagnant, so idle merchant ships can be called up to transport troops.
Shibata Katsuie only had 10,000 or 20,000 soldiers in hand. Even if the Kwantung Allied Forces had less than 10,000 soldiers, their strength was still several times hers. She still did not dare to move and could only defend.
I will take 10,000 Sanada troops to join Tsutado-don. Together with the 20,000 troops from nearby areas, 30,000 troops will be enough to fight a combined battle with the Oda family.
As long as the Oda clan's troops are defeated, Echizen Kingdom will naturally be defeated."
Sanada Nobushige looked loyal and courageous, and made an impassioned speech to lead his troops to Konki by boat to serve his Majesty.
Yamanaka Yukimori and Shima Shengmeng frowned when they heard this, but they did not dare to agree easily.
Sanada Nobushige's idea was too risky. It didn't mean taking a boat from Mikuni Minato to meet up with Shiba Yoshigan. The two ports were not far apart and there was no risk in walking along the coastline.
The real risk is that Sanada Nobushige proposed that the Kwantung Allied Forces only have 10,000 troops, and that the Lord should gather 30,000 troops to fight the main force of the Oda family.
Oda Nobunaga led the main force of the Oda Army and was confronting Yoshigan Shiba in Kitaomi. Even if the Sanada Army successfully merged with several parties, the 30,000 troops would only be about half of the main force of the Oda family.
Oda Nobunaga was able to sweep through Japan and build a family fortune of three million koku in just seven or eight years. The Oda army was by no means a weak force.
The stakes in this Battle of Shiba-Oda were too high, with 30,000 fighting against 50,000 or 60,000. Even though Yamanaka Yukimori and Shima Katsuo were convinced that Shiba Yoshigan was invincible, they did not dare to risk the honor and disgrace of their superiors.
Moreover, even if Sanada Nobushige's idea really succeeds, the situation of the Kwantung Allied Forces will be even more embarrassing.
The Kwantung Allied Forces were blocked by the Shibata Line of Defense in Echizen Province and hesitated to move forward. Only Sanada Nobushige was loyal and courageous and led his troops to Konko by boat to join the war.
If we win this battle, will the Ji warriors of the Kwantung Allied Forces still have the dignity to behave in the future?
Yoshigan Shiba was kind and generous and showed many favors to the Kanto samurai family, but in the end it turned out that he had just raised a bunch of useless trash. Only Sanada Nobunshige stood out and could be of great use.
Not to mention that the people of the Kwantung Allied Forces were shameless and shameless. Yamanaka Yukimori and Shima Katsuo also had no shame to see Shiba Yigen again. They should find a place to commit seppuku by themselves.
Although Sanada Nobushige looked loyal at this time, in fact, her suggestion was to step on the faces of all the warriors in the Kanto Alliance Army. Her intentions are to be punished!
Regardless of whether this was Sanada Nobushige's method of provoking the generals, if they wanted to push the Kwantung Allied Forces into action, neither Yamanaka Yukimori nor Shimakatsu Takeo could agree to let her alone contribute, and the Kwantung Allied Forces stood aside.
If that really happens, no matter whether the outcome of this battle is victory or defeat, the martial artists of the Kwantung Allied Forces will all be losers and will be laughed at for the rest of their lives.
Yukimori Yamazaka pondered for a while and said.
"This is inappropriate.
There are only 20,000 coalition forces in recent areas. Even if Sanada's 10,000 troops successfully merge with the coalition forces in recent areas, they will only number 30,000.
As far as I know, the Oda family has nearly 60,000 troops assembled in Kitaomi.
This is the number after the Oda family was forced to divide its forces due to the turmoil in Minami Ise and the inability to mobilize, the Mino Kingdom being attacked by Maeda Toshiie and Baba Nobbo.
If the two sides join forces in a hasty battle in Kitaomi, His Highness Oda can simply forcefully mobilize troops from his own territory, and the Oda army can even gather 70,000 to 80,000 troops.
Going out into the field to fight 30,000 people against 50,000 or 60,000 people is already very risky. If the Oda family concentrates their forces at all costs, the gap in numbers between the two sides will be even greater.
The Oda retainers group is not a third-rate princess samurai group that collapses at the drop of a hat. Her Majesty Oda is also a powerful feudal daimyo who has fought in the north and south and controlled three million koku.
We cannot allow Your Majesty to take such a huge risk in starting a war. Expecting the Oda army to be vulnerable and collapse at the first touch is an unrealistic delusion that no wise person would take."
Sanada Nobushige said angrily.
"This won't work, that won't work either. Are we going to be blocked here by Shibata Katsuie and watch Tsudado-don fight alone in Kitaomi?
Damn it, how did the Wu family become like this? Everyone is looking forward and backward, not daring to use their lives, and not daring to take detours, what a bad fight this is!"
Daosheng said in a deep voice.
"Sanada Hime doesn't want to use the provoking method again. Yamanaka Hime and I are only more loyal to you than you are.
Yamanaka Yukimori is right, if it is just your Sanada Army with 10,000 troops to go to Koki to fight, it will indeed be a risk. But if we act together, we can indeed do something."
Sanada Nobushige asked.
"You mean...that the Kwantung Allied Forces will take a boat to Tsuruga Port together?"
Shima Sheng shook his head violently.
"That's impossible. If Echizen Country doesn't have enough troops to suppress Shibata Katsuie, she will definitely take action.
Regardless of whether the Echizen Oda army returns to the nearby territory or counterattacks on Hokurikudo, the ten or twenty thousand people Shibata Katsuie has in his hands will be a very big trouble.
Therefore, the number of troops heading to Tsuruga Port can only be 10,000 soldiers at most, which is Sanada Nobushige's troops.
We must ensure that there is enough military strength in front of Shibata Katsuie to put pressure on her so that she does not dare to have other thoughts besides defending.
However, we here can’t just watch you fight in Kitaomi, we must find a way to cooperate with several recent parties to create opportunities for a joint war.”
Shima Katsuo knew in his heart that the pressure on Shiba Yoshigan was too great, and the Kwantung Allied Forces must take action. Otherwise, Oda Nobunaga found that Shibata's defense line was firmly held, and he would deal with the recent coalition forces unscrupulously.
But on the other hand, it is impossible for the Kwantung Allied Forces to follow Sanada Nobushige's idea and let the Sanada Army cross the sea alone while others just watch.
Even if they really win in the end, it will be the Sanada family who will ascend to heaven, and the Kwantung Allied Forces will be reduced to a background and ridiculed by others.
The Kwantung Allied Forces need more actions to let Shiba Yiyin know that Samurai Ji here is not a vegetarian, at least to let Junshang know that Shima Shengmeng himself is not a freeloader.
Shima Shengmeng continued.
"In addition to the 10,000 Sanada troops, I will also divide my troops here. The coalition forces will allocate 5,000 troops to me. I will go to the upper reaches of the Kuzuryu River and break through Minoguchi.
Sanada Hime and I took away 15,000 troops, and there were still 40,000 soldiers on the coalition side. Shibata Katsuie only had 10,000 or 20,000 troops, but she still did not dare to act rashly.
I led the troops to open up the Meinong Pass, cross the Wenjian Pass, and enter the West Meinong area. The front threat of the troops will not break through the pass."
Yamanaka Yukimori and Sanada Nobushige nodded, understanding what Shima Katsuki meant.
Maeda Toshiie of Gunjo County threatens Gifu Castle, and Baba Nobbo of Iwamura Castle can move west or south at any time to harass the Noo Plain.
Mino country is divided into east and west, and they threaten the east side of Mino. Shima Katsuki passed through Ono County in Echizen country and took the west side of Mino.
Although there was still a long way to go before Onmi Pass could not be broken, Oda Nobunaga would never dare to bet on whether Shima Katsuki would go crazy enough to break into Mino.
The Fuwa Pass is one of the three passes that separate Kanto and Kansai. The military threat to Fuwa Seki is even greater than that of Gifu Castle.
Although Gifu Castle is Oda Nobunaga's former residence and her father still lives there, even if Gifu Castle is really lost, it is just a loss of face and can be taken back at any time.
The Maeda Toshie family only had tens of thousands of kiku of mobilization force from the governor, and Baba Nobuka only had less than a thousand soldiers. The two sides combined did not have many people.
As long as Oda Nobunaga sends back troops to support them, they can be driven back to the mountains at any time and take back Gifu City.
But it is different without breaking the Sekigahara. Sekigahara is the main channel connecting the two countries of Omi and Mino, and it is also the logistics supply line for Oda Nobunaga's troop dispatch this time.
If Sekigahara is cut off, the logistics line transporting the Noo Plains to the Kita-Omi Oda Army can only take a detour through Suzuka Pass on the south side of Kita-Ise and Minami-Omi.
This will not only lengthen the supply line, but also seriously shake the morale of the military, because the core forces of the Oda Army come from the two countries of Owari and Mino, and if they are cut off from the rear, the morale of the military will definitely be chaotic.
Therefore, even if there was only the slightest possibility, Oda Nobunaga would not allow the Shiba family's surprise troops to appear in Simino, and the threat would not be broken.
Oda Nobunaga will definitely send troops back to support, blocking Shimakatsu who breaks through Minoguchi north of Onmi Pass, preventing her from continuing southward.
As a result, the Oda Army's military strength in Kitaomi was forced to be thinned again.
Shima Katsu suddenly slowed down, and after the two of them had almost digested his strategic intentions, he spoke again.
"We jointly go to Shintsuta-den and ask Your Majesty to let Otani Yoshitsugi of Iga country follow suit and threaten Suzuka Pass.
Fuwa Pass and Suzuka Pass, one to the south and one to the north, are the two main roads leading from the Noo Plains to Konki, and they are also the bottom line that His Highness Oda cannot tolerate.
Even though Her Majesty Oda knew in her heart that we were forcing her to divide her troops, she still had to divide her troops to ensure that these two passes were flawless for the sake of the morale of the troops on the front line.
Therefore, the Oda family's 50,000 to 60,000 people on the front line will have to be reduced by at least 15,000 to 20,000, leaving only about 40,000."
Sanada Nobushige grinned.
"Thirty thousand versus forty thousand, this battle can be fought."
Shima Katsuo helped Sanada Nobushige perfect the strategy of dividing his troops, but Yamanaka Yukimori was in a state of despair.
The two men each found a good job. One went to Jinji alone, and the other entered Meinong as a surprise soldier. When the war was over, they were both loyal ministers and good generals with shining military achievements.
What about you? I, Yukimori Yamanaka, am the idiot responsible for being your backdrop, right?
What puts frontal pressure on Shibata's defense line to ensure that Shibata Katsuie doesn't dare to act rashly, are you lying? The samurai family has always judged success or failure based on war. If they don't kill people or behead them, how can they exchange their heads for rewards?
Maeda's interests have been advancing in recent times, and Otani Yoshitsugi helps her look after the Iga country's base area.
Everyone only saw that Maeda benefited from his military exploits, while Otani Yoshitsugi was doing hard and dirty work. He remained unknown these years and did not receive much benefit.
Yoshitsugi Otani has a close interest relationship with Maeda and is willing to help her, so that's all.
Why should Yamanaka Yukimori stand in for Shima and Nobuhige Sanada as the backdrop? Do you have a good relationship?
What a fart! Because of Shiba Yoshiyin's matter, Yamanaka Yukimori and Shima Katsuki had a duel in the snow, and they almost drew their swords and blood spattered them five steps away.
Sanada Nobushige has concealed the inside story of Yantian City for many years. Yamanaka Yukimori and Shimakatsu Takeo hate her with all their teeth. This mountain monkey is not a good person.
The relationship between the three of them is so bad, it can only be a matter of business. I hope Yukimori Yamanaka will help them carry the sedan chair. Watching them flourish, stop dreaming!
Yamanaka Yukimori thought for a while and said.
"You divide your forces and go first. I will clear up the problems that have always been solved, and then assign tasks to the Kwantung Allied Forces to attack the Shibata Line of Defense.
Don't worry, I won't let Shibata Katsuie have any spare time to cause trouble for several parties.
The Kanto families are sending troops this time, eating the food of the Shiba family and holding the weapons of the Shiba family. They can't just eat for free, right?
The layout of Shibata's defense line has almost been explored by the Ninja people.
It happened to divide the work among each family. Since they couldn't unite as one, they would fight on their own. Each family would be responsible for one city, and a military order would be issued to destroy the city and evict the village.
If someone is perfunctory and fails to get it after the deadline, don't blame me for being ruthless and dealing with it under military law."
Shima Katsuki and Sanada Nobushige nodded, knowing that Yamanaka Yukimori was also driven into panic.
Originally, everyone was helpless in Echizen Country, but Yamanaka Yukimori was still considering the friendly relationship with Yili and coordinating the internal conflicts of the Kanto Allied Forces.
But Sanada Nobushige and Shimakatsu Takeo led their own troops to fight, and immediately put Yamanaka Yukimori on the fire grill, making her unable to continue to be this good person.
She has always told people to make trouble and kill her! Qili Laizhou is a piece of shit, who cares what she thinks.
The Sibo family spent more than one million yuan in military expenses for the Kwantung Allied Forces, took people's money, and helped others to eliminate disasters. It is unjustifiable that several people from each Kwantung Allied Forces family died.
Shibata Katsuie's three lines of defense are not impregnable. It is still unknown how much real materials can be produced in one winter's work.
Previously, the Kwantung Allied Forces were frightened by the propaganda of the Shibata Line of Defense. The three lines of defense were under pressure, and no one was willing to take the lead, thus wasting their precious troops.
But Yamanaka Yukimori became ruthless and gave orders to each family to go out on missions. Who was responsible for which city? Everyone attacked individually. If you can defeat them, you are capable, but if you cannot defeat them, you are stupid.
The various families in Kanto originally looked down upon each other. The Uesugi clan, the upper wild clan, the Musashi clan, and the lower wild clan all disdained each other.
We have really set KPIs for everyone, and they are invited to compete and show off. Who wants to be compared?
Shimakatsu glanced sharply at Yamanaka Yukimori.
This move may be the best tactic to use against the scattered Kwantung Allied Forces.
The combat capabilities of the Kwantung Allied Forces are not weak, but no one is willing to suffer losses. But if a healthy competition mechanism is formed, no one is willing to admit defeat.
Yamanaka Yukimori must have been thinking about this idea for a long time, but he has never been able to make up his mind to implement it.
After all, matters like military orders require iron-blooded enforcement. Yamanaka Yukimori is not even willing to offend Nanari Yorishu, a leader who has always been docile, let alone those deep-rooted local forces in Kanto.
She is the deacon of the Kanto Service Office, and she will always have to coordinate relations with various families in the future, and it would not be good if there is a stalemate.
But the departure of Sanada Nobushige and Shimakatsu Takeo actually forced Yamanaka Yukimori into a blind corner. If she continued to hesitate, she would not only be mediocre and incompetent, but also have loyalty issues.
The direct descendants of Shiba Yoshigan are all working hard. As one of his most trusted ministers, if Yamanaka Yukimori slips up at this time, there will be no way to explain it.
What's more, Yamanaka Yukimori still has a deep admiration for Shiba Yiyin, and he is not willing to be compared with Shima Shengmeng and others, causing his superior to be disappointed in him.
To sum up, Yamanaka Yukimori was really cornered, and the Shibata defense line would soon face a violent offensive.
If Shibata Katsuie cannot withstand the pressure and the three lines of defense are breached, allowing the Kwantung Allied Forces to enter nearby areas, Yamanaka Yukimori will be the first to contribute.
Even if the Shibata line of defense could not be broken, the Kwantung Allied Forces divided into three groups to support the joint battle. Yamanaka Yukimori deserves a share of the credit for this, and he will not be criticized after the war.
The three people, who had their own concerns, looked at each other, nodded together, and that was it.