Owari no Outsuke: The Fool of Owari

Chapter One: Onward, to Mino! 1559-1569
In the first few months following the incident at Kiyosu Castle, Oda Nobunaga began to prove himself an adept leader, consolidating his power, gathering trust in his retainers, and equipping 1,250 men under his direct control with Tanegashima firearms made from his own factory in Kaito, which he commissioned earlier in his rule.

Shiba Yoshimune, for warning Nobunaga of his uncles betrayal, was granted Kowa and Niwa. However, for not warning him of the assassination which claimed Hirate Masahide, he was stripped of his title of shugo, making Nobunaga and the Oda clan the de-facto leaders of the Owari region. Furthermore, to honor Masahide and his sacrifice, the Buddhist temple of Seishu-ji was also built in Kasugai.

He also found out through Yoshimune of Shibata Katsuie's planned betrayal. Although Nobunaga's anger threatened Katsuie's life, Nobunaga's lead adviser, Saji Tamekage of Chita, convinced Nobunaga that Katsuie was a talented general and deserved to be spared if only to further his own goals. Katsuie, so grateful, dedicated his life to Nobunaga.

With noone willing to challenge his power internally, 1,250 arquebusiers under his direct command, and a pool of able generals, Nobunaga set his sights on outward expansion. In the past 8 years, much had changed.



Notably, in the west, the Ouchi and Miyoshi clans had consolidated their power, while in Kanto, the Kosuke-Uesugi had beaten the Hojo out of Musashi and Sagami, and were well on their way on wiping them out on the Izu peninsula. This power growth had not only the attention of the growing power of Takeda Shingen in Shinano and Kai, but also the powerful Imagawa Yoshimoto. With the massive Imagawa clan to his east distracted, Nobunaga set his sights north: to Mino province, the lands of Saito Dosan, his father in law.

He outnumbered his enemy, and was confident in his abilities and those of his generals, so his plan was simple. Split his army into four to draw the enemy out, and then meet him on the field of battle.

On the far left flank he sent Saji Tamekage, assisted by Hachisuka Masakatsu of Kaisei, with 3,750 men into Ishizu. Up the center he personally led an army consisting of 2,750 men into Ahachi, and had Sakuma Yoshimune of Yamada and Maeda Toshiharu of Haguri move 2,500 into Kagami. Finally, anchoring his right flank were 3,250 men under none other than Shibata Katsuie, carefully warded over by Shiba Yoshimune.

The invasion began in earnest in early 1560, with all four armies besieging their respective castles. It wasnt long before the Saito army materialized, heading straight for Nobunaga with 10,000 men. Leaving petty garrisons at each siege to prevent sallying forth, Oda consolidated his forces and met Saito Dosan and his retainers at the Battle of Ahachi...

Chapter One Subset A: The Battle of Ahachi
With little more than a fourth of the enemy's troops, Oda Nobunaga stood his ground outside Ahachi. 10,000 Saito troops poured down on him when he had merely 2,750. Thankfully, though token garrisons were left behind, around 6,500 men were on their way, and Nobunaga had a plan.

Just south of Ahachi is the Kiso River, and he would make use of it. Abandoning his siege and heading south, he crossed the river and positioned his men in a small forest just south of the river. Saito Dosan, believing him retreating, eagerly pursued him past the river crossing while the other half of his army under Inaba Ittetsu found themselves tangled up with the fleeing, previously besieged tenants of Ahachi Castle, all attempting to find food and supplies, as they had been lacking.

This was just what Nobunaga wanted. Saji Tamekage had sent Hachisuka Masakatsu with around 1,500 men and Shibata Katsuie had left Shiba Yoshimune behind as well, bringing another 2,500. Perhaps most importantly, Sakuma Morishiga was also arriving, but north of the river. Nobunaga sent a courier through the far bridge as fast as he could to have Morishiga wait and hide in the woods until the Saito army could be essentially trapped.

As Saito Dosan approached, Nobunaga's troops prepared to fire their arquebuses for the first time in battle. Indeed, this battle would go down in history as the first battle in which firearms were used en-masse in Japan. They would prove to be very effective: rows of bullets whizzed into the ranks of Dosan's charging cavalry, penetrating even the heaviest armour, and terrifying horse and man alike. The sheer terror of so many firearms at once broke the first charge entirely. This unproven prototype would not prove without flaws however. Nobunaga was personally overseeing the use of the Tanegashima when he was shot by a stray bullet, a wound he would carry with him until his death. According to folk tale, he remained unshaken in battle, not even flinching. After seeing this, the Oda troops cried out, "There he stands! The Demon of Owari! Let us stand with him!"

After a few waves, Nobunaga fell back. Dosan pursued him into the woods, and found himself outflanked by Oda forces on both sides. Whats worse is that Morishiga had arrived and essentially pinned most of the Saito forces on the wrong side of the river. Already demoralized from the terrifying new weapon, the Saito troops immediately panicked. Many surrendered on the spot, and the others were cut down easily. Saito Dosan himself, aged 65, was slain on the battlefield, and his son, Yoshitatsu, succeeded him. Although he and Inaba Ittetsu escaped, they barely escaped with 1,000 men.

Casualties:
Saito Forces: 9,000 Men
Oda Forces: 4,000 Men

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The Saito army fled rapidly and attempted to regain their numbers. Nobunaga spread his forces, now about 8,000 strong, out once more. After a few months of sieging, Nobunaga heard that to the east Akechi Mitsuhide advanced on Shiba Yoshimune and nearly wiped out his force in Kani. When overhearing this, Nobunaga planned to march his army east and deal with him. However, he was forced to instead only send Shibata Katsuie with a token force to merely hold him off, as a terrible new event had occurred... The Kanbe clan had invaded western Owari with over 6,000 men. The Saito army, too, due to Akechi's victory, had regained their morale and was roughly 4,000 strong. Nobunaga, now outnumbered, was in a predicament. Still calm and collected though, he had a plan.

Nobunaga sent Shibata Katsuie with 1,000 men to stall Mitsuhide as best he can. He also left Saji Tamekage in Ishizu with 2,000, to continue the siege but most importantly to prevent the union of the Kanbe and Saito armies. Then, with his paltry army of only 5,000, he abandoned all other sieges and headed southwest.

The Kanbe clan, lead by the 10 year old Ekei, regarded by many as a genius, was doing their best to knock the Oda out of the war as soon as they could, by blitzing across western Owari. Although it did demoralize the Oda clan, it ended up working in their favor in the end, as the costly castle assaults of Kaisei and Nakashima forced the Kanbe to take losses until their army matched the Oda's at 5,000 men. In Kaito, the two armies met, just miles from Nobunaga's valuable gunsmith...

Chapter One Subset B: The Battle of Kaito
Nobunaga knew that he had to defeat the Kanbe before they could take his gunsmith, as that would be a major detriment in the war. The Kanbei army had just seized Nakashima and was heading for his capital in Kaito, so he had precious time. Force marching south as quick as he could, he rushed to the aid of his besieged capital, with his cavalry galloping ahead under Hachisuka Masakatsu. He found Kanbe Ekei and his Master of Arms, Kanbe Harumasa, begining to surround and assault Kaito Castle.

Seeing the enemy army arrive, Kanbe Ekei began his assault prematurely, and sent Harumasa north to hold them off. Not willing to be distracted by the enemy army, Nobunaga marched quickly ahead, with Maeda Toshiharu behind him, while sending Morishige to aid Masakatsu. Masakatsu would prove invaluable in this battle, and the first manuever of the day was outmaneuvering his enemy so he could meet him out in the open fields, rather than the woods. However, despite the fact he had the advantage in cavalry, he spread his line thin and skirmished the enemy.

Emboldened and believing the Oda forces to be exhausted from force marching, Kanbe Harumasa's men charged into Masakatsu's line. Masakatsu would keep the charade up, and flee- right past Morishige. Unable to see the troops behind the cavalry skirmishing line, and with the momentum of a charge behind them, Harumasa was unable to prevent his men going headlong into the main infantry line of the Oda forces.

On the southern front, the Oda forces had less luck. Kanbe Ekei had sent a small detachment into the woods, and the unsuspecting Maeda Toshiharu was ambushed. Exhausted from marching and completely caught unaware, Toshiharu struggled with no avail to keep his men in line.

Although Toshiharu never would, Nobunaga reached the enemy lines outside Kaito Castle. Although his men were equally exhausted, Nobunaga was much more ruthless, and pressed them hard. Some historians say that he had threatened his men would be shot if they did not press on. He was sure living up to his new nickname given to him at Ahachi, "The Demon of Owari."

Bloody as the fight was, the ferocity in which Nobunagas men fought, combined with the impact of firearms broke the poor Kanbe troops guarding the southeast gate. Despite taking massive casualties, Nobunaga had succeeded in his goal: reinforcing the besieged garrison.

Up north, Kanbe Harumasa had ordered a withdrawal, which quickly turned into a rout when Sakuma Morishige whipped the fear of god into the Kanbe troops with a terrifying warcry and counter-charge. To make matters worse, Hachisuka Masakatsu had not sat idly by after retreating behind him, but instead began a wide flanking attack, moving alongside the fleeing Kanbe troops.

With fresh arquebusers on the walls and his northern force compromised, Kanbe Ekei had no choice but to sound the retreat. Unfortunately for him, Masakatsu's wide flanking motion would capture most of his retreating men on the way back, leaving him with a negligible force, unable to even defend his own homeland.

Casualties:
Kanbe Forces: 1,500 Men, 3,000 Men captured.
Oda Forces: 2,000 Men

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The Kanbe clan would be annihilated by 1564. Many historians would go back and look at Ekei's early campaigns, as well as domestic policies and remark that, had he been older or had more capable subordinates, the Kanbe clan could have not only beaten the Oda but become a major powerhouse for claim at Shogun. Alas, neither was true, and the clan faded from history.

Meanwhile, out east, Shibata Katsuie had done his best to delay Akechi Mitsuhide as he advanced on Owari. Being outnumbered 4:1 and unable to meet him on the field of battle, Shibata instead razed depots, skirmished, and harrassed Mitsuhide's troops. At one point, he sent Shiba Yoshimune to incite a revolt in Mitsuhide's own Kani province, and 2,000 Zealots rose up in revolt under a man named Fujinaga.

Now with 3,000 troops on the Oda side, Katsuie coordinated a joint assault with Fujinaga at Inuyama. Katsuie, with only a fourth of Mitsuhide's men, stood his ground for once in a pitched battle, bleeding Mitsuhide as best he could until reinforcements would arrive from behind. However, for reasons still unknown, Fujinaga never committed to the battle, and all 1,000 Oda troops, including both Shibata Katsuie and Shiba Yoshimune, were wiped out.

Katsuie, without heirs, would be succeeded by his uncle, Fusaaki, and Yoshimune by his young son Yoshikane, who had taken the name Nihonmatsu Yoshikane, a bold move to differentiate himself from the Shiba clan. If anything, Yoshikane was bold, and he would grow to be one of Nobunaga's greatest generals.

With no enemy army before him, Mitsuhide proceeded over Owari, and by the time Nobunaga would catch up with him, four provinces- Niwa, Inuyama, Yamada, and Aichi- would have already fallen. Joined by Saji Tamekage after his successful taking of Ishizu, and along with the vengeful Nihonmatsu Yoshikane, Nobunaga met Akechi Mitsuhide on the field at the Battle of Kasugai, 1564. With the talents of both generals, he won the day and decimated Mitsuhides army, at last destroying the vestiges of a Saito standing army and allowing his true conquest of Saito to begin.

Still, Nobunaga had to look ahead. Much had changed in Japan in the last 5 years of campaigning. The Imagawa, just to their east, had indeed begun a war with the Uesugi, and with minor aid from the Takeda, were dominating them utterly. Out west, the Ouchi and Miyoshi clans continued to consolidate their power in their cold war for western Japan. And to his north, the powerful Asakura clan, who had defeated the Ikko-Ikki monks in 1558 seizing the Kaga prefecture, were a growing threat. Nobunaga knew that the Asakura and Imagawa clans would be threats soon enough... so knew he had to take steps to prevent them from toppling the Oda clan in their rise to power.

Updated via editing the last post. I think thats how Ill be doing things. Sorry about not posting last night, guys, something came up. Hopefully Ill have more tomorrow night to make up for it.

I hope you guys are enjoying this, I see views but no comments! Give me some feedback, will you? This is my first AAR after all.. idk if Im doing terrible or not.

Thanks for your input loki100! I will do just that with my updates!

And if you were wondering, I made the battle maps with Campaign Cartographer 3, something I spent too much money on an impulse buy a few years back. Pretty neat software though... the map overlay itself takes me only about 5 mins to make, then I convert it into a JPEG so I can put the labels and troops in via paint.

The triumphant Oda army advanced on Mino prefecture, but no longer had the numbers they needed to end the war quickly. As such, other powers advanced into the power vacuum the Saito clan had left behind- specifically, the Asakura and Kiso clans invaded from the north while the Azai came in from the west. Fujinaga, the Shinto zealot also fueled his rebellion, and many ronin rose in revolt to make a name for themselves.

Nobunaga did his best to spread out his troops to prevent the Oda from recieving diminishing returns. He also hired the local ronin who had risen up in revolt, giving them pay and protection for their services, and thus preventing them establishing mini-clans. Finally, he specifically targeted the most valuable provinces for the Oda clan. In particular, he had his eyes on Ikeda province in the far west of Mino- a wealthy province he wished to call his own, and Ena province in the far east. Ena wasnt that valuable and held more strategic value- both as a stronghold along the mountains to be used against Takeda aggression, and as a way to overlook the Imagawa Mikawa prefecture from the flank. His wound from Ahachi bothering him, and with no major pitched battles requiring his expertise, Nobunaga sent his men out on their own, while he recovered in Kaito castle.



To seize Ikeda he sent Sakuma Morishige along with Maeda Toshiharu. Unfortunately, such a valuable province would not fall easily and the Saito army holed up in the castle walls. The siege lasted until 1569, and was actually the last Saito castle to fall. Having these troops locked down on the siege for so long would actually hinder Nobunaga's campaigning for those five long years. Whats worse, the Azai clan was able to move past Morishige's troops and seize Ibi for themselves. Ironically, while their army was away, the Rokkaku clan would attack and eliminate the Azai, and within a year, Ibi would the theirs, instead.



To seize Ena he sent none other than Saji Tamekage, assisted by Shibata Fusaaki. The goal was actually to seize this border province quickly and turn back onto Kani province and the Shinto fanatic Fujinara for revenge. However, things did not go according to plan. In Naegi province along the way, a man named Togashi Fujitaka would rise in revolt, and would be a thorn in Tamekage's side for his entire campaign. Fujitaka inspired his peers, and though he lost most of his battles to Tamekage, he would always find yet another army to throw at him.

The attrition Fujitaka would cause Tamekage would anger Nobunaga so much that he rode to Naegi province to deal with him himself. Once arrived, however, he actually hired the ronin warrior to fight under the Oda banner, praising him for his tenacity. However, the rivalry harbored by Tamekage and Fujitaka would be so violent that it was said neither man could be around one another in any campaign. Still, many credit this rivalry as the reason both became such great generals

By the time Ena had fallen, the shinto revolt had grown so strong that Imagawa Yoshimoto felt like he had to take it into his own hands. He sent his son and heir Ujizane to deal with it with an unnecessarily large army of 15,000. Still, it drove the point across: the Imagawa clan was mighty indeed, and it also established Yoshimoto's heir as a man as strong as himself- something Nobunaga did not exactly appreciate.



For the rest of the provinces of Mino, Nobunaga sent Hachisuka Masakatsu and Nihonmatsu Yoshikane to take as much as they could before the Asakura and Kiso clans could. He expected to only seize a province or two. To his surprise, by campaigns end, four provinces fell, almost entirely because of his generals.

Masakatsu rode ahead with the majority of the force to blockade the Asakura and Kiso as best he could. He figured that, with them stalled, the young Nihonmatsu Yoshikane could do his best to mop up what he had left behind. Perhaps Masakatsu saw in Yoshikane the great ability he possessed, or perhaps he just needed to rely on him in a crisis. Either way, Yoshikane performed brilliantly with his first campaign, seizing a whopping four provinces while the Asakura and Kiso only took one each, with only one-tenth of the forces, a meager 500 men.

Historians look at his Mino campaign's skillful political dealing and military maneuvers with awe, and most agree that his otherwise flawless campaign had one problem. Okubo Chikakata, a ronin who he would employ, was a very able man, but Yoshikane assigned him the most remedial tasks, and disgraced him in front of his other officers. This mistreatment prevented proper use of this valuable officer, and also created a vendetta for the Okubo family to carry. Either way, these provinces of Mino fell within just a few short years, and after, troops were sent to aid the other fronts.



By 1569, the Saito clan was wiped out when Ikeda castle fell. Although Nobunaga had stayed in Kaito, away from the front, for most of the war, he was not without cause. These five years he spent scheming ways to topple his most powerful enemies. Particularly, he sought openings in the Imagawa and Asakura clans.

The Imagawa clan, unfortunately, seemed air-tight. Yoshimoto was a brilliant man, perhaps more brilliant than Nobunaga himself, and had nothing but adoration from all of his subjects. Moreover, he was a skilled strategist and had toppled the Uesugi clan to become the strongest man in Kanto. His son Ujizane, though maybe not quite as talented, was still a very able man and he commanded respect. The only hole in the Imagawa structure he could see was that Ujizane was growing old and had no heir- and his brother, Fusaaki, was only of average ability. Working on this opening, he sent ninja after ninja- even the mighty Hattori clan- after Ujizane. Unfortunately, this was to no avail, and all came back empty handed. It seemed the Imagawa defense network was air-tight as well, and Nobunaga would have to wait until Yoshimoto and Ujizane died to strike. Or worse- if one of the two struck the Oda clan before they did perish. Such a terrifying thought remained on Nobunaga's mind for these years.

The Asakura clan was much more mutable. Asakura Yoshikage had died early at the age of 27 of pneumonia, leaving only a baby to rule the clan. As a result, the clan voted that his cousin, Chikasada, should be ruler. Chikasada was a man of great skill and would lead the clan to stunning victories against the Ikko-Ikki monks, as well as the Jinbo clan. When he saw that the baby, Arinaga, had grown up to be a complete idiot, he denounced him and denied him right to rule. Unfortunately for Chikasada, Arinaga was a very charismatic young man, and commanded the respect of not only the retainers but the people of the Asakura clan.

Arinaga claimed that Chikasada was power-hungry and wishing to keep the clan for his children, so Chikasada in turn announced his heir: Kagaekira, another cousin- not his own son. To Chikasada's surprise, Kagaekira defered to Arinaga, proclaiming the young lord should be heir. However, Chikasada would not have it.

Nobunaga knew that if he could turn Arinaga against Chikasada, the Asakura clan would be split down the middle and he could take advantage of that. What he didnt anticipate was that the Asakura's dominance was what held the area in balance, and when hostilities began to fly, the powder keg would be ignited.

This concludes Chapter 1. So far, Ive played all the way though Chapter 2, so about halfway through that, updates will slow as Ill need to play more of the game, too.

Sorry that last update was a big block of text. To be honest it was a pretty uneventful 5 years if play- mainly sieges- so I just kinda wrote stuff in / made stuff up entirely (kinda like the 10 years the Prelude covers, though thats mostly semi-historical information). Im going to head to bed now, but maybe tomorrow I can come up with a way to add some kind of picture to pretty it up.

Goodnight, my readers! Hope you enjoyed the chapter end.

Chapter Two: The Echizen Wars 1569-1581
Nobunaga convinced Asakura Arinaga to stage a coup-de-tat on his 16th birthday. Of course, with the opposing side captured at the coming-of-age ceremony, this would lead to a united Asakura clan as well, so he warned the current leader, Asakura Chikasada, to not attend. In 1569, the war began with Asakura Arinaga and Kagaekira, along with over half the country, rising in revolt. Despite Arinaga's charismatic demeanor, some vassals still stuck with Chikasada as he was the hero of both the Ikko-Ikki and Jinbo wars.

Still, Chikasada forces were outnumbered- about 13,000 to 7,000. To make matters worse, Chikasada's retainers were mostly incompetent, and cost him many battles, other than those he personally led. Within a year, Arinaga forces had seized all of Echizen and Kaga, and all Chikasada had left were his personal holdings in Echigo, and 1,500 men- a puny force compared to the 7,000 of Arinaga. However, in these woods and mountains, Chikasada had campaigned against the Jinbo, and he knew the perfect locations for ambushes.

Chapter Two Subset A: Tonami, 1570

Arinaga had besieged the heavily fortified Nishi Castle in Tonami with 3,000 men, and sent the rest of his force of 4,000 to capture Higashi castle to make his capture of Tonami complete. Having to cross the Sho River, Arinaga expected Chikasada to defend the main bridge with his full force of 1,500, in order to make his numbers useless. As a result, he spread his force up to assault the three different bridges, and outflank Chikasada and Higashi Castle, perhaps ending the war there with Chikasada's capture.

Chikasada knew that he was fighting a losing war, however, and something drastic needed to be done. Leaving a force in Higashi to withstand a siege and deploying a force to defend the western bridge, he actually marched across the river and deployed himself in the woods. When enemy forces passed by, he ambushed them.

The ambush succeeded in defeating the western half of the main Arinaga force. When the other half heard of the news, they attempted to find the Chikasada force, but to no avail- Chikasada had retreated as quickly as he had come into the woods. Fruitless in their search, the Arinaga force continued on to Higashi Castle, besieging it.

It was then they realized they realized the bridge behind them had been secured by Chikasada forces. The force had to split itself up even more to attempt to retake the bridge while still placing the castle under siege.

Elsewhere, at the western bridge, Chikasada had maneuvered 500 men under his direct command in a flanking motion, attacking the enemy forces attempting to force themselves across the bridge. Completely unprepared and exhausted from the battle, the force here withered, as well.

With that force no longer a threat, Chikasada rushed to the aid of Higashi Castle. Merely defeating the remaining two forces piecemeal in pitched battles, he had accomplished an amazing feat: defending Higashi Castle with only 1,500 men against 4,000. Although Nishi Castle would fall, Higashi never would to Arinaga forces.

Casualties:
Arinaga Forces: 3,500 Men
Chikasada Forces: 500 Men

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Asakura Chikasada's accomplishments meant that he would still be able to put up a fight despite all odds. Now knowing that the war wouldnt be over very soon, and that Asakura Arinaga wasnt that competent, local clans saw opportunity to expand their influence into the once-dominant Asakura domain.

And so exploded the powder-keg that the dominance of the Asakura clan once held in balance. The Isshiki clan of Tango and Wakasa had taken in the Ashikaga after their defeat to the Miyoshi, and were using their name to expand their domain. In 1571, they blitzed into southern Echizen, seizing most of the poorly-defended provinces. Asakura Arinaga signed a temporary peace with his rival Chikasada, and marched south with his force to combat them. However, the Hatakeyama clan of Noto intercepted them in 1572, decimating his forces and also invading Kaga.

By 1573, the last vestiges of the Asakura clan, outside of what little Chikasada had left, had fallen to the Isshiki, and, to a lesser extent, the Hatakeyama. However, with the Isshiki main army off campaigning, the Yamada clan- who at this point only had Inaba and Tajima left- sought their rise to power again by invading Isshiki-held Tango and Wakasa. To make matters worse, when the Isshiki army turned around, the Kiso clan marched into Echizen and Kaga, stealing what Isshiki had gained, along with the revolting Ashikaga, attempting to re-establish their clan and the Shogunate they rightfully owned.

By 1574, the Isshiki clan had fallen just as quickly as they had risen to dominance. Asakura Arinaga had also fallen, though Asakura Chikasada had managed to consolidate his power and suvive in Echigo. However, it was the Kiso clan of Hida that had established themselves as the dominant power in the north, now controlling Hida, most of Echizen, and parts of both Kaga and Mino.

Nobunaga, though he had wanted to act earlier to intervene in this chaos, had actually been distracted by growing tensions with the Imagawa clan. However, when the Imagawa clan turned east to deal with the Koga-Ashikaga, Nobunaga knew that he could now make his move...

Thank you Tojo! As of right now in game, its actually 1584 and, without spoiling anything, the Oda clan has grown in strength. However, many threats still loom for the clan... so it will be interesting!

Chapter Two Subset B: Oda-Kiso War
In 1574, Nobunaga drew up his plan for invading the Kiso. Though, due to the war-torn nature of the region, he could easily trounce them with his full force, he knew that if he did not leave his levies behind, the Imagawa would be all too tempted to invade Owari while he sent his generals away. Instead, he sent the personal soldiers of each retainer- totaling about 12,000- against the Kiso's total troop strength of 15,000.

With most of the Kiso army upon the Echizen plain, Nobunagas plan was to seize Hida while the majority of his force occupied the main Kiso army. Key to this plan was Odo Castle: a massive fortress built by the Asakura to keep out invasions from Mino and Hida, as it was positioned guarding a key mountain pass.

Sakuma Morishige, who had remained defending Ikeda, was put in charge of the left flank. His task was to come up the coast of Echizen with 3,000 men and therefore the flank of the Kiso main force. Alongside him, Togashi Fujitaka had been redeployed here, far away from Saji Tamekage.

Tamekage himself had still been in Ena with 3,000 men when the war began, and therefore his task- being on the right flank- was to seize Gujo Castle and then invade Hida proper. Alongside him was Okubo Chikakatsu, who had requested re-assignment after his mistreatment under Nihonmatsu Yoshikane.

Yoshikane himself, having displayed such talent in Mino, actually led the bulk of the army, outranking even his fellow campaigner from before, Hachisuka Masakatsu. Their 6,000 man main army was to assist Tamekage in seizing Gujo, and then quickly take Ono Fortress before the enemy army could arrive, therefore providing excellent defensive capability. Alongside them were Shibata Fusaaki and Maeda Toshiharu.

Things went off without a hitch when Yoshikane seized Gujo Castle within a matter of days- before Tamekage could even arrive. Shibata Fusaaki, whom Yoshikane had tasked with taking Motosu, also succeeded in seizing his target. Sakuma Morishige had less luck: his army found Nanjo occupied by Miki Chikasune, the great Kiso general whose career had actually been stagnating due to his contraction of leprosy.

The bad news truly came, however, when it was found out that the bulk of the Kiso army had already arrived at Ono Castle, having expecting Nobunaga to attack. It was lead by none other than Kiso Yoshimasa himself, as well as his ambitious nephew, Miki Yoritsuna. Both generals were known for their brilliance.

Saji Tamekage found himself facing the equally brilliant Miki Fujisada, but outnumbering him. Unfortunately, what he did not know is that Miki Haru, Yoshimasa's brother, was on his way with reinforcements from a secret mountain pass.

Sakuma Morishige, assisted by the equally talented Togashi Fujitaka, was able to not only beat the enemy at the Battle of Nanjo, but also take the castle and force Miki Chikasune to retreat to Imatachi. Such a victory provoked the response of Kiso Yoshimasa, who sent 2,000 men to aid him.

Thats when Nihonmatsu Yoshikane chose to strike against the Kiso lord at Ono. Due to Yoshimasa's ability, the Kiso forces put up a fight, but eventually the numerical superiority of the Oda forces won the day. At once, Yoshikane sent Hachisuka Masakatsu and Maeda Toshiharu to assist the forces at Nanjo. He would be forced to leave Shibata Fusaaki at Ono with only 1,000 men when he heard the news from Hida.

Although Saji Tamekage had dominated Miki Fujisada, seized Mashita Castle, and placed Hida Capital under siege, the Kiso reinforcements had arrived and were decimating his forces. After the Battle of Hida, he was forced to fall back into Mashita Castle. Nihonmatsu Yoshikane personally led the relief army for Tamekage, hoping to get there in time.

Hachisuka Masakatsu's arrival at Imatachi allowed Sakuma Morishige to defeat the Kiso forces there once and for all and besiege Imatachi Castle. With that flank under control, Masakatsu sent Maeda Toshiharu to assault Katsuyama and returned back to Ono Castle.

When Masakatsu had left Ono Castle, Nihonmatsu Yoshikane had enough men to continue the siege and prevent a sally-forth. When Yoshikane left Shibata Fusaaki, however, there were technically not enough men to continue the siege. However, though Fusaaki wasnt the greatest strategist, he was very cunning and underhanded. Having constructed sack-man armies and having his men spread out along the castle, he convinced even the great Kiso Yoshimasa that a large army still patrolled outside its walls.

In reality, that large army was under Nihonmatsu Yoshikane, completely destroying Miki Haru's forces which were guarding the mountain pass into Hida. With those forces out of the way, he was free to rescue Saji Tamekage at Mashita. However, when he arrived, he found out that Tamekage had somehow repelled the enemy, and was besieging Hida again. Yoshikane sent a small detachment to aid him, and then returned to Ono Castle.

What happened at Masahita Castle is often disputed by historians. Theories have been drawn ranging from earthquakes and rockslides to magic and superhuman strength. The most widely regarded theory is that of Okubo Chikakatsu's sacrifice. Saji Tamekage was in trouble. He was surrounded, outnumbered, and cut off from any reinforcement. He knew drastic measures had to have been taken, but he could not come up with a way to change the situation, other than somehow provoking the enemy to assault him. Chikakatsu, who had once been a ronin and had been nothing but mistreated under the Oda banner, proposed to Saji Tamekage that he feign betrayal.

Perhaps because his situation was so dire, Tamekage trusted Chikakatsu, and allowed the majority of his troops to leave the castle and defect. With almost no men left defending Mashita Castle, Kiso forces assaulted Tamekage. Just as he had promised, Chikakatsu turned on Kiso forces, completely disorienting them and allowing Tamekage the victory. Both Tamekage and Chikakatsu knew there would be losses, however. Chikakatsu, who had been in the Kiso main camp, was executed for ordering his men to attack. Chikakatsu had perished, but Mashita Castle was safe and Tamekage was able to press the momentum back on the Kiso forces.

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After that, most of the war was just clean-up duty. In the west, Imatachi fell to Sakuma Morishige and Satsuyama fell to Maeda Toshiharu. In the east, Saji Tamekage conquered Hida Castle and soon after Araki. Only Ono remained.

Unwiling to let such a powerful lord own such a powerful fortress, however, Nobunaga recalled Nihonmatsu Yoshikane to Owari in 1578, just before Ono Castle's fall. He knew Yoshikane would be upset, however, and so granted him large amounts of land in Owari. Yoshikane, who was impressed with Shibata Fusaaki's handling of Ono Castle, gave the Shibata family half of this land as well as Gujo, thus forging a bond between the two families.

Another bond that became of this war was that Saji Tamekage would adopt the infant Okubo Hideharu and gift him the entire prefecture of Hida, lording over him as regent. Although almost 50 years his senior, the sacrifice the Okubo made, and the impressive reward the Saji gave them would seal the two families into friendship for many generations.

After Ono Castle fell, the last of the Kiso was executed, and the Oda found itself at peace once more. However, with the Imagawa still distracted, Nobunaga knew he could press his conquest. Nagao Kagetora, or the Avatar of Bishamonten, Buddhist God of War, invaded the Hatakeyama in 1780. Nobunaga, wishing to grab the Hatakeyama gains in Echizen and Kaga, joined Kagetora.

By the war's end in 1581, Nihonmatsu Yoshikane had established himself in Echizen, Saji Tamekage in Kaga, and Hachisuka Masakatsu had even taken some lands in Etchu. The Avatar of Bishamonten, now sick with pneumonia, succeeded in taking most of Etchu and Noto.

With the fall of the Hatakeyama, the Echizen Wars had finally ended. In comparison to how much had happened in the past decade, not much had happened in the rest of Japan. Although other clans had consolidated their power, the only other major event was the downfall of the Ouchi clan. Although the Sue clan had claimed most of their land, the existance of the Akizuki and Sugi clans meant that the Miyoshi were the dominant power in western Japan.



Now with the majority of five prefectures behind him: Owari, Mino, Hida, Echizen, and Kaga, Nobunaga knew in his heart that his next enemy had to be none other than Imagawa Yoshimoto.

Thus ends Chapter Two. Since the contest ends tomorrow, and I have only 3 years of play after this date, this will be my last update before the contest ends.

I am actually surprised how much I enjoyed myself writing this, so I believe I will continue it! Anyway, thanks for your support, guys.