Taiko. Part 49

To attack the Asakura would mean a campaign to the northern provinces. It was a major undertaking, but the plan was approved in a very short time. On the very same day a proclamation went out that an army would be a.s.sembled, and by the twentieth day of that month it had already been mustered at Sakamoto. Added to the troops of Owari and Mino, were eight thousand Mikawa warriors under Tokugawa Ieyasu. A force of close to one hundred thousand men now stretched along the lakesh.o.r.e at Niodori, in the bright Fourth Month of late spring.

Reviewing the troops, n.o.bunaga pointed toward the mountain range to the north. "Look! The snow covering the mountains of the northern provinces has melted. We'll have the flowering of spring!" Hideyoshi had been included in this army, and led a contingent of troops.

He nodded to himself, thinking, "Well, while Lord n.o.bunaga was entertaining himself in the capital with Lord Ieyasu this spring, he was also waiting for the snows to melt in the mountain pa.s.ses leading to the northern provinces."

But more than that, he considered how n.o.bunaga's real skill had been in inviting Ieyasu to the capital. Indirectly he had displayed his own strength and achievements so that Ieyasu would not begrudge the forces he would be sending. This was n.o.bunaga's skill. Even with the chaos the world is in, it's going to be united by his ability. Hideyoshi believed this was true, and understood more than anyone else that the significance of this battle was in its absolute necessity.

The army advanced from Takashima, pa.s.sed k.u.magawa in Wakasa, and marched toward Tsuruga in Echizen. On and on it went, burning the enemy's fortresses and border posts, crossing mountain after mountain, and attacking Tsuruga within the month.

The Asakura, who had been making light of the enemy troops, were astonished that they were already there. Just half a month earlier, n.o.bunaga had been reveling in the spring flowers of the capital. The Asakura could not believe, even in their dreams, that they were looking at his banners here in their own province, even if he had been able to make his military preparations so quickly.

The ancient Asakura clan, descended from the imperial line, had risen to prominence for helping the first shogun, and later had been granted the entire province of Echizen.

The clan was the strongest in all the northern provinces; this was acknowledged by itself and others. The Asakura ranked as partic.i.p.ants in the shogunate, they were rich in natural resources, and they could depend on great military strength.

When he heard that n.o.bunaga had already reached Tsuruga, Yoshikage almost chided the man who had informed him. "Don't lose your head. You're probably mistaken."

The Oda army that fell upon Tsuruga made its base camp there and sent out battalions to attack the castles at Kanegasaki and Tezutsugamine.

"Where's Mitsuhide?" n.o.bunaga asked.

"General Mitsuhide is in command of the vanguard," a retainer replied.

"Call him back!" n.o.bunaga ordered.

"What is it, my lord?" Mitsuhide asked, hurrying back from the front lines.

"You lived in Echizen for a long time, so you should be especially familiar with the geography between this area and the Asakura's main castle at Ichijogadani. Why are you fighting out there for some tiny achievement with the vanguard, without devising some greater strategy?" n.o.bunaga inquired.

"I'm sorry." Mitsuhide bowed as though n.o.bunaga had somehow struck him deep inside. "If you will give me your order, I will draw you a map and submit it for you observation."

"Well then, I'll give you a formal order. The maps I have at hand are rather crude, and there seem to be places where they might be totally incorrect. Check them with the maps you have, correct them, and give them back to me."

In Mitsuhide's possession were finely detailed maps with which n.o.bunaga's could not compare. Mitsuhide withdrew and then returned with his own maps, which he presented to n.o.bunaga.

"I think you should look over the lay of the land. And I think I'd better make you an officer on my field staff." After that, n.o.bunaga would not let Mitsuhide stray far fron headquarters.

Tezutsugamine, the castle defended by Hitta Ukon, soon surrendered. But the castle at Kanegasaki was not so quick to fall. In this latter castle, Asakura Kagetsune, a twenty-six-year-old general, stood his ground. When he had been a monk in his youth, there were those who said it would be a pity for a warrior of his physique and disposition to enter holy orders. Thus he was forced back into secular life and quickly put in charge of a castle, distinguishing himself even within the Asakura clan. Surrounded by more than forty thousand troops commanded by such veteran generals as Sak.u.ma n.o.b.u.mori, Ikeda Shonyu, and Mori Yoshinari, Kagetsune looked down from the castle watchtower with an unperturbed expression, and broke into a smile.

"How ostentatious."

Yoshinari, n.o.b.u.mori, and Shonyu staged a general attack, staining the walls with blood and holding fast like ants for the entire day. When they counted the bodies at the end of the day, the enemy had lost over three hundred men, but the corpses of their own forces exceeded eight hundred. That night, however, the castle at Kanegasaki stood majestic and indomitable under a huge summer moon.

"This castle is not going to fall. And even if it does, it will not be a victory for us," Hideyoshi told n.o.bunaga that evening.

n.o.bunaga looked a bit impatient. "Why won't it be a victory for us if the castle falls?" There was, on such occasions, no reason for n.o.bunaga to be in a good mood.

"With the fall of this one castle, Echizen will not necessarily be overthrown. With the capture of this one castle, my lord, your military power will not necessarily increase."

n.o.bunaga interrupted him, asking, "But how can we advance without overcoming Kanegasaki?"

Hideyoshi suddenly turned to the side. Ieyasu had come in and was just standing there. Seeing Ieyasu, Hideyoshi hurriedly withdrew with a bow. He then brought in some matting and offered the lord of Mikawa a seat next to n.o.bunaga.

"Am I intruding?" Ieyasu asked, and then sat down on the seat Hideyoshi had provided. To Hideyoshi, however, he gave not the slightest recognition. "It seems as though you were in the middle of some discussion."

"No." Motioning toward Hideyoshi with his chin and softening his mood a bit, n.o.bunaga explained to Ieyasu exactly what they had been discussing.

Ieyasu nodded and stared fixedly at Hideyoshi. Ieyasu was eight years younger than n.o.bunaga, but to Hideyoshi it seemed the other way around. As Ieyasu looked at him, Hideyoshi could not imagine that his manner and expression were those of a man in his twenties.

"I agree with what Hideyoshi has said. To waste further time and injure more men with this one castle is not a sound policy."

"Do you think we should call off the attack and press on to the enemy's main stronghold?"

"First let's hear what Hideyoshi has to say. It seems he has something in mind."

"Hideyoshi."

"Yes, my lord."

"Tell us your plan."

"I don't have a plan."

"What?" n.o.bunaga was not the only one whose eyes showed surprise. The expression Ieyasu's face was a little perplexed, too.

"There are three thousand soldiers inside that castle, and its walls are hardened with their will to take on an army of ten thousand men and fight to the death. Even though it's small, there's no reason why the castle should fall easily. I doubt that it would be shaken even if we did have a plan. Those soldiers are men, too, so I imagine they must be susceptible to true human emotions and sincerity...."

"You're starting up again, eh?" n.o.bunaga said. He did not want Hideyoshi's tongue to wag any more than it had already. Ieyasu was his most powerful ally, and he treated him with extreme courtesy; but the man was, after all, lord of the two provinces of Mikawa and Totomi, and was not a member of the Oda clan's inner circle. More than that, n.o.bunaga was well enough attuned to Hideyoshi's mind that he didn't have to hear his thoughts in detail in order to trust him.

"Fine. That's fine," n.o.bunaga said. "I give you the authority for whatever you have in mind. Go ahead and carry it through."

"Thank you, my lord." Hideyoshi withdrew as though the matter were of no particular consequence. But that night he entered the enemy castle alone and met with its commander, Asakura Kagetsune. Hideyoshi opened his heart and spoke to the young master of this castle.

"You come from a samurai family, too, so you're probably looking at the end result of this battle. Further resistance will only result in the deaths of valuable soldiers. I, in particular, do not want to see you die a useless death. Rather than that, why don't you open up the castle and retreat properly, join forces with Lord Yoshikage, and meet us again, on a different battlefield? I will personally guarantee the security of all the treasures, weapons, and women and children inside the castle, and send them to you without trouble."

"Changing the field of battle and meeting you on another day would be interesting, Kagetsune replied, and went to prepare the retreat. With the full courtesy of a samurai, Hideyoshi allowed the retreating enemy all accommodations, and saw them off to a league beyond the castle.

It took a day and a half to settle the matter of Kanegasaki, but when Hideyoshi informed n.o.bunaga of what he had done, his lord's only response was, "Is that so?" and he added no great praise. The look on n.o.bunaga's face, however, indicated that he seemed to be thinking, You did too well-there is a limit to meritorious deeds. But Hideyoshi's great achievement could hardly be denied, regardless of who judged the matter.

If n.o.bunaga had praised him to the skies, however, it would have created a situation in which the generals Shonyu, n.o.b.u.mori, and Yoshinari would have been too ashamed to face their lord again. After all, they had sent eight hundred soldiers to their deaths and had been unable to defeat the enemy even with an overwhelming number of men. Hideyoshi was even more sensitive to the feelings of these generals, and when he made his report, he did not credit his own idea as the source of his efforts. He simply said that he had been following n.o.bunaga's orders.

"It was my intention to carry out everything according to orders. I hope you'll overlook my unskillful performance and the suddenness and secrecy of it all." Thus apologizing, he withdrew.

Ieyasu happened to be with the other generals at n.o.bunaga's side at this time. Grunting to himself, he watched Hideyoshi depart. From this point on, he realized that there was a formidable man not much older than he who had been born into this period as well. Meanwhile, having abandoned Kanegasaki and now in full retreat, Asakura Kagetsune hurried along, thinking that he would join his forces with those at the main castle at Ichijogadani, and measure his strength against n.o.bunaga's army once again, at another place. Still on the way, he met the twenty thousand troops that Asakura Yoshikage had sent running to relieve Kanegasaki.

"Now I've done it!" Kagetsune said, regretting that he had followed the counsel of the enemy, but it was too late.

"Why did you leave the castle without a fight?" Yoshikage shouted, enraged, but he was obliged to unite the two armies and return to Ichijogadani.

n.o.bunaga's men pushed on as far as Kinome Pa.s.s. If he could break through that strategic position, the very headquarters of the Asakura clan would be right before him. But an urgent message shocked the invading Oda troops.

A dispatch informed them that Asai Nagamasa of Omi, whose clan had been allied with the Asakura for several generations, had taken his army from north of Lake Biwa and cut off n.o.bunaga's retreat. Additionally, Sasaki Rokkaku, who had already tasted defeat at the hands of n.o.bunaga, was acting in concert with the Asai and coming from the mountainous area of Koga. One after another, they had led their armies to strike at n.o.bunaga's flank.

The enemy was now before and behind the invading army. Perhaps because of this change of events, the morale of the Asakura forces was high, and they were ready to sally from Ichijogadani and mount a furious counterattack.

"We've entered the jaws of death," n.o.bunaga said. He realized it was as if they had been looking for their own graves in enemy territory. What he suddenly feared was not just that Sasaki Rokkaku and Asai Nagamasa obstructed his retreat; what n.o.bunaga feared to the very marrow of his bones was the likelihood that the warrior-monks of the Honganji, whose fortress was in this area, would raise a war cry against the invader and unfold the banner opposing him. The weather had suddenly changed, and the invading army was a boat heading into the storm.

But where was an opening large enough for the retreat of ten thousand soldiers? Strategists warn that, by nature, an advance is easy and a retreat difficult. If a general makes one mistake, he may suffer the misfortune of the annihilation of his entire army.

"Please allow me to take charge of the rear guard. Then my lord can take the shortcut through Kuchikidani, unenc.u.mbered by too many men, and under cover of night, slip out of this land of death. By dawn the rest of the troops could retreat directly toward the capital," Hideyoshi offered.

With each moment that pa.s.sed, the danger became greater. That evening, accompanied by a few retainers and a force of only three hundred men, n.o.bunaga followed the pathless valleys and ravines and rode all night toward Kuchikidani. They were attacked countless times by the warrior-monks of the Ikko sect and local bandits, and for two days and nights they went without food, drink, or sleep. They finally reached Kyoto on the evening of the fourth day, but by that time, many of them were so tired that they were almost invalids. But they were the lucky ones. The one more to be pitied was the man who had taken responsibility for the rear guard on his own and, after the main army had made its escape, stayed behind with a tiny force in the lone fortress of Kanegasaki.

This was Hideyoshi. The other generals, who until now had envied his successes and secredy called him a quibbler and an upstart, now parted from him with heartfelt praise, calling him "the pillar of the Oda clan" and "a true warrior," and bringing firearms, gunpowder, and provisions to his camp as they left. As they laid the supplies down and left, it was as if they were leaving wreaths at a grave.

Then, from dawn until midday on the morning after n.o.bunaga's night escape, the nine thousand troops under Katsuie, n.o.b.u.mori, and Shonyu made good their escape. When the Asakura forces saw this and pursued to attack them, Hideyoshi struck their flank and threatened them from behind. And when the Oda force had finally been able to slip away from disaster, Hideyoshi and his troops shut themselves up in the castle at Kanegasaki, vowing, "This is where we'll leave this world."

Demonstrating their will to die fighting, they barred the castle gate tightly, eating what there was to eat, sleeping whenever there was time to sleep, and said their farewells to the world. The commander of the attacking Asakura forces was the brave general Keya Shichizaemon. Rather than injure many of his own men by dashing against troops who were ready to die, he besieged the fortress, cutting off Hideyoshi's retreat.

"Night attack!" When this warning was given in the middle of the second night, all the preparations made beforehand were deployed without the least confusion. Keya's army rushed out against the enemy moving in the dark and completely routed Hideyoshi's small force, which fled quickly back into the castle.

"The enemy is resigned to die, and is shouting its own death cry! Take this opportunity, and we'll capture the castle by dawn!" Keya ordered. They rushed to the edge of the moat, a.s.sembled rafts, and crossed the water. In no time at all, thousands of soldiers took possession of the stone walls.

Then, just as Shichizaemon had vowed, Kanegasaki fell with the coming of the dawn. But what did his forces find? Not one of Hideyoshi's men was in the castie. Their banners were standing. Smoke already curled toward the sky. Horses were neighing. Hideyoshi, however, was not there. The attack the night before had not been an attack at all.

Led by Hideyoshi, his small army had only pretended to flee back into the castle, while in fact it searched like the wind for a way of escape from certain death. By dawn, Hideyoshi's men were already at the base of the mountains that wound their way along the provincial border, making good their escape.

Keya Shichizaemon and his troops did not, of course, watch them go in mute amazement. "Make ready for pursuit!" he ordered. "After them!"

Hideyoshi's troops took the path of retreat deep into the mountains, continuing their flight throughout the night without pausing to eat or drink.

"We're not out of the tiger's den yet!" Hideyoshi warned them. "Don't slacken up. Don't rest. Don't think about thirst. Just keep your will to live!" On they marched to Hideyoshi's admonishments. As expected, Keya began to catch up with them. When he heard the enemy's battle cries behind them, Hideyoshi first ordered a short rest and then spoke to his soldiers.

"Don't be alarmed. Our enemies are fools. They're raising their war cries as they climb up the valley while we're on high ground. We're all tired, but the enemy is chasing after us in anger, and many of them are going to be exhausted. When they're in range, shower them with rocks and stones, and thrust your spears at them."

His men were tired, but they regained their confidence at his reason and clarity.

"Come and get us!" they yelled as they stood ready for the attack. Keya's chastis.e.m.e.nt of Hideyoshi's troops was returned to him in a miserable defeat. Innumerable corpses piled up beneath the rocks and spears.

"Retreat!" The voices that screamed the order finally grew hoa.r.s.e in the valleys into which the Asakura retreated.

"Now's our chance! Pull back! Retreat!"

Hideyoshi seemed almost to mimic the enemy, and his men turned and fled toward the southern lowlands. Leading his surviving soldiers, Keya once again went in pursuit. Keya's men were truly implacable, and though the remaining strength of the punitive force had already weakened considerably, the warrior-monks of the Honganji joined the attack, blocking the road as Hideyoshi's men tried to pa.s.s through the mountains leading down into Omi. When the men tried to turn from the road, arrows and stones flew from the swamps and forests to the right and left, accompanied by screams of "Don't let them pa.s.s!" Even Hideyoshi started to think that his time had come. But now was the moment to summon the will to live and to resist the temptation to succ.u.mb.

'Let heaven decide whether our luck is good or bad and whether we live or die! Run down through the marsh to the west. Escape along the mountain streams. Their waters flow into Lake Biwa. Run as fast as the water itself. Your escape from death is speed!" He did not tell them to fight. This was the Hideyoshi who knew so well how to employ men, but even he did not think of ordering his starving troops, who had gone two days and two nights without sleep or rest, to repel an ambush by unknown numbers of warrior-monks. All he wanted was to help every last soldier in his pitiful force to return to the capital. And there was nothing stronger than the will to live.

Under Hideyoshi's orders, the tired and hungry troops struck their way into the marsh in a downhill rush of almost uncanny force. It was a reckless move that could have been called neither strategy nor even self-abandonment, for the warrior-monks hidden in the depths of the forest were like mosquitoes. Still, on they ran, right through the enemy. And this, in fact, opened up a fissure in the enemy ranks, and they were able to rend the carefully laid ambush into pieces. As they ran, order turned to chaos, and all the men scrambled to the south, following the mountain streams.

"Lake Biwa!"

"We're saved!" They shouted for joy.

The following day they entered Kyoto.

When n.o.bunaga saw them, he exclaimed, "Thank heaven you've come back alive. You're like G.o.ds. You are truly like G.o.ds."

4.

FIRST YEAR OF GENKI 1570.

Characters and Places.

Asai Nagamasa, lord of Omi.

and n.o.bunaga's brother-in-law Asakura Yoshikage, lord of Echizen Amakasu Sanpei, ninja of the Takeda clan Takeda Shingen, lord of Kai Kaisen, zen monk and Shingen's adviser Sak.u.ma n.o.b.u.mori, senior Oda retainer.

Takei Sekian, senior Oda retainer Mori Ranmaru, n.o.bunaga's page Fujikage Mikawa, senior Asai retainer Oichi, Asai Nagamasa's wife and n.o.bunaga's sister Chacha, Oichi and Nagamasa's eldest daughter Honganji, headquarters of the warrior-monks of the Ikko sect Mount Hiei, mountain east of Kyoto and headquarters of the Tendai sect Kai, province of the Takeda clan.

Hamamatsu, Tokugawa Ieyasu's castle Nijo, shogun's palace in Kyoto Omi, province of the Asai clan Odani, main castle of the Asai clan Echizen, province of the Asakura clan.

Enemy of the Buddha.

On the first night after their return to Kyoto, the officers and men of the rear guard, who had narrowly escaped with their lives, could only think of one thing: sleep.

After reporting to n.o.bunaga, Hideyoshi wandered off in a daze.

Sleep. Sleep.

The following morning he opened his eyes for just a moment, and then went straight back to sleep. Around noon he was awakened by a servant and ate some rice gruel, but in a state between waking and dreaming, he only knew that it tasted good.

"Are you going back to sleep?" the servant asked in amazement.

Hideyoshi finally woke up two days later in the evening, feeling totally disoriented. "What day is it?"

"It's the second," the samurai on duty answered.

The second, he thought as he wearily dragged himself out of the room. Then Lord n.o.bunaga must have recovered, too.

n.o.bunaga had rebuilt the Imperial Palace and constructed a new residence for the shogun, but he himself did not have a mansion in the capital. Whenever he came to Kyoto, he would stay in a temple, and his retainers would lodge in neighboring branch temples.