Chronicles of The Hardships of Komachi in The Sengoku Era

1571, mid-May.

Several days after the spy hunt, the number of measles infections decreased significantly. By the end of April, there were no new cases and almost all of those who were hospitalized in the isolation ward were discharged safely. Even now, measles continues to wreak havoc outside the influence of the Oda clan, but once infected, antibodies are produced in the body, preventing infection for over 10 years. Therefore, even if infected individuals from outside enter Kyoto, measles will not spread again within Kyoto. The only thing left is to prepare the MR (measles-rubella combination) vaccine, but it would take several years to build and manufacture it from scratch even in modern times. In the Sengoku period, it would take even more time, so Shizuko thought it would not be easy to complete it. Although research is ongoing, she estimated that practical use would be possible in 30 to 40 years based on the current progress.

The crowd in front of the mansion also decreased, and Kyoto regained its usual calm.

“It seems like it’s about time to return to Owari.”

After reading the report sent by the messenger, Shizuko concluded that her role was finished. The number of measles infections was decreasing, there were no new cases for four days or more, and the temporary isolation ward was now less than half full, which was sufficient. She thought there was no need to stay in Kyoto any longer.

“Ah! Finally, my life buried in paperwork is coming to an end.”

Nagayoshi rubbed his shoulders while saying that, but he didn’t really have much to do with organizing documents. However, from his perspective, even a little bit of office work felt like a life buried in paperwork.

“I was thinking of letting it slide that Katsuzo (Mori Nagayoshi) slacked off on organizing documents and pushed it onto me, but if you have the luxury to say that, then we can still keep going.”

Shizuko glared at Nagayoshi with a half-eye, slightly reproaching him. However, she didn’t feel like saying anything more and let out a tired sigh.

“Katsuzo (Mori Nagayoshi)… You not only played around during your rounds, but you also pushed documents onto Shizuko-sama?”

It was Saizo who reacted. His tone of voice didn’t change, but his eyes didn’t show any signs of laughter.

“W-Wait! Th-There’s, um, a deep reason behind this. Yeah, so let’s calm down… okay?”

Feeling the atmosphere where Saizo seemed ready to draw his sword at any moment, Nagayoshi hastily waved his hands and made excuses.

Since their sparring match, Saizo had become someone Nagayoshi considered as “someone you shouldn’t anger.” Nagayoshi was used to rough situations, so he didn’t pay much attention to being targeted with anger by ordinary people. However, he felt genuine fear towards Saizo’s anger. Especially his faint smile, Nagayoshi felt that madness lurked in the depths of his fixed smile. Even Nagayoshi, who didn’t have much life experience, could understand that. Saizo was someone you shouldn’t anger.

“Very well. Let’s hear that excuse of yours.”

“Y-Yeah. Um…”

“However, if it’s a lousy reason, I won’t show any mercy.”

It was doubtful whether Nagayoshi’s excuse was reaching Saizo’s ears, and he gradually cornered Nagayoshi. Nagayoshi, who understood Saizo’s abilities well, tried to appease his anger somehow. Meanwhile, Keiji watched the two of them with a look of enjoyment, as if saying that fighting was a man’s honor.

“You seem to be having fun. I could have come up with plenty of headache material.”

While saying that, Shizuko directed her gaze towards the corner of the room. In the corner of the room, there was a box filled to the brim with documents and various gifts. The size of the documents varied, but it was clear that high-quality paper was used just by looking at them. From there, it could be understood that all the senders were nobles.

“The Christians, temples and shrines, the shogunate, the imperial court, the court nobles, and various forces in Kyoto are all passionately recruiting Shizuko.”

Contrary to her words, Keiji seemed to be enjoying it. However, for Shizuko, it was nothing but troublesome.

It was not surprising that various forces were infatuated with her. Epidemics have always had a significant negative impact on society, economy, and culture. Once a highly infectious disease spread, tens of thousands, or even millions, of people would lose their lives. In some areas, as much as 70% of the population would die in a short period of time. In Japan, measles was deified as a plague god and was feared along with smallpox and chickenpox, collectively known as the “Three Great Diseases.” While the plague was famous in Europe and other epidemics were overshadowed, smallpox and measles were also greatly feared.

To prevent a disease that had a high probability of death without using rare medicines or praying to gods and Buddhas. People of various social statuses, from courtiers and officials to slaves and beggars, were infected. And most people overcame the disease and were discharged on their own feet. The fact that measles was spreading but was kept under control with very few fatalities shook the rulers throughout Japan. Temples, shrines, and samurai families that were uncooperative in measles prevention spread rumors such as “Oda killed sick people and replaced them” or “Oda used supernatural creatures to bring the epidemic to Kyoto,” but most people trembled in fear of Oda’s wisdom. However, this time, the source of Nobunaga’s wisdom was clear, so a campaign to recruit Shizuko was launched. Shizuko had no intention of serving anyone other than Nobunaga, but she felt down when she was approached with talks almost every day.

“Instead of spending money on me, I want you to spend it on maintaining public order. The public order has already worsened due to the uprising, and people still don’t have the luxury.”

It seemed like peace had been restored in Kyoto through Nobunaga’s public order policies. However, unlike Owari and Mino, petty crimes continued to occur due to the lack of financial resources among the people. In Kyoto, the center of politics and culture, various forces were intertwined, so it couldn’t be helped.

“By the way, the horse I ordered for Keiji should be arriving soon. Will you stay in Kyoto to receive it?”

“Hahaha, Shizuchi, you make interesting jokes.”

“Well, that’s true. It won’t arrive in time for the Nagashima Ikko-ikki this time, but maybe it will for the next battle.”

In addition to Arabian horses, Shizuko had ordered a horse specifically for Keiji from Frois. The reason for it being exclusively for Keiji was that no one else besides him could handle the horse that Shizuko had requested a year ago.

(Destrier, huh? It was a heavy breed of war horse that was lost in modern times, but it was the largest and had the best stamina among military horses.)

In medieval Europe, large horse breeds were sought after as cavalry horses. They had a stature resembling those seen in movies depicting the Middle Ages, and stability was more important than explosive power, so they had low height and thick legs. Among them, the most splendid and strong war horse was the Destrier. Although it was called large, it was only in comparison to humans at that time, and its height was only about the same as a modern Thoroughbred. However, its performance was outstanding, and it was called the Great Horse. Unfortunately, the Destrier, which was a breed of horse, has been lost, but it is believed that the genes of large horses have been inherited by today’s heavy horse breeds.

The most famous horse that was actually ridden on the battlefield was the Courser, and as the Italian word Corsiero, which means “fighting horse,” suggests, it was widely used as a war horse. On the other hand, the Destrier was mainly used in equestrian competitions rather than wars. This was because the Destrier was very expensive, sometimes reaching about 30 times the price of a Courser.

As a side note, the famous large horse breed is the Percheron, but it only reached its current size in modern times. In the medieval and early modern periods, it was not much different in size from the Destrier.

“Is anyone there?”

Shizuko, who was tired of watching the commotion between Saizo and Nagayoshi, called out towards the entrance. Just as she thought she heard rough footsteps, the sound stopped where Shizuko had called out earlier.

“You called for me, my lord.”

Genro’s voice could be heard from the other side of the entrance. Shizuko was slightly curious about what kind of ear structure he had, but she immediately stopped thinking as she had been feeling tired lately.

“I will be returning to Owari tomorrow, so instruct all the accompanying soldiers to prepare for the return. After finishing, take some rest and prepare for tomorrow. I don’t want to be involved in Kyoto’s politics any longer…”

Shizuko let out a yawn in the middle of her sentence. While physical fatigue was present during the measles outbreak, she was currently more mentally exhausted. Moreover, the other party would come regardless of her circumstances. Closing the gate or refusing to meet them due to her poor health, the pressure from the other side made Shizuko exhausted.

“Well, sorry about that. Anyway, I won’t stay in Kyoto any longer. I will return to Owari tomorrow. We will discuss what comes next after arriving in Owari. Please convey this to the messenger.”

“Understood, my lord. You seem tired, so leave the gatekeeping to us.”

“Please, and thank you.”,After briefly responding to Shizuko’s words, Genro quickly and quietly left, trying to suppress his footsteps as much as possible. Shizuko, who understood that she was showing signs of irritation and fatigue on her face without even realizing it, forced her sluggish thought process, which had been dulled by many worries. Her mind wasn’t working at all, and it took more time than usual for her thoughts to come together, but she finally reached a conclusion. Since there was no improvement in the situation, the best thing she could do was just one thing. Shizuko pulled Kaiser and Wittman closer to her without telling anyone and the conclusion slipped out of her mouth like a soliloquy.

“I’m going to sleep. Wake me up tomorrow.”

Shizuko, who had given up on thinking, immediately sent a response declining the invitations from various factions the next day, without waiting for their replies, and returned to Owari. When she arrived at her residence in Owari, Shizuko immediately received a red seal letter from Nobunaga through Aya. Upon checking the contents, it was as she expected, it was about the Nagashima Ikko Ikki. However, she judged that it was not urgent enough to make a forced march, and ordered all the attendants who had accompanied her to Kyoto to take a complete rest for a total of two days.

Early May, two days later. After getting enough rest, Shizuko changed her mindset and summoned the military officers to discuss the Nagashima Ikko Ikki. The people she summoned were Keiji, Saizo, Nagayoshi, Ashimitsu, and the captains of the archer cavalry, Jinjo and Shikichi. Takatora (Yokichi Toudou) was still new and Shou couldn’t participate like Aya because she was a lady-in-waiting.

“Regarding the march to Nagashima Ikko Ikki this time, the red seal letter only says ‘do as you like’. So this time, we will act based on our own judgment.”

“If they say ‘do as you like’, it’s confusing what we should do.”

Ashimitsu complained, but he didn’t seem to mind much and had a small smile on his face.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan. First, let me explain the enemy’s situation. The Nagashima Ikko Ikki group has strengthened their defense with Nagashima Castle and fourteen other fortresses. It’s difficult to attack Nagashima Castle, so we will ignore it this time.”

They built fourteen fortresses including Nagashima Castle, Oshima Castle, Nakae Castle, Odagosaki Fortress, Otorii Castle, Katori Fortress, Ya Nagashima Castle, Matsunoki Fortress, Shinohashi Castle, Ichinoe Fortress, Uguiura Fortress, Ebinoe Fortress, Kajito Fortress, Oshitsuke Fortress, and Tonmei Fortress, and the Nagashima Ikko Ikki group resisted the Oda army.

Based on the fact that the historical first invasion of Nagashima ended in about four days, Shizuko judged that it would be pointless to attack the fortresses by force and only result in the loss of soldiers.

“The main role this time will be played by the archer cavalry, and Ashimitsu-san will be in command. We have taken into account that the special weapon is completed, but are you sure it will be okay?”

“I see, I understand now. There’s no problem, the special weapon has already undergone field tests. We used it on a river and even after leaving it for a day, it was still usable.”

“Then there’s no problem.”

“Hey, what’s going on? Explain it to me so I can understand.”

Nagayoshi, who was frustrated because he couldn’t understand the content of the conversation, voiced his question in a slightly rough tone.

“Sorry about that. Can you all take a look at the map first?”

Shizuko spread out a roughly drawn map of the Kinki and Chubu regions on the table. Once she confirmed that everyone was looking at it, she explained while holding a small command baton in her hand.

“First of all, the main objective of the operation this time is to crush the Sakai group. I think everyone knows that the Sakai group is cooperating with the Honganji Temple. So if Lord Oda attacks Nagashima, they will definitely send a supply support from the Kuwana area to Nagashima by sea. The goal this time is to crush this supply convoy.”

“I see, if we crush the supply convoy, we can cause damage to both supplies and personnel. But isn’t it difficult to handle bows at sea?”

“I understand that. And if we use regular bows, we would have to get quite close to the enemy’s defense facilities. That’s why we need the skill of the archer cavalry.”

The archer cavalry, who were skilled in sniping in uncertain footing while dismounted, and had undergone sufficient sniper training even while mounted, could aim at the supply convoy from a considerable distance even on a ship. The problem was that their proficiency in sniping on a ship was low, but considering that the battle would only last for a few days, they could overlook it.

“Wouldn’t it be difficult to identify the enemy at such a long distance?”

“What are you saying? We’ll turn all the ships on the sea into seaweed.”

Shizuko replied to Nagayoshi’s casually muttered words with a completely normal expression. Nagayoshi himself was surprised by her response, but she continued speaking without paying much attention to it.

“We also need to show the Oda clan’s determination this time. So we won’t attack without confirming the enemy first. We’ll strike first and sink everything, supplies, personnel, everything.”

“What if they surrender?”

Ashimitsu asked Shizuko, even though he knew the answer. Understanding his intention, Shizuko looked at everyone without changing her expression and answered.

“Nothing will change. We will sink everything, supplies, personnel, everything to the bottom of the sea. It’s for the best. If we show weakness here, they will continue to underestimate the Oda clan, which will result in more sacrifices in the future. To prevent damage to our side, we can’t afford to be lenient this time.”

“Well, I understand that. But according to what you’re saying, most of the army won’t be moving, right? What are we supposed to do?”

Nagayoshi’s question was natural. In Shizuko’s plan, only the archer cavalry and Ashimitsu had a place to act, and there was no mention of the main force such as Keiji, Saizo, and Nagayoshi. It would be bad for their reputation if they mobilized but didn’t participate in the operation, so Shizuko thought that they should do something to avoid that.

“Hmm, it’s still not good for our reputation. It’s a problem if we only mobilize fifty out of ten thousand. But we need to do something… Ah, I have an idea.”

While recalling the map of Nagashima and its surroundings, Shizuko thought about giving some task to the ten thousand soldiers. After a while, she remembered a certain tactic. And she was confident that it would serve as a pretext to some extent and also help minimize the damage to her allies.

“Shizuko-sama, do you have a clever plan?”

“Simply put, we will use the fortification tactic. I think everyone knows what a fortification is, but let me explain just in case. It means creating our own base right next to the enemy’s base.”

A fortification refers to a temporary defensive base prepared to attack an enemy castle. [※1] Even with relatively simple construction, it can be used to capture an enemy castle and reduce casualties, so building a fortification near an enemy castle has been done since ancient times.

“But wouldn’t that be meaningless?”

Nagayoshi, who thought of it as just one fortification, tilted his head at Shizuko’s fortification tactic. However, that was his mistake. Shizuko’s fortification tactic involved connecting her own fortification with a network, cutting off the enemy castle’s coordination, and isolating it to sever communication with the outside. It required a huge labor force, civil engineering skills, transportation capabilities for supplies, ammunition, and troops to defend against the enemy’s fierce attacks, but the results were worth it. Since infrastructure development had progressed in Owari, it was not particularly difficult to transport supplies and labor for the fortification.

“I think it’s not very effective if you consider it as just one fortification.”

Shizuko drew a hexagram around the black circle in the center of the white paper and drew circles at each vertex.

“The advantage of this fortification tactic is that our casualties will be significantly reduced.”

By improving the defensive capabilities of the fortification, even if the enemy attacked, they could easily defend by taking refuge in the fortification and coordinating with the fortifications on both sides. If wounded soldiers were moved to the rear and treated inside the fortification, the number of casualties could be significantly reduced.

“But the enemy won’t be foolish. They will send reinforcements. What will you do then?”

“The enemy will send reinforcements for their rear guard, but we can just shoot arrows and bullets from the fortification. If we take refuge in a fortified position with strong defense, the enemy will eventually give up on capturing it. Once that happens, it will be ours. We can make them surrender or kill them as we please.”

The fortification tactic was originally a foothold for attacking enemy castles, but Nobunaga realized its effectiveness when he besieged the Kotani Castle with a fortification and used it extensively to capture sturdy castles. He also adopted the fortification tactic among his retainers, and when Hideyoshi attacked Tottori Castle, he conducted a large-scale siege with a fortification tactic and a siege on the food supply.

“As always, your thoughts are ruthless.”

“But as a tactic, it’s flawless. If there’s a disagreement between surrendering or fighting to the death inside the castle, it will show the Oda clan’s determination. If there are those who defect to the Oda side, it will further burden the enemy.”

“It will require a lot of materials and funds… but Lord Oda wrote ‘do as you like’, so there’s no choice but to follow orders, right?”,”If it’s civil engineering work, we can hire intermediaries. Personally, I want to attack the Ichinoe Fort and Uguiura Fort on the Owari side. Ideally, we should secure the Kuwana area… but we’ll give up on that this time.”

“Hmm, depending on the situation, there is a possibility of conducting maritime supply to the forts. If I strike there, the enemy will fall into further despair.”

“I’ll ask the Kuki navy for help with the maritime blockade. We haven’t developed screw propellers yet, but we have been building warships with keels. We have about twenty or thirty of them… I think that’s enough.”

Screw propellers have various problems and have not yet been put into practical use. However, the construction of keel ships, which use a single piece of wood as the keel, has been put into practical use.

Traditional Japanese ships built in Japan have adopted a shipbuilding method using planks and caulked seams. Although they have the advantage of being lighter than ships with keels, they are weak in terms of strength and vulnerable to collisions. Therefore, Japanese ships have fewer tactics that utilize the ship’s hull compared to Western ships.

“Let’s summarize. First, divide the army into three. The first army, led by Ashimitsu, will be responsible for the maritime blockade and crushing the supply troops, with the help of the Kuki navy and the archer cavalry. The second army, led by Keiji, will target the Uguiura Fortress along with Katsuzo (Mori Nagayoshi)’s unit. And the third army, led by me and Saizo’s unit, will target the Ichinoe Fort. Please submit a request for the necessary funds.”

“Wow, you’re generous.”

“It’s because it’s from our Lord. Since he told us to do as we please, we will do as we please. Also, let me remind you, persuasion is meaningless against the Ikko sect. If there’s nothing else, let’s disband.”

No objections were raised in particular. The purpose was clear, and there was a clear path towards the goal. Keiji, Saizo, Nagayoshi, and even Ashimitsu had no objections. Finally, Shizuko glanced at everyone, stood up quietly, and informed them.

“Now, each of you, start preparing. Dismissed!”

The first invasion of Nagashima, as in historical fact, took place on May 12, 1571 (Genki 2), when Nobunaga led an army of 50,000 to Ise. Instead of the entire army moving together, the army was divided into four and attacked. Nobunaga’s main force camped in Tsushima, Sukuma Nobufusa’s army attacked from Nakasujiguchi, Shibata Katsuie’s army attacked from Otaguchi on the Nishikawakishi side, and Shizuko’s unit attacked from the direction of the Ichinoe Fort.

Initially, Shizuko planned to divide the army into two and attack, but due to the fierce resistance at the Ichinoe Fort, the second and third armies focused their efforts on constructing attached castles around the Ichinoe Fort. The second army constructed attached castles from the Owari side, and the third army constructed attached castles from the Ogie Castle side defended by Nobukane. The reason for the division was due to the wind direction.

Using the prefab construction method, attached castles were built in just one day. This was the first practical use of the attached castle construction method, which later became known as “Ichiyatsukejiro” within the Oda army. The plasterboard covering the exterior was gradually replaced with concrete blocks over the course of another day, resulting in sturdy attached castles with solid outer walls. During the construction, the Ikko sect made several attempts to attack the attached castles on the opposite side of the river, but they were repelled by attacks from three directions. On the third day, when the wind finally blew in the desired direction, Shizuko decided to use one of her secret weapons.

“This time, we aim for a short-term battle. Fire at least 30 rounds, and fire them in order as soon as you’re ready!”

Ashigaru (light foot soldiers) holding Shizuko’s secret weapon quickly moved in response to her command.

Shizuko’s secret weapon was the fire arrow on a stick, also known as the roasted fire arrow. It was a primitive rocket propelled by black powder. Although the range varied depending on the amount of gunpowder and the tailwind, there are records stating that it reached a range of three kilometers.

The fuel for the rocket was not black powder, but a fuel made from potassium nitrate, sugar, and corn syrup. It would become even more powerful if mixed with red iron oxide (benbara), but they didn’t have time to prepare those, so they skipped it. The tip of the rocket was filled with a special substance. The details are omitted, but by mixing sugar, concentrated sulfuric acid, and a certain chemical, a substance that could ignite even on rainy days could be refined. If it was corked and the container exploded upon impact, it would scatter and ignite fires in various places.

One soldier signaled to the attached castle. It was a signal to inform Shizuko and the others of the timing to shoot the fire arrows at the Ichinoe Fort. After confirming the response from the attached castle side, Shizuko pointed her command sword (a Japanese sword used as a baton) towards the Ichinoe Fort. Ashigaru (light foot soldiers) understood it as a signal for firing and aimed their fire arrows at the Ichinoe Fort.

“Fire!”

Along with Shizuko’s command, the surroundings were enveloped in smoke. Since the fire arrows emitted a large amount of smoke, the visibility in the surroundings was momentarily lost. However, since the wind was blowing towards the Ichinoe Fort, the smoke quickly cleared. Five shots were fired, two missed, but three hit parts of the Ichinoe Fort.

“Adjust the firing angle only for cannons four and two! Others, immediately fire the next round!”

“Understood! Loading the next round… Loading complete! Firing!”

Along with the voices of the Ashigaru (light foot soldiers), the fire arrows were fired one after another. Fires broke out in various parts of the Ichinoe Fort, and by the time it became a situation where extinguishing them was impossible, many Ikko sect members rushed out of the fort. Some escaped to Uguiura Fortress, but most desperately attacked the attached castles. However, it was difficult to capture the attached castles that were in a defensive position, and the Ikko sect members fell one after another. During this time, Shizuko’s unit cut the embankment and flooded the area within the circle of attached castles, but it didn’t have much effect since it wasn’t during a flood.

“…Finish cleaning up quickly! Once preparations are complete, return to Ogie Castle!”

“Yes!”

After quickly completing the preparations for retreat, Shizuko’s unit returned to Ogie Castle. Keiji, Saizo, Nagayoshi, and Takatora (Yokichi Toudou), who had been giving instructions at each attached castle, returned one after another. After arriving at Ogie Castle, the four of them each took a break. Takatora (Yokichi Toudou), perhaps reminded of the sight of people being burned alive up close, moved to a corner and vomited.

“You’re weak. It might be a bit tough for you.”

“That’s true. Although it’s not a pleasant sight, when I see them, I realize that it’s impossible to show mercy.”

“Indeed. I understand the reason why Shizuko-sama ordered us to crush them thoroughly after seeing them. Normally, we could recommend surrender, but they don’t listen to reason. It’s a choice between destroying them or being destroyed.”

“Well, I’m quite shaken too. If there weren’t people around, I would have vomited too. And to be honest, I feel special when I see Katsuzo (Mori Nagayoshi) eating meat without hesitation, even after witnessing such a horrific scene.”

Even Shizuko, after witnessing the sight of people being burned alive, didn’t have the thick nerves to eat dried meat as if nothing happened. She managed to suppress the urge to vomit. If the supreme commander showed weakness, it would directly affect the morale of the soldiers.

“It’s normal, isn’t it?”

“…Your normal seems different from my normal. Well… I’ve calmed down. Oh, right. After using the attached castles to capture the Ichinoe Fort, we will take over the others and start attacking Uguiura Fortress from tomorrow. I think the people who escaped from the Ichinoe Fort are causing a commotion at Uguiura Fortress by now, so it will be a bit tough from tomorrow.”

Shizuko’s prediction was half correct. The deserters who fled from the Ichinoe Fort to Uguiura Fortress were causing a stir about the Oda army, but it was mostly about the fire arrows. However, it couldn’t be helped. The fire arrows left a strong impression due to their flashy attack. On the other hand, the attached castle tactic appeared to be simply setting up more attached castles than necessary when viewed from the outside. In this case, since they surrounded the fort with attached castles and carried out the fire sea operation with the fire arrows, the value of the attached castle tactic was not understood.

“It’s an interesting tactic to surround the fort with attached castles. That person always surprises me, and this time too.”

But there are exceptions to everything. While the soldiers under his command were excited about the fire arrows, Nobunaga realized the effectiveness of the attached castle tactic. He immediately understood the weakness of the fire arrows. The fire arrows were weapons capable of long-range attacks, but they couldn’t capture a fort with that alone. Therefore, after surrounding the fort with attached castles, he believed that burning down the Ichinoe Fort with fire arrows would be the key. If the fire arrows were the main force, the attached castle tactic would be the unsung hero. Neither tactic would work alone.

Furthermore, Nobunaga believed that the fire arrows were only useful in the battlefield and difficult to use elsewhere. Ordinary castles are built in difficult-to-deploy locations such as mountainous areas where many troops cannot be deployed. If they easily set fire to such places, it could cause a forest fire and engulf their own camp. On the other hand, the attached castles in the circle were built on river sandbars, enclosing the living environment itself. Even if the enemy managed to breach the defensive walls and enter the interior, they would be washed away and repelled just by cutting the upstream embankment. Therefore, it was more advantageous to set fire from a long distance and attack unilaterally. Additionally, the attached castles in the circle were isolated from the surrounding area by the embankment, so there was no worry of the fire spreading, allowing for a safe fire attack. If it was a difficult-to-deploy area for deploying large armies, setting up attached castles and dividing the army into smaller units was a reasonable choice.

“Hmph, I was thinking of burning down the surrounding villages and retreating, but I’ve changed my mind. Send messengers to the other corps! Surround the Ikko sect’s fort with attached castles and capture them one by one!”,In historical fact, the Oda army, which retreated on May 16th, launched a counterattack and killed Ieie Ujiie and several of his retainers, but they were saved from death by Nobunaga extending the retreat period by a few weeks. On June 6th, after capturing the Ichinoe Fortress, Uguiura Fortress, and Kajito Fortress, Nobunaga stationed soldiers and guards at the attached castle and withdrew the remaining army.

Interestingly, the day Nobunaga retreated was the same day in history when the fourth head of the Ganshoji Temple died suddenly at the age of 35. Although the fourth head survived after June 6th, when he visited Tado several times to confirm the extent of the damage, he was shot by hidden Oda soldiers and lost his life.

The reason why the advancing Oda army retreated from Nagashima is complex. First, assuming that the battle would last only about four days, Shizuko advanced with equipment for a short-term battle. And assuming that it was not possible to deploy a large army in the Nagashima area, they divided into two corps, with Shizuko and Saizo planning to capture the Ichinoe Fortress, while Keiji and Nagayoshi’s second corps planned to capture the Uguiura Fortress using a different route. However, they realized that the Ichinoe Fortress was a strong fortress, and there was a risk that if they were delayed with their forces divided, the levee would be cut and the ring would be flooded, causing the premise of a short-term battle to collapse.

Therefore, Shizuko stopped the second corps and switched to a strategy of capturing the Ichinoe Fortress with the entire army. At this point, Shizuko switched to the idea of using up all weapons and materials for the capture of the Ichinoe Fortress. Therefore, they spent a large amount of money to carry out civil engineering work in the middle and quickly built the attached castle. After that, they set the Ichinoe Fortress on fire, burned down all the houses on the levee, and spread salt on the farmland before destroying the levee beyond repair. After that, they only had to wait for the retreat order, according to Shizuko’s plan.

However, Nobunaga realized the effectiveness of the attached castle strategy, and the Oda army began attacking the fortresses one after another using the attached castle strategy. Of course, the sudden change in strategy and the fact that the armies of Sukuma Nobumori and Shibata Katsuie were not prepared for the attached castle hindered the progress of the attacks.

Although Nobunaga changed the strategy to prevent losses and because he felt that the Nagashima Ikko-shu could not be attacked with a simple show of force, it caused even more chaos than expected. Nobunaga realized his mistake, but it was already too late, and it was impossible to restore the morale of the army. In the end, they used the materials used for the Ichinoe Fortress to capture the Uguiura Fortress and Kajito Fortress with the main Oda army and Shizuko’s corps. However, Nobunaga felt the need to rethink the strategy and issued a retreat order to the entire army, which was starting to become complacent with their victories. Slightly puzzled, the entire army followed the order and retreated from Nagashima. On the other hand, the Nagashima Ikko-shu, wary of the sudden retreat of the Oda army, abandoned their plan to ambush them, fearing a trap. Thus, the first invasion of Nagashima came to an end.

On June 10th, when Shizuko and the others returned from Nagashima, their morale was low. If the cause of the failure was enemy attacks, they could accept it, but this time, their own actions caused the confusion in the army, which was embarrassing.

“We lost this time. It’s not a good result.”

Shizuko muttered while eating. It was not only the enemy attacks that caused the army to fall into disarray, but also the actions of their own allies.

“But we succeeded in capturing three fortresses. Can’t we consider that a victory?”

In response to her muttering, Takatora (Yokichi Toudou) voiced his question. Shou seemed to have the same impression, as he nodded in agreement with Takatora (Yokichi Toudou)’s words.

“We can’t control the Ikko-shu with that. It will take at least a month to reach the attached castle farthest from Ogie Castle.”

“Even if we capture the fortresses, it would be meaningless if we cannot maintain control over the surrounding land. If we can’t use the attached castle, we have no choice but to destroy it.”

Saizo and Nagayoshi answered the two’s question. As they said, Shizuko believed that it would be impossible for the current Oda army to control the Nagashima area as long as the Asakura and Asai were still alive. Therefore, Shizuko sabotaged the levee and intentionally caused salt damage to make it difficult for the Nagashima Ikko-shu to move. Since the Ichinoe Fortress existed just before the river, it was understood that if the levee was cut, the land where the fortress was located would be an island flooded with water.

The levee in Nagashima was only partially built, taking drainage into consideration. Therefore, Shizuko judged that if they manipulated the levee, it would not withstand the increased water during flooding and would be breached, causing water damage. They conducted sabotage work in various places, even if the work was exposed, they believed that the opposing side would rebuild the levee from scratch faster.

They also spread salt in places that seemed like farmland or houses to cause salt damage. Salt damage refers to the harm caused to crops and other plants by salt. It commonly occurs in coastal areas, but artificial salt damage can be caused in inland areas by spreading salt. When salt damage occurs, the metabolism of crops is inhibited, and the roots that absorb nutrients are destroyed by salt. Although it can be removed by flushing with fresh water, the field becomes unusable until the salt is completely removed, so it has a certain effect as harassment.

“Well, it will return to normal in two months. In the end, there were not many achievements, so it’s natural to think that the Oda army lost, right?”

“That may be true, but…”

“No, I’m not particularly pessimistic. Victory and defeat are common in warfare, as they say. This time, luck was not on our side, so let’s identify the points for improvement and use them in the next battle.”

With that, the conversation ended, and Shizuko resumed eating.

On a day that felt like the summer sun, Ashimitsu, who had returned from the Nagashima invasion, focused on his duties at the shrine for a while. Although there was no direct impact, he was disappointed by the actions of the Oda army this time and decided to refrain from participating in the military for a while. However, if Shizuko asked, he would immediately put on his armor and go to the battlefield.

His achievements this time were not particularly good. It was extremely difficult to search for a transport fleet somewhere on the sea without radar or anything. Even with binoculars or a field scope, the success of the discovery depended on luck. Furthermore, considering that they had to return to the port before sunset, they only had about four to five hours for the search.

The first week was just a waste of time, and another four days were wasted. However, on the fifteenth day of the naval blockade operation, they finally discovered the transport fleet of the Koga clan. From there, it became a one-sided attack. If it were small boats like Kobaya or Sekibune, it would be possible to attack unilaterally if they were more than 100 meters away.

However, it was impossible to sink the warships with just fire arrows. So they also fired explosive arrows with black gunpowder packed into the arrowheads. The purpose was to explode the point of impact and create holes in the hull. The explosive arrows, the secret weapon No. 2, turned the Atake ships into beehives. The escort troops could not resist at all and sank one after another into the sea. As they would be subjected to concentrated fire if they approached, the transport fleet attempted to escape, but they were caught up to and disappeared like seaweed in the ocean. Naturally, Ashimitsu did not allow surrender and sank the warships that were raising white flags without mercy. They sank 60% of the ships, and with most of the cargo thrown into the sea, the transport fleet barely made it to Nagashima, achieving excellent results.

Ashimitsu and the Kuki naval forces achieved an almost one-sided victory, but from that day until the Oda army retreated from Nagashima, they did not discover any transport fleets of the Koga clan.

“By doing that, you really seem like a priest of a small shrine.”

Ashimitsu, who was sweeping with a broom, was approached by Sakihisa (Konoe), who was sitting nearby. With a smile on his face as he drank tea, one would not think he was the head of the Konoe family, the leading family of the Five Regent Houses, if they didn’t know him well.

“If you’re just here to tease, go away.”

“You’re cold. I came to visit as a friend. Can’t you at least welcome me with a little hospitality?”

Ashimitsu’s attitude hardened even more in response to Sakihisa (Konoe)’s light-heartedness, but Sakihisa (Konoe) shrugged his shoulders, seemingly unconcerned, and sighed lightly.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“Don’t rush. I would like to have a more enjoyable conversation with my friend. Can’t you indulge me a little?”

“…Do as you please.”

“Then, let me do as I please.”

Despite Ashimitsu’s resistant attitude, Sakihisa (Konoe) continued to speak without being discouraged. He said something that Ashimitsu couldn’t ignore.

“This is just my monologue. The content is not that important, so you can ignore it.”

After saying that, Sakihisa (Konoe) uttered words that Ashimitsu couldn’t simply brush off.

“I will adopt Shizuko as my heir into the Konoe family.”

In an instant, Ashimitsu’s hand stopped. He looked up at the sky for a moment, then threw the broom away.

“Betrayed by vassals, betrayed by parents, and now betrayed by a friend. My life is a series of betrayals.”

As he spoke, Ashimitsu turned to face Sakihisa (Konoe) and placed his hand on the sword at his waist. Despite seeing someone who was about to draw his sword in front of him, Sakihisa (Konoe) laughed softly.,”…What are you laughing at?”

“No, I understood from your attitude. You value Shizuko-sama. Now, let go of that dangerous thing and listen to me.”

Ashimitsu stared at Sakihisa (Konoe) for a while, but eventually let out a heavy sigh and released his hand from the sword.

“The matter of adoption was just a test for you. But the talk of making Shizuko-sama a hostage is true.”

“…”

“Impatience is a loss. Listen to the whole story. Shizuko-sama’s achievements under Oda-sama are unparalleled. But she is a woman and alone. There will be countless people who will seek her power and plot political marriages.”

Ashimitsu reached for his sword again, but stopped when he heard Sakihisa (Konoe)’s words.

Political marriage, that was what Ashimitsu feared the most. In the Sengoku period, where the connection between families was highly valued, political marriages were commonly conducted to strengthen the ties between both families. However, political marriages were not as easy as they sounded. Both families had to be cautious and careful. Especially marriages with families from other countries required the approval of the people of both countries. The “Imagawa Kana Mokuroku,” known as the first provincial law of the Sengoku period, prohibited private marriages outside of the feudal domain.

“Shizuko-sama has no ‘family.’ So there will be fools who will come up with plans.”

“Hmph, are you saying we should use the Konoe family for that?”

Sakihisa (Konoe) nodded slightly at Ashimitsu’s words.

Conducting a political marriage was equivalent to connecting families. However, when conducting a political marriage, the “status of the family” was highly valued in the connection between families. Therefore, it was rare, or rather almost impossible, for the son of a country samurai and the daughter of a peasant to marry.

“How many families in Japan can match the Konoe family? Furthermore, she is an important figure in the Oda family. To satisfy both her and Oda-sama, it would be impossible to marry her. So… it would be giving her up for adoption instead of marriage.”

“In other words, if the two of you agree, you would ignore her feelings. In that case, I won’t hesitate to stand in front of both of you.”

“Haha, that won’t happen. Her head is filled with the reasons why the Oda family became prosperous. I don’t think Oda-sama would easily let her go. In that case… it would be giving her up for adoption instead of marriage.”

“That’s a pointless discussion.”

After cutting off the conversation with Sakihisa (Konoe), Ashimitsu picked up the discarded broom. The way he cleaned the already clean grounds seemed as if he was purifying unnecessary impurities.

“Last year, I said in front of the Oda family vassals that she is my child. Wasn’t she informed about it?”

“I couldn’t help but hear it. Maybe that’s why monkeys were lurking around her.”

“Hehe, everyone is captivated by her.”

“…That’s not a funny joke.”

Upon Ashimitsu’s words, Sakihisa (Konoe) smiled satisfied and finished his tea.

“May I ask a question? Why does Ashimitsu-sama cling to Shizuko-sama? Even from my perspective, she is a person with outstanding wisdom. However, that alone is not a reason for your attachment, I think.”

“…”

“It’s a trivial question, but I find it curious.”

“She needed me, someone who was never needed by anyone before. That’s all there is to it.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”

Sakihisa (Konoe) didn’t understand the meaning of Ashimitsu’s words, but he didn’t say anything more. Ashimitsu smiled faintly and muttered the rest of his words in his mind.

(When I returned here, in the end, I was only needed as the Ashikaga Shogunate. I fear losing the person who needs me, Ashimitsu. That’s why I won’t show mercy to anyone who harms her, even if it’s my own blood.)

As he stopped sweeping, Ashimitsu looked up at the sky. Above Ashimitsu and the others, there was a clear blue sky without a single cloud.