The southward strategy of Echigo's army revolved around the Tone River.
The offensive from north to south will follow the Tone River as a supply line and expand to the left and right banks. The important cities along the Tone River were the logistics depots of the Echigo army.
To the east of Ueno Province is Shimono Province, and to the south is Musashi Province. The Tone River flows through the plain part of Ueno Province from north to south, and then turns southeast in the south, becoming the actual dividing line of Ueno Musashi.
An important town along the Tone River.
Numata Castle is the starting point, and then passes through Amabashi Castle, an important town in the central part of Ueno Province, and Kanayama Castle and Tatebayashi Castle on the border between Ueno and Musashi.
Ashikaga Castle in Shimono Province and Furukawa Castle in Shimotsou are not far away either.
After entering Musashi Country, the ones guarding the watershed along the way were Ninja Castle and Iwatsuke Castle. A section of the Tone River to the south is close to the border between the two countries.
Afterwards, the Tone River meets the lower reaches of the Arakawa River, and the Sumida River passes through Edo Castle and goes out to sea.
As long as the war goes smoothly, the Echigo army can take advantage of the Tone River's water transportation to obtain a supply line that runs through the two countries, and directly penetrate the Hojo family's layout in Ueno and Musashi.
But now, there is a problem with Numata Castle as the starting point, and Uesugi Kagenobu's foreign affairs cannot be spared the blame.
Uesugi Kagenobu's status was unusual, and it was hard for Uesugi Teru to embarrass her.
She thought for a moment and said.
"There was sudden chaos within the Numata family. No wonder Lord Kagenobu. It was probably the Hojo family who was behind it.
What about other powerful martial artists? What did they think about it? "
Uesugi Keishin said.
"Since the demise of the Ryo-Uesugi family, the Hojo family has been conquering the Kanto Plain for several years. Most of the Uesugi's old territories in Ueno Musashi's two countries have surrendered, and the Hojo family has even reached out to enter the Shimo-sou Kingdom.
For example, the Nagano family of Amabashi City, the Kobata family of Kunamine City, the Naha family of Akaishi City, the Yuryo family of Kanayama City, the Narita family of Ninja City and other local powerful samurai families have all bowed to the Hojo family in name.
Originally, Hojo Ujiyasu planned to increase his control over these local samurai families this year and try to nationalize them. However, the Takeda family's Suruga invasion and the drought in the Kanto Plain disrupted her plan.
I negotiated with various families in the name of your Kanto governor. Most of these people are worried about the Hojo family's attempt to territorialize the country, and most of them are tempted.
As for Ueno and Musashi, the Hojo family temporarily intervened in territorial disputes by supporting local samurai families.
From the Furukawa City of the Lower General and the national capital Taicheng, they penetrated into the territories of Xiashino, Hitachi, Lower General, and Upper General.
The Utsunomiya family in Shimono, the Satake family in Hitachi, and the Satomi family in the Boso peninsula. The military expansion of these daimyo was restricted by the local samurai family supported by the Hojo family.
Especially on the Bosou Peninsula, the Satomi family and the Hojo family have had fierce conflicts surrounding the two countries, Upper Soso and Lower Soso. "
Teru Uesugi smiled coldly.
"Our strategy for Guandong was really chosen at a good time."
Naoe Keizuna and Uesugi Keishin nodded silently, agreeing with their master.
Three generations of the Hojo family worked hard to govern, but the shattered samurai families in Kanto simply could not form a joint force to fight against the steady and steady Hojo family.
If Teruhora Uesugi did not participate in the war, Uesugi's old territory of Ueno Musashi's two countries would definitely be swallowed up by the Hojo family.
The local daimyo of Utsunomiya, Satake, and Satomi would not be the rivals of the Hojo family who owned Izu, Sagami, Ueno, and Musashi Shikoku.
But at this moment when the Hojo family has not digested Musashi Ueno internally, and externally the daimyo such as Utsunomiya, Satake, Satomi and others feel threatened. Terutora Uesugi is here, just in time.
Terutora Uesugi said.
"Lord Jingxin, continue to strengthen the contact with the martial arts families in Guandong. In the name of the leader of Guandong, bring over all the martial arts families that can be united."
In the Kanto Plain at this time, both sides of Uesugi and Hojo claimed to be in control of the Kanto region.
Terutora Uesugi was recognized by Ashikaga Yoshiteru in Kyoto and succeeded the Yamauchi Uesugi family and the Kanto governorship.
After Hojo Ujiyasu eliminated the Ryogamisugi family, he rebuilt the public administration system. In the name of the Kanto general Ashikaga Yoshiji, he was granted the title of governor of Kanto.
Terutora Uesugi called the Hojo family traitors of Ise, coerced the Kanto generals, and destroyed both Uesugi families. This was unforgivable.
Hojo Ujiyasu called the Uesugi family a traitorous Nagao, slaughtered the Echigo guardian family, and assumed the name of the Uesugi family in the mountains. He was crazy.
Anyway, both sides insist on their own opinions, and Ise Nagao sneered. He just doesn't recognize the justice of the other party's rule, so he just wants to go to hell.
The Kanto martial arts family doesn't care who is the orthodox one. They shout slogans loudly, but who they lean towards still depends on their own interests.
Uesugi Keishin nodded, seemed a little hesitant, and said something carefully.
"Your Highness, I heard that the Minawa Nagano family seems to have secretly surrendered to the Hojo family?"
Terutora Uesugi frowned. The Ueno Nagao family and the Minawa Nagano family were her main targets in Ueno Country.
Minawa Castle's location in Nishi Ueno is very important, and Nagano Yamasa formed a dense network of relationships through marriage, which was enough to leverage the Nishi Ueno samurai family's position against the Uesugi family.
The two Nagao families of the Shirai Headquarters were successively called the Yamauchi Uesugi family chiefs, and they had a very strong influence in the middle and upper reaches of the Tone River.
Along the middle and upper reaches of the Tone River, the castles such as Numata, Shirai, Ubashi, Sosha, and Akaashi are all inextricably linked to the two Nagao families of Shirai Sosha.
If Terutora Uesugi wants to quickly take over Ueno Country and attack Musashi Country, he must get the full support of the Nagao family of Minawa Castle and the Shirai Headquarters.
She thought for a moment and said slowly.
"Don't make any noise for now. Send Xuanyuan Ninja to investigate secretly. I believe Nagano Yasumasa will not give in to Hojo Ujiyasu and break our alliance."
Terutora Uesugi didn't believe that Nagano Yamasa would join the Hojo family. It was probably because someone was spreading rumors behind his back to undermine the trust between the two families. But she had to look into the matter carefully, just in case.
This time when Autumn went south, it was necessary to create a huge momentum and smash the dominance of the Hojo family over the Ueno and Musashi countries in one go. Especially in Ueno Country, the Hojo family's power here is still very weak.
Uesugi Teruhu wanted to use the famous local samurai family to create a unified momentum and completely overwhelm the pro-Hojo faction politically.
The most powerful two branches of the Nagano family, the Umbashi Nagano family, have fallen to the Hojo family. The Minawa Nagano family of Nagano Yasumasa must be of the same mind as Uesugi Teruhu. This is a strategic goal that does not allow for mistakes.
———
Terutora Uesugi sat in Kasugayama Castle, manipulating Uesugi Kagenobu behind the scenes to carry out diplomatic strategies against the Ueno Musashi samurai families.
On the other side, Shiba Yoshigan sent Sanada Nobushige back to Nishi Ueno, starting from Iwaki Castle, and began the penetration of the Kanto Palace into the Kanto Plain.
The two sides of Echigo used their own methods, and at this time in Odawara Castle, the Hojo family was also looking for countermeasures.
In the castle tower, the concubines were holding a discussion, and the one who came out to speak was Hojo Nagatsuna entering the Dogenan Temple.
Hojo Genan is the sister of the second generation governor of the Hojo family and the aunt of Hojo Ujiyasu. At this time, he had become a nun and was a highly cultivated man of culture. He helped the Hojo family to win over temple influence and mediate diplomacy.
This old nun is trying to persuade Hojo Ujiyasu and Takeda Harunobu to restore peace and concentrate on dealing with threats from the direction of the Kanto Plain.
