The situation in the Kanto countries is a fog.
The funny thing is that as chess players, Uesugi Teruhu and Hojo Ujiyasu are unable to determine where the chess pieces in their hands will go.
The entire Kanto Plain is mainly divided into two parts, west and east, and the Boso Peninsula extends overseas in the middle, showing an OIO shape.
The Ueno, Musashi, and Sagami Three Kingdoms in the west, the Chichibu Mountains, the Musashi Mountains, and the Tanzawa Mountains extending from the Kanto Plain are backed by the Kanto Mountains, and the Tokaido and Koshin Mountains are isolated from the west.
The Tone River, Watarase River and other rivers in the central part divide the west and east parts. Geographically, the Boso peninsula is formed by extending the coastline of Shimoso, Kamiso and Boso Mikuni.
Shimono in the east, Hitachi Province, is isolated from north to south by geographical mountains such as Mount Akagi, Watarase River, and Kinugawa, forming a relatively independent northeastern plate of the Kanto Plain.
The two countries of Shimono and Hitachi are separated by the Bagou Mountains. The relationship between Shimono Country and the core area of the Kanto Plain is relatively close.
Hitachi Province is the main channel from the Kanto Plain to the two northeastern Ou countries. It has been the bridgehead for the central government to develop the Ou region since ancient times.
From a bird's-eye view, southeastern Ueno, southwest Shimono, northeastern Musashi, and northwest Shimotsou, these areas form the core area of the Kanto Plain.
In particular, the Tone River basin where the four countries meet is the focus of competition among the samurai. Such as Ueno Tatebayashi Castle, Shimono Ashikaga Castle, Shimoso Furukawa Castle, and Musashi Ninja Castle.
The Utsunomiya family, the Satake family, and the Satomi family seem to be big names in the Kanto Plain, but their territories are too far from the core area of the Kanto Plain and their strength is insufficient. It is possible to strive for hegemony, but it is difficult to become powerful.
There are only two big names that are truly competitive.
Terutora Uesugi made a comeback under the name of the Yamauchi Uesugi family, because the traditional territory of the Yamauchi Uesugi family is in the northern part of Ueno country and Musashi, and they have a deep relationship.
She has cultivated Izu Sagami Ryogoku for three generations and has a solid foundation. She has steadily captured Hojo Uyasu in the southern part of Musashi. She firmly occupies some core areas.
But the problem is that the territories of the two families are far apart and have no adjacent borders. This made the confrontation between the two sides quite strange before it even started.
The Uesugi family is based in Echigo country, and the Hojo family is based in Sagami country. The place where the two families fought was Ueno Musashi Ryogoku.
The buffer zone between the two territories is composed of large and small national leaders. No one knows what these two-faced warriors who are going to Qin, Mu and Chu will do.
The two sides were not playing the chess game of Chu, He and Han, but the black and white game of Go.
Today I will give you a robbery, and tomorrow you will make an eye for me. Dozens and hundreds of national leaders, white and black, couldn't figure out who was the enemy and who was the ally.
For example, Uesugi Teruhora's march south went smoothly, and the samurai who led the country surrendered one after another. Then, the Hojo family instigated several rebellions behind her, and Kuroko on the back road instantly turned white. What should she do?
For another example, Hojo Ujiyasu arranged his defenses so seamlessly that all the core areas of Kanto seemed to be his own. But when Terutora Uesugi comes, most of these white ones will turn black, so she can't vomit blood?
The most interesting thing is that Uesugi Teruhu and Hojo Ujiyasu are not sure whether these things will happen. The relationship between the people of the country is too complicated. Loyalty and betrayal can only be thought of in a single thought and cannot be determined.
The Guandong Plain has been in chaos for more than a hundred years, and all the honest people have long since died. The world is declining, and people's hearts are not as old as they used to be. The atmosphere that has been bad for more than a hundred years cannot be corrected in a short time.
No one knows how the vast number of people will choose. But if the two sides want to go to war, they have to rely on these absolutely unreliable local martial arts.
Terutora Uesugi would not just watch as Hojo Ujiyasu completed the territorialization of these bastards and turned the territory into his own strength.
Hojo Ujiyasu would not retreat to Sagami and wait for Terutora Uesugi to train these bastards into Uesugi samurai with comprehensive development of moral, intellectual, physical, artistic and physical skills.
Since they are unwilling to give in, they can only hold their noses and beat each other with these bastards.
The result is now like this. Both sides have planned their strategies and are ready to play their cards, but they are still worried.
Isn't it ridiculous that the big guys at the top have no idea, but they still have to fight this foggy battle?
Hojo Ujiyasu agreed to his daughter's request to send troops because of this helplessness.
For the Hojo family, the best way to deal with Terutora Uesugi is to defend. Echigo's army rushed thousands of miles, and it was best to defeat the Hojo family in one go.
If the Hojo family can hold on and wait until the Echigo army is dragged down by the stretched supply line, and the morale of the army is turbulent, it will be the most advantageous strategy.
But the reality is that once the Hojo family seems too cowardly, those in the Kanto Plain who are weak and afraid of the hard will immediately turn their backs and refuse to recognize anyone.
At that time, the Hojo family will return to the dangerous situation before the Battle of Kawagoe, and will be pinned to the ground and beaten to death by the anti-Hojo samurai alliance united by most of the Kanto Plain.
This time, the Hojo family may not be able to usher in the miracle of the Kawagoe night battle. They may be beaten to the point of paralysis and the family fortune will be ruined.
Hojo Ujiyasu glanced at the excited Hojo Ushimasa and sighed in his heart.
Weighing the pros and cons is easy to say. But how many people can really understand what are the advantages and what are the disadvantages. If you don't even understand it, but you still weigh it, that's called gambling.
Hojo Ujiyasu didn't know whether he would lose or win if he continued to gamble. But she had to bet, it was helpless.
———
Echigo, Central Etsu Sakado Castle.
Kawada Nagauchi had just arrived with his troops, so he went to the city in person to meet with Uesugi Keishin, who was in charge of the city for the Ueda Nagao family. He was also accompanied by Numata Kenyasu and his daughter.
Numata Kenyasu is contacting Numata's cronies here, preparing to make plans for the army to enter Numata Territory and lead the way.
The summer harvest was not yet over, and the elder Kawada had just arrived, so the three parties only met ceremonially. Naturally, it is a happy time, and the host and guest enjoy themselves.
After receiving logistical guarantees from Uesugi Kagenobu and Kenyasu Numata conveying some information about the Numata family, Chief Kawada returned to his station outside the city.
At this time, in the shogunate of her main formation, Yoshie Ziken and Haosaka Nagano had been waiting for a long time.
Kawada Nagachi sat down and sighed, and said to the two capable men with a wry smile.
"My face froze with laughter."
The two laughed, and the low atmosphere relaxed a lot.
Yoshie Shigen and Hazaka Nagami were not the retainers of Kawada Chouchi, but Yuli who was sent by Uesugi Teruhu to assist.
However, the three of them were all from Omi, so they felt that they were developing together, and together with the samurai under their command, they became the emerging Uesugi Omi sect in the eyes of outsiders.
Among the three, Nagachi Kawada has the strongest ability and the highest status. He is undoubtedly the leader of the Omi faction.
This time, Kawada Nagauchi's troops were sent to attack the Numata family, and he was a pioneer general that others envied. The Numata family's size could not withstand a blow from the Echigo samurai family. Their military success was almost guaranteed.
But Kawada kissed himself, but he really didn't want to come.
