The three-day period passed in an instant.
In the early morning, when the first ray of sunlight rises from the ground, the earth finally puts aside its false calm. Sano leads this small plain, and there are a lot of people and smoke from the east and west ends.
Shiba Yiyin, who had just finished breakfast, welcomed visitors in the formation.
Uesugi Teruhora looked good today and seemed to have slept soundly. Yoshigan couldn't help but envy her confidence and calmness.
"Mr. Qianxin, are you not going to sit on the left wing today? Do you want to form our own formation with me and direct the war?"
Yiyin nodded and said.
"The left wing has been arranged. Sanada's two reserve teams are the first, and the four reserve teams of the Kanto shrine under Yamanaka Yukimori are second-hand. Shima Katsuo leads two reserve teams of Kanto Shiba to form the third hand.
I can't see the overall situation by staying on the left wing, so why don't I sit in the same formation with you to prevent emergencies? What do you think? "
Uesugi Teruhu smiled and nodded.
"Of course I do."
This time, the Echigo army dispatched thirty reserve troops of more than 7,000 people. In addition to the horseback troops, bow and arrow troops, Monoomiban, Shiban and other full-time warriors, there were a total of more than 8,000 soldiers.
In the early days of Japan's Warring States Period, both strategy, tactics and organizational mobilization were rudimentary. Therefore, the territorial country is often used as a unit, and village fights are mainly carried out domestically.
However, as the military lords gradually established an effective mobilization system during more than a hundred years of chaos, expanding to the territory of one country or even several countries, the number and organizational strength of the army also continued to increase.
For example, this time Sano led the battle.
The eight thousand soldiers of the Echigo army, together with the support personnel, amounted to an army of thirty to forty thousand soldiers. The Hojo family sent more troops, with 20,000 soldiers and a total of 80,000 or 90,000 horses including the supporting peasant soldiers.
If this were a village fight in the past, peasants and soldiers would also have to go into battle. A reserve team has forty or fifty warriors, two hundred ashigaru, plus five or six hundred peasant soldiers, which can expand to eight hundred people.
However, as the size of the samurai clan has grown and the supply lines for overseas operations have lengthened, farmers and soldiers have gradually withdrawn from the queue. Only local martial artists would use farmers and soldiers to assist in the defense of their territory.
As the martial arts lords become bigger and stronger, they often begin to form semi-full-time standing forces, and the division of military functions becomes more and more detailed and clear.
This time, the Echigo army was formed with Terutora Uesugi as its general. As the special envoy of the shogunate, Shiba Yiyin ranked second as deputy general.
There are writers in this formation who are responsible for sending documents, collecting seals, and recording military orders.
The military officer is responsible for making plans for the general, managing the specific deployment of horses, bows and arrows, soldiers and food officers, and other personnel.
The military director is responsible for supervising military discipline, conducting reconnaissance, and envoys to deliver messages, etc.
As the number of troops expands, the general will also divide independent legions and hand them over to the generals to manage, with relatively independent command authority.
Putting aside the complicated political relationship between the Kanto House and the Uesugi family, in this battle, the Kanto House belonged to the left-wing independent corps.
Now, Shiba Yoshigan hopes to enter the main formation and command together with Uesugi Teruhora, which is equivalent to unifying the command authority of the army again.
Terutora Uesugi didn't know about Sanada Nobushige causing a disturbance in the military meeting at the Kanto Palace. She thought it was Yoshigan Shiba who took the initiative to unify command for the sake of the war situation, and of course she was very happy.
She wanted to step forward and hold Yiyin's hand, but he pulled away and got a look. She had no choice but to rub her hands and smile.
Yiyin couldn't help but sigh when he saw her acting silly.
A battle was about to begin, and the surrounding warriors were all busy. The two masters were the focus of everyone's attention. This bastard actually wanted to do something to him here. He was really ignorant.
Teruhora Uesugi doesn't care about this. As long as he wins this battle, the Kanto Strategy will be on the fast track. Then the matter of the Uesugi-Shiba merger should be brought up for discussion.
She knew that this was Shiba Yiyin's main formation, and that she was surrounded by the warriors from the Kanto Palace, so she deliberately expressed her intimacy.
The overall situation of the merger of the two families must not be shaken by the likes and dislikes of the samurai family of the Kanto Palace.
Seeing the confident yet dangerous brilliance in Uesugi Teruhora's eyes, Yoshigine felt tight and did not dare to let her make any more abrupt moves, so he quickly changed the subject.
"You came to me, are you ready to go down the mountain and start a war?"
Seeing him talking about business, Uesugi Teruhu could only hold back his anxiety and said in a deep voice.
"The soldiers are having a meal, and after another meal, the whole army will go down the mountain as planned.
There have been reports from the front, and there is a lot of smoke in the Hojo camp. It will be time to move out soon. "
Yiyin nodded and said.
"How do you think the Hojo clan will organize their formation?"
Uesugi Teruhu smiled and said in a positive tone.
“It’s probably the Fish Scale Formation.
The army of Hojo is numerous and powerful. The more the Hojo clan wants to win, the more cautious it will be. Working hard and fighting stupidly is her surest way to win. "
Yiyin thought for a while and nodded in agreement.
Terutora Uesugi took the initiative to issue a challenge, which will definitely make Hojo Ushimasa, who has the numerical advantage, very happy and eager to become famous in one battle.
This was the first time she led troops into battle after becoming the governor of the family. The victory in this battle would have a great impact on her ability to control the Hojo family business in the future. She is unlikely to take risks and will definitely choose the safest tactics.
The Hojo clan leader is also an elite force, and they will not doubt the combat power of their own army. The safest way to fight is to fight with numbers, and the fish scale formation is the most suitable for her current ideas.
Assemble the main forces in the center, divide them into several small fish-scale formations, and advance the battle step by step. First use a small number of troops to consume the strength of Echigo's army, and then gradually increase the intensity and number of people.
This method of attack by the Fish Scale Formation will amplify the Hojo family's numerical advantage. As long as Hojo Ujimasa is willing to bear losses and is not afraid of death, this flesh and blood millstone will sooner or later crush the Echigo army.
Yiyin couldn't help frowning.
"Then should we still use the Crane Wing Formation? Do we need to make some targeted changes?"
Uesugi Teruhu shook his head firmly and said confidently.
"No need, I just want to make her proud, let her slowly look forward to victory with the advantage, and finally overwhelm the entire army.
I have ordered Irobe Katsumacho to take charge of the right wing, and place the Xiayue Army and ten other local units on the southern front to defend to the end.
When the Fish Scale Formation initially pressed forward, there would not be too many people, so the Hojo clan must have pinned its hopes on a breakthrough from the center. The task of Hojo's left and right wings is to stabilize the front, so that the pressure on the southern front will not be too great.
And I will gather the standing troops of the Kakizaki Kei family and Naoomi Hata Honshou under Saito Asanobu to guard the front line of the formation with the elite troops directly under them, waiting for her to attack.
In our Crane Wing Formation, the left and right wings can advance and retreat.
The right wing of the southern front is stubbornly defending, and I, the center, are here to wear down her energy and patience. When Hojo Ujimasa's patience runs out and the entire army presses forward, it will be Kenshin-kun's turn to exert force on your left wing.
As long as the left wing can quickly break in from the northern front and disrupt the Hojo clan's formation. I will be sure to pull out my troops to counterattack with all my strength and defeat the Hojo Ujimasa's army. "
