Chapter 1692: Several Times the Invading Enemy

1692. Chapter 1692: Several Times the Invading Enemy

As Tokugawa Iemitsu's bold declaration rang out, everyone in the main hall was momentarily stunned; none of them understood why he would suddenly make such a decision.

Before the Tokugawa family rose to power, their patriarch Tokugawa Ieyasu had slowly built his strength from a remote corner of the land, eventually inheriting the legacies of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi and establishing a shogunate to rule all of Japan. On his arduous, pioneering path to power, he had of course personally led troops into battle and fought against many great figures of the Warring States era.

Even twenty years ago, during the two sieges of Osaka, the already aged Tokugawa Ieyasu had personally commanded the army and forced Toyotomi Hideyoshi's orphaned son, Hideyori, to his death before he was willing to stop. Just one year after the Osaka campaign, Tokugawa Ieyasu passed away.

His successor, Tokugawa Hidetada, had also followed his father and led troops into battle. So, for the Tokugawa shoguns to personally lead armies was nothing remarkable decades ago.

However, several decades had passed since then, and the situation was now completely different. From the day he was born, Tokugawa Iemitsu had never led troops in battle. Even after becoming shogun, he was in fact completely ignorant of military affairs.

Although the shogun was the pillar of the warrior houses and the foremost warrior under heaven, the reality was just that. So when Tokugawa Iemitsu actually declared he would go to the battlefield for a decisive battle against the Han raiders, the first reaction of these senior shogunate officials was not a surge of morale, but deeper worry.

But with Tokugawa Iemitsu in such an agitated state, no one dared to step forward and question him. Many people secretly glanced toward the Head of the Council of Elders, Doi Toshikatsu, hoping he would stand up and stop Tokugawa Iemitsu from committing a foolish act at this critical moment, and even more hoping he could propose a better countermeasure.

Yet Doi Toshikatsu remained silent the entire time, as if he had not heard Tokugawa Iemitsu's decision at all.

"My lord, the situation is dire; we absolutely must not act rashly!" The Elder Matsudaira Nobutsuna could not sit still. He kowtowed and earnestly begged Iemitsu to retract his order. "Your Excellency the Shogun bears the safety of the shogunate upon your shoulders; absolutely nothing can happen to you. If any mishap befalls you on the battlefield, then... then the shogunate will be in even greater peril!"

After the shogunate went to war with the Great Han, the two heavyweight Elders, Sakai Tadayo and Sakai Tadakatsu, were now both stripped of real power because they were deemed responsible for provoking the conflict between the two nations. Even during shogunate councils, they rarely dared to speak. Thus, Matsudaira Nobutsuna had implicitly become the second-ranking Elder under Doi Toshikatsu.

However, this status brought him neither glory nor joy, only endless busyness and vexation. These past days, he had been constantly coordinating the movement of personnel and supplies, busy settling the armies massed in Edo and other parts of the Kanto region, and even had to raise provisions and weapons. He had virtually no free time at all.

And all this busyness had not yielded victory. He had watched helplessly as the Han raiders achieved victory everywhere, pressing step by step to the very doorstep of Kanto. That feeling was simply too unbearable. With the Han raiders' military edge so sharp, he naturally dared not let the Shogun risk a direct confrontation with them.

However, his advice was not accepted by Tokugawa Iemitsu. The Shogun instead frowned and glared at him angrily.

"If we lose even here, beneath Edo Castle, will there still be a shogunate then?"

"... This... this is..." Matsudaira Nobutsuna was suddenly tongue-tied, stammering and unable to speak.

Obviously, if they failed even at Edo, the Tokugawa shogunate would certainly be wiped out entirely, but while Tokugawa Iemitsu dared to say such words, he did not.

"Then, if I do not lead the army in a decisive battle against the Han raiders, who do you think can?" When he failed to answer, Tokugawa Iemitsu did not press further, but asked another question.

Under Tokugawa Iemitsu's piercing gaze, Matsudaira Nobutsuna broke out in sweat on his forehead, yet still could not answer.

After the shogunate's more than twenty years of peaceful rule, most of the veteran generals remaining from the Warring States era had died of old age. The few still alive were already decrepit and utterly incapable of leading a large army into battle. As for the current senior shogunate officials, the two Elders of the Sakai family had already fallen from power and clearly could not be sent to lead the army against the Han raiders.

After much thought, only the Head of the Council of Elders, Doi Toshikatsu, had participated in a few major campaigns. But back then, he had only been a minor officer within the great Tokugawa army. To use him to personally command the army and fight a battle that would decide the shogunate's life or death... it was indeed far too risky.

At that moment, Matsudaira Nobutsuna suddenly felt a glance secretly cast his way by Doi Toshikatsu. Though his expression was calm, it clearly implied that Matsudaira Nobutsuna should not question the Shogun any further.

"Izu-no-kami, in my view, only if Your Excellency the Shogun personally takes command can we now assemble the great army to fight the Han raiders, and only then can we have hope of resolving the crisis that Edo Castle currently faces," Doi Toshikatsu said in a low voice. "If the Han raiders cut off Edo's water transport and water sources, it would be nothing short of a devastating blow to Edo. Therefore, we must not let this come to pass, even if it means we must fight a decisive battle against the Han raiders."

Once the Head Elder Doi Toshikatsu had spoken, the whispered discussions among the assembled officials abruptly ceased. This was not only out of respect for Doi Toshikatsu's authority, but also out of practical consideration—yes, if the Shogun did not personally lead the army to fight the Han raiders now, who else could command such a large force?

The shogunate's current great army had been hastily assembled from the forces of many regions; only by leveraging the Shogun's personal authority could it be effectively commanded.

But... could the Shogun really do it? Deep doubt still lingered in everyone's hearts, and some even felt pessimistic.

Yet, after all was considered, Tokugawa Iemitsu was the only choice left.

It was only now that Matsudaira Nobutsuna understood that the Shogun's earlier cry was not so much agitated excitement as it was desperate resolve.

Having been Tokugawa Iemitsu's personal attendant since childhood, his feelings for him were extremely deep. Seeing the Shogun in such a state now, he felt a piercing pain in his heart.

"Your Excellency the Shogun, please allow your servant to follow you on this campaign and meet the Han raiders together!" He kowtowed once more, then loudly declared to Tokugawa Iemitsu, "The Han raiders have penetrated deep into Kanto, and their forces are insufficient. As long as we unite our hearts and strength, we will surely be able to crush these Han raiders!"

Matsudaira Nobutsuna's bold words signified that Tokugawa Iemitsu personally leading the army to meet the Han raiders had become the consensus within the shogunate.

Over these past days, through the shogunate's continuous reconnaissance of the enemy, they had begun to calm down slightly, for they discovered that the Han raiders' forces were not as numerous as they had imagined, and there were no signs of them continuously receiving massive reinforcements by sea. After much deliberation, these senior shogunate officials had concluded that a large portion of the Han raiders' army was likely still tied down in the Kinai region, engaged in battle with Ii Naotaka's great army, and thus they could only spare a portion of their forces to land in Kanto.

Precisely because they judged the Han raiders' forces to be relatively small, Tokugawa Iemitsu had been constantly urging Ii Naotaka to return with reinforcements as quickly as possible, so they could launch a pincer attack on this Han raider force and completely annihilate them. Yet, before Ii Naotaka could return, these Han raiders had actually taken the initiative to attack, first seizing Kamakura and now turning to advance on Edo. Thus, Tokugawa Iemitsu also felt a sense of indignation at being scorned.

In his view, the forces currently gathered in Edo were also quite numerous, at least several times those of the Han raiders. As long as everyone fought diligently, even if they could not annihilate them, repelling them should not be difficult.

However, though Tokugawa Iemitsu was bold, he himself knew he had no experience leading troops in battle. Therefore, he only intended to oversee the overall strategy himself and use the shogun's authority to issue commands, leaving the remaining specific command duties to those hatamoto generals.

After Tokugawa Iemitsu and the senior shogunate officials made their final decision, orders began to be issued one after another. The armies inside and outside Edo Castle began to be assembled and prepared for movement, to follow the Shogun on his campaign against the Han raiders.

At this time, Edo Castle, which had been in turmoil for many days, began to grow even more chaotic. Ever since the shogunate began fighting the Han raiders, all sorts of rumors had been constantly circulating among the residents of Edo Castle.

At first, everyone was full of confidence, with constant rumors that the Han raiders had suffered a severe setback somewhere, been utterly defeated by the shogunate, or even completely annihilated. But as the shogunate suffered one defeat after another, the stance of these rumors slowly began to shift, until finally they took a completely opposite stance.

These past few days, some people had been spreading rumors that the shogunate had lost all its territory outside Kanto, that the tozama daimyo in various regions had all risen in revolt, and some even said that the great army led by the shogunate's Tairō, Ii Naotaka, had been completely wiped out in the Kinai region, and Edo would receive no more reinforcements.

These rumors spread everywhere, greatly undermining the confidence and morale of the people in the city. The last rumor, in particular, caused even greater unease because the families of these shogunate soldiers all lived near Edo.

To stabilize public sentiment, the shogunate had always placed great emphasis on combating rumors. Recently, they had even executed quite a few people for spreading falsehoods to mislead the public. But the more the shogunate did this, the fiercer the rumors became, eventually even spreading to claims that Edo would soon become an empty city and its grain shipments would be cut off. As a result, people everywhere rushed to hoard rice, nearly sparking riots.

Some people wanted to flee the city, but with shogunate troops everywhere, they simply could not escape and could only remain in Edo Castle, praying for the war to end soon.

After the great army within the city began to assemble, the unrest in the city grew even more intense. When Tokugawa Iemitsu led the great army out of the city, countless families were again anxious and worried about the fate of their husbands and sons.

But Tokugawa Iemitsu could not concern himself with so much now. He donned the shogun's armor, left the Ōoku where he had long resided in seclusion, and, with his retinue of generals and the entire great army, departed Edo in a mighty procession. The armor he wore was as dazzling and bright as gold, but because his body was frail, he looked somewhat incongruous wearing it.

Twenty years ago, his grandfather Tokugawa Ieyasu had led a great army out of the city on just such a morning, marching all the way toward Osaka Castle, ultimately rooting out the last remnants of the Toyotomi clan and winning the entire realm. Yet today, he was fighting merely to preserve the shogunate's last corner of Kanto. The bitterness within him was utterly beyond words.

Without the cheers of the masses or grand ceremony, in the cool morning breeze, Tokugawa Iemitsu led the great army as it marched toward the northwest of Edo.

At this very moment, the Great Han army led by Zhao Song had also seized Yokohama and, from the Yokohama area, directly changed direction, maneuvering northward. The Yokohama they had occupied was handed over to the Great Han Navy to garrison. Under Zhao Song's orders, the Great Han Navy was now focusing all its efforts on covering the rear and logistics of the army advancing deep inland; all other plans were forcibly suspended. Although there was considerable grumbling throughout the navy, they ultimately submitted to the command under Zhao Song's authority.

Kanto was a vast plain, devoid of mountain passes or narrow defiles, so maneuvering in this inland region was quite convenient for them. They opened up several routes, routed nearly all enemy forces they encountered along the way, and then pushed deeper inland.

Although the campaign had been very smooth so far, people like Zhao Song and Yan Guang were already extremely cautious, constantly dispatching cavalry as scouts to reconnoiter and sweep the area in all directions, deeply afraid of any mishap—now that they were a lone army deep in enemy territory, a single misstep would doom the entire force beyond redemption; they absolutely could not take risks.

According to the planned schedule, they advanced all the way toward Tama Castle. Tama Castle was a fortress located in the middle section of the Tama River basin. It guarded a crucial waterway of the Tama River. As long as they could capture this castle, they would sever the Tama River, crippling a significant portion of Edo Castle's water source and food supply.

In the rural fields, Zhao Song marched with his soldiers. What met their eyes were endless stretches of green—both grass and rice paddies. The land they now trod upon was one of the most fertile regions in Japan, and it was the height of summer, so everything within sight was a lush, verdant green.

If not for this war, this place would likely have seen a bountiful harvest in just one or two months. But now, along the entire route, whether in farming villages or small towns, not a single person could be seen, as if everyone had suddenly vanished from the face of the earth.

Zhao Song advanced deep along the country paths, and as night was about to fall that day, they finally arrived beneath the walls of Tama Castle. It was only a small castle, and the shogunate officials and residents within had long since fled in all directions, so they took it without expending much effort.

Since it was nearly evening, Zhao Song decided to let the army rest and regroup here for the night, while continuing to send out scouts to search everywhere and gather intelligence on the enemy's traces.

At this time, Zhao Song was in the encampment outside the city, observing the surrounding conditions.

Night was about to fall. The last lingering glow before sunset dyed the horizon a golden yellow; wisps of rosy clouds drifted across the sky, and the earth was thus tinged with a layer of gold. He noticed a grove of trees in the distance, all old trees. They lined the winding riverbank, their branches stretching out crookedly. The grayish-black branches crisscrossed in a tangled mess, entwined with lush grass stems and flowering vines, making them appear even more withered with age and more secluded and somber. A few trees lay almost horizontal over the water's surface, their overhanging branches stirring the current, now visible, now hidden.

A group of Great Han cavalrymen was now resting by the river, letting their horses drink from the stream. These warhorses gathered by the riverbank, occasionally letting out neighs.

That must be the Tama River.

It has already become a watering place for our Great Han army's horses. A surge of indescribable pride suddenly swept through Zhao Song's heart.

Just then, several scouts suddenly came galloping back at full speed, cracking their whips. They reported to Zhao Song some intelligence they had just managed to gather.

"Traces of the shogunate's main army have already been spotted?" The moment he heard this news, the ease on Zhao Song's face was swiftly replaced by grim solemnity.

Following Zhao Song's orders, these scouting riders had been roaming the perimeter of the Great Han army, reconnoitering the enemy's movements, and a group of scouts probing eastward had discovered the tracks of a large army. This army was vast in number and was also heading straight for Tama Castle.

Judging by its scale, this appeared to be the shogunate's main army from Edo, seeking a decisive battle with Great Han.

However, because night was approaching, this army had also halted and begun to set up camp. Their encampment stretched far and wide; their troop strength was clearly substantial.

"It seems that brat Tokugawa Iemitsu knows the situation is dire and means to stake everything against us to hold Edo..." Based on the intelligence the scouts had provided, Zhao Song had formed a rough judgment of the current situation.

"We've threatened Edo's water transport and water sources. They have no choice but to come out and stake everything against us." Yan Guang wore an expression of having everything well in hand. "My lord, since they are coming to stake everything, then as long as we crush this army, Edo will be as good as wide open."

"I see it the same way." Zhao Song nodded, visibly stirred.

Then, the two of them continued to work from the steady stream of incoming intelligence, roughly marking out an area on the map and pinpointing the shogunate army's encampment. They then surveyed the nearby terrain. At this point, they still did not know that the shogunate army was personally led by Tokugawa Iemitsu for this decisive battle, but judging by the shogunate forces' ferocious momentum, this was absolutely a battle on which they were staking their final wager.

After studying it for a while, both Zhao Song and Yan Guang keenly felt that the map was far too crude and could not offer them much help.

Zhao Song thought for a moment, glanced at the cavalry by the river, then raised his head to look at the sky. The last glow of the setting sun was about to fade, and nightfall was imminent.

"Let these scouts lead the cavalry to engage them in a preliminary skirmish. It will reconnoiter the terrain for us and, at the same time, give the shogunate army a little surprise." Zhao Song made up his mind. "They've only just set up camp and haven't yet discovered our army's position. If we launch a raid on them now, they'll surely be thrown into utter chaos!"

"My lord's insight is most sound!" After a brief pause, Yan Guang immediately concurred with Zhao Song's view. "However, we must prepare a route of retreat for the cavalry tonight."

………………

Night had fallen. Tokugawa Iemitsu had summoned his senior vassals to the temporary camp. Although his close attendants had done everything in their power to ensure his comfort, the hardships of the past two days of travel still left him deeply miserable.

Moreover, with every step northwest he took, his anxiety grew a few degrees heavier. Now he felt even his breathing had become somewhat labored, and he could not sleep well at night, so during the day he also felt extremely drowsy and wanted nothing more than to rest.

But there were still critical matters to discuss, so he had no chance to rest.

He had just received word that the Maeda family of Kaga Domain had formally risen in revolt. They had begun attacking shogunate forces along the border, showing every sign of joining Great Han in an assault on the Kanto region.

Just as these senior vassals had assembled and Tokugawa Iemitsu was about to inform them of the grave situation, "Boom!" "Boom!" A series of muffled and sharp reports rang out from the horizon. An uproar erupted within the camp, and everywhere, shouts mingled with confusion and terror rose into the air.