Chapter 1693: The Joy Before Battle

Tokugawa Iemitsu and the others immediately halted their council and stepped outside the tent to observe the situation.

Night had already fallen. The shogunate army he had brought had made camp on the spot, and with tens of thousands of men it was naturally impossible to camp in just one small corner. Their tents occupied a vast stretch of open field, so what Tokugawa Iemitsu could see was only one corner of the encampment.

Darkness already shrouded the surroundings; only where torches were lit in a few places could some light be seen. As far as his eyes could reach, he discovered that the glow of fire in the distance was growing brighter and brighter, and a hubbub of voices was rising — the clamor he had heard earlier was all coming from that direction.

During a march, discipline was at its strictest, and noise and moving about at night were strictly forbidden. Although Tokugawa Iemitsu had never led troops into battle before, such basic military orders had long since been issued, so he felt that some unexpected incident must have occurred.

Could it be that the Han bandits have launched an attack?

An ominous premonition seized Tokugawa Iemitsu's heart.

Just at that moment, out of the chaos, several men on horseback came hurrying toward him. They were all hatamoto of the army. Right now their clothes were in great disarray, their expressions somewhat panicked, and they looked utterly bedraggled.

"Great Shogun, the Han bandits have launched a night raid against us! The officers and men camped at the front were caught off guard and have already been thrown into rout!" As soon as they reached Tokugawa Iemitsu, these men immediately dismounted and knelt to report to him. "The ones attacking us are cavalry of the Han bandits — they are extremely fast!"

Once his worst premonition was confirmed, a chill ran through Tokugawa Iemitsu's heart.

When night falls, the entire army is beginning to rest — that is when they are most relaxed. Moreover, visibility is poor at night, so if an enemy attack occurs at such a time, it is very easy for chaos to erupt. And the Han bandits had sent their cavalry to carry out the raid.

Furthermore, the fact that the Han bandits had dispatched cavalry to attack just as his own troops were making camp also meant that the Han bandits had already discovered the whereabouts of his army. In other words, he himself had not yet grasped the enemy's position and movements, but the enemy had already pinpointed the location of his great army and had decisively come straight at him to attack.

The Han bandits' reconnaissance was actually this formidable!

In an instant, a chill rose in Tokugawa Iemitsu's heart, and he could not help but shudder, as if a pack of savage beasts were watching him from within the darkness.

But very quickly, he steadied his mind from the panic.

In the darkness, the Han bandits should themselves be facing the problem of poor visibility. They could not send too many troops to attack, so the most important thing now was that his own great army must not fall into self-inflicted chaos in the night due to being alarmed. And from the reports of his subordinates, there were already some signs of this.

He took from the hands of his attendants a finely made telescope imported from the Great Han and looked toward the place where flames were blazing fiercely.

By the light of the flames, he saw that the place was already a scene of utter devastation. Tents had been ripped open, some places were on fire, and quite a few men had already been cut down on the ground, being devoured by the flames before his very eyes. Others were shrieking and screaming as they fled in all directions, evading the Han bandits who had suddenly attacked.

And those Han bandits, mounted on tall, sturdy horses, had formed small squads and were rampaging through the camp, slaughtering as they went. They brandished their sabers, hacking at every man who failed to dodge in time. Every time they charged up to a tent, they set it ablaze. Although he could not make out each of their faces, the dazzling white flashes of the saber slashes, the piercing crimson of blood, and the shocking red blots formed by the uniforms they wore all stung Tokugawa Iemitsu's eyes unbearably.

Tokugawa Iemitsu's hands trembled violently; he very nearly dropped the telescope to the ground.

But he took several deep breaths. The air, still faintly carrying the heat of the day, finally helped him recover a measure of clarity.

"Pass down the order: every mounted officer in every camp must strictly restrain the soldiers under their command. Absolutely no disturbing one another, and no one is permitted to leave camp a single step. Those who dare disobey may be executed on the spot!" He immediately issued orders to the several hatamoto beside him. "The main guard formation is to assemble at once and go drive out the Han bandits who have come to attack us!"

Although the Han bandits appeared utterly terrifying, Tokugawa Iemitsu had already confirmed his judgment: the Han bandit cavalry that had attacked were not numerous; their purpose was merely to make a show of force and incidentally create some chaos. Therefore, to prevent the great army from trampling itself and falling into disorder during the night attack, Tokugawa Iemitsu decided to have all his troops hold their positions while he himself led his personal guard hatamoto out to strike and repulse these detestable Han bandit cavalry.

His orders were quickly relayed. Through the suppression carried out by officers and the roving military police patrols, the other camps that had already shown faint signs of unrest were forcibly quieted down. Meanwhile, Tokugawa Iemitsu's personal guards set out from his headquarters camp to meet these Han bandits who had suddenly struck.

By now the flames had grown even fiercer. Under the leaping and spreading fire, the surroundings had become very bright, and as these counterattacking troops quickly reached the edge of the main camp, the features of those Han bandit cavalry became increasingly clear within their field of vision.

These cavalrymen rode tall, sturdy horses and swept across amidst the flames, looking just like gods of slaughter. The clothes on their bodies seemed practically dyed red with fresh blood.

At this moment, a group of fleeing shogunate soldiers also spotted the reinforcements on their side. As if seeing hope of survival, they shouted and rushed toward the men coming to reinforce them. But under the guidance of the blazing flames, this was like pointing out the way for those cavalrymen. They immediately reined in their horses, and then, as if by unspoken agreement, launched a charge at this group of fleeing, remnant shogunate soldiers.

These cavalrymen converged from all directions and then launched their charge. The rumbling thunder of hooves was practically like an earthquake. Although everyone knew their numbers could not be very large, to the eyes of these counterattacking shogunate soldiers, it looked as if a mighty host of thousands upon thousands of horses were charging at them — a sight that made their hearts pound with dread.

These counterattacking troops promptly arrayed their formation. They dared not go forward to rescue those shogunate soldiers opposite them, because in such a situation, if chaos broke out, they themselves might not be able to save themselves and would likewise become lost souls under the cavalry's blades, just like their comrades.

The fleeing shogunate soldiers were very quickly overtaken by these cavalrymen. Then, as if showing off their skill, the cavalry swept past the flanks of this group and one after another swung their blades down upon these shogunate soldiers. The heavy, powerful slashes, combined with the momentum of the charging horses, made those sharp sabers cut through human bodies as easily as slicing tofu.

Many men screamed and wailed as they collapsed to the ground. Some were even decapitated outright under the heavy sabers, their heads separated from their bodies. And even those who survived were quickly targeted by other cavalrymen and ultimately died beneath the sabers. Blood flowed from their bodies and pooled together, casting a sinister, eerie gleam under the reflection of the firelight.

These scenes of brutal carnage were displayed, almost in full and graphic detail, right before the eyes of these shogunate troops who had come to counterattack. They watched helplessly as their comrades became lost souls under the Han bandits' blades, dying such miserable deaths. Beyond the gnashing hatred, almost every man felt a chill of terror.

And at this moment, the Han bandits were also drawing closer and closer to them, seemingly about to charge right up to their formation. They hurriedly raised the firearms in their hands and aimed them at the opposing side, ready at any moment to fire upon these cavalrymen.

However, as if aware of what these men were planning, when they reached a distance near the edge of the firearms' range, these red-clad cavalrymen one after another reined in their horses and then dismounted.

The shogunate soldiers at first found this very strange, but when they discovered that the dismounted cavalrymen had actually drawn firearms from their horses and were aiming at them, they turned pale with shock and immediately used their own matchlock guns to launch an attack at the opposing side.

However, due to the limitation of distance, their gunfire did not inflict any losses on the other side. And at this moment, these cavalrymen also completed their loading and preparation, then fired upon these shogunate troops. Dense volleys of bullets, propelled by gunpowder, boomed toward these shogunate officers and men, and very quickly brought forth one scream after another. Many were struck and fell.

Although these men had long known that the Han bandits' firearms were far superior to their own, when they witnessed with their own eyes this cruel contrast in the exchange of fire, a flicker of despondency passed through nearly every man's heart.

Nevertheless, although morale was now low, in order to prevent these Han bandit cavalrymen from launching another round of gunfire, and also to seize the opportunity of their having dismounted, the commander of these shogunate troops immediately ordered a charge against these Han bandits. Though their hearts were filled with fear, under orders, some shogunate soldiers still rushed forward with their spears.

However, these Han bandit cavalrymen seemed to have no intention of continuing the fight. Once they discovered that the opposing side was charging at them, they immediately mounted their horses, wheeled them around, and began to retreat in the direction from which they had charged. Because their speed was extremely fast, the shogunate troops had no way to catch up and could only watch helplessly as they departed.

As if mocking the shogunate army, these Great Han cavalrymen laughed uproariously without cease as they retreated. And looking at the ground littered with burned tents and their slaughtered comrades, these shogunate officers and men watched their departing backs with utterly dejected expressions.

Late that very night, Tokugawa Iemitsu, who had been waiting in anxious unease, finally received word that the Han bandit cavalry who had come to attack had been repulsed. But at the same time, he also received a report on the specific circumstances and casualties of this engagement.

Because the Han bandit cavalry had attacked suddenly, the vanguard troops, who had been insufficiently on guard, suffered heavy losses. Since many men had just finished their evening meal and were resting, they had no time at all to take up weapons and meet the enemy and could only flee. And as they fled, they were pursued and killed by the Han bandit cavalry. Some had even died from trampling one another.

The losses from their own side's casualties and those who had scattered amounted to nearly a thousand men, yet the Han bandit cavalry's losses were a mere handful of riders.

"The Han bandits actually regard our army as if it were nothing!" When he learned of this situation, Tokugawa Iemitsu was so furious he nearly vomited blood again, and his whole person almost fainted. "Detestable! Detestable!"

"The Han bandits launched a sudden attack on our army. It is only normal that we suffered losses when we were insufficiently on guard." The Elder Matsudaira Nobutsuna beside him immediately supported Tokugawa Iemitsu and then consoled the Shogun. "My lord, now that the Han bandits have been repulsed, we can still reorganize the army."

"Then reorganize the army." Tokugawa Iemitsu suppressed the boundless vexation in his heart and then gave the order in a low voice. "You go at once and make a tour of inspection everywhere, pacify all the camps, and do not allow the Han bandits to launch any new attacks."

"Yes!" Matsudaira Nobutsuna immediately acknowledged the order.

Tokugawa Iemitsu understood in his heart that although the Han bandits had now been repulsed, they had already achieved the objective they desired: they had brought sufficient shock and intimidation to his subordinates. Everyone had now seen that the Han bandits could actually launch an attack against their own great army and move as if entering uninhabited land.

Even if they exerted every effort to suppress the troops tonight, the morale of his subordinates would surely plummet.

The two armies had yet to fight a decisive battle, and his own side had already been dealt such a stifling blow — it was truly too agonizing.

But for the sake of stabilizing the army's morale, he absolutely could not show that vexation and fear.

He forcibly suppressed the resentment and unease in his heart and once again summoned the subordinate commanders he had gathered earlier. And these commanders, just like the Shogun, were outwardly calm yet inwardly uneasy, but none dared to voice it.

Once these men had all arrived, Iemitsu relayed to these commanders the news he had received today: that the Maeda family had formally risen in rebellion and had already begun advancing toward shogunate territory, and that the Date family of Sendai Domain was also showing signs of instability and was extremely likely to join the Maeda family in revolt.

As he had expected, upon hearing this news, these commanders all looked at one another in shock. The Maeda family's Kaga Domain lay to the west of the shogunate, and Sendai Domain lay to the north of the Kanto region. If they answered the call of the Imperial Court and the Han bandits to rebel and attack Kanto from both sides, then the Kanto region could now be said to be surrounded by enemies on all sides — one might even call it utterly besieged.

For a moment, every man's face turned deathly pale; they were clearly thinking of that worst possible outcome.

Tokugawa Iemitsu, however, was far more composed. After being battered by so much bad news time and again, his nerves had long since grown numb, and so he had instead become calm.

These senior officials and commanders then began to deliberate one after another, hoping to find a good strategy to resolve the current predicament. But though they discussed for a long time, they were unable to reach any conclusion. Everyone disagreed, and in the end they all felt utterly at their wits' end.

The current situation was simply too dire. Everywhere there were enemies of the shogunate. Although the shogunate still held the fertile lands of Kanto, how could it possibly face so many ferocious enemies alone?

Watching their anxious, agitated discussion, Tokugawa Iemitsu could not help but feel a surge of contempt and irritation.

His most capable senior official at present, the Head of the Elders Doi Toshikatsu, had remained behind in Edo to prepare against a possible Han bandit attack on the city. Thus, there was no one who could patiently analyze the current situation for him and propose countermeasures. He could only make the decision himself.

And he had already steeled himself for everything to come.

"The treacherous intent of the Maeda and Date houses has been glaringly obvious for some time. Even if they rebel, it comes as no surprise. However... their seizing this moment to rise in revolt truly comes at our most difficult hour." Tokugawa Iemitsu forced himself to rally, and addressed the assembled commanders, "Of course... they have suffered repeated suppression by us before, and are sorely lacking in both financial and material resources. Even with long and meticulous preparation, they could never hope to assemble a force capable of matching our own. So even if they plot rebellion now, they are absolutely nothing to fear."

He then swept his gaze over the assembled senior officials and commanders, as if to instill confidence in them. "Shimazu, Mori, Maeda, Date, even the Imperial Court... none of them are fearsome. They are nothing but a disorderly mob. The only thing they can rely on is the Han pirates. As long as we can repel the Han pirates, crushing them will be as easy as turning over one's hand... So the only thing that matters now is to meet the Han pirates in battle. Defeat them, and we can preserve our lives, our families, and the Shogunate... Defeat them!"

By the end, he was practically roaring, his voice seeming to reverberate throughout the entire tent.

Yet despite his impassioned speech, Tokugawa Iemitsu understood that the current situation was far from simple, nor did he expect to restore the old order of things. All his hopes now rested on defeating this Han pirate force that had landed, then using the lingering prestige of victory to overawe the various daimyo—whether in revolt or merely watching from the sidelines—and then negotiating peace with the Han pirates to end this crisis as swiftly as possible.

Precisely because of this, he had to be all the more cautious and could afford not the slightest misstep.

"Tonight's raid caught us off guard, and it proves just how elite the enemy troops are. We absolutely must not underestimate these Han pirates. Now, the enemy is in the dark while our army is in the light. Engaging them rashly now would be to our disadvantage." He issued his orders in a low voice. "We march at dawn tomorrow. Withdraw temporarily toward Nozaki, and then establish a standoff with the Han pirates."

Nozaki was a small village on the opposite bank of the Tama River, closer to Edo, allowing the two to support each other like horns. Moreover, a temporary withdrawal could shake off their current predicament, giving them a chance to observe the Han pirate army's movements and position before deciding on a decisive battle.

Now that they had made contact with the Han pirates, they had to choose the most opportune moment to engage. Though Tokugawa Iemitsu had a fiery temperament, he had no desire to recklessly seek a decisive battle under these conditions.

Under his roar, the other senior officials and commanders bowed their heads one by one, obeying the Shogun's command.

At that very moment, the Great Han cavalrymen who had raided the Shogunate army were returning in succession to Zhao Song's camp. As soon as they were back, Zhao Song summoned the officers among them and carefully questioned them about the results of the engagement and the intelligence they had gathered.

Upon hearing the battle results, both Zhao Song and Yan Guang were overjoyed. What pleased them even more was that they had roughly ascertained the Shogunate army's troop strength, as well as the fact that Tokugawa Iemitsu was personally leading his forces, prepared for a decisive battle with Great Han.

"That brat Tokugawa Iemitsu actually dares to give battle to our army. He's learned his lesson now!" Zhao Song laughed heartily as he studied the map by the dim candlelight, making a few marks upon it. "The Shogunate army must be stricken with terror by now. Send the order: at dawn, our entire army will attack. We must make that brat Iemitsu suffer a crushing defeat here!"