Chapter 713 25. How the Echigo People Behave

The generals of Yamanouchi kept Kobayata's health a secret, but on the surface, everything was calm in Yamanouchi.

Kobayata could only be said to be in a state of not dying yet. He drank bitter medicine four or five times a day, but his condition did not improve or get worse. Although the situation looked bad, he just couldn't swallow his breath and held on.

All preparations for the trip to Kyoto were proceeding in an orderly manner. According to Kobayata's request, Heiroku and Tatsuzo were transferred from Hamamatsu and Nagawa successively. Kobayata had already had rules for the transportation of military grain. These two learned it from Kobayata's command and knew it well. Just give them a general idea and there would be no mistakes.

The grain was not stored in the official warehouse in Fuchū Castle and carried by civilians on their shoulders when the army set out. The military grain in Totomi was collected on the spot, stored in Hamamatsu, and part of it was packed in grain ships.

As long as the Yamanouchi navy can block the Kuki navy in Shima, the Yamanouchi grain ships can go all the way from Totomi Hamamatsu to Tsushima in the south of Owari. There is no need to talk nonsense about how much more advantages water transportation has over land transportation.

Moreover, Kobayata also estimated that Oda Nobunaga would gather at least 50,000 or 60,000 troops to fight after Yamanouchi entered southern Owari. After all, this is his home base, and Owari is definitely a territory that Oda Nobunaga cannot lose.

In addition to the ten-day supply directly carried by the army, the military rations of Shinano will now begin to be transported to Hamamatsu according to the military stations established in advance.

The empty Yamanouchi treasury will be filled by Kai and Suruga to save the distance of grain transportation as much as possible. It is guaranteed that there will be no huge consumption of civilian power due to large-scale conscription of labor.

In addition to grain, salt, miso, vinegar kelp and other foods are also gathered in Hamamatsu. The wound medicine, tents, and straw mats that soldiers need have been mobilized since three or four months ago, but they are not fully used yet, and they need to continue to be purchased or increased production.

Four hundred thousand arrows were prepared in advance, but Xiao Pingtai still felt that it was not enough, but it could only be done for the time being. Gunpowder and saltpeter were also stockpiled in Hamamatsu in corresponding quantities, but due to the sudden incident, the Nanban merchant ships going to Hamamatsu for trade did not carry more than the amount purchased by the Yamanouchi family in the past, and the insufficient part may need to be further purchased.

In history, Takeda Shingen went to Kyoto in the third year of Genki, and he set off on October 3, and Xiao Pingtai estimated that the time was about the same. The reason is very simple. It is about to snow in Shinano and Kai, and the troops must be quickly mobilized to the three areas of Shunyuan by the sea. The climate by the sea is relatively warm, and it almost does not snow in winter.

And the key point is that in relatively cold weather, it is not easy for a plague to occur when a large army gathers!

It stands to reason that all the soldiers drink boiled water, wash their hands frequently, and concentrate on defecation and urination. Common methods can greatly improve this situation. But unfortunately, this is the Warring States Period in Japan, there is no need to explain, it can't be done.

Choose the lesser of two evils! That's all!

There are two more big problems, and Kobayakawa doesn't know how to deal with these two at the moment.

The first is that frost has already appeared in Echigo. In addition to the cold rain, there has been a snowfall, but the snow has not yet accumulated. But it is foreseeable that since the snow has begun to fall, it may accumulate more than one meter overnight.

Should Kenshin Uesugi come to add strength?

The military service account of the Yamauchi family can be mobilized without any serious injuries. Five thousand have already followed Yamauchi Yoshiyasu to Mino Iwamura.

The Yamauchi army has only 40,000 land and water troops along the Tokaido route. In terms of combat effectiveness, it is definitely stronger than ordinary trash. Except for the two routes of Suruga and Kai, the Shinano soldiers are the most capable. They have fought for more than 30 years in the past three generations and survived hundreds of battles. They are the best soldiers in the world, and they can even fight one against two in a wild battle.

But Nobunaga has a lot of people and money, if nothing else!

Now Owari still has 20,000 Shibata Katsuie to guard his hometown and prevent the Nagashima Ikko Ikki from breaking out. Oda Nobunaga overthrew Asakura Yoshikage, and Asai Nagamasa of Kotani was just a trapped beast. He can pull more than 30,000 people from any route.

Once the Yamanouchi army enters Owari, not considering the losses in Mikawa, the land division of 37,000 to 8,000 people will face more than 50,000 Oda troops.

The victory or defeat is a 50-50 number!

Therefore, the backbone of Uesugi Kenshin, the 8,000 Echigo cavalry, is very important!

If these 8,000 Echigo elite soldiers come to add strength, then Xiao Pingtai believes that defeating Oda Nobunaga will at most suffer 3,000 to 5,000 casualties, and can first use cannon fodder for the country, and then the Yamanouchi hatamoto and Echigo elite cavalry will go up in critical situations.

The backbone force will not suffer too much loss, and the country can also be weakened, the best of both worlds!

But this involves the second thing. With 45,000 Yamanouchi troops gone, will the Kanto troublemaker Hojo family be safe?

Although Yamanouchi's Shinano is very safe except for the two counties of Sunto and Kawagoe Castle, which are directly facing the Hojo party. But Hojo still has 20,000 troops. If he really accepts his fate as a local daimyo, Kobayata can laugh out loud in his dreams!

This is not the first time that Oishi Ujiteru has been an opponent, and it is not the first or second time that the two sides have fed each other foot washing water!

Kobayata dares to guarantee that once the Yamanouchi army leaves, the Hojo will be restless. As long as the progress of the Yamanouchi army in Kyoto is not smooth, the Hojo family will definitely jump out and have fun.

Take advantage of your illness to kill you, ancient and modern, both at home and abroad!

But if Uesugi Kenshin's 8,000 cavalry can sit in the center, with Uesugi Kenshin's face, it will really be a call for a hundred responses in Kanto, and 30,000 to 50,000 cannon fodder can be easily pulled out.

Don’t think that the Kanto niugami are not very good at fighting alone, but when they follow Kenshin Uesugi to beat the Hojo, they are really brave. As long as someone supports them, their fighting power will definitely rise to a level.

Even if they can’t beat the Hojo to death, they can make the Hojo retreat back home and rest for a year or two.

The current situation is very simple. The Yamanouchi clan must go all out, and they have already started to go all out. But what should be done with the most important ally and the thorn in the back?

Kenshin Uesugi said before that his troops have not moved, just to respond to Ashikaga Yoshiaki’s request to go on the road, or Ashikaga Yoshiaki’s request for reinforcements.

Now it’s going to snow heavily in Hokuriku, and what to say, we have to decide quickly!

Whether going to Kanto or following to Shangluo, these 8,000 Echigo elite cavalry are the most important bargaining chips, and there must be a statement.

As for going to Echizen, no one has considered it. After all, when it snows heavily in Hokuriku, the snow in Echizen is two meters deep at the most exaggerated time. Let alone fighting, if there is no snowstorm, it would be God's mercy if a lot of people freeze to death.

So difficult!