Chapter 201 - 139: Epic Idiot

Asahina Taisuke’s face darkened as he looked at the sudden appearance of the "Stone City," and upon hearing the scout’s report that a large number of the Imagawa family’s Lang Faction had arrived at Oya Castle, Harano’s expression grew similarly grave. The Imagawa family arrived a bit too quickly. They did not indulge in food or drink along the way and practically raced here at breakneck speed—arriving more than a day earlier than the "preliminary completion red line" he’d requested. This was truly bad news, but things had reached this point, and nothing could be done. He could only give consecutive orders to halt the extension of the "sheep wall," and to hasten work on the ramparts: the watchtowers, arrow-deflecting bamboo shelters, and guard houses all had to be erected at once. At the same time, he ordered more skirmisher teams to be sent out to eliminate enemy scouts with all haste, ensuring the enemy could not penetrate for deeper reconnaissance. Meanwhile, surplus construction teams were to pull back and be redirected to strengthen the two small fortifications at the harbor, which needed to be completed urgently to guard against raids by enemy detachments. Indeed, his defensive system was constructed from the outside in. For now, only the main citadel, the mountaintop Rock Fortress, and the riverbank defensive positions were barely finished. The small strongholds that linked the high walls and bridged the gaps only had their foundations poured with concrete—aboveground construction hadn’t even begun. So, the entire defensive system merely looked respectable from the outside, but in truth was all for show, with several obvious weak points. If the enemy simply disregarded casualties—throwing hundreds of lives forward and charging madly under flanking firepower—the harbor side would be very hard to hold. Perhaps he might even be forced to sortie from the city and fight a pitched battle in the open field. Even if victorious, he would suffer substantial losses, adversely affecting subsequent defense. For a moment, both the attacking and defending Grand Generals were frightened, each growing increasingly anxious and apprehensive. Asahina Taisuke was the more unsettled. After all, Harano was long prepared for tough odds and was mentally braced. Taisuke, on the other hand, had come to seize an easy victory—otherwise, why such haste? Being the one blindsided, his shock was far greater. Upon returning to Oya Castle, he immediately summoned the Oya Family’s household retainers for close questioning, eager to clarify what had transpired. But the household retainers stammered and could not give any clear answer. They wanted to know as well, but all their scouts had been repeatedly ambushed by concentrated iron cannon fire, unable to approach the site. All they knew was that starting from more than ten days ago, the enemy’s castle and Rock Fortress rose higher by a foot or two each day, and by today, their rampart spanned over three ken and a half—yet they still couldn’t say exactly what had happened. When Asahina Taisuke finished listening, he held his temper for a moment, then could not contain himself. He jumped up and kicked one of the Oya family’s household retainers to the ground, roaring, "You didn’t even try to harass them? Just stared wide-eyed while they built their castle?" He felt the Chita gentry were hopeless. Never mind the absurd claim that "ramparts grow a foot or two daily." The fact that these people merely cowered within their own walls, watching as the enemy constructed a fortress under their very noses—this was legendary idiocy. The household retainer lay prone and muttered nothing. Wasn’t sending men to harass just feeding them to the wolves? And who could’ve foreseen this? At conventional construction speed, the enemy would be lucky to firm up their foundations by now; who could imagine they’d have ramparts already? In fact, Harano had sunk a ring of piles, reinforced with bamboo and iron and poured concrete—only the enemy hadn’t witnessed it, and even if they had, would not understand. They really felt aggrieved, but Asahina Taisuke still wasn’t appeased, turning to kick down another and snapping, "What about the enemy’s numbers? That much, at least, you must know!" Earlier, when the Oya household and others begged for help, they’d reported that the enemy numbered under seven hundred, of which more than two hundred were iron cannon Ashigaru—elite Lang Faction, well-fed and fearless, likely Oda Nobunaga’s own men. But now Asahina didn’t believe a word of it. How could the enemy’s castle grow by the day? They must have been here for months—maybe half a year or more! Seven hundred men wouldn’t do for quarrying stone, much less building a whole castle. Seven hundred men wouldn’t even suffice for stone quarries—how could they have raised a castle? The Oya retainers glanced at each other, until one braced himself and replied, "We’ve counted several times. The enemy seldom gathers together, but overall, it looks to be around one thousand... maybe five or six hundred more?" "Over one thousand five hundred? How many Ashigaru?" Asahina Taisuke pressed immediately. The household retainer hesitated, then, not daring to conceal anything, bowed his head and said, "The enemy appears to have around fifteen to sixteen hundred Lang Faction, but the exact number of ordinary Ashigaru is unclear. Their numbers keep growing..." They had really counted heads—though construction was too distant to see clearly, anyone experienced could estimate workforce from afar with a glance. By their reckoning, the Wanjin Army rotated their forces, with over six hundred armored men split into squads for vigilant defense, preventing surprise attacks, while the rest labored at frantic speed on the castle and fortresses. These were certainly Lang Faction; all robust, industrious, and marching everywhere in precise order. It was clear these were seasoned troops, definitely not mere peasants; put armor on them and they’d be a terror in battle. As for ordinary Ashigaru, they simply couldn’t get an accurate count. The enemy constantly ferried men and supplies from the coast, a stream of troops flowing night and day. It looked like there must be two or three thousand at least—were someone to say four or five thousand, they wouldn’t doubt it either. "Fifteen or sixteen hundred Lang Faction?" Were it not for the last thread of reason, Asahina Taisuke would have drawn his blade and killed all these simpletons on the spot! He’d been told the enemy had fewer than seven hundred Lang Faction, so he’d hurriedly mobilized a force of fifteen hundred to attack two to one and swallow them up. Rushing here, the numbers had changed again, and the enemy’s core strength now exceeded his own. He might have to fight against superior numbers at the foot of the enemy’s castle—who also had over two hundred iron cannon! How was he supposed to fight? This was nothing short of a death sentence! For a fleeting moment, he even suspected that these Chita nobles had returned to the Oda Family’s banner, dug a pit meant to destroy his force, and then would counterattack along the Bai Chuan Pass front, even rolling all the way into Sanhe to help the Oda reclaim lost territories. Thankfully, on second thought, he realized the Chita gentry lacked the guts, and that the figure of fifteen or sixteen hundred was almost certainly inflated. Back when the "Tiger of Owari," Oda Nobuhide, lived, the whole might of Owari could muster about eight thousand, of whom the Lang Faction across all families might number three to four thousand at most. Now the Oda Danjo Chonosuke house was weaker than before. Scraping together two thousand bold Lang Faction would already be impressive, with some left to garrison Bai Chuan Pass. How could they possibly field that much core manpower? Had the Oda Danjo Chonosuke house grown incredibly powerful over the past year? Or was this their main force, and the far side of Bai Chuan Pass now undefended? Asahina Taisuke was at a total loss. Primarily, he couldn’t fathom why Oda Nobunaga would send people to build a castle here, throwing in such strength. Apart from allowing a surprise strike toward the Bai Chuan Pass line, there was no other strategic value—this was mere wasteland! He sat there brooding, his face clouded, unable to see the sense, but after barely composing himself, he turned to the Oya Patriarch and commanded, "Tell me more about the enemy’s Grand General! Give every detail!" "Yes!" the Oya Patriarch replied without delay. After gathering his thoughts, he continued, "The enemy’s Grand General is named Nohara Saburo Ieto, hailing from the Western Country, who wandered to Owari. Rumor has it he is highly skilled in medicine and unmatched in archery. He followed Oda Nobunaga even before he succeeded as Family Head and has served loyally ever since. He participated in every campaign since Nobunaga’s succession, personally shooting down Matsudaira’s Lord Toriyama Chouhei, and slaying Lin Zhenzheng during the Oda Danjo house’s internal purge." "Certainly a brave general!" Asahina Taisuke nodded, not denying Harano’s prowess despite him being an enemy. After all, he’d heard the names of Toriyama Chouhei and Lin Zhenzheng; both renowned for valor, yet slain by Harano on the field. Clearly, Harano was a formidable warrior too. Still, Taisuke had heard all this before—he simply hadn’t thought much of it then. At once, he pursued, "His character? What kind of man is he?" He’d previously dismissed these Oda landers, but now things had changed: the adversary’s Grand General warranted close study. To know your enemy and yourself is the key to victory in every battle! The Oya Patriarch hesitated slightly, then said in a low voice, "It’s said he... is extremely greedy, a master of finance, flouting samurai tradition and always running various businesses. Many inside the Danjo Chonosuke house regard him with contempt in private." "Also, he favors fine clothes and gourmet food and lives extravagantly and indulgently. He’s known to be extremely lecherous, keeping many maids and concubines at his mansion, whom he gathers for base pleasures even in broad daylight." Asahina Taisuke stroked his sword hilt and nodded, sneering, "Avaricious for wealth—just like someone from the Danjo Chonosuke house. Utterly lacking in honor." But after sneering, he didn’t dwell on the matter much. The Asahina Family was hardly any more dignified than the Nozawa family. His own lord delighted in fine fabrics and delicacies and had an affinity for Han poetry and song; compared to "Nohara Saburo," that was the most he could boast—his lord, due to certain embarrassing reasons, was immune to lechery, which at least put him above Harano in this respect. He mulled over Harano’s character for a while and concluded that, since the man was adept at gathering wealth, he must have more than just brute strength—surely, he was also full of cunning schemes. This could not be underestimated. Then he inquired again, "Any other news? Anything else about him?" "No more..." The Oya Family had learned only this much. After a pause, he added, "He’s very tall—eight shaku in height." Asahina Taisuke paused, feeling vaguely uneasy. Standing only five shaku six himself (about 1.52 meters), he hadn’t imagined Harano would be eight shaku tall (about 2.1 meters). If Harano were to come and challenge him to single combat at the front, it would hardly be manageable—for all his lifelong martial arts training, he didn’t have much confidence. Eight shaku versus five shaku six—the opponent could flatten him with a swipe! Indeed, this was truly the Oda Danjo Chonosuke house’s foremost champion—born extraordinary, without question! By this point, Asahina Taisuke had sized up the enemy’s might. The enemy Grand General was a man of brains and brawn, and the core strength of both sides was about equal: one side with fifteen to sixteen hundred Lang Faction, the other with more than eighteen hundred (including the Chita nobles’ Lang Faction). As for ordinary Ashigaru, they hardly mattered—they were only for show. Once the core was broken, they’d run, of little consequence. Coupled with the enemy sheltered behind formidable defenses, there was no chance of victory. Asahina Taisuke pondered further. Letting the enemy live was wholly unacceptable—a knife at his back, intolerable. But, with current strength, forcing an attack was even worse. Such a burden could not fall to the Imagawa family alone, nor could the Asahina family shoulder the main loss—over half of the fifteen hundred Lang Faction he’d brought belonged to the Asahina as direct retainers. After a moment, he made up his mind, and said to those beside him, "Set up camp. Spend the next few days probing the enemy, and build siege engines while we’re at it!" He was preparing to notify the Bai Chuan Pass front as well, and have the Matsudaira family from further north send in their elite to reinforce them. He’d originally hoped for sole credit, to wipe out the enemy force that had crossed the sea and seize all their iron cannon—but that was impossible now. If blood was to be shed, the Matsudaira must take the lead—otherwise, what was the point of having watchdogs? And, the Bai Chuan Pass front should immediately launch a probing attack. If the Danjo Chonosuke house’s main force had in fact left, this might be the best chance for a breakthrough—a chance to deal a decisive blow to the Oda Danjo Chonosuke family’s economic lifeline, Atsuta Harbor. Yes—keep the enemy pinned here and test the waters at Bai Chuan Pass first!