The following morning. North of Okehazama.
Saitō Dōsan's temporary encampment. Two thousand soldiers from Mino Province were stationed upon a gentle slope at the border of Owari and Mikawa.
Their banners bore the crest of the Saitō clan, a mountain-shaped pattern of two layers, symbolizing the coiling scales of a viper.
Saitō Dōsan sat within the main command tent. Before him was his breakfast. A bowl of rice gruel. Two slices of pickled radish. He ate simply. Very plainly. Though it seemed almost unbelievable, just as Shinji knew, Saitō Dōsan himself was indeed a devout believer in Buddhism.
In his early years, he had been both a traveling merchant and a wandering monk. He had never cared for material pleasures. Only power. And status.
A maidservant lifted the tent flap and entered, dropping to one knee. "Report. Lady Strategist's shiki-sen was severed by the opposing side in a single instant last night. The backlash caused her to cough blood. There is currently no grave danger, but...." The maidservant's voice lowered.
"Lady Strategist says that the yōkai within the Imagawa forces far exceeds all prior estimates in strength. And that he is accompanied by an immensely powerful miko."
Dōsan's chopsticks, holding a slice of pickled radish, paused mid-motion. "Severed in a single instant?"
"Yes. Lady Strategist says that the opposing miko didn't even formally strike. She merely swept it aside with a casual motion. The shiki-sen snapped immediately."
Dōsan put the pickled radish into his mouth and chewed twice. His face was utterly expressionless. After a long pause
"What else?"
The maidservant's voice dropped even lower. "According to intelligence from our operatives infiltrating the Imagawa outer perimeter, that miko is, in all likelihood, the one whose renown has spread far and wide. The one from Musashi Province. Kikyō."
Dōsan set down his chopsticks. His triangular eyes narrowed to slits. That perpetual smile at the corner of his lips finally vanished.
The strongest miko of the Warring States. He knew of Kishin Shinji. He knew of the Lord of the Hyakki Yakō. He knew of the shōshin of the two provinces of Musashi and Sagami.
These reports had already spread like wildfire across the Tōkaidō. He also knew that this Demon God Shinji had risen to power in Musashi Province. And that his relationship with that young yet immensely renowned miko Kikyō was deeply intertwined. Yet she was, after all, human. Not a yōkai. Not a god. No matter how deep their bond, it should have been difficult for them to move together at all times.
Setting aside the fundamental opposition between the pure and the impure, her mortal constitution should have been incapable of keeping pace with a yōkai's movements.
All previous reports had indicated as much. The thunder-slaying. The demon-slaying. All intelligence concerning Shinji described him operating alone. But this time, it seemed different. This timem Kikyō was here as well.
A demon warrior approaching the level of a daiyōkai. The strongest miko of the Warring States. The Imagawa main force of seven thousand. That child Hanbei's shiki-sen hadn't even been able to draw near. The single card he held that could contend with a supernatural existence, had just been rendered useless.
Dōsan remained silent for a very long time. The morning wind beyond the tent stirred the flaps, carrying in the chill of dew. In the end, he rose to his feet. "Send the order." His voice was level. Not a ripple of emotion could be heard. "The entire army is to break camp. Move to the western entrance of Okehazama."
The maidservant lifted her head. "My lord, the western entrance is where the Imagawa—"
"Set up camp facing the Imagawa." Dōsan walked to the entrance of the tent and threw open the flap.
The morning light fell upon his gaunt face. His triangular eyes narrowed into two slits beneath the sun. "And send someone with a letter. To Imagawa Yoshimoto."
"What shall the letter say?"
Dōsan smiled. A serpent's smile. Cold. Yet utterly forthright. "Write this: Saitō Dōsan of Mino, with his two thousand soldiers, wishes to pledge allegiance to the Imagawa clan. And to take Kiyosu Castle on their behalf. There is only one request. To preserve the Mino territory. To preserve the Saitō clan."
The maidservant was stunned. Yesterday, he had declared he came to aid the Oda against the Imagawa. Today, he was prepared to betray and surrender to the Imagawa. Fickle. Treacherous. But this, was the Viper of Mino. He only ever placed his bets on the side with the greater odds of victory.
Yesterday, he had wagered that Oda Nobuna could turn the tables through the power of her divine artifact, and so he had stood with the Oda. Today, Hanbei's shiki-sen had been severed in a single instant.
They couldn't even conduct reconnaissance. And with the news of Kikyō's presence, the odds had reversed. Dōsan saw it with perfect clarity. Oda Nobuna indeed possessed the power of the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven.
The divine artifacts of Shibata Katsuie and her fellow commanders were indeed formidable. If he could offer timely assistance in their hour of need, the returns would surely be immense. But he would never commit himself fully to one side.
He would always leave himself a path of retreat. Now, it seemed, his choice had been correct. The Imagawa had Kishin Shinji. Kikyō. Seven thousand soldiers. And Hanbei, the genius strategist he had spent three years scouring the Mino countryside to find, the only one capable of providing reconnaissance and support on the battlefield, couldn't even touch the enemy's foundation.
His chips were gone. In that case, continuing to bet on Oda was suicide. Saitō Dōsan changed his face faster than one could flip the pages of a book. But he changed it with absolute, shameless righteousness. Because he never spoke of loyalty or honor with anyone. He only spoke of it with the victor.
The letter of surrender arrived at the Imagawa main camp half an hour later. After reading it, Yoshimoto tapped her folding fan against her knee. "The Viper of Mino…"
She cast a sidelong glance at Shinji, who was seated in the corner of the tent, drinking tea. Shinji paid her no mind. He lowered his head and continued cultivating Banryū's Affection, accelerating the progress toward the completion of the Tenth Transformation.
[Banryū: Affection +1. Current Affection: 45.]
That same day. Kiyosu Castle. News traveled with blinding speed. When word that Saitō Dōsan had defected and surrendered to the Imagawa reached Oda Nobuna's hands, the golden-haired girl was crouched on the floor of the tenshukaku.
Before her was spread that map, not of Owari alone, but of the entire realm. Shibata Katsuie stood behind her. The gash in the side of her breastplate had already been patched with fresh iron. But the shadow in her amber eyes had yet to lift.
Niwa Nagahide knelt to her left, a few sheets of paper still spread across her lap. Maeda Toshiie crouched by the doorway, hugging her knees, her large eyes blinking as she watched the room.
There was also one more, Shiba Yoshikane, leaning against the wall in the farthest corner, arms folded, her face utterly blank.
"My lord." Katsuie's voice was as heavy as pressed stone. "Saitō Dōsan has turned his coat." Nobuna didn't look up.
The brush in her hand kept circling across the map. Wider and wider. Further and further. From Owari to Mino. From Mino to Ōmi. From Ōmi to.... Kyōto.
"Saitō Dōsan has defected. The Imagawa are still here. We are now beset on two fronts." Katsuie continued. "Imagawa's seven thousand, plus Saitō Dōsan's two thousand, nine thousand in total. With auxiliary troops, close to thirty thousand. Our own main force numbers one thousand two hundred. With logistics, no more than two thousand five hundred. The gap in military strength has reached an irreparable point. And that yōkai is still there. My lord, your subordinate recommends abandoning the castle and retreating north. Withdraw into the mountains. At least we can preserve our strength."
"We cannot retreat." Niwa Nagahide's voice picked up the instant Katsuie's words fell. "To the north is Mino. Saitō Dōsan has just defected to the Imagawa. The northern road is severed. To the east is the Imagawa main camp. To the south is the sea. To the north…"
She flipped a page. "The various factions of the Kinai are still watching and waiting. They will not take in a defeated army. Withdrawing into the mountains of western Ise might allow us to cling to life for a time. But our provisions can last, at most, seven days."
"I know." Nobuna cut her off. The brush stopped. She lifted her head. Her golden eyes locked onto a single position on the map. Not Owari. Not Mino. And certainly not Kyōto, which, though close, was utterly unreachable.
It was the completely opposite direction. The far end of the Tōkaidō. The location of the Imagawa headquarters. Suruga Province.
"Katsuie."
"Here."
"How many troops did Imagawa Yoshimoto bring with her?"
"Seven thousand main force, plus auxiliary and logistics, close to twenty thousand…"
"Exactly! Twenty thousand!" The fire in Nobuna's eyes still blazed. Startlingly bright. "Then Suruga Province, how many garrison troops are left now?" Shibata Katsuie froze.
Her amber eyes went wide. "My lord… you cannot possibly be thinking—" Niwa Nagahide's fingers also stopped upon the paper. She did not speak. But her gaze had already shifted from the location of Suruga Province on the map to the south. To the coastline of Owari.
"By sea."
She spoke two words softly, adding a supplement. Nobuna's lips split into a grin. She spoke Niwa Nagahide's childhood name.
"Manmi. As expected of you."
Niwa Nagahide did not respond to the praise. She lowered her head, her fingers rapidly scribbling a few numbers on the paper.
"Departing from the southern shore of Owari by sea, sailing east along the Inland Sea. Requisitioning fishing vessels will take roughly two hours. Half an hour to form the fleet. Moving by day under cover, sailing by night along the coast. Within three days, we can reach Shimizu Port in Suruga Bay."
She lifted her head. "Twelve hundred men embark. Leave a small force behind at Kiyosu Castle to bluff and create a false front. This is feasible. Provisions will last seven days. Three days by sea. Four days at most to take the castle. Perfectly used up. No margin for error. Failure means starvation."
A desperate gamble. This was true resolve, burning the boats, staking everything on a single throw.
Maeda Toshiie shrank by the doorway and muttered under her breath, "S-so exciting…" Shibata Katsuie clenched her jaw. Her amber eyes spun twice. In the end, she pressed her hand against the haft of her great axe. "My lord—"
"It's decided!" Nobuna rose to her feet. Her golden hair whipped outward with the motion, scattering over her shoulders. She threw the vermilion brush onto the map. Its tip landed squarely on the location of Suruga Province.
"If we can't win on the front, then we don't fight on the front. Imagawa Yoshimoto comes to Owari. I go to Suruga. By sea. Depart from the southern shore of Owari. Sail east along the Inland Sea. Strike straight for the ports of Suruga. Take the Imagawa capital, Imagawa-kan, everything. Burn her nest to the ground. Once her nest is gone, her soldiers are weeds without roots. Her supply lines severed. Her path of retreat gone. And when that time comes, it'll be her turn to scatter."
Katsuie's mouth opened, then closed. This plan… was madness. But it was not without logic. Imagawa Yoshimoto truly had brought all her main forces with her. Suruga Province was defended by nothing but the old, the weak, and civil officials.
The Oda clan's forces were small. But a seaborne raid on the enemy's rear, that was precisely what a small force could accomplish. Fewer men. Fewer ships. Smaller target. Faster speed. Twelve hundred men crammed onto a few dozen fishing boats, moving by day under cover and sailing by night along the coast.
Theoretically, they could reach Suruga Bay within three days. As long as Imagawa Yoshimoto's intelligence network didn't cover the sea, they would never be detected.
Niwa Nagahide closed the sheets of paper. Her voice remained soft. "I will remain to defend Kiyosu. Fifty men are sufficient. The banners will stay raised. The campfires will keep burning. I'll have Yoshikane arrange several squads to rotate shifts and change attire atop the walls. From the outside, no one will be able to tell truth from illusion."
Shiba Yoshikane, one of Nobuna's capable administrators, also a woman, was present in the room. She nodded. "The Imagawa scouts only operate on land. They have nothing at sea. This route can be traversed."
Maeda Toshiie finally stood up, dusting off her knees. "Th-then I'm going with my lord!" Shibata Katsuie glanced at Maeda Toshiie, then at Niwa Nagahide. Niwa Nagahide returned her gaze. No words were needed. The meaning of her support was unmistakably clear.
"Madness…" Katsuie muttered under her breath. But her hand was already gripping the haft of her great axe. The shadow within her amber eyes had dissipated. In its place, blazed searing heat. Ever since she had followed Oda Nobuna, she had long grown accustomed to this madness.
"When do we depart?"
"Now." Nobuna snatched up the map, rolled it into a cylinder, and stuffed it into her robes. "Kiyosu Castle, I leave to Manmi. Everyone else, follow me. Before we leave, commandeer everything in this city that can float. Fishing boats. Cargo ships. Rafts. Anything. Three days from now, I will stand upon the soil of Suruga."
She threw open the shutters of the tenshukaku. The morning light flooded in from outside, spilling across her exquisitely delicate face. Her golden hair blazed like a sheet of flame in the light.
She gazed eastward. Her voice rang with conviction. "Imagawa Yoshimoto wants to march on the capital. She wants to clear me from her rear while she does it. Then let her go. When she turns around, she'll find that behind her, I am still there. Oda!"
Niwa Nagahide remained kneeling where she was, watching that golden silhouette as though it were about to vanish into the light of the window.
She lowered her head and flipped open a fresh sheet of paper. She lifted her brush. And wrote four characters: Craft a feint of false formations.