Did Yukimura Sanada really exist in history?

Yes

Sanada Yukimura

Sanada Zaemon Sakimura, at any time, as long as he mentions the war that ended the Warring States Period in Osaka, Japan in 1615 In the great war, this name must be mentioned. The second son of a wealthy man in Shinano did not have a prominent family name, and he had never made any boastful military exploits for any big names in the first half of his life. Just because of fighting under Osaka Castle, his own name suddenly lit up in the dusk of troubled times. name. Although his name as a general only shone for a brief moment in the troubled times of Japan's Warring States Period for more than a hundred years, the brilliance of that moment left an indelible mark in everyone's heart forever.

Sanada Yukimura, whose real name is Nobushige, is the second son of Sanada Masayuki, the former lord of Shinano Ueda Castle. His grandfather, Yukitaka Sanada, was originally a rich man in Shinano. He relied on his military exploits to become a famous minister under Takeda Shingen. His father, Masayuki Sanada, was also very intelligent. After the collapse of the Takeda family, he relied on his own talents to maintain the Sanada family in the turbulent times and maintained a relatively independent position as a small lord. Because of Masayuki's outstanding political ability and diplomatic skills, he was praised by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as "a person who is better at both the outside and the inside". As a means of diplomacy, the young Yukimura was once used as a hostage and sent to the Uesugi family and the Toyotomi family successively.

In 1600, Japan fell into turmoil again. Ishida Mitsunari and Tokugawa Ieyasu fought again to compete for the position of the master of the world. The battlefield was at Mino Sekigahara, not far from the territory of the Sanada family.

In this life-and-death struggle, all daimyo in Japan are faced with choices, and the Sanada family is no exception. Should he join the Eastern Army (Tokugawa side) or the Western Army (Ishida side)? There was a split within the Sanada family - Sanada Masayuki and Yukimura's father and son joined the Western Army, while Masayuki's eldest son Nobuyuki decided to join the Eastern Army because he was the son-in-law of Honda Tadakatsu, the Tokugawa minister, and even changed his name to Nobuyuki. , to sever ties with his father. Of course, some people believe that this result is a reflection of Sanada Masaru's political skills, because in this way, no matter whether the Eastern Army or the Western Army wins, the Sanada family will be preserved.

On September 5, 1600, due to the elusive sneak attack of Sanada Masayuki and Yukimura and his son, with only about a thousand troops, the 38,000 army led by Tokugawa Hidetada was trapped on the Nakasendo Road. He was unable to reach the main battlefield of Sekihara in time. Such a result put Sekigahara's Tokugawa Ieyasu into an absolute disadvantage in terms of military strength. However, the general trend of the world is irreversible. Due to the rebellion of Ishida Mitsunari, the Western Army was finally defeated.

After the war, as the losers, Masayuki Sanada and Yukimura and his son had to accept the punishment of the Tokugawa family. Originally, Hidetada, who had been humiliated in the Shinano Mountains, wanted to execute the Sanada father and son to vent his anger, but due to the sacrifice of Sanada Nobuyuki's plea for mercy, the sentence was eventually changed to confiscate the Sanada family territory, and the Sanada father and son were sent to the past. He was placed under house arrest in Koyasan, Kishu, and later moved to Mount Kudo in Kishu.

2

Life in Jiudu Mountain is hard and painful. Although Sanada Nobuyuki, who served as a minister of the Tokugawa family, often sent people to send clothes, food and other items, the life of the Sanada father and son was still very difficult, so much so that sometimes it was difficult to maintain, and they had to borrow money to survive. This was for the once famous man. For Lord Masayuki Sanada, this is a reality that is difficult to accept.

During house arrest, the Sanada father and son still often discussed the art of war, strategy and the general trend of the world. They also hoped that one day they could raise troops again and become famous throughout the country. However, as time passed, the Tokugawa family had no intention of forgiving them. . On June 4, 1611, Sanada Masayuki passed away in this difficult life and disappointing waiting. At this time, Sanada Yukimura's heart was filled with resentment towards the Tokugawa family:

"One day I will be the first of two generations of generals and spread Sanada's name throughout the world...!"

Between such resentment and dreams, Sanada Yukimura's youth slipped away quietly, and the difficult life made He was born early, and was getting older day by day...

One day in mid-autumn of 1614, a secret envoy from Osaka Castle came to Kudo Mountain, bringing the Toyotomi family's will - to invite Sanada Yukimura to come out of the mountain. Fight for the Toyotomi family against Tokugawa Ieyasu's offensive.

This news ignited the fire deep in Yukimura's heart. In order to prove his talent and to avenge the Tokugawa family, Yukimura accepted the invitation of the Toyotomi family. One day in early October of that year, Yukimura convened a banquet with the villagers. When everyone was drunk, Yukimura fled Kudu Mountain with a few retainers, accompanied by his 13-year-old eldest son, Sanada Daisuke Yukimasa.

Three

In early October 1614, Yukimura and his party appeared in Osaka Castle. Due to the reputation of his father Masayuki, Yukimura was quite popular in Osaka and was soon appointed as army commander. He frequently attended high-level military meetings as a military advisor. Yukimura, who believed that he could use his talents, was also very proud and radiant at this time, and tried his best to explain his tactics and strategies. However, because many of his ideas for out-of-town field battles were too risky and he disagreed with Osaka's senior officials, they were not fully adopted. The defensive castle "Sanada Maru" built south of Sannomaru in Osaka Castle is one of Yukimura's more successful strategies -

Osaka Castle is surrounded by the Seto Inland Sea to the west and the Tenman River to the north. The Yodogawa River and the tributaries of the Yamato River to the east have complex terrain and provide a certain degree of defense.

In contrast, the southern part of Osaka Castle is mostly wide flat land with weak defense. The two military advisors in Osaka Castle - Sanada Yukimura and Goto Motoji - noticed this at the same time, and successively proposed to the leadership of the Toyotomi family to build a castle (referring to a small city built outside the city wall) to the south of Osaka Castle. fortifications). Both of their suggestions were adopted, but on the issue of who would be in charge of the construction and responsible for the defense, the two heroes came forward and refused to give in, so that there was a fierce dispute for a period of time.

Just as the two were arguing, strange rumors suddenly arose in Osaka Castle:

"The reason why Yukimura-don wanted to defend outside the southern city was to facilitate his relationship with his brother. Through the contact of Nobu, the Tokugawa army was introduced into the city..."

After Goto Motoji heard this rumor, he immediately said seriously:

"Yukimura-don is on guard after leaving the city. In order to better challenge the enemy, such rumors are really nonsense!"

Subsequently, Kiji took the initiative to quit the job of building the castle and transferred the task to Sanada Yukimura. Through his own actions, Expressed firm support for Yukimura.

Finally, under the auspices of Yukimura, the castle was built on the front of the Osaka Castle Minami plain and on the southeast side of the structure. This building called "Sanada Maru" is a fan-shaped walled city. Moats were dug on three sides and double fences were erected. Arrow towers, lookouts and pavilions were set up in the city. Six openings were opened every 1.8 meters. A gun hole is a solid fortification. The construction of Sanada Maru not only made up for the relatively weak defense in the south of Osaka City, but also created convenient conditions for the Osaka army to quickly occupy the Sasayama Highlands in the south of the city when they went out for field battles.

Even during the construction of Sanada Maru, rumors about Yukimura's collusion with Tokugawa were still not completely eliminated. For this reason, the commander-in-chief of the Osaka Army, Ono Ryoharu, came to Goto Motoji and asked anxiously:

"Tell me, is Yukimura an insider on the Tokugawa side?" Yeah? "

Goto Motoji couldn't laugh or cry when he heard this, and immediately said:

"Zoemon Saden is a hero in these troubled times, a dignified hero, for the sake of glory He fights on the battlefield with his martial name, and will never do anything despicable!"

But even so, Osaka's senior officials still could not completely eliminate their doubts about Yukimura, and finally decided to organize the rear of Sanada Maru! Ten thousand troops were deployed locally to prepare for Yukimura to surrender to the enemy and fight against him.

Four

In November 1614, the smell of war around Osaka Castle became increasingly intense. In order to seize the initiative, Sanada Yukimura sent a small force to leave Sanada Maru and guard Sasayama in the Kobashi area to the south.

On the other hand, after November 11, 1614, the Tokugawa army gradually narrowed the siege of Osaka Castle, approached the south of Osaka Castle step by step, and set up camp 1.5 kilometers away from Osaka Castle. .

At the beginning of the war, Tokugawa adopted a posture of long-term siege. This situation was unbearable for a samurai like Yukimura who was full of revenge, so he planned a plan to snipe Ieyasu—— < /p>

On November 27, 1614, Sanada Yukimura learned through ninja intelligence that Ieyasu would personally take a boat to Fukushima to inspect the battlefield the next day. He believed that this was an excellent opportunity to kill Ieyasu in one fell swoop, and immediately summoned Fifty soldiers who were good at using iron cannons and 18 samurai who were highly skilled in martial arts set out from the Tenman River by boat at around 22:00 that night and hid in the reeds south of Hakufuyuan. It was the middle of winter and the weather was very cold. Sanada's soldiers had to hug each other to keep warm. Yukimura drank and danced with the soldiers to keep warm. He smeared oil on the exposed skin to prevent frostbite and persisted in waiting for Ieyasu's arrival.

On the other hand, on the morning of the 28th, just as Ieyasu planned to go on a patrol by boat, he was stopped by Tokugawa Hidetada for unknown reasons and instead sent Masazumi Honda to patrol on his behalf. After waiting all night, Yukimura and others were extremely disappointed when they discovered this change. A soldier immediately proposed to snipe Honda Masazumi, but Yukimura flatly refused:

"I came here to snipe Ieyasu. What's the use of killing other people!"

After that, he quietly retreated with his troops.

In December of that year, after the seventy-five-year-old Tokugawa Ieyasu personally inspected the position, he believed that a frontal attack on Osaka would cause great losses to his side, so he said to Maeda Toshitsune, one of the allied generals:

"For Osaka Castle, a forceful attack is not advisable. Please dig a trench in front of our team's position, build a high platform behind it, and use cannon fire to break down the opponent's defenses."

Maeda Tossune received the order and ordered his troops to launch operations that day to dig trenches and build earthen platforms. But all actions were clearly observed by the sentry on the watchtower in Sanada Maruchi. Yukimura Sanada quickly understood the intentions of the Maeda Army. In order to prevent the enemy's actions, Yukimura sent additional soldiers to Sasayama directly opposite Maeda's position and ordered them to shoot at the craftsmen and soldiers building the earth platform for the Maeda Army. Such attacks lasted for several days, causing nearly a hundred casualties to the Maeda army every day. Maeda Toshiuchi's project could not continue at all and had to be abandoned.

On December 3, 1614, Tokugawa Hidetada, who learned about this situation, felt that he could no longer endure it, so he sent Honda Masanobu, his close adviser, as an envoy to the Maeda formation and issued an order to Toshimune. An order to take the initiative and "advance the position to Okayama and seize Sasayama".

Maeda Toshitsune, who was originally harassed by the Sanada army, immediately organized his troops, and together with another prince, Honda Masashige, set out for the Sasayama position at two o'clock in the morning the next day. The two groups originally expected there would be fierce resistance in Sasayama, but they did not expect that Sanada Yukimura had already withdrawn his troops to Sanada Maru. Maeda Tossune hurriedly sent two teams of Yokoyama Nagatomo and Yamazaki Nagatori to pursue them, but the two did not understand the terrain and got lost in the dark. Their formation was scattered and morale was low. No trace of the Sanada army was found until they reached Sanada Maru. , and therefore did not launch an attack on Sanada Maru. Immediately afterwards, Honda Masashige's team also arrived in front of Sanada Maru, preparing to launch an siege.

Seeing the messy situation of the Tokugawa Army outside the city, the Sanada Army soldiers asked for a fight one after another and wanted to go out of the city to meet the enemy. However, Yukimura did not agree and ordered most of the soldiers to take a short rest to recuperate. Recharge your batteries. Soon after, when the Tokugawa army outside the city had been reorganized, Yukimura sent a soldier to stand on the city wall and shouted outside:

"Everyone of the Maeda family, what do you want to do by surrounding Sasayama in the middle of the night?" ? Is it for hunting? But if you make such noise, the nearby birds and beasts will be scared away. Why don't you dare to attack this small town in your spare time? /p>

Hearing such provocative words, the generals of the Maeda family could not suppress their anger. Maeda Military General Okumura Eiri took the lead in leading his troops to rush to the city wall of Sanada Maru, but was quickly repulsed by Sanada Army's intensive musketry fire. Maeda Army suffered numerous casualties, and Okumura Euri himself was seriously injured. Immediately afterwards, Honda Masashige also led his team to attack the city, but was also beaten back by a hail of bullets from the Sanada army. After this, General Tomita Shigemasa of the third Maeda Army arrived and joined the attack on Sanada Maru, but still could not break through the wall.

Before this battle, Maeda Tossune prepared many bamboo shields for the siege to prevent Sanada Maruuchi's musket attacks, but this night's unplanned blind attack made these bamboo shields useless. , but the Maeda army suffered heavy casualties. Maeda Toshitsune was very angry about his subordinates' unauthorized actions that did not obey the command. He ordered the entire army to stop the attack, withdraw from Sasayama, and stationed the main camp in Kino Village.

Discovering that the battle of Sanada Maru had begun, Naotaka Ii and Tadanao Matsudaira in the Tokugawa Allied Forces were not to be outdone. They marched towards the Hatchomeguchi on the west side of Sanada Maru, attacked Osaka Castle, and broke through outside the city. The first fence. At the same time, an accident also occurred in the Toyotomi Army - Ishikawa Yasukatsu's soldiers knocked over the gunpowder box, causing a violent explosion. Nanjo Motada, who was an internal correspondent of the Tokugawa Army in the city, also took the opportunity to cause trouble and wanted to put the Tokugawa Army into the city. He came to the city, but fortunately he was discovered by the guards, who arrested him immediately and beheaded a few days later. However, Takatora Toudo, who was colluding with Nanjo Mototada outside the city, did not know it. Seeing the fire in the city, he immediately ordered his troops to attack Tanimachiguchi. As Toudo, Ii, and Matsudaira began to attack, the Tokugawa Allied Forces stationed in the south of Osaka City also launched a general attack!

However, the famous strategist and ronin strategist in Osaka Castle, Goto Motoji, had already anticipated the offensive route of the Tokugawa Army, and had prepared troop deployment and defense plans in advance. Like a copper wall and an iron wall, the Tokugawa army could not break through at all!

In the fierce battle, the young general Kimura Shigege took the lead and led his troops to fight with the vanguards of Ii and Matsudaira who rushed to the second fence. He even jumped into the moat ditch to fight with them. Enemy soldiers fight. At the same time, the flanks of Ii's army were also sniped by Sanada Maru, so that they were attacked from both sides and had to withdraw from the fence in embarrassment, leaving more than 500 dead bodies.

The battle lasted until noon. The teams of Goto Motoji, Nagasogabe Morichika, Kitagawa Nobukatsu, Akashi Zento and other teams in Osaka Castle, together with the defenders of Sanada Maru, fired fierce firepower at the enemy. Shooting was repeated outside the city, and the Tokugawa troops suffered heavy casualties. However, because all the troops on the Tokugawa side were blinded by anger, and no one was willing to retreat first for the sake of face, they still charged desperately, and the battle became almost unmanageable. In the end, it was Tokugawa Ieyasu who sent an envoy to order the withdrawal of troops, and Naotaka Ii, the most important official of the Tokugawa family, also took the lead in leading the withdrawal, and other people from all walks of life withdrew from the battlefield.

In this battle, more than 2,000 Tokugawa troops were killed. Afterwards, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hidetada severely scolded the generals of Matsudaira Tadanao and Ii Naotaka for blindly attacking.

This battle, known as the Battle of Sanada Maru, was also the most intense battle in the Osaka East Formation and ended with Toyotomi's victory in defending the city. The victory should be attributed to Sanada Yukimura's clever tactics to lure the enemy, Goto Motoji's keen insight and strategizing command, and Kimura Shigege and other generals' desperate fighting.

Five

After the Battle of Sanada Maru, the martial name of Sanada Yukimura left a mark of fear among Tokugawa soldiers. Ieyasu also realized that a storming of Osaka Castle would be difficult to achieve, so he changed his tactical policy to a siege. The war has since fallen into a stalemate, with neither side willing to take the initiative, but waiting quietly.

After nearly a month of confrontation in the Osaka Winter Battle, the Toyotomi side finally signed a peace treaty under the threat of bombardment from the Tokugawa side.

According to the historical record "Namba War", in mid-December 1614, the leadership of the Toyotomi side, which had been bombarded, convened all major generals to discuss their opinions on the peace negotiation. At the meeting, the two main military advisors, Motoji Goto and Yukimura Sanada, expressed their opinions on behalf of all Ronin generals. Goto Motoji said firmly:

"The samurai who are currently fighting in the city have all been greatly benefited by the late Taikaku, and they are all hostile to ungrateful and betrayal ministers like Ieyasu. Now the enemy forces The ammunition, food and fodder are limited, and supplies are difficult. Just when we are trying to defeat it in one go, peace talks are really not feasible!"

Sanada Yukimura also agreed:

"Fang Jinzhi! At this time, the three armies are using their lives and the soldiers are working hard. Even without external aid, Osaka Castle will never fall! What's more, in the battle five days ago (Sanada Maru Attack and Defense Battle), our army's morale has frightened the enemy. As long as we hold on, the enemy's internal forces will be defeated! At this time, the peace talks proposed by Tokugawa were just like a boat coming and going at the ferry. It was capricious, had no integrity at all, and was absolutely undesirable!"

Their arguments were compiled and handed over! Discuss it with the elders of the Toyotomi family as well as Yodohime and Hideyori's mother and son. In this regard, the Toyotomi family's senior ministers, Oda Nagamasu and Ohno Harinaga, also stated their opposite opinions to Yodohime:

"Your Highness, Yoyohime (referring to Yodohime and Hideyori's mother and son), if you don't want to be in the miscellaneous Committing suicide with the help of soldiers, accepting peace talks is the only chance..."

In the end, Yodohime, who was restless and tortured by the fighting, siege and shelling for days, said with tears:

"The troops in the city are indeed not enough to defend against the enemy. Back then, when Duke Minamoto Yoritomo was in dire straits, he hid in a hole in a rotten tree and eventually became the lord of the world. My son Hideyori is the legitimate son of His Highness Taikaku, as the ancients said 'A house that accumulates good deeds will always be happy'. I will hold back for a while today, but there will be a chance to make a comeback in the future... Please tell the soldiers that Hideyori has agreed to the peace talks..."

That's it. , Toyotomi agreed to the peace agreement, and also accepted all the conditions of the peace agreement-including the dismantling of all fortifications outside Osaka Castle.

This ending made the ronin generals who had gone through all kinds of hardships to enter Osaka Castle sigh with regret. Seeing that the city defense system and the "Sanada Maru" they had worked hard to build were demolished by the Tokugawa side, Yukimura and his son It was even more heartbreaking.

According to the records of "Namba War", after the peace agreement was reached, that is, on December 25, 1614, the two major princes in the Tokugawa coalition, Date Masamune and Todo Takatora, found Tokugawa Ieyasu's close adviser Honda Masazumi proposed:

"Although we are now at peace with the Toyotomi family, the final decisive battle is still inevitable. It is better to take advantage of the fact that the outer fortifications of Osaka Castle have been demolished. If you attack the city in one fell swoop, you will definitely win... This is a God-given opportunity! "

However, when Tokugawa Ieyasu heard this proposal, he couldn't help but sigh:

< p>"What you said is wrong... If you break your oath, you will be punished by God for such unjust acts. There are many such examples since ancient times. The most recent one was the Battle of Sekihara in the fifth year of Tianzheng. Lord Hideyoshi's body was still cold. The young assistant of Ishida Jibu betrayed his lord and gathered the great names of Shikoku, Kyushu, and Kinai to rebel. Toyotomi Hideyori was young and ignorant, and he also participated in it, hoping to defeat loyal ministers like Ieyasu. However, evil prevailed over good, and Ishida Mitsunari. After the rebels were defeated in a battle, some soldiers proposed to kill Hideyoshi. However, considering the compassion of the late Lord Hideyoshi, I did not punish Hideyori now, and so did we. If Hideyori can abandon evil and do good after the peace negotiation, I think we can live in harmony with him for generations. If he still persists in protecting evil and does many unjust things, he will die. This is God's punishment for the Toyotomi family.

"This is exactly what is called 'self-accomplishment'. Back then, Oda Nobunaga suppressed his superiors and banished the general Ashikaga Yoshiaki, which was unjust. In the end, Nobunaga's son was killed by Akechi Mitsuhide, and the Oda family gradually declined.

"At that time, Lord Takeda Shingen of Koshu was a famous general who was powerful in the world, but he exiled his father Nobutora when he was young. It was unjust. As a result, he was killed in the battle of Mikawa Noda and did not end well. Home The legacy is passed on to unworthy sons, and it lasts from one generation to the next.

"Hideyoshi was deeply favored by Nobunaga, but it is unjust to usurp his family property and drive away his descendants. Now his son Hideyori is acting in a wrong way, just in response to the retribution of his previous life.

"There are many examples of this at home and abroad. I fought with Lord Nobunaga. When Hideyoshi annexed Lord Nobunaga's family business, I did not hesitate to support His Highness Nobuo Oda. After fighting against the great names of the world and winning a battle, I made peace with Lord Hideyoshi. I then fought as a member of Toyotomi's allies and accomplished military exploits by destroying powerful enemies in the country. I never had any second thoughts - so much so that some people thought I was Ieyasu. He is a retainer of the Toyotomi family, which is actually wrong... However, even if there is no righteousness between monarch and subject, I still forgive Hideyori again and again for the crimes he committed. After this reconciliation, if he has the intention to rebel, it is his own fault. To seek destruction...I, Ieyasu, do not dare to violate the laws of nature and human ethics. May God bless my descendants and protect the world forever, and the bloodline will continue..."

Ieyasu's remarks shocked those who heard them. Everyone was moved and moved...

Sixth

During the peace period, many old acquaintances between the Tokugawa and Toyotomi armies began to interact.

Among them, according to the "Namba War" records, a samurai named Hara Sadayin came to visit Sanada Yukimura.

This Hara Sadayin was one of Takeda Shingen's old ministers. After the demise of the Takeda family, he lived in the countryside as a ronin. However, his reputation for bravery and strength at that time spread far and wide, and he was recruited by the Echizen daimyo Matsudaira Tadanao and became a member of his "Kurohoro clan". During this war, Hara Sadayin heard that Yukimura Sanada was playing for Osaka and always wanted to visit but had no chance. It was not until the peace talks that he got Tadanao Matsudaira's permission and happily went to Osaka Castle to meet Yukimura.

The two were old acquaintances. After meeting, they exchanged greetings, drank wine and talked about the passing time. They were fascinated and couldn't help but feel a little drunk. During the dinner, Yukimura said:

"The peace negotiation is just a temporary expedient, and another war is inevitable. As a general of one party, I, Yukimura, have to consider my reputation before and after my life. When war starts again I am bound to die in battle, and I am afraid I will never see you again... As a samurai, it is only my duty to die in battle. It is a pity that my eldest son Yukimasa, after spending fourteen years as a ronin, You really shouldn't have to suffer this fate..."

This warrior who made tens of thousands of Tokugawa troops fearful, but his words showed sadness and loss, and Hara Zhenyin couldn't help but remain silent. Speechless...

Then Yukimura pointed to a helmet placed on the table and said:

"The helmet over there decorated with antlers is a family treasure passed down from generation to generation in my family. , it was given to me by my late father. When I go to the battlefield, I will wear it and die in battle... If you see this bag after the war, please enshrine it as my head, Yukimura. ..."

Yuan Zhenyin said with emotion:

"Who can guarantee survival on the battlefield? If I die in battle, then let's meet again in Huangquan! "

Subsequently, Yukimura pulled out a horse named "Shirakawa Raw Hair" (with white stripes). The horse was equipped with a white saddle and was decorated with golden Sanada family members. Tattoo "six consecutive coins". Yukimura got on his horse and proudly said to Yuan Zhenyin:

"My horse can compete with the eight horses that King Mu of Zhou Mu in ancient China called when he met the Queen Mother of the West!" Then Yukimura raised his hand and headed south. Refers to, "Now that the defense outside Osaka Castle has been destroyed, the decisive battle will inevitably take place in the plains to the south. I will ride this horse to fight the Tokugawa army! Unfortunately, it has not left any descendants... This horse But my secret treasure..." After saying that, Yukimura got off his horse and looked sad...

After dinner, Yuan Zhenyin returned to the base camp and never saw Sanada Yukimura again. In May of the following year, in the decisive battle at Tennoji Temple, it is said that Yukimura died heroically while wearing the aforementioned antlered helmet and riding the horse "Shirakawa Genge".

Seven

As Sanada Yukimura, Goto Motoji and others originally expected, the peace talks were just Tokugawa's cover-up. The next summer, in April 1615, Tokugawa Ieyasu finally issued another order to attack the Toyotomi family.

This time, the leadership of the Toyotomi family had to make up their mind to fight to the end. Since the fortifications and trenches outside Osaka Castle had been completely destroyed, the Toyotomi Army decided to take the initiative to attack. However, due to unfavorable command, both the attack on Yamato Koriyama Castle and the attack on Kii Wakayama Castle in mid-April ended in failure, and they also suffered the loss of powerful generals such as Gadanemon Naoyuki.

On April 30, in order to deal with the advancing Tokugawa army, Osaka Castle held an important military meeting. At the meeting, the two military advisers Sanada and Goto once again expressed conflicting opinions and started a fierce debate -

Goto Matabei believed that the main force of the Tokugawa side was likely to attack from Yamato Road. And Xiaosong Mountain is the only way to pass. The terrain of Komatsu Pass is difficult to defend and difficult to attack. If you set up an ambush there, you may have a chance to kill Ieyasu himself in one fell swoop, thereby turning the entire battle situation around.

Sanada Yukimura believes that if the entire army is deployed too far away from the city at Komatsu Pass, it will be difficult to defend if the enemy attacks from Yao and Wakae on Kawachi Road. Moreover, once the Komatsu position is broken through, Osaka Castle will be destroyed. Also difficult to defend. It would be better to wait until all the Tokugawa troops are concentrated under Osaka Castle, and all the Toyotomi troops attack, and then start a frontal decisive battle in the wide plain area from Osaka Castle Nantennoji Temple to Okayama. The vanguard troops of Sanada and Mori will defeat the vanguard troops of the Tokugawa coalition forces, and then Toyotomi Hideyori personally led his troops out of the city to fight, and defeated Ieyasu's main formation with a single sniper attack. At the same time, he sent Akashi Zento to lead a surprise attack team to outflank Ieyasu from the rear, and took advantage of the chaos to cut off Ieyasu's head.

At the end of the debate, Goto Motoji's plan was finally adopted. Some people believe that Sanada Yukimura finally gave up on sticking to his plan because Motoji Goto gave himself the construction project of "Sanada Maru" during the Winter Formation.

However, the senior leaders of the Toyotomi family fully considered the opinions of Sanada Yukimura, so they decided to let generals such as Kimura Shigenari and Choso Gabe Morichika lead nearly half of the army in the city (more than 20,000 people) , attack from the Hanoi Road to prevent the Tokugawa Army from attacking from the Yao area. At the same time, the troops on Yamato Road were divided into two parts - Goto Motoji and Susukada Kanaki were the first team to ambush at Komatsuyama, and Sanada Yukimura and Mori Katsunaga were the second team to set up formation at Tennoji Temple as backup. If the first team is in trouble, they can retreat in time to preserve their strength.

In general, Osaka's two-pronged approach to using troops disapproved of the two military advisors - at such a critical moment, they could not decisively use troops in an all-out manner, and they had to divide their troops into several groups because they were already short of troops. , can only lead to being defeated individually. But the military orders were overwhelming, and the generals had no choice but to act separately.

On the evening of May 5, the three commanders of the Toyotomi Yamato Front Army, Goto Motoji, Sanada Yukimura, and Mori Katsunaga, said goodbye over drinks at Goto’s position in Hirano, and agreed to meet at Domyoji Temple in the early morning of the next day. Reunion, Mao Zedong ambushed the Tokugawa Army. Afterwards, Sanada and Mori returned to the Tennoji position, while Goto Motoji made preparations for the expedition alone.

Unexpectedly, it was going to be foggy that night, and the Maori and Sanada teams were confused during the assembly process. In addition, they were not familiar with the local geography, and their march was very slow. When the Mori Katsunaga team arrived at Fujiidera Village (on the west bank of Ishikawa and west of Komatsuyama) at about ten o'clock in the morning the next day (May 6), it was already reported that Goto Mototsugi Susukada Kaneso was killed in battle and the former army was completely defeated. news. The Maori army immediately stopped advancing, and another hour passed before Sanada Yukimura and Watanabe Nori arrived. The late arrival of the Sanada and Mori armies can be said to be the main reason for Goto Motoji's death in the battle. However, judging from the subsequent situation, even if the follow-up troops join the battle, they will only be able to defeat the vanguard of the Tokugawa army at most, and cannot achieve a single blow. The purpose of killing Tokugawa Ieyasu. (For details, see the previous work "Goto Matabei Kiji")

Many people believe that Sanada Yukimura himself is not optimistic about Goto Kiji's plan, so he deliberately arrived late to preserve his strength, hoping to be able to do it when he expected The final decisive battle took place at Tennoji Temple. However, there are also historical records that Yukimura painfully blamed himself after arriving at Fujiidera Village and learning about the death of Motoji Goto:

"I want to attack like Goto's team and fight like this." Forget it..."

Mouri Katsunaga comforted him and said:

"It's not your fault to be late, and dying recklessly will not help. It's better to do it tomorrow. Fighting to the death in front of Hideyori Kou showed his true nature as a loyal minister! "

However, Sanada Yukimura was not willing to retreat. Instead, he marched south from Fujii Temple Village in order to meet the remaining soldiers of the former army and In the area around Furuichi Village, they encountered the Date family's vanguard elite unit, the horse-mounted iron artillery unit led by Katakura Shigetsuna.

Katakura Shigetsuna is the eldest son of Katakura Kojuro Keetsuna, the most intelligent and brave general of the Date family. He was in his youth and inherited his father's martial arts. When he first went into battle, he Komatsuyama killed the famous general Goto Motoji in the battle, and he was in high spirits at this moment. The horse-mounted iron artillery unit (horse iron artillery) he led was an elite unit originally created by Date Masamune. It had the mobility of cavalry and the long-range lethality of musketeers. It showed great power in the Battle of Komatsuyama.

Facing the world-famous Sanada Yukimura, Katakura Shigetsuna seemed like a newborn calf and was not afraid of tigers. He immediately commanded the troops to attack. The cavalry, infantry and cavalry were responsible for the frontal assault, with the infantry and iron artillery teams on both wings. Scatter shot.

Faced with the offensive momentum of the Katakura Army's cavalry troops, Yukimura ordered the troops to retreat to avoid its sharp edge, and then attack together when they approached. At the same time, the iron artillery team extended to the left and right, forming a flying goose formation to fire. .

The two sides soon started a melee, with guns rumbling and the sound of killing loud. The Date army was well-equipped, with as many as 8,000 iron cannons used in this battle, and their firepower was very strong. During the chaotic battle, Yukimura's eldest son Yukimasa Sanada and General Nori Watanabe were shot and wounded one after another and were forced to withdraw from the battle, but Yukimura Sanada still commanded the attack and refused to retreat. In the end, the Katakura team had been fighting continuously since night, and the soldiers were relatively tired. In order to avoid excessive losses to the expensive cavalry team, Shigetsuna ordered to withdraw from the battlefield. Sanada Yukimura originally wanted to take advantage of the victory and pursue it, but the enemy's reinforcements appeared, and his side suffered heavy losses, so he also withdrew westward to Fujiidera Village.

In this battle, Sanada Yukimura, who has never been defeated since adulthood, realized the strength of the young military commander Katakura Shigetsuna, and at the same time, the two also developed feelings of sympathy for each other. There are legends that Yukimura went out of town to meet Shigetsuna that night and entrusted his daughter to his care. This woman named "Mei" later became Shigetsuna's wife...

At four o'clock in the afternoon, news came from Hanoi that the Nagasune and Kimura armies were defeated. The Toyotomi troops in Fujiidera Village also had to retreat to Osaka Castle. Sanada Yukimura and Mori Katsunaga together took on the task of rearguard. However, the Tokugawa troops were tired from the continuous fighting and did not pursue them. The Toyotomi troops were able to withdraw safely. During this period, Sanada Yukimura faced the Tokugawa Allied Forces who did not dare to pursue him, and left a bold statement: "There are millions of soldiers in Kanto, but there is not a single hero!"

Eight

On the night of May 6, 1615, Osaka Castle was filled with an atmosphere of despair. Since the Summer Battle of Osaka, the Toyotomi Army has suffered successive setbacks and lost many outstanding generals. It has reached the point where it is at the end of its rope and has to fight with a last ditch effort.

That night, Sanada Yukimura found the chief family boss Ohno Harinaga alone and told him his final battle plan, which was to attack with the entire army and fight the Tokugawa Army head-on from Tennoji Temple to Okayama Pass, and then defeat the Tokugawa Army's advance formation Later, Toyotomi Hideyori personally took action, drove straight into the Tokugawa family's base camp, and killed Tokugawa Ieyasu in one fell swoop. During the meeting, Katsunaga Mori also joined in and expressed firm support for Sanada Yukimura's plan.