Japan's in a L'Oda Trouble - Let's Play Nobunaga's Ambition Sphere of Influence(Oda)

[Tolvo]

Battle of Okehazama - The Ouchi Get Sue’d - Update 26

After losing dramatically at Gassantoda Castle to the Amago Clan, Yoshitaka Ouchi, leader to the Ouchi Clan, completely lost desire to expand his territory. Yoshitaka moved the Takafusa Sue’s militarist faction that had led the charge against the Amago away from the center of clan politics, leaving governing to more moderate retainers.

August, in the 12th year of Tenmon, 1551. The opposition between the militarist and moderate factions had reached its peak, leading Takafusa Sue to raise an army.

Yoshitaka Ouchi:
T-Takafusa! Why…Why are you doing this?! Have you forgotten what I have done for you? How I loved you?

Takafusa Sue:
Lord Yoshitaka… It is because I cannot forget what you have done for me that I cannot bear to watch the Ouchi go down this road any longer. And love’s end, my lord, often goes unnoticed. Now, everyone, slay Yoshitaka! The Ouchi clan no longer needs a spineless leader!

Unable to make any sort of organized resistance, Yoshitaka Ouchi took his life at Taineiji Temple.

Takafusa Sue had Yoshishige Otomo’s younger brother, Haruhide Otomo, change his name to Yoshinaga Ouchi and placed him as the head of the Otomo. He then changed his own name to Harukata Sue and went on to hold the true authority within the clan.

Characters introduced

Takafusa Sue

Yoshitaka Ouchi

[Tolvo]

Battle of Okehazama - The Otomo Bungo’ll About - Update 27

Yoshishige Otomo, leader of the land of Bungo, took over his clan after the infighting in the Otomo known as the “Second Floor Incident”. The incident has lost Yoshishige his father, his mother in law, and his half brother.

For a time after his inheritance, his territory was caught in confusion and strife, leading Yoshishige to spend his days in battle. Then, Bungo had finally calmed down in the 5th year of Eiroku, 1562…

Yoshishige Otomo:
Akitsura. The clan has settled down quite a bit, wouldn’t you say?

Akitsura Bekki:
…That I cannot. My lord, surely this is not enough to have you fall into the trap of relief, is it?

Yoshishige Otomo:
Far from it. I know as well as you we have to make the Otomo thrive even further. Yet, I must say I’m a little tired. I’m thinking of joining the priesthood, changing my perspective.

Akitsura Bekki:
…Now is not the time to be indulging in leisure, my lord.

Yoshishige Otomo:
I know that! That’s why I’m joining the priesthood – to cut ties with the leisure you hate so much.

Akitsura Bekki:
…If it is for the sake of the Otomo, I will not stop you. However, I will join you. From here worth, I will take no the name of Dosetsu.

Yoshishige Otomo:
(Good grief… He’s a little TOO loyal.) Do as you wish. From henceforth, my name is Sorin!

The two changed their names, with Yoshishige Otomo calling himself Sorin Otomo and Akitsura Bekki calling himself Dosetsu Tachibana. The efforts of the two would bring the Otomo clan to the height of its splendor.

[Tolvo]

Battle of Okehazama - Masahide’s Suicide - Update 28

[Content Warning For Suicide]

Captured Kannonji Castle

Capture Nijo Palace

Nobunaga took up the position of lord of the Oda clan after his father, Nobuhide. However, his fierce, wild conduct remained after his ascension, failing to gain the understanding of his retainers. Worried about this situation, Nobunaga’s guardian, Masahide Hirate, arrived at a resolution.

Masahide Hirate:
Lord Nobunaga, do you have a moment?

Nobunaga Oda:
What do you want, gramps? I’m busy. Whatever you want to scold me about, do it later.

Masahide Hirate:
It’s very important. You see, I’m worried about what is to become of you, my lord, and of the Oda clan…

Nobunaga Oda:
Didn’t I tell you to scold me later? Listen, gramps, I’m the lord of the Oda. I’ve got more important things to do than keep the retainers smiling. I’m working on something they can’t even dream of. So I don’t have any time. I can’t listen to your complaints like I did back in the old days.

Masahide Hirate:
Is that so, my lord… In that case, I shall write it in a letter.

Nobunaga Oda:
Do as you please. I’m off.

Masahide Hirate:
… I’ll make him listen, even if it costs me my life…!

Then, that evening.

Soldier:
M-My Lord! It’s an emergency!

Nobunaga Oda:
What’s all the commotion?

Soldier:
Lord Hirate has…Lord Hirate has taken his own life!

Nobunaga Oda:
What?! Gramps!? That can’t be – why would he?!

Soldier:
The details are unclear. However, there was a letter beside himi…

Nobunaga Oda:
That can’t be…! Give it to me!

Masahide Hirate:
“As promised, I wrote it in a letter. This is gramps’ final scolding. Before you became this clan’s leader, and after, you pursued your ambition relentlessly. As your guardian, I am proud of you from the bottom of my heart. However, do keep one thing in mind. Your ambition, Lord Nobunaga, belongs not to you alone. The retainers of the clan all wish to support that ambition in their own way. This is why they want to complain when they see you tackling your project all alone. So I beg of you, Lord Nobunaga. Instead of charging recklessly towards your wish, keep those around you in mind. You must not make light of those who understand and will help you pursue your goal. And if gramps opening his stomach caused you to change your attitude, my lord, then no one will be suspicious of its suddenness. I beg of you, for your sake and for the sake of this clan, to hear this plea I have exchanged my life for.”

Nobunaga Oda:
…All right, gramps. This one scolding I’ll take to heart…

Nobunaga held Masahide’s letter tightly. As he held back his cries, his hand trembled ever so slightly.

Afterwards Nobunaga’s conduct completely changed, being thoughtless and wild no longer.

The warning that cost Masahide his life caused Nobunaga to grow greatly, not only as the leader of the Oda, but as a daimyo of the Sengoku era, as well.

[Tolvo]

Battle of Okehazama - The Seeds Of Destruction - Update 29

Captured Nijo Palace

After marching to the capital, Nobunaga Oda took the Muromachi shogunate back from the Miyoshi clan and placed Yoshiaki Ashikaga as shogun. Hearing the news, one man sent a request to join Nobunaga faster than any other.

Hisahide Matsunaga. The man who murdered the previous shogun, Yoshiteru Ashikaga, and sent the shogunate on a path to destruction

Nobunaga Oda:
So, you’re Hisahide Matsunaga?

Hisahide Matsunaga:
Yes, my lord. Might I express my deepest thanks for allowing a criminal such as I to see you. As a token of my gratitude, please accept this.

Nobunaga Oda:
Oh? This is the Tsukomonasu, is it not? The shogunate used to possess this.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
That it is, and as atonement for my previous crimes and a statement of my sincerity, I offer it up to you.

Nobunaga Oda:
Immediately giving me what I desire, even if it is your own treasure… Well, I am impressed. However, Lord Yoshiaki seems opposed to you joining me. Though, that is to be expected, since you slew his brother. And as one who protects Lord Yoshiaki, I cannot bring you into my clan as simply as that. Capturing you here and handing you to Lord Yoshiaki is likely the correct path a servant must take…

Hisahide Matsunaga:
…

Nobunaga Oda:
Hah, you needn’t worry so. Unlike Lord Yoshiaki, I look up to you.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
…?

Nobunaga Oda:
You killed your master, you killed the shogun, and you even burned the statue of Buddha at Todaiji Temple. Each an unspeakable crime in its own right…and you went and committed all three. The abilities of such a man cannot be average – that is my read.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
Th-Then…?

Nobunaga Oda:
I accept your vassalage. From this day forth, serve me with all that you have.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
Yes…Yes, my lord!

Hisahide Matsunaga:
…Hmph, he’ll act as big as he wants for now, but he’s nothing but a bumpkin warrior of Owari. Gaining his favor will pose no difficulty whatsoever.

A report that the great villain Hisahide Matsunaga had joined the Oda reached Yoshiaki in no time at all.

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
Impossible! Hisahide murdered my brother, and he employed the man…? Nobunaga… At this rate, can he be trusted…?

With Hisahide’s employment, trouble brewed between Nobunaga and Yoshiaki far sooner than anyone had anticipated.

To The Capital(Quest)

Accomplished

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - Sue’s Defeat and the Anti-Nobunaga Coalition - Update 30

In the Taineiji Incident, Harukata Sue killed his lord, Yoshitaka Ouchi, and seized control of the Ouchi clan. However, his forceful expansionist policies incited resistance from the surrounding daimyos and settlements.

One of these daimyos was Motonari Mori, the daimyo of Aki. Motonari came up with a plan to lure Harukata’s soldiers into Miyao Castle on Itsukushima, and the strategy worked brilliantly. Due to the narrow corridors of Miyao Castle and the fact that it rained the previous night, the Sue army was trapped with no way to mobilize. Suddenly, the Mori army appeared from both the land and sea.

Harukata Sue:
Motonari! So this was your plan all along!

Motonari Mori:
He who plots, wins. Admit your defeat, Harukata. All units, charge!

Unable to react quickly, the Sue army was surrounded by the Mori troops on all sides. With no way to retreat, the Sue forces fell into chaos and were wiped out. This victory was the beginning of Motonari Mori’s domination of the Chugoku region.

Reaching the capital and becoming the shogun’s virtual vanguard, the Oda grew in force daily. However, feeling the most endangered by this situation was none other than the shogun Yoshiaki Ashikaga himself. In secret, Yoshiaki sent off letters to other daimyo, speaking of the Oda’s excesses in an attempt to breed hostility towards Nobunaga.

The Asakura clan, allies to the Azai clan, was led by one of the daimyo Yoshiaki requested the aid of. With that, relations grew violently strained between the Oda and Asakura, and armed conflict became a matter of time.

Meanwhile, at the Azai clan…

Nagamasa Azai:
The Asakura seem to want me to pick a fight with the Oda.

Oichi:
They do…? What will the Azai do?

Nagamasa Azai:
The Azai and Asakura have been allies for a long, long time… I and many others in the clan have been helped by them in times of need. I’m deeply grateful to them. The Azai helping the Asakura will likely mean cutting ties with the Oda…

Oichi:
Lord Nagamasa…

Nagamasa Azai:
Ichi, I’m sorry. This is the path we’ve chosen. But, since it’s come to this, you can still go back to the Oda…

Oichi:
My brother is a man fully devoted to his ideals. To him, the shackles of obligation and mere feelings are obstacles to be destroyed.

Nagamasa Azai:
…!

Oichi:
I am a woman of a warrior house. I came prepared for this. So worry not for me, Lord Nagamasa. As my brother does, follow your beliefs.

Nagamasa Azai:
Ichi…

Oichi:
Please, don’t tell me to go home…that would be too sad. The woman I am now…is your wife.

Nagamasa Azai:
Indeed…you’re right. Sorry for entertaining the thought. Please, forget I said anything. I am no retainer to my brother in law. I’ll pursue my beliefs.

Prioritizing their long standing alliance with the Asakura, the Azai chose to stand against the Oda clan. Yoshiaki Ashikaga did not end hs stirring of conflict there – the leader of Honganji, Kennyo Honganji, joined forces with the Asakura and stood against Nobunaga.

Kennyo Honganji:
Oh believers, now is that time we stand! Let us bring Nobunaga Oda, enemy of Buddhism, into an endless hell!

Rising to Kennyo’s call, the Ikko-shu at Ise Nagashima made preparations at Nagashima Castle.

Nobunaga Oda:
I believe in neither paradise nor hell. …The new world I shall create will be a paradise. And what I show those who oppose me, who bare their fangs…that will be hell!

The group of daimyo who rose up against Nobunaga in reaction to Yoshiaki Ashikaga’s secret letters were known as the Anti-Nobunaga Coalition.

Anti-Nobunaga Coalition(Quest)

As the Oda Clan rapidly grew more powerful, the daimyo who opposed it formed a coalition. Thus, the age’s revolutionary had to stand tall before grave danger.

Eliminate the Asakura Clan
Eliminate the Azai Clan
Capture Nagashima Castle

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - Hisahide Matsunaga’s First Betrayal - Update 31

Yoshiaki Ashikaga, 15th shogun of the Muromachi shogunate. Though previously in the Buddhist priesthood, the assassination of his brother and 13th shogun, Yoshiteru Ashikaga, brought him back to his seat of power. The man who killed Yoshiteru was a major player in central Japan, Hisahide Matsunaga. And now, both of them were about to join forces to achieve a single goal.

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
Hmph… By all means, I’d rather not see that sneering face of yours.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
Haha… Quite the welcome, my lord. Personally, I bat not an eye at the rotting authority of the Ashikaga shogunate.

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
You dare…?!

Hisahide Matsunaga:
However, Lord Yoshiaki, I respect the power you hold. Not just anyone can cause the Takeda to move.

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
Y-You’ll help, then? Join the coalition against Nobunaga?

Hisahide Matsunaga:
I will, my lord. I shall raise troops in Yamato and make Nobunaga draw his last breath.

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
Yet, I cannot comprehend your actions. After murdering my brother and immediately bowing to Nobunaga, why would you turn against him like this now?

Hisahide Matsunaga:
I could ask the same of you, Lord Yoshiaki. After taking the seat of the shogun with Nobunaga’s help, why are you against him?

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
Nobunaga looks down upon the shogunate and shogun, thinking only to use them for his own designs. That is not a role I will accept lightly!

Hisahide Matsunaga:
Hah, the shogunate and shogun… What rubbish.

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
What?! Knew it, I should never have…

Hisahide Matsunaga:
However, my lord, I cannot stand idly by as a country warrior like Nobunaga does as he pleases in our capital. I’ll show him who’s truly worthy to be seated in Kyoto. I take my leave.

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
Blast, as vile a man as ever… Yet, to remove Nobunaga, a beggar can’t be a chooser…

A Man Called Hisahide Matsunaga(Quest)

Hisahide Matsunaga, a man with the heart of a beast and the grace of a noble. Nobunaga saw something of himself in the man, as well as something he could never obtain himself.

Make Hisahide Matsunaga Lord of Shigisan Castle.

Made Hisahide Matsunaga Lord of Shigisan Castle

Joining in on the formation of the Anti-Nobunaga Coalition, Hisahide Matsunaga raised soldiers at Shigisan Castle in his land of Yamato.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
Nobunaga… Fancying yourself a destroyer, do you seek to change this world? I won’t let you. That, you see, is my role. I must always be one step ahead of you. I cannot allow myself to be overtaken.

The alliance of the shogun Yoshiaki Ashikaga and the murderer of his brother, Hisahide Matsunaga, did not only surprise all the warriors of the land…but also threatened Nobunaga’s position, with two critical men of central Japan now against him.

Nobunaga Oda surrounds Shigisan Castle

Nobunaga Oda Surrounded Shigisan Castle

With his castle surrounded, Hisahide Matsunaga realized the futility of further resistance and sent a messenger of surrender to Nobunaga. Since Nobunaga had never forgiven a traitor before, everyone thought Hisahide’s death was imminent. However…

Messenger:
I have returned, my lord.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
And he has forgiven me, has he not?

Messenger:
Y-Yes, my lord, he has… He said he will turn a blind eye to this incident.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
I thought so… As he is now, he cannot take my life.

Messenger:
However…

Hisahide Matsunaga:
However…?

Messenger:
He commanded your presence at Gifu Castle, my lord.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
Hmph…Very well, I’ll oblige.

Against the expectations of most, Nobunaga forgave Hisahide and ended up meeting him in Gifu Castle.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
I have come as you wished, my lord.

Nobunaga Oda:
…

Hisahide Matsunaga:
Words, my lord, cannot describe my gratitude at being graced with your forgiveness.

Nobunaga Oda:
Hisahide… You think I can’t kill you, don’t you?

Hisahide Matsunaga:
Not at all, my lord. I…

Nobunaga Oda:
True. I cannot strike you down now, not as loong as we seek the same thing.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
…

Nobunaga Oda:
Those that can comprehend my true intent are few and far between…for now. However, should the day come when those increase in number and you are no longer worth keeping alive… Prepare yourself.

Hisahide Matsunaga:
Understood, my lord… (Haha… So, he’s seen through me, has he? Yet, why would he reveal that to me? Just as I thought, Nobunaga – you cannot reach my level. And surpassing me is a sheer impossibility.)

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - Massacre at Isa Nagashima - Update 32

A short update, sorry for the long wait. I have to upload the images to my twitter and didn’t want to spam my feed too much every day.

In this update of Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence we see more of the horrors committed by Nobunaga. He is well known for his refusal to respect Buddhism and religion in general is shown off here.

Captured Nagashima Castle

Isa Nagashima thrived as a base of the Ikko-shu, with believers running the local politics. Nobunaga did not acknowledge the independence of temple governments, and thus the Ikko-shu’s main temple, Ishiyama Honganji in Osaka, opposed him. They spoke out against Nobunaga to believers all across the nation.

In response, the believers in Nagashima rose up in an instant, all calling for Nobunaga’s downfall. Brutal battle were fought between the Ooda army and the Ikko-shu, claiming countless lives. However, now, the conflict was about to come to a dramatic end.

Orderly:
Reporting! The believers holding up in the castle have capitulated! They seem willing to surrender.

Nobunaga Oda:
They do, do they… Shoot them all. Leave none alive.

Orderly:
Ye…b-but, my lord…

Nobunaga Oda:
We’re getting to the root of the problem. This will show the world just what happens to those who oppose me.

The rivers surrounding Nagashima were crimson from the blood of the believers and the flames of the burning town. The other daimyo quivered at this unprecedented act of brutality, regarding Nobunaga with more caution than they had before.

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - The Death of Nagamasa Azai - Update 33

In this update we see the end of the Azai clan, and the romance between Nagamasa and Oichi, as Nobunaga Oda’s forces close in on Odani Castle.

The Death of Nagamasa(Quest)

Marrying Nobunaga’s sister, Oichi, Nagamasa Azai sought the world as the his brother in law. Fate, however, had different intentions, with Nagamasa’s new brother bringing forth his end.

Make the Azai’s only base Odani Castle.

Made the Azai’s only base Odan Castle

Capture Odani Castle

Eliminated the Azai Clan

Captured Odani Castle

Though he took on Nobunaga Oda’s sister Ichi as a bride and became his younger brother-in-law, Nagamasa Azai chose to face Nobunaga in combat. And now, Nagamasa’s castle of residence, Odani Castle, was about to fall by Nobunaga’s hands.

Nagamasa Azai:
Ichi, it seems my luck has run out…

Oichi:
Before long, my lord, this castle will fall too the Oda. Yet, I am the daughter of a warrior house. I am ready.

Nagamasa Azai:
It was I who decided to face the Oda in battle. It was a mistake, though not one I regret.

Oichi:
But, my lord… That was what the retainers had pushed you into.

Nagamasa Azai:
No, I take the responsibility as head of the Azai.

Oichi:
…

Nagamasa Azai:
Yet, dragging you and our daughters into this foolish battle of mine… That consumes me with regret. Ichi, take our children and leave the castle. I can expect no pardon, but brother should forgive you.

Oichi:
But, my lord…! I cannot do such a thing…!

Nagamasa Azai:
I cannot bear the thought of you and our daughters meeting a miserable end in a place like this. Please, Ichi. Live, and allow our daughters to live, as well. Let the blood of the Azai pass on to future generations. Please…!

Oichi:
Being in a world without you, Lord Nagamasa, would be like walking through a moonless night with no lamp…I can only lose my way.

Nagamasa Azai:
…

Oichi:
Yet, to save our daughters… I will leave the castle and go to my brother.

Nagamasa Azai:
I’m glad, Ichi.

Oichi:
This is goodbye, Lord Nagamasa… Let us meet again, in the other world.

Nagamasa Azai:
Now…now I have no regrets. How miserable a leader I was… Perhaps if I had Nobunaga’s decisiveness, the Azai would not have turned out this way… Ichi, I fear we will never meet again… I must apologize to father and my retainers in hell.

The head of the Azai clan, Nagamasa Azai, claimed his own life, and Odani Castle fell at the hands of the Oda. Nobunaga’s younger sister and Nagamasa’s wife, Oichi, escaped the castle just before its fall. As she left, the Oda army temporarily halted their attack to watch over her and her daughters. Under the veil of pained silence, Oichi returned to the Oda clan.

The Death of Nagamasa Completed!

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - Hideyoshi Kinoshita Becomes Hideyoshi Hashiba - Update 34

For today’s update we see an exchange between Hideyoshi and Nobunaga regarding names, and Hideyoshi gains a new one for himself.

Odani Castle, Omi.

Hideyoshi Kinoshita:
You had called, my lord?

Nobunaga Oda:
There you are, Monkey… You’ve become a bit more warrior-like, I must say.

Hideyoshi Kinoshita:
I am at the height of gladness to hear your praise, my lord!

Nobunaga Oda:
You can’t be a monkey under the trees forever. Change your name.

Hideyoshi Kinoshita:
My lord, surely you jest…

Nobunaga Oda:
Jest? Do you say I would enjoy jesting with you?

Hideyoshi Kinooshita:
(Guh, that just made him mad…and Lord Nobunaga’s not one to drop the issue at times like this…)

Nobunaga Oda:
…

Hideyoshi Kinoshita:
Then, how about taking parts of the names of two of the Oda’s most powerful families to form the name “Hashiba”? “Hideyoshi Hashiba”, how about that?

Nobunaga Oda:
The “ha” character read from “Dewa” and “Shiba” from “Shibata”…very well.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
(Phew…!)

Nobunaga Oda:
One more thing.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
Th-There’s more, my lord?

Nobunaga Oda:
Of course there’s more. Your name change was a mere opening. I wish to speak of Odani Castle.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
This castle, my lord?

Nobunaga Oda:
I need to make a few adjustments to it. Was thinking about changing its name, too.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
I see, I see.

Nobunaga Oda:
So, any bright ideas?

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
What?!

Nobunaga Oda:
…Did you intend to make me think of everything?

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
N-No, not at all, my lord! In that case…since the castle is in the land of Imahama, I think Imahama Castle would be good.

Nobunaga Oda:
…

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
However, the name lacks punch. So, by borrowing a part of my Lord Nobunaga’s name…we could name it “Nagahama Castle”.

Nobunaga Oda:
Nagahama Castle. Not a half bad name. Very well, we go with that.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
(Phew…!)

Nobunaga Oda:
What are you still doing here? Out with you? Though if your hands are empty enough for you to stand gawking around here, II have a few words for you.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
Ah! If I may be excused, then!

Hideyoshi leaves.

Nobunaga Oda:
Hmph…quick witted and fast to adapt to any situation. A monkey, indeed. No one else has that kind of talent, that talent of his to take this nation… Eventually, he will become a man I cannot go without. Granting him this castle… Not a bad idea.

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - Harunobu Renamed, The Tiger of Kai Shingen Takeda - Update 35

Though they were rapidly expanding their territory, the Takeda clan faced dangers from within. One could not call the land of Kai bountiful, and its people were made to bear the high cost of war expenses. The discontent of the people led to the discontent and anxiety of the local leaders and Takeda retainers. And from that discontent, Harunobu sensed a movement to exile him in the same way he exiled his father.

Harunobu Takeda:
If it’s come to this, I’ll have to act – and fast. Cannot stand idly by and end up chased out of my lands as my father was.

That very day, Harunobu joined the Buddhist priesthood and took on the name of “Shingen”. This change was all to gain the help of the Buddhist factions to bring order to his territory.

Shingen Takeda:
…If it’s for the cause of unification, I’ll become a demon or a Buddha; whatever it takes.

Though Shingen managed to strengthen his rule over his land through this movement…he had not completely extinguished the embers of treachery.

[Tolvo]

Just thought I’d mention I’ve updated the thread and added movies from the game. They are silent due to Koei’s DRM but you can still watch them and they are captioned. I retroactively added them to the parts they should have been and in the first post.

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - The Uesugi Clan is Born - Update 36

Under pressure from the Hojo clan, Norimasa Uesugi-- the Kanto Chancellor – fled to Echigo. He asked for aid from the head of the Nagao clan. Kagetora Nagao, who proceeded to engage in a number of battles around Kanto on behalf of Norimasa.

Awestruck by Kagetora’s valiance, Norimasa decided to yield the chancellorship to Kagetora, thinking that a person as weak as himself was not fit for such a position. Kagetora accepted Norimasa’s offer with no resistance, almost as if he had been expecting it.

Kagetora Nagao:
From today forth, I, Kagetora Nagao, will replace Lord Norimasa as the Kanto Chancellor. I hereby change my name to Masatora Uesugi, and vow to strike down any who disturb the peace of Kanto.

When he became the Kanto Chancellor, Kagetora changed his family name to Uesugi, and combined Norimasa’s name with his own to become Masatora. In his new position, Masatora could always claim that hs battles were for the good of the Kanto region.

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - Toshiie’s Punishment - Update 37

Content Warning for Incest

With his marriage to Matsu, Toshiie Maeda gave up the eccentricity and flamboyancy of his youth. He did not, however, give up his proneness to anger, and ended up slaying a man after a heated argument. The man he’d cut was kin to his master, Nobunaga, and the incident affected his employment within the clan.

Nobunaga Oda:
Toshiie, as valuable as your skills may be, I cannot let you go unpunished for this affair.

Toshiie Maeda:
Aye, my lord! I shall atone with a blade through my belly!

Nobunaga Oda:
Calm down, you blasted fool. Have you forgotten you’ve just gotten married? Matsu was her name, I believe. Do you intent to leave a wife of that caliber behind in your death?

Toshiie Maeda:
Ahh… Well, now that you mention it, my lord…can something be worked out?

Nobunaga Oda:
Two years. Pass two years without incident, and stay out of my sight.

Toshiie Maeda:
Is that…all, my lord?

Nobunaga Oda:
Don’t expect a stipend, either. Endure those two years without it. If you lose the will to serve me in that time, then disappear to wherever you see fit.

Toshiie Maeda:
That will not happen, my lord! I Toshiie, will endure those two years!

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
Toshiie, you made it out all right?

Toshiie Maeda:
Yeah, and all I’ve gotta do is stay put for two years for Lord Nobunaga to pardon me. What could be easier?

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
That’s all it’ll take…to get Lord Nobunaga to forgive you? Really? I guess the world’s just full of surprises.

Toshiie Maeda:
Well, I won’t be getting paid during that time, though!

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
…Wait, no stipend?! Toshiie, doesn’t that mean you’re actually out of a… Hey, who’s that girl?

Toshiie Maeda:
Oh I hadn’t introduced you?

Matsu:
I am his wife, Matsu.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
Since when’d you get such a beauty of a bride?!

Toshiie Maeda:
Didn’t I tell you I’d gotten married a while back?

Matsu:
You are brother’s friend Lord Hashiba, are you not? I have heard quite a bit about you.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
B-Brother?

Matsu:
Ah, forgive me. It’s an old habit of mine.

Toshiie Maeda:
I didn’t tell you? We’re cousins, see, and we grew up like brother and sister, so somethings she still calls me that.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
Like brother and sister…? No…no way…

Toshiie Maeda:
Well, since I’m out of a stipend, we’re going to be living in this infantry house for a while. See you ‘round Tokichiro. Keep in touch.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
No…no fair…

And so began Toshiie’s tribulations as he lived in lowly infantry quarters, virtually exiled from his clan.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
…

Toshiie’s Struggle(Quest)

Toshiie Maeda, the eccentric, regarded spearman. His brusqueness working against him, the trouble he got himself in found him out of the Oda Clan.

Don’t employ Toshiie Maeda for 2 years.

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - The Anti-Nobunaga Coalition’s Defeat - Update 38

Eliminated the Asakura Clan

Surround Nijo Palace

Surrounded Nijo Palace

Asakura of Echizen, Azai of Omi, and the Ikko revolters of Ise Nagashima had all fallen, leaving the Anti-Nobunaga Coalition in ruins. However, the head of the coalition, Shogun Yoshiaki Ashikaga, would stand down. He refused all three of the Oda’s requests for peace. Holding up in the capital’s Nijo Castle, he continued his resistance.

Seeing this, Nobunaga sent his soldiers to the capital, finally moving to settle the score.

Nijo Palace, Kyoto…

Soldier:
Reporting! I-It’s an emergency!

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
What?! What in the world is going on?!

Soldier:
The capital is burning! The Oda have set fire to our town!

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
What?!

Soldier:
Furthermore, the palace has already been surrounded by Nobunaga’s forces…

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
!

Nobunaga Oda:
It has been a long time, Lord Yoshiaki.

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
N-Nobunaga! How did you…?

Nobunaga Oda:
I am well aware of how much I am breaking etiquette, but seeing as how this was the only way to see you…

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
This kind of deed is inexcusable! This is treachery towards to shogunate!

Nobunaga Oda:
Before you came to the capital, Lord Yoshiaki, we acted with the utmost of sincerity. However, you saw that sincerity as betrayal waiting to happen, and attempted to bring us to our end. I’m afraid we were the ones who were betrayed.

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
Ngh…

Nobunaga Oda:
One cannot follow a master who does not trust his servants. We will seek unification through a path different from yours, Lord Yoshiaki. And with that, I ask that you surrender Kyoto to me.

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
…You must have had this planned from the day you said you would save me in my time of need. You were going to use me for your ambition from the start!

Nobunaga Oda:
…To get what I want, the means are a mere detail. I’m afraid I have been like that since childhood.

Yoshiaki Ashikaga:
And not being able to see through that was my failure…

And so, Shogun Yoshiaki Ashikaga was chased from Kyoto. Now, with the center of the nation in his hands, Nobunaga’s authority became something no other could match.

Anti-Nobunaga Coalition Completed!

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - Ieyasu Becomes Tokugawa - Update 39

Ieyasu Matsudaira had taken back Mikawa and started battling for dominance as a daimyo in his own right. The strong territorial bond and great skill of the Mikawa warriors helped his expansion greatly.

Ieyasu Matsudaira:
The Mikawa are certainly powerful… And the loyalty they support me with is laudable. To bring out that power in its fullest, I need to show the world that I am their leader. Can’t go without naming myself Mikawa representative, and making the clan worthy of the title, either.

With that, Ieyasu Matsudaira changed his name to “Ieyasu Tokugawa”. This was all to become a central figure to the men of Mikawa who made up the bulk of his retainers.

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - Takeda and the Imagawa Separate - Update 40

The Takeda and Imagawa clans had maintained a good relationship since the age of the Takeda’s previous leader, Nobutora. The introduction of the Triple Alliance only strengthened that bond. However, when the Imagawa lost their great leader Yoshimoto, Shingen started to feel uneasy about them, eventually resolving to break the alliance.

Shingen’s son Yoshinobu, however, was married to a woman of the Imagawa and fiercely opposed the movement.

Ultimately, Shingen had Yoshinobu and a few retainers executed on the grounds of plotting to execute him. This move wiped out all of those in the Takeda clan who supported the Imagawa. The treachery was revealed by the Takeda retainer Masakage Obu, and his relative Toramasa Obu, was executed as an accomplice in the plot.

Shingen Takeda:
Masakage, you went as far in your loyalty to me as to send Toramasa to his death. Take on the prestigious name of Yamagata. Call yourself Masakage Yamagata, from now on. And from this day forward, Toramasa’s Red Brigade, is now under your command. Though not even this boon is a fitting reward for your loyalty.

Masakaga Yamagata:
Such kind words, my liege… I will repay this boon with all of the valor I can muster!

Inheriting the name of Yamagata and the elite Red Brigade, Masakage Yamagata would come too be known and feared as the strongest of Takeda’s officers.

[Tolvo]

I’m sorry for the long wait, I will be continuing this series though!

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - Shingen’s Death - Update 41

Shingen Takeda, a powerful daimyo called the tiger of Kai and feared for his military mind. And now, his ailing body was drawing its final breaths. Knowing he had little time left, Shingen called his retainers together to speak with them.

Shingen Takeda:
So, you’re all here… Listen, everyone. Today, my life will end. The world must not know of my death. Keep the fact hidden for three years, and avoid battle when you can. For should you fight without my leadership, our foes will surely know that I have passed. Sink my body into the lake of Suwa. Into its pure, beauteous waters… Ha ha…”Beauteous”… This naivete must be what kept me from the capital. And yet even as I knew that, I would not give up on conquest… Oh, how foolish I have been.

Masakage Yamagata:
My liege…

Shingen Takeda:
Genshiro, is that you…? Perhaps…perhaps you could…

Masakage Yamagata:
…

Shingen Takeda:
Genshiro, you are the vanguard of the Takeda… Tomorrow…raise our flag at Seta!

Masakage Yamagata:
My liege… I will! No matter what!

Shingen Takeda:
Show our flag…to the…nation…

And so Shingen Takeda, the great star of the warring states, met the end of his life. Not even a man with his talent for strategy could resist fate, and he fell with his ambition unfulfilled

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - Nagashino Here We Come! - Update 42

The great warrior Shingen Takeda possessed an excellent band of retainers and a sizeable force based around Kai. Now, however, a crack appeared in the pillar of the Takeda clan.

The great star falls. On the road to the capital, following the west path, the leader of the Takeda, Shingen, suddenly died. At first, Shingen’s death was concealed by the Takeda’s retainers, but eventually, other daimyo came to know of the event.

Nobunaga Oda:
So… The tiger has finally met his end.

Ieyasu Tokugawa:
Some of Takeda’s retainers have voiced desire to join us. There seems little room for doubt.

Nobunaga Oda:
We have lost yet another man of worth. Yet… You seem to be awfully relieved.

Ieyasu Tokugawa:
But of course. My land is next to the Takeda’s, and I have been dealt many a treachery by Shingen’s hands. However, it is still to early to rest easy. The Takeda still have Katsuyori.

Nobunaga Oda:
Indeed. Though Shingen is gone, the Takeda still pose quite a threat. However, they are no longer an unsurpassable foe. Soon, the time will come to settle the score, and for that reason… I’ll have to think of a way to finish them off, once and for all.

The Battle of Nagashino(Quest)
From the East came the Takeda Clan’s cavalry, said to be the strongest in the nation. Their defeat would mean the defeat of all the old ways of war.

Enact the “Intensive Firearms” policy

Enacted the “Intensive Firearms” policy

The Oda Clan, Gifu Castle…

Orderly:
Reporting, my lord! Katsuyori Takeda has marched with troops out of Tsutsuji Palace!

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
So, he’s come. And I’ll bet he’s after Nagashino.

Nobunaga Oda:
Have the muskets been prepared?

Kazumasu Takigawa:
We’ve gathered them from everyone under the Oda’s power – about fifteen hundred.

Nobunaga Oda:
We should also have five hundred for my bannermen, five hundred for the men on the field, and five hundred for Ieyasu.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
We’ve…we’ve almost got three thousand muskets…?

Nagahide Niwa:
So, what plan shall we enact to intercept the Takeda army, my lord?

Nobunaga Oda:
We need no plan. We need only use muskets with overwhelming numbers.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
Can we…can we win like that?

Mitsuhide Akechi:
In a normal battle, no. But the battle we’re about to conduct is far from normal. In a normal battle, one begins with an exchange of musket fire, then arrows, then finally, spears.

Nobunaga Oda:
This battle, however, will end with muskets. No matter how the Takeda advance against us, we will keep on firing.

Nagahide Niwa:
Yet, what if the Takeda cavalry slice through our numbers? I cannot imagine our men’s guns hitting their famed Red Brigade…

Nobunaga Oda:
We will grant them no chance to cut into us. We will not simply keep on firing – we will be firing from the front, left, and right. They’ll face our bullets from three directions.

Mitsuhide Akechi:
In addition, we’ll construct a stockade to slow their horses down for a few moments – a few critical moments.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
So a stockade’s the only plan we have…in stock!

Mitsuhide Akechi:
…

Nobunaga Oda:
…Monkey, you’re deploying in front of the stockade.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
…Surely you can’t mean that, my lord.

Kazumasu Takigawa:
…I see. So this is why we gathered up all of those muskets and gunpowder.

Nagahide Niwa:
Only we of the Oda, with Kunitomo, Sakai, and Kyoto under our grasp, could bring a plan like this to fruition. Katsuyori could not copy us if he tried.

Kazumasu Takigawa:
Indeed. The quality of the muskets and gunpowder themselves are far above what one can find in the east.

Nobunaga Oda:
We head for Okazaki tomorrow morning. It will not be enough to simply win this fight. I must create a new way of war… And I must have those who follow my orders win with it.

[Tolvo]

Nobunaga Besieged - Battle of Nagashino - Update 43

Nobunaga Oda:
All forces, heed my call! This battle will be fought with a way of war crafted by my hand, and our victory will be no ordinary one. Following are the rules of engagement. First, not a single unit is permitted to retreat. Second, do not advance before the stockade. Falling back is permitted – mind your distance from the enemy. Finally, my unit will not move. Should I be required to move in this battle, our victory will be sullied. This is not a battle we have a chance of losing! Win, everyone, and win in a way that will strike at the very heart of the Takeda clan!

Masatoyo Naito was trusted as an adjutant on the same level as Shingen’s younger brother, Nobushige Takeda. Though he never stood out, he supported his clan from behind the scenes. However, the Takeda retainers Masatoyo had supported for so long were n the verge of collapse after the crushing blow they’d been dealt by the Oda.

Masatoyo Naito:
Everyone, forward! Break the fence! If I do not stand here, who will?! Giving the Takeda everything I am is the purpose Lords Shingen and Nobushige have left me!

Though Masatoyo put up a valiant fight, the guns of the Oda fired furiously, and enemy archers rained arrows upon them.

Soldier:
Lord Masatoyo, the enemy archers…!

Masatoyo Naito:
Stand your ground! We are the pillars of the Takeda clan… And I am the adjutant to the Takeda clan, Masatoyo Naito!

Masatoyo was pierced with so many arrows that his armor was said to look like a straw coat, yet he continued to fight. Every time his soldiers fell apart, he would regroup then advance again. However, the enemy’s focused firing finally brought them down. The death of Masatoyo, known to later generations as a “True Adjutant”, hastened the collapse of the Takeda clan.

Nobutsuna Sanada, heir to Yukitaka Sanada and leader of the Takeda’s retainers in Shinano.

Masateru Sanada, younger brother to Nobutsuna and tactician famed enough to be regarded by Shingen as “his own two eyes”.

The two brothers fought valiantly to break the Oda army’s defenses.

Masateru Sanada:
Gah…!

Nobutsuna Sanada:
Masateru!

Masateru Sanada:
Brother, it seems that this is where I meet my end… Please, retreat while you can… Nobunaga truly knows his way around the battlefield… Should we stay, we’ll all find ourselves in the same grave…

Nobutsuna Sanada:
…I won’t pull back.

Masateru Sanada:
Brother, even…even our liege, even our father would tell you to retreat like I am now!

Nobutsuna Sanada:
Masateru, the very pride of the Sanada is riding on this battle. Our father swore that he would throw his life away for our liege and the Takeda if he had to. We who bear the six coined banner of the Sanada cannot leave Lord Katsuyori alone in this hell of a battlefield!

Masateru Sanada:
Heh… Ah, you’re right. Indeed. We of the Sanada go into battle fearing not death… Retreat is simply something we cannot do. For this battle, however…I just wished to know what our liege…would have…done…

Nobutsuna Sanada:
…Masateru, forgive me. I will leave your body here. Warriors of Sanada, hear my call! This is where we die! We will fight down to the last man and carve the very name of Sanada into this land! Masayuki…the Sanada’s in your hands, now…!

Though Nobutsuna drove the Oda army into fear swinging his meter long sword forged by the legendary Sadatsugu Aoe, he fell to a hail of bullets. However, his fighting spirit was passed down onto his younger brother Masayuki’s child Yukimura, a man who would see his warrior’s reputation precede him.

Masakage Yamagata, critical retainer to the Takeda clan and Shingen’s most trusted officer. His elite Red Brigade was known throughout the land. However, not even they could stand before the might oof the Oda army’s liberal use of firearms. And, though Masakaga fought valiantly against the odds…

Masakage Yamagata:
Gahh…!

Soldier:
Lord Masakage!

Masakage Yamagata:
Should we of the Red Brigade retreat over such a trifle, I could not face our liege. Men, forward! We fall for the sake of the Takeda! Break their fences! …Guh…!

Soldier:
Lord Masakage, I beg of you – pull back!

Masakaga Yamagata:
Pass me my command baton… Even if these limbs of mine break, I will continue to fight. Watch over us, my liege! Bear witness to the pride of the Takeda, to the battle of the Red Brigade!

Soldier:
Lord Masakage!

Venturing a final valiant charge, Masakage Yamagata had the Oda army’s bullets tear through his entire body, meeting a glorious end on the battlefield. It is said that Masakage, fighting for the Takeda’s victory t the very end, died holding the command baton in his teeth.

The Battle of Nagashino Movie Plays

Soldier:
Our second garrison has fallen. The enemy is still coming strong! If this keeps up…

Nobunaga Oda:
Right now, think only of luring the enemy in. Once they step into our range, the Takeda forces will meet their end. Fire!

Deafening roars filled Shitaragahara. Blasted by bullets from all directions the Takeda charge was broken and its forces routed. Important Takeda retainers fell one after another. Nobunaga’s revolutionary strategy, making great use of firearms, dealt a crippling blow to the Takeda army…and brought about a large change to the old, cavalry-centric way of war.

Hideyoshi Hashiba:
Lord Nobunaga! Both Nobutada Anayama and Nobukado Takeda’s units have started to retreat out of fear!

Nobunaga Oda:
Hmph, the weak always have the sharpest eyes. Shingen, you were far too strong… Katsuyori should not have learned only from the strong, but from the weak as well. Everyone, you fought well. This battle has ended in victory. Chase after the enemy and take what heads you can – gain your glory!

The Takeda army, praised as the strongest in all the warring states, met a grand loss of historical scale before the barrels of the Oda’s guns. As key retainers fell one after another, Katsuyori Takeda, the clan’s leader, managed to barely escape the battlefield with his life. The Oda forces pursued the retreating Takeda army, killing remnants as they went and eventually catching up with Katsuyori himself. However, one man stood before them. The Beast of Mino, Nobuharu Baba.

Nobuharu Baba:
Well met, men of Oda! And well fought! We have lost, completely and utterly. Yet though we may have failed on the battlefield, I cannot allow you to take my master Katsuyori’s head. I have stood upon the field of war over seventy times, yet have not bore a wound once. I, Nobuharu Baba, will be your opponent! Take my head and win your glory!

Nobuharu Baba, retainer to the Takeda since the age of Shingen and renowned on the battlefield as the “Immortal of Mino”, took up the rear guard and met a glorious end after a valiant battle. His final battle strengthened his reputation as a warrior with no equal.

Battle of Nagashino(Quest) Completed!

Held in the Mikawa Province under the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Battle of Nagashino was a huge deciding factor in the complete change of warfare we saw in 1500’s Japan. This battle cemented the use of firearms which at the time people were mixed about. But seeing the defeat of what was considered one of the greatest armies in the land, the Takeda, people could no longer deny the viability of guns. The use of stockades to protect gunners became a staple in warfare. This was also where Nobunaga got to show off the technique of Triple Firing. This is a method where you line up gunners three deep. One fires, one readies to fire, one reloads. This cycle keeps up a barrage of bullets, it is also Nobunaga’s Officer Skill in Nobunaga’s Ambition. It highly increases the damage he does in game with muskets for his entire force. The battle took place in 1575.