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  1. #1
    Member Member mambaman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rise of The Horse Lords

    December 12th 1567

    Ise Plains, Owari Province

    'You tell Captain Tadasue that he must hold at all costs-and he must prevent the Ashigaru from bolting-they will fight to the last man-all our lives depend on it! GO!' The General straightened up on his destrier as the courier hastened back to the carnage at the bridge. If Takeda Nobukado was nervous it did not show though there was a bead or two of moisture running down his face and this on one of the coldest days yet this winter.

    The carnage was that of his own making for he had set his defence well. As well he must when he had learnt that the treacherous Oda had first declared war and then launched their most fearsome general, their Daimyo himself, and his famed veteran army towards Takeda lands. When news had reached them of the attack his own Captains had blanched with fear. Daimyo Oda Gozen was a legendary warlord and one credited with single-handedly wresting his clan from extinction at the hands of half a dozen enemies. His army had never been bested in the field, was composed almost entirely of samurai and until now had not been considered foe to the Takeda...until now. It was said that his son, Oda Hiri, also rode with the army of some two thousand spearmen, cavalry and archers. He was called the 'head-hunter' after his grisly habit of hanging the shrunken heads of his dead enemies around his neck when he entered the fray.

    'My Lord' his Captain of Ashigaru had whispered, his face wan with fear, 'we cannot hope to stand against Gozen with the army we have-we must retreat...'

    Many of the 'wise counsel' around the room: the best of his Captains, were nodding furiously in agreement.

    In spite of the craven attitude of some, Nobukado did note proudly that some were diametrically opposed to any retreat, mainly his Chief of Staff, the cavalry captains and his Katana and Naginata Samurai leaders. The arguments raged back and forth and the hubbub grew to a crescendo when the General at last spoke. His words were so quiet that, at first, they were completely drowned out amongst the shouting. But then Tadasue shouted for silence,

    'Hear the Taisho! Hear your General!' Eventually the din subsided,

    'There will be no retreat.' The General repeated as all eyes turned to stare. Unperturbed the warrior approached the map and pointed with his ceremonial fan to a point on the map that depicted the Ise plains off to their northwest and the direction of the approaching threat. Separating their lands from that of the Oda was a single bridge. This was where his fan came to rest.

    'This is where we will stop them. I do not doubt that the battle will be hard-many of us will not see the new year in but stop them we can and stop them we will if we do it here.'

    The rest was persuasion and the unfurling of his plan. By the end he had them all convinced. If they timed things right and luck clung to their side then they might just have a chance. As things stood, if they tried to take on Gozen's forces on the open field they would be annihilated.

    'You wonder if we can really do it my friend' the General had said to his factotum as they rode, in the driving snow, at the head of the column to the bridge. Advanced scouts had confirmed the approach of their enemy only a few hours previously. Tadasue had remained silent. It was not the Samurai way to display fear in the face of impending battle.

    'There is much that rides on this battle I grant you but if the timing and divine Bishamonten smile on us then we can win today.'

    'And the Cavalry and our reinforcements and the hope that their scouts do not know what we know about the ford my Lord. We risk much...'

    'Such is war my friend such is war.' The General had shouted into the howling wind, wrapping his silk shawl ever tighter around his neck-such cold! Would his army be up to the job? He had reinforced it with several hundred Samurai in recent months and had a formidable heavy cavalry force of some three hundred Yari and Katana riders. They were to be the hammer to strike the Oda who would come up against the anvil of the rest of his infantry, a force of Ashigaru, Naginata Samurai and Katana Samurai. They would contest the bridge whilst his reserve cavalry, some two hundred Yari light horsemen would stand off to the left. Force-marching from their Daimyo in Mikawa were another two hundred cavalry and the same again in Yari Ashigaru: their arrival would also be crucial as Nobukado suspected that, if they still held, at the point that they arrived they would be hard pressed indeed. Their total numbers on the battlefield were just shy of two thousand so in numbers Oda had the advantage. He, however, had the advantage of the terrain, the river, the bridge and the plan...

    Takeda Nobukade addresses his troops before the battle.

    Battle had been joined one hour previously with a furious cavalry charge of the Daimyo's brother and his son themselves-utter folly! Even maddened warhorses must quail at the serried spears of his own veteran Ashigaru: both generals were dead before the battle was even ten minutes old. Following them came the massed ranks of Samurai retainers, spearmen and swordsmen. Takeda Nobukado countered with both squads of his Katana Samurai. The battle raged on but the enemy could not fight their way beyond the bridgehead. His Captain of bodyguards was going crazy because the General insisted on getting as close to the fighting as he could in order to see what was actually happening at the bridge. This of course brought him in range of the formidable bows of the enemy samurai archers who were raining down fire arrows on the Takeda second echelons, mainly the Naginata Samurai and his own archers.

    'Move the Naginata forward and engage one and two squads to right and left!' His orders, unhurried, crisp and clear.

    'Hai my lord!' And the signal was given using the battle fans. The one and half hour mark was approaching and the general's mind was now not on the battle before them but the Cavalry that he had sent to close by the ford, some kilometre and a half to their east. He had given them orders not to move too early whilst there were still Yari Samurai on the Oda side of the bridge or they would be easily countered and possibly destroyed. They must wait until all the Yari were committed and only bowmen remained-that would be the signal to launch and charge.

    But for that to happen he would have to make sure that the Oda felt the critical place was the bridge. He also had to hope that their intelligence had not discovered the ford itself and that no stray squads of scouts were deployed to the Oda left. So far so good…

    'Send in the remaining Naginata.....and when they falter the Light cavalry in wedge formation' he would commit everything he had at the enemy troops. At the bridge all he could see as he once again rode forward, was rank after rank of Yari Samurai fighting towards the bridgehead. At the moment his valiant troops were holding the enemy but the bulge pressing back from the imbroglio towards them looked as though it would burst at any moment.

    As he was dragged away once again by his bodyguard, with a storm of fire arrows following, he gave the signal, for he could now see the dust of to his far right: the dust that is kicked up when three hundred heavy horse are on the charge.

    'Send in the Yari Cavalry-both troops! Hit them with everything...and order in the archers when their arrows are spent!'

    'Yes my lord!'

    Nobukado stood in his stirrups and tried to see what was happening on the far side of the bridge to the right-that was now the critical point and there were only archers there to protect the Oda from his riders.

    To the fore the situation was now balancing on a knife-edge. It was at this point that the breathless courier arrived, blood spattered, through the snow from Tadasue and when he was given the short response-hold at all costs or they would be finished. He could just about see the melee at the bridge and the bulge pressing ever more towards them and away from the bridgehead-if it burst the game was up. How long had they been fighting? Two hours? More?

    And then several things happened all at once: a despairing cry went up from his own troops:

    'The Daimyo is come! Daimyo Gozen is come!'

    And he could see the enemy Daimyo and his bodyguard plunging into the morass in one final attempt to break the deadlock. He was on the point of signalling to his own bodyguard that the time was come to charge-they were almost out of time when suddenly to his left thundered two troops of Katana Cavalry fresh from their rear. The reinforcements had arrived! The General swivelled in his saddle to look behind. He could see some distance away almost five hundred more spearmen hastening up the Okazaki-OtsuRoad towards them-never in his life had he been so glad to see the much maligned Yari Ashigaru. 'Peasants' others may call them but under his tutelage he had welded them into a formidable fighting force.

    And then at last he could see his Cavalry reach the bridge-in small pockets at first and then in increasing numbers as the riders won through the fiercely resisting Samurai Archers. At this point and even though there were probably less than fifty remaining Takeda horsemen the Oda knew that the game was up. The cry that attended the un-horsing of the enemy Daimyo and his subsequent butchering only hastened the rout and at this point Nobukado did give his pursuing bodyguard their head-his last orders on this bloody battle of the Ise Plains....

  2. #2
    Peerless Senior Member johnhughthom's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rise of The Horse Lords

    Great update mamba, only got a chance to read it now. I tried to write a Shogun AAR when it first cam out, but got frustrated that you could only take battle shots without the UI by watching a replay, is it still like that? I would have loved to see some shots of that battle, sounded epic.

  3. #3
    Member Member mambaman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rise of The Horse Lords

    The battle was amazing and you are correct. Sadly I stupidly forgot to save this battle as a replay-doh! I won't be making that mistake again so expect some good battle shots in future posts John

  4. #4
    Guest Member Populus Romanus's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rise of The Horse Lords

    Great! I am loving the active AARs here!

  5. #5
    Member Member mambaman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rise of The Horse Lords

    Haha thanks a lot Populus. It's all going right off in the game so watch out for some more action-packed posts next week (am celebrating my birthday this weekend so will have to wait sadly lol)

  6. #6
    Member Member mambaman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rise of The Horse Lords

    Sado Fields

    The Island of Sado

    July 1577


    Dreams of glory, these were the thoughts that infested the mind of the youngest of the Takeda brothers, Takeda Sanekatsu, as he surveyed the enemy routing to his front on the wide-open Sado plains. More specifically feats that would rival, nay even best, his esteemed and famous uncle, Takeda Nobukado-a Warlord who's name had even those stalwarts in the marbled halls of Kyoto quaking with fear.

    Ten long years he had waited since news had reached him at Kai, the Takeda homeland, of the deeds at Ise Plains. His mother, third wife to Takeda Shingen, and still young enough then to retain her beauty, had held him close, in their ornate chambers, when they had heard of the Oda declaration of war and not many had given his uncle much chance of facing down the invincible Oda army. He had retained the blind faith of the very young, however, confidently declaring to any minister and retainer who would listen that if Gozen had never been bested on the field of combat then the same was true of his uncle. Most had scoffed at him, cuffed him or shooed him away as they might an irritating gnat but in the end it was him who had ended strutting the castle corridors, chest puffed out like a peacock loudly proclaiming that he would one day be a general to rival his famous kinsman.

    And in the years that followed Ise the anxious anticipation of those days of fear became more and more distant with less and less news from the battlefront until, one sweltering summer's day in 1571, a messenger reached them with tales of the annihilation, at Nobukado's hands of course, of the last of the Oda armies at the battle of Ueno-and one not even commanded by an Oda but one of the generals that had taken over on the death of Gozen and his son three years previously. Clan Oda, their lifelong enemies, were no more.

    It was a battle that the schools authorities were immediately tasked with teaching the eager adolescents at The Kai Samurai Academy-nestled as it was in the nearby foothills of the mighty Mount Fuji-San. A place often well below freezing by night in the summer time and by day in winter time too-all the better for teaching survival and hardiness to its young charges roaming its unheated corridors. Today's class was to be an object lesson in how to use the might of cavalry against superior infantry.

    'Takeda Sanekatsu-this was your own uncle after all!' The venerable tutor declared as the excitable pupils huddled round a scale model of the battlefield in question, 'talk us through the dispositions of each army.'

    'Hai Kateikyōshi!' The now fourteen-year-old Lordling snapped, his demeanour and bearing already beginning to emulate that of his illustrious kin. 'As we know the armies were almost matched for size, the slightly superior numbers belonging to that of our enemies.' The youngster paused for effect: even at this young age he already had the ability to hold people rapt as he related a tale or described something. A talent that would stand him in very good stead when he was leading his clansfolk into battle, the wizened pedagogue thought, with not a little satisfaction. Kai might be considered a mountainous backwater in other more refined parts of Japan but by the Gods could they turn out great warriors! That said, there was a rather impetuous streak in the lad that neither the older man's tongue or cane had managed to eradicate-the result of not having a father in his life no doubt, for it was now many years since the Great Takeda Shingen had met his maker.

    The teacher snapped back to the cold clipped tones of the young Takeda as he continued,

    'However any similarity between the armies ended there. On our side we have a well-balanced force, six troops of Yari Ashigaru bolstered by three of Katana Samurai and two Naginata Samurai. The big difference is our traditional lack of archers-only two troops offset by our preponderance of horse-no less than eight troops of Yari and Katana cavalry-some five hundred troopers!'

    There was the inevitable question:

    'Brother why does our esteemed Taisho so undervalue archers?' It seemed almost trite to ask given Nobukado had never been bested on the field of battle but it was a useful question nonetheless.

    If the question irritated Sanekatsu it did not show.

    'Our esteemed general does not “undervalue” his archers, brother, but rather weighs up the damage that he can do with cavalry as having more import...as the outcome of this particular battle proved.'

    There were some titters around the class at this seeming put down but the youngster continued undeterred.



    'As you will see reports indicate that the general split his forces sending three cavalry troops to the extreme left flank and the other five to the right. There seemed to be some evidence that the Oda were aware of the heavier flanking force as they deployed three units of Ashigaru to counter them but it seemed that they were completely ignorant of the threat to their right.'

    The tutor smiled as the young cadet described how Nobukado had pinned the enemy foot by immediately charging all of his Ashigaru and Katana infantry forward thus negating almost completely their massed ranks of archers-numbering almost a thousand men. Close behind them came the Naginata, their job to bolster their comrades where the line was weakening.



    'Meanwhile behind them our cavalry wings had won through on both left and right and before they knew what was happening the Oda Infantry, who-up until that point had been hard pressing our own-and indeed were about to break through the weakened centre, suddenly found hundreds of Takeda horsemen to their rear...that was it-the game was up.'



    'The game was up indeed young man-well done' the tutor had declared beaming. 'Sit Sanekatsu-I am sure that in no more than a few years you yourself will get to lead some of these proud men into battle.'

    True words indeed the young lord reflected as he had sat astride his own war horse a few hours earlier and observed many of his erstwhile class mates, now Samurai Captains under his command, marching to their fore as they headed southwards from their landing point. Well it would have been his command had the Daimyo-his elder brother-not decreed that the overall leadership of this invasion would actually go to the much older and more experienced General Yamadera Yoshiari. This upstart general was none other than the 'hero of Nagoaka', he who had been tasked in the same year as they were crushing the Oda, to stop the advance of the rebel Ashina clan into Echigo province on their northeast border. Using tactics almost exactly the same as those used at Ise plains Yoshiari had smashed the Ashina at Nagoaka Bridge and then swept into the former Hojo province of Fukushima, conquering and looting the castle there. His actions had earned him the undying gratitude of his Daimyo, finally back in Kai with his court. So it was to him that their lord turned when the delicate matter of conquering the Honmu clan came up.

    It had been a favour to their steadfast allies, the Hojo, Takeda Yoshinobu had told the impatient young man, as he tasked him to make the long march north, take control of his very own army and join the other Taisho. They should then invade Sado together, but under the overall control of the older man. The key were the gold fields: he was to guard them with his army and his life as they would continue to enrich their clan. To add to his prestige the older man had bestowed on Sanekatsu the Commissioner of Warfare post.

    'Make me proud brother.' The Daimyo had said before taking his obeisance and dismissing him. There had never been a huge amount of warmth between these two distant siblings; age and the miles had conspired to make strangers of them both. For now mutual respect would have to suffice.

    And so it was that Sanekatsu came upon the battle at Sado Fields arriving from a completely different side of the Island, since a fierce squall had blown his galleys off course and they had landed to the Northeast. Sending out his scouts and force-marching his troops he had ascertained that the enemy power was marching to engage Yoshiari's army that had landed on the opposite side of Sado. As things stood the Honmu outnumbered his colleague two to one. They must arrive in time.

    And so it was that the young man arrived at the head of his bodyguard and well ahead of his reinforcing troops to see the enemy seemingly in headlong rout. There was only one thought in his mind: glory! He was not to miss it! And so with a cry he wheeled his destrier around and charged headlong into the fray...


  7. #7
    Peerless Senior Member johnhughthom's Avatar
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    Default Re: Rise of The Horse Lords

    Dun, dun, dun!

    Nitpicky bit: Can you turn banners and the mini map off in the replay? Some people prefer the banners on so they know who's who, I think a good writer, like yourself, makes that clear though. Oh, and watch where you leave the pointer when taking screenshots. Hope you don't mind some contructive criticism? I couldn't find any with the writing.

    Looking forward to more!

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