Uesugi Guide

[Drisos]

Here's a link to Khan of Steppe's narrated Uesugi campaign on YT.

There was some interesting discussion on openings, either abandon Shinano and focus on your richest regions and taking Hojo's also-very-rich regions, or keep Shinano and defend it from regular Imagawa (and potentially Takeda) attacks. I usually played as follows: Abandon Hida, defend Shinano, declare war on Hojo, usually going Hitachi -> Shimosa. Someone mentioned the importance of Kozuke because it borders Shinano, Echigo and Mutsu (i.e. a garrison there is a wide ranging threat), also you can take it and then leave 1 YA in Echigo, especially if you're not at war with the rebels.

Anyhow, I thought I'd challenge myself to find another opening, and decide not to declare war on the Hojo. Instead, Defend Shinano T1, invade Totomi T2. If I can win and hold it, I can develop it into the perfect production center for SA (potentially Honor 3 later on), which are of course Uesugi's bread and butter. It makes for some awkward borders to defend, but I had hopes that Takeda and Hojo would eventually war among each other and not bother me for a while.

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So, that worked pretty well. The Imagawa Clan was actually defeated T2, since Yoshimoto was in Suruga, and Takeda attacked Suruga T2 as well. Since the battle in Totomi is resolved first, and I won it, the Daimyo had nowhere to run. So, here's Winter 1531:



As I patiently waited for either Takeda or Hojo to act, I was gobbling up some Rebel territories, while seeing Mori approach on the horizon. Strangely, Hojo and Takeda decided to become best friends, and did nothing but build up ever increasing garrisons. Here's Spring 1541:



It took another 10 years for them to finally decide on a course of action, which turned out to be attack me together;

Totomi: 1020 vs. 1397

Shinano: 1560 vs. 3060

Mutsu: 1991 vs. 3360

I wasn't quite sure if I would survive this happening, and I suppose if I lost Mutsu (and potentially Dewa afterwards), that could've spelled doom. Luckily I did pull off the triple victory. Both of these clans had huge armies but low troop quality, I killed loads of them, 800 in Totomi, 2500 in Shinano, 1800 in Mutsu. Took a huge risk with Kenshin (H4 Heavy Cav), holding the entire left flank of the Takeda for minutes, but he survived. Apparently I killed the entire Hojo family in battle, and my K/D ratios were so skewed I could still hold my territory the turn after. Had I gotten 2:1 Kills to Deaths, my garrisons would've been too small to deal with their remaining armies, I'm sure. I kinda wish I took a screenshot of their armies the turn before the invasion, Hojo had +/- 3.000 in Hitachi alone. Takeda took over Hojo's lands, but never came close to winning another battle, and the rest of the campaign was merely a mop up.

[PeterBrodbeck]

I once did this:

Started by securing Shinano on the first turn, hiring an ashigaru and a general to protect the province. On the second turn, he used his starting army to take Kozuke and Echigo. Also used his starting monk to convert the Ikko-Ikki rebels in Echigo. He then moved his army to Hitachi and declared war on the Hojo clan. Captured their provinces, defending his own. Once I secured my borders, I focused on developing my provinces and building up my armies.

One of the key units of the Uesugi clan is Yari Ashigaru. They are cheap to recruit and maintain, making them an excellent unit to replenish an army. Another important unit is the cavalry, especially the Uesugi light cavalry. They are fast and can be used to flank the enemy or pursue fleeing units.

To make the most of my clan's unique abilities, I focused on developing sword schools and building Buddhist temples. This increased my melee attack and defense, as well as my clan's overall happiness. Also, the Uesugi clan benefits from increased unit experience, so I try to keep my units alive and well.

Overall, the strength of the Uesugi clan lies in their defensive ability and strong infantry. By defending your borders and rebuilding your provinces, you can weather any storm.