Chapter 44: Countless Heroes' Blood and Dreams of Gallantry

Another night with a bright moon hanging high, though tonight the skies were quick to change.

Before long, thick, heavy clouds drifted from parts unknown, quickly obscuring the silvery disc and casting the earth into a dim twilight.

Far across the Musashino Plain, within the allied encampment stretching for miles, Takeda Shingen, known to the world as the Tiger of Kai, gazed absentmindedly at the commander's banner snapping violently in the night wind.

"Lord Shingen, you truly live up to your title as the fierce tiger! Under your brilliant command today, the Hojo army was nothing more than a bunch of turtles hiding in their shells!"

"Facing the sharp edge of our allied forces, they were utterly powerless to resist. I am certain that with your military genius tomorrow, we shall surely breach the enemy's main camp!"

Yet, just as Takeda Shingen was deep in thought, someone lacking in tact insisted on intruding.

Because the battles against the Hojo forces in recent days had gone reasonably well—especially now that the Imagawa army had been completely annihilated—Uesugi Norimasa, one of the nominal figureheads of the coalition, approached him with a wine cup in hand.

A fleeting flash of annoyance crossed Takeda Shingen's face at having his train of thought interrupted.

However, being a man of great political cunning, by the time he turned to face the nuisance, his expression showed not a single trace of displeasure. He swept a glance over the others, who were behaving with reckless abandon, essentially celebrating their victory halfway through the campaign.

"Hahaha, this is all thanks to the efforts of Lord Norimasa and all the lords present here."

As the saying goes, it takes many hands to carry a sedan chair. Having gone to great lengths himself to secure the position of family head, Takeda Shingen would never do something as boorish as publicly humiliating someone and making things awkward.

No matter how much contempt he held in his heart for these good-for-nothings who only knew how to fill their bellies with wine and rice, weren't they still qualified cannon fodder when facing the Hojo army?

"Indeed, indeed! With our combined strength, what are the Hojo army? What is the Kirin of Sagami!"

Encouraged by Takeda Shingen's validation, Uesugi Norimasa's spirits soared even higher.

Perhaps aided by the alcohol he had consumed in excess, Norimasa's tongue grew thick, and he began to speak without restraint.

"Look at them, Lord Shingen! In the face of our massive military might, where is Hojo Tokitoki, whom the entire realm praised before the battle?"

"Hah! Talking about having urgent business and temporarily withdrawing."

"If you ask me, the man was simply terrified of our hundred-thousand-strong allied army, so he conjured up some grandiose excuse to run away!"

"Hmph, hmph, hmph! The heroes of the realm are none other than the men gathered right here!"

"The heroes of the realm are none other than the men gathered right here?"

To Uesugi Norimasa's ears, those words were an affirmation from Takeda Shingen.

Yet Takeda Shingen himself knew quite well that his words were meant as a secret mockery.

Staring at Uesugi Norimasa as he turned away to continue his drunken revelry, Shingen's heart was filled with utter disdain, to the point where he wanted to ask: *Do you even deserve to be mentioned in the same breath?*

Regardless of everything else, Hojo Tokitoki bore the title of the Kirin of Sagami and was a figure of equal renown to himself and Uesugi Kenshin.

Uesugi Norimasa—despite also bearing the name Uesugi—could he possibly be compared to the other Uesugi?

Turning his head away as if unwilling to feast his eyes on such a pathetic sight, Takeda Shingen gazed out once more into the night sky.

As for Hojo Tokitoki's abrupt departure in the midst of battle, Shingen genuinely believed that the man had pressing matters to attend to—matters even more critical than the Battle of Kawagoe.

"Lord Master."

Once again, someone came to disturb Takeda Shingen's thoughts, but this time, the visitor was his own subordinate and younger brother.

He was the undisputed second-in-command of the Takeda clan and the greatest supporter of Shingen's succession: Takeda Nobushige.

A man who had participated in every single battle and was famed alongside him as an peerless general.

"Ah, it is you, Nobushige."

With a softened expression, Shingen turned this time in a manner entirely different from when Uesugi Norimasa had approached.

"How is the camp's defense? Any unusual movements from the Hojo forces opposite us?"

"The camp's defenses are as impregnable as iron. I have inspected every single frontline position to ensure there are not the slightest omissions."

"While those fools are good for nothing except causing trouble, they are at least obedient enough when it comes to following orders."

Replying in kind, Takeda Nobushige shared his elder brother's sentiments. Despising Uesugi Norimasa and the others was one thing, but as long as their troops obeyed orders, that was practically enough.

"As for the Hojo army, the ninja lurking at the front lines have not sent back any abnormal intelligence."

"It is estimated that Hojo Tokitoki has yet to return to the Hojo clan's main camp."

"Oh, is that so?"

The consecutive pieces of good news relaxed Takeda Shingen's mind even further. Withdrawing his gaze from the outer perimeter of the encampment, he asked with an inquiring tone.

"What are your thoughts on Hojo Tokitoki's departure, and the current state of the Hojo army?"

After a brief moment of silence, Takeda Nobushige spoke with a solemn expression.

"Hojo Tokitoki is certainly not one to cower in fear before our Takeda coalition."

"He is truly making preparations for something. Lord Brother, you have seen the fate of the Imagawa army, haven't you?"

"As the curtain rises on this turbulent era of warring states and competing warlords, the activity of demons beneath this sky increases with each passing day."

"Although humans remain the masters of this land today, the demons could attack the Imagawa clan yesterday."

"Who is to say the demons cannot attack our Takeda clan tomorrow, or even progress to directly shattering cities, wiping out clans, and slaughtering the common folk?"

"Indeed."

Sighing softly, Nobushige voiced the very thoughts that had been weighing on Takeda Shingen's mind.

Recalling the long years of humans and demons coexisting on the soil of Hinomoto, where the boundaries between man and monster blurred beyond recognition.

Daylight belonged to the prosperity of mankind, yet the night belonged to the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons of the supernatural.

At the current rate of development, would the land of Hinomoto eventually return to the chaos of the Heian period?

"As for the Hojo army..."

Here, Takeda Nobushige paused. After reorganizing his thoughts, he continued.

"The enemy before us is truly a formidable obstacle to our Takeda clan's ambition to conquer the realm!"

"In my humble opinion, their threat to our army surpasses even the Uesugi army led by the Dragon of Echigo!"

"Lord Brother, please look!"

Stepping forward, Nobushige lowered his voice and spoke again.

"Hojo Tokitoki is currently absent from the army, yet for the past two days, his forces have still managed to directly clash head-on against the might of our hundred-thousand-strong coalition."

"During the day, I carefully observed the battle array of the Hojo army and found that they are as swift as the wind, as silent as a forest, as fierce as fire, and as immovable as a mountain."

"They have truly grasped the essence of your military strategy: the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain. Although Hojo Ujiyasu is also a dragon among men..."

"How could such a person stand shoulder to shoulder with my Lord Brother? The training and tactics of the Hojo army are clearly the handiwork of Hojo Tokitoki!"

"Therefore, for the sake of the Takeda clan's grand enterprise, we must seize this opportunity while Hojo Tokitoki is preoccupied."

"We must annihilate the main force of the Hojo army before us entirely, or at the very least, deal them a crippling blow that leaves them severely wounded!"

"Yes, that is precisely why I have spared no expense regarding troop losses over the past few days and insisted on relentlessly attacking the Hojo army."

Fully agreeing with his brother's analysis, Takeda Shingen held the exact same intentions in his heart.

Furthermore, with the Uesugi coalition acting as convenient cannon fodder, Shingen was all the more disinclined to let such a prime opportunity slip away.

"However, while inflicting a heavy blow is easy, utterly annihilating the Hojo army is likely impossible."

Thinking of a certain individual who had constantly entangled with him, Takeda Shingen offered a bitter smile.

"The Dragon of Echigo lurking on the sidelines?"

Nobushige also thought of the extra variable mentioned by his elder brother.

"Surely that fellow Uesugi Kenshin would not dare to launch a flank attack against our rear at such a crucial moment?"

"After all, Uesugi Norimasa is within the coalition. If he were to do that—"

"What is there that he would not dare?"

A mocking smile curling his lips, Takeda Shingen glanced sideways at Uesugi Norimasa and his companions, whose revelry was gradually dying down.

"Can such a person be counted upon to achieve great things? I hold him in contempt, and the Dragon of Echigo feels the exact same way."

"Nobushige, do you want to wager? The moment we shatter the Hojo army head-on will precisely be the moment the Dragon of Echigo launches his attack upon us."

"By the same token, if the Hojo army were to defeat us, the Dragon of Echigo would immediately turn to strike down the victorious Hojo forces."

"That fellow certainly knows how to calculate his odds!"

"I understand."

A flash of resentment crossed Nobushige's eyes, accompanied by the bitter regret of *why must both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang exist in the same world*.

Within the narrow confines of the Kanto region, not only did a fierce tiger like his own brother crouch, but a dragon and a kirin had also emerged in succession.

Any one of these three, appearing in any other era, would have been an undisputed hegemon of the realm.

Yet they had appeared under the very same sky, contending fiercely upon the exact same patch of earth!

If this truly was a tripartite division of the East, countless heroes would spill their blood, and countless grand ambitions would turn to dust.

"Hojo Tokitoki... what on earth are you up to?"

With a carefree laugh, Takeda Shingen brushed aside his brother's melancholy, his mind instead turning to dwell upon that elusive rival.

An opponent whose name he had heard for ages, yet whom he had never once laid eyes upon.