Chapter 357: Chapter 357

The Samurai of the Hokitate Family are seasoned warriors, still very decisive.

After a brief military council, they decided to test the waters, even if they currently do not hold the advantage in strength.

Of course, this is also due to the fact that since landing, the Wanjin Army has been holed up around the unnamed beach. Since they are unwilling to attack, the Hokitate Family had no choice but to make the first move.

After all, they can’t even determine the number of Wanjin troops now. The Wanjin Army’s exterior defenses are very tight, and the clothing and accents of the Wanjin people differ vastly from the Ise people, so their scouts can’t even see what is happening over at the beach.

No matter what, they must ascertain the situation!

Over two thousand members of the Hokitate Family left Nongzhen City, forced to launch a probing attack.

The Wanjin Army had long occupied a hill several kilometers from the unnamed beach, using it as a central point. They relied on numerous "car fortresses," dug trenches, poured rock fortresses, erected arrow towers, and even started constructing bamboo-reinforced concrete foundations for walls.

The defense line is still relatively simple, after all, the Wanjin Army had only been here for three or four days, landing in batches. Nevertheless, their engineering capabilities are unrivaled in this era. Simplistic as it may be, the defense lacks nothing, and the Hokitate Family collided head-on with this simple yet sturdy defense line.

A series of small-scale battles erupted around the hill, lasting a day. The Hokitate Family not only failed to gain any advantage but suffered significant losses.

However, the probing attack yielded results. Once the Wanjin Army was stirred up, by building observation cars and looking far and wide, they roughly discerned the Wanjin Army’s strength.

Approximately over three thousand armored troops (professional soldiers) were present, along with a large number of unarmored individuals (construction workers), totaling over four thousand people.

Once the number of Wanjin troops was determined, the Samurai of the Hokitate Family were stunned, unable to comprehend how Harano, with only one county, could sustain so many soldiers.

This was completely unreasonable in this era. The Hokitate Family had five counties with substantial governance capabilities, yet only about four thousand armored Lang Faction Ashigaru, and even after calling upon all their subordinate vassal clans, could only muster a little over ten thousand troops. How did Harano raise half of the Hokitate Family’s army with just Chita County?

Moreover, it seemed that this wasn’t the full strength of the Wanjin Army. Batch after batch of fleets were transporting personnel and supplies from across the sea. Who knows how many more are waiting to come over.

Well, actually, there aren’t many more. Even if Harano wanted to seize Ise, he couldn’t abandon his stronghold. The Wanjin Army currently has approximately five thousand six hundred men; he still needs to maintain the Dagao River defense line to prevent Oda Nobunaga and Matsudaira Ieyasu from harboring ill intentions—although the possibility is small, this matter can’t be gambled.

So he could at most transport four thousand Wanjin Army soldiers over, plus the construction workers being recruited from the rear, at most bring over two thousand more, then no one else would be available.

This was already the Wanjin Army’s greatest mobilization size; without their advanced commerce and industry, they wouldn’t be able to sustain so many soldiers off duty.

Actually, Harano was already under tremendous pressure, almost resorting to selling Princess Dog’s dowry to maintain army size, while Maeshima Shichiro was prematurely balding, and even Endo Chiyoda was losing hair—to improve and sustain combat strength, the Wanjin internal administrative system, including Harano, had been considerably distressed during this period.

However, effort eventually brings reward. Facing the Wanjin Army’s force, painstakingly assembled from everything they had, the Samurai of the Hokitate Family were left completely shocked.

The mobilization system in Japan Middle Ages is somewhat akin to the militia system, requiring about 15 households to sustain one armored soldier. The Samurai of the Hokitate Family, relying on old impressions, estimated Harano’s strength to be around eight hundred, even if reinforced by Oda Nobunaga, only slightly over a thousand.

In reality, Harano’s current manpower was increased by three or four times, and additional reinforcements were incoming, and the equipment of armored troops was exceptionally fine, strength-wise, they could declare "unfathomable."

No wonder he dared to pit one county against the entire nation; this was a formidable opponent, requiring the Hokitate Family to mobilize completely to defeat!

Yet Harano was shameless, having overwhelming advantage in this region yet refusing to take the initiative in attacking, unwilling to engage in an open and decisive battle, instead depending on the maritime fleet for transportation, constructing defenses secretively as if he could turtle here for ten thousand years if the Hokitate Family didn’t attack him.

The enemy has superior manpower, avoids taking initiative, occupies the city, disperses forces, stretches supply lines, yet frantically constructs fortifications, waiting to exhaust the opponent instead of launching assaults—how was this battle supposed to be fought?

The Samurai of the Hokitate Family soon perceived his sinister intentions, judging he was waiting for social unrest to worsen in Ise, hoping to exhaust the foundations of the Hokitate Family, aiming for maximum gains with minimal losses—but...

Charge the enemy with inferior manpower, lose countless lives in front of their fortifications, or report quickly, mobilize the entire Hokitate Family, and seek a deadly confrontation with them?

Even for a deadly battle, they would have to face his strange defense line, during a time when unrest flared in every county of Ise rendering total mobilization unattainable, couldn’t risk driving away foreign enemies and leaving their own territories vulnerable to domestic chaos.

This Hokitate Family’s unit was completely uncertain, having tried attacking for a day, they quickly sought reinforcements while retreating, beginning to dig trenches in place, opting for containment first.

At least if the Wanjin people attempted to emerge, they could hold them off.

Harano was unconcerned about this; as long as his rear was securely fortified, he was not prepared to venture out.

Based on some summarized experiences handed down from later generations, generally speaking, if 3.5% of a country’s population is destitute, it’s sufficient to trigger social transformation; if 7.5-12.5% are destitute, it’s enough to initiate civil warfare.

These figures are lower than most would imagine, yet they are historical conclusions, and in any case, if one in ten individuals can’t feed themselves, the order faces existential threat, inevitably leading to substantial turmoil.

Otherwise, modern government officials wouldn’t harbor such concern over unemployment rates, nor would they compassionately distribute welfare so frequently—social welfare is for preserving life, protecting rulers, ensuring wealth doesn’t vanish overnight.

Now Ise is undergoing the "empty ear" epidemic, while the Hokitate Family refuses to waive the annual tribute—waiving taxes now is too late, many are left unfed, conditions can only worsen.

A parallel could be drawn with the late Ming disaster, even if the Wanjin Army didn’t come, it was enough to trouble Hokitate Family. Now that the Wanjin Army is here, entangled with the Hokitate Family, preventing them from fully suppressing the crisis, this disaster was capable of collapsing the Hokitate Family’s rule.

Harano was in no hurry, calmly fortifying walls, digging trenches, building fortresses, waiting for the Hokitate Family to perish.

Though this approach was a bit unseemly, fewer deaths resulted, so let it be unseemly!

Harano remained constant amid changes, indulging fully in civil engineering on the unnamed beach, and his scheming began to bear fruit. Despite the Hokitate Family’s long-term preparation for battle, once they were burning at all four corners, they were somewhat stretched thin, unable to assemble over ten thousand troops for a collective siege.

Of course, the Hokitate Family didn’t sit idly. On one side, they implemented harsher methods to suppress tax resistance and the labor-resisting "Iki-zu," while gradually sending reinforcements here. They aimed to match the Wanjin troops’ strength at least, being prepared for an unexpected Wanjin attack thrusting into Hokitate Family territory, complicating the situation.

Harassment did occur.

The Hokitate Family was certainly aiming to expel the Wanjin settlers, growing anxious at their frantic fortification. Once their forces amassed sufficiently, they launched harassment assaults, albeit to little effect, as Wanjin firepower was too potent, and their soldiers entrenched behind fortifications, even if matchlock guns and bows were equally matched, ultimately the Hokitate Family suffered losses.

The Hokitate Family even considered luring the Wanjin Army out, intentionally exposing weaknesses, feigning rear turmoil, with many Lang Faction Ashigaru pretending emergency retreat, hoping Wanjin forces abandon fortifications for a frontal clash—whether they would win or not is another matter, indeed rear conditions increasingly deteriorated, and enduring a standstill with the Wanjin was taxing.

Yet the Wanjin Army seemed indifferent to their actions, unconcerned whether the Hokitate Family approached or retreated, even if the Hokitate entirely eradicated the "Iki-zu," Harano was unfazed; eventually, he would patiently overwhelm a fatigued Hokitate Family.

The Hokitate Family considered employing "provocation tactics," dispatching envoys to criticise Harano fiercely, even sending him an exquisite set of women’s garments, but Harano impulsively gifted the attire to Aqing rather than stepping out.

Hokitate individuals were bewildered, momentarily unsure who the "invader" was—plainly Harano initiated the conflict, coveting Ise’s land and populace, it should be a siege and plunder, but instead, he nestled within fortifications, observing the Hokitate Family futilely bash heads.

This almost inverted natural order!

The Hokitate Family exhausted all efforts attempting a decisive confrontation with Harano, at least a dignified battle in the open field, yet Harano displayed remarkable patience, resolutely executing his strategic plan, not one inch ventured out. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by NovєlFіre.net

Half a month elapsed thus, his city neared completion, just awaiting formal naming.