Battle of Yamatai (4)
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Neither Kozuki Oden nor the Genji launched a brute-force attack that would "hurt the enemy a thousand, but also their own eight hundred." They merely probingly attacked and clashed with each other on the periphery, seemingly waiting for something.
It wasn't until the following night that Buggy understood Kozuki Oden's intentions, because he saw two familiar faces— Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, who had rushed from Zou, were so moved upon seeing Kozuki Oden that tears welled up in their eyes. They immediately knelt in deep reverence, and Oden quickly helped them up. The next moment, he reached out and embraced their shoulders, saying, "Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, it's been so long!"
"Lord Kozuki!"
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were both excited and delighted. After exchanging a few words, they inevitably brought up the topic of Momonosuke.
It turns out that after learning of Momonosuke's death, Kozuki Oden resolved to avenge his son. He used the Den Den Mushi given to him by Buggy to contact Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, requesting their assistance. However, he did not elaborate on the reason for their request, so the two were unaware of it.
The question caused an immediate silence to fall over the surrounding area. Kanjuro and Kin'emon turned their heads away with some sorrow. Kozuki Oden did not want to talk much about Momonosuke's death and only gave a brief explanation of the outcome.
The cat and dog were surprised, then their expressions turned serious, and they finally understood why Kozuki Oden had made up his mind to ask the Mink Tribe for help.
In the deeply ingrained traditional beliefs of the Wano Country, these foreign races are mysterious and unknown, and they will disrupt the original peaceful order of Wano Country. Therefore, they are not welcomed and may even be hated. Now that Kozuki Oden has openly introduced them into the army without any concealment, it also means that he no longer cares about the people of Wano Country pointing fingers and blaming him in the future.
Knowing how difficult it was for Kozuki to make this decision Inuarashi spoke up, "Lord Kozuki, this time Old Cat and I have brought the Musketeer Squad and five hundred elite warriors from the Mink Tribe. Wherever your sword points, we will be invincible and solve your problems!"
"That's right!" Nekomamushi was equally indignant. "We must avenge Momonosuke's great humiliation!"
Kozuki thanked him repeatedly and immediately instructed Kin'emon to arrange food and tents for the Mink Tribe waiting outside the tent.
Next, the cat and dog spoke with Buggy, thanking him for his help and saying that if they could help Kozuki Oden win the battle, they would definitely fulfill the promise they had made.
Buggy was initially surprised by the arrival of the cat and dog, but he quickly calmed down, nodded, and then turned to look at Kozuki Oden. Now that the reinforcements were in place, what should Kozuki Oden, as the commander-in-chief, do next?
Moments later, a sumptuous hot meal was served, and at the command of the cats and dogs, the Mink Tribe they had brought feasted and ate their fill in the camp.
After enjoying the meal, Kozuki Oden was about to convene a war council when a soldier reported that the Genji had sent a messenger with a letter.
Kozuki ordered someone to bring the messenger up, took the envelope, glanced at it, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Good, just what I wanted!"
He looked at the messenger, his gaze sharp as a knife, "Go back and tell the Genji that I have accepted the decisive battle tomorrow, and that he should prepare for a complete rout!"
The messenger acknowledged and, not daring to linger, quickly withdrew.
"Nekomamushi, tomorrow you will lead the troops to the right flank. Inuarashi, you will lead the troops to the left flank. At that time, obey my orders..."
Kozuki Oden explained the actions of each officer in the tent, and finally said to Buggy, "Buggy, tomorrow you and I can stand in the center of the army. I won't restrict you; you can act as you see fit."
Buggy nodded in agreement.
Nothing happened that night.
The next day, Kozuki Oden's army and the Genji's army faced off on the north and south sides of Yamatai. Looking down from above, the two armies, totaling more than 100,000 men, formed a dark mass, like dark clouds obscuring the sun, and even the entire land seemed to be shrouded in a layer of grim frost.
Kozuki Oden and the Genji stood before their respective armies, exchanging a few words with hidden malice behind their smiles, and then said no more.
Immediately afterwards, the urgent and loud Battle Horn sounded, and the foot soldiers, samurai, and cavalry of the left and right armies and the central army charged forward with overwhelming momentum under the command of their respective generals.
In a matter of moments, the two sides clashed in close combat, and a war of unprecedented scale finally broke out!
"A complete head-on confrontation without any strategy?" Hawkins stood beside Buggy, his eyes slightly lowered.
"A well-intentioned strategy is also a tactic."
Buggy withdrew his gaze from the distance, glanced sideways at Kozuki Oden ten meters away, then turned his head back to look ahead. "I think he's no longer considering matters related to this war."
Hawkins' eyes showed a hint of doubt. "I don't understand."
Buggy said, "For so many years Kozuki Clan has kept a low profile and acted discreetly. Although Kozuki Oden is the daimyo of Kuri, few people in the four regions of Wano Country would look at him with respect. On the contrary, they would scoff at him. He accepted the challenge from the Genji precisely because he wanted to use this head-on battle to prove his strength and thus intimidate the surrounding areas of Wano Country. It can be said that he did not consider the outcome of this war, but was already convinced that he would win."
Hawkins said, "So, he's fallen into some kind of paranoia?"
Buggy nodded. "A person's character is never one-dimensional. A humble person may not be without arrogance, and a frugal person may not be without extravagance. It's just that they lack the right opportunity..." He paused, then continued, "Alright, it's time for you to go on stage. Not only does he need to win this war, but I do too."
"Understood..." Hawkins put away the tarot cards and walked towards the battlefield ahead.
At this moment, whether it was Kozuki Oden's retainers Kin'emon and Kanjuro, or his generals, or Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, they all took the lead and fought on the battlefield. Wherever they went, they were unstoppable, breaking through the enemy's lines and plunging into an unprecedentedly fierce melee.
The Nekomamushi was too powerful, leading the Mink Tribe like a sharp knife deep into the enemy ranks. Because the Daimyo Takeda had his eye on them, his four great generals of "Wind, Fire, Mountain, Forest Four Generals" all went into battle to besiege the Nekomamushi, finally stopping his momentum and making it difficult for him to advance any further.
Meanwhile, the steady and methodical Inuarashi was blocked by the four guardians of the "east, south, west, and north" under the command of the Daimyo Shimazu, and under their combined attack, he could no longer break through for a time.
Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and others were drawn into a fierce battle by the soldiers under the command of other daimyo. Blood and flesh flew everywhere on the battlefield, and shouts of battle filled the air, mingling with the sound of conch shells, like a symphony played by countless instruments.
War knows no right or wrong, nor does it distinguish between high and low. Whoever gets involved will inevitably face the fate of killing and being killed, and only blood and death can drive it to its final end!