Hojo Akitoshi's might shakes the Musashino Plain

So where was Hojo Akitoshi, the man occupying Takeda Shingen's thoughts?

As luck would have it, Hojo Akitoshi was not far outside the Takeda coalition's camp.

He had chosen a particularly convenient position, one that gave his cavalry enough room to build up speed.

And kept them beyond the reach of the light shining from the Takeda coalition's camp.

What?

You say Takeda Shingen had been sending out the Ninja Corps to watch the Hojo Army's camp all along?

Then how had Hojo Akitoshi managed to sneak all the way here?

The answer was simple.

It was not that Hojo Akitoshi was cheating, nor that the Takeda Army's ninjas had all gone blind.

Do not forget that, during the day, Hojo Akitoshi had returned to camp with only Akechi Mitsuhide.

Amid the chaos of the battlefield, he had neither raised his commander's banner nor made a grand announcement of his arrival.

Takeda's scouts were not omniscient. How could they have noticed the two men when Hojo Akitoshi had kept such a low profile, looking like any ordinary samurai?

As for how the two had left camp undetected that night, that was even simpler.

Heading toward the Takeda Army would certainly have drawn the enemy ninjas' attention.

But who would pay much attention to two men heading toward the Hojo Army's rear, looking for all the world like messengers?

And so, after taking a wide detour, Hojo Akitoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide had successfully joined up with them.

The main force returning from outside Kaede's Village.

After that...

Unlike the brightly lit streets of the future, the wilderness and even the cities of ancient times.

Were often described by the people of the time in these words.

So dark you could not see your hand before your face.

There was certainly some artistic exaggeration to that, but it was also a faithful portrayal of nights in ancient times.

Without moonlight or starlight, the night was naturally dark.

And beyond those natural conditions, malnutrition meant that over ninety-nine percent of people in ancient times suffered from night blindness.

Simply put, when there was not enough light at night, most people could not see anything.

At this point, some of you might be wondering how all those night raids in ancient times had been carried out.

Raiding a camp at night seemed to have become a basic maneuver, something every famous general could pull off.

Yes, night raids did exist in ancient warfare.

But you had only seen the successful examples. Put those examples back into the vast tapestry of history.

And you would be astonished to discover just how rarely they occurred.

Moreover, every successful force had consisted of carefully selected elite troops, with strict limits on their numbers.

Likewise, the Hojo Army troops who had accompanied Hojo Akitoshi to Kaede's Village.

Had been handpicked by Hojo Akitoshi, who had devoted considerable effort to their daily food and training.

Only then had this army been able to creep slowly and cautiously right under the Takeda coalition's nose.

But do not think that meant everything was settled, or that a single surprise attack would now win the raiding force unparalleled glory.

Since everyone knew how devastating a night raid could be, and how elite the troops conducting it were.

Any general with a functioning brain would make ample preparations against one.

Obstacles against cavalry, watchtowers, and the like would naturally be included when establishing a camp.

Given the time and inclination, they would even dig temporary trenches resembling moats.

Lighting bonfires outside the camp at night and other such measures went without saying.

The guiding principle was to prepare for even the slightest chance of disaster. And Takeda Shingen, known as the Tiger of Kai, was meticulous in such matters.

So...

"Lord Shingen certainly lives up to his reputation as a tiger."

Raising his spyglass and studying the Takeda coalition's torch-filled camp in the darkness, Hojo Akitoshi offered his sincere praise.

"An ordinary Japanese daimyo's army really might not be able to pull off a night raid here."

"They truly have done everything possible to perfect their defenses."

"My Lord, everything is ready."

Akechi Mitsuhide paid no heed to Hojo Akitoshi's praise of the enemy.

He had finished positioning the raiding force, which had endured countless hardships to reach its attack position.

Coming to stand beside his lord, he stared at the enemy camp ahead, his eyes gleaming with eagerness.

And a longing to win merit and glory.

"Then let us begin."

Smiling at those words, Hojo Akitoshi passed the spyglass to an ashigaru beside him, then began putting on his armor with the help of his samurai attendants.

Akechi Mitsuhide, who was also donning his armor, gestured toward the rear!

"Hey, did you hear something?"

As the Hojo Army's raiding force began its orderly preparations, the soldiers keeping watch in the Takeda coalition's towers heard a strange noise.

"What noise?"

Yawning, the soldier being questioned sounded a little impatient.

Though the night was not cold, standing in a watchtower with the wind blowing over him instead of sleeping was hardly a pleasant assignment.

Yawning again, the soldier strained his sleepy eyes to peer into the distance, while also listening for the sound his companion had mentioned.

"I think you're getting groggy too. There's nothing wrong out there."

At first, he paid it no mind and was thoroughly dismissive.

As he spoke, he even punched the companion beside him, as though venting his annoyance at being startled.

"Hmm?"

To his surprise, Taro did not react to the punch at all. That was nothing like his usual behavior.

"Taro, what's wrong?"

Puzzled, the soldier widened his eyes and glanced sideways, only to see his companion's stunned expression and wide-open eyes.

"Enemy attack! It's an enemy attack!"

"Fire from the heavens! There are Fire Meteors in the sky! Heijiro, they're Fire Meteors!"

Taro, the soldier who had first noticed something amiss, pointed at the sky and shouted in shock.

"What?"

Realizing something was wrong, Heijiro, who had always been rather fond of slacking off, stiffly turned his neck and followed his companion's pointing finger.

Then he truly saw Fire Meteors filling the night sky!

And they were genuine Fire Meteors in the most literal, physical sense!

"This can't be real, can it?"

On this resource-poor land of Japan, Heijiro could have sworn that even in tales of gods and ghosts.

A sight like the one before him rarely appeared, let alone manifested before his very eyes.

"Mother!"

With a shout, he could not under-

Stand or accept the reality before his eyes.

But the instinctive fear of death drove him to flee with all his might.

And so he forgot his duty entirely, failing even to take the basic step of warning his fellow soldiers.

Heijiro scrambled desperately, abandoning his helmet and armor as he tried to climb down from the watchtower.

Hoping to save his life that way.

"Heijiro!"

Unfortunately, though the soldier had moved quickly enough and reacted with impressive speed.

With nothing but escape on his mind, he panicked and fell straight off the watchtower.

Clutching his broken leg, Heijiro rolled on the ground and howled. The sound tore at the heart, and the sight brought tears to the eyes.

Seeing his fellow villager, his friend since childhood, reduced to such a state.

Taro stood dumbstruck atop the watchtower.

On one side was the threat of death brought by the Fire Meteors filling the sky.

On the other were the desolate howls of his friend, who had tried to flee without a thought for anything else.

"Ha ha ha, I must be dreaming, right?"

His mouth hung open, drool trickling from it like that of a fool, with the crimson sky behind him.

Taro stood motionless.

Meanwhile, with such an immense spectacle unfolding.

There was really no need for the watchtower sentries posted by Takeda Shingen to sound the alarm. Every soldier in the Takeda coalition's camp who was not sound asleep.

Had seen it!

In an instant, these soldiers reacted almost exactly as Taro and Heijiro had.

With their limited knowledge and narrow experience, seeing such a miracle for the first time, something that could only be called divine punishment.

How many could avoid losing their nerve? How many could remain calm?

And so, in the space of a single breath, the entire camp erupted.

Then those who were awake roused those who had been sleeping deeply, and these newly awakened soldiers, jolted by sudden terror.

With their minds still muddled, set off an even more horrifying chain reaction.

The very thing generals in ancient warfare dreaded most in the dead of night-camp panic!

"What a magnificent sight, Hojo Akitoshi, leader of Hojo."

Standing before his command tent with a robe draped over his shoulders, he tilted his head back to gaze at the sky.

Takeda Shingen was just like Hojo Akitoshi outside the camp, who had offered him praise earlier.

Now he truly admired that nineteen-year-old heir to the leadership of Hojo.