A Time Traveller's Guide To Feudal Japan

Chapter 244 - Matsudairas Efforts

//Set before the battle in Matsudaira’s tent. Didn’t upload for some reason.

"Miura?" Sensing something was off within the room, Matsudaira’s eyes flickered upwards, seeing his master.

"Looks like you’ve abandoned the idea of sleeping. Well, what has your night’s thought come up with it? What hope do we have?" He dragged a stool from one corner of the tent and set it next to the table, reviewing the map and the many pieces that sat upon it.

"I... It’s not as good as I hoped it would be." He muttered, defeat in his voice. The other’s had begun to gather around as well, wrinkling their eyebrows, trying to decipher the formations.

"Continue."

"Well, in Shingen’s position, wouldn’t one normally go for an offensive formation like the Ganko to make full use of their numerical advantage?"

"It would be the obvious thing to do."

"That’s what I thought as well. So I began setting up the Iron Ox formation and I spent so long deciding where to best place our men to cover for the weaknesses of the peasantry, but as I thought about it more and about Shingen and his past battles... It was too simple."

"Shingen will do something contradictory, then?"

"Yes. I’m certain of it. The Crane’s Wing formation seems to be a personal favourite of his. If he caught us with it whilst we sat in the Iron Bull, we’d be overwhelmed immediately." He pointed to the formation on the table. There sat a heavy line of archers leading the charge, whittling down the enemy before they even engaged, such a thing was common. And then began the ingenuity and genius of the Chinese strategist that devised it.

The line of infantry that immediately followed was rounded. It looked odd, but truthfully, it was brilliant. As a defensive formation, it forced the enemy to take their rounded shape, creating weaknesses. Then, the defender’s Crane’s Wings would come into play. Their second line of infantry would loop around and surround the enemy. Used in tow with the Takeda cavalry and it was a killing strategy.

Those in the room that understood his description felt their faces drop, imagining the destructiveness such a decision would cause them. It was the key to winning the won battle and taking advantage of their numbers. Had it not been for Matsudaira’s extensive thought, then they would almost definitely have fallen for it.

A drop of sweat appeared on Gengyo’s forehead and for the first time in a while, he felt his heart begin to beat faster. They had not even set foot upon the battlefield yet and already the Tiger of Kai was terrifying.

"...Do you have a solution?"

"I do. I only settled on it as you came in." He began to rearrange the allied pieces with practised ease, swiftly sliding them into place. Slowly but surely a complicated picture was painted. There was no other way to describe it. Such a brilliant strategy drew from the well of creativity – the man was an artist.

"The Chouda! The Extending Snake..." Jikouji gasped realizing what he was looking at. Rin and Akiko shared a look. They’d only just begun their study of strategy and could not yet understand the profundity of his response. There were three old men though – who had made their entrance so quietly – that puffed their chests out proudly, witnessing the solution provided by their protégé.

"That’s bold, Matsudaira. Bold indeed. Such an aggressive attack... It would be foolish." Gengyo muttered, scratching his chin. "It would be foolish, if it was employed in any other scenario... So this is what genius looks like, is it? It supports every attribute of our army, whilst perfectly countering the Crane’s Wings." He shook his head, nearly overwhelmed by the perfection of his solution. "Matsudaira Motoyasu, ladies and gentlemen!" He pointed to his Grand General with a smile. "Be glad he’s on our side."

The Extending Snake appeared just as its name might suggest. It was a long line of soldiers. As with most formations, the missile troops sat in the front, bunched up, thinning the enemy’s numbers before their engagement. Behind them sat row upon row of infantry. It countered the Crane’s Wing formation – which focused on encapsulating the enemy – entirely, because every time one row of infantry was surrounded, another would come forward to attack the exposed backs of the enemy.

It was even more so effective for the Red Feather army, with the nature of their troops. Their missile troops were also their most Elite Fighters. They would unload their rounds and stand their ground, immediately entering the meele. Each of their General’s would hold a different row, with the peasants evenly spread. With so many allied forces around them, the morale of the inexperienced peasants would be as high as it possibly could be.

Matsudaira was just as impressed with Gengyo’s evaluation as Gengyo was impressed with him. With just a single glance, he had been able to tell the multitude of benefits that the formation would hold for them, without the need for explanation. There were few with such a keen eye.

"Thank you. I propose that we start out in a flat line formation and feign lack of knowledge, and then when the signal is given, we transition into the Extending Snake. Even with untrained troops – if they’re given prior warning – that shouldn’t be a problem and it will set us one step ahead of Shingen."

"Excellent. Have you given thought to the order of the rows?"

His follow up question caused Matsudaira to pause a moment. He certainly had given it thought, but he was unsure whether Gengyo would allow his decision. "I have... but I’m not sure you’ll like it."

From the tone of his voice, it was obvious the formation would set Gengyo in a position he didn’t want to be in. He looked at him for a few moments, before guessing his placement. "You want me right at the back..? What’s your reasoning?"

"Forgive me. I know you wish to join the fray immediately, but this will give you more manoeuvrability and it will ensure that we make full use of you. Your row will be the strongest we have. It is best saved for last."