Then carry this thing forthwith to Shibata; it shall be the means no less of his undoing than of Yodogimas making—
Of Ieyasu—a plaything.
CHAPTER V
Sakuma had served his master and met the foe as became his better judgment; but an older belief on the one hand and newer tactics on the other defeated him.
The master himself was harrassed with a ruse no less potent to the southward; Hideyoshi had sent Niwa—fired at the promise of spoils—with only forty men, to light torches on the mountain side, and Shibata, overloaded as he was, saw here, too, a great force: Hideyoshi, hearing of Katsutoyas defeat and Shibatas fears, threw down his chop sticks and jumping to his feet, exclaimed with joy:
I have won. I have won a great victory. Then mounting his horse, rode out to battle as became him.
Takiyama, with one-half the army, will move upon the northern pass: Kuroda, with the other half, hold against the southern: Hideyoshi, with his staff and a small body guard, shall make his way, as best he can, between the two, toward—Kitanoshi. Let no temporary success induce either one of you to venture into the enemys territory; Hideyoshi commands.
The actual presence of these two vast armies drove consternation finally into the hearts of Shibatas now wavering followers. Takiyama cut down Gonrokus halting force in the north and sent the jealous, vacillating son himself into the hills a loser and a renegrade. Kuroda met and dispersed Takigawa and his relieving army, Shibatas ally, at the south. Hideyoshi had met and dispatched Sakuma upon a still deadlier mission—Shibata had been routed and, with only a hundred staid adherents, made his way toward Kitanoshi, fully resolved upon his course—but it remained for another to turn the trick to some purpose other than ruthless bloodshed alone.