With the assault prepared during the Winter, the stage was set for the fall of Owari in the Spring of 1551. The Hattori wiped into submission became vassal of the mighty Takeda.
A trade agreement was also brokered with the Matsuda clan.
Again it was time to consolidate the gains. A new Metsuke was appointed in Suruga, Tadauji of the Yamadera, another samurai with ties to the Yakuza gangs.
Trade was also established with the Manchurian Jurchen tribes which provided us with a selection of their very best horses.
Unfortunately by the end of the summer the Hojo decided to show their true colors with an assault on Suruga.
The garrison put on a brave defense, but were put to the sword by the victorious Hojo.
To compund problems, Kai suffered a series of devastating fires that season as well, further crippling our ability to fight off the Hojo.
Fortunately trade agreements were achieved with the Hatakeyama and with the Ikko-Ikki, altough the marriage of Lady Hiroko to a Shimozuma upstart let a sour taste in the mouth of Lord Shingen.With the Takeda military machine running on full steam Suruga became hell on earth for the next two season.
Commisioner Sanefusa retook Sunpu only to loose it to Lord Ujyasu again.
Unfortunately for the Hojo plasteres he did not expected Commisioner Sanefusa's retreat to be a ploy by lord Shingen.
With the Hojo being expert siege masters and with Sunpu defenses heavily battered an open field battle served the Takeda cavalry much better, so Sanefusa conducted an ordely retreat from the city, leading Ujyasu to the waiting forces of Lord Shingen himself.
Ujyasu survived the battle, but was captured in Sunpu, and put to the sword. The Hojo were now badly crippled.
1552 started with bad news as the Hattori were wiped out, dishonorable dogs as they were, they had submited to the Takeda and it was poor form to let that stand.
The Hojo also tried to show they had some fight in them with an ill-begotten on Kai itself.Perhaps unexpectedly for them though this assault actually had a good possibility of sucess as Kai was lightly defended by virtue of the hardships of the Suruga campaign, and the army commanded by Yuki Tokiyuki was surprisingly elite.
Still Baba Sukeaki commanded a spirited defense that routed the besiegers.
With Takeda lands secure war was brough to Hojo lands. Mishima fell on the Fall putting Lord Shingen in control of the Izu gold mines.
Sagami fell in the winter, Lord Shingen deciding to winter in the Hojo capital city of Odawara and preparing the coming of age of Lord Yoshinobu their.
Ties with the Chosokabe were strengthned by arrangig a match for Nana in exchange for trade concessions.
Kosuke fell on 1553.
In 1555 Lord Shingen issued a tax reform that increased the income of the clan exponentially.
It was time to prepare the next leap forward.
