Abstract: When Honnoji Temple changed, why did Oda Nobunaga not have a large army with him, and where did everyone go?
At the time of the Honnoji Rebellion, Oda Nobunaga had only a hundred guards around him, and in the face of Mitsuhide's army, despite the geographical advantages of defense, the defensive force quickly collapsed under the superior strength, and eventually Oda Nobunaga died in Honnoji Temple, and his heir Oda Nobunaga also died in this rebellion. So, as the governor of the Oda family, why did Oda Nobunaga, who was about to become the hegemon of Japan, not have a large army to follow?
Two major events occurred in the ten years of Tenshō, the destruction of the Takeda family by the combined forces of Oda and Tokugawa, and the death of Oda Nobunaga and his heirs in the Honnoji Rebellion, which occurred one after another, and there was an inseparable causal relationship.
After the fall of the Takeda family, Oda Nobunaga finally got rid of his troubles, and he held a feast in Azuchi Castle while discussing merits and rewards. Even his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu and the hero behind the destruction of the Takeda family, Nobujun Asiyama, were invited. At this time, the Takeda family's domain was divided, and Kai Kuni was rewarded with Kawajiri Hidetaka, who is worth mentioning that Kawajiri Hidetaka was not only a major vassal of the Oda family, but also a deputy general of the heir Oda Nobunaga.
Takikawa Kazuyoshi, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Oda, gained territory, but the increase was small, only two counties of Ueno and Shinano, but he was given an additional position as the head of the Kanto clan, with full responsibility for the Oda family's strategy in the Kanto region, and also planned the Oda family's offensive against the Uesugi family, Takikawa Kazuhito's power reached its peak at this time, but it also meant that Oda Nobunaga's heavy vassals left the two.
In addition, Oda Nobunaga also made new appointments at this time, and Nobutaka, who had become the adopted son of the Kobe family, formed a new army with the heavy minister Niwa Nagahide to attack the Nagamasa Ibu clan in Shikoku. Originally, the Oda clan and the Nagamasa I clan were allies, but the Nagamasa I clan used the alliance to rapidly develop their strength, which made Nobunaga dissatisfied, so he abandoned the two alliances and launched an attack on the Nagamasa I clan. Affected by this, Oda Iemitsu once again left alone.
Shibata Katsuya was also ordered to attack the Uesugi family from the Hokuriku region, along with others, including Mori Nagakyo, who attacked from Kita Shinano, and Kazumi Takikawa, who attacked from Ueno, to attack the Uesugi family in three directions at the same time. After the civil unrest, the Uesugi family's strength has deteriorated seriously, and it has fallen into trouble in the face of multiple attacks, but still desperately defends. But it also meant that the Oda Army in three directions was crucified in Echigo and the Kanto region.
From a practical point of view, Hideyoshi Hideyoshi's attack on China was quite smooth and did not encounter too many challenges, but Hideyoshi still sent a letter of help to Oda Nobunaga. After receiving this letter of help, Oda Nobunaga ordered Mitsuhide, who was in charge of the banquet, to support Hideyoshi as the vanguard of the army, and then led a large army to the Chinese region to prepare for the complete settlement of the Maori family.
With Nobunaga's orders, the Oda family's retainers left one after another, and some of the major legions were in full swing, and some continued to carry out Oda Nobunaga's offensive orders. Nobunaga was left with only his own army, as well as the wise army led by Mitsuhide Wise. However, with Nobunaga's orders, the middle and lower-ranking courtiers were also mobilizing, but this part of the force was extremely dispersed.
Oda Nobunaga's final itinerary was on May 29, and he set off from Azuchi Castle, shangluo that day, and finally settled at Honnoji Temple. The main purpose of Kamino was to hold a tea party, which showed that Nobunaga was extremely relaxed and still had the heart to hold such a social event before the war. In reality, since the tea party is held, it will certainly not carry a large army forward, and there is only a guard composed of small surnames around, although the number of people is different, but the hundred people say that more people recognize it.
Of course, as a military general, even if he moves in his own sphere of influence, the number of guards around him is as small as a hundred, and we can say that this is Nobunaga's self-confidence, but also that he is conceited. According to the custom of the time, there were very few lords of a force who had so few guards when they went out. In fact, Nobunaga ordered Mitsuhide to go first, and he himself gathered a large army and set off. Even if it was inconvenient to lead such a large number of troops at the tea party, it should not be far from the range that the army could support, but Nobunaga made this mistake.
Some people think that why should they be so cautious in their own territory? In the situation at that time, it was common for the next to go to the top, and it was a compulsory course for the lord to be prepared at any time. How many lords are in their own territory, even the Japanese are too lazy to count, so it can be seen that even in their own territory, keeping vigilance at all times is the "self-cultivation" of the lord.
However, in any case, Oda Nobunaga was precisely because he had no army and the important ministers around him were transferred one by one, and finally revealed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to let The Wise Mitsuhide rebel successfully. Whatever Mitsuhide's reason for rebellion, Nobunaga's carelessness was the biggest reason for his death at Honnō-ji Temple.