Battle of Hashikumo

*"Like demons they descended upon us. Foul fiends from Hella."*

The most important clash within the First Hojo-Sanosuke War. The outcome of the battle practically decided the war, which resulted into a Hojo-allied victory over the Sanosuke invaders.

## The Situation

The situation that determined the battle was that the Sanosuke had managed to invade and occupy a large amount of land, south of their current borders. Their invasion force split as various Sanosuke leaders were assigned to subdue and crush any resistance that followed their invasion. But while they fought as one force, they weren’t one united front. Internal squabbling and rivalries would reduce the Sanosuke efficiency of controlling the perimeter of their occupied land.

This drawback of the strong-minded Sanosuke leaders and their squabbling allowed the Hojo and their allies to rally a strong force and march to the occupied region. Avoiding direct confrontation with any host, they aimed to confront the largest as the bulk of the Sanosuke invasion force.

## The Battle

The confrontation would take place near the small town of Hashikumo. A site that the Sanosuke had sacked and occupied. Despite it not being a wealthy or large site, it held some strategic importance over which the jarls, mainly Udar of Horga and Hallbard Langanes, argued over who should it be given to.

The Hojo-allied force moved rapidly to the location where the Sanosuke had made camp. The terrain was largely dominated by small hills and fields, which were once used for agricultural purposes but were left unattended or burnt by the Sanosuke forces. Arriving on the 9th of August, the Hojo-allied force would make camp. Which did warn the Sanosuke force, who readied for the confrontation. The Hojo and their allies were more than eager to make the Sanosuke pay for their crimes but the leading commander, Sukeyasu Hojo, decided that they shouldn’t move too hastily. As a veteran of various small conflicts, Sukeyasu wanted to be fully aware of the situation. Small skirmishes followed the next day as Sukeyasu decided to lay out the area out. From this Sukeyasu also learned that the Sanosuke weren’t eager to advance and leave what they considered an advantageous site - their camp located between various hills that they could defend.

On the 12th of August, early in the morning, Sukeyasu mobilised his forces and left their camps. Instead of conducting a more traditional approach by having his forces fight over a choke point or one front, he would split his forces in various detachments. The Sanosuke spotted various detachments and responded on turn. Their warriors led by their thegns and jarls would attempt to split in various parts, slightly outnumbering the Hojo and their allies. Whereas the Sanosuke formed their shield walls and attempted to engage in various screening operations against the Hojo-allied force, they were unable to lock their foes in combat. While the tactic of kitting the enemy wasn’t considered honorable, Sukeyasu had imposed firmly that his commanders should avoid prolonged fights with the Sanosuke troops until his cavalry would be in position. This behaviour was also to provoke the Sanosuke into becoming more offensive and leaving their advantageous terrain. The small hills provided some cover for Sukeyasu to move and deploy his cavalry out of Sanosuke sight, waiting for the right time to launch their attack.

At noon, fights had broken out over a large area as the Sanosuke started to lose patience. Noticing that their adversaries were with less numbers, the leaders of the Sanosuke force decided for a more offensive approach. Managing to lock various detachments of the Hojo-allied force into combat, more Sanosuke started to move from defensive positions as the initial stage seemed to be in their favour.

However, without any warning, a large number of Sanosuke detachments would be flanked and charged in the rear by Sukeyasu’s cavalry. Despite fighting bravely, morale would shatter and rapidly turn the tide of the battlefield. Without much cavalry of their own, this turn of the tide didn’t reach the Sanosuke leaders until it was too late. By the afternoon, the Sanosuke force was in full rout, being pursued by the Hojo-allied cavalry.

## Aftermath

The aftermath of the Battle of Hashikumo would allow the Hojo to enforce the Sanosuke to sign a peace treaty, in the small town of Hashikumo. But the battle had more effects on both parties. It allowed a firmer grip for the Hojo and allowing them to impose various important military reforms on their subjects. The confidence of the Taika clans in the north started to grow as well, with this victory against the Sanosuke force. Various clans would approach the Hojo to request advice or even hiring temporarily Hojo samurai to train their forces, to better defend themselves against Sanosuke incursions.

For the Sanosuke, this meant more than just a growing resentment for the Hojo. Their losses meant that they weren’t able to launch a counter-attack and not able to prolong the war without risking even more. Whereas the Sanosuke did underestimate the value of cavalry, believing that horsemen were a sign of weakness and not very effective in the rough dominated terrain of the north, they started to consider various approaches on how to deal with the Taika and their horsemen.