province of Kai. So thorough was the victory that
Katsuyori and his son both committed suicide. Nobunaga then gave the
province of Suruga to Ieyasu, and divided Shinano and Kotsuke into
manors, which were distributed among the Owari generals as rewards.
Takigawa Kazumasu was nominated kwanryo of the Kwanto, chiefly in
order to watch and restrain the movements of the Hojo family, now the
only formidable enemy of Nobunaga in the east.

RESUMPTION OF THE CHUGOKU CAMPAIGN

After a brief rest, Hideyoshi again left Kyoto for the central
provinces. He commenced operations on this second occasion by
invading the island of Awaji, and having reduced it, he passed on to
Bitchu, where he invested the important castle of Takamatsu, then
under the command of Shimizu Muneharu. This stronghold was so well
planned and had such great natural advantages that Hideyoshi
abstained from any attempt to carry it by assault, and had recourse
to the device of damming and banking a river so as to flood the
fortress. About two miles and a half of embankment had to be made,
and during the progress of the work, Mori Terumoto, who had been
conducting a campaign elsewhere, found time to march a strong army to
the relief of Takamatsu. But Terumoto, acting on the advice of his
best generals, refrained from attacking Hideyoshi's army. He sought
rather to invite an onset from Hideyoshi, so that, during the
progress of the combat, the garrison might find an opportunity to
destroy the embankment. Hideyoshi, however, was much too astute to be
tempted by such tactics. He saw that the fate of the castle must be
sealed in a few days, and he refrained from any offensive movement.
But, in order to gratify Nobunaga by simulating need of his
assistance, a despatch was sent to Azuchi begging him to come and
personally direct the capture of the fort and the shattering of
Terumoto's army.

ASSASSINATION OF NOBUNAGA

Among Nobunaga's vassal barons at that time was Akechi Mitsuhide. A
scion of the illustrious family of Seiwa Genji, Mitsuhide had served
under several suzerains prior to 1566, when he repaired to Gifu and
offered his sword to Nobunaga. Five years afterwards he received a
fief of one hundred thousand koku and the title of Hyuga no Kami.
This rapid promotion made him Nobunaga's debtor, but a shocking
event, which occurred in 1577, seems to have inspired him with the
deepest resentment against his patron. Mitsuhide, besieging the
castle of Yakami in Tam