Stories of the Japanese 00929 [Early Northern and Southern Courts Period] The Battle of Fujishima: Dissolution of the Nitta Army

After the battle, Ujiie Shigekuni stepped forward before Shiba Takatsune and said,
"I have slain an enemy who appears to be a member of the Nitta clan. He did not announce his name, so I do not know who he is, but judging by his horse and armor, he is no ordinary warrior."
He then presented the head. It seems he did not suspect that it was the commander-in-chief, Yoshisada.
Upon seeing this, Shiba Takatsune said,
"This looks somewhat like the face of Lord Nitta. If it is him, there should be an arrow wound above his left eyebrow."
He then personally lifted the hair with a comb, washed away the blood, and wiped off the dirt to examine it, and indeed, there was an arrow wound above the left eyebrow. Furthermore, when he requested the two swords the corpse had been carrying and examined them, he found the characters "Onikiri" and "Onimaru" engraved on them, revealing them to be heirlooms passed down through the Minamoto clan.
In addition, when they opened and examined the amulet the corpse had been carrying, they found it written in Emperor Go-Daigo's own hand:
"The conquest of the imperial enemies rests entirely upon the military achievements of Yoshisada."
This made it clear that the corpse was none other than Nitta Yoshisada himself.
Shiba Takatsune was delighted and sent this head to Takauji in Kyoto.
Incidentally, Takauji instructed, "Onikiri and Onimaru are items that should be managed by the direct line of the Minamoto clan, so send them immediately," but Shiba Takatsune lied, claiming they had been "burned in a fire," and did not hand them over. Consequently, the relationship between Takauji and Takatsune deteriorated thereafter. Since Takatsune was from the Ashikaga clan, he may have harbored ambitions of replacing the shogun himself.
Meanwhile, the generals and soldiers of the Nitta army were in a panic because Yoshisada had gone missing. Wakiya Yoshisuke returned to Ishimaru Castle (Fukui City, Fukui Prefecture) and asked around for Yoshisada's whereabouts, but after a while, it became clear that "it seems he has been killed." The soldiers said,
"Let us sally forth immediately and die in battle at the place where our commander was killed."
They said this, but many of the soldiers were disheartened and dazed, lacking the energy to set out.
While this was happening, the soldiers' hearts began to change, and there were three instances where traitors attempted to set fire to Ishimaru Castle. Seeing this, Saito Suemoto and Saito Michiyuki judged that there was no longer any chance of victory and abandoned the camp during the night to flee.
Furthermore, some became monks, and others went to surrender at Ogumaru Castle. The number of soldiers, which had exceeded 30,000 until yesterday, dwindled to a mere 2,000 in just one night as they fled one after another. It seems the Southern Court forces in Echizen had gathered solely due to Yoshisada's fame.
July 11, the intercalary month of the 3rd year of Engen/5th year of Kemmu (1338). Wakiya Yoshisuke and his son Yoshiharu took 700 horsemen and returned to the Echizen provincial government office. It was a truly regrettable defeat.