Stories of the Japanese 00844 [Kenmu Period] The Battle of Yamazaki

The Nitta army continued their provocations.
Although there was a bridge at Owatari, the Nitta army had removed all the bridge planks in advance to prevent an attack by the Ashikaga army. The Nitta army taunted them, saying of the bridge, which was now just a skeleton,
“You should be able to cross it easily. Come on over.”
They said this to provoke them.
Hearing this, an Ashikaga warrior named Raigen Nogi stepped onto the narrow bridge and began to cross. The Nitta army fired arrows at him one after another, but Raigen jumped around on the narrow footing of the bridge to dodge the arrows and knocked them down with his sword, successfully crossing the bridge in a brilliant display.
On the other side of the bridge was a watchtower built by the Nitta army. When Raigen slipped under the tower and began to shake the pillars, the tower began to sway as if it were about to collapse, and the soldiers above jumped down in a panic and fled.
Emboldened, the Ashikaga army began to cross the skeletal bridge one after another, but the bridge girders suddenly broke, the bridge collapsed, and those who were crossing fell one after another.
Now that neither rafts nor bridges were of any use, there was no way to cross the Yodo River. As the Ashikaga army struggled to find a way to attack, a messenger suddenly arrived and asked,
“Where is the camp of Lord Sadanori Akamatsu?”
Sadanori Akamatsu (1306–1374) was the second son of Enshin Akamatsu and had joined the Ashikaga army at this time. Until now, only the third son, Norisuke, had appeared, but this is the first appearance of the second son, Sadanori. Enshin Akamatsu had many children, including his eldest son Norisuke (?-1351), his second son Sadanori, and his third son Norisuke.
When Sadanori looked at the letter from the messenger, it was from his older brother Norisuke, and it read,
“I am currently camped at Akutagawa (Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture) with Lord Jozen Hosokawa. We plan to attack Yamazaki (Oyamazaki Town, Kyoto Prefecture) soon, so rest assured.”
Yamazaki is behind the Nitta army that the Ashikaga army is currently facing. Upon seeing the letter, the Ashikaga army rejoiced, saying,
“Our allies will attack the enemy from the rear. We are safe now.”
That same day, Jozen Hosokawa and Norisuke Akamatsu attacked Yamazaki. Yoshisuke Wakiya holed up in Yamazaki Castle to meet them, but the Hosokawa and Akamatsu armies jumped into the moat one after another to attack, and Yamazaki Castle fell easily.
Yoshisuke Wakiya, who was in Yamazaki Castle, and Yoshisada Nitta, who was at the Owatari camp, both fled back to Kyoto. It is said that to ensure Yoshisada's safe escape at this time, his son, Yoshiaki Nitta (1318–1337), continued to fight as the rearguard and managed to reach Kyoto despite being seriously wounded.