User blog:Kazanshin/Oda Nobunaga vs Hernan Cortes (Special Battle)

Ok, it's finally time to bring my ancestor (yes, really) in one of my battles:

Oda Nobunaga, the most feared of the Sengoku Daimyos (and my ancestor <3).

vs

Hernan Cortes, leader of the Conquistadors who brought down the Aztec Empire.

I'm counting on making this battle one of a kind: off with the blatant 5 vs 5 battle, I'm bringing this to a whole new scalle:

-this battle will take place in a beach on the coasts of New Zealand (because why not)

-this will be a 20 vs 20 with 13 infantry, 1 piece of artillery and 5 cavalry and the general for both side

-this battle will feature a naval bonus round which won't have any impact on the main fight, just out of my pure curiosity

Alright, the rules are set: here are our fighters!

Oda Nobunaga= Oda Nobunaga was the initiator of the unification of Japan under the rule of the shogun in the late 16th century, a rule that ended only with the opening of Japan to the Western world in 1868. He was also a major daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. His opus was continued, completed and finalized by his successors Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was the second son of Oda Nobuhide, a deputy shugo (military governor) with land holdings in Owari Province. Nobunaga lived a life of continuous military conquest, eventually conquering a third of Japanese daimyo before his death in 1582. His successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a loyal Oda supporter, would eventually become the first man to conquer all of Japan and the first ruler of all Japan since the Ōnin War.
 * -| Uchigatana=Katana-0.jpg The uchigatana is the blade that is most commonly reffered to as the "katana" (a term that usually encompasses all single-bladed swords in Japanese). The blade is carried by all feudal Japanese soldiers, but usually not wielded as a primary weapon. Instead, the soldiers would draw it once the opponent came too close to effectively fight with the yari. The length of the blade is often somewhere between 60 to 73 centimeters in length. The metal of the blade is created from Tamahagane, a hard, high carbon steel for the cutting edge and sides, and the tough, low carbon steel for the core and back, giving the blade a hard edge, while allowing it to absorb blows without shattering. The gentle curvature of the blade adds to the weapons cutting power by focusing the force of the blow on a smaller area.
 * -| Yari=Yari1.jpg The Yari was a Japanese pike, commonly wielded as a primary weapon by both high class samurai and ashigaru. It had a 十 shape, making it a highly versatile weapon: it could hook onto enemies, pin them down, be swung with the spikes facing towards the enemy, used as an anti-cavalry weapon, but its most prominent use was to make a pike wall to block incoming enemies. The Oda's yaris were renowned for being long, measuring up to 6.3 meters in length. Cavalry Yaris were shorter to be more easy to wield in mounted combat.
 * -| Tanegashima=Tanegashima_Musket.jpg The tanegashima (種子島), most often called in Japanese and sometimes in English hinawajū (火縄銃), which means matchlock gun, was a type of matchlock configured arquebus firearm introduced to Japan through the Portuguese in 1543. Tanegashima were used by the samurai class and their foot soldiers (ashigaru) and within a few years the introduction of the tanegashima in battle changed the way war was fought in Japan forever. It was based on European arquebuses and engineered to be better, with a better aim and grip.
 * -| Taihou=Taihou.jpg The Wasei Taihou is yet another Japanese Feudal weapon based on European design. It was a 30 pounder bronze cannon used to bombard enemy forces from afar. It was notably used by Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the battle of Sekigahara, where he used the cannon's psychological effect to scare his enemies. It could also be mounted on ships for naval combat. Having wheels, it could also be moved and re-positioned during combat.
 * -| Tosei Gusoku + Kusari=Tosei-gusoku.jpg The Gusoku was the main armor donned by samurai during the Sengoku period. It was made of steel lamellar with gaps at the joints to ease movement. Under it, a samurai would wear kusari chainmail to protect the joints and in case an attack went through the plate. Joints were also protected by small armorpieces known as the kogusoku. It was also influenced by Europeans such as the Portuguese, which gave the armor superior metallurgy compared to previous armors. The armor has been accounted of stopping Tanegashima bullets, even saving Oda Nobunaga's life when a ninja shot him.

Hernan Cortes= Hernán Cortés was Spanish conquistador in the 16th century, who commanded the Spanish army that destroyed the Aztec Empire of Mexico. His conquests were a key part of Spain's colonization of the Americas. Upon arriving in Mexico, Cortés claimed the land for Spain. In 1518, the Governor of Cuba, Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar, gave Cortés command of an expedition to explore Mexico and prepare it for eventual colonization. Cortés and Velézquez's relationship was strained at the time, and Velázquez decided to revoke his charter. Cortés ignored the orders and proceeded with the plans for the expedition anyway. In the years that followed, Cortés secured that claim by completely conquering the native Aztecs, which was possible by both his far superior technology and his alliances with the Aztecs' native enemies. Cortés was appointed governor of New Spain as a reward for his efforts.
 * -|Espada Ropera=Espada_ropera.jpg The espada ropera featured a long, narrow blade, with an average length of about 44 inches (112 cm). It had a single-handed swept hilt with a pommel and a cross guard. It first appeared in Spain in the 15th Century. It was primarily a civilian weapon, used more for dueling than actual combat. The forerunner of the rapier, the espada ropera is distinguished from the rapier by its ability to cut as well as thrust.﻿ This is seen in the Rapier's length; which can be over 10 inches longer than an Espada Ropera.
 * -|Halberd=Halberd...png The Halberd is a two-handed staff weapon that came into prominent use in the 14th and 15th Centuries. It could be used to chop with ax-side, smash with the hammer-side or thrust with the spike. The weapon could also be used to hook opposing riders from horseback if it has a hook-side, and the shaft could be used for blocking. This weapon gained much popularity because of it's reach and versatility. This was one of the most longest lasting medieval weapons in human history, only until the 1800s did the Halberd lose its effectiveness in battle. However the modern-day Swiss Guard still carry halberds.
 * -|Arquebus=Harquebus.jpeg The matchlock musket, also known as an arquebus, is an early firearm, and the first to have a mechanism recognizable as a trigger. The weapon was fired using a mechanism that held a slow burning cord, the "match" in place until the trigger was pulled, at which point the mechanism would move the match downward, into the firing pan, igniting the powder in the pan as well as the main charge. Some variants, known as snap matchlocks used a small spring to force the match down into the pan. The matchlock musket improved on the earlier Hand Cannon, as the mechanism held the match in place, meaning it was less likely that a soldier would drop the match, for instance. However, it had many of the same drawbacks as the hand cannon. Specifically, the matchlock was a smoothbore weapon, meaning it was innaccurate at ranges of over 50-100 meters, and only truly effective when used in formation, and could only fire one shot before a length reloading process.
 * -|24-pounder long gun=24-pounder.jpg The 24-pounder long gun was a heavy calibre piece of artillery mounted on warships of the Age of sail, second only to the 36-pounder long gun. 24-pounders were in service in the navies of the France, Spain, Great Britain, Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States. They were comparable to the Canon de 24 Gribeauval used by the French Army as its largest piece of siege artillery. 24-pounders were used as main guns on the heaviest frigates of the early 19th century and on fourth-rate ships of the line, on the second deck of first-rate ships of the line, and on the second deck of a few large third-rates.
 * -|Steel Cuirass=Conquistador_armor.jpeg A cuirass (pronounced /kwɨˈræs/; French: cuirasse, Latin: coriaceus) is a piece of armour, formed of a single or multiple pieces of metal or other rigid material, which covers the front of the torso. In a suit of armour this important piece was generally connected to a back piece and cuirass could refer to the complete torso-protecting armour. About 1550, the breast-piece of the cuirass was characterized by a vertical central ridge, called the tapul, having near its center a projecting point. Somewhat later, the tapul was moved lower on the breast. Eventually, the profile of the plate began to resemble a pea pod and, as such, was referred to as the peascod cuirass.

Bonus Round

Tekkousen= The tekkousen was one of Nobunaga's biggest inventions. It was an iron and steel plated Ataka-bune battleship with cannons. Nobunaga ordered the construction of two tekousens to battle the Mori's navy, which was the most powerful at that time. The plating protected the ship from the Mori's fire rockets and the cannons sinked their once proud navy. The ship severed the naval support and replenishment of the Soheis, who had opposed Nobunaga's power. -55 meters long
 * -|Equipment= - 2-3 inches thick iron plating

-12,7 meters wide

-30-pounder Taihou cannons

-Crew armed with tanegashimas, yaris, uchigatanas and bo-hiya fire rockets Galleon=Galleons were large, multi-decked sailing ships first used by the Spanish as armed cargo carriers and later adopted by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries during the age of sail and were the principal fleet units drafted for use as warships until the Anglo-Dutch Wars of the mid-1600s. Galleons generally carried three or more masts with a lateen fore-and-aft rig on the rear masts, were carvel built with a prominent squared off raised stern, and used square-rigged sail plans on their fore-mast and main-masts. -49 meters long
 * -|Equipment= -wooden hull

-10 meters wide

-20-pounder long guns

-Crew armed with arquebus, espada roperas and halberds

Explanations: Strategy goes pretty undoubtedly to Nobunaga. Not to say Cortes couldn't strategise, but Nobunaga has shown time after time that he was the best of the best. While Cortes was a skilled leader, most of the Aztec's invasion was done by the European diseases and not by warfare. Experience is closer, but also goes to Nobunaga. Cortes took part mainly in two large conflicts: the conquest of Cuba and his invasion of Mexico. Nobunaga, however, fought for his enire life until death, conquering land after land, province after province. Adaptability is very close, but I give the sliht edge to Cortes. Nobunaga was an incredibly adaptable and creative general, but the man he is facing took down an entire empire of the likes never seen before. And he succeeded! So yes, close, but slight edge to Cortes. Charisma is equal. The two were able to lead their men into situations no man would normally even consider to face. Nobunaga took his samurai in the battle of Okehazama, when he was outnumbered 5 to 1 men. Cortes took 500 Conquistadors and led them against the biggest empire of the Americas.

Personal Edges
Uchigatana vs Espada Ropera   Edge: Uchigatana Both are good swords, but the uchigatana has the advantage of being a better cutter and measures up pretty good in terms of stabbing. The uchigatana is also one-and-a-half handed, which lets it pack a bigger punch. The craftsmanship makes up for the disadvantage in lower quality steel.

Yari vs Halberd  Edge: Even The halberd is more versatile and packs a much deadlier swing, but the yari is longer and is better at pinning the enemy down. They both work well as anti-cavalry weapons. In other words, the yari is a better defensive weapon, while the halberd is a better offensive one.

Tanegashima vs Arquebus  Edge: Tanegashima As stated, the tanegashima was based on the arquebus and was a better version of it. It had a longer range, a better aim and was lighter.

Taihou vs Long Gun  Slight Edge: Taihou Both are unwieldy and clumsy, but the Taihou gets my slight edge thanks to its stronger punch with bigger cannonballs.

Gusoku vs Cuirass  Edge: Cuirass This is one of the times when original beats inspired. The cuirass has better quality steel and... that's about the only advantage it has and needs over the gusoku. All other categories are tied or don't have a big enough difference to make a significant advantage.

Bonus Round:  Winner: Tekkousen The iron plating and bigger cannons, as well as the incendiary bo-hiya fire rockets give it the edge. The hiyas were super effective against wooden ships like the galleon and could light them on fire in  matter of seconds.