Saru wrote:I've been playing "The God of War Descends" as Nagao Kagetora/Uesugi Kenshin shortly after he takes power in Echigo circa 1547. I've been following the historical quests, but there's one where you have to emulate Kenshin's aggressive campaign against the Hojo in the 1560s. However, as most people know, the Hojo have a tendency to blob and get really strong from the outset. Is there any advice for taking on the Hojo and forming an effective anti-Hojo coalition? Do you have to start diplomacy with other clans in eastern Japan from the outset? Doesn't help that the Takeda are always really hostile to me.

Lowered AI aggressiveness to Medium and I had no issue picking off Hojo by putting in Kenshin/Kagemochi/Kojima in the same big stack backed by two smaller stacks to siege or delay.
The strategy is simple: activate Improved Cavalry policy and make sure your starting castle has the best upgrades to get the most Conscript. Square Gate/ Bailey/ Four-level Tenshu is what I did. Always use Kenshin's unit to engage. Get in close enough, activate Kojima Demon, Pierce. Win.
The most challenging is probably taking out Odawara, but if you build up your relations with the rest of lesser Kanto clans, you can easily overwhelm Hojo with reinforcements that were meant to distract while your main force move in to pick off their forces. The final Nijo march forced me to go through the Honganji-Asakura territory, which I promptly truced for 2 months but the food supply has to come from somewhere, hence lonely Nochiseyama Castle was blown up for food. Then we marched straight through the mountain pass of Miyoshi Clan. They refused any truce and I pierced through. When I saw Ashikaga calling for backup, I decided to play my diplomatic card next turn and promptly ended up with 4 new vassals, 2 of them were actually his relief force.

Took Nijo and the quest line seem to end with Kenshin declaring that he now knows what he didn't know and winning battle is about fighting those you know you can't lose. And fighting to live is to die and fighting to die is to live.
Good on you, Ken-chin.