"Rescue"

The last of the six scenarios from the Test of Honour "Battle Guide", and here's the briefing given to Tanjiro...
Grateful for your protection, the geisha spy has revealed the whereabouts of your brother, held prisoner by the enemy clan.
You set out to make your rescue attempt, though your thoughts linger on the brave woman who helped you.
With the information she passed on, you are able to approach the location undetected, now is the moment to launch your attack.

Recruitment limit: 24 points.
The Mori clan deploys 12 points of warriors, including Yoshihito, anywhere on the table. The remaining warriors are left off-table as reinforcements. They may enter (after a successful "Test Of Wits") from any table edge other than the one Takeda choose for deployment.
The Takeda clan choose which table edge to enter from and deploy within 3" of that edge.
Takeda will draw the first token.

The Takeda must find the captive and escort him off the deployment table edge to win the game, Mori claim victory if both Takeda samurai are cut down before a successful rescue.

This was the toughest of the scenarios as far as solo play goes - especially selecting the forces to maintain a balance. In the end, I opted to create three different "orders of battle" for the each of the clans and chose two randomly.
Here's the initial set up.....

Yoshihito was deployed in the courtyard, seen here briefing the yumi (bow) and their ko gashira (sergeant). A lone yari (spear) armed ashigaru stands guard at the entrance.
The loyal samurai Muratagi Kozui, ko gashira Tamaki Jiro plus 3 more ashigaru armed with yari and a unit of loyal  yumi formed the off-table reserve.

The Takeda samurai, Murayama Tanjiro and Yoshihara Suzu approached directly along the track, flanked by their ashigaru - yari ko gashira plus two units of yari, and yumi ko gashira plus three individual yumi armed ashigaru.

Tanjiro knew he would have to act quickly to find and rescue his brother before the Mori reinforcements could arrive and add their numbers to the fight......

.......and advanced directly, ignoring the ineffectual shooting from the Mori yumi, and cut down the guard at the entry to the compound. The first of the Mori reinforcements (Kozue and Jiro) arrived on the Takeda right flank, and the ko gashira took the nearest unit of yari to deal with them.
Meanwhile, Tanjiro pushed on and clashed with his arch rival Yoshihito. The Mori samurai blocked and then launched a blistering counter attack, cutting down his opponent before receiving a light wound from a Takeda archer.
The situation at end of turn one.

Seeing his leader fall, Suzu (a "Wise Samuarai" according to his stat card) leapt over the fence and put the bulk of Takeda yari troops between himself and the enemy bowfire. Yoshihito meanwhile, crossed the hedge to assist the flank attack but came up against stubborn resistance from one of the enemy yumi armed ashigaru who continually dodged his attacks.

A single Mori spearman arrived and joined the flank attack, slowly forcing the Takeda yari group back, their ko gashira falling back to the line of the hedge, intending to block the gap in case fresh Mori reinforcements arrived and attempted to attack the Takeda rear.
The situation at the end of turn two.

The Takeda yari group was taking heavy casualties and Yoshihito had finally cut down the brave ashigaru archer (taking another light wound from the yumi shooting at him from the roadway), as Suzu made his way around the back of the house - wisely seeking cover?

After a series of bitter attacks and counters, it was the beginning of the end for the Takeda right flank...

.....but still the remaining ashigaru spearman launched a last-ditch charge against the enemy bowmen in the courtyard.......

 .....as Yoshihito charged the man who had just wounded him!

The Takeda ko gashira failed his "Test Of Honour" for seeing his compatriot cut down, and retreated (off the table) to his shame.

Out of sight of the majority of the action, Suzu had made his way through the house and was about to attempt the rescue....... 

...completely unaware that the rest of his buntai were virtually finished, and the Mori warriors were no longer "distracted" by events outside the courtyard.
The situation at the end of turn three.

As Suzu prepared to dash out and seize the nearest captive, the yumi armed group and the ko gashira were knocking arrows to strings.

A hail of arrows found their mark, and Suzu was cut down before he could set foot outside the doorway, and with him fell any hope of a final victory for the Takeda in this campaign.

The final situation.

The fight had gone terribly for the Takeda - Tanjiro's headstrong heroics as he tried to free his brother was a mistake, though last time the two samurai leaders met in a duel it raged on for quite a while and kept Yoshihito out of the main fight for a significant length of time.
The initial deployment saw the Takeda with a 2-1 advantage, but given the fact they were attacking a "defended position" perhaps the accepted military wisdom of a 3-1 superiority would have been a better decision.

Only half of the Mori reinforcements arrived before the end of the battle, but Kozue, Jiro and the single ashigaru spearman played a significant role by appearing early and effectively pinned the Takeda right flank, slowing the advance to the objective.
On reflection, this scenario was heavily weighted in favour of the captors - I could see very little chance of Yoshihito's men reaching the captives, "searching them" (passing a test of wits) to find the missing brother, and escorting the prisoner back off the original point of entry.

Still, it was yet another action packed and enjoyable game, and the result provides plenty of "plot seeds" for future games..................... Tanjiro and Yoshihito will meet again on the field of combat!
(But after a personal "review" of Test Of Honour, and when the 'heatwave' has finished)

Domo arigato for visiting and reading, and as ever, your comments and queries are invited.
Genki de!