Which of the following statements concerning the nature of warfare among the bushi is most accurate?
a. Battles hinged on man-to-man duels of great champions typical of the heroic stage of warfare.
b. The bushi depended on infantry tactics, equipping the samurai initially with long spears.
c. Battles depended on the Japanese phalanx of mounted samurai and massed assaults predicated on the willingness of the retainers to sacrifice themselves for their leaders.
d. The introduction of gunpowder in the 11th century allowed the bushi to rely on cannon and rockets as their primary means of assault.
e. The bushi made possible the building of conscript armies using new techniques of fighting obtained from the European kingdoms.
Answer: A