attacking army; besieging force
Historical military term for an army advancing to attack or lay siege, especially in pre-modern contexts. Not used in modern military terminology.
The besieging force surrounding the castle numbered in the thousands.
Compound of 寄せ (yose, 'advancing, closing in', from verb 寄せる) + 手 (te, 'hand, party, group'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is associated with classical military narratives.