Many powerful local lords under his umbrella opposed him, switching their allegiance from the Uesugi clan to the Oda clan, but Yoritsuna managed to attack and destroy every one of them.
上杉氏から織田氏への鞍替えには反対する傘下の国人衆も多く、頼綱はこれをことごとく攻め滅ぼすという政策を取った。