Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

But look at Ieyasu, he's really polite.

When did Ieyasu begin to be seen as a "tanuki" (raccoon dog)? It seems that for a period of time on the Chinese internet, the so-called "tanuki" of Ieyasu was interpreted as a fox, automatically evoking the image of cunning and treachery.

Actually, when people talk about Ieyasu in Japan, they're referring to a tanuki (raccoon dog). There's a very old Japanese anime called "Pom Poko" that explains this. In Japanese culture, tanuki are animals that can cultivate themselves and transform into human form.

It doesn't harm people much, but it's very unpredictable.

It is likely an embellishment that Ieyasu was a man who could speak to people in a human way and to ghosts in a ghostly way, able to lie low in front of the powerful and bully the weak.

That's fine. These days, everyone has two faces. Shichibei feels he also has two faces, one for superiors and one for subordinates. If that's the case, Shichibei should also be called "Tanuki" (tanuki).

that is it.

In the days that followed, envoys from various feudal lords arrived in Kyoto in an endless stream. Shichibei had originally hoped to see if Ukita Naoie would come, but unfortunately, he only sent his younger brother, Ukita Tadai, to Kyoto.

This man is truly cunning and ruthless, killing as easily as drinking water, and carrying out countless conspiracies and assassinations. He disregards morality and shame, exhausting every means to expand his territory. His reputation is utterly infamous, the kind that's utterly reviled.

This time, I came to Kyoto with a fortune of a thousand kan (a unit of currency), and I have two requests.

First, he asked Ashikaga Yoshiaki to appoint him as the governor of Bizen Province, so that he could completely break away from his former lord, Urakami Munekage, and become an independent daimyo.

Secondly, he requested that Oda Nobunaga, the regent of the shogunate, send troops to subdue Urakami Munekage, who was disloyal to Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and eliminate this traitor who defied the shogunate, so that the Ukita family could unify Bizen Province.

It must have been after seeing the Mori clan recognize Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Oda Nobunaga's new regime that Nobunaga sent troops to Tajima to attack Yamana Sukeyochi, which is why he had this idea.

By the tenth year of Eiroku (1565), Ukita Hideie had already defeated Matsuda Mototeru, Kanemitsu Munetaka, and other powerful figures in Bizen Province, and had also forcefully withstood the attack on Bizen by the Mimura clan of Bitchu Province. In fact, he already possessed the prestige and strength to become the lord of Bizen, lacking only an opportunity.

Then Ashikaga Yoshiaki ascended to the throne and sent a letter to Urakami Munekage, summoning him to congratulate the new shogun and present him with a royal sword. Urakami Munekage, however, completely ignored the shogunate and became a traitor.

With a reason and a clear excuse, Ukita Tadakane took out 1,000 kan and gave it to Ashikaga Yoshiaki, asking Yoshiaki to give the order.

The timing was indeed excellent. Nobunaga was still in the stage of further establishing the authority of his new government. Since Ukita Naoie gave him face, he would give Ukita Naoie face in return.

Shichibei personally drafted the official document authorizing Nobunaga to assume shogunate power and distributed it to generals such as Ikeda Katsumasa, Bessho Yasuharu, and Akamatsu Masahide. At the same time, he allocated 2,000 men to Hanawa Naomasa, who was to lead them in preparation for an attack on Urakami Munekage.

More than 20,000 men rushed in, ready to kill Urakami Munekage in one fell swoop, so that all the local gentry and noble families of Sanyo Province would know that Oda Nobunaga's new regime had risen up.

Having received such a satisfactory answer, Ukita Tadaya exclaimed that the Shogun and the Kanrei-dono were wise, and that the Shogunate was truly on the verge of revival.

This matter should have ended there; Ukita Tadai and Hanawa Naomasa could have simply gone and killed Urakami Munekage. Just like last year when Hideyoshi attacked Yamana Suetoyo, they could have finished their task and that would have been the end of it.

By the way, just a side note, Yutaka Yamana is currently in Sakaicho, and he'll have more scenes to come.

Shichibei, who led Tadai to pay his respects to Nobunaga, suddenly remarked, "I've heard that Izumi no Kami (Naoie) only has one son. Well, that's fine then. Since he's going to take up the position of Bizen no Kami, shouldn't Shichibei (Tadai)'s son be sent over to serve as a page to the Kanrei-dono?"

Ok?

Tadakane, who was already bracing himself for the task, paused, but had absolutely no reason to object. The request was perfectly legitimate; it was customary for the shogunate for Naoie to send his son to serve as a royal retainer to the shogun in order to become the Bizen governor. Royal retainers were traditionally the position of the eldest son of the governor's household, but now it had become an honorary post.

Nobunaga was about to bend over when he heard Shichibei demand a hostage, so he sat down again. He thought Shichibei was just going through the motions; a vassal servile as a dog handing over a hostage—that really was the procedure in Japan's Sengoku period.

It was reasonable, and after a moment's hesitation, Tadakuni chose to agree for the sake of Nobunaga's 20,000 reinforcements.

And so the matter ended there. Ukita Tadai promised that once he returned to Bizen, he would send his eldest son to Kyoto. Ashikaga Yoshiaki wasn't present, and it was impossible for him to send a seven or eight-year-old child as a servant. Nobunaga had taken on countless hostages; the son-in-law of the Gamo clan, a figure from the Sengoku period, was still sitting on the sidelines outside Gifu Castle.

It's not that Shichibei has any perverse tastes or ideas. He mainly wanted to see how this young man, who was willing to risk severing the Ukita family line to rebel and change his name, grew up.

His father and uncle were considered the epitome of brotherly love and respect during Japan's Sengoku period. They rose from a place where they went hungry for three days a month, barely able to get a full meal, to become the rulers of Bizen and Mimasaka provinces – a truly remarkable story. How come when it came to him, he directly tried to kill Hideie, but failed, leading to internal strife, ultimately resulting in his own demise and the destruction of his family.

Nobunaga casually said, "The hostages have been sent. You can take care of them for now," and then turned to meet Takemata Yoshitsuna, the messenger sent by Uesugi Kenshin.

Uesugi Kenshin was quite enthusiastic about the shogunate and sent 1,000 kan (a unit of currency). Moreover, it was 1,000 kan without any strings attached, so that Ashikaga Yoshiaki could move into his new home as soon as possible.

The feudal lords sent money in droves, and more than a thousand carpenters and stonemasons were also dispatched to the capital. After the envoys were received, Shichibei began to take charge of settling these people in.

Murai Sadakatsu and Shimada Hidemitsu were appointed as Grand Labor Commissioners by Nobunaga. Under the dual orders of the shogunate and the Oda clan, more than 80,000 laborers were mobilized.

Put everything else aside for now, the first thing to do is to dig up all the tombstones near Kyoto and in southern Omi that have been abandoned and neglected, and move them to the construction site of the former Kyoto Imperial Palace.

So, you see, graves are something ordinary people shouldn't bother pursuing. It's the same in any dynasty, country, or continent. Your son might remember you, your grandson might recall you, but your great-grandson will never know who you are.

In the once-glorious, now dilapidated suburbs of America's Rust Belt cities, there are countless completely abandoned churches and cemeteries. In just over a century, those graves have been left unattended. They often become playgrounds for YouTubers, who supposedly even dance on the graves.

Clubbing is one thing, but an unmanaged grave, no matter how many days the notice is posted, if you don't come to pay the management fee or land tax, they'll tear up the tombstone and scatter your ashes everywhere. It's the same everywhere.

Even in Japan, they dig up graves and use the tombstones to build the stone walls of the Nijo Palace.

Murai Sadakatsu was in charge of building a triple castle tower for Ashikaga Yoshiaki, while Shimada Hidemitsu was in charge of digging two long moats for the palace and constructing stone walls and ramparts.

The large-scale construction projects sent from various regions were handed over to them. Shichibei was responsible for transporting the timber and stone stockpiled after dismantling the various branch castles in southern Omi to Kyoto to build a castle for Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

This was truly a case of concentrating resources to accomplish great things. The laborers from various provinces in the Kinai region, including Omi, were transported to the roads. The fact that Nobunaga was able to launch such a large-scale construction project shows how powerful he was.

As for why they didn't go to cut down mountains and quarry rocks, but instead dug up people's graves, it was because Nobunaga ordered that the new Nijō Palace must be repaired within four to six months, and not only repaired, but also reinforced.

It's really a case of the leader just giving orders and the subordinates running themselves ragged. He says four to six months, so everyone just tries to meet those four-month deadlines. He's being polite when he says six months; do you really think Murai Sadayuki and the others would take it seriously?

Because the final scale of the castle was too large, it not only filled up the original site of the so-called "Bueijin Gosho" (Imperial Guard Residence), but also included the Shinnyo-ji Temple behind it. Murai Sadakatsu had to both smile and pay compensation, and finally, he allocated a larger piece of land elsewhere before Shinnyo-ji Temple agreed to move.

At this point, many people should have realized that Murai Sadakatsu built the castle tower, Shimada Hidemitsu built the stone walls, and Shichibei transported the materials. But what about the palace itself? They couldn't just leave Ashikaga Yoshiaki sleeping in an empty lot, could they?

Therefore, all kinds of samurai buildings in the capital suffered a great calamity. In order to ensure the construction period, the demolition was carried out in a whirlwind.

The Honkoku-ji Temple, where Yoshiaki was currently residing, was to be demolished and relocated to the Imperial Palace. More than 1,500 monks and followers of the Hoke sect offered Nobunaga a huge sum of 10,000 kan (a unit of currency), and even mobilized court nobles to persuade him to accept. However, Nobunaga refused and insisted on completing the Imperial Palace as quickly as possible.

The Hosokawa Noriyuki family's residence, also known as Hosokawa Fujiken's mansion, was completely demolished by 4,000 Oda soldiers within two days, leaving it a blank space. Even the decorative rocks in the courtyard were removed. In his diary that day, Genji-kei recorded that the Oda soldiers played flutes and drums, and the demolition was carried out in a very "orderly" manner.

Nobunaga ordered the demolition of all the courtyards and residences in the Mushakoji area. Usable buildings were moved directly to the Imperial Palace, while unusable ones were entrusted to Shichibei for safekeeping, to be reused later for other purposes. Since they were all wooden buildings, the timber would find a use as long as it wasn't damaged.

The story is quite well-documented. The main gate of Kannonji Castle was dismantled and given to Nijō Gojō. After Ashikaga Yoshiaki was defeated, it was taken to Azuchi Castle. Azuchi Castle was burned down, and the survivors went to Sawayama Castle. Sawayama Castle was captured and burned by Kobayakawa Hideaki, and the survivors went to Hikone Castle. Hikone Castle was not dismantled when the feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established, but it was rebuilt under the orders of Ōkuma Shigenobu, with many parts being renovated.

Who knows, some of those wooden rafters might have been touched by Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

With such a large-scale demolition operation underway, the buildings within the Nijō Palace were quickly replenished. The "Old Man's Ramblings" records that many luxurious, gilded rooms were restored within the Nijō Palace. Combined with the eight-meter-high stone walls, this greatly enhanced the Nijō Palace's defensive capabilities.

It could even be said that Nijo Palace was a pioneer in the construction of castles in the early modern period. It used long moats and stone walls to form defenses, built a huge castle town and general structure, and abandoned those mountain castles that only had military uses and were difficult to develop. This gradually became a trend.

"Fujikichiro." Shichibei, who was directing the laborers to move the tombstone at the construction site, saw Hideyoshi walking excitedly into the construction site, while Nobunaga was visiting the three-tiered castle tower that was more than half completed.

"Oh my, Shichibei." Upon seeing Shichibei, Hideyoshi immediately stopped in his tracks.

"Have you received the 20,000 kan from Sakai?" The fact that Hideyoshi could be seen means the money has arrived.

"Of course." Hideyoshi was overjoyed; with the huge sum of 20,000 kan in his account, Nobunaga's many expenses would be settled.

"Congratulations..."

"We'll talk about it later, we'll talk about it later." Hideyoshi waved his hand with a smile and went to report to Nobunaga with a happy expression.

165. Fujitaka takes a small step faster than others.

With the assistance of Sen Sōichi, a merchant from Sakai, and also relying on the prestige of Nobunaga's two victories over the Miyoshi Triumvirate, Hideyoshi successfully collected 20,000 kan of arrow money from Sakai.

The key point is that Sakai, which was originally a so-called "free city," was willing to accept a deputy official personally dispatched by Nobunaga under the pressure of Hideyoshi and the persuasion of Sen no Sōichi.

Prior to this, the daikan of Sakai was selected from among the kaiju (religious members of the shogunate). For example, Imai Munehisa served as a daikan of Sakai appointed by the imperial court and the shogunate, and actually presided over Sakai affairs as a kaiju.

The imperial court and the shogunate's rule over Sakai was more of a tacit acceptance. Sakai would recommend someone, who would then be officially appointed by the imperial court and the shogunate.

On the surface, a collaboration has been achieved, and this model will be applied in many controversial areas in the future. One party gains substance, the other gains face; harmony brings wealth.

And now that Sakai is willing to accept Nobunaga's appointment as acting governor, no matter how you look at it, it shows that Lord Nobunaga's call is met with overwhelming support... right before our eyes.

Outsiders may not know, but Shichibei and Hideyoshi know very well. Now is the time for Nobunaga to establish himself. As the one who takes over the old order, what Nobunaga needs most is not money or people, but face.

The most important thing is to come to the dock where Lord Nobunaga is worshipped, to recognize Lord Nobunaga as the eldest brother, and to sit in the top seat.

After all, Nobunaga was only human; he didn't have three heads and six arms. He needed to use the method of "recruiting soldiers from soldiers" to rapidly expand the power of the entire Oda clan like a snowball. He needed the submission of the people and the prestige and aura of a leader of the alliance.

As long as the tiger skin is inflated, Nobunaga can use it to intimidate those who covet it. Then, the muscles and bones wrapped in the tiger skin will grow new flesh and blood, replenishing themselves day by day, until one day the fake tiger becomes a real tiger.

Once you become a real tiger, you still won't submit? We'll beat you into submission.

I really don't know what tricks Hideyoshi used to make a free city like Sakaimachi bow down. Weren't the Hosokawa and Miyoshi families powerful back then? Actually, they were just as powerful. Miyoshi Nagayoshi, like Nobunaga, killed whoever he wanted; he truly carved out his empire with his sword.

They had never achieved such submission from Sakaimachi before, only managing to exert influence through figures like Matsunaga Hisahide and Miyoshi Nagayoshi. Now, Nobunaga could actually appoint a deputy magistrate on his own? This is unprecedented.

The smacking sound had barely stopped when Nobunaga's page rushed out and summoned Shichibei inside.

Shichibei suddenly felt a sudden inspiration. Sakai Daikan, who else but me could fill this vast Oda clan? Nobunaga was completely handing over all these matters to Shichibei and wouldn't handle them personally at all.

He washed his hands directly in the ditch next to him, looked at the water, and saw that there was no dirt on his face. Shichibei then ran like the wind to the inner construction site where the Three Heavens Guardian was being built.

Upon arriving at the construction site, Nobunaga was seen casually sitting on a step, listening to Hideyoshi's report. Clearly, Nobunaga was very satisfied with Hideyoshi's successful completion of the task; in front of the old Oda and the old Owari, Nobunaga rarely showed such a relatively unrestrained smile.

In front of the court nobles and retainers, Nobunaga had to put on an act, displaying the fiercest and most majestic side of a tiger. But in front of someone like Hideyoshi, who carried his straw sandals and led his horse, he could show a relative degree of his own personality.

Just like with Shichibei, Nobunaga was still wearing a loincloth in front of Shichibei just the other day, showing he didn't treat Shichibei as an outsider. There's a big difference in feelings between former retainers who followed the emperor and those who joined later.

"Shichibei, come here." Nobunaga, who was laughing and talking with Hideyoshi, saw Shichibei and quickly waved to him.

"This task is best handled by Shichibei." Hideyoshi was also amused, seeing that Shichibei was quite pleased.

Hideyoshi and Shichibei held completely different positions within the Oda clan, and there was no conflict between them. Hideyoshi knew very well that only by becoming a samurai could one rise in the ranks, so even though he had almost no martial skills, he bravely charged to the front lines, fighting for Nobunaga. Nobunaga appreciated this kind of hardworking fellow and promoted him from humble beginnings.

Shichibei's job is much simpler; he doesn't even need to handle ordinary castle-building tasks. The small merchant should just focus on being a small merchant, a small merchant who stays by Nobunaga's side.

"I don't know?" Shichibei first knelt on one knee to bow to Nobunaga before asking.

"What else could it be? You know perfectly well what I mean." Nobunaga teased, pointing at Shichibei. After all, Hideyoshi had come from the waterway and stone walls at the gate, so he must have already met Shichibei.

“Sakaishiro?” Shichibei didn’t need to play dumb at a time like this.

"There are two rules. First, all sales of Sakai's military equipment must be recorded and approved by you personally. Second, the dispatching of Sakai's ships and sailors must also be recorded and approved by you personally." Nobunaga stood up and tapped Shichibei's shoulder with his folding fan, meaning that Shichibei must remember them.

Because the people of Sakai knelt down so easily, no matter how Hideyoshi made them kneel, they were kneeling now. Kneeling was a way of giving face to Nobunaga, calling him "elder brother." At that time, Nobunaga was busy with military affairs and didn't have much time to send a large number of people to directly manage Sakai.

The administration of Sakai mainly focused on weapons and ships. Just like the previous takeover of Kunitomo Village, all arquebuses in Kunitomo Village were thereafter only allowed to be sold to the Oda family and those whose identities were recognized by the Oda family.

In any case, the supply of arquebuses was far less than the demand in those days, and Nobunaga only regretted that there were too few arquebuses.

Similarly, the arquebuses produced in Sakai could only be sold to Nobunaga or the daimyo and samurai under his command. This only strengthened the Oda army; no other place was allowed to purchase arquebuses from Sakai.

The ships are easy to understand. Not long ago, the Miyoshi Trio landed in Awa. With an army of tens of thousands of people, plus the logistics accompanying the army, it was difficult for the Miyoshi's own navy to handle, so they borrowed ships and boatmen from Sakai.

In the future, such a skilled fleet, capable of sailing as far as Luzon and Siam, must be prohibited from being used by other hostile Oda forces.

Furthermore, Nobunaga has already considered attacking Awa and wiping out the remnants of the Miyoshi Triumvirate. In that case, Sakai's naval forces would be a very valuable force.

After all, maritime merchants were practically pirates. There was a difference between sailors and naval forces, but in Japan, the difference wasn't that significant. If it were, it's unlikely that two samurai from rural backgrounds, Todo Takatora and Wakisaka Yasuharu, could have assembled a naval force that brutally defeated Won Gyun of Joseon and even put up a fighting battle with that Yi Sun-sin.

"Understood!" Shichibei replied loudly.

Nobunaga immediately understood his meaning: he had no intention of actually interfering in Sakai's administration, but he wanted to restrain matters related to the military. In theory, it was still the same strategy of one gaining face and the other gaining substance. In any case, Nobunaga had the ability to completely monopolize the military equipment produced in Sakai, and Sakai's economic power had not been infringed upon.

win-win.