Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

As the current legitimate shogun, Yoshiaki has considerable influence, though not much. He can certainly command the likes of Hatano Hideharu, Wada Koremasa, and Isshiki Yoshimichi.

Not to mention many, summoning ten or twenty thousand men would be easy. Of course, Nobunaga would be in charge of feeding them. Yoshiaki would only be responsible for gathering the men; he wouldn't concern himself with anything else.

Or perhaps he did ask, but Yoshiaki didn't say it explicitly.

For example, Yoshiaki wanted to further extend the authority of the Muromachi Shogunate, similar to how the victory was achieved under the wise leadership of the Shogun. The Shogun personally leading troops into battle was not uncommon in Japan. In fact, it was easier for the Shogun to gain popular support by personally leading troops into battle; the more imposing the Shogun, the greater his prestige.

In the Kanto region, Koga Kubo Ashikaga Haruuji wielded a sword to kill Hojo Ujiyasu, and Oyumi Kubo Ashikaga Yoshiaki also wielded a sword to kill Hojo Ujiyasu.

What a great hatred and resentment! Including Ashikaga Fujiuji, Ujiyasu alone offended three shoguns.

To be honest, Akechi Mitsuhide found this amusing. With Yoshiaki's two thousand men, it would be quite an achievement if they could even hold Kyoto. As for the situation in Ōkōchi, given the current state, it was best for Yoshiaki not to get involved.

"Why don't we ask the general to send an envoy into the city to issue an edict to the Nakagatsu no Naka de?" Shichibei thought to himself that since things were already in such a mess, he might as well send an elder brother into the city to persuade him.

The generals were unwilling to exert all their strength in the siege, and the city of Ōhanai was a formidable fortress that was difficult to conquer. Now, even the pre-stored military rations had been completely consumed. After more than a month of fighting, they had not even seen a glimmer of hope in breaching the city.

If Okouchi Castle were to choose to eat people, it wouldn't be difficult to hold out for a year or two.

He only has a few thousand men in the city, he can hold out. You have 75,000 men under Nobunaga outside, can you hold out?

So, send someone in to try and persuade them. If it works out, great; if not, so be it. We won't lose anything anyway.

"..." Nobunaga did not answer, but the generals of the Oda army already knew what he was thinking.

All he did was beat the Kitabatake clan half to death, forcing them to surrender to Oda willingly, transforming them from independent daimyo into a powerful force under the umbrella of someone like Saito Tatsuoki. Then, he packaged up the Kitabatake clan's retainers and sent them to his son, Oda Chasenmaru, both giving his son a family fortune and expanding the power of the Oda clan, thus maintaining a balance of power within the family.

Nobunaga's main ally at that time was his elder brother, Oda Nobuhiro. So much so that in battle, it was Oda Nobuhiro who defended the main camp. When Nobunaga marched on Kyoto, Nobuhiro assisted Oda Nobunaga in defending Gifu. After Nobunaga retreated to Gifu, Nobuhiro led his troops to defend Kyoto.

In history, Nobunaga went out to fight and left his hometown of Owari to Oda Nobuhiro to guard. As a result, Nobunaga was defeated and died in the battle against the Ikko Ikki of Nagashima. It can be said that Nobunaga's forgiveness and trust in him were not in vain.

As the territory grows larger, it's not enough to simply grant fiefdoms to retainers; we also need to cultivate a powerful clan.

After Hideyoshi's death, the Toyotomi clan had no members who could hold any significant positions, and the consequences were obvious. If the Yamato Dainagon family were still alive, the situation would definitely have been different.

"Your subject is willing to enter the city and give it a try." Nobunaga did not express his opinion, but Akechi Mitsuhide volunteered.

The fact that Nobunaga didn't object already said it all. Sending so many troops out to war was incredibly expensive, costing a fortune every day. If things dragged on any longer, Nobunaga couldn't afford it either. But if he went into the city now to negotiate peace, the most likely outcome would be peace, not surrender.

If they don't surrender, then Nobunaga's trip this year has been for nothing.

He not only failed to make proper arrangements for his son, but also risked jeopardizing his current immense prestige. After all, losing a fight between 75,000 and 16,000 is truly shameful.

"No need!" Nobunaga finally spoke, but still refused.

Mitsuhide and Shichibei exchanged a glance, knowing that Nobunaga was wavering, but still hesitant. However, both of them were smart enough to know that there was no point in trying to persuade him now; doing so would only provoke Nobunaga's rebellious spirit.

Alright, Mitsuhide sat down to one side very naturally. He was now considered a retainer of the Oda clan, belonging to both, so he was qualified to sit in the shogunate and participate in military deliberations.

Nobunaga, having rejected Mitsuhide's proposal, glanced at Shichibei and then ordered a meeting to convene many of Oda clan retainers who were deployed nearby to discuss the next step in the attack on Ōkōchi Castle.

Even Hideyoshi, who could only lie with his legs spread apart, was carried to the meeting place on a stretcher. Hideyoshi was a general with a reserve force of 3,500 men, and since he was alive, he had to serve his country.

Despite being blind in both eyes due to leprosy and having pus oozing from his body, Yoshitsugu Ōtani still obeyed Tokugawa Ieyasu's orders, leading troops to attack the Uesugi clan, and ultimately participating in the Battle of Sekigahara.

The "Thunder God" of Kyushu, Tachibana Dōsetsu, was struck by lightning and nearly died on the spot. His leg was crippled, and he still had to go to war with the help of his retainers carrying him in a sedan chair.

Having received imperial favor and the mandate of heaven, as long as one is still alive and has a breath left, one must serve the public and fight in battle.

What were they discussing? Of course, it was the plan for the next major attack on Ōkōchi Castle. While Ōkōchi Castle itself hadn't been captured, most of the branch castles had already been conquered or subjugated.

Oda's army still had a lot of men. Those small outposts had five or eight hundred men each. Under the fierce attack of tens of thousands of men, they were indeed annoying, but that was all they could do.

In addition, the undefended Kiriyama Palace was also captured, and most of the samurai families and local people in the surrounding areas were driven into Ōkōchi Castle.

Thus, the conditions for launching a general offensive against Ōkōchi Castle have been ripe.

Whether it succeeds or fails depends on this one tremor.

If that doesn't work out, then send a figurehead named Mitsuhide Akechi into the city, claiming that the Shogun is benevolent and cannot bear the suffering of the people, and promises peace talks. He says that as long as the Kitabatake clan withdraws from Shima, peace can be negotiated, and so on.

Can it be done? If it could be done, what's the point of talking? Just go into the city and slaughter everyone. Slaughter until the Kitabatake family has no heir, then send Oda Chashin-maru in. Perfect.

Everyone looked at each other, naturally no one wanted to lead the charge against Ōkōchi Castle. Akechi Mitsuhide wanted to go, and Hideyoshi was actually somewhat willing to go as well (because he hadn't achieved any merit this time), but one hadn't brought any troops, and the other was currently sidelined. The two most eager laborers who couldn't go were Shibata Katsuie and Niwa Nagahide.

The two swallowed hard, and Niwa Nagahide was the first to speak up, saying that he was willing to bring his large cannon to give it a try.

The large iron cannon he was referring to wasn't a simple barrel or cannon; those things would be ineffective against Ōkōchi Castle. He was talking about "fire arrows."

This thing came from Sakai and is not generally used in land warfare. It uses a large iron cannon to fire a heavy iron arrowhead, with a gunpowder tube attached to the arrowhead, which can inflict explosive damage.

By firing iron arrows, they could pierce through enemy ships. This was effective at breaking through shields or planks, and could even penetrate the hull. The strategy relied on sheer force and power, using the iron arrows to smash through the enemy vessel.

Niwa Nagahide certainly didn't mean to use iron arrowheads to smash the walls of Ōkōchi Castle. Instead, he suggested using lighter arrows, attaching larger gunpowder tubes to them, and launching them into Ōkōchi Castle for a fire attack.

In a sense, it was a substitute for the mortar, a type of indirect-fire cannon.

Since Japan is full of mountain fortresses, the Japanese had considered using mortars to inflict casualties on the city's soldiers, but they never actually used them. This was likely due to the high cost of firing a single mortar—no, it was extremely expensive.

With someone willing to take the lead and die, the atmosphere at the meeting immediately became lively. Shibata Katsuie promised on the spot that as soon as the castle caught fire, he would immediately lead his team to launch a fierce attack on the castle gate.

Thus, the military agreement reached a passable conclusion.

Shichibei didn't speak during the discussion; generally, no one asked him anyway. As for the battle, especially a fortified city like Ōkōchi, asking Shichibei would be pointless.

After everyone lifted the curtain and left the shogunate, Maeda Toshiie instructed Shichibei to carry Hideyoshi out. Hideyoshi had one leg dangling outside the stretcher, the other hanging down, and he kept thanking them.

Everyone laughed, but since Hideyoshi was wounded in battle, they all let him go first, even Shibata Katsuie didn't try to cut him off. He even glanced at Hideyoshi's crotch and swallowed hard. Not because he was drooling, but because the thought of it was painful.

"I wonder how the siege of Niwa-dono is going." Hideyoshi wanted to sit up and take a look at the situation at Ōkōchi Castle.

"You should just lie down and rest," Maeda Toshiie couldn't stand it anymore.

It was fine if you were a hard-working person normally, since you were full of energy back then. But now that you've been injured, what's the point of working hard? And now you're still acting tough? People really look down on you.

"That's right, just lie there. It's not your place to attack the city." Shichibei couldn't bear to watch either.

Sometimes I think, working with a bunch of workaholics isn't a good thing. And the Oda clan happens to have several workaholics; once they start studying, everyone else has to follow suit.

"Sigh...you guys don't even have..." Hideyoshi was still feeling lost.

"You deserve to lose a testicle." Shichibei glanced at Hideyoshi's crotch and threatened him.

Upon hearing this, Hideyoshi immediately covered his groin with both hands and stopped talking nonsense. Even the King of the Matsumoto had a weakness, and Hideyoshi's weakness was clearly his crotch; he truly desired to continue his lineage.

No sooner had Hideyoshi been put down than samurai from the Niwa Nagahide clan came to Shichibei, requesting a large supply of gunpowder. The gunpowder they had originally purchased was enough for flintlocks, but now that they needed to attach large quantities of gunpowder tubes to the flintlocks, they would have to spend extra money.

Shichibei served as the Sakai Daikan (a high-ranking official in Sakai), and was ordered to oversee the sale of weapons and arquebuses in all of Sakai. Therefore, the weapons purchased by the Oda clan's samurai were actually ordered from Shichibei, who then made the bulk purchases in Sakai.

Gradually, it evolved into a situation where people would turn to Shichibei for help whenever they needed it, including Nobunaga, mainly because it was the easiest and most convenient way. There was no need for any socializing, discussions, or negotiations. A simple pat on the shoulder from Shichibei was enough to provide the necessary military equipment and supplies.

Every autumn, all the annual tribute rice can be sold to Shichibei.

No problem. Shichibei started preparing two months in advance for the Battle of Southern Ise. It's just gunpowder, right? We have it readily available; we can just bring an oxcart to get it.

I gave that samurai from the Niwa family a note to pick it up from the small pack animal team. But he needs a signed receipt from Niwa Nagahide, because that's the receipt that will clear the Niwa family's account.

"Your business is getting bigger and bigger." Hideyoshi wasn't envious, he just felt that Shichibei was making a fortune.

"It's just a small business, I'm only making a little money from hard work." That's the kind of excuse Shichibei would give, and he would have given the same answer even if Nobunaga had asked.

"By the way, could you also get me a few of those big iron cannons?" Hideyoshi couldn't watch the siege anymore, but since Niwa Nagahide said they would be useful, he couldn't leave out the task.

"Alright, it's no big deal." The sales of Sakai Tsubasa now all go through Shichibei, so it really is a small matter.

This thing is somewhat useful, but not by much. After all, there are limitations on the height of the fire arrows; how can they be used on a castle built on a 200-meter-high mountain? A castle on a 100-meter-high slope would be difficult to hit. Only Okawachi Castle isn't that high, so we can try to find a way to use it.

After nightfall, everyone should have rested during the first half of the night, but in the second half, some uncontrollable noises began to emanate from the camp. Almost all of Oda's generals were silently observing from their respective camps.

Niwa Nagahide received a large amount of gunpowder and took more than ten large iron cannons with him, preparing to set off a barrage of firecrackers on Okawachi Castle.

In the darkness, the roar of the heavy cannons was deafening, but this thing revealed its second flaw. For the first ten or twenty meters, it was somewhat effective, flying towards the city walls. A little further away, it started to scatter haphazardly; of the dozen or so fire arrows, only about half would actually reach the city.

The rest either crashed into the river next door or disappeared without a trace. Rockets are really a matter of chance; their main attack relies on coverage.

However, even though only four or five fire arrows hit the city, they still ignited the buildings inside, and the cries of many women and children could be heard from within the city.

Fire!

"Excellent! If we can set the fire ablaze, Ōkōchi Castle will surely surrender." Just as everyone was clapping and cheering, Niwa Nagahide prepared to continue attacking the castle, while Shibata Katsuie also mobilized his troops, marching to the walls of Ōkōchi Castle in preparation for the siege.

A cloud rolled in from the dark sky. Because it was so dark, no one noticed it. Besides, Ise is by the sea, so it was really hard to tell whether it was a cloud or not.

Before anyone could even muster any real effort, the cloud in the sky couldn't hold back any longer. With a whoosh, it started to rain—a heavy downpour.

179. The absence of horse neighing indicates a lack of food supplies.

As soon as the heavy rain started, the Oda generals, including Nobunaga, who had been craning their necks to watch Niwa Nagahide and Shibata Katsuie breach the castle, immediately lost their spirits.

The siege has lasted for over a month, with some progress but not much. Just when we finally came up with a decent way to break through the city, the heavens suddenly started pouring rain.

With this heavy rain, we can't even launch a human assault today, let alone fire arrows. The mountain paths will be so slippery in the rain that people could fall and die. Shibata Katsuie may be fierce, but he's not stupid; he won't fight a battle that's just asking for death.

And so everything returned to normal, and everyone sat back down behind the curtains of the shogunate. The heavy rain of the early morning was still falling, but it had turned into a light drizzle. The autumn rain was continuous, and since Ise is near the sea, this rain was intermittent, like an inexhaustible stream of urine.

Perhaps we should talk about it...

Akechi Mitsuhide originally planned to return to Kyoto and report to Ashikaga Yoshiaki. What Nobunaga lacked now was not people, but a way to breach the castle, or rather, the courage and boldness to risk his life to attack the castle.

Seeing that Nobunaga's siege had failed, Mitsuhide, who was devoted to Nobunaga and had staked his entire future on him, still advised Nobunaga to send someone into the castle to persuade him one more time.

“Jubei is right. Although the fire arrows did not breach the city walls, they still caused alarm within the city.” Shichibei, who was sitting at the end, took the initiative to speak when he saw that no one was saying anything.

Those fire arrows were actually quite usable; although five out of ten flew away, five still managed to hit the castle with curved shots. The autumn rains were continuous, but they wouldn't stop until they did. Nobunaga's family was wealthy and powerful; he could easily afford to besiege Ōkōchi Castle for three months. Once this ten-day to fifteen-month autumn rainy season was over, he could just keep bombarding the castle with fire arrows.

Once Ōkōchi Castle is captured, the vast territory of the five districts of southern Ise will fall under Nobunaga's control. No matter how you look at it, this deal will be profitable.

Negotiations, well, it's just about going into the city to scare Kitabatake and Kitabatake.

Don't be fooled by the rain today; it might rain tomorrow, or the day after. It can't rain every day, can it? On the day it doesn't rain, I'll set fire to Hanoi and attack it. You decide what to do.

“That’s right. The city’s food supplies are running low, and our army has the means to burn and seize weapons from the city. It wouldn’t hurt to talk.” Seeing that Shichibei supported him, Akechi Mitsuhide took a breath and spoke up again.

Nobunaga raised his hand, signaling Mitsuhide to stop talking, and turned to look at Niwa Nagahide. Niwa Nagahide nodded slightly, meaning that the large arquebus could definitely still be fired, and that Mitsuhide was right.

It's just that because of the heavy rain today, they can't start a large fire even if they enter the city. Once the sea breeze blows and the weather dries up, they can immediately replicate their actions from early this morning and set the city ablaze.

"Alright, then Jubei and Shichibei, you two go into the city." After confirming, Nobunaga finally agreed to send people into the city to negotiate.

Firstly, the heavy rain had completely depleted their morale for today, leaving them with no other viable strategy for attacking the castle. Secondly, Mitsuhide Shinichi, a member of the shogunate's retinue, had come to offer condolences to Nobunaga on behalf of Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

"Your Majesty, are you going too?" Shichibei pointed to himself.

No, Shichibei is just a merchant. He can't be Nobunaga's master, nor Yoshiaki's master. What would he do there? Even if he persuaded Kitabatake Tomonori to surrender, the Kitabatake clan would belong to Oda Chashin-maru, and Shichibei would have no connection with them.

"Hmph, you'll be taken to the city as a hostage." Nobunaga's tone when he said this was so innocent, it was almost unbelievable.