Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

When the war started, although the army still had a certain amount of rations, the civilians were struggling to even have enough to eat. At this time, the Oda army arrived in force, sweeping through and driving the people into the city, leaving Ōkawachi Castle in dire straits.

The situation is now crystal clear: either people die in Hanoi or the city is forced to surrender, otherwise this won't stop.

"Hmm, have you thought about it? Once the castle opens, will you continue to serve Kitabatake, or will you flee? If you serve Kitabatake, then you probably won't have the chance to return to your old territory in this lifetime." Shichibei was just trying to make conversation.

Anyway, what I'm saying is the truth. The Mori clan's former territory was in Yuanben County, but now Yuanben County belongs to the Oda clan and is governed by Takigawa Kazumasu. If they want to go back, they have to defeat the Oda clan.

Looking around, which family has the strength to fight their way back to Kita Ise and restore their family's reputation?

"It's nothing more than voting for the three good ones." Mori Jirozaemon was quite honest, and he didn't hide his true feelings at all.

The preservation of family lineage and territory were the most basic political and economic demands of samurai during Japan's Sengoku period. Whoever could help me achieve this, I would pledge allegiance to them. Only when it was truly impossible to preserve my territory would I flee and wander to a new lord to continue my struggle. If I could fight my way back to my old territory, all the better; if not, I would at least earn some land elsewhere.

At least the family name has been passed down.

"Instead of voting for Sanhao, you should vote for me." Shichibei blurted out this without thinking.

When the young general married Shichibei, didn't he bring 1,200 kan of cosmetics with him? This territory also needs to be inhabited by samurai, retainers, and the strength of Oda's central small pack animal corps needs to be expanded.

It doesn't matter who we hire, since there's no deep-seated hatred between Oda and Kitabatake, so they won't forbid the recruitment of Kitabatake's former retainers. There are plenty of samurai available; bringing in a hundred or so wouldn't be a bad idea.

"Huh?" Mori Jirozaemon never expected that Shichibei not only came to the city to persuade people to surrender, but also to recruit them.

"Besides, if you surrender to me, you might be able to return to your former territory of Yuanben County." Seeing that Mori Jirozaemon did not sternly refuse, Shichibei seized the opportunity to add another bargain.

Originally, Shichibei's former territory of over a thousand kan was located near Tsushima. It wasn't far from the Enben District, and if his territory were to expand further in the future, it was indeed possible that he could gain some influence from the Enben District.

"No, no, no, I am now a retainer of the Kitabatake clan. His Highness has not mentioned peace talks, let alone the enthronement of Oda's young lord." Only now did Mori Jirozaemon wave his hand in refusal, indicating that this matter was unacceptable and could not be carried out.

Is it really impossible to do?

In the darkness, Shichibei's eyes flashed with a rare glint of shrewdness. Mori Jirozaemon noticed it and immediately lowered his head to avoid eye contact with Shichibei.

This young man still had some principles. Since the Kitabatake clan hadn't surrendered yet, he had to remain loyal to them. If the Kitabatake clan surrendered, the feudal system of power and obligations would be broken, and if he couldn't help the Kitabatake clan fight their way back to Yuanben County, then he had no reason to continue serving them.

Of course, that's just one perspective.

When faced with life choices, people always need some reasons to convince themselves. No matter how far-fetched the reason may be, having a reason is better than having none.

“It’s not a bad thing to prepare early. If there are any friends who are on good terms with you, you might as well come and join me.” Shichibei patted Mori Jirozaemon on the shoulder.

Finally, he's showing some signs of being a big shot, a feeling particularly evident in Mori's current lowly status. With just a few words, he can offer Mori conditions that are hard to refuse, making Mori waver.

In Nobunaga's eyes, Shichibei was merely a logistics squad leader, a small-time merchant carrying his own belongings. But outside, Shichibei was a genuine high-ranking retainer of the Oda clan, a figure of great prestige and influence.

"..." Mori Jirozaemon didn't answer, bowed to Shichibei, and ran away.

Mori, you're so young!

With such a thin skin, how will you survive in the chaotic Warring States period? No matter how poor your background, how much you've carried a gun, or how much you've done manual labor, you still need to keep learning.

Back inside, Mitsuhide Akechi had already made up the bedding for Shichibei. Kitabatake Tomonori might need to think things over for a night; staying up all night waiting was pointless, getting some sleep was the right thing to do.

During the initial talks, Kitabatake Tomonori mentioned sending someone to Kyoto to inquire whether Ashikaga Yoshiaki had sent the peace envoy. Now he's not mentioning it anymore, clearly indicating genuine hesitation and doubt.

Go to sleep.

The next morning, Mori Jirozaemon brought him breakfast again. The young man's eyes were red and bloodshot, clearly indicating he hadn't slept well all night, or perhaps hadn't slept at all. He must have had a fierce internal struggle, but it was unclear whether he had made a decision.

Upon seeing Shichibei, he didn't dare to look directly at him, but silently brought in the dishes and asked Mitsuhide and Shichibei if they needed anything else.

What do you need? You need your Kitabatake Tomokho to surrender immediately.

Kitabatake Tomonori, who had been deliberating all night, finally arrived. He now demanded that someone be dispatched immediately to Kyoto to clarify that Ashikaga Yoshiaki would be in charge of presiding over this peace negotiation. Regardless of whether Yoshiaki came in person or sent an envoy, the one acting as guarantor in this matter had to be Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

There was no need to rush to Kyoto; Akechi Mitsuhide was indeed sent by Ashikaga Yoshiaki, without a doubt, absolutely true.

But since Kitabatake Tomonori had made the request, there was no other way. Fujikata Tomonori was sent out of the castle and led by Oda's army to Kyoto to confirm with Yoshiaki in person.

If things go smoothly, it can be done in two or three days.

Shichibei took great care in building the post stations and horse relay stations within the Oda clan's territory. There were stables along the main roads, where horses could rest while riders did not, making it incredibly fast for them to gallop day and night.

Kitabatake Tomonori also made a request: to first lift the siege of Ōkōchi Castle, release 30,000 civilians, and provide them with three days' worth of rations so that they could flee on their own.

After a moment's hesitation, Nobunaga agreed to Kitabatake Tomonori's request, withdrawing a corner of Kagaki Castle and beginning to take in the civilians released from the castle. However, he did not immediately release them to flee, but instead provided them with three days' rations, keeping them confined near the Oda army camp.

Many of the civilians were family members of the castle guards; they needed to be screened, and they were also temporarily held hostage. This was to prevent Kitabatake Tomonori from deceiving Nobunaga and merely trying to continue defending the castle.

It took two days for the endless stream of people to leave the city. On the third day, Fujikata Asanari also rushed back, obtained a letter from Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and confirmed that Akechi Mitsuhide was indeed a shogunate official sent to act as an intermediary.

Thus, Kitabatake Tomonori finally gave up and accepted all of Akechi Mitsuhide's conditions, enthrone Oda Chashinmaru as Kitabatake Tomofusa's heir, married Kitabatake Yukihime, and took control of Ōkawachi Castle. Kitabatake Tomonori and his son Kitabatake Tomofusa moved to Tamaru Castle. All other conditions, as listed by Mitsuhide, were accepted.

At this point, the Kitabatake clan officially submitted to the Oda clan, becoming vassal daimyo under the Oda clan's umbrella.

The news spread quickly throughout the castle, greatly displeasing many Kitabatake samurai. Kitabatake Tomochika and many other samurai immediately rose in commotion, creating a disturbance. Some fled Ōkōchi Castle and went elsewhere. Others banded together for self-defense, gathering in front of the house where Shichibei was temporarily residing.

181. Trampling on the old order of the shogunate

"Jiro, it seems you've made up your mind."

Shichibei stood on the veranda, looking down at the group of Kitabatake samurai who had rushed over. Mori Jirozaemon, on the other hand, seemed to have completely come to terms with his situation, appearing calm and composed, quite different from the others.

“I have done my best in my duty,” Mori Jirozaemon replied.

Indeed, he remained loyal to the castle until Kitabatake Tomonori decided to open it to the enemy. From the moment the castle was opened, Kitabatake Tomonori's promise to defeat Oda and restore him to his position as a member of the Imperial Guard completely collapsed. With that promise gone, his service naturally came to an end.

“Very good! Come with me out of the city.” Shichibei jumped down from the eaves, ran barefoot to Mori, and took Mori’s hand.

Accompanying Mori Jirozaemon were dozens of samurai foot soldiers, mostly refugees from the Genben district who had come to the Kitabatake clan. They had hoped to rely on the Kitabatake clan to restore their former territory, but now that Kitabatake Tomonori had surrendered, what was there left for them to serve?

Once outside the house, they discovered hundreds of men, women, and children in the alley. Most of them were family members of the samurai foot soldiers, and they were all in a state of panic, with some even weeping.

There was infighting within the castle. Many Kitabatake samurai, along with Kitabatake Tomochika, had just fought their way out of the castle and were running wildly. There were even two fires. The exact situation was not very clear.

As the peace treaty was being reached, Akechi Mitsuhide slipped out of the castle and mediated between Kitabatake Tomonori and Oda Nobunaga, who then swore an oath to each other. Only Shichibei remained inside the castle, along with Mori Jiroza's faction; their escape from the castle provided a convenient excuse.

Nobunaga, who was outside the castle, also discovered the chaos at Ōkōchi Castle. He ordered Sakuma Nobumori and Takigawa Kazumasu to enter the castle, gather the 8,000 Kitabatake soldiers, and escort them all out of the castle.

Shichibei, surrounded by Mori Jiroza, charged towards the outskirts of the castle. Inside, some wanted to hold out, while others wanted to escape. Had they simply held out, things might not have turned out this way. But once the order to open the castle was given, morale collapsed, and chaos reigned. This shows that the morale of the people in Ōkōchi Castle had long been turbulent.

Along the way, many people saw Shichibei and Mori Jirozusa leading their group outwards and mingled into the ranks. Amidst the chaos, even the slightest glimpse of order immediately stirred a longing in people, prompting them to try and join in.

At this point, there was no point in worrying about expelling them; Shichibei just wanted to get out of the city as quickly as possible. So he loudly ordered these people to follow at the back of the group, not to make a sound, and to keep quiet and follow along.

As they escaped the city, they ran into Sakuma Nobumori riding in. The Oda army was about to come forward to suppress and disperse the crowd, but when they saw Shichibei among the crowd, they stopped.

Sakuma Nobumori said that these were samurai within the castle who were willing to submit to him. Sakuma Nobumori then asked no further questions and simply sent a few trusted samurai to guard Shichibei and escort him and his men away.

In total, no fewer than five or six hundred people followed Shichibei out of the city. They retreated all the way to the third wall outside the city, where they encountered Sasa Narimasa, who was patrolling the wall. Only then did Shichibei stop and catch his breath.

Sasa Narimasa also asked Shichibei who these people were. Shichibei smiled and waved his hand, saying that they were all servants of his Kawamura-ya.

The chaos at Ōkōchi Castle didn't completely subside until noon the next day. Of the original 8,000-plus castle soldiers, some deserted and fled, while others, who were originally farmers living below the castle, abandoned their posts and returned to farming. A small number were also taken away by Shichibei.

The remaining approximately four thousand people were taken into custody by Sakuma Nobumori and Takigawa Kazumasu. Kitabatake Tomonori and his son Kitabatake Tomofusa, along with senior retainers of the Kitabatake clan, and deputy officials of various districts, were successively sent to Nobunaga's main camp to pay their respects to Nobunaga.

It was called a peace treaty, and the opening of the city gates, but in reality, it was just a surrender.

What difference was there between the conditions proposed by Akechi Mitsuhide and simply seizing the entire Kitabatake clan? There was no difference at all. If the castle hadn't been on the verge of starvation, and if Kitabatake Tomonori hadn't felt assured by Ashikaga Yoshiaki's intermediary, he would never have opened the castle gates.

Perhaps Kitabatake Tomonori is now regretting his decision after surrendering the castle, thinking he shouldn't have so easily agreed to Oda Nobunaga's peace treaty. If they had held out for another ten days or two weeks, things might have been very different.

Regardless of what happened to them at the front, the sudden arrival of so many people at the rear of Shichibei's camp greatly surprised Takenaka Hanbei and the others who remained at the camp.

Dude, what were you thinking? You came to the city alone and brought so many people with you?

Fortunately, Japan doesn't have the concept of succubi these days.

Why ask? Shichibei just happened to run into them. It would be a waste not to recruit these readily available samurai. Besides, without Shichibei's help, these people would most likely have run away as soon as the castle opened.

Either you join the Three Good Triads or the Long Island Mandala Temple; neither will end well. You might die alone, or your whole family might die—it's all the same, death.

Setting aside his own strength and family, Shichibei faced a group of samurai who were still in shock and had just escaped, and were eating rice balls with gusto, and asked them directly.

Is he going to continue being a samurai, or quit and become a shop assistant at Kawamura-ya?

Those who continue as samurai will first be given a stipend. If they serve diligently and long enough, the Kawamura family will have several thousand kan of land, enough to house you all. Twenty kan of chigyo per person—that price can easily summon a large number of infantrymen.

The men kneeling before Shichibei ultimately chose to become samurai, wanting to reclaim their former territory of Genben District. Or rather, they would refrain from fighting under Shichibei's command for now, and later help him relocate back to Genben District in Kita-Ise.

........................

"The government has sent an envoy to the front lines to offer condolences to the Junior Councilor Kitabatake." Nobunaga was talking with Kitabatake Tomonori when a messenger came to report this.

Before Kitabatake Tomokyo surrendered, didn't he send his senior retainer Fujikata Tomonari to Kyoto to meet Ashikaga Yoshiaki through the relationship between Akechi Mitsuhide and Oda Nobunaga?

It's clear that Ashikaga Yoshiaki was the one who brokered the agreement. Given the current political order where Yoshiaki is the shogun and Nobunaga is the regent, Nobunaga would definitely want to protect Yoshiaki's reputation. So, surrendering the castle would be surrendering the castle; Nobunaga would absolutely not kill those who surrendered. If he did kill them, where would Ashikaga Yoshiaki's reputation be?

"Please come in quickly." With the gates of Ōkōchi Castle opened, Nobunaga's mood brightened.

The visitor was Mibuchi Fujihide, also a public servant of the shogunate. He immediately greeted Nobunaga and Kitabatake Tomonori with a bow. He also spoke of how the current cessation of hostilities between the two sides, each guarding their own borders and jointly serving the shogunate, was truly a blessing for the nation and its people.

what?

Although the words were merely polite and procedural, they didn't sound right to Kitabatake Tomokyo. What did he mean by "each guarding their own territory and serving together"?

Now the Kitabatake clan has completely become a vassal daimyo of the Oda clan, and its territory has become a sphere of influence under the Oda clan. Even if they want to serve Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Nobunaga must lead the way and agree before the Kitabatake clan is qualified to serve him.

Wait a minute, something's not right. What exactly were the terms of the peace negotiation proposed by Ashikaga Yoshiaki?

It was just a normal peace negotiation, of course.

Stop! Stop fighting! (Image)

Mibuchi Fujihide, who was able to lobby Ashikaga Yoshiaki and follow him from a mere monk to the throne of shogun, was no fool. Seeing Kitabatake Tomonori's uncertain expression, he knew that something was amiss.

On the one hand, he claimed he was traveling long and asked the man to allow him some time to tidy up before coming to pay his respects. On the other hand, he carefully observed Oda Nobunaga's condition and secretly speculated about his intentions.

After he left the tent, he learned that Nobunaga had practically wiped out the entire Kitabatake clan. Kitabatake's surrender was far from a peace treaty; it was a complete capitulation. Nobunaga had used Ashikaga Yoshiaki's influence to deceive Kitabatake Tomotori.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki's original intention was to give Kitabatake Tomorori a small punishment as a warning, to defeat him and force him to come to Kyoto to kowtow to the shogunate and acknowledge Yoshiaki's rule. If that were the outcome of the battle, the victory would be considered a success.

But what were the final conditions Nobunaga and Mitsuhide offered?

Nobunaga's justification for sending troops to conquer Kitabatake was that Kitabatake refused to pay homage to the Kubo. Therefore, Kitabatake's preconceived notion was that Yoshiaki hated him, considered him a traitor, and wished he could kill him.

Therefore, upon receiving news that Yoshiaki had sent someone to mediate, he immediately considered the perspective of the old aristocracy, thinking that if he knelt down quickly enough, Yoshiaki wouldn't be able to kill his entire family. After all, Yoshiaki was the shogun, the highest-ranking official in the old order, and needed to establish his authority and tolerate others.

The principles of benevolence and tyranny must be used interchangeably. If Kitabatake Tomokyo were to fight to the bitter end, his entire family would certainly be killed. If he were to yield, then he must show leniency and use the Kitabatake family as a benchmark to tell the world the principle that those who surrender will not be killed.

Ironically, Ashikaga Yoshiaki didn't harbor much hatred for Kitabatake Tomonori; his main anger stemmed from Kitabatake Tomonori's failure to come and kowtow in congratulation. Many others hadn't come to kowtow, and Kitabatake Tomonori was hardly among them. If anyone was to hate someone, it was Miyoshi Masayasu and Miyoshi Nagayoshi.

Yoshiaki was originally a person with a very flexible moral bottom line. He could even forgive Matsunaga Hisamichi, who killed his own brother. So what about Kitabatake Tomonori?

This was truly a misunderstanding that greatly angered and infuriated Kitabatake Tomokyo.