Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

It's no wonder that the Miho family was ruined by this kind of person.

哪怕有三好长庆一半的本事，不至于最后全都身死道消。被如此暴揍一顿，退回阿波舔伤口，暂时摄津、和泉方向应该能安稳个一两年了。别说信长放下心来，连先知先觉的七兵卫都觉得这帮人应该不会再接着闹了。

In this atmosphere, Ashikaga Yoshiaki's letters were secretly distributed throughout the country, especially among the feudal lords who had dealings with Nobunaga, all of whom were being won over and mobilized by Yoshiaki.

For example, at Hori-hide Village and Higuchi Naofabu, the Hori troops, suffering heavy casualties, returned to Sickle Castle amidst cries of anguish. As the largest contiguous mountain fortress in the entire Hubei region, Sickle Castle was naturally magnificent.

But it is precisely because of his grandeur that Hori Hidemura, who had just returned, appears so pitiful. He was a wealthy man from a large country with tens of thousands of koku of rice, but he was first tormented by Azai Nagamasa, and then by Oda Nobunaga. His wife, Higuchi Naofusa, was no pushover either. Everything was going wrong for him.

Who told him to be such a tycoon? Asai Nagamasa is working hard to unify the north of the Yangtze River, and Hori Hidemura is the first target to stand up and take the beating.

Weakening the Hori clan's power, suppressing them, and gradually turning them into retainers was Azai Nagamasa's blatant scheme. Unfortunately, Hori Hidemura couldn't openly oppose it because Azai Nagamasa was the officially appointed deputy governor of Kohoku by the shogunate.

Unless there is a rebellion.

If they rebelled, their relationship would actually improve. Asai Nagamasa could call on his brother-in-law Nobunaga without hesitation, gather 30,000 to 50,000 men, and beat up the Hori clan.

At that time, not only would the Hori family's tens of thousands of koku of land fall into the hands of Asai Nagamasa, but even Hori Hidemura himself would have to "wipe out his entire family."

Rebellion is not an option, and not rebelling is also not an option. This life is truly stifling, and Horishi Village is left with no way to survive.

In the midst of this lament, a servant of the shogunate rushed to Kamajima Castle and handed Hori Hidemura a secret letter from Ashikaga Yoshiaki, which contained many hints to Hori Hidemura.

Hori Hidemura was surprised upon reading the letter's contents; Ashikaga Yoshiaki already harbored hostility towards Nobunaga. However, Nobunaga was currently on a winning streak, showing no signs of defeat. Therefore, Yoshiaki hoped that Hori Hidemura would be patient for the time being, and wait until he had contacted more people before rising up and fighting together.

Even if Nobunaga was powerful enough to command 75,000 troops, so what? As long as there were enough forces opposing Nobunaga, many ants could kill an elephant, and anything was possible.

In the letter, Ashikaga Yoshiaki even made empty promises to Hori Hidemura, saying that Azai Nagamasa was currently in charge of the Kohoku governorship, and that if Azai Nagamasa was killed, then Hori Hidemura could take over.

Originally, in this Jiangbei region, the Asai were the top dog, and you were second to none. The Kyogoku clan was long gone, utterly useless. Kyogoku Takayoshi was already fawning over Nobunaga, preparing to become his retainer and live off Nobunaga's money.

If we defeat Nobunaga again, becoming the guardian of the north bank of the Yangtze River isn't out of the question.

The Asai family's territory of over 100,000 koku, plus the position of Kohoku Shugo (Guardian of the Northern Frontier) under the Muromachi Shogunate—two huge rewards were thrown at Hori Hidemura's head. Hori Hidemura couldn't help but be surprised.

moved.

Firstly, Hori Hidemura was young, only a teenager, and hadn't yet resorted to many tricks or schemes. After being provoked by Ashikaga Yoshiaki, he got carried away and started having unrealistic dreams.

Secondly, the reality was indeed unfavorable, which distressed Hori Hidemura. He was being targeted everywhere, and they wouldn't even give him the chance to live a life of luxury behind closed doors.

After being flirted with by Yoshiaki, it was no wonder that he fell for her.

Of course, the letters weren't just written to him; Yi Zhao wrote dozens of them. Some discarded them like worn-out shoes, while others treasured them like precious gems. Some secretly watched, while others boldly peered into the distance—the reactions varied.

On the other hand, Nobunaga was receiving envoys from the Takeda clan and the diplomatic monk Kaikawa Shōki. Nobunaga was quite pleased with himself, because Shingen's initiative in seeking his help gave him a great sense of being the ruler of the world.

In the second half of this year, they have fought countless times, battling each other fiercely. Uesugi Kenshin and Hojo Ujiyasu, who have long been bloodthirsty, well, guess what?

Harmony prevails!

The Vietnamese and Vietnamese sides have formed an alliance!

Haruie Kakizaki, the eldest son of Kakizaki Kageie, the elder of the Uesugi clan, was sent to Odawara Castle in Sagami as a hostage. Hojo Ujiyasu's seventh son, Hojo Ujihide, as Kenshin's adopted son, was also preparing to depart for Kasugayama Castle.

(The first hostage and adopted son in history was Kunimasu-maru, the second son of Hojo Ujimasa; no further adjustments will be made here.)

Even setting aside Japan's Warring States period, these days, even if people were killing each other so badly yesterday they wanted to tear each other apart, they can shake hands and become as close as family in the blink of an eye. They might even take someone who wanted to kill their entire family into their own home and raise them as an adopted son.

It's all about self-interest; gratitude and love have to take a backseat.

Upon hearing this news, Takeda Shingen panicked, as he was currently engaged in a power struggle with Hojo Ujiyasu. Hojo Ujiyasu still hoped to support Imagawa Ujizane's return to Suruga, making it difficult for the two families to back down in the short term.

Shingen, who had fought with Uesugi Kenshin for half his life, knew that Kenshin was a formidable opponent. Upon learning of the alliance between the two states, he immediately sent someone to Gifu to find Oda Nobunaga.

They requested Oda Nobunaga to act as intermediary, reporting to Ashikaga Yoshiaki and secretly sending a letter to Uesugi Kenshin, instructing him not to attack the Takeda clan. The Takeda clan could also guarantee not to get involved in the affairs of Hida, Echizen, and other regions.

Previously, Takeda had aimed to control Hida and Echigo, and last year, to facilitate the attack on Suruga and prevent any surprise attacks, Takeda Shingen even persuaded Honjo Shigenaga to defect. Now, Shingen promises not to target Kenshin's rear in exchange for Kenshin's promise not to target his own rear.

Everyone knows that Uesugi Kenshin was a figure who championed the cause of "respecting the emperor and expelling the barbarians." Whether that was true or not, at least on the surface, he was always striving to restore the old order.

Since Ashikaga Yoshiaki had influence with him, and Shingen and Nobunaga were related by marriage, it was easy to make contact. Given Takeda Shingen's character, how could he not make the most of his allies?

Should we help or not?

After Nobunaga met with Kaikawa Shokichi, he asked for the opinions of his senior retainers. Naturally, the retainers' opinions were divided.

One faction believes that Nobunaga's main targets are the Asakura clan and the Miyoshi Triumvirate, both of which are large forces capable of mobilizing 30,000 men, making them difficult to defeat quickly.

Since that's the case, it's necessary to maintain harmony with the other feudal lords. As Nobunaga's ally, the security of the Oda clan's eastern border depends entirely on Shingen's attitude.

To avoid being attacked from both sides, it was best to help the Takeda clan. The middleman asked Ashikaga Yoshiaki to intervene and persuade Uesugi Kenshin to attack Echizen.

The other faction is more radical, believing that Takeda Shingen has always been a man of no integrity, prioritizing only his own interests. They argue that he drove out his own father, had an affair with his niece, killed his eldest son, and recently broke his oath with the Suruga Imagawa family.

This kind of person is best kept embroiled in war, never able to extricate himself. His army will never get rest, his territory will never be secure, and he will be constantly on the move.

This is the only way to ensure the safety of the Oda clan, and to prevent any future conflicts with the Takeda clan that could escalate into armed conflict.

Shichibei remained silent because Nobunaga hadn't asked him. It was clearly a matter of warfare; even if Nobunaga had asked Hideyoshi, he wouldn't have asked Shichibei about such a matter. Everyone has their own expertise; Shichibei's ability to make money and lend it to Oda's retainers was his greatest skill.

After observing the argument, Shichibei noticed Nobunaga glancing at him, but then smiled and turned to ask someone else.

That's fine, it would be best if we just keep doing this until the end of the meeting. The Shingen thing is actually quite boring. It doesn't do any good for the Oda family whether they support him or not. At most, supporting him can help them show off in front of Shingen.

By flaunting Nobunaga's influence over Ashikaga Yoshiaki and the imperial court, he was able to persuade them to send someone to appease Uesugi Kenshin.

But would Takeda Shingen be intimidated by something like this? Weren't there high-ranking nobles who served as guests at the Imagawa-kan in Sunpu? Of course there were. Shingen still stormed in, setting fires and looting.

He only trusts the weapons in his hands; he probably doesn't believe in anything else. He uses them when he needs them, and discards them when he doesn't.

"Shichibei, what do you think?" Hideyoshi was almost fully recovered by now, at least he no longer needed to stand with his legs apart and be helped in and out.

"I don't have any thoughts." The elders in the front row were arguing, so it didn't matter if the two of them chatted quietly.

"I think it's okay to lend a hand." Hideyoshi seemed to support the faction that wanted to lend a hand.

"how?"

“Now that our lord’s son-in-law, Suwa Shiro, has become the young lord of the Takeda clan, we need to maintain our relationship with the Takeda clan.” Hideyoshi had a broader perspective.

Katsuyori Takeda was Nobunaga's son-in-law, and theoretically, Katsuyori's eldest son was Nobunaga's grandson. Logically speaking, as long as there was no fundamental conflict, their relationship would likely be quite harmonious.

Currently, Takeda Shingen is attacking the Hojo clan, and perhaps the Takeda clan's next strategic goal will be to seize the Kanto region. With Nobunaga heading west and Shingen heading east, it's a perfect scenario.

Who could have imagined that it would end in a bloody massacre, even involving the murder of an entire family?

“That makes some sense…” It has to be said that it’s understandable why Hideyoshi thinks this way now.

“Right, Shingen is getting old too, he doesn’t have many years left to live.” Hideyoshi continued his analysis, “Takeda Shingen is forty-nine years old this year.”

Life is but a fleeting dream, a mere illusion. This was a phrase Nobunaga often repeated. He lived to be fifty, which is considered a natural death.

"Then Suwa Shiro succeeded to the throne, and the head of the Takeda family was the lord's son-in-law. Young Master Qimyoumaru is also Suwa Shiro's brother-in-law." Shichibei replied.

“That’s right!” Hideyoshi nodded slightly, feeling as if he had convinced Shichibei.

Just as Hideyoshi had expected, the debate quickly came to a conclusion. In the end, the voices supporting Shingen prevailed, mainly because the young lord of the Takeda clan was Nobunaga's son-in-law, which gave everyone a sense of anticipation.

186. Yoshiaki's conspiracy gradually becomes clear.

Compared to supporting Takeda Shingen, Shichibei was more curious about the old monk Kaikawa Shokichi. In the later Japanese game *Nobunaga's Ambition 13: The Path of Heaven*, these old monks not only peddle various books and family treasures, but also act as mediators for peace.

Look at Kaikawa Shokichi now, he's doing the work of a "diplomatic monk." This identity, coupled with his main business, naturally piqued Shichibei's curiosity. Because our identities and businesses overlap, after all.

The big boss of Sakaimachi next door, Tsuda Munechika, once acted as a mediator between the Miyoshi Triumvirate and Matsunaga Hisahide, and was also involved in diplomacy.

How come Kaikawa Shoki has such a big reputation even though he hasn't been awarded the title of "National Preceptor" yet?

Tsuda Munekichi was, after all, one of the "Three Great Masters of the Realm" and a prominent merchant in Sakai. The Miyoshi Triumvirate and Matsunaga Hisahide both had interests in Sakai, so it's understandable that they would heed his advice. Oda Nobunaga, on the other hand, had no connection or mutual benefit with Kaikawa Shokichi; was his status as a monk the only reason for his actions?

What a joke! Nobunaga wouldn't even be afraid of burning down the temple gates, why would he give you face as a monk?

Upon a quiet inquiry, Shichibei finally understood. It turned out that Kaikawa Shōki and Nobunaga's teacher, Sawahiko Sōon, were both fellow disciples from the Myōshin-ji school of the Rinzai sect. Sawahiko Sōon was the 39th abbot of Myōshin-ji, while Kaikawa Shōki was the 43rd abbot.

Even if you don't care about the monk's reputation, you have to consider his. Nobunaga might not give face to Kaikawa Shōki, but he had to give face to Sawahiko Muneo. Takeda Shingen knew this, which is why he sent Kaikawa Shōki.

No wonder Nobunaga showed no mercy when he invaded Kai and burned Kaikawa Shokichi.

Treating him with courtesy now was just giving his teacher face. It seemed like diplomacy required more than just being a monk; one also needed face and connections.

Of course, monks might have a religious advantage, and their generally higher level of education gives them a head start. As for whether it will be successful, that remains to be seen.

There's also a saying that Japan had a Christmas ceasefire, which was facilitated by Jesuit missionaries sent to Japan. It seems both Japanese and Western monks can use this tactic.

Our Shichibei is now a wealthy merchant; who knows, one day he might even have the face to do the job of a high-ranking monk.

A laugh would suffice, and the matter would be forgotten. Nobunaga sent a messenger to Kyoto, asking Ashikaga Yoshiaki to deliver a letter to Uesugi Kenshin, conveying Takeda Shingen's intentions. Kaikawa Shōki was to go to Kyoto first, and then from Kyoto follow him to Kasugayama Castle.

The snow in the mountain town is probably waist-deep by now, and this monk still has to travel and work. Being a diplomatic monk is not easy.

Historically, it seems that Takeda Shingen went to besiege Odawara Castle the following year, but found that he did not have the military strength to take it. After looting the castle, he retreated. Before leaving, he fought a battle with the Hojo brothers at Misaki-no-Kami, which made Hojo Ujiyasu sigh that even if he were in charge, he would not be able to defeat Shingen.

Around the time of the Odawara Castle raid, Shingen realized that he couldn't conquer Echigo or Sagami, so he decided to try his luck in Tōtōmi, Mikawa, and Noo.

What an opportunist.

Once this matter was settled, the New Year of 1570 arrived as scheduled. The reason it was still the 13th year of Eiroku was because Ashikaga Yoshiaki had not yet submitted a petition to the court requesting a change of era name.

For this reason, Yoshiaki also presented the court with 5000 bolts of cloth for the purpose of changing the era name (there is a record here that one bolt of cloth is equal to twenty-five coins, so the number of bolts of cloth is used for counting). The court then used the excuse of frequent wars and the hope for a good era to carry out the change of era name.

As for the description of the tortoise shell, it originates from the Book of Songs: "The Huai barbarians, looking up, come to present their treasures. Tortoise shells and ivory, a great gift of gold from the south." It also appears in the "Three Capitals Rhapsody" in the Zhaoming Anthology of the Southern Dynasties by Xiao Tong: "The crickets' cries will surely be silenced in the mountains, the tortoise shells and turtles will dwell in the water. The hidden dragon coils in the marshland of Juzi, responding to the sound of drums and bringing rain."

There's really no need to insist on finding any auspicious meaning in this era name. Yoshiaki's petition to the court to change the era name was mainly to demonstrate to the feudal lords of the land that he had a harmonious relationship with the court and to show his authority as the Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate.

To be honest, there are indeed not many people who can ask the emperor to change the era name these days.

The era name Genki was only used for three years; historically, it was Nobunaga who forced the imperial court to change it to Tensho. In July of the fourth year of Genki (which was the first year of Tensho), Oda Nobunaga exiled Ashikaga Yoshiaki, effectively ending the Muromachi Shogunate. Nobunaga, now the de facto ruler of the Kinai region, demanded that the imperial court change the era name.

In Japan, the era name is just that—a change. It's nothing unusual.

It hasn't been changed yet; it's just that Shichibei, with his foresight, is making this argument first. Early in the morning, as one of Oda Ujinao's most important retainers, Shichibei presented Oda Nobunaga with his sword and then retreated to his home to rest.

It's not that there's nothing to do, it's that I don't want to do anything. These days, if you really want to be busy, you'll never have a break. Nobunaga is going to beat up Asakura Yoshikage in the spring. If I don't take a break now, I won't have time to rest later.

Anyway, all sides are at peace. The Takeda and Tokugawa in the east of Oda are allies, and the Oda in the west originally had the Miyoshi Triumvirate to worry about. A good beating before the end of the year should give them some peace for a few days.

Only Asakura Yoshikage remained, a treacherous traitor who simply sat idly by. Nobunaga had even publicly rebuked the Asakura family in his capacity as regent of the shogunate, but Asakura Yoshikage remained unmoved.

What else is there to say? Just wait to die.

But was Asakura Yoshikage really waiting to die? Actually, no. This guy also received a secret letter from Ashikaga Yoshiaki. In the letter, Yoshiaki first reminisced about the close days he had spent with Yoshikage, then mentioned Nobunaga's various acts of bullying the Shogun and suppressing the Shogunate, and then enthusiastically invited Asakura Yoshikage to join him in this grand event.

How to defeat Nobunaga? Of course, it's the kind of defeat where you beat Nobunaga to a pulp.

Anyone with eyes could see that Nobunaga was about to beat up the Miyoshi Triumvirate and Asakura Yoshikage. Close retainers like Shichibei were completely certain that Nobunaga would attack Ichijodani Castle in two or three months.