Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Now that you're certain Nobunaga is coming for you soon, what are you going to do?

Yoshiaki's plan was very straightforward. He stated that he had gained the support of some local people in Kobe who were oppressed by Azai Nagamasa and Oda Nobunaga, as well as the support of Rokkaku Yoshikata and his son Rokkaku Yoshiharu, who had retreated to Koga District in the south of the Yangtze River.

Once Nobunaga dispatches a large army to attack Wakasa Kanegasaki, these troops behind Nobunaga will mobilize. When Nobunaga enters Echizen, the Kohoku army within Nobunaga's ranks will rise up and disrupt Oda's army's formation. Asakura Yoshikage can then seize this opportunity to raise a large army and launch a fierce attack on Nobunaga.

At that point, Nobunaga will be unable to attend to both ends, and riots will break out within his army, inevitably leading to a devastating defeat. Perhaps even Nobunaga himself will perish, becoming a mere ghost.

Thus, Asakura Yoshikage would become the governor of the shogunate, and he could freely control both Mino and Owari provinces. The senior retainers of the Asakura clan would all become courtiers of the shogunate, greatly elevating their status.

Why bring this up? Of course, it's to implicate the key retainers of the Asakura clan. The Asakura clan was already exhibiting some of the drawbacks of the former Muromachi shogunate's ruling families: dealing with the Kinai War in the west, conquering the Tsuruga rebellion in Wakasa, and dealing with the Kaga War in the east, conquering the Ōno rebellion of the Hokuriku Ikko-ikki.

The two groups gradually formed their own retainers and forces, similar to guardians stationed in areas beyond their control, and thus gained corresponding power.

If a war were to break out, Asakura Yoshikage would need the consent of Asakura Kageki, Asakura Kagekage, Asakura Kageken, and others.

To ensure the success of his plan, Ashikaga Yoshiaki actually considered things quite comprehensively, even going so far as to win over the old retainers of the Asakura clan.

As a result, the senior retainers of the Asakura clan largely sided with Yoshiaki against Nobunaga. Many people still believe that the power of the Muromachi Shogunate should rightfully belong to the Asakura family. They feel that it was simply taken from them by Oda Nobunaga, that country bumpkin, and that their current move is merely to reclaim what was stolen from them.

Furthermore, with Ashikaga Yoshiaki's instigation and political endorsement, raising an army to kill Oda Nobunaga, the regent of the shogunate, is not only reasonable but also perfectly legal.

Yoshiaki's plan is quite plausible, but who are those Jiangbei locals who agreed to defect at the last minute? It certainly isn't Azai Nagamasa. Nagamasa is now acting like Nobunaga, leveraging Nobunaga's prestige to vigorously consolidate Jiangbei.

Therefore, Asakura Yoshikage sent a retainer to infiltrate Kyoto and clarify two things with Yoshiaki. First, who exactly was the Kohoku province person who had been turned against them? Second, why was he so certain that this person would come to attack Ichijodani Castle?

If it were merely Yizhao sending letters to the feudal lords unilaterally, it would be very difficult to investigate and discover such secret behavior. After all, in those days there were no surveillance cameras or recordings; any uncovering of such activities relied entirely on informants.

The Warring States period was great, precisely because there were very few people willing to be the first to betray their masters. Furthermore, since Yoshiaki chose ambitious individuals or those who could be persuaded, those willing to betray their masters became even fewer.

However, since you not only received Yoshiaki's secret letters but also exchanged letters with him, it's no wonder that Akechi Mitsuhide, Oda Nobuhiro, and others left in Kyoto by Nobunaga noticed something was amiss.

After all, Nobunaga had previously set a rule for Yoshiaki that the defense of Nijō Palace would be handled by the Oda clan. Therefore, everyone who entered and left Nijō Palace every day was under the watchful eye of Oda Nobuhiro.

Nobunaga also stipulated that only matters and individuals with his permission could be formally reported to the shogunate. Theoretically, without Nobunaga in Kyoto, the shogunate could not even handle normal official business.

Why do you keep coming to Nijo Palace every few days?

Anyone with a modicum of sense could guess that Ashikaga Yoshiaki was communicating with the outside world. He had many followers, but only a handful of trusted confidants. Seeing those few people coming and going, how could Oda Nobuhiro not be suspicious?

They just haven't suspected that Yoshiaki is already making connections yet.

Asakura Yoshikage finally received Yoshiaki's reply; it turned out to be Hori Hidemura. He also learned that Azai Nagamasa was currently suppressing powerful clans within his domain, and that once Nobunaga sent troops, he would surely send Hori Hidemura to his death. This was how they had done it during the attack on Kitabatake's Ōkawachi Castle; they would definitely do the same next time they attacked Ichijōdani.

Knowing the situation clearly, Asakura Yoshikage finally began to use his wits, allocating his men and deploying his forces in preparation for Oda Nobunaga's attack after the snow melted in the spring.

On the other hand, Nobunaga also received a secret report from his brother Nobuhiro, informing him that Yoshiaki was frequently contacting the outside world. Although he didn't know who he was contacting, it was certainly suspicious.

"This is no ordinary conspiracy; we must strike hard!"

Nobunaga did not discuss the matter publicly during the New Year holiday, but instead summoned a few trusted ministers. Upon hearing this, Shibata Katsuie, disregarding everything else, immediately expressed his support for all of Nobunaga's decisions.

"Who is protecting this shogunate? It's not the Kōbō, not the Hosokawa Kanrei, not the Ise Steward, but our Oda family!" Mori Yoshinari immediately declared.

“Nijo Palace has become a den of intrigue for despicable people.” Sakuma Nobumori was also very displeased when he heard about this.

"A small group of people inside the palace are truly lawless." Shichibei knew what Yoshiaki was plotting, but he couldn't say.

The main issue is that Azai Nagamasa has now become Nobunaga's brother-in-law, so logically he can no longer join forces with Asakura Yoshikage to attack Nobunaga. So, who can Yoshiaki contact to coordinate and plan to kill Nobunaga?

"Never forgive!" Hideyoshi immediately chimed in, following Shichibei.

"Hmph, this lord can only play petty tricks." Nobunaga was quite satisfied to see that everyone was not swayed by Yoshiaki's influence.

"Fujikichiro, go to Kyoto now and investigate this matter with Jubei." Nobunaga immediately pointed at Hideyoshi, who, after all, had served as the Kyoto Magistrate and was familiar with the place.

"Shichibei, take these five points and convey them to that minister properly." Nobunaga then pointed to Shichibei.

Shichibei glanced at the document after receiving it from Nobunaga, noting two key points. Nobunaga and Yoshiaki had previously agreed that official documents from the shogunate, including official correspondence, required Nobunaga's countersignature to be valid.

Now there is an additional item: the Go-nai-sho, which is a private letter from a shogun, also needs Nobunaga's signature to be recognized as Yoshiaki's authentic work. All others are considered fake.

Another point is that since the war was waged for the sake of peace in the land, and since it has already been approved and appointed by the court and the general, no one else has the right to interfere with Nobunaga's wars for the purpose of pacifying the land.

Even if Ashikaga Yoshiaki himself came, he would not be allowed to back out or interfere with Nobunaga's battle plans. If Yoshiaki did interfere, it would be a breach of his original duty to uphold the principles of public order.

Last year, there were nine rules for the Palace Attendants, then seven more were added by Kitabatake, and now five more have been added, bringing the total to twenty-one. The twenty-one rules for the Palace Attendants in history have now been fully established.

Shichibei, upon seeing the official document, was certain that Nobunaga and Yoshiaki were about to turn against each other. Nobunaga had clearly told Yoshiaki that he could still live as a puppet. Refuse to be a puppet? Hmph.

In another historical timeline, Nobunaga had no choice. But in this timeline, Nobunaga did have a choice; the former Kubo Ashikaga Yoshihide still resides in the Tatesei-ji Temple in Mino Province.

Yoshiaki, think this through carefully.

187. Shigemitsu Igayagata Family

Shichibei expected Ashikaga Yoshiaki to erupt in fury, perhaps even launching into a tirade against him or Oda Nobunaga. But Yoshiaki restrained himself, accepting the document expressionlessly, reading it without a trace of emotion, saying "I understand," and then getting up to leave.

It was as if this whole thing never happened; they didn't care at all.

Could it be that this kid has already begun preparing to rebel against Nobunaga?

Referring to Ashikaga Yoshiaki in another dimension, Yoshiaki's initial idea was not to completely kill Nobunaga, because the Ashikaga shogun's own power was weakened, and even if he killed Nobunaga, it would be difficult to seize and inherit all of Nobunaga's assets.

If we can't seize Nobunaga's assets, then killing Nobunaga will only result in creating an even bigger "Nobunaga II," who will be even harder to control.

At that time, Yoshiaki still wanted several equally powerful forces to jointly manipulate government affairs in the central government of the shogunate. A balance of power where neither side could kill the other.

As the Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, Yoshiaki was able to maneuver freely among various forces, acting as an "arbitrator" to further consolidate his power.

It's similar to pulling all the heroes of the world into Ashikaga Yoshiaki's comfort zone to play political intrigue and scheming. Yoshiaki may not be good at killing people, but he is very skilled and adept at playing political tricks.

Historically, after Nobunaga's retreat from Kanesaki, even during the Battle of Anegawa, Ashikaga Yoshiaki did not explicitly express hostility or a desire to punish Nobunaga. Instead, he continuously instigated various factions to take turns fighting against Nobunaga.

It wasn't until Takeda Shingen officially announced his march on Kyoto and defeated Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Mikatagahara, after which the Oda army began converging on Noboru to defend their stronghold, leaving the Kinai region completely vulnerable, that Yoshiaki formally announced his break with Nobunaga and proclaimed it to the world in the form of a formal letter.

They accused Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu of being "villains" and called on all the feudal lords in the land to join forces against them.

At that time, he probably felt he could seize a considerable amount of power within the Kinai region and strengthen his own influence. Meanwhile, Nobunaga and Shingen suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Nobi. He could then act as shogun, mediating a truce and achieving his goal of suppressing Nobunaga and restoring his authority.

If Nobunaga were merely a daimyo with a million koku of land in the provinces of Nori and Ori, with Asakura Yoshikage ahead of him with 750,000 koku and Takeda Shingen behind him with 1.2 million koku, then Ashikaga Yoshiaki would be much easier to manage.

Where is Yoshiaki now?

Respectfully leaving the hall, Shichibei first chatted with his adoptive father-in-law, Oda Nobuhiro. Nobuhiro, being stationed in Kyoto guarding the gates every day, must have seen and heard a great deal. He was even able to write secret reports to Nobunaga; he must have some insights or something.

Just as they sat down to chat, Hideyoshi returned from outside. Wasn't he in contact with Akechi Mitsuhide, trying to investigate who Yoshiaki was secretly communicating with? Obviously, they hadn't found anything yet, since they could only conduct undercover investigations and couldn't arrest and interrogate Yoshiaki's attendants and servants (not official titles, but a specific term for the trusted servants and leaders of powerful and wealthy families).

Those whom Yoshiaki trusted implicitly and who sent secret letters everywhere were naturally tight-lipped. If you were to encounter them, a few threats wouldn't be enough to stop them. The main reason is that Yoshiaki and Nobunaga haven't fallen out yet, so Nobunaga can't resort to more drastic measures.

"What's the reaction on your end?" It was actually quite difficult for Hideyoshi to handle this kind of task.

"No reaction at all." Shichibei simply recounted the scene of Yoshiaki presenting the Twenty-One Demands to the palace.

"Hiss..." Not to mention Hideyoshi, even Nobuhiro was helpless.

No matter what the situation, if you have a clue, no matter how difficult it is, you can always get things done with a direction. Right now, this is all speculation, without any concrete evidence. The key point is that we want to use a quick and decisive approach, but we can't do that because we haven't completely broken ties yet.

This is really difficult.

"Let's change direction. Since it's difficult to investigate here, let's investigate outside." Although Shichibei had foresight, the situation had changed, and many things were no longer so certain.

"What do you mean?" Hideyoshi quickly asked.

"Think about it the other way around, do you understand?" Shichibei moved forward a little.

Because he couldn't afford to break ties with Yoshiaki, he couldn't arrest or torture Yoshiaki's retainers, or even his servants. If he did, Nobunaga would lose his moral standing.

However, we cannot arrest Yoshiaki's people, but we can arrest other suspects. No matter which feudal lord comes or which gatekeeper's messenger it is, we will guard the seven gates of Kyoto and arrest any suspicious targets we see.

The biggest taboo in carrying out such a conspiracy is using others as intermediaries, which would lead to chaos and public knowledge. Both sides definitely have trusted confidants communicating back and forth. We need to deploy more people to guard the intersections; we'll use sheer numbers.

Let's get started!

Furthermore, they're targeting those with the Awa accent and those with the Echizen accent, focusing primarily on the Miyoshi Triumvirate and Asakura Yoshikage. These are the two main groups currently opposing Nobunaga; if not them, who else should they target?

Anyway, our Oda clan has a strong and well-equipped army; we don't have much else, just a lot of men. With a single call from Nobunaga, we can summon 75,000 men. Kyoto has seven gates, right? We'll send 100 men to each gate, divided into ten shifts of ten men each, to guard it day and night in rotation.

I refuse to believe it, that we can't catch a single suspicious person.

As for your question about wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice? Well, sorry, this is Japan's Warring States period; judicial fairness is a joke. Besides, this is a case, a major case. Nobunaga wouldn't care about arbitrary arrests; he only cares about whether anyone has been arrested.

"Row!"

Hideyoshi was also a man who didn't care about details. Although it was a bit grand, he worked very hard to complete Nobunaga's mission and didn't care about anything else.

“I’ll go and mobilize the troops!” Oda Nobuhiro said the same thing, with almost no hesitation or objection.

"It's a huge project, and we won't see results in a day or two." Shichibei thought to himself that this method was only slightly better than finding a needle in a haystack.

Countless people pass through Kyoto's seven gates every day, and the Ashikaga family may know some side streets or hidden entrances. Catching them will not be easy.

But no matter how high or low Shichibei's thing is, it is a solution, and it is definitely better than sitting in Myokaku-ji Temple and suddenly becoming dazed.

After delivering the Twenty-One Articles to the Palace Attendants, Shichibei was supposed to quickly return to Gifu to report Yoshiaki's reaction to Nobunaga. However, Nobunaga actually arrived in Kyoto on horseback on the very day Shichibei was preparing to depart for Gifu.

Seeing that, Shichibei suddenly had a thought: Nobunaga was going to kill someone.

I don't know if it's true...

Upon seeing Shichibei, Nobunaga naturally asked Yoshiaki how he would treat him. Shichibei had no choice but to repeat what he had told Hideyoshi, to which Nobunaga simply smiled.

The laughter was quite frightening.

Immediately afterward, Nobunaga, in his capacity as regent, issued a decree to the entire nation, citing his contribution to the construction of the Nijō Palace last year and his service to the shogunate and the country.

Official documents issued by the emperor were generally reserved for three or more court nobles, as well as the shogun and the Kwantung Kubo (Kubo of the Kanto Kingdom). However, since Nobunaga was the regent of the shogunate and had previously been appointed "Kōgi" (Minister of State) by Ashikaga Yoshiaki, he had the authority to issue official documents on Yoshiaki's behalf.

However, Nobunaga usually did not issue the highest directives of the shogunate on his own initiative. Instead, he would usually issue them in the name of Ashikaga Yoshiaki in the form of normal imperial edicts.

The issuance of this imperial decree signifies that the author has written and issued a formal document, bearing only his own name, in the capacity of the people of Japan, with the highest interpretive authority among all samurai families in the country.

This act not only signaled to the feudal lords that Ashikaga Yoshiaki was now his puppet and that he would control all major affairs of the shogunate, but its content was also shocking and truly groundbreaking.

Restore and rebuild the "Muromachi Twenty-One Houses" system!

The so-called "Twenty-One Houses" refers to twenty-one daimyo who were recognized by the Muromachi Shogun. Their status was above that of ordinary daimyo and they were the pillars and important supporters of the Muromachi Shogunate.

Or to put it another way, when Emperor Taizong of Tang ascended the throne, he ordered the revision of the "Records of Aristocratic Clans" and wanted to place the Li clan of Longxi in the first rank, surpassing all those other miscellaneous clans like the Lu clan of Fanyang and the Cui clan of Qinghe.

As times have progressed, most of the twenty-one daimyo who once protected the entire shogunate and were its pillars have fallen into decline and ruin, with some even losing their family name altogether. Clearly, granting the Yagata-no-gami (royal name) to such lords is completely out of step with Oda Nobunaga's new era.

Therefore, in accordance with Nobunaga's request, the "Gifu Twenty-One Houses" must be rewritten!

Only those who support Oda Nobunaga and acknowledge his regime of unifying Japan are qualified to remain or join this group. Those who are stubborn, defy the imperial army, or are die-hard loyalists to Ashikaga Yoshiaki, well, to hell with them.

Don't underestimate this thing just because it's a formality, and a remnant of feudalism from the old era. Even Emperor Taizong of Tang had to play tricks with it, which tells you whether this thing is truly useless.