Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

So, Nobunaga decided to take the more convenient and shorter route via Odani Castle. He also needed to bring his good brother-in-law along; they would all go together to beat up Asakura Yoshikage.

"How strange, there are actually people in Jiangbei storing salt." Tsuchida Chikakiyo and Ota Ushiichi, who had rushed from Gifu to Kunitomo Village to dispatch arquebuses, delivered them to Otani, and then returned to report to Shichibei, began to give Shichibei an account of the expenses.

“It’s normal. With war approaching, it’s only natural for Lord Kotani to gather warhorses, salt, and provisions.” Shichibei didn’t even look up, but instead asked Azai Nagamasa for his reply.

Without Azai Nagamasa's receipt, how can it be proven that the two hundred arquebuses were clearly handed over to the Azai family? At the end of the year, when settling accounts with Oda Nobunaga, even if there were some tricks involved, such a large expenditure should be clearly explained.

“But it seems that Prince Kotani was already prepared.” Ota Gyuichi took out Asai Nagamasa’s reply slip from his pocket.

Last year, the Oda clan debated whether to attack Kitabatake, Asakura, or the Miyoshi Triumvirate. They ultimately decided to attack Kitabatake, and the Azai clan sent reinforcements. With reinforcements, naturally, the Azai clan also sent their own military advisors.

When Asai Nagamasa learned that Nobunaga had preserved the Kitabatake clan and supported his son, he guessed that Nobunaga would continue to wage war to conquer new territories this year to reward his retainers.

Therefore, it's not surprising that preparations begin in advance.

To be fair, Asai Nagamasa was known as the "Eagle of Hubei" not only because he was a tall, dark-skinned, and burly man, but also because of his superior talent and insightful knowledge.

"Not Prince Kotani?" Shichibei looked at the reply slip, this time with some curiosity.

"Right, it can't be the Asakura family, can it?" Ota Ushi sat down and picked up his cup to drink water after seeing that the receipt was in order.

"Hmm?" That's strange...

In northern Omi, they don't have the custom of pickling fish. They use fermented rice bran and vinegar to pickle fish from Lake Biwa. This stuff is even said to be one of the origins of Japanese sushi, and it does extend the shelf life of fish.

Many areas along the Seto Inland Sea are accustomed to making salted fish because the Seto Inland Sea is relatively calm and is one of the salt-producing areas.

In many other coastal areas, they make smoked bonito flakes, which are dried bonito meat that has been sharpened into a dagger-like shape. In some places they are called bonito flakes, and in others they are called bonito flowers, but it's basically the same thing.

Each region produces its own local specialties based on its own circumstances; they wouldn't transport salt from afar to their village to pickle fish. If they want salted fish, they can just buy it directly. The areas around Lake Biwa are prosperous; they don't lack the money to buy a salted fish.

"What's wrong?" Tsuchida Chikakiyo and Ota Gyuichi looked at Shichibei with some confusion.

"Oh, it's nothing." Shichibei waved his hand, dismissing the two.

If someone is buying salt in the market for no apparent reason, it's definitely not for pickling fish. They're most likely hoarding it for future use. And in Japan, there's no possibility of a monopoly on salt, since it's surrounded by sea and only a few inland areas lack salt.

that……

Someone was about to besiege the city, so they stockpiled salt and grain in advance to prepare for a protracted war.

That's certainly a possibility, but who would need to defend the castle? Asai Nagamasa? He doesn't need to hide his salt purchases; he can buy them openly.

I understand, it's Rokkaku Yoshikata and his son Rokkaku Yoshiharu from Jiangnan.

While Nobunaga and even Azai Nagamasa's main forces were heading to Ichijodani Castle, and then being bogged down by the Asakura army and unable to return, the two raised an army in southern Omi, rebuilt some mountain castles, stockpiled food and military supplies, and conquered various parts of southern Omi.

The more Shichibei thought about it, the more certain it seemed, and he became almost certain. He quickly beckoned to Noda Sanbei, who had come to Kyoto on business with him. Ever since he had taken Noda Sanbei under his wing at the Komatsu-ba racecourse, Noda Sanbei had been quite capable and attentive to his duties.

He was ordered to immediately travel to various towns and villages in southern Omi Province to secretly investigate and find out if any members of the Rokkaku clan were purchasing salt. If confirmed, he was to immediately return to Kyoto and report back.

Or perhaps Shichibei and Nobunaga have returned to Gifu, in which case they should report back. If confirmed, Nobunaga's side can prepare accordingly. In the original timeline, it was Azai Nagamasa who rebelled; in this timeline, perhaps it's Rokkaku Yoshikata who launches a counterattack.

Upon receiving the order, Noda Sanbei immediately set off, and even arranged a code with Shichibei. If he infiltrated Koga District to directly investigate the Rokkaku clan's movements and it was inconvenient for him to return to Gifu immediately, he would send someone to inform Shichibei using the code.

Wow, young man, you can even apply what you've learned to other situations, that's great!

After sending his men out, several days later, Tokugawa Ieyasu also set off from Kyoto, returning to Okazaki and Hamamatsu to gather his forces and prepare to participate in Nobunaga's Echizen campaign.

Thus, Nobunaga and Shichibei did not linger in Kyoto and rode back to Gifu. No mobilization order was needed, as their retainers were already gathered. They only needed to bring along the samurai generals scattered throughout the region, their retainers, and regular foot soldiers, and they could set off immediately.

Once Tokugawa Ieyasu arrived in Gifu with 5,000 men, Nobunaga immediately set out on his campaign. He left all logistics to Shichibei, since he would be staying at Odani Castle for two more days anyway, giving Shichibei ample time to catch up.

Noda Sanbei, who was investigating in southern Omi, was completely baffled, as there was no news of large-scale salt purchases in the towns and villages of southern Omi. Only in Imahama town in northern Omi did he learn that someone had indeed bought a batch of salt.

191. The three rivers of Owari vie for credit

Nobunaga left behind one-fifth of his hatamoto and foot soldiers as the defensive force for Gifu Castle, with Hayashi Hidesada assisting Oda Kyokumaru in guarding the stronghold. Nobunaga led four-fifths of his main force, approximately ten thousand regular troops, to set off first.

Accompanying him were 5,000 men, including Ieyasu's younger brother from Mikawa, while the other units agreed to meet at Odani Castle. Those from Ise, such as Takigawa Kazumasu and Nagano Nobukatsu, traveled along the Ise Road into Omi, then headed north. Meanwhile, Ikeda Katsumasa from Settsu and Matsunaga Hisahide from Yamato first met Akechi Mitsuhide and the court nobles in Kyoto before proceeding to Odani.

Shichibei was a bit slower because it was an overseas expedition that would cross two or three neighboring countries, so military supplies had to be prepared in quantities sufficient for more than a month.

This time, Azai Nagamasa was also brought along, so the total force was 35,000 cavalry, roughly the same as the Asakura clan's full mobilization. However, the Asakura clan also had to guard against the Ikko-ikki forces in Hokuriku, so they couldn't actually launch a full-scale attack against Nobunaga.

Furthermore, Nobunaga held the moral high ground, acting as the shogun to suppress rebellious forces; not many would dare to challenge him.

This is quite strange. Why? Because Shichibei had previously discussed with Oda Nobuhiro and Kinoshita Hideyoshi about stationing men in Shichiguchi, Kyoto, to arrest people with suspicious behavior and accents.

As a result, when Nobunaga arrived, he immediately summoned all the feudal lords of the land to Kyoto to sit in a row and share the spoils. This led to the area around Kyoto being filled with travelers speaking various accents, many of whom were envoys of feudal lords who came to pay homage to Nobunaga.

This directly made Hideyoshi hesitant and unable to arrest various suspects. That being said, it wasn't without its gains; two people resisted Hideyoshi's attempts to capture them while armed.

According to the customs officials who had long guarded the border, the accent was that of Echizen.

Unfortunately, they resisted arrest while armed, and in a chaotic brawl, both men were hacked to death, but no letters or similar items were found on their persons. In the end, they could only be described as suspicious, but no concrete evidence could be established.

The matter was eventually reported to Nobunaga, who, upon hearing the Echizen accent, merely smiled and showed no particular anger. Few who could operate in Kyoto were truly fools; it was understandable that Asakura spies might have infiltrated the city at this point. However, whether or not they were colluding with Yoshiaki required further investigation.

Nobuyuki Nagatoshi said there was no need to investigate. He was full of confidence that he was about to send the entire Asakura Yoshikage family to heaven, so what was there to investigate?

They've gotten carried away.

That's not wrong. Since there's no evidence and you still have suspicions, the most effective way is to physically destroy the suspect. After all, the dead can't pull off any conspiracies or tricks, at least not right now.

So the matter was eventually put aside. In addition to increasing Oda Nobuhiro's regular foot soldiers to a thousand to help defend the Nijō Palace, Nobunaga even summoned Hideyoshi, who led several hundred men to conquer Ichijōdani Castle.

Watch me wipe out Asakura Yoshikage's entire family, then how will Yoshiaki continue his schemes!

When Shichibei led his small pack animal caravan of over three thousand men to meet up with them at Odani Castle, they found that they hadn't arrived too late, because Matsunaga Hisahide had just arrived and was warmly cuddling with Nobunaga, drinking and chatting happily.

Asai Nagamasa also brought Oichi out to welcome his brother-in-law. It was so rare to see Oichi again. "Mashiro," Shichibei couldn't help but sigh once more.

Imagine Asai Nagamasa, a dark-skinned and overweight man, sleeping next to a small and fair-skinned woman...

No, no, no, if I keep thinking about it I'll start thinking about some code name.

No wonder Shibata Katsuie, at his advanced age and with one foot in the grave, was still thinking about marrying Oichi. Oichi certainly had extraordinary qualities.

Nagamasa is also going to send troops this time. As the wife of a samurai, Oichi not only has to prepare rations for the soldiers to march for the first few days, but also prepare external medicine and bandages for her husband's wounds. Finally, she has to see her husband off to war at the castle.

This time was different, of course, because he also had to see off his brother as he went to war. Seeing his sister and Nagamasa living a harmonious life together, and having children one after another, Nobunaga was quite happy.

Although even marriage alliances were unreliable in those times, it had to be said that this was the most reliable form of alliance in Japan's Warring States period, a time rife with betrayal. The fact that Nagamasa and Oichi were so harmonious at least indicated that Nagamasa still wanted to align himself with Nobunaga.

After counting the troops and distributing some supplies, Nobunaga noticed that Shichibei's small pack animal team had also followed, so he immediately ordered his men to set out.

However, Ieyasu asked whether any personnel, such as Nobushi, had been arranged to scout ahead of time along the borders of Omi, Echizen, and Wakasa to find out if the Asakura clan had made any advance preparations.

Nobunaga waved his hand dismissively, saying that the troops they had mobilized were all standing armies, while those brought by Ieyasu were merely pre-emptive soldiers of the hatamoto clan. They had absolutely nothing to do with the farming season. Asakura Yoshikage, however, did not yet possess such strength. If Nobunaga hadn't explicitly challenged him, it would have been difficult to mobilize the people currently engaged in spring plowing to join the army.

Given this assumption, Yoshikage would certainly be unprepared, and might even be silently praying that Nobunaga wouldn't come.

Seeing his confident reply, Ieyasu chose to remain silent. He was a man of keen perception; how could he possibly dampen Nobunaga's spirits to his face? Besides, the troops Nobunaga had brought this time were indeed elite, all standing armies. In Ieyasu's view, their fighting strength was definitely superior to the Asakura army, which was a mix of peasant soldiers and regular troops.

There shouldn't be any major problems...

According to Nobunaga's plan, troops would be dispatched from Otani to launch a direct and fierce attack on Tsuruga, striking one of the two flanks of the Asakura clan, the Tsuruga forces. After seizing a foothold in Tsuruga, the main force would attack Ichijodani, while a detachment would go to Wakasa to take over Ohama.

Who goes first?

The generals, who had been silent, immediately jumped up. In Japan, while taking a head was the most important achievement, a single spear thrust or a single charge was also a great achievement.

Everyone knows that attacking Asakura can increase one's knowledge and skills, so who wouldn't be eager to participate? Samurai are already engaged in a dangerous business, and Nobunaga favors the samurai who fight for him. If they're not enthusiastic now, when will they be?

Even Nagamasa Asai said that he was most familiar with the situation in the neighboring Tsuruga District, and that it was only right for him to personally take charge and help his brother-in-law gain a foothold.

Perhaps due to the flapping of history's wings, Yoshiaki did not ask Nobunaga to assist Takeda Motoaki in his return to power. Nobunaga's main focus was on trading ports like Tsuruga and Obama, so the small territory of Wakasa could naturally be divided among Azai Nagamasa.

If you're getting your little brother to risk his life for you, you have to give him some incentive.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had just been asking questions, immediately jumped out and said that when Nobunaga attacked Ōkōchi Castle, he did not allow his younger brother Mikawa to make merit, nor did he allow his younger brother Mikawa to make merit when attacking the Rokkaku clan. Instead, he rewarded and treated Mikawa generously on many occasions.

If Ieyasu isn't allowed to perform meritorious service now, he'll be ashamed to serve Nobunaga. I'm going to go out and commit suicide right now!

Wow!

Wow wow wow!

Upon hearing his statement, even Asai Nagamasa was stunned. Wasn't this man going a bit too far in trying to prove his loyalty? But such a thing was indeed not impossible. When Date Masamune led his troops to participate in the Siege of Osaka, his trusted retainer, "Yellow Goto" Nobuyasu Goto, discovered that he was not on the list of those going into battle.

Believing he had lost his chance to distinguish himself, Goto Nobuyasu rode his horse to the top of Sendai Castle and pleaded with Masamune to take him with him, but Masamune refused. And then what? He charged off the castle walls with his horse and jumped to his death.

Tut tut...

What else can be said? The first general to act was definitely Tokugawa Ieyasu. Could anyone possibly defeat him?

"Mikawa no Kami is truly, truly..." Hideyoshi had just tried to express his loyalty, but he found that his ability to do so was still weak, far inferior to Tokugawa Ieyasu's.

"What? You're not convinced?" Shichibei was the only samurai in the tent who didn't compete for credit and watched the whole thing from the sidelines.

"I have to admit it." Hideyoshi opened his mouth, probably wanting to say something to refute it, but after thinking hard, he couldn't come up with a good reason.

"Right? With just a few hundred men like you, you can forget about it this time." Shichibei could understand Hideyoshi's desperate desire to make a name for himself; Hideyoshi was just a chosen one, a beast of burden.

Last time, when I charged so far into the fray against Ookouchi, I almost lost both of my testicles.

"Sigh..." Hideyoshi scratched his bald head, sighing.

Having chosen to go first, let's set off; there's nothing more to say. Tokugawa Ieyasu asked Azai Nagamasa for a few guides and led the way.

The journey from Kotani to Tsuruga is very short; even with the current level of road construction in Japan, it would only take a day at most. It's just a little difficult to travel due to the surrounding mountains.

By the way, if you go north for about two hours from Kotani, you'll reach Shizugatake.

There are no castles or beacon towers built here; the Asai clan hasn't set up any defenses. Who could have imagined that Shizugatake in another dimension would become one of the most important battlefields in Hideyoshi's unification of Japan?

Shichibei had originally planned to pay his respects in the area, but Maeda Toshiie, you ran away just in time.

Unfortunately, the army was not under Shichibei's command. Tokugawa Ieyasu, eager to make a name for himself, swiftly entered Echizen Province. Asakura Kagetsune, who was defending Tsuruga District, seemed to have made the decision to hold his castle at all costs.

Of course, a certain number of troops were also stationed in several important surrounding cities. For example, Terada Ume-no-Masaru had 1,300 men besieging the Tentsutsuyama Castle.

After Nobunaga initially deployed his forces at Myōken-ji Temple (Nichiren sect), he ordered Tokugawa Ieyasu to lead 5,000 cavalry to attack Kanesaki, with the main attack being the main force. He also ordered Shibata Katsuie to lead the Owari forces to attack Amaterasuyama Castle.

Oh?

Then Shichibei saw Yamauchi Kazutoyo and more than a hundred foot soldiers launch a fierce attack on Amaterasu Castle under the cover of arquebuses and bows and arrows.

Wait, why did Shibata Katsuie pull Yamauchi Kazutoyo up with him? Then I looked again, and wow, it wasn't just his team rushing forward; Mao Shou-sho and his son were also charging up.

Then I heard Shibata Katsuie encouraging the generals of Owari, saying something like, "We men of Owari can't be outdone by those from Mikawa." He looked just like them. "If you guys can't do it, I'll go myself."

192. In one day, he broke through the Dunhe County (Zhu Xiucai's Three-Jin Crown).