Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Look at this perseverance and tenacity, and then look at Matsunaga Hisahide's cooking.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki believed that Tsutsui Junkei was worth winning over, so he planned to marry his daughter to him. At this time, he had not yet made it public to Nobunaga, and Yoshiaki and Junkei were still in private contact.

Actually, the last time Ashikaga Yoshiaki married his sister to Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, he did not consult Nobunaga. Nobunaga was already dissatisfied at the time, but he never expected that Ashikaga Yoshiaki would pull this stunt again.

Hosokawa Fujitaka rushed to inform Nobunaga, seemingly for the second time already.

However, this incident can also be considered a good thing. As expected, Nobunaga was very unhappy about it. Well, if he was unhappy, then he could lead everyone to kill Tsutsui Junkei.

Who is Tsutsui Junkei? He's not familiar with anyone, so killing him is fine. Killing him might even get us some new territory, which we can all share and enjoy. If we can't get any land, we can at least get two decent units to strengthen our forces and expand our strength for next year's conquest, so we can fight for even more new territory.

Let's quickly shift our focus; killing these people won't cost anyone a penny. Especially the samurai from Mino, or those related to Mino, they can't wait to go and kill their way to Yamato.

The only problem is that this matter hasn't come to fruition yet.

If they fail, even if they storm Kyoto and capture Ashikaga Yoshiaki, they won't be able to put the court in torture. Speaking of which, Niwa Nagahide has been rather disappointing.

Last October, he borrowed money from Shichibei to try and win over a general from the Miyoshi Triumvirate. Then he arrested Yusa Nobuyoshi and confirmed Ashikaga Yoshiaki's crimes of messing around everywhere.

As a result, Niwa Nagahide has yet to win anyone over, and Sakuma Nobumori has captured so many members of the Yusa family but hasn't managed to extract any valuable clues from them.

It can only be said that Ashikaga Yoshiaki is quite skilled at plotting and scheming; it will be difficult to convict him without catching the main culprit.

At this moment, Akechi Mitsuhide has returned to Kyoto, and Oda Nobuhiro has also retreated to Gifu. Nobunaga then instructed Akechi Mitsuhide to go directly to Tsutsui Junkei for a private meeting, to see the outcome of the talks first.

Oda Nobuhiro had rendered meritorious service in Wakasa, but he could not remain idle. Nobunaga requested that he serve as his meidai (regent) and go to Yamato Nobutaka Castle to visit Matsunaga Hisahide.

He explicitly told Matsunaga Hisahide that if he couldn't capture Tatsushi Castle, garrisoned by Ido Yoshihiro, and Tsutsui Castle, garrisoned by Tsutsui Junkei, within the year, he would be directly transferred to Wakasa. He would be granted Wakasa County, Takashima County in Omi Province, and Shiga County as his territory, specifically to defend against Asakura Yoshikage.

It's not surprising; they're fighting and negotiating at the same time—it's all part of the tactic.

Killing Tsutsui Junkei directly would be the easiest and least troublesome solution. If he can't be killed, then we'll see what happens next. Times have changed, and many things can no longer be solved perfectly.

Shichibei only knew that a great battle was imminent, and at home he earnestly instructed the young admiral who was already six months pregnant. This time, he might not be able to make it in time for the young admiral to give birth. Asakura Yoshikage and the Miyoshi Triumvirate would not give up easily; they would fight on both the north and south. Whether the four months of fighting could be completed depended on Nobunaga's will.

Chapter 228 A Great Leap Forward in Friendship with Gao Shan

整个畿内，突然有点陷入静默的意思。朝仓义景是大雪还没化，所以动弹不得。信长是挨了长岛一向一揆众的暴揍，正在舔伤口。足利义昭则是继续到处操弄他的阴谋手段，于他的舒适区内一会儿仰泳，一会儿潜泳。

As for your question about the Three Good People?

Shichibei's claim that Niwa Nagahide's operations in Settsu and Izumi were ineffective was a misjudgment. The astute Niwa Nagahide had sent men to spread rumors among the Ikeda family of Settsu and the Miyoshi Triumvirate.

The message spread to the Settsu Ikeda family was that the Miyoshi Triumvirate were planning to send troops to Akutagawa Castle, kill Wada Koremasa, and reclaim the castle that had originally belonged to the Hosokawa Kanrei, thus giving the Miyoshi Triumvirate a base to advance on Kyoto.

The Miyoshi Triumvirate spread the message that the Ikeda clan of Settsu was preparing to send troops to Akutagawa Castle to kill Wada Koremasa, thus restoring order to Settsu and preventing the Miyoshi Triumvirate from usurping the throne.

It's that simple.

The simpler the rumor, the easier it is to spread. The key point is that both of these rumors are somewhat interesting, because Akutagawa Castle was the former territory of the Miyoshi Triumvirate, who originally wanted to reclaim it. Meanwhile, Araki Murashige and Nakagawa Kiyohide, as retainers who usurped their master's power, also wanted to strengthen their family's prestige and further their power by seizing control of the entire estate.

And then what?

Then a rift appeared between the Miyoshi Triumvirate and the Settsu Ikeda family. Although the two sides maintained harmony because of their current interdependence, the seeds of distrust had already been sown.

According to Niwa Nagahide's plan, the first step was to sow discord, then divide and conquer, and finally win them over. After all, under the pressure of Oda Nobunaga, the ruler of the land, many factions knew that only by banding together could they survive. If they weren't sown apart, subsequent strategic maneuvering would likely be impossible.

So at this moment, the Miyoshi Triumvirate and the Settsu Ikeda Clan are staring at each other, waiting to see who will make the first move to attack Akutagawa Castle. If either of them starts fighting without notifying the other, then this fragile harmony will be over.

Once the waters are stirred up, there will be plenty of opportunities to win people over to Oda's side.

With everyone busy, fighting was less likely to break out. However, this rumor terrified Wada Koremasa, who had been ordered to lead troops to Kono Castle to rescue Sakuma Nobumori, who was trapped inside. As a result, he was soundly defeated outside the castle by Yusa Nobutori and Matsunaga Hisahide, suffering heavy losses.

Hearing the rumors that the Miyoshi Triumvirate and the Settsu Ikeda Clan were coming to attack him, he panicked a little.

Akutagawa Castle was originally the residence of Hosokawa Harumoto. However, after Hosokawa Harumoto fell from power and lost his former authority, the Miyoshi family took control of the castle. When Hosokawa Akimoto was enthroned and moved into Akutagawa Castle, Miyoshi Nagayasu was the one who actually controlled the castle.

Miyoshi Nagayuki is currently at Fukushima Castle in Settsunoda, and Wada Koremasa is feeling somewhat uneasy. He feels that Akutagawa Castle is not entirely secure, and Miyoshi Nagayuki knows the details inside and outside the castle perfectly well. If they were to attack, he would know exactly what weaknesses the castle has.

Therefore, Wada Koremasa conceived the idea of ​​demolishing Akutagawa Castle and building Takatsuki Castle.

Takatsuki Castle was originally a small castle owned by the Settsu Irie clan, so its existing foundation greatly reduced the difficulty of expansion and renovation. They added curved ramps and plank walls, dug wider moats, and added small castle towers at the corners. If they held out for two or three days, reinforcements from Kyoto would arrive. If they held out for seven or eight days, reinforcements from Gifu Nobunaga would arrive.

Once Oda's reinforcements arrived, the castle was defended.

He shared this idea with his younger brother, Wada Korechika, and his senior retainer, Takayama Hida no Kami Tomoteru, among others, and they all agreed that the proposal was feasible. However, what about the cost of building the castle? The Wada family had previously been merely a minor local tyrant in Omi and Koga, not a powerful force.

Although Wada Koremasa has now been transferred to Akutagawa Castle and has acquired a territory of tens of thousands of koku, he has little savings. Building a castle is a major undertaking, and he must either seek assistance from the shogunate or from Oda Nobunaga, the regent of the shogunate.

Takayama Tomoteru suggested that this might be a good opportunity to demonstrate loyalty to Nobunaga. He argued that the Wada clan, surrounded by formidable enemies in Settsu, had maintained their loyalty to Lord Nobunaga, and hoped that Nobunaga would provide some financial assistance for castle construction. He reasoned that this wouldn't displease Nobunaga; in fact, Nobunaga might even appreciate their efforts.

Okay, we'll do it your way.

Then Takayama Shigetomo appeared before Shichibei. Just moments before, he had come to pay his respects to Nobunaga as an envoy of Wada Koremasa. Wada Koremasa was one of the three governors of Settsu, and the so-called Eastern Settsu governorship was a legitimate daimyo bestowed with the title of Yagata by Nobunaga, so he was naturally qualified to send an envoy to Nobunaga.

As a result, Nobunaga immediately asked Takayama Shigetomo how old he was and whether he was married.

At only nineteen years old, Takayama Shigetomo did not have a wife. Historically, he only married a woman from the Kuroda family of Settsu after his family usurped Takatsuki Castle from the Wada family and became Araki Murashige and Riki.

Nobunaga's question was naturally based on his own considerations. He had no "own people" left in Settsu. Even Wada Koremasa, though close to Nobunaga, was a retainer of Ashikaga Yoshiaki of the Muromachi Shogunate. Ikeda Tomomasa had directly rebelled, and it was unclear when Katsumasa would be able to return.

"First published on 705u.com - Book Club"

Then it would be better to find a decent local from Settsu and settle this unrequited matter first. The key point is that Takayama Shigetomo performed exceptionally well, speaking eloquently and explaining the current situation in Settsu to Nobunaga, while also fully expressing the necessity for the Wada family to relocate to the castle.

Furthermore, Takayama Shigetomo was tall and handsome, with a square and dignified appearance, and a loud and clear voice. Even Shichibei, sitting to the side, thought that this fellow was quite good-looking.

Nobunaga then married his daughter to him on the spot!

He ordered Takayama Shigetomo to serve him, gave him a stipend of 3,000 kan, and married Nobunaga's own daughter, Fuyuhime (also known as Gamo Ujigo's wife), who was only twelve years old (by Chinese reckoning).

The entire audience was astonished, even Takayama Shigetomo himself was surprised. But he quickly composed himself and immediately called Nobunaga "father".

This made Nobunaga laugh heartily, repeatedly calling him a good son-in-law. As for Takayama Shigetomo's suggestion to provide financial assistance to the Wada family so that Wada Koremasa could expand and renovate Takatsuki Castle, Nobunaga also agreed.

What else is there to say? Takayama Shigetomo sat down in front of Shichibei and asked him for 3,500 kan of money for the construction of the castle.

Tut tut...

The world changes so fast! When Shichibei went up to the castle this morning, he thought the weather was so-so and nothing good was going to happen. But when he sat down, he witnessed an incredible "wife-for-him" drama. Could it be that the future son-in-law of the Sengoku period will become this Takayama Shigetomo?

The man before him had become the "young lord" of the Oda clan, so Shichibei naturally couldn't refuse his request for funds. He could only sigh, "Damn, no matter the era, having a handsome face is always a great thing."

Of course, this was because Takayama Shigetomo was a local strongman in Settsu, and Nobunaga needed a squire in Settsu to prepare for his future plans there.

In truth, it wouldn't matter who this idle pawn was; even Araki Murashige, who rebelled against Nobunaga twice in history, became a pawn placed by Nobunaga in Settsu. But a pawn doesn't need to be won over with a daughter.

All I can say is that Takayama Shigetomo appeared at a good time, had a good identity at the time, and most importantly, was "handsome"!

His handsome looks immediately captured Oda Nobunaga's heart. Nobunaga seemed to favor simple, robust, tall, and somewhat valiant young men. Maeda Toshiie was like this, and it's said that Mori Ranmaru was the same later. They were all capable of wielding long spears and were also quite good-looking.

Takayama Shigetomo seemed to be the same, being both a strong and courageous man and a handsome young man.

I wish you success.

Shichibei first presented the promised 3,500 kan of silver for the castle construction fee, as Nobunaga had promised, and then secretly gave Takayama Shigetomo 100 taels of silver. So far, only two of Nobunaga's biological daughters have married: one to Tokugawa Nobuyasu, and the other to the present-day Takayama Shigetomo. It's never a bad thing to be polite; let's get to know each other first.

Even though Takayama Shigetomo was being cautious, he declined, saying it wasn't appropriate. But Shichibei yielded a little and said frankly, "Nobunaga's daughter has married into your family; you can't be stingy with your hospitality."

The Takayama Shigetomo family, who came from Takayama-sou in Nose-gun, Settsu Province, how much money could they possibly have? When Nobunaga married off his daughter, the dowry was several thousand kan; they really couldn't accept such a meager offer.

Even though the residence near Gifu Castle was a gift from Nobunaga, Takayama Shigetomo had to decorate it himself. He also had to prepare the banquet himself. These were all expensive places, so he couldn't be stingy.

Having said that, Takayama Shigetomo bowed respectfully to Shichibei and accepted the congratulatory gift of one hundred silver coins.

As for the 3,500 kan for castle construction fees, he could collect it at the Kawamura-ya branch in Sakai. It would be too much trouble to bring so much money from Gifu to Akutagawa Castle; it would be more convenient to collect it in Sakai.

Having accomplished his mission, Takayama Shigetomo, who had miraculously become Nobunaga's son-in-law, rushed back to Akutagawa Castle to report to Wada Koremasa.

"Really, really, really..." Noda Sanbei, who was still crossing his arms, was equally astonished, having just handed a box of silver to Takayama Shigetomo.

"Defying fate!" Shichibei said for him, seeing that he couldn't come up with a decent adjective.

“Yes, yes, yes!” Noda Sanbei immediately responded.

That's defying fate! The Takayama family were merely senior retainers of the Wada family, with a total fortune of only a few thousand koku. But once Oda Nobunaga took notice of them, they were granted a huge stipend of three thousand kan.

Furthermore, in order to enable Takayama Shigetomo to quickly organize a military force commensurate with his 3,000 kan stipend, word has already spread within the castle that Nobunaga's 100-man foot soldier commander, Kato Tsuguhei, will be given all the samurai captains who will accompany Princess Fuyuhime as her dowry to Takayama Shigetomo.

Historically, all of these people were given to Gamo Ujigo. Otherwise, with the limited resources of the Gamo family, how could they have risen to become a daimyo with a staggering 920,000 koku in such a short time?

This is just the beginning. Once this kid gets going, Nobunaga will add hundreds and thousands of troops and support him, and establish more samurai corps. In less than three to five years, Takayama Shigetomo will become a general commanding a 5,000-strong army.

If you randomly assign two powerful warriors, like Ukita Naoie who has 10,000 men, they can easily gather 30,000 to 50,000 men.

"There's nothing to envy, he's just a handsome man." Shichibei patted Noda Sanbei on the shoulder.

You're only about my height, maybe 1.5 meters at most. Looking like that, you'd be nothing but a tiny radish next to the towering Nobunaga. You really expect Nobunaga to even notice you and offer you his daughter in marriage?

"It's always a bit hard to imagine." Noda Sanbei certainly knew this, but he just sighed.

"Alright, alright, let's go back to our business." Shichibei turned and went back to the shop first.

Just a few days ago, it was said that they might be setting off on an expedition at any moment, and Oda Nobunaga had even begun sending documents to many of his allies. It's completely unexpected that the Miyoshi Triumvirate would be temporarily distracted by a rumor. Well, that's for the best; let the Oda clan rest for another month or two.

Only after the heavy snow melts away at the Asakura residence on the other side of the mountain will there be a need for war.

However, even so, Shichibei still needs to make the necessary preparations. Also, since Kiyosu Castle has been captured, Nobunaga's close friend, Hirate Hirohide, led a thousand men to Kiyosu Castle and became its governor.

Nobunaga had casually asked Shichibei about this before, and Shichibei didn't immediately say Hirano, and they went through a long and complicated process.

Kiyosu Castle suffered numerous breaches due to Nobunaga's fierce attack. Hirate Hirohide not only asked Shichibei for money to repair the castle, but also hoped to purchase large quantities of timber, planks, and lime.

It was likely that Nobunaga ordered him to build limestone walls at Kiyosu Castle. These walls provided protection from rain and offered some defense against arquebus attacks. Now, as a forward base directly facing the Nagashima Ikko-ikki, Kiyosu Castle needed to be reinforced.

To be fair, Nobunaga's brother Hirate seems to be only average in all aspects; he's just an ordinary person. Perhaps his strength lies in his diligence, and also in the fact that he and Nobunaga grew up together.

This is just a small matter, and I'm not even sure I can handle it well. I've asked Shichibei to help me with a large-scale general reorganization of Kiyosu. He's Nobunaga's good brother; I can't refuse him, so I have to help.

A message was sent to Ito Sojuro at the Tsushima branch, instructing him to first dispatch someone to Kiyosu Castle to investigate the necessary materials and supplies, and then to procure timber through the Kawasaki clan in Kiso River and timber merchants in Tsushima. Lime was also readily available; Owari is not located near mountains, but it is by the sea, and Ise Bay is rich in shellfish.

It can be scooped up, dried, and burned to make lime. This stuff also has a nickname, "shell lime," and both Kato Kiyomasa and Ikeda Terumasa liked to use it. Later, Kumamoto Castle and Himeji Castle used shell lime when plastering their exterior walls.

It's unclear whether Nobunaga will launch another attack on Nagashima or Asakura after repairing Kiyosu Castle.

Chapter 229 Finally Acquired the Spy

Tut tut...

So, according to you, aside from sending someone to guard the city, the money came from Shichibei, the materials were provided by Shichibei, and the city was built by Shichibei. If we keep indulging you like this, you guys are really planning to dump all the work on us, aren't you?

From now on, you'll be responsible for fighting; you can wash your hands of everything else. Since you control the army, you're not afraid of anything going wrong. Huh? That's ridiculous.

That's really something.

Nobunaga was the same...

A few days later, Takayama Shigetomo, along with his father Takayama Tomoteru and the fifty-odd retainers his father had given him, rushed back to Gifu Castle. According to Nobunaga's wishes, marriage within his own household was very simple. Even the residences under Gifu Castle were already prepared; Saito Tatsuoki's residence under Gifu Castle had simply been confiscated.