Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Chapter 259 Everyone's fighting is just an act

Nobutada nodded, promising to do his utmost to produce a legitimate son for the Oda clan. The father and son were practically exchanging advice. There was nothing to be shy about; if there was a throne to inherit, this was a serious matter.

Just as the two were getting into a pleasant conversation, Mori Nagayoshi, who was guarding the gate, knocked on the barrier door, saying that Lord Sakamoto Akechi had sent someone to report military intelligence. Upon hearing that it was military intelligence, and that matters of state were ranked slightly higher than having a son in terms of serious matters, the father and son immediately fell silent.

Historically, Mori Nagayoshi was the eldest male member of the Mori family after Mori Yoshinari's death in battle, so he directly took command of the troops and never served as Nobunaga's attendant. In this world, since Mori Yoshinari is alive and well, according to custom, Mori Nagayoshi served Nobunaga as both a hostage and a page and attendant.

Well, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the future "Oni Musashi" has already slept with Nobunaga. Nobunaga has been at the Takatsuki front for months, launching his campaign before the snow had melted, and it's almost summer now before he's withdrawing. Doesn't he have any entertainment on the battlefield?

Besides, Mori Ranmaru has already become Nobunaga's page. How wonderful! The rich live a life of luxury. Others have sisters who fly together, Nobunaga had brothers who flew together.

This is Japan's Warring States period!

Once granted entry, Akechi Hidemitsu bowed very respectfully to Oda Nobunaga and Nobutada, and then brought news of Akechi Mitsuhide's victory in suppressing the Kitayama Rebellion. More than 500 were killed in battle, and more than 1,000 were captured. Many of the Kitayama Rebellion's generals were also captured, and their heads had been sent to Gifu with Akechi Hidemitsu, awaiting Nobunaga's inspection.

Upon hearing the news, Nobunaga expressed his gratitude for Mitsuhide's efforts and was considering whether to reward him in some way. After all, he had contributed to the war effort; perhaps a couple of fine horses or a couple of good swords would be appropriate. Of course, a bottle or jar would also be suitable, as the samurai tea ceremony was gradually gaining popularity, and bestowing fine tea utensils would also be a fitting reward.

As a result, Akechi Hidemitsu, who was kneeling below, immediately reported that a gold treasury at the gate of Enryaku-ji Temple had been discovered, containing approximately 20,000 kan of valuables. The treasury has now been sealed, and the matter is to be decided by the Emperor.

ha?

Those old bald monks at Enryaku-ji Temple are really rich! They found a gold treasury and it cost them 20,000 kan? Ever since Nobunaga embarked on the path of unifying Japan, he has never complained about having too much money.

Well, that's settled then. Nobunaga didn't even bother with pretense; he immediately declared that since it was Mitsuhide who discovered the gold, and it was within his territory, then they would follow the "five public and five private" procedure: half would go to Nobunaga, and the other half would be given to Mitsuhide as a reward.

Upon receiving the order, Hidemitsu immediately bowed to Nobunaga and expressed his deep gratitude.

Once this chapter is over, the matter of Kinzo at Enryaku-ji Temple will be considered out in the open, Nobunaga will have divided the spoils, and there will be no further investigation. Even if it is later discovered that Akechi Mitsuhide had concealed some more money, it will not be a big deal.

Nobunaga, unaware of the situation, unexpectedly gained an extra ten thousand kan. Mitsuhide, on the other hand, traded his wealth for peace of mind; now he could openly spend the money he obtained from Enryaku-ji Temple—his money was laundered.

Only Shichibei, who was on the front lines at Katata, was somewhat bewildered. Before he arrived, Mitsuhide and the Kitayama rebels had been locked in fierce fighting, going back and forth. Today you burn down my outpost, tomorrow I'll raid your village. They fought for over half a month without losing many men.

When Shichibei arrived at the front lines to see his younger brother Takatora, Mitsuhide launched a decisive military offensive, defeating the rebels and killing five hundred in just two days.

In addition, the Ming army itself also lost thirty-eight named martial artists, a relatively small loss, and the results were quite respectable. Was it just the previous back-and-forth and maneuvering?

play!

A description suddenly popped into Shichibei's mind: it felt a bit like a performance-style battle. It was like the later story that during the Battle of Odawara, Hideyoshi ordered Ishida Mitsunari to flood Oshi Castle in order to recreate his famous siege of Bitchu Takamatsu Castle, in order to put on a grand performance-style battle.

While this claim is controversial, Oshi Castle might indeed have had a performative element to it. After all, Ishida Mitsunari's army of over 20,000 included a large number of generals such as Sanada Masayuki, Sanada Yukimura, Naoe Kanetsugu, Satake Yoshinobu, and Ōtani Yoshitsugu. A direct confrontation would likely have been sufficient to capture it.

The city was defended by only five hundred soldiers, along with three thousand civilians who had taken refuge inside. Ishida Mitsunari's decision to use a water attack instead of a direct assault suggests he had some ulterior motives.

Looking back at the tug-of-war between Akechi Mitsuhide and the Kitayama Rebels, Shichibei suddenly had some thoughts. Mitsuhide's loyalty to Nobunaga was one thing, but avoiding being dragged to other battlefields by Nobunaga was perhaps another matter entirely.

Fighting in Shiga and Takashima districts, close to Sakamoto Castle, supplies were readily available. The opposing Kitayama Ikki were not particularly strong either; the conflict was a stalemate, and as long as the war continued, Nobunaga would be unable to withdraw Mitsuhide.

Compared to going to other, more troublesome battlefields, it's much more enjoyable to be on home ground in Shiga County right now.

Wow, if Mitsuhide already possesses the skill of performance at this stage, what about the other generals of the Oda army? It's hard to say for sure, but historically, Sakuma Nobumori's siege of Ishiyama Honganji Temple later had a performative aspect; he claimed to be attacking, but was actually just slacking off. He didn't put much effort into the siege, but he was quite adept at raiding Osaka town.

Wait, there seems to be a theory that Hideyoshi deliberately made his attack on Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu County seem difficult to conquer. He put on a good show to justify asking Oda Nobunaga for help, and then conveniently give the credit for pacifying the Mori clan to Oda Nobutada, who sent reinforcements.

Tut tut...

Upon closer reflection, it's possible that many of Oda Nobunaga's generals possessed a talent for performance. While these are all unsubstantiated speculations, even unofficial historical accounts, though seemingly unreliable, must adhere to certain logic to have survived for so long, albeit with elements of truth.

Now that Mitsuhide had wiped out the Kitayama Rebellion, Shichibei was happy to have some peace and quiet, and could take our vassals and retainers back to Gifu to rest for a few days. The most excited was Todo Takatora, who received a hundred kan of credit for his hometown from Shichibei and flew home to "return home in glory".

He made a pact with Shichibei that he would spend ten or eight days at home recruiting a few loyal followers to fight alongside him, and then go to Gifu to serve Shichibei.

A samurai with 100 kan (a unit of currency) was required to maintain a horse and have a groom. In battle, he also needed two infantrymen as attendants and a flag bearer to carry his rank. It wasn't as simple as giving him 100 kan and spending it. He had to provide military service in accordance with this requirement to be considered a dutiful servant.

That's a reasonable request. I heard that Hideyoshi and Asai Nagamasa also defeated Higashiwakasa. I guess Todo Takatora is going there to give his returning brother, Todo Takanobu, a chance to prove himself and secure a future, thus gaining a proper social standing.

The Tōdō family seems to have four or five brothers, and if you include cousins, there are more than a dozen or twenty. After all, they are a wealthy family that controls two or three villages. If any of the brothers can make it big, they can bring several others along to work together.

That's why everyone likes to recruit people with some connections; it's mainly for quick organization building. If Tōdō Takatora could get a higher salary, it wouldn't be impossible for him to build a reserve force of two or three hundred men. After all, if twenty cousins ​​went together, each leading ten soldiers, that would be a force of two hundred.

Besides, he has sisters, and if he can bring their husbands along, he could potentially organize a force of 500 men.

Having taken over most of Sakata County, Hideyoshi's power was bound to expand significantly. By absorbing the wealthy landowners in Kohoku who hadn't been annexed by Azai Nagamasa, the Hashiba retainers would gradually form the Omi faction.

By the way, speaking of the Omi samurai group, the three who betrayed Sekigahara—Kuchiki Motonatsuna, Ogawa Yutada, and Akaza Naoyasu—were previously searched for by Shichibei, who had already seen two of them in person.

However, in Japan, there are five members in the Four Heavenly Kings, and naturally, there are four in the trio. There is also Wakisaka Yasuharu, because his family later transformed from an outside daimyo under the Tokugawa shogunate to a hereditary daimyo, making them quite different from the other three families.

Have we found this person?

No.

I consulted Ogawa Yutada and Akao Kiyotsuna, who had previously besieged Kamajima Castle. There is indeed a powerful clan in Kohoku called Wakisaka, but the head of the family is Wakisaka Yasuaki. Normally, in this backwater of Japan, it's not uncommon for one person to have thirty or fifty names, but this Wakisaka Yasuaki is almost sixty years old this year.

There's no way he could have participated in the Battle of Sekigahara, so this person definitely wasn't part of the Sekigahara defection group. Then Shichibei would ask, "Where's your son?"

Congratulations on your fortune! This Mr. Yasuaki Wakisaka is sixty years old and has no son.

Therefore, in this current dimension, Wakisaka Yasuharu doesn't exist yet. The general, one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake, doesn't even know whose son he is right now. He'll only consider adopting a son once Wakisaka Yasuharu has completely given up hope and is certain he truly can't have one.

Hopefully, Shichibei won't mess up history, because if he does, not only will Japanese history be changed, but Korean "history" will also be changed.

Because later Korean films like "Immortal Yi Sun-sin" and "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" depict their invincible number one general in the universe, Yi Sun-sin, who surpassed Napoleon to become the number one general on Earth, had no rival named Yasuharu Wakisaka to fight.

After all, as the second male lead, Yasuharu Wakisaka is known as "the greatest enemy general of the Japanese navy and the highest-ranking general of the Japanese army, who played the lead role of Yi Sun-sin".

Poor thing...

So, our task of collecting traitors is still a long and arduous one. Let's head back to Gifu. The main army is disbanded, but Shichibei cannot be disbanded. Upon hearing that Shichibei and Hanawa Naomasa, Hachiya Yoritaka, and others who went to support Mitsuhide have returned, Nobunaga wants to hear the firsthand battle report and also needs to discuss and plan for the next phase of the operation.

Nobunaga hadn't heard that Shichibei had found a 1.92-meter-tall hunk. If he had, he might have had Shichibei bring Todo Takatora up for a spin. Right now, Nobunaga only had one thing to do: this year, because Nobunaga's main force had been away for a long time, he was in a standoff with the anti-Nobunaga coalition.

At the same time, a considerable standing army must be maintained in the Kinai region to guard against Ashikaga Yoshiaki's rebellion. So, should the Kawamura family have enough money for Nobunaga to launch a distant expedition to Echizen, or should they attack Nagashima, which is nearby?

It's getting hot soon, so let's not fight for now and take a few days off.

After resting, the fighting continues. Nobunaga needs to check in advance how much money he has left in the Kawamura-ya store and how much he can lend to Shichibei.

Hey, just hit me wherever you want, why are you asking me?

War serves politics, not our Kawamura-ya. Nobunaga asked a question, so how could Shichibei answer, "We don't have money, so stop fighting?"

The question posed was whether to attack Echizen, which was farther away, or Nagashima, which was closer, indicating that Nobunaga intended to attack. Since he was going to attack anyway, why bother about distance?

It's completely unnecessary.

Before Nobunaga could finish speaking, Shichibei declared that he would do his utmost to provide whatever Nobunaga needed, no matter the amount. Basically, as long as Nobunaga asked, and as long as Shichibei had the funds, he would give it all to Nobunaga.

Spend money however you want, as much as you want.

Clearly, Nobunaga was pleased with this answer, clapping his hands and thanking Shichibei for his hard work. He then turned and asked about Hanawa Naomasa and Hachiya Yoritaka's whereabouts, and how the Kitayama Rebellion was progressing.

The matter of fighting had little to do with Shichibei. Shichibei stated that he still had to go back to deal with the disbandment of the Kawamura Army and left the Tondani Residence.

He went home to see his wife and baby, and casually inquired about the business. As soon as he entered, Inase Yoshinari provided Shichibei with crucial "military intelligence": the horses the Takeda family was selling at the Kurikawa village house this year were not only of poor quality but also few in number.

At its peak, the Takeda clan exported over a thousand horses to the Kawamuraya family annually. Even these were just ordinary packhorses, the kind that only stood 1.2 meters tall at the shoulder, but the quantity certainly didn't shortchange Shichibei. Kai and Shinano didn't have many resources to exchange, so horses grazing on local ranches were a significant export item.

As a result, it's already early summer this year, and the Takeda family has only sent less than two hundred horses. Not a single warhorse, and riding horses are pitifully few as well. Most of them are inferior horses that can only be used for plowing and ordinary pack horses, and they keep making excuses when we try to buy more.

Tsk, it seems like war is about to break out; they're not even trying to hide it from people anymore.

It was indeed important military intelligence. There was no other way but Shichibei, who had just left the Totani Residence, had to run off to the castle to report the matter to Nobunaga.

Nobunaga was still discussing with his legion commanders. Since the Battle of Shizugatake had been fought at the beginning of the year and Asakura Yoshikage had been completely defeated, Nobunaga's goals had become unclear.

Should we completely eliminate Yoshikage, or deal with the threat from within, Nagashima, first?

Nobunaga was still puzzled when he saw Shichibei walk in again. After Shichibei explained the situation, Nobunaga visibly breathed a sigh of relief. The two large armies of Sakuma Nobumori and Tokugawa Ieyasu were both unable to operate and could only remain stationary.

bother!

The most frustrating thing is the current situation. Although we suspect that Takeda Shingen is going to rebel, we don't know exactly when. Preparing for a rebellion today and issuing warnings tomorrow consumes more energy than directly attacking the enemy.

Chapter 260 Can Asai be transferred to a new fiefdom?

Sometimes you see, even the Oda clan has a bit of a makeshift operation. Oda Nobunaga and his senior retainers discussed things back and forth, even while riding horses, hunting, and eating, but in the end, they still decided to attack Nagashima.

The reason is simple: if they attack Nagashima, Oda's main army is in Nobi, allowing them to react quickly to any eventuality. If they attack Echizen, the distance is about 200 kilometers. A retreat would take a long time, and they might not be able to catch up.

Asakura Yoshikage was somewhat lucky, and he escaped another calamity.

What can we do? It would have been better if we hadn't known that Takeda Shingen was about to betray us. If we hadn't known, Nobunaga might already be leading 20,000 men to attack Echizen.

By the way, I haven't heard that the heads of Horimura and Higuchi Naofabu have been returned to Sakata County for burial. If nothing unexpected happens, these two will probably end up as wine cups.

Tut tut...

Returning to the matter of attacking Nagashima, attacking Nagashima is a good idea. Logistics can be set up directly on Tsushima, and Shichibei won't even need to leave Gifu. The overall supply chain can be managed by Ito Sojuro of the Tsushima branch.

Most of the transportation and procurement tasks can be ordered directly from the Tsushima clique. They don't even need to pay; once the war is over, they can settle accounts with Shichibei.

The tasks assigned to the legion commanders were simple: Tsushima had a large fleet of ships, and water transport was convenient. Ever since Nobunaga ordered the execution of Yamada Miyasu's butler, the Fukushima family, the entire Ise Bay had been very obedient. Tsushima, Anotsu, and Ominato all registered their ships and owners, and gave a detailed list to Shichibei for filing.

If something goes wrong, they'll name names directly. If someone's boat is missing, and they can't give a proper explanation, they'll kill the whole family.

Let Nagashima Ganshoji build his own ship, or if he's capable, let him buy one from Hakata and Kishu. Even if he's capable of buying one, he'll still need to be able to get past Kuki Yoshitaka's interception on Kumano Beach.

After a quick inspection of Tsushima Island and confirming that the ships were ready, Shichibei felt relieved. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that Nobunaga only had a record of mobilizing over 120,000 troops in one direction during the campaign against the Nagashima Ikko-ikki.

This was probably also related to the ease of local resupply in their hometown of Tsushima. In other directions, even when fighting in the Battle of Nagashino, the combined forces of the Origami and Tokugawa forces numbered only 30,000 to 40,000. In the battles against Anegawa, Noda-Fukushima, and Tonezaka, the forces did not exceed 50,000.

Afterwards, Nobunaga promoted the separation of soldiers and farmers, and did not lead large-scale peasant-soldiers, which was ultimately related to the fact that logistics were too troublesome.

However, the current Nobunaga doesn't have this concept, because he uses his commercial monopoly and 7,200 kan stipend to support a logistics captain. He completely washes his hands of these matters, ignoring them entirely. If something goes wrong, he arrests Shichibei and holds him accountable.

Nobunaga was informed that everything was going well on Tsushima Island, and he was writing a letter to Takayama Shigetomo. Although Shigetomo was his son-in-law, Nobunaga didn't discriminate when it came to ordering people around. Now that Takayama Shigetomo was almost fully recovered and able to resume his duties, he had to fight for Nobunaga.

While the various factions within Settsu are currently wavering due to Nakagawa Kiyohide's departure, we should exert all our strength to pacify Settsu and weaken the forces of Ikeda Tomomasa, Araki Murashige, and Itami Chikaoki. The benefits of pacifying Settsu will be immense, and Nobunaga is quite generous with his rewards.

Shichibei was involved in the entire process, so Nobunaga didn't shy away from writing it down, signing it, sealing it in a bag, and ordering his servant to send it to Takatsuki Castle.

After finishing one matter, Nobunaga took out another letter, which was signed by Hideyoshi. Upon taking it, he read that Hideyoshi and Azai Nagamasa had captured several monks from Hiraizumi-ji Temple in Echizen-ono District after pacifying Higashi-Wakasa.

The monks of Hiraizumi-ji Temple in Echizen were a military force that often boasted of its martial prowess. Because the Ōno clan of the Asakura family had long fought on the front lines against the Kaga Ikko-ikki, the Hiraizumi-ji monks had also become a well-tested and highly reliable army.

However, after suffering two major defeats, Yoshikage escaped alone on horseback each time. Even Heisenji Temple, which was deeply tied to the Asakura family, was now shaken.

According to Hideyoshi, he hoped to release all the monks captured in Jiangbei and Higashi-Wakasa, and give them some money so that they could escape back to Heisen-ji Temple.

The reason for asking Nobunaga was that they hoped Nobunaga would provide a written guarantee of the safety and security of Hiraizumi-ji Temple, but they had to renounce the agreement and support Nobunaga.

Echizen is definitely going to be attacked; the last time Echizen was attacked, no efforts were made to win over the local forces. While there is still some time, Hideyoshi wants to take the initiative to win over some of the local forces in Echizen for Nobunaga. This will be necessary whether he acts as a guide for Nobunaga or uses local strongmen to govern the area after eliminating Asakura.

Nobunaga naturally agreed to this, and had already written back to Hideyoshi. He stated that if Nobunaga later marched into Echizen and Hiraizumi-ji was able to raise an army in support, then past transgressions would be forgiven and the territory would be safe.

He summoned Shichibei to inquire, based on Shichibei's understanding of Hideyoshi, whether assisting Hideyoshi in strengthening his army to 20,000 men would make it possible to independently conquer Echizen and eliminate the Asakura clan.