Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

It's reasonable to speculate that historically, Nobunaga insisted on supporting Kitabatake Nobukatsu because he lacked a capable general from his own clan. Now that Oda Nobukatsu has suffered a major humiliation and is no longer useful, Nobunaga would naturally turn his attention to his brother, Oda Nobuhiro, hoping he would continue to lead the army as a general from his own clan.

Although Nobuhiro's abilities were mediocre, at least he understood how to fight and knew how to escape. With that level of skill, he would definitely be more useful as a guard of the home front than someone like Kitabatake Nobuo.

"Your subject will go to visit your father now." Shichibei did not want Nobuhiro to die either, since he had no son left if Nobuhiro died.

According to Japanese custom, a son-in-law is very likely to serve as a meidai (female regent) or jindai (military regent) to oversee military and political affairs before the heir apparent is young. Perhaps Nobunaga would have given one of his sons to Nobuhiro as an adopted son, but how would Shichibei lead Nobuhiro's 5,000-man army?

The current force of 500 men was only formed through collective wisdom. If Shichibei were given 5,000 men and his own 4,000, then 9,000 men would be the largest in the entire Oda clan's army.

It's likely that Shichibei will have to be made the commander-in-chief of the attack on Ishiyama Honganji, or the commander-in-chief of the Harima Mori region, which would definitely cost Shichibei half his life.

Hoping that Oda Nobuhiro would not die, Shichibei rode swiftly back to Kiyosu Castle. At this time, the castle was still full of wounded soldiers, and the place was filled with soldiers who had retreated from Mikatagahara.

Those with minor injuries were caring for the seriously wounded. Not only were ordinary village doctors available, but even the veterinarians from the riverside villages were all in the city at this moment. There was no other way; thousands upon thousands of wounded soldiers were crammed into Kiyosu City, lying everywhere.

Inside the castle, after asking around, I learned that Oda Nobuhiro's wife and daughter had already come from Gifu to take care of him. And you know what? Nobuhiro's vitality is quite strong. Although his right eye is definitely blind and he's unconscious, he's still alive and breathing steadily, so he probably hasn't developed any complications.

The flags and emblems of the Murakami Navy ships, as well as the price of the dabetsury (traffic and security fare), could not be found.

Chapter 284 Taking Over the Sixth Daughter

Let's not even mention Oda Nobuhiro's wife, she was my adoptive mother. His daughter was Niwa Nagahide's wife, wasn't she? We'd met before. She married Niwa Nagahide, who was twice her age, when she was only a teenager, then gave birth to Niwa Nagashige, and then Niwa Nagashige married her cousin. You see, the relationships are like that.

However, working as a low-ranking official in the Oda clan was a lucrative career, especially for someone from Owari province. Nobunaga was truly willing to invest heavily. Niwa Nagahide married Nobuhiro's daughter, and Niwa Nagashige married Nobunaga's daughter. If Oda had gained control of the country later, Nobutada's daughter would likely have married Niwa Nagashige's son as well.

Even in his father-in-law's house, there isn't a single male in the family, so moving Oda Nobuhiro is a struggle right now.

Ask him. Oda Nobuhiro woke up twice. The first time, he cried out in pain, "Ouch, ouch," saying he was about to die. He told them, "You should remarry, or seek refuge with Nobunaga or Shichibei." After saying this, he fainted again.

The second time, he didn't cry out in pain as much. He said he owed Shichibei 500 taels of gold and 3,000 kan of cash, but there was no written IOU. He seemed unlikely to come looking for it, so he told them to go ask him for the money again while he was still alive.

Ok.

hmmmm?

You old bastard! I rode for hours on horseback to see you, and you're still scheming against me in your old age. No way, write an IOU right now, whether he's awake or not, just put his fingerprint on it.

As soon as he stood up, Shichibei realized something was wrong. If Old Deng could deploy things like this, then his thinking was clearly clear and his logic was very natural and smooth.

This at least proves that his brain wasn't damaged by Sange Morimitsu's arrows!

So what if his right eye is blind? He still has another eye. Our cheapskate father-in-law, he usually seems so timid and servile, but he's got a lot of cunning inside him. Losing an eye won't affect his performance at all.

They summoned a doctor again. As "Nobunaga's elder brother," the head of the Oda clan's inner circle, a chief retainer, and a senior general, Oda Nobuhiro received the highest level of treatment in Noohiro. He heard the doctor had studied at a major temple in Kyoto and was currently a resident monk there—a truly experienced and seasoned traditional Japanese doctor.

After careful questioning, the old doctor also said that Oda Nobuhiro was quite lucky this time, mainly because he was brought back for treatment in a timely manner. He was first hit by three arrows, one of which got stuck in a fold of grass, so let's not talk about that. The other two arrows were not vital at all, and it was also because his armor was good, specially made.

Unlike ordinary soldiers, they were dressed in secondhand clothes that had been freshly painted.

The arrow that hit his right eye was dangerous, but Oda Nobuhiro charged forward and killed Sange no Morimitsu, causing the Takeda army to retreat. It must have been the surge in his various energies that kept him afloat, plus the presence of Toudou Takatora, who was 1.92 meters tall and whose weight made carrying him feel like carrying a beautiful woman, as he sprinted back.

They were the first to stop the bleeding and get bandaged, the first to receive treatment, and the most attentive care.

As that Nightingale nurse discovered, many wounded soldiers on the battlefield don't actually die. With just a certain level of proper care, they can recover and return to their units.

Xiahou Dun pulled out his own eyeballs and put them in his mouth; it worked just as well. That Sima Shi, I heard, even had eye surgery. But later, in a fit of anger and anxiety, his eyeballs exploded, and he died for nothing.

In summary, it's about being able to survive, right?

It can survive.

"As long as I can live, that's all that matters," Shichibei thought, patting himself down. Remembering that the old doctor was a resident priest at a temple, he immediately asked for the temple's name. After confirming, he wrote a petition on the spot, offering his annual income of thirty kan (a unit of currency) from a village in Mino-Kana to the temple.

On the fifth day of the first month of the fourth year of Genki, Kawamura Shichibei signed his monogram.

Sure enough, the official received his certificate of appointment and was beaming with joy. What were a hundred or fifty taels of silver compared to the fixed, hereditary real estate income? That was the best and most satisfying thing.

By the way, the New Year has already passed. While Nobunaga, Nobukatsu, Shichibei and others were working on the Ōkawachi Castle project, the year had already arrived in Genki 4, which is 1573 AD.

Historically, the era name would be changed to Tensho this year. As for whether it will be changed now? That's unknown for now. It depends on when Takeda Shingen kicks the bucket and when Makishima Castle is captured.

Alright, since my adoptive father is doing well, then there's nothing more to it. You all continue to take good care of him, and Shichibei can go back and report to Oda Nobunaga.

On Okazaki's side, things were the same as always. Apart from the little incident with Nobuo, the soldiers all received sake and sweet buns for the New Year. The Takeda clan across the street also seemed to be having some celebrations. Both sides were clearly showing that they couldn't do anything to each other.

The Hyakuzuku of the Takeda clan served as messengers, and occasionally as vanguards and scouts. The Oda army's Okazaki clan, along with Nobunaga's Mizuno Nobumoto and others, fought against the Takeda clan's Hyakuzuku and spies for over half a month, unable to defeat each other.

Later, the Takeda army brought local samurai from Okumikawa to scout, but they were all locals, and they were exhausted from fighting each other, so they didn't achieve anything.

Once a stalemate is established, it will likely become a battle of willpower and vitality.

Upon hearing that his beloved older brother had become a one-eyed dragon, Nobunaga pursed his lips and simply replied, "My older brother always seems to have a knack for escaping with his life."

Of course! Back then, hundreds and thousands of people died defending Ansho Castle, yet he was captured by Zen Master Taigen Sessai. The rebellion against Nobunaga had already been orchestrated with Isshiki Yoshitatsu, and the plan was complete. Nobunaga had even left the castle when he suddenly realized something was wrong, turned back, and kicked Nobuhiro, waking him up.

In recent years, he has followed Nobunaga to fight everywhere. Whether he was guarding the main camp or serving as Nobunaga's vanguard, he has always survived unscathed and never suffered any mishaps, no matter how dangerous the situation.

"..." Shichibei didn't reply. He's lucky to be blind in his right eye.

But thinking about it, he seems to have died on Long Island at that point in history, so if that's the case, he was indeed very lucky.

"Send someone to Kyoto again and invite the head of the Keidein Temple, Seishikusai," Nobunaga said after thinking for a moment, perhaps feeling it was unreliable, but still giving this instruction.

Qidi Institute? That name sounds familiar... Oh well, Shichibei didn't care. Since it's a doctor even Nobunaga is famous for, he's probably a good doctor. I'll just send someone to Kyoto to invite him.

Even if the consultation fee were one hundred taels of gold, it wouldn't be worth as much as Oda Nobuhiro's life.

With Nobuhiro alive, Nobunaga didn't need to worry about his back. He could charge forward boldly, with Nobuhiro watching over him from behind.

"The main hall!" Shichibei was about to get up when he saw a familiar face.

That's Takigawa Osamu, the one who was adopted as his heir by Takigawa Kazumasu. He used to be a monk and even served as a hostage for Shichibei for a few days. Why is he here now?

"Go on," Nobunaga said. He didn't gesture for Shichibei to step aside, and Takigawa Yutoshi knew that Shichibei was a senior retainer of the Oda clan.

"The day before yesterday, the Minamisai Valley was attacked by mountain bandits, and fourteen people, including Lieutenant General Kitabatake, were killed!" Takikawa Yutoshi brought news that Nobunaga had been hoping for.

"Such a traitor! Immediately order the Kizuki Hyogo to send troops to punish him!" Nobunaga acted quite convincingly, showing a moment of anger on the spot.

Standing to the side, Shichibei's opinion of Takigawa Kazumasu rose even higher. The old man was incredibly efficient. It had only taken seven or eight days, from recruiting to killing, and now the killing was done clearly and efficiently—that was remarkably fast.

No wonder Nobunaga valued this kid; he's got the skills, and his methods are ruthless enough, tsk tsk tsk...

"Understood." Takikawa Yutoshi must have been personally involved in this matter, and he's acting quite convincingly right now.

"Why don't you send someone to Luoyang? We can submit a memorial together and ask for a posthumous honor." Nobunaga said this expressionlessly.

Kitabatake Tomonori certainly had reason to look down on Oda Nobunaga, having already been appointed Junior Third Rank Middle Counselor in 1557. Oda Nobunaga, on the other hand, hadn't even been appointed Junior Third Rank yet, and was still the so-called "King of the Land."

It's no wonder Kitabatake was outwardly convinced but inwardly resentful. In Japan, reaching the rank of Junior Third Rank meant transcending the human realm, almost like becoming an immortal. If we were to posthumously confer a title upon him, he could probably be ranked as a Junior Second Rank Dainagon.

"Yes." This is easy to handle; Kitabatake Tomokyo was already entitled to a posthumous honor anyway.

As for the officials of the Warring States and Three Kingdoms periods, they were half nobles and half warriors, and had close ties with the imperial court. It was fortunate that Nobunaga was able to restrain himself, only killing Kitabatake Tomonori and not Kitabatake Tomofusa, thus not severing the Kitabatake clan's name.

At most, the court might have some doubts, but without the power to openly question him, those doubts simply don't exist. At worst, they could bring Kitabatake Tomofusa to Kyoto to make an appearance and give him a show of himself.

Seeing Kitabatake Tomofusa alive and kicking, even the court nobles who had some suspicions would tend to believe that he had indeed been attacked by mountain bandits. There were plenty of small gangs engaged in illegal activities in the Koga, Iga, Kumano, and Yamato regions near southern Ise.

In fact, Takigawa Kazumasu was also part of this small gang, but he had laundered his money, gone ashore, and now had a legitimate identity. Those who hadn't laundered their money were left with no choice but to continue their low-risk, low-return business.

Shichibei had already turned and left the residence of Nobunaga when a page came out and said that the lord had another order to tell Shichibei.

What?

Kitabatake Tomonori, who was "murdered," had six young daughters. Because Kitabatake Tomofusa was to be completely confined afterward, and Kitabatake Nobuo was also confined, and Kitabatake Tomochika had been killed the previous year, there was really no one to take care of them all. So Nobunaga's idea was to have Shichibei raise all six little girls.

Wow, Kitabatake Tomoro has an incredible fertility! He's only been in seclusion for a few years, and he's already fathered six daughters? This is almost on par with Nishi-Ueno's father-in-law!

Historically, these daughters were likely the principal wives of figures like Naomitsu Fuwa, Yoshifuyu Tsugawa, and Naomasa Tamaru. It was Kitabatake Nobuo who arranged their marriages.

Tamaru Naomasa was also a man of hidden talent. When Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Koyama Committee, only Sanada Masayuki and Tamaru Naomasa fled. Everyone seemed to know about Sanada Masayuki, but few knew about Tamaru Naomasa.

But that's a story for later. Nobunaga sent Shichibei to pick up the six little girls. Mitsugaya was definitely no longer a place to stay; it was probably littered with severed limbs.

Speaking of this, does Nobunaga recall that Tatsuoki's daughter was raised in Shichibei's household?

Who cares, as long as it's not a boy. In Japan's Warring States period, if you wanted to cause trouble, you at least had to be a man. Ryūshō's son was only a few years old, and he was still killed.

There's no reason not to kill anyone whose body isn't higher than a wheel; all men are killed.

Let Ota Gyuichi go to Mitsugaya. He's the "official historian," after all; if he goes, he can at least record it as a bandit attack. If he doesn't go, then who knows how much unofficial history will go on there.

While he's still unaware of the full story, let's clear Nobunaga's name. Later in the "Nobunaga Chronicle," it will be stated that Kitabatake Chūjō was unfortunately killed by mountain bandits.

Lord Nobunaga treated his children well!

How kind!

The six girls were quickly brought to Gifu Castle by Ota Gyuichi. The young general, who was guarding the castle, was quite surprised to see six little girls, the oldest of whom could only be led around by hand. Even if Shichibei was incredibly brave, he couldn't possibly manage to keep six girls out so close together, could he?

Once Ota sat down, he handed her Shichibei's letter, and she understood what he meant. Sigh, those two tremblings of Shichibei's—others might not know, but how could the young admiral not?

He can have six in a year? Are you kidding me?

Upon learning that she was Kitabatake Tomonori's daughter, the young general felt a pang of sympathy. Their mothers were all concubines, without any official status. In Japan, there was indeed a distinction between principal wives, concubines with established titles, and maids without titles or status. This distinction was most evident in the cases of Tokugawa Hidetada's daughter and Princess.

At that time, the imperial court intended for her to be brought into the palace as a concubine first, and then formally made empress after giving birth. Tokugawa Hidetada refused to accept this and directly turned against the imperial envoy. He argued that a concubine who was promoted to empress was still a concubine at heart; only the empress could be brought in as the principal wife.

In the end, she was publicly carried into the Forbidden City as Empress to Emperor Mizuno.

In the homes of ordinary people or lower-ranking samurai, this thing was of little use. But among the ruling class, such as feudal lords and daimyo, there were still distinctions based on social status.

So none of the maids who gave birth were taken by Ota Gyuichi. Some returned to their original families, such as local families in Mitsugaya, and remarried. Some became nuns, while others found new families and continued to serve samurai.

The young general didn't think much of having six more girls in his family. During Japan's Sengoku period, samurai died one after another, and it was common for them to raise other people's children. Honda Tadakatsu was raised by his uncle and fellow villagers.

Stay here, the house is big anyway. It's just that we don't have enough wet nurses right now. The young master's own resources aren't even enough to feed the baby, so the baby has to go out and eat milk from many different families.

Oh dear, it's this family's daughter. I wonder what will happen to her in the future.

Chapter 285 Starting to Reorganize the Underdogs

After entering the fourth year of Genki, it seemed that Nobunaga's good days had begun. First, the Mino region, which had been under threat, especially Kanayama Castle, was completely relieved of its siege.

Because of the heavy snowfall on the Nakasendo Road, Saito Tatsuoki and Akiyama Nobuyuki, who were unable to fight or obtain supplies, had no choice but to disband their army. One returned to Iwamura Castle, and the other returned to Meichi Castle.

An'yō-ji and Senjō-ji temples, along with those who hoped to pledge allegiance to Ryūshō and become the new rulers of Mino, collapsed instantly. Kiso Yoshimasa, Kanemaru Sukesaburo, and others all returned to Shinano, taking their armies with them.

Given the impassable snow, five hundred men were more than enough to keep Kanayama Castle in place, making it unnecessary for Sakuma Nobumori to personally guard it and gather an army of over five thousand. The six thousand men under Oda Nobutada of Gifu Castle, who had been on high alert throughout the castle, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In the Kinai region, Hanawa Naomasa and Niwa Nagahide, who had been besieging Makishima Castle for over half a year, finally brought the castle to the point of starvation. Some castle soldiers had already broken away, indicating that the daily food rations were being reduced.

What does reducing the quantity mean? It's self-evident, obvious at a glance.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki and his men in Makishima Castle were like grasshoppers in autumn, their time was short-lived.

Freed from his predicament, Sakuma Nobumori immediately led 5,000 men to Okazaki Castle to take charge of the situation, and replaced Takigawa Kazumasu, who had been forced into the position, as Oda Nobunaga's former military magistrate.