Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

If it's a siege, then let Nobunaga command the attack. If it's a siege, then let Shichibei take care of it; there's no need for him to do anything else.

Nobunaga was quite pleased to see Nobuhiro come, after all, his older brother was still stronger than Kitabatake Nobukatsu. When Oda Nobuhiro walked inside, Nobunaga even got up to help him.

Only his own brother received this treatment. Nobunaga even instructed that a straw ball be made for Nobuhiro to put under his buttocks so that Nobuhiro wouldn't be unable to sit still.

Hmph, Shichibei thought to himself, Old Deng is definitely almost fully recovered. He was even able to put on a show of fainting while chasing after debts with Shichibei.

Judging by the speed at which her mind works and her level of on-the-spot reaction, she's definitely in top form. Who knows if her current state is even a little bit of acting?

Chapter 293 Step by Step

As expected, when the military council was nearing its end, Nobunaga immediately ordered Shichibei to temporarily replace Oda Nobuhiro as commander. At that moment, there was really no one to object; those who had served as rear guards were all big shots, and they were saving everyone's lives.

The reason why Sakuma Nobumori's exile caused such a huge uproar within the Oda clan was simply because he was the last soldier to leave the palace. For all those who died first, being the last soldier was a great favor.

Oda Nobuhiro isn't dead; he's just not fully recovered yet, and he's temporarily handing over the army to Shichibei. If Shichibei were to directly organize a large army of nine thousand men, there might be some objections from the crowd.

After all, using so many people to run small pack animals is more than just a waste.

The reason I brought this up specifically is to set the stage for the beginning. One of the reasons why everyone quickly skipped over Shichibei's plan to bring nine thousand men was that they were waiting for the redistribution of the generals who had been sacrificed by the three parties.

Hayashi Michimasa, who was originally a good representative of the Owari people, lost everything. Several of Nobunaga's uncles and brothers also lost their positions. Their retainers and factions are unlikely to be able to operate independently in the military and political spheres in the short term, so they will be used to strengthen the army commanders for the time being.

In any case, there's no escaping this military service; as long as everyone is alive, they have to come out and carry guns.

As for your question about why you're so eager to allocate troops? First, the more troops you're assigned, the stronger you become personally, and the more secure your position within the Oda clan. Second, with more troops, you can deploy them as vanguards in battle, while you, with your core forces, only need to focus on decisive battles when necessary.

Ultimately, it all boils down to saving face; in this world, there's always a hierarchy of status and order.

Some say that Mitsuhide's direct control was only about 350,000 koku in Omi, Sakamoto, and Tanba provinces, which is clearly lower than the 400,000 koku of Harima under Hideyoshi, or the 490,000 koku of Echizen under Katsuie of Shibata. So why was Akechi Mitsuhide able to bypass those two and directly acquire the combined forces of Sakuma Nobumori?

Ah, it's very simple. Mitsuhide himself only had 350,000 koku, but when you include all his men and their lords, his total koku was over 2.4 million koku.

In fact, he was the second largest army commander in the Oda clan, second only to Sakuma Nobumori. Oda Nobutada was already the head of the Oda clan at this time, and his strength reached three million koku within a month and a half, but this is not included in the overall comparison data.

At that time, most people believed that Mitsuhide was a highly respected and meritorious general in the Oda clan. If one had to rank him, he would definitely be above Hideyoshi, and even more likely above Katsuie.

It was this "artificial" figure of 2.4 million koku that inflated his ego, making him believe that he could muster at least 60,000 to 80,000 men, which would be more than enough to pacify the Kinai region and fend off Hideyoshi and Katsuie who were attacking from both the north and south.

"Competing for favor" was not a viable option for Shichibei. Shichibei's main responsibility was to outsource logistics to Nobunaga's main army; these legions' logistics were outsourced by them. Nobunaga himself had a limit to the territories and retainers he could directly control, and Shichibei's logistics force naturally had a limit as well.

If Nobunaga felt it wasn't enough, he would send people to serve Shichibei himself. After all, he was always watching whether the foot soldiers were getting enough to eat.

In addition, Nobunaga was hit hard by Takeda Shingen at the moment and was still in the throes of battle, not faltering at all.

Hey, why isn't Shingen dead yet? Historically, it's said he died this spring. How come it's already summer and there's still no news of Takeda Shingen's death?

It can't be said that Takeda Shingen issued some order to keep his death a secret for three years, and that his retainers supported Takeda Yoshiyori as the head of the clan to maintain the Takeda family's business.

No secret letters came from his family in Tsutsuzaki-no-kan, Kai Province. Nobunaga's son, Takeda Nobufusa, was also in Kofu at the moment. There was even no word from Inuyama Tessai, who had failed to return to Owari. Since no one had noticed, it was highly likely that he was still alive.

Shingen's breath of immortality has been lingering for quite some time; he hasn't swallowed it yet.

Oda Nobuhiro, like many others, wasn't vying for power this time around. He'd already been boosted to 5,000 men, and he figured he wouldn't be able to reach that level of strength if he had more. Besides, he was getting old, and all he wanted to do was protect Nobunaga's rear end and prevent others from interfering with it.

So Nobuhiro directly waved to Shichibei, meaning he wanted Shichibei to help him up so he could leave early.

With one less competitor, the senior retainers on either side were still there celebrating Nobuhiro's passing. Niwa Nagahide, who was sitting to Nobuhiro's left, quickly went to help him up. Only after handing Nobuhiro over to Shichibei did he return to his seat with a grin.

Nobunaga, fully aware of his brother's thoughts, ignored Nobuhiro and simply told him to rest well at home and recover soon. He then waved to the page kneeling behind him, seeing the person off on his behalf.

The Titonani Residence boasts a garden and pond as large as Oda Castle, the residence of the Oda clan in Kanto. It was a pleasant time of day, and even Nobuhiro felt invigorated by the breeze. After chatting with Shichibei for quite some time, walking several hundred meters to the gate, he finally got into a sedan chair and was carried home.

Those Japanese palanquins? You might as well ride an oxcart.

Stuffing a person into a tin can like a lump of meat is pure torture. Anyway, Shichibei would never like riding in a Japanese palanquin; he'd rather ride a horse.

After circling back to the large pond, which was several hundred meters wide, and then passing through the covered walkway, they returned to their residence and sat down. Well, all the resources had already been distributed; Nobunaga really hadn't intended to leave Shichibei a couple.

Did you just ask if Nobuhiro got into the sedan chair and went back? Of course, I personally stuffed him into a sardine can.

"That's settled then," Nobunaga began his concluding remarks. He simply encouraged everyone, saying that once Echizen was captured, everyone would have meat to eat, and even those who didn't would have soup to drink.

In addition, Akechi Mitsuhide, who rarely makes it to Gifu, is ordered to pacify the people of Echizen Province.

Back then, didn't Akechi Mitsuhide, along with Hosokawa Fujitaka and others, serve Ashikaga Yoshiaki when they went to seek refuge with Asakura Yoshikage? Asakura Yoshikage did take them in and provided them with some care. However, he never sent troops to Kyoto, which led to Yoshiaki fleeing to Gifu.

Since that's the case, Akechi Mitsuhide and Hosokawa Fujitaka must have had a few old acquaintances in Echizen. They could pick a few decent ones, bring them over, and have them act as guides for Nobunaga—essentially, collaborators. That's the kind of thing they mean by those unpaid guides on the Kokicho street in Japan.

However, they'll most likely see you're a tourist, take you to a shady shop, and ask you for 10,000 yen right away.

You won't give it to me? Hmph...

Given the task at hand, Mitsuhide readily agreed. Having been appointed vanguard by Nobunaga, Mitsuhide, a man of ambition and a penchant for hard work, was naturally unwilling to lag behind.

Shichibei, who had only been sitting for a few minutes, listened to the conversation and thought to himself that Nobunaga was taking this game so seriously, even with such a huge advantage. He must be almost certain to win. He wondered if Maebami Yoshitsugu, who would later become Katsuda Nagatoshi, would stage another scene where he galloped to the Oda army's lines to surrender right at the start of the battle.

Perhaps it was to open the gate to Ichijodani for Nobunaga later, probably. Mitsuhide's abilities are undeniable; in a situation with a huge advantage, helping Nobunaga recruit a few traitors would be a piece of cake.

"Shichibei, Shichibei..." After the military council was over, everyone left the residence in groups of three or five. Hideyoshi called Shichibei over, meaning that they should go together.

"What's the good news that makes you so happy?" It certainly wasn't about the Jiangzhou people being the vanguard. Hideyoshi was a king now, and he was eager to be the vanguard or the rearguard.

"You weren't here just now, so my lord has an idea." Hideyoshi and Shichibei were the same height, so there was no need for them to stand on tiptoe or peek over each other. They could just stand side by side and whisper to each other.

"kindness?"

"He will recommend those who have made outstanding contributions for official positions." Hideyoshi seemed quite expectant, his tone revealing excitement.

“Aww…” Shichibei wasn’t expecting Oda Nobunaga to recommend him for an official position, but rather he was confirming that Nobunaga was building his own system of official rites.

The power of the samurai to submit official appointments to feudal lords was a significant one. Later, during the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate had to submit reports to the imperial court on behalf of the feudal lords regarding their official appointments and promotions, thus upholding the shogunate's authority.

Although Nobunaga's current title of Danjō-chū is officially granted by the imperial court, it was theoretically obtained by Ashikaga Yoshiaki through a petition to the court.

Previously, Takeda Yoshiyori sent Atobe Katsusuke to Kyoto to request the bestowal of the character "Yoshi" upon Ashikaga Yoshiaki, as well as the official position of Shinano Governor of the fifth rank. It was Settsu Harumon who handled this on behalf of Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

This power was traditionally reserved for the Shogun, reflecting his status as the head of all the samurai families in Japan. Only the head of the samurai family was qualified to interact directly with the Imperial Court and handle various affairs.

Now Nobunaga has placed Ashikaga Yoshihide back in Nijō Palace in Kyoto, but by recommending the officers of his legion commanders for official positions without going through Ashikaga Yoshihide, the former shogun and lord of the palace, he is effectively usurping Ashikaga Yoshihide's power.

Ashikaga Yoshihide's silence was tantamount to handing over this power to Oda Nobunaga.

That's what I'm saying. At the very least, an abdication should involve an emperor holding the imperial seal and handing over the throne. Nobunaga returned Ashikaga Yoshihide to Kyoto so that he could act as the abdicating emperor who peacefully transferred power to the Muromachi Shogunate. Then, he would perform the rites of "two kings and three honored guests" and bestow a title upon the Ashikaga family to ensure the continuation of the Ashikaga clan's lineage.

Oh dear, so Ashikaga Yoshihide has now become Emperor Xian of Han.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Hideyoshi was Hideyoshi after all. Seeing Shichibei deep in thought, he realized that Shichibei had something else on his mind.

"This step is consistent with the petition to change the era name." Shichibei, who had a good relationship with Hideyoshi, naturally wouldn't pretend and said what he was thinking.

Whether it was requesting a change of era name or submitting official appointments, these were originally among the powers of the Ashikaga Shogun. Now, Oda Nobunaga has gradually taken them over, and with each step of encroachment, Oda's power and authority are strengthened.

"I see..." Hideyoshi had clearly not thought of this part yet; he was preoccupied with guessing Nobunaga's intentions.

In terms of understanding Nobunaga's principles, Hideyoshi was first-rate. However, in other areas, his abilities were somewhat lacking. He was prone to acting on emotion, such as historically killing Hidetsugu to pave the way for Hideyori. It cannot be said that Hideyoshi was politically immature, but he had political shortcomings, which could be considered his weaknesses.

"It's nothing, I just heard it from someone in Kyoto." It's no secret that Shichibei has his own Flying Kick gang and has extensive connections with businessmen and industrialists in Sakai and Kyoto.

"..." Hideyoshi responded absentmindedly, seemingly lost in thought.

"Anyway, we'll just follow the lord's arrangements. He should be pushing this matter forward right now." Nobunaga should be dealing with the imperial court and exchanging favors with Ashikaga Yoshihide.

After Konoe Sakihisa returned to Kyoto, he became a staunch supporter of Oda. At this time, not only Yamashina Tomotsugu was pro-Oda, but more and more court nobles were also leaning towards Oda.

Why was this event delayed in history? Because Oda Nobunaga was having a great time attacking Nijō Palace, and he became incredibly arrogant and reckless.

They carried out a forced demolition in Kamigyo Ward of Kyoto, clearing out the area around Nijō Palace and building four military fortifications, directly cutting off the palace's food supply. At that time, Mibuchi Fujihide, who was defending the palace, had some food, so he refused to surrender.

Oda's army then set fire to the streets and launched a full-scale attack, preparing to burn down the Nijō Palace. Eventually, the fire spread into the palace, destroying the palace hall and many other buildings.

It's important to remember that the buildings of Nijo Palace were actually demolished from Honkoku-ji Temple. There was quite a stir about it at the time, with some people willing to pay 10,000 or even 20,000 yen to preserve these buildings.

Once the fire started, many nobles genuinely felt that Nobunaga was undignified, unruly, and utterly unreasonable.

Therefore, after Nobunaga forced the imperial court to change the era name, he took a long break and was unable to operate within the court. The imperial court felt that a country bumpkin was just a country bumpkin and there was no way to communicate with him.

Of course, after Nobunaga had used his fists and feet to defeat all the anti-Nobunaga lords around him, the situation was beyond his control. Even the nobles who looked down on Nobunaga had no choice but to obediently bow their heads and submit.

Although many people died from Takeda Shingen's attack, it actually helped Nobunaga calm down. As a result, communication with the court became much smoother.

"Will we all become doctors in the future?" Hideyoshi understood Nobunaga's intentions, but the thought of becoming officials still excited him, and he still wanted to ask.

In Japan, ranks of six or higher are referred to as Daifu (大夫). Fukushima Masanori held the rank of Captain Saemon, but was long known as Fukushima Saemon Daifu because his rank of captain was not the usual six-rank, but rather five, hence the euphemistic title of Saemon Daifu.

"At most, he'll be a governor or a junior minister." Shichibei nodded; even within the samurai class, appointing officials was based on status and position.

The commanders under Nobunaga were basically only at the level of governors of neighboring provinces or the Central Plains, so it was quite normal for them to be granted the title of governor. After Hideyoshi, the governorship of Chikuzen was appointed, a position that Miyoshi Nagayoshi held when he first started out.

This shows that by this stage, Hideyoshi had already been recognized as a feudal lord of the governor-level, a powerful figure in the region, and held considerable influence.

Chapter 294 Such a reckless man, Genjiro

But don't be too happy. According to the rules, once you're appointed to an official position, you not only have to make offerings to the court, but also to the general who submits the memorial on your behalf. Afterwards, you also have to entertain the imperial envoy and give him gifts. It won't be done without several hundred strings of cash.

Hearing that it was only a few hundred kan, Hideyoshi just smiled and didn't seem to care much. After all, he was a daimyo of Jiangbei with a nominal rank of 80,000 and an inner rank of over 100,000; he wouldn't be short of a few hundred kan.

The two chatted and laughed as they reached the door. Hideyoshi was often away on campaigns, only spending a month or two in Gifu each year, so they didn't see each other often. Hideyoshi repeatedly invited Shichibei to his house for drinks, saying it was a rare opportunity to meet and should be enjoyed.

By the way, I don't know if it's because someone's little wings are flapping a bit too much, but Ningning is about to give birth.

Last year, after Hideyoshi was granted a total of 80,000 koku of land in Kohoku, Sakata, and other areas, he returned to Gifu to thank Nobunaga and presented him with a sword. He then stayed at home for about two months, and Nene became pregnant.

Shichibei vaguely remembered that there was a historical record of her daughter from the last time, saying that she had miscarried or something. So he didn't find it particularly surprising, and besides, it had happened several years ago, and he had long forgotten about it.

Now they're suddenly saying Hideyoshi is going to have another child, that's just...

Could this baby be a son? What if it's a legitimate son? There's already a hostage in Omi who gave birth to a son for Hideyoshi. Historically, he died young, but he's still alive.

hiss……

Never mind, this isn't Shichibei's business. After making arrangements with Hideyoshi, Shichibei went home to pick up his family and went to Hideyoshi's house for a banquet that evening. Now that Hideyoshi had become a castle lord and daimyo, he started to put on airs. The banquet was no longer a simple three dishes and a soup; several trays were served in rotation.

Anyway, he'd eat his food, and Shichibei couldn't really persuade him otherwise; that's just Hideyoshi's personality. For a ruler, good food and clothing were his least expensive hobbies. If a ruler enjoyed war, expanding his territory, and micromanaging across vast distances, then that would truly be a matter of money and life.

Moreover, inviting someone to dinner was a very good social activity in Japan's Sengoku period. Everyone was poor and didn't have much to eat, so a good meal could make them happy for three days.

Like Akechi Mitsuhide, his true historical image was definitely not sitting in the middle of a tea party or a renga (traditional Japanese poetry) gathering, elegant and natural, with the air of a scholar. To be precise, he should be sitting by a fireplace, stirring a Japanese hot pot, adding various vegetables, and the wild pheasant and wild boar meat that he had painstakingly hunted.

The first part of this story has become a legend and has been circulating in Japan for a long time: Mitsuhide was poor in his early years, and his wife, Hiroko, cut off her hair and sold it to support the family.

After selling it, what happened? Of course, the money was used to buy some cloudy wine, which was then given to Mitsuhide to entertain heroes from all directions, in order to foster good relations.

Mitsuhide brought out sake and the game he had hunted, while the samurai who came to the banquet brought either a wild rabbit or a piece of tofu; none of them came empty-handed. This maintained appearances and made things easier for Mitsuhide.

It was precisely because Mitsuhide regularly treated everyone to hot pot that so many scholars from all directions benefited from his kindness. After he rose to prominence, they flocked to him, gathering in droves to follow him. They quickly helped Mitsuhide transform from a humble scholar into a legion commander with tens of thousands of soldiers.

And sure enough, Shichibei was absolutely right. Mitsuhide had returned to Gifu. He was currently hosting a large banquet for a group of samurai from Mino. Now that he was rich, he didn't need to personally go hunting in the mountains to cook hot pot anymore. He was also setting out a feast, urging everyone to eat and drink to their hearts' content, not to skimp on anything for him.