Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Including Yoshikage, who has already committed suicide, the direct line of the Asakura clan is now completely extinguished. Anju Kageken, or those who surrender and change their names to Tsuchibashi Kagekage or similar, are considered commoners and are normally not someone who can be killed.

Tsuchibashi Kagekage did not receive the promised reward of 2,000 kan, but Nobunaga promised him a stable life in the Ōno district of Echizen. The nominal value of Ōno district was 50,000 kan, but the actual value was no less than 100,000 kan, which was quite a good amount.

He secured his territory by betraying his lord's son, so he probably wouldn't have had the face to ask Nobunaga for any promise of "eternity".

So, everyone is now asking the most crucial question: how should the 490,000 koku of land in the eight districts of Echizen be distributed?

No rush. Nobunaga led his several thousand retainers and vassal lords to wander around Echizen Province. The force of three or four thousand men was enough to protect Nobunaga. The rest of the generals were to eliminate and suppress the remnants of the various factions in Echizen, and to go to various counties to collect hostages and win over local lords.

Echizen was indeed a great power. The initial estimate of 490,000 koku in the eight districts of Echizen was high. By the early Edo period, when it was granted to Yuki Hideyasu, the land had already reached 700,000 koku. And what happened after the population further developed and the land was further cultivated? It would have soared to 2 million koku, truly a land with the potential to become a kingdom.

No wonder it was the Yamato court; the only major or superior country it established in the entire Hokuriku region was Echizen.

Such a vast territory suddenly fell into Nobunaga's hands, and coupled with the parts of Wakasa and Kaga controlled by the Asakura clan, Yoshikage really didn't make good use of it back then.

By the way, some people might ask, why didn't the Ikko-ikki in Kaga take advantage of the situation and invade?

The master restrained the restless Kaga followers and then swiftly dispatched Shimoma Chikugo no Kami Yorimitsu and Shichiri Mikawa no Kami Yorishu as generals, preparing to incite the Echizen and Kaga followers to rise up together.

What was the reason? The reason is obvious. The Kaga Ikko-ikki, who only controlled one province, already showed signs of centrifugal force towards the Ishiyama-Osaka Hongan-ji Temple. What if the Kaga clan also controlled Echizen Province, with its 490,000 koku of rice? They would definitely split apart.

It is not right for a subject to obey his lord more than he should obey his lord.

The religious divisions in Japan are quite a dramatic spectacle. Even the current Jodo Shinshu sect was later split into two factions. The subsequent reunification and splitting of various sects was a constant occurrence. There was even an instance where a high-ranking monk defected, leading hundreds of temples to flee to the opposing sect.

Based on this, the monk Kennyo forcibly restrained the Kaga clan. He forbade them from launching an immediate attack on Echizen, but instead ordered them to wait for reinforcements from Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple to arrive before attempting an attack.

Nobunaga, who anticipated that there would be a war in the north of Echizen, did not rush to establish a new lord because he was surveying the mountains and terrain to the north.

He needed a general to establish his castle in northern Echizen Province, to attack Kaga Province for him, and to defend the major pass through the Hokuriku region leading into the Kinai region.

In a sense, destroying Yicheng Valley was necessary. It would prevent the new ruler from becoming so engrossed in the valley's prosperity that he wouldn't be willing to go to the northern frontier.

I don't know if others understand Nobunaga's intentions, but Shichibei does. Most of Echizen Province will likely be granted to Azai Nagamasa in exchange for him leaving Kodani, north of the river, with an estate of 150,000 koku.

Historically, Toyotomi Hideyoshi gave Tokugawa Ieyasu what is known as two million koku in the Kanto region in order to move his assets from the Tokaido region, which was worth about one million koku. Without such a substantial reward, it would have been difficult to openly declare it a reward and thereby strip Ieyasu of the Tokaido region he had cultivated over many years.

Completely transforming Omi into Oda territory would come at a price. However, Shichibei couldn't discern Azai Nagamasa's true intentions; he was clearly unwilling to take over Echizen.

"Katsuda Harima-no-kami is appointed as the Governor of Echizen!"

Then Nobunaga's order stunned everyone; this appointment was completely unexpected. What right did a mere former Yoshitsugu Maeba have to be the governor of Echizen? Even though he had guided Nobunaga, was skilled in Echizen's affairs, and had even been given the title "Naga" by Nobunaga, thus changing his name to Katsuda Nagatoshi, what made him qualified?

"..." The retainers around him discussed among themselves, but since Nobunaga's authority was already established, no one openly raised any objections.

On the contrary, Tomita Nagashige, who surrendered immediately upon Nobunaga's entry, wore an extremely unpleasant expression. As the Echizen general who surrendered first and led the way, why wasn't he the one to become the governor of Echizen?

Seeing his expression, as well as those of Anju Kageken and Tsuchibashi Kagekyo, Shichibei suddenly understood.

The Oda army's invasion of Echizen Province was so smooth that far too many people surrendered. As a result, only a portion of the territory directly controlled by the Asakura clan could actually become new Oda territory. With such a small amount of land, no one would be satisfied with it if it were given to anyone.

Whether it was Akechi Mitsuhide or Hashiba Hideyoshi, both were castle lords with tens of thousands of soldiers. Without territories of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, how could they house their retainers and expand their forces? But Echizen didn't actually have that much territory.

How to do?

The only option is to kill!

Nobunaga himself couldn't kill them in Echizen, because these people had surrendered to Oda. They had even led the way, attacked Asakura Yoshikage, and offered their allegiance. If he killed such people, who would be willing to surrender to Oda in the future?

Therefore, the only option is to let the people of Echizen fight amongst themselves and kill each other. It would be best to conduct two or three rounds of internal purges, reducing the current number of Echizen citizens by half, or even more.

Only when enough people die can enough territory be freed up for the newly appointed commanders of the Oda clan to acquire sufficient land.

The reason for placing Tomita Nagashige, who has made the greatest contribution and has the best martial arts skills among the Echizen troops, below Katsuda Nagatoshi, who has made equally great contributions but is also well-versed in Echizen affairs, is to ensure that both sides can gather enough men to fight each other to the death.

After that, regardless of who wins or loses, their strength will be greatly diminished.

Furthermore, Nobunaga must have noticed the unusual activities of the Kaga Ikko-ikki and clearly realized that the Kaga people would not let go of this golden opportunity to take over Echizen.

Therefore, the task of withstanding the first fierce attack from the Kaga Ikko-ikki rebels falls to Katsuda Nagatoshi. If he can hold out, he'll be a true talent, and Nobunaga will certainly be willing to use him. Nobunaga is a confident man by nature; if you have the ability, I'll use you. He has a rather composed way of managing people.

"In addition, 50,000 koku of Tsuruga district will be granted to Shichibei." Just when everyone thought it was over, Nobunaga added this sentence.

Chapter 296 Land Inspection Offends a Nation

Shichibei's former acquaintances received 6,000 kan, of which over 1,000 kan came from Tsushima in Owari, 1,500 kan from Mino and Kano, 2,000 kan from Otsu and Kusatsu in Jiangnan, and 1,000 kan from Sakata in Jiangbei. In addition, there were 1,200 kan of dowry for the young general's wedding, totaling 7,200 kan.

The so-called 50,000 koku of Tsuruga is about 12,000 kan. Tsuruga District in Echizen Province itself only had a koku of about 20,000 koku, so the remaining 30,000 koku actually refers to the old 7,200 kan.

It just sounds good when it's reported; they say it's 50,000 koku in Tsuruga, as if the entire territory is in Tsuruga.

In fact, whether in the Sengoku period or the Edo period in Japan, it was almost impossible for anyone other than the Tokugawa daimyo to have a territory that was completely contiguous.

Nobunaga's major army commanders could barely be considered to have territories in one place, but due to the large number of yakuza stationed within their territories, they were actually divided into pieces.

When Tokugawa Yoshimune, the eighth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, first came into power, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi granted him 30,000 koku of rice in Echizen Nibu. However, when the reward was distributed, the territory was fragmented into dozens or even hundreds of villages, and the distribution was like a jigsaw puzzle.

However, Nobunaga at least delivered on his promise, and that is enough.

Geographically, Tsuruga was clearly a piece of land that could be easily separated from Echizen. So much so that the Asakura family specifically established a branch family, the Tsuruga Asakura clan, there to guard the area and serve as a bridgehead for invading Wakasa and interfering in the Kinai region.

Once the heavy snows of winter arrive, crossing the Kinoshita Pass of Mount Hachifushi will be virtually impossible. The Asakura clan used it as a bridgehead, and Nobunaga will naturally use Tsuruga as a bridgehead as well.

The only difference is that Asakura used him to interfere in the Kinai region, while Nobunaga used him to interfere in Echizen.

"I will never forget Your Majesty's kindness!" Shichibei quickly rose from his seat and bowed to Oda Nobunaga.

"Great ceremony!" Nobunaga simply nodded.

Aside from Echizen in Tsuruga District, the territory was theoretically handed over to the newly appointed Echizen governor, Katsuda Nagatoshi. However, Nobunaga could not let this battle go to waste, so he immediately appointed Katsuda Nagatoshi as the chief inspector of Echizen. Shichibei retainer Todo Takatora, Hashiba Hideyoshi retainer Kinoshita Iesada, and Akechi Mitsuhide retainer Mizoo Shigetomo were appointed as his subordinate three inspectors.

A "land survey" was conducted throughout Echizen, and then a tax was levied on agricultural properties, a tax on commercial properties, and a tax on commercial towns within Echizen.

There's also Mikuni-cho in Kutōdōgawa, Echizen, which is a well-known town in the Hokkai trade. Asking for 20,000 yen is a bit exaggerated, but asking for 5,000 or 8,000 yen is perfectly reasonable.

The same goes for Tsuruga; Nobunaga demanded 8,000 kan right off the bat, threatening to burn down the house if they didn't give it to him. Nobunaga wouldn't stop until he got 100,000 to 200,000 kan from Echizen.

Upon hearing this, the Oda army generals, especially the commanders of the major legions, who might have outwardly agreed but inwardly disagreed, basically understood.

Nobunaga is going to make a big splash! Why would he let Katsuda Nagatoshi do something like this? Haha, Katsuda Nagatoshi is doomed.

After Katsuda Nagatoshi was despised by the people of Echizen and considered a lackey of Oda Nobunaga, he rebelled. Nobunaga then used this pretext to re-enter Echizen and carry out a brutal massacre.

It's all scheming, all scheming.

Upon hearing that he had been appointed as the Chief Inspector of Land Surveyors, Katsuda Nagatoshi trembled. Although it was merely a matter of surveying land, Nobunaga was currently leading over 50,000 men in Echizen, and Asakura Yoshikage's head had been chopped off. Therefore, this time, the number of land surveyors could only be more, not less.

Excessive taxes will offend people, and offend them greatly. This is because it's not just about paying more annual tribute and more military service fees later, but also about having to hand over large sums of money upfront.

Katsuda Nagatoshi was really screwed over by Nobunaga!

Even Tomita Nagashige was shrinking back now, trying to avoid being seen by Nobunaga. He was brave, not stupid; anyone involved in the Kenchi Commissioner's business was going to suffer greatly.

The shogunate tent, which had been on the verge of erupting, suddenly fell silent. The generals fled as if their lives depended on it. Shichibei, Hideyoshi, and Mitsuhide walked out together, exchanged glances, and all pursed their lips, silently mourning for Katsuda Nagatoshi.

Clearly, all three understood that Nobunaga was simply looking for a scapegoat in Echizen. However, Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi still congratulated Shichibei; he was now officially a lord of a castle with a fief of 50,000 koku.

In the hands of other military commanders, Tsuruga Port was merely a port town that collected arrow taxes, but in Shichibei's hands, it became a major base that directly intervened in the Northbound Trade.

"Congratulations, Shichibei." If it were someone else who got Tsuruga, Hideyoshi might have been a little jealous, but since Shichibei got it, there's no question about it.

“Yes, it is only right that Shichibei was granted the title of Tsuruga.” Mitsuhide was quite sincere, because Shichibei had made real contributions after the Mikatagahara incident.

As a hard-working individual and a master of effort, Mitsuhide doesn't envy others' hard work; instead, he works even harder to outdo them.

"Thank you, thank you..." Shichibei nodded repeatedly in return.

The three also had to send their retainers to participate, or rather, to supervise Katsuda Nagatoshi in thoroughly inspecting the 490,000 koku of land in Echizen.

Help Nobunaga get 100,000 kan of gold in one go, so that Nobunaga can make up for all the blood he vomited in Mikatagahara, and even earn two more.

Tōdō Takatora, Kinoshita Iesada, and Mizoo Shigetomo were also summoned at this time. The three men, Shichibei and the others, unanimously elected Akechi Mitsuhide to convey Oda Nobunaga's imperial will, instructing the three retainers to cooperate fully with Katsuda Nagatoshi. They were to meticulously record the land surveys of each village and hamlet to facilitate Nobunaga's future land surveys.

This time, the main purpose is to make money. When Nobunaga returns next time, then it will be to establish real rule within the territory, collect annual tribute, and launch military campaigns.

Since it was Akechi Mitsuhide who gave the order, Todo Takatora and Kinoshita Iesada asked Mizoo Shigeaki to take the lead and cooperate with the work. The land survey office, or rather the administrative office, was set up in Kitasho, Echizen, in the former residence of the Kitasho Asakura clan's Asakura Tosa-no-kami.

It's likely that Nobunaga set his sights on this location and began the gradual construction of Kitasho Castle. Backed by the Ashibane and Arakawa Rivers, and located further north than Ichijodani, it would be advantageous for launching attacks against Kaga.

Historically, Shibata Katsuie and Oichi jointly detonated their own bombs at Kitasho Castle, burning down the castle tower and other important buildings. Later, Yuki Hideyasu entered the country and built Fukui Castle, with the castle tower located elsewhere, but the site was largely the same. The ruins of Kitasho Castle are only a ten-minute walk from Fukui Station on the JR train.

To ensure the smooth progress of the land survey, each of the three appointed several hundred soldiers to escort the three magistrates to their posts. In any case, Nobunaga wasn't leaving, since the survey was merely a matter of assigning a location, and the results would be available within eight to ten days.

It's a self-declaration process, and you have to pay on the spot. Nobunaga couldn't wait a year or two, but he had plenty of time in ten or eight days. He waited at the foot of Ichijodani Castle, watching the endless stream of money being transported in.

Money comes in so fast.

However, Nobunaga had no joy in making money. The Oda clan magistrates transferred from Gifu and the head waiters transferred from Kawamura-ya main store were engaged in a fierce battle.

Last year, we fought a major battle in Mikawa and Totomi, so we didn't reconcile the accounts. But the accounts don't just disappear because you're wrong. Nobunaga has made a fortune now, and every single expense will definitely come to light; we need to get everything accounted for.

After deducting the proceeds from the sale of the tribute rice from Nobuo last year, Nobunaga's famine was severe. Even if Echizen were to scrape together 100,000 mu of rice, it would likely only be enough to cover the famine he had created.

As expected of Nobunaga, he had a good attitude and didn't care about such mundane matters at all. After taking his men for another stroll around Kitasō-kan, he ordered Tsuchibashi Kagekage to mobilize laborers to widen the moat.

Tsuchibashi Kagekage, who had just humbled himself, dared not say anything and could only obediently mobilize over a thousand men to help Oda's army dig trenches.

Once the trenches were dug, the various "recovery taxes" of Echizen Province were basically collected. It must be said that Katsuda Nagatoshi really went to great lengths to please Nobunaga. The original land area of ​​Echizen Province was 490,000 koku, but he managed to increase it to 580,000 koku.

This is roughly equivalent to an increase of 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure).

The hatred of the Echizen troops for Katsuda Nagatoshi had reached a point where it was absolutely undeniable. Katsuda Nagatoshi, however, pleaded with Oda Nobunaga to leave the 1,500 cavalry of Kita-sho San-gyō as regular troops in Echizen.

Having just accomplished such a great task for Nobunaga, it would be too harsh of him not to grant even this small request. Nobunaga could only agree to temporarily detain Kitasho Sanbugei in Echizen for a year to assist Katsuda Nagatoshi in establishing his rule in Echizen.

With the addition of these 1,500 regular troops, Katsura Nagatoshi finally breathed a sigh of relief. Ichijodani Castle was gone, but its branch castle, Kido-no-kara, still stood.

With a residence to rely on, and five hundred regular soldiers to support them, plus one thousand five hundred regular soldiers from Oda's army, they would have a combined force of two thousand to defend the castle, which would allow them to basically roam freely in Echizen.

Unless several lords rebel together and launch a united attack on the castle, there is no possibility of breaching the castle.

With a year's buffer period, Katsuda Nagatoshi was confident that he could essentially gain control over the former Asakura clan's direct territories and gather the remaining retainers and samurai of the Asakura clan to serve him. By then, his own force would number five or eight thousand men, and he would have nothing to fear.

Speaking of gathering the remnants of the party, Shichibei, who was reconciling accounts with Nobunaga, suddenly remembered someone, someone he had always wanted as his partner.

Akaza Naoyasu.

Is he dead? No, he's not dead.

Fortunately, Nobunaga ordered Echizen to conduct a land search, and Akaza Kyūbei's name was prominently listed. Since he was on the list, Shichibei didn't hesitate to recruit him. The reason was perfectly legitimate: he needed a local strongman from Echizen to support his rule over Tsuruga District.

When the allocation of Nobi and power was done earlier, Shichibei didn't get a single one. Now that he's been promoted and power is needed, Nobunaga has no reason to refuse. However, he seems to remember that almost every power was requested by Shichibei himself.

What's so special about Akaza Kyubei? Since Nobunaga wasn't ready to leave Echizen anyway, he summoned him and gave him a proper interview.

Unfortunately, the person who came was Akaza Naoyasu's father, Akaza Naonori. He was also surprised that Shichibei had specifically asked him to do the work. However, Shichibei's current status was very high, and he had no room to ask questions or say anything.

Nobunaga chatted with Akaza Naonori for ten minutes and found that he was just an ordinary local samurai. As for his martial arts skills, they were quite mediocre and he was by no means a brave general.