Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

However, after the Michiko clan unified the preparations for the new dynasty, they became somewhat too powerful and threatened the Mōri clan's authority. Although they were still subordinate to the Mōri clan, they were no longer as obedient as before.

Therefore, Mori Motonari placed his fourth son, Hoida Motochika, into the Bichu region, firstly to gain a legitimate reason to unify Bichu. Then, he immediately befriended the Ukita clan, who had rebelled against the Uragami clan of Bizen, and established an alliance with them.

It's hard to say whether Naoie Ukita's assassination of Mimura's family a few years ago was a purely personal act or a premeditated conspiracy between the two parties.

After Mimura Iechika was killed, Mimura Motochika immediately raised an army and formed an alliance with Urakami Munekage. They planned to kill Ukita Naoie first, and then rebel against the Mori family, who were on good terms with their sworn enemy, the Ukita family.

Heart is higher than the sky, life is thinner than paper.

Mimura Motochika, who mobilized more than 20,000 men, suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Myozenji. The Mori clan, who had previously been somewhat "afraid" of the Mimura family, saw through them and essentially gave up on them completely.

Now that Bitchu has been pacified, the direct forces of the Mori clan have entered Bizen. Mori Terumoto's demand is that Bitchu, Bizen, and Mimasaka be recognized as Mori clan territories.

The Harima issue was put on hold because the generals of Bessho Yasuharu in Harima were temporarily under the command of Oda Nobunaga, and the Mori clan's influence did not extend to Harima.

There is a small problem here: is Ukita Naoie an independent daimyo, a vassal of Mori Terumoto, or a subordinate daimyo?

Everything else was agreed upon, but this one thing was not.

The reason is simple: since Ukita and Jiro served as pageboys under Nobunaga, the Ukita family's position was truly uncertain. The general rule of the Sengoku period in Japan was to make the Ukita Naoie family subjects of two provinces.

Just like how Iwamura Toyama Kage originally belonged to both Oda and Takeda, or Koyamada Nobushige of Gunnai, who belonged to both Takeda and Hojo.

If trouble arises on either side, troops will be sent to participate in the war. The daimyo, situated on either side of the Chinese forces, also have a buffer zone and a mediator, preventing any direct conflict from breaking out.

"That's reasonable enough." Shichibei nodded slightly.

The Mori clan demanded recognition of the territories of Bitchu, Bizen, and Mimasaka, along with the political condition of rejecting Ashikaga Yoshiaki. This price was not high; at least it was within an acceptable range.

After all, Nobunaga is currently unable to effectively govern the three provinces of Bichu, Bizen, and Mimasaka. It would be better to sell them to the Mori clan, thus completely cutting off Ashikaga Yoshiaki's chances of obtaining external support.

Nobunaga has appointed four legion commanders for the Kishu campaign, and they will likely begin their campaign after the spring. In this battle, Ashikaga Yoshiaki will most likely die in the chaos of war, or disappear completely.

"The main problem is that the Ukita family is difficult to deal with." Niwa Nagahide has already reported this to Nobunaga, who is probably still considering it.

"Can't they belong to both?"

"It's very difficult."

While the Oda clan is currently in a period of feasting and drinking, the Mori clan has basically integrated Bizen Province and formed an alliance with the Ukita Naoie clan, beginning to build attached castles around Tenjinyama Castle, the main castle of Urakami Munekage in Bizen Province.

Urakami Munekage, already on his last legs, wouldn't last more than a few months; he was definitely doomed this year. After all, he had no reinforcements from any direction, and Shinohara Nagafusa, who had once helped him across the Seto Inland Sea, had also been killed.

Under such circumstances, how could the Mori clan bear to consider Bizen Province as a dual-vassal state? They had the strength to conquer it themselves; they just lacked the proper recognition.

What Nobunaga possessed was the legitimacy of the central government.

It doesn't matter whether it's Ashikaga Yoshihide's title as the Muromachi Shogunate leader or Nobunaga's title as the new ruler of the realm.

If it weren't for the fact that the Mori family came from a very humble background, initially just being the leader of a local uprising, they wouldn't have needed to interact with the Imperial Court and the Shogunate for so many years.

Back then, Ashikaga Yoshiteru also showed no mercy, granting Amago Haruhisa the position of governor of eight provinces, earning him the title of "Yin-Yang Governor." On the contrary, the Mori clan didn't even receive a proper governorship of Aki or Suisei.

It wasn't until Mori Terumoto came of age and the Amago clan was in decline that Ashikaga Yoshiteru acknowledged the Mori family's status, bestowing the title "Teru" upon Mori Terumoto and appointing him as the Shogunate's chief advisor.

What about the Yin-Yang Master?

What about exploring the Western Kingdom?

Thinking about it this way, considering that the western country is full of powerful clans, each one a prestigious family, and that you are a member of the Hosokawa clan while I am a member of the Yamana clan, it's no wonder that the Mori family repeatedly sought the legitimacy of the central government.

"It's a difficult matter." Shichibei put down his wine dish and looked up at Nobunaga.

Ukita and Jiro were pageboys whom Nobunaga had raised and were likely very close and kind-hearted. Ukita Naoie had several daughters before finally having a son last year or the year before. Given the infant mortality rate these days, whether he would even survive was another matter.

Perhaps Ukita and Jiro were the future heads of the Ukita family. Since Nobunaga was familiar with them, how could he not promote them?

Furthermore, once the country is unified by force, Nobunaga will need to prepare a representative whom he has personally trained to maintain the Oda clan's influence in western Japan. It's impossible for him to simply entrust the entire western region to the Mori clan, ignore it, and let them run it like a country within a country.

"It's all up to our lord to decide." Niwa Nagahide had only made this trip to the Mori clan on short notice and his understanding of the local situation was limited.

"Yes, that's how it should be."

Shichibei didn't ask any more questions; he just needed to get the basic information. However, the Amago Re-establishment Army, which had received Oda clan aid this year in history, was likely to be wiped out by the end of the year.

Nobunaga has shown no interest in the Amago Re-establishment Army, which clearly indicates his intention to maintain the alliance with the Mori clan. Once the Mori have pacified Bizen, the Oda army can travel overland from Gifu to Shimonoseki, directly facing Moji Port in northern Kyushu, and perhaps then the Kyushu Conquest will begin.

At this time, Shigeharu Kuwayama and Takatora Todo, who were visiting Motochika Chosokabe at Toyo Castle in Tosaoka, were also enjoying a meal. In fact, the two of them had already chatted with Motochika Chosokabe several times, and Motochika was reluctant to see them leave.

One reason was that Chosokabe Motochika, being located in a remote area, was extremely eager to learn more about the situation in the Kinai region and various intelligence from the central government. This naturally included information about the new ruler, Oda Nobunaga, and the distribution of his key retainers.

Secondly, Motochika learned that Ichijo Kanesada had received support from Ōtomo Sōrin and was recruiting soldiers from Kajitani Kagenobu, a former retainer of the Iyo Utsunomiya clan, in preparation for a counterattack on Tosa.

There was a dispute during this period. Ichijo Uchimoto, the head of the Ichijo clan's main branch, and Chōsokabe Motochika had an agreement that the Ichijo clan would be completely restored to the status of court nobles and would no longer be sent to Tosa. In return, Motochika was required to ensure that one-third of the "protection allowance" from the Ichijo clan's estate, which was worth about 40,000 koku, would be sent to Kyoto every year.

That is, 20,000 shi out of 40,000 shi for the five public and five private sectors, and one-third of that, about 6,800 shi, is roughly equivalent to 3,400 guan (a unit of currency).

As long as he can see the money, Ichijo Naki guarantees that he, as the head of the main family, will keep Ichijo Kanesada in check and prevent him from acting recklessly.

As it turns out, Ichijo Kanesada is still unwilling to admit defeat and has jumped out to seek the revival of the Miie clan. Naturally, Chōsokabe Motochika cannot fulfill this agreement.

However, he didn't want to say the unpleasant things alone and hoped that the Oda family could mediate. He was to inform Ichijo Naoki that either Ichijo Kanesada should be removed, or the Ichijo family's 40,000 koku of land should be forfeited.

That's why he kept Kuwayama Shigeharu and Todo Takatora in Okafuchi Castle until the New Year. After all, he needed to make it clear that Kanesada was really up to something before he could send someone to negotiate.

The Chosokabe clan's envoy had also been chosen; it was another monk named Takimoto-ji Hiyori. Motochika presented the two with Tosa horses and two handfuls of gold dust, and respectfully saw them off back to Gifu.

They were eating and receiving gifts, and Kuwayama Shigeharu and Todo Takatora felt rather embarrassed. No wonder so many people are willing to do diplomacy; the gifts received in diplomacy are quite generous, especially when both sides establish friendly relations or have something to ask for.

However, they dared not act on Motochika's request without authorization. They quickly ran home to report to Shichibei, who then discussed the matter with Oda Nobunaga. Ichijo Uchiki was a top candidate for the next Kanpaku, a figure practically unattainable, completely unrelated to low- to mid-ranking samurai like themselves.

The two also gathered a lot of information about Awa Province in Tosa. Due to Miyoshi Nagaharu's forced conversion of the country to the Hoke sect, the country was in turmoil and his rule was collapsing. His decrees were almost never issued beyond Katsuzui Castle.

If we had a small army that could land in Awa, and then coordinate with the Chosokabe army in the rear, it would be highly likely that we could sweep through the entire Awa province in a short time. We might even be able to bring down Sanuki province as well.

Chapter 326 Xinzhong Takes Over the Million Stones

Is such a thing even possible?

Ichijou Neki has a pretty good idea. How could he think that if his family were completely taken away from Tosa, Chosokabe Motochika would pay the full amount of the guardianship fee? But this is their own family property, and they can do whatever they want with it.

They'll ruin the Tosa Ichijo clan just like they did back then. Just report this to Oda Nobunaga, and let Nobunaga and Niwa Nagahide decide what to do next.

Kuwayama Shigeharu and Todo Takatora were brought in. The two first presented Nobunaga with the two Tosa horses that Chosokabe Motochika had given to him. Nobunaga glanced at them and then had them led into the stable. The horses were a minor matter; Chosokabe Motochika's expedition to Awa was the real issue.

As a result, they heard from the two that the chaos in Awa had begun, that Miyoshi Nagaharu's decrees did not extend beyond Katsuzui Castle, and that the power of the governors and their successors had declined to an unbelievable degree.

Ok?

According to your logic, if Oda's army had ten thousand or so men who landed, wouldn't they be able to sweep through Awa Sanuki? Kuwayama Shigeharu was still hesitating about how to speak, but Todo Takatora immediately replied, "That's exactly right."

His certainty made Nobunaga take a second look. Nobunaga had a strong impression of Todo Takatora, who was a giant at 1.92 meters tall; Todo Takatora had even offered up his head during the last siege of Nagashima.

However, Nobunaga wasn't a hasty or impulsive person; he was frighteningly calm when things were going badly. He only became more reckless when things were going well. Right now, he was still in a period of clarity after being brutally beaten by Takeda Shingen, so he was acting quite cautiously.

That's good. It taught Shingen a lesson and gave Nobunaga a couple more years to calm down.

This matter should be handled separately. Akechi Mitsuhide and Konoe Maekawa should inquire with the Ichijo family. This is because if Ichijo Kanesada continues to recruit soldiers in southern Iyo, Chosokabe Motochika, who only has Tosa Province, will not have the spare capacity to send troops to Awa.

Even if one leader has a full army, no matter how quickly they mobilize, it is impossible for one person to become two and split up to face enemy forces from two directions at the same time.

Another matter is to have Niwa Nagahide do everything he can to investigate whether what Kuwayama Shigeharu and Todo Takatora said is true, because Nobunaga's main targets are now two: Ashikaga Yoshiaki in Kishu and Takeda Yoshiyori in Kai.

This year's main objective is to kill Ashikaga Yoshiaki and, incidentally, to support Oda Nobutada, the lord of the Higashiyama region, and to control Nobuo. Next year or the year after, around the time the truce agreement with the Takeda clan expires, we will launch a fierce attack on Kai and Nobuo.

Although Konoha and Shinto were poor and difficult to conquer, Nobunaga, having suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Takeda Shingen, would absolutely not allow the Takeda clan to remain alive behind him. Especially since the Takeda army's fighting strength was capable of shaking the Oda clan's rule.

Besides, Nobunaga's eldest son, Takeda Nobufusa, is currently at Tsutsuzaki Castle. He's waiting to kill Takeda Yoshiyori, right? Perhaps then he could directly annex a portion of the Takeda army and put it to use by the Oda clan.

Such good cannon fodder, it's a pity not to use them.

That's settled then, and everyone went about their tasks. Only Shichibei was left behind; Nobunaga had been planning to abdicate in favor of Oda Nobutada since last year, and now it was time to officially begin the process.

Although Nobunaga had some surplus from the battle of Echizen, he now needed to directly transfer at least 5,000 foot soldiers and katakana to Nobutada, and also give Nobutada a large amount of weapons, horses and money. He had to discuss this matter with Shichibei.

What's there to discuss? Just give me a number.

Shichibei had made preparations for this long ago, in case Nobunaga needed any unexpected expenses or armed forces. He had prepared 20,000 catties of saltpeter alone, more than enough for Oda Nobutada to play with arquebuses every day.

"Huh? They have everything?" Nobunaga was still wondering how much time Shichibei would need to prepare.

"Yes!" They really have everything. There are six hundred good-quality samurai, and thousands of cheap samurai samurai.

After all, collecting scraps on the battlefield, repairing them, and then giving them a fresh coat of paint could make them look brand new and sell them to Nobunaga. That kind of business was the most profitable, right?

"Call Kankuro over here," Nobunaga instructed Ukita and Jiro.

Shibata Nagakatsu and Mori Nagayoshi have already graduated from the page group. Mori Nagayoshi is said to be assigned to Oda Nobutada, while Shibata Nagakatsu's assignment is still unknown. He may temporarily serve as Oda Nobutada's assistant or as Nobunaga's direct retainer, accompanying Nobunaga on his campaigns.

However, the two are still serving Nobunaga, while Mori Nagayoshi's younger brother, Mori Ranmaru, has been brought in as a page. Yes, another simple and robust young boy; he doesn't have the delicate, feminine look, but rather a healthy, sunny, youthful boy.

Nobunaga, oh Nobunaga, this was the only thing he ever loved in his life.

Over forty years old, not only do they have a baby every year, but they also manage to have new members in their household every year. It can only be said that these people who have gained power all have exceptionally abundant energy, far surpassing that of ordinary people.

It was clear that Oda Nobutada had been waiting outside the whole time; Ukita and Jiro had only been gone a short while when he came in and sat down opposite Shichibei.

"Young Master." Shichibei greeted him and spoke first.

"Kyoto-dono." Oda Nobutada addressed him by the title of Shichibei, Sakyō-ryō, and bowed in greeting as well.

"Kankuro, I will have to rely on Shichibei a lot in the future." Nobunaga sat down next to Oda Nobutada, took Nobutada's arm, and told him to bow properly to Shichibei.

"No, no, no..." Shichibei quickly returned the greeting.

What's going on here? I'm not some regent, why all this formality? It's just opening a breach, isn't it? It's not like it's the first time. It's making Shichibei a little flustered for a moment.

"I will need to rely on you more in the future." Nobunaga waved his hand at Shichibei, indicating that it was only right.

"I dare not disobey orders."

Alright, alright, there's really no need to be so polite. Shichibei is already quite content to have Oda Nobunaga as a powerful patron. After all, one can only be happy if one is content.

Nobunaga then announced his decision to transfer the two provinces of Noo and Oo, along with the vast majority of his remaining retainers and subjects, to Oda Nobutada.

This matter had been circulating among the senior retainers of the Oda clan since last year, and this New Year, taking advantage of all the senior retainers returning to Gifu for the New Year feast, Nobunaga again conducted a wide-ranging briefing. Now that the dust has finally settled, everyone feels that this is good enough.

Since Lady Nohime had no children, it was only natural that Oda Nobutada would inherit the throne. Although Nobutada was relatively young and had not yet demonstrated outstanding leadership skills and literary and military talents, Nobunaga was still alive and could support him for a few more years.

Following the announcement, the senior retainers of the Oda clan presented Nobutada with congratulatory gifts, wishing him a firm foothold as heir to the Oda clan and the commencement of his duties as head of the family business.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Nobunaga then announced that he would soon pass on the title of head of the Oda clan to Oda Nobutada.

However, Nobunaga still needed to be appointed as a probationary dainagon by the imperial court, since Ashikaga Yoshiaki was a probationary dainagon, and Nobunaga wanted to make it clear that he completely surpassed Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

At this time, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was a Junior Third Rank Official, holding the titles of Gon-Dainagon and Left Vice-General of the Imperial Guard, while Nobunaga was a Junior Third Rank Official, holding the title of Right General of the Imperial Guard. Although both were Junior Third Rank officials, Gon-Dainagon held a slightly higher rank.

What kind of person was Nobunaga? Could he be overshadowed by Ashikaga Yoshiaki? Absolutely not. He might as well resign the day after being appointed acting Grand Councilor, even if it meant sacrificing his dignity. But he absolutely could not be inferior to Ashikaga Yoshiaki; to be inferior would be a loss of face.