Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

He was about to go to Ishiyama Honganji Temple to participate in the siege of Osaka Castle. But, to be fair, the Honganji Temple's Kennyo Shonin and Shimoma Yoriren, who was actually in charge of the Kyoto Ikki, had already begun preparing for the war beforehand.

In the areas of Noda and Fukushima along the Yodo River north of Osaka, the Miyoshi Nagayoshi and Miyoshi Masayasu were stationed, while on both banks of the Kizu River south of Osaka, the "out-of-town" Kizu Fortress and the Rogishi Fortress were built.

The most typical and famous example of this type of outpost is the later renowned "Sanada Maru". In fact, the outpost does not necessarily have to be built entirely together with the main castle that needs to be defended. As long as it forms a mutually supportive military defense posture, that is sufficient.

The fact that the mouths of the Yodo River and Kizu Castle, both north and south, were controlled by the Honganji faction meant that even though Hanawa Naomasa and Nobunaga built a long embankment around the Honganji on land, they could not prevent the Honganji from transporting food supplies to Ishiyama Honganji by water.

In a sense, this can also be considered a oversight on the part of Hanawa Naomasa, who proposed the plan to build a long moat. Although Nobunaga still agreed to build a long moat on land to surround the entire Hongan-ji Temple, he also had to find a way to control the waterways.

It was simply a matter of strictly prohibiting the Kawanami clan on the Yodo River, the Hui-shu in Sakai Town, and other waterborne forces that might be able to support Osaka from facilitating the transport of grain to Osaka.

Ships already owned by Osaka and those belonging to the Saiga clan are excluded from this list. Nobunaga will request Kuki Yoshitaka to send troops to Sakai-cho to cooperate with Awaji's Ataka Nobuyasu in beginning the naval siege of Osaka Castle.

This tactic was used before on Nagashima in Ise, and it was very effective. As long as the Ikko-ikki navy, which is trying to break through the naval encirclement, is defeated, the final outcome for Ishiyama Honganji Temple will certainly not be better than that for Nagashima Ganshoji Temple.

Reiterating the ban, huh? It's a trivial matter.

I was originally going to Sakai to allocate 500 arquebuses for Sakuma Nobumori, and I just needed to mention this matter to the Kawakami guild in Yodogawa and the Huihe guild in Sakai. Nobunaga's prestige is so great now, I doubt they would dare disobey me.

If anyone dared to secretly provide food to Ishiyama Honganji Temple, then they deserved to die, and there's nothing more to say about it.

Let's go then. We can go check out the newly built mint in Sakai. Shichibei definitely needs to take a look; his business is just getting started, and there's a lot to look forward to.

Since they were traveling in the same direction, Shichibei also visited Tennoji Fortress, located south of Ishiyama Honganji Temple, when he passed by the area. This fortress was established by Hanawa Naomasa as the main base surrounding Honganji Temple, and although it was called a fortress, it was actually quite large.

The area was surrounded by numerous palisades, with rows of wooden fences erected and pits dug. According to Hanawa Naomasa, even if 20,000 people came, they could be accommodated.

To be fair, its defensive capabilities are only so-so, certainly not comparable to a properly constructed castle. However, since it's currently the Oda army attacking and the Honganji Temple defending, there's no need to build a large castle outside the temple.

Moreover, a proper Japanese castle takes a long time to build, while a military fortress like this can be built by simply piecing together pieces of wood. The palisades and fences are made from readily available timber that can be assembled directly. If the army stops on flat ground and the Hongan-ji Temple doesn't attack, it can be built in a day.

Seeing the appearance of Tennoji Fortress, Shichibei suddenly felt that the reason why Naomasa Hanawa was surrounded by the Ikko-ikki and only held out for a few hours in history might be related to the fact that Tennoji Fortress was both too large and poorly defended.

The vast area was originally intended to house 20,000 to 30,000 people. However, only a few thousand troops were permanently stationed there, making it impossible to defend every corner of the fortress effectively. Furthermore, the rudimentary palisades and fences were insufficient to withstand the charge of the Ikko-ikki and Saiga forces.

Should we give Hanawa Naomasa a heads-up?

It's still worth reminding you that although he wasn't the closest colleague, Hanawa Naomasa was from Owari Province, a former retainer of Nobunaga, and his sister was one of Nobunaga's named concubines. Since this topic came up, I should definitely mention it.

As soon as Shichibei mentioned it, Hanawa Naomasa said it was nothing, as he had also noticed the problem. So, on the one hand, he invited Nobunaga's personal army to garrison Tennoji Fortress to help him build a more complete siege fortification.

On the other hand, he planned to attack Kizu Fortress, which was controlled by Honganji Temple. Once Kizu Fortress was captured, the Kizu River waterway, which led directly to the castle of Ishiyama Honganji Temple, would no longer be under the control of Honganji Temple.

At that time, Honganji Temple will definitely be thinking about capturing Kizu Fortress and maintaining its water lifeline, rather than attacking Tennoji Fortress.

Well……

It seemed to make sense. Shichibei, who wasn't particularly skilled in warfare, listened to what Hanawa Naomasa said and saw his confident demeanor, so he thought it made sense.

The strategy is to attack what the enemy must defend; Kizu Fortress is the lifeline that Kennyo Shonin and Shimoma Yorihiro must defend. Therefore, once Kizu Fortress is captured by Hanawa Naomasa, Honganji Temple will inevitably engage in repeated struggles with Hanawa Naomasa over it.

At that point, who will have time to fight over Tennoji Fortress?

Another point is that if Jiangcheng is only six or seven kilometers away from Tennoji Fortress, if something really happens, Sakuma Nobumori wouldn't just stand by and watch the Owari brothers, Hanawa Naomasa, be defeated and killed by Honganji.

Indeed, that makes sense, and Shichibei was convinced. Hanawa Naomasa knew that Shichibei meant well and naturally wouldn't blame him. He even suggested that Shichibei rest at Tennoji Fort for a day before leaving, since Sakai Town wasn't far away anyway.

Looking at the sky, Shichibei agreed. This area was currently a battle zone where the enemy and our forces were locked in a stalemate, with the battle lines intertwined. You never knew when a bald guy might suddenly appear out of nowhere.

That bald guy could really take Shichibei's head.

Even though the banquet took place on the battlefield, Naomasa Hanawa, as the de facto deputy governor of Yamashiro, began to lavishly celebrate. Furthermore, he had also annexed the territories of Yamashiro and Yamashina (due to the death of Tomonori Iwanari), making him quite wealthy.

By the way, his official name is now Harada Naomasa, but most of his subordinates still use the surname "Hawaii". For example, Hanawa Yasuhiro, Hanawa Koshichiro, and Hanawa Seiemon are cousins, brothers, or sons-in-law, but they were all given the surname "Hawaii".

The Oda clan's legion commanders all followed this pattern: once they became powerful, they would bring along their relatives and even their old friends and acquaintances, making them all their followers.

The people were quite close to Shichibei. Firstly, Shichibei was from Owari, and they had all risen through the ranks from the time of seven hundred men under Nobunaga's command. Secondly, Shichibei was considered a lucky charm, and Naomasa Hanawa also tried to win him over.

Historically, Naomasa Hanawa's second wife was the daughter of Katsuie Shibata. After becoming Nobunaga's chief retainer, Katsuie Shibata also sought to cultivate his own inner circle.

It's not surprising; the Oda clan has grown so large that these things are inevitable. Those from Owari banded together, those from Mino banded together, and the new recruits also embraced one another. Within Owari, there was also the Gentsuke faction, the same faction of only seven hundred men that Nobunaga had during the Battle of Inohara, when he was at his lowest point.

Thus, the next day, under the escort of two hundred men dispatched by Hanawa Naomasa, Shichibei crossed the war zone and arrived in Sakai. There was no prior notice from Sakai, so no one came to greet him. However, Shichibei didn't care much; he simply wanted to find Tsuda Munechika and the big boss.

As Shichibei's ally and representative in Sakaimachi, Tsuda Muneyuki was at least very helpful, providing Shichibei with a great deal of assistance.

It's quite a coincidence that Tsuda Munekichi's house name is also Tennoji-ya. His Tennoji-ya is actually related to Hanawa Naomasa's Tennoji Fortress. Tennoji's full name should be Shitennoji, referring to the Four Heavenly Kings. It's one of the seven great temples founded through donations from Prince Shotoku.

Now Tennoji Temple is enclosed within Tennoji Fortress. In any case, this dilapidated temple belongs to the Tendai sect, so Hanawa Naomasa feels no psychological pressure at all.

Historically, Tennoji Temple was burned down, and the statues of the Four Heavenly Kings were completely destroyed. The rebuilt Tennoji Temple was merely a name without substance, enshrining the Guanyin (Avalokitesvara) and becoming an independent sect calling itself the Wazoo.

When Tsuda Sōtatsu and his family built Tennoji-ya, Tennoji Temple was quite prestigious and could be used as a place of affiliation. Now, the head temple Enryaku-ji has been completely burned down; it's like a phoenix with its feathers fallen—worse than a chicken.

However, this was none of Shichibei's business. Tennoji Temple was finished, so be it; as long as Tsuda Muneki didn't go under, that was fine. Finding Tsuda Muneki, he wasn't particularly surprised by Shichibei's sudden arrival. He assumed Shichibei had come to inquire about the mint's situation and invited him to sit down.

Shichibei asked nothing else, only whether five hundred arquebuses could be taken immediately. Everything else could wait; the priority was to support Sakuma Nobumori in attacking Kishu.

"I can definitely raise the funds within a month," Tsuda Muneyuki guaranteed.

And then? Nothing much happened then, it's fine to just stroll around. Tsuda Muneki followed Shichibei to the mint and casually asked Shichibei a question.

Where are you staying tonight?

Chapter 333 The Shao'ou Eggplant in My Hands

Where to stay?

Oh right, Shichibei also has a "home" in Sakai. It's just that it wasn't originally prepared for Shichibei, but for Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

"Oh, let's not talk about that. How about we go check out the mint first?" Shichibei waved his hand, and Tsuda Muneki didn't ask any further. The Ashikaga Princess matter was Shichibei's family affair; he and Shichibei should just focus on doing business and there was no need to get involved in this.

In addition, Shichibei also hoped that Tsuda Muneki could help him get two decent tea utensils. Now that our status and prestige have indeed risen, there is no need for extravagance, but it is still necessary to get a decent tea utensils to entertain some distinguished guests.

Take our cheap waka master, Karasuma Mitsunori, for example. You can't expect him to just come and indulge in drinking, gambling, and whoring. Although Karasuma Mitsunori probably does dream of such things, inviting him to watch a Noh play, holding a tea party, and having everyone compose a couple of waka poems are all necessary social and hospitality gestures.

Nowadays, colleagues no longer simply sit down for hot pot and salted fish. When Akechi Mitsuhide hosted hot pot for his fellow Mino natives, everyone was poor. Now that everyone is well-off, when his trusted retainers sit down, they have to sit in a quiet room, holding teacups, and having small meetings.

This is simple. Tsuda Muneyuki said that while it might be difficult to obtain a famous item, since every famous item already has an owner. Unless one uses force to coerce someone into offering it, like Matsunaga Hisahide offering ninety-nine eggplants to Nobunaga to save his life.

For example, not long ago, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu offered Miyoshi powder to Nobunaga in order to survive. These famous items have a clear provenance. Although they may not be the most exquisite, the noble status of their owners greatly enhances their value. They are national treasures wherever they are, and are very difficult to buy with money.

Now that you mention it, Matsunaga Hisahide also has a Koten Meihiragumo-gama (a type of ancient Chinese cooking vessel).

Historically, he ascended to heaven in a spiral along with the Bomber. It is said that Nobunaga even made a pact with Hisahide that if he offered the Hiragumo-no-kami (a type of ancient Chinese cooking vessel), Hisahide would be pardoned for his treason and allowed to continue serving as the lord of Shigetakayama Castle.

If you have the chance, go and ask Matsunaga Hisahide if he's willing to part with it. If he is, Shichibei will be happy to accept any price he asks for, whether it's three thousand or five thousand kan.

It's mainly for the sake of looking cool!

"Actually..." When this topic came up, Tsuda Muneki had an idea.

"How is it?" Shichibei thought to himself that Tsuda Muneki also had a few famous items, though they were inferior to the Three Eggplants of the Realm and the Emperor's Three Shoulder Strike.

"You know about Takeno Daikoku-an?"

"Of course I know." Takeno Jōō, a great tea master, a master craftsman, and one of the most prominent leather merchants in Sakai, is extremely wealthy.

But that guy's been dead for almost twenty years; his bones are probably rotten to dust by now. What's the point of bringing him up now?

"His son, Shingoro, is perhaps..." Tsuda Muneki looked around and then spoke to Shichibei.

The matter is actually quite simple, nothing particularly outrageous. Takeno Shōō died suddenly at the age of fifty-four, very quickly, most likely from a heart attack, within ten or eight minutes.

When he died, Shingoro Takeno was only five years old. He couldn't even protect the vast wealth and treasures of the Takeno family, let alone manage all the "leather houses" in the family.

So at that time, his brother-in-law, Imai Munehisa, stepped forward to serve as Shingoro Takeno's assistant, taking care of the leather shop business and the Takeno family's vast assets before Shingoro came of age.

In the eleventh year of Eiroku (1565), Nobunaga successfully marched on Kyoto. Imai Munehisa, as the representative of the Sakai-machi coalition, presented Nobunaga with 20,000 kan of arrows. As a result, he was able to quickly align himself with Nobunaga and become the most prominent merchant in Sakai-machi, with a wealth said to be in the hundreds of thousands or even millions.

The eleventh year of Eiroku was 1568, the year Takeno Shingoro turned eighteen and came of age. So after his coming-of-age ceremony, he asked Imai Munehisa to return the leather shop left by his father, as well as the various businesses that had expanded from the leather shop over the years.

Similar to the money he has earned over the years, Imai Munehisa can take it away, but all the fixed assets, business networks, and the like must be left to his brother-in-law, who is now known as Takeno Tamehisa.

Would Imai Munehisa agree? He probably already considers all that wealth to be his own.

So both sides filed an appeal directly, because historically, Imai Munehisa had become the deputy governor of the Sakai South and Sakai North estates appointed by Nobunaga, enjoying a fief of three thousand koku. This was considered a lawsuit by the samurai class, and it went all the way to Nobunaga's door.

Needless to say, Nobunaga ruled in favor of Imai Munehisa, who had obediently followed his orders.

An eighteen-year-old boy with no experience could not possibly become Nobunaga's Sakai daishō (official in charge of Sakai), nor could he provide Nobunaga with a continuous supply of military funds. At the same time, he was also busy purchasing large quantities of leather, manufacturing armor, and forging arquebuses, working tirelessly for Nobunaga's unification of Japan.

Takeno Tamehisa was so angry and resentful that he became a monk, taking the name Mizusuke-an Sōwa, also known as Takeno Sōwa.

He's been making a fuss for the past two years, hoping to regain his family business, or at least get a large sum of compensation from his brother-in-law, Imai Munehisa, so he can continue being a rich guy, or perhaps make a comeback.

In this world, the arrows for Sakai were delivered by Tsuda Muneyuki of the Shichibei organization, and the deputy governor of Sakai was simply handed over to Shichibei by Nobunaga. Therefore, the lawsuit that occurred in history never happened and has been delayed indefinitely.

Imai Munehisa was not favored by Nobunaga, or rather, Nobunaga never favored him in the first place. Nobunaga favored those who could generate money and cannons. With Shichibei, who came from Owari, already in charge, Nobunaga was too lazy to divert his attention to these matters.

The lawsuit over the division of the family property circulated endlessly within the Sakai Gaisha, without ever reaching a verdict. The central judicial organs of the shogunate had long since ceased to function. The Kyoto Shojidai (governor) Murai Sadakatsu certainly wouldn't refuse to handle the case, and even Nobunaga's own disciple, Takeno Munekata, couldn't get in. How could a down-on-his-luck man like him possibly meet Nobunaga without an introduction?

There was no one to turn to for help.

“Aww…” Shichibei wasn’t particularly smart, but he understood immediately.

Takeno Shōō was Tsuda Muneyuki's tea ceremony teacher, so it's reasonable for him to help Takeno Sōgata. After all, Imai Munehisa's behavior was too blatant; he left nothing for his brother-in-law, showing a truly wicked conscience.

What is the current situation? Nobunaga and his senior retainers completely ignore these lawsuits filed by merchants and townspeople, simply passing them all on to Shichibei, who is in charge of the opposing side. Therefore, the ultimate adjudication power in the lawsuits filed by Takeno Munekazu and Imai Munehisa actually lies in the hands of Shichibei.

If Shichibei wanted the famous Sōō eggplant, it would only take a word.

If we help Takeno Munekazu get a few tens of thousands of kan from his brother-in-law, wouldn't Takeno Munekazu be grateful and offer him the Sōō eggplant?

Or you could help Imai Munehisa, the gourd monk, to judge the gourd case, and let him completely take over the assets of the Hino Takeno family, implying that he should offer up the famous sho-o-anaki.

It mainly depends on who has the Shaoxing eggplant.

Whoever controls it will decide the case; they'll help the eggplant, not the reason. It's feudal society, after all; who cares about this or that? The government office faces south; if you have reason but no money, don't come in.

"The item is currently in Shingoro's hands." Tsuda Muneki saw Shichibei's expression and knew that Shichibei understood immediately.

"Hmm." Shichibei smiled, the two old rascals knowing exactly what was going on.

After surveying the mints in the town and inspecting the arquebus inventory in Sakai, Shichibei ordered all members of the Sakai Guild to assemble at the meeting place, as he had an imperial decree from Lord Oda Nobunaga to announce.

What is it? It's about prohibiting all ships in Sakai Town from serving Honganji Temple, of course.

The dozens of followers who had rushed over breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing what had happened. They had assumed that Nobunaga was demanding another 20,000 kan of arrow money from them, since Nobunaga was now so powerful that demanding a mere 20,000 kan would be perfectly reasonable.

Everyone on either side patted their chests and guaranteed that they would absolutely not give Honganji any support; anyone who did would be immediately expelled from the Sakaimachi Association.

Good, good, good. You all give Kawamura Nagayoshi and Lord Nobunaga face. You are very sensible.

So everyone dispersed, but Shichibei kept Imai Munehisa behind and asked him with a smile, "How's business at the leather shop and the store lately? I hope it's booming."

Imai Munehisa repeatedly said he dared not, only that Lord Nobunaga had maintained peace in the Kinai region, which made their business much easier. If Lord Nobunaga needed some military funds, three to five thousand kan, he could immediately find a way to raise them for him.