Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

These great tea connoisseurs seem to be under a curse, almost like a preordained destiny.

Perhaps it was seeing Shichibei, who was able to hold a position among the elders of the Oda clan as a powerful merchant and a prominent figure, that fueled some unrealistic fantasies in Sen no Rikyu's mind. However, Shichibei was a hereditary retainer of the Oda clan who had served for generations, and his other identity besides being a merchant was that of Nobunaga's junior steward.

More importantly, Shichibei was also Nobunaga's military manager and financial strategist. He was a small link in Oda Nobunaga's grand plan to unify Japan, acting as a lubricant.

It's not something you can get in by having some money or dressing up as a cultured person.

The blood flowing in your veins isn't even red, so how can you think that just because you have a little social status and a bit of money, you can use that to get closer to the core of power, or even become power itself? That's just plain stupid.

Let them perform; Shichibei will just treat it as a monkey show. You weren't there when Inabayama attacked, you weren't there when Kanesaki retreated, you weren't there during the Battle of Mikatagahara—and you expect to sit at the table and eat?

Nowadays, among the Oda clan members who can sit at the table, apart from Oda Nobutada who was born into a good family, who doesn't have some scars and arrow wounds? Ikeda Tsuneoki was Nobunaga's wet nurse and one of the earliest elders of the clan, but he has no merit and has been sidelined.

Even his own son, Miyoshi Nobutaka, was sent to Nobunaga's side, and he wouldn't return until Awa was defeated.

The tea party lasted three days, during which Nobunaga met three groups of wealthy merchants from Sakai. Besides recognizing them, Nobunaga also received gifts worth several thousand kan from these merchants. Each time these people came again, he would have to prepare gifts worth two or three hundred kan. Nobunaga was a ruler of the entire country; normally, even if you wanted to give a gift, you might not be able to find a suitable match.

By the way, it was Imai Munehisa who served Nobunaga tea on the third day.

Good lad, he showed no dissatisfaction or disrespect towards Shichibei, running back and forth just to attend the tea party and say a few words to Nobunaga.

Even Nobunaga could tell that Imai Munehisa wanted something, but Nobunaga, being the kind of person he was, simply smiled. He had no interest in dealing with merchants unless absolutely necessary. He turned to Shichibei and asked if Imai Munehisa had something to say.

Of course there was something to it. Shichibei recounted how he had cut 50,000 kan of assets from the Naya and Hideya houses and given them to Takeno Munekata. Nobunaga simply smiled upon hearing this, not caring much about this commercial division of family property.

With this happening, perhaps the three great master craftsmen of history will have to be replaced.

Only after relying on powerful figures did they become known as the Three Master Craftsmen of the Realm. Now, apart from Tsuda Munekichi, who can barely be considered to have boarded the bandwagon, Sen no Rikyu and Imai Munehisa are not on board at all, and it is unknown who will take their place.

"What do you think of that Rikyu?" Nobunaga didn't care about Imai Munehisa's affairs; he was mainly concerned about Sen no Rikyu, who had the greatest reputation.

"He's just keeping actors and entertainers. Does my lord really need to use him?" Shichibei is now a senior retainer of the Oda regime. In Japan's relatively strong feudal vassal system, if you had to say, Shichibei could be considered Nobunaga's servant.

"Haha, you, he is a lay Buddhist bestowed with the title by the Emperor." Nobunaga laughed out loud. Although his words were reproachful, he clearly agreed with Shichibei's meaning.

What's the difference between tea masters and actors like Noh performers, dangaku performers, and sumo wrestlers supported by Nobunaga?

Until the Meiji Restoration, the likes of Kyogen, Joruri, and Noh were considered low-class performers, belonging to the lowest social class. It wasn't until after World War II, when the Japanese government began promoting Japanese culture worldwide, that these performers were elevated to a higher status.

Are tea masters of today superior to these people? Of course not. It's just that the tea ceremony, which was originally only popular among monks and nobles, began to embrace the samurai class, whom they once looked down upon, thus forming the samurai tea ceremony culture.

As the de facto ruling class, the samurai clan needed some cultural elements to enhance their image and distinguish themselves from the lower-class common people.

The newly rich simply acquire fancy gadgets from the established elites to embellish their image. They don't genuinely value these things; they merely use them as a facade to project an image of superiority.

In that case, what can tea connoisseurs say? In the end, it's just a pastime.

"I am a country bumpkin from the countryside of Owari, and I do not understand their lonely beauty." Shichibei thought to himself, "Oda Nobunaga, you were running around in those open-crotch pants at Kono Castle. Not everyone who saw you is dead yet, and you're trying to act tough with me."

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Nobunaga clapped his hands with his folding fan, smiled, and left.

Where to go? To Kawachi-Wakae Castle, of course. Nobunaga's main force has been distributed to Nobutada, Nobutaka, and Nobusumi, and reinforcements are currently being made. He has only brought his two thousand elite soldiers to urge Sakuma Nobumori to send troops to Kii Province to resolve the Ashikaga Yoshiaki problem as soon as possible.

Shichibei did not go with them, but stayed in Sakai to handle the establishment of the Ryotsuya and to prepare logistics for Sakuma Nobumori, Oda Nobuhiro, and others.

Sakuma Nobumori was the main force, Mori Yoshinari the successor, Tsutsui Junkei was also to go, and Oda Nobuhiro was a substitute. They wouldn't actually participate in the battle, but their presence would be used to intimidate the mercenaries in Kishu.

Sakuma Nobumori only entered the country last year and was immediately granted a fiefdom with over 200,000 koku of rice. He certainly needed to strengthen his retainers, build up his military, and form a fighting force. Nobunaga's original plan was to let him do this for a year, until the end of this year or after the beginning of next spring, before launching his campaign. Now it's too late; the threat posed by Ashikaga Yoshiaki must be eliminated ahead of time.

Therefore, Oda Nobuhiro led 6,000 men to garrison at Sakai Kitasho on the outskirts of Sakai, partly to guard against Honganji Temple to the north, and partly as a substitute for Sakuma Nobumori.

For some reason, Shichibei felt a bit guilty and subconsciously wanted Ashikaga Hime to go outside and hide for a while. But Oda Nobuhiro moved in without saying a word, completely unconcerned about the matter. He just kept asking Shichibei what had happened while he was with Nobunaga these past few days, and about Nobunaga's attitude.

It was all for nothing.

What could Nobunaga possibly want? Nothing more than to unify Japan by force. Anyone or anything that stood in his way would become a thorn in his side, and he would eliminate them without mercy.

At most, he would simply reiterate in more detail the events of sheltering the Amago faction, the coming-of-age ceremony of the Ukita Nagaie family, and sending envoys to Yoshida-Koriyama Castle. Then Oda Nobuhiro gave an answer that Shichibei could never have imagined.

Is it possible that he will go to Harima Town to guard it?

Good heavens, that's really good heavens!

How dare you even think of that?

At the tea party before the New Year, I heard you old folks talking about the principle of moderation. You're supposed to be willing to carry Nobunaga's gun, but not work too hard. How come things have changed so much today?

Then, news that no longer shocked Shichibei reached him: Oda Nobuhiro had a son late in life; his concubine had given birth to a baby boy.

After having four daughters in a row, Oda Nobuhiro, at the age of forty-four, finally had a son in a miraculous turn of events. So much so that, in order not to fall behind the Oda clan, he had to choose to try again.

You're really going all out for your age, my dear father-in-law. There are plenty of people who are grandfathers at this age. By the time your brother-in-law, Shichibei, turns sixteen and comes of age, Nobuhiro will be sixty. Sixty? You're a one-eyed man, can you really live to sixty?

Oda Nobuhiro just smiled, took Shichibei's hand and said, "For your father's sake, you have to help your brother."

Pull? How so? I recommend you go to Harima and have a showdown with the Mori clan? I really can't imagine what it would be like if Oda Nobuhiro had returned from China.

There's no need for a Kiyosu meeting anymore; the old Oda clan will definitely be inherited directly by Oda Nobuhiro. Of the Oda clan's top retainers, Nobuhiro is still the current head, Nobukatsu is serving a prison sentence, Nobutaka went to Awa, Nobusumi went to Sanuki, Nobukatsu lacks power, and Inudousai is still just Nobutada's heir.

Nobufusa was adopted by Takeda Shingen, and Ujimaru was adopted by Hashiba Hideyoshi. Only Nobunaga's eldest son by a concubine, Oda Nobumasa, was left. He would most likely be adopted by Hanawa Naomasa and inherit Hanawa Naomasa's family business.

The others are utterly insignificant; they don't even have names yet. Forget about inheritance rights; in the Warring States period, only those with people and land had any right to inherit.

I was saying, "You old rascal, asking about the western provinces? Is that what you're thinking?" But it's hard to say. Nobuhiro's abilities are so-so; he's certainly not among the top talents in the Oda clan. If they really run into the Mori clan, who can mobilize 100,000 men, it's uncertain whether Nobunaga would be willing to send him out.

"What if we divide up the Amago faction?" Oda Nobuhiro was really daring to think.

"Amago?" Shichibei had already given considerable thought and even prepared a contingency plan before he discovered Oda Nobuhiro's arrival.

If war breaks out between the Oda and Mori clans, and Oda Nobuhiro is ordered to transfer his fiefdom of 80,000 koku from Sawayama in northern Kogoro to Harima, his current strength and troops will be absolutely insufficient. With the addition of 3,000 men from the Amago faction, plus the support from Harima, there will be at least 25,000 troops.

If Ukita Naoie can be brought back to Oda's side, then Oda Nobuhiro, who has no other support on the Sanyo Road, will have 35,000 men.

They are more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the Mori clan. With Akechi Mitsuhide in the San'in direction and Otomo Sōrin in the Kyushu direction, no matter how strong the Mori clan is, they may not be able to handle an attack from three sides.

"With you added, Sanyo will be invincible." Oda Nobuhiro really dared to think too much; it was outrageous.

"Stop! This is not something you or I can decide. It requires the lord's judgment." Shichibei quickly signaled Oda Nobuhiro to stop dreaming. Nobunaga himself hadn't decided on this matter yet.

At this time, the news that Oda's army was pressing in on Kii Province was no longer a rumor, and forces in various regions were gathering troops to defend themselves. Ashikaga Yoshiaki, who was at Kōkoku-ji Temple, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, and for a moment lost his composure.

The various factions in Kishu are preoccupied with protecting themselves and cannot come to the aid of this former shogun. The Mori clan of Aki has offended him to death and completely ignores Ashikaga Yoshiaki. Miyoshi Nagaharu of Awa is suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Miyoshi Nobutaka. With Miyoshi Yasutoshi as his backup, Miyoshi Nobutaka has landed in Awa and is taking down a branch castle of Katsuzui Castle.

The three Kumano Sanzan, Funagawa-ji Temple, Negoro-shu, and Saiga-shu were in complete chaos.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki could only hope for Takeda Yoshiyori in Kai Province, but Takeda Yoshiyori was too far from Kishu. Even if he traveled by boat across the Kishu River, he could not avoid Kuki Yoshitaka of the Kumano Sea.

After all, with such a big target, how could he possibly disappear without a trace?

With this thought in mind, Ashikaga Yoshiaki made up his mind. He summoned his trusted retainer, Makijima Akimitsu, and ordered him to escort Yoshiaki's newly acquired second son by boat overnight to Hamamatsu or Sunpu.

If they could overcome all difficulties and escape to the Takeda clan's territory, then the anti-Oda forces outside would have a legitimate reason to oppose the Oda clan. Or at least a respectable pretext that would be self-consistent.

Upon hearing this, Makijima Akimitsu immediately understood Ashikaga Yoshiaki's thoughts. Given Yoshiaki's situation, he truly couldn't escape for the time being, so the only option was to let his second son run away first. The more people who escaped, the easier it would be for Ashikaga Yoshiaki to break free.

Since that's the case, then there's no need to say more. Ashikaga Yoshiaki immediately handed over his sword, seal, and two hundred blank sheets of paper with his own signature to Makijima Akimitsu. With the help of Kōkoku-ji Temple, they found a return ship bound for Kanto, and that very night, they took several servants and Yoshiaki's second son aboard, speeding out of the Kii River and heading towards Kanto.

Chapter 348: Troops halted in Jizhou, no victory achieved.

Even though it was his father-in-law's request, Shichibei still felt he couldn't just help out like that. He doubted Oda Nobuhiro's abilities would be sufficient to handle the Mori clan's invasion.

After all, even the historical Hideyoshi nearly lost his chance due to the rebellions of Bessho Nagaharu and Araki Murashige, with his route back to the Kinai region cut off. Fortunately, Mitsuhide and Nobutada arrived one after another to rescue him, putting out fires everywhere, and even Hayashi Hideyoshi participated in the Battle of Shinkichi Castle, which finally established an advantage for him.

So we still can't help him put in a good word with Nobunaga. We don't even know if our brother-in-law will ever grow up. He's not considered a person until he's seven; let's consider it after he turns seven, okay?

For now, I'll just play the role of a substitute, serving as a guard force against the Honganji Temple in Sakai. If necessary, I'll also have to travel to Kishu. Historically, Kishu was an ally of Tokugawa Ieyasu until the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute, participating in the war against Hideyoshi. That rotten land still has plenty of fighting potential.

Despite being connected to Kawachi, Izumi, and other regions, Kii Province is essentially a self-contained entity. The mountains, including Mount Koya to the north, separate the Kii River valley plain from the Kinai region. Access is limited to a few mountain passes and valleys, making it easily defensible and difficult to attack.

Historically, the Kishu campaign involved attacking Saiga via the Takako Pass to the west, taking the middle route through the Kazefuki Pass, and entering Takanoguchi via the Kii-mi Pass to the east. Later, when Japan built roads and railways, these routes were essentially the same; other areas were mountainous and impassable.

Sakuma Nobumori mobilized an army of 40,000 to attack Kii. Despite the large force, whether they would succeed was still uncertain. In such a hasty situation, the troops of Kawachi province might not be able to exert their full strength.

Mori Yoshinari of Yamato is indeed brave, though he is getting on in years. Tsutsui Junkei probably won't go all out to attack Kii Province. Miyoshi Yasunaga, the lord of Kawachi Takaya Castle, might try his best, since he just received benefits from Nobunaga, but how many men does he have? It seems to be around three thousand, less than a tenth of the main army.

In addition, Izumi's Hachiya Yoritaka was also ordered to lead troops to join the Kii campaign, bringing along Nobunaga's main force of 2,000 men, making a total of over 40,000, which can be considered an "overwhelming" force.

Whether they can truly overwhelm the enemy depends on the abilities of their generals.

Fortunately, Shichibei did not undertake military tasks; he only needed to organize a certain number of horse messengers and other servants to ensure the logistics of the various units. The generals also sent their own small cargo magistrates to Sakai Town specifically to coordinate with Shichibei.

Nobunaga's main camp soon moved to Sennan District in Izumi, specifically to urge Sakuma Nobumori, who was stationed on the western flank, to attack the Saiga clans. Clearly, in Nobunaga's eyes, the Saiga clan, which frequently sent troops to Ishiyama and Osaka Honganji Temple, was still the biggest thorn in his side.

Furthermore, only by breaking through the Saiga party's defenses at the mouth of the Kii River could they possibly advance further south and directly attack Ashikaga Yoshiaki, who was based at the mouth of the Hidaka River.

The heartland of Kishu encompasses the Kii River valley and other small plains at the river mouths along the coast. Kōkoku-ji Temple is located south of Saiga. Although the Saiga faction did not go to rescue Yoshiaki, he was effectively under their protection.

As long as Saiga remained intact, Yoshiaki was safe and sound at Kōkoku-ji Temple in Hidaka District.

And then what happened? The battle lasted for three months. It's not that there was no progress at all, but rather very little. The Oda army, advancing along separate routes, couldn't establish a significant local advantage on any of them. Of course, those mountain passes and narrow paths were indeed too small for many troops to traverse.

Oda's proud arquebus troops were also suppressed by the Saiga faction. Saiga Magoichi organized thousands of arquebusiers, who lay in ambush in the lush grass of the mountain roads during the summer and autumn. They fought in groups of twenty-five, and once they detected any signs of Oda's army advancing on the mountain roads, they would fire repeatedly.

Oda's army, taking advantage of the mountainous terrain, was suppressed to the point where they could barely raise their heads. Even when they went into battle carrying bamboo bundles and wooden shields, they were overwhelmed by the numerous fireballs hurled from the mountains.

They wove a large ball from rattan, filling it mostly with straw that had been soaked in fish oil. The Oda army attacked carrying bundles of bamboo, and the Saiga faction unleashed these rolling fireballs, making it difficult for the Oda army to even climb the slopes, and preventing them from directly attacking the fortified positions on the hilltops.

Saiga Magoichi also continuously dispatched small detachments to launch surprise attacks on the supply lines from Nobunaga's main camp at Sennan to the front lines at Takashi Pass in Kii Province. Although the spoils were few, they caused widespread panic among the Oda army at the front, who were constantly worried about not having enough to eat.

Was Sakuma Nobumori not brave? Of course not. Nobunaga personally witnessed Sakuma Nobuege charging forward with a bundle of bamboo. The Sakuma army had gone this far; if Nobunaga still said they weren't putting in their best effort, that would be going too far.

Nobunaga then ordered his followers, including Mori Hideyori, to attack the Saiga party stronghold at Yamaguchi under the cover of 500 arquebusiers. However, Mori Hideyori failed to capture it and was even burned half of his hair by a rolling fireball, leaving him half bald.

The troops are stranded outside the city; this is exactly the situation they are facing.

Anyway, it had nothing to do with Shichibei; Shichibei wasn't even in Sakai anymore. After assisting the generals in establishing the logistical supply lines from Sakai to various places, Shichibei returned to Gifu to organize the distribution of this year's tribute rice.

This year saw a record high, with Shichibei receiving a staggering four million koku of annual tribute rice. Why so much? Because the annual tribute rice transported from Sakata Port in Ou to Tsuruga and Obamachi in Echizen Province also largely ended up in Shichibei's hands.

It's a shame that Shichibei was so inexperienced; he almost got into trouble this year. The annual tribute rice transported from the Oshu region, also known as the Tohoku region of Japan, to Tsuruga for sale is different from the annual tribute rice from Noo or Kinai.

upland rice.

This crop is not widely grown in China, but it is actually quite common in Japan. Given the Japanese people's stubborn determination to grow and eat rice, in the Ou region of Japan, where there is insufficient accumulated temperature and poor irrigation conditions, besides planting barnyard grass and other grains, they strongly promote upland rice as their main crop.

In addition, there are some red rice, green rice, and black rice, which are specialized varieties that were forced to be grown when normal glutinous rice and japonica rice could not be grown.

The so-called red rice is completely different from the Imperial Rouge Rice mentioned in the novel "Dream of the Red Chamber." Imperial Rouge Rice, according to research, is a superior type of glutinous rice, while red rice and green rice are types of rice grown in mountainous slopes, areas with poor irrigation, or cold paddy fields.

Why are they rarely seen in later generations?

unpalatable.

It is neither as palatable as glutinous rice nor as productive as japonica rice, but in the Ou region where rice cannot be grown on a large scale, these miscellaneous crops are quite remarkable at this time.

Previously, Shichibei did not control the ports of the Northward Trade, so he could not make contact with them. Now that the Oda clan controls the key nodes of the Northward Trade, all the rice and grain have become Shichibei's monopoly.

Initially, Shichibei planned to pay 500 mon per koku, plus transportation costs, and to handle all the dryland rice transported from Ou in Tsuruga.