Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Rewards will be distributed after a major victory. For now, let's give them plenty of food and drink so that Zhimo's navy can be well-fed before going into battle.

Because he had alerted the shrewd thieves within the port, Nobunaga rushed out of Sakai like a whirlwind.

The town, shortly after, the big boss of the alliance came to visit Shichibei. He kept asking what was going on, why the Regent was inspecting the navy's warships in the middle of the night?

There's nothing to hide. The day after tomorrow, no, the day after tomorrow, the Maori navy will storm into Osaka Bay.

These words startled the wealthy merchants, who all looked flustered, except for a few big bosses who remained relatively calm. Tsuda Muneki then asked Shichibei if he was stationed in Sakaimachi and not leaving, to which Shichibei naturally replied yes.

Upon learning that Shichibei wouldn't leave, Tsuda Muneki was relieved. Shichibei was Oda Nobunaga's chief retainer and Ōchikata, whom Nobunaga deeply loved. It was generally impossible for Nobunaga to abandon Shichibei in a dangerous situation.

Now that Shichibei is staying, there's nothing serious. This means the Mori navy's main target isn't Sakaimachi, so it doesn't matter where the Mori are going to attack. As long as they don't attack Sakaimachi, everything is fine.

Without even needing Shichibei's orders, the wealthy merchants quickly organized men to reward Shima's navy, hoping they would fight the enemy with all their might.

gold loading day

Chapter 392 First, let's communicate with the Eastern Kingdom.

Now that intelligence had been confirmed that the Mori army was coming to fight, the Shima navy ships of all sizes anchored in Sakai-cho port set sail. In addition, Kuki Yoshitaka dispatched some small boats to be deployed in advance to the Akashi Strait between Awaji Island and Honshu Island.

Report any incidents promptly; fast-moving small boats are always faster than the Maori army's fleet of thousands of ships.

In addition, Ataka Nobuyasu of Awaji also received Nobunaga's orders to bring back the Awaji navy, which had just returned home for the New Year and had only rested for a month or so. Besides the regular Ataka ships, Ataka Nobuyasu also had two large Ataka ships, which were commanded by him and his younger brother Atakagami Goro Kiyoyasu, respectively, and served as the core of the navy.

It seems that the mentality of those who use online trolls is similar: big is good, big is strong, big is invincible.

After Ataka Nobuyasu and his men secured a supply depot in Sakai, they headed north to join forces with Kuki Yoshitaka. Both men were quite confident, especially since they were fighting in front of Nobunaga. Opportunities for the navy to demonstrate their prowess before Nobunaga were extremely rare; this was a precious chance, and they had to give it their all.

Because of this incident, the national conference on the substitution industry, which was originally scheduled to be held, has been temporarily suspended. However, Shichibei Ken...

Heart-drawn breath

I definitely need to meet with all the bosses, at least to get to know them.

Some people heard that war was about to break out in Sakai and were even preparing to flee. However, their thoughts were similar to those of Tsuda Munekichi: as long as Kawamura Shichibei Nagayoshi remained in the town, the war should not spread to Sakai.

Therefore, Shichibei hosted a less formal banquet for the wealthy merchants who had come from all over the eastern provinces. This had been ordered to be prepared long in advance, so the banquet began immediately.

Seat.

To be fair, due to its lagging development, the supply of goods in the eastern country was heavily dependent on the supply from the two largest handicraft centers, namely Kyoto and Sakai.

Compared to the western regions, especially Kyushu and other places that could trade directly with the Ming Dynasty, the eastern regions were, in a sense, areas that were "sucked" by the upper echelons.

Just like what Shichibei said when he went to Tsuruga. Ou Sakata Minato and Tsuchizaki Minato transported rice to Tsuruga and took away a series of handmade goods such as sake, vinegar, and soy sauce from Tsuruga. In fact, they also suffered from the price scissors between workers and farmers.

"First published on 705u.com - Book Club"

The tribute rice was sold to merchants within the capital region for 500 coins per shi (a unit of dry measure). These merchants then brewed the rice into wine and resold it at several times the profit.

You've had a breather

Sell ​​it back. The annual tribute rice is profitable enough, and the wine will make even more. The farmers of Oyu are truly wasting their time; they're like beasts of burden.

Therefore, upon hearing the summons from Shichibei, the patriarch who had effectively risen to the highest position in the Kinai business community, merchants from the eastern provinces flocked to the capital. They feared that any change in the leadership would directly impact their businesses.

Don't worry, Shichibei isn't going to cut off their supplies.

It was merely a requirement that they generally accept gold koban and brass coins bearing the Kawamura-ya mark. Compared to the western provinces, the eastern provinces were even more lacking in fine coins. Eventually, the Hojo clan could no longer operate the kanko system and allowed local lords to directly pay their annual tribute in the form of salted fish, soybeans, and salt.

It should be noted that the Hojo family initially strictly only accepted copper coins, but all the copper coins were taken to purchase goods from the upper class. Apart from rice and silk, what other local products were worth mentioning?

After decades or even centuries of price scissors, the eastern provinces were nearly facing a cash shortage. Only places like Naoezu in Echigo Province, due to the export of ramie, saw a steady influx of cash, thus preserving the Kanko system. In the Kanto inland areas, where commerce was almost nonexistent, with only six-day markets and nine-day markets where a group of peddlers carried goods in to sell, barter was the norm.

Xiao Hua took a breath

Or in regions like Kai, Hitachi, and parts of Ou that produce gold, as long as gold is mined, it becomes money, so the problem of money shortage is not so serious.

The village mainly relied on bartering, so there wasn't usually much need for [unclear - possibly referring to a specific type of barter].

Money. When paying the annual tribute, it's exchanged for gold dust or a fraction of a tael of gold, which is then given to the lord. The fact that merchants from the West haven't arrived yet, but merchants from the East have come first, might actually be a good thing.

Facing Shichibei, who had already unified the opinions of merchants in the Kinai region last year, the merchants of the Eastern Province were at a disadvantage from the start. They had no choice but to fight; the Eastern Province's handicraft industry was extremely weak.

As mentioned above, since ramie was produced in Echigo, why didn't Echigo recruit textile artisans to weave cloth and earn more profits?

Is it that he doesn't want to? Or is it that he's incapable?

If Uesugi Kenshin could have assembled a thousand-strong weaving team, he wouldn't have needed to go out and loot; mountains of gold and silver would have been delivered to his coffers at home. The lords of Echigo would have also received a substantial share, instead of having to shave their heads every year to quell rebellions—he simply couldn't keep up with the demand.

As long as Shichibei orders them to buy or exchange the above...

When producing goods, one must use Kawamura Tensho Koban and brass coins, which will allow the money to be directly sent to Kanto and Oshu.

Aside from hard currencies like rice, silk, and gold, which can be used to exchange for goods, the only way to buy things with money is with currency recognized by the Kawamura-ya (川村屋) or, more specifically, by the Kinai Ryoban (糸内銣替同業会).

Can you understand?

As he spoke, Shichibei ordered his men to bring out the Tensho Koban (a type of Japanese currency) and the brass coins. By chance, Uno Toemon, a wealthy merchant from Odawara in Kanto, exclaimed that he had received the brass coins before.

It must have been Takigawa Kazumasu who entered Minowa Castle, got a 10,000 yen allowance from Shichibei, and spent it in the town of Odawara Castle when he went there to spend money.

Since you've used it, could you please tell us about its usage and circulation in Odawara Castle Town in the Kanto region, and how well it was accepted locally? If even Hojo Ujimasa collected the annual tribute using brass coins as pure coins, then this thing wouldn't need any promotion; it would be widely used in the Kanto region.

As expected, Uno Toemon openly praised the coin, noting that the market highly valued new Yongle Tongbao coins that were of sufficient weight and reasonably well-made. This particular coin was mixed in with various high-quality coins and given to Hojo Ujimasa as annual tribute. Perhaps Hojo Ujimasa…

Let the air pass between the east and west

We've already sent someone to Sakai with this money to buy saltpeter.

Whether this big boss Uno was trying to curry favor with Shichibei or was just telling the truth, it was essentially a personal testimony, setting a good precedent for the banquet.

I hope there are more smart people like this, so that they can work with Shichibei to promote money and goods throughout the entire Eastern Kingdom.

The big bosses didn't eat or drink at the banquet; they just fiddled with their coins, whispering among themselves if they knew each other, and secretly probing if they didn't. Some even tried to get information out of Shichibei.

When will Lord Nobunaga, the Regent, send troops to fight in Kanto again? Last year, Nobunaga wiped out the core forces of the Takeda clan in Mino and Kamo with lightning speed. In just six months, the once glorious Kai clan, the Takeda clan, came to an end.

This drastically changed the entire situation in the eastern country. Originally, the Kanto region, including Echigo, was a battleground between the Hojo and Uesugi clans. Now, with the Takeda clan out of the picture and the Oda clan entering the fray becoming suffocatingly powerful, merchants, with their keen sense of opportunity, may have already sensed something amiss and are preparing for the future.

It's highly likely that the large merchants of Kanto, especially those within the Hojo clan's territory, joined Shichibei's two-way trade guild ahead of time.

Comprehensive breathing

Great news, fantastic news!

Who knows who will be next to get beaten after Nobunaga finishes off the Mori clan? Once the Hojo clan is wiped out, the remaining lords of Kanto and Oshu will have no choice but to submit. Even the Ashina or Date clans will have to kneel.

The economy of the eastern country is too weak to sustain a large army for an extended period of time, making it difficult to contend with the Oda clan's ever-present standing army, which can fight for a year or two at a time.

If the Date family hadn't experienced the great upheaval of the astronomical cosmos, they might have been able to hold on. But after a long period of fratricide, the once almost unified situation shattered completely. The Soma family and the Date family became practically sworn enemies, and Ashina and Date were constantly at war.

The once close-knit family, with multiple marriage alliances, is now only superficially harmonious.

Leaving. Forget about other places like Kokubun, Iwaki, Tamura, and Nihonmatsu; they all originated from...

It crumbled from the order of Benida Zuzun. Forget it.

In any case, Shichibei didn't intend to settle things at a single banquet. Besides, most of the merchants from the west hadn't arrived due to blocked waterways. Therefore, this year's meeting would likely have to be postponed.

Zongyi Tongkouqi

No, that won't work. In the next few days, I'll try to build rapport with the merchants in the East and get them to start accepting Kawamura's money in their businesses.

Everyone has their own business. It's not a big deal to have a meeting in Sakaimachi for three to five days at the beginning of the year, but it's unacceptable to be away from your own store for an extended period of time.

Shichibei was able to leave because he had a brother-in-law and a family with hereditary titles, allowing him to manage the business. More importantly, Shichibei had Oda Nobunaga's backing, making it impossible for the business to be dismantled from within or attacked from the outside.

To bring down Kawamuraya, you have to kill Oda Nobunaga first. Otherwise, Oda Nobunaga only recognizes Shichibei as his closest ally, so no matter how strong your business skills are, it's useless.

That's what feudal dependency is all about. Shichibei was feudally dependent on Nobunaga, and Nobunaga effectively protected Shichibei's "free trade."

Rakugo-za? It won't bring any joy to Shichibei anyway.

By the way, while Nobunaga and his men were fighting at the front, Shichibei and the others were feasting at the rear. Does that mean the front was in dire straits while the rear was feasting? Probably not. Because the front wasn't in dire straits at all. Kuki Yoshitaka was so confident, and the eight-story ship did indeed look quite impressive.

Xiao Huatong's words were impeccable.

Not to mention on land, the forces currently involved in the siege of the Honganji Ikko-ikki now exceed 30,000. Many of Mori Yoshinari's lower and middle-ranking retainers and all his resources have been assigned to Sakuma Nobumori, further increasing the siege force and making Ishiyama Honganji an impenetrable fortress.

The warrior monks of Honganji Temple were indeed quite capable, their arquebuses were formidable, and they could even draw upon the troops of the Saiga clan for support. However, when facing the Oda clan's standing army head-on, they were still somewhat lacking.

As for the followers mobilized by their faith, these uprisings had little effect beyond sheer numbers. In the past, when the daimyo relied on peasants for fighting small-scale battles, the fighting was relatively even. However, once the Sengoku daimyo began separating soldiers from farmers, concentrating their retainers' residences, and professionalizing their soldiers, the skill gap became so large that it became impossible to bridge.

In that case, how could the situation at the front be critical?

The music and dancing continued, and everyone ate and drank to their hearts' content. It was my fault, Kawamura Shichibei, for not being able to hold a meeting this year. We'll all come again next year when everyone is together. Consider this a pre-meeting briefing to let everyone know that...

It's done, and it's already started. Everyone's giving me, Shichibei, face.

Only a very few of the merchants from the Eastern Kingdom were truly astute enough to grasp the importance of Shichibei's complete control over minting and the dominance of the three currencies and two substitutes. But the clever ones were wise in that they knew they couldn't defeat Kawamura-ya, so they simply joined in. Since the merchants from the Western Kingdom hadn't arrived, they could still get a piece of the action.

Those who aren't so clever, tempted by the supposedly great benefits of a unified currency, are also quite interested. Who in business wouldn't want a unified currency? Only a unified currency can create a unified market, greatly facilitating exchange and circulation.

Returning to Nobunaga, after Nobunaga and Sakuma Nobuege rode to Tennoji Fortress, without resting, they went to observe the situation opposite Kizu Fortress and Rogan Fortress. They indeed saw a large number of small boats deployed between the two fortresses, clearly indicating an active troop movement and preparation for the upcoming battle.

No wonder, Sakuma Nobumori himself has moved here to prevent a repeat of the defeat suffered by Hanawa Naomasa.

After carefully examining the reinforced Kizu Fortress, Nobunaga remained silent.

No. These fortresses in Japan are either built on extremely rugged mountain roads or on hilltops (like Komakiyama).

Either block the river channel and shallows (Sunomata). If you don't take it, this territory will never be leveled. If you attack, even if a hundred thousand troops surround you, you can only deploy a few thousand men. A few hundred defenders can hold the position like a fortress.

The best way to breach the fortress is through starvation: surround it with heavy troops and wait for it to run out of food. However, Nobunaga has now received news of the Mori navy's attack. With Kizu Fort providing support, the Mori navy's chances of breaking through the encirclement and entering Honganji Temple are greatly increased. It's even possible that these small boats were prepared specifically to later support the Mori army.

of.

Hmm, Nobunaga suddenly wondered, if the monks of Honganji Temple were to use these small boats to launch a surprise attack on the Kuki navy from behind while the Mori navy and the Kuki navy were engaged in battle, would that cause the Kuki navy to waver?

Things are unpredictable. Even if the monks of Honganji Temple were just randomly firing arrows at the Kuki navy from their ships, it was still a considerable disturbance. Moreover, given the average level of life these days, being attacked from both sides is a huge problem. Once the soldiers realized they were attacked from both sides, some would simply collapse in disarray.

The sheer number of small boats clearly indicates a planned arrangement.

Because of the distance, Nobunaga couldn't see clearly that many of the small boats mobilized by the Honganji Temple were already filled with reeds and straws scattered along the riverbank. Many of these straws had been drying for several days, so they were mostly free of moisture.

While it wouldn't be so easy to ignite, it could certainly light two small fires without any problem.

Chapter 393 A combined land and sea attack on Kizu

Today I'm having a tea party with you, tomorrow I'll be practicing waka poetry with him. It's rare for Shichibei to invite everyone like this; we usually don't have a chance to meet up. Since that's the case, besides Shichibei treating everyone to a meal, the others are also networking; having more friends means having more opportunities.

Although competition may exist in certain industries or regions, it is only with a few people; the others are friends, not enemies.

The fighting outside is raging, but that's another matter. Shichibei's presence in Sakai means Sakai is safe. Let's eat for a couple of days first. During these two days, Shichibei also got to know the wealthy merchants who had come from all over.

Then I heard my family rushing back from outside say that the Mori navy had crossed the Akashi Strait and was heading towards Osaka Bay. Their objective was clearly to break the Oda army's naval encirclement of Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple and deliver military supplies into the city.