Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Upon hearing this news, the wealthy merchants from the Eastern Kingdom and the surrounding region, who were engrossed in their meal, all put down their chopsticks. They began to use their connections to inquire about the war situation.

Zhongjia Town Decision

Anyone who observes the Maori army's formation near the Stone Strait will be rewarded with at least five taels of gold. The big bosses are eager to receive a report every half hour, the sooner they know the specific details, the better. Of course, it's not just about rowing out for a quick look around; you have to bring your trusted confidants or elderly relatives along.

Big bosses are shrewder than monkeys; they might not understand nationwide financial adjustments. But when it comes to these kinds of manipulative tactics, they're incredibly adept at playing the game.

If the Oda army wins a major victory, it will be a preemptive strike, severely damaging the alliance between the Mori and Honganji tribes. If the Oda army loses…

They won't lose. The local bigwigs in Sakaimachi say that Kuki Yoshitaka and Ataka Nobuyasu, each with their own Iro-takabune and Ataka-ogane, have skilled and formidable sailors. Even if they encountered the Kobayakawa and Murakami fleets, it would be a minor battle, easily annihilated in three drumbeats.

surface.

The big bosses from the east had no idea of ​​the capabilities of the Kobayakawa and Murakami navies; they only ever came as far as Kamado, never crossing the Seto Inland Sea. Those who needed to cross the Seto Inland Sea were mainly merchants from Sakai and Ishiyama, as well as merchants from Kyushu engaged in trade with the southern barbarians and with the Ming Dynasty.

That's just me listening to whatever you say. It's basically just you saying it, and I just listening to it.

Let's wait for the battle report.

Kuki Yoshitaka and Ataka Nobuyasu, residing in Osaka Bay, naturally received the news much earlier than the major figures in Sakai. They immediately informed Nobunaga and simultaneously reorganized their forces. If they had found out later than Shichibei, then the Ataka family, father and son, would have wasted their time in Awaji.

Since they knew this in advance, they needed to make preparations early. However, the scope of their deployments was actually quite limited, because the main strategic objective of the Oda navy was to intercept the Mori navy's supply ships and prevent their provisions from reaching Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple.

Therefore, they were positioned between the Hongan-ji Temple and the Mori navy, making it difficult to employ tactics such as dividing their forces into four groups or launching a surprise attack on a rainy night. However, Kuki Yoshitaka was quite confident, so he didn't plan to use any special methods and simply decided to confront the Mori navy head-on.

The Ataka navy was quite exhausted because they had been assisting the Oda clan in attacking Shikoku and maintaining the supply lines for Niwa Nagahide and Miyoshi Nobutaka for the past two years. Therefore, Kuki Yoshitaka and Ataka Nobuyasu politely allowed Ataka Nobuyasu to stay in the second line, which was the defensive line closest to Honganji Temple.

The Shima navy's eight large ships with well towers lined up in a row, forming a battle array, directly facing the Mori clan's supposedly seven or eight hundred ships.

The army. It was a very simple formation, with no special arrangements.

Furthermore, both Kuki's own reports and those from Ataka Nobuyasu's informants indicated that the Mori navy primarily consisted of Kobayashi ships; perhaps out of 700 ships, 600 were Kobayashi, with the remainder being a few dozen or so smaller ships. It might have been a little over 100, as the distance made it difficult to see clearly.

It is said that since the Russo-Japanese War, Japan has used its fishermen as spies at sea, a practice that continued until World War II. Clearly, this method wasn't something the naval idiots came up with on a whim; at this moment, probably five out of ten fishermen fishing in Osaka Bay are related to the Awaji Navy.

On the surface, they were fishermen, but in reality, they were secretly observing. Once they had observed enough, they would send a message to Ataka Nobuyasu. Who knows, the old fisherman's son might be working as a boatman under Ataka Nobuyasu, rowing with all his might.

What else is there to say? Let's get started!

The Kuki Navy's flagship, a large ship with a flag and drum, was the only one without arquebusiers mounted on its tower. It raised the banner of the Eight-Man Bodhisattva and directed the Kuki Party's ship commanders to meet the Mori army.

On the opposite bank of Kizu Fortress, Nobunaga received urgent reports from Kuki Yoshitaka and Ataka Nobuyasu. Upon learning of the approaching Mori navy, Nobunaga was deeply concerned. Lacking any hills for support, he followed Kuki Yoshitaka's example and built a watchtower about ten meters high on flat ground, then ran up to observe the situation.

He also sent a letter to Ataka Nobuyasu, who was left to cover Hongan-ji Temple, saying that he had discovered a large number of small boats between Kizu Fortress and Rogan Fortress, which suggested that Hongan-ji Temple might be about to launch a surprise attack on Oda's navy from behind.

By the way, Kizu Fortress was on the north bank of the Kizu River, while Nobunaga and Nobumori's siege fortifications were on the south bank, actually more than a kilometer apart. Several hundred meters of this section consisted of the riverbed and mudflats at the mouth of the Kizu River, with Kizu Fortress situated on a sandbar at the river mouth.

They firmly controlled Kizugawaguchi, otherwise, both generations of legion commanders, including Nobunaga, would have wanted to take it down as soon as possible.

As long as the fortress stands, the waterway to Honganji Temple will remain.

The key point is that Kizu Fortress is backed by Rogan Fortress; the two fortresses echo each other, forming a defensive triangle. Shimoma Yorihiro is indeed quite capable. Without his command of the generals at Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple, it's unlikely that Kennyo Shonin alone could have achieved such a clever (and disgusting) feat.

Layout.

However, Nobunaga could only offer this one instruction, as he knew nothing about naval warfare and lacked the ability to command it, leaving him to rely solely on the two generals, Kuki and Atake. But he understood land warfare, and immediately ordered a portion of the besieging army that had already been transferred to prepare a diversionary attack on Kizu Fortress.

If Oda's army attacks Kizu Fortress, then the Ikko-ikki (a guerrilla force) inside Kizu Fortress might not be able to ambush Atake Nobuyasu in the second wave of attacks. Wouldn't that also be considered a coordinated land and sea attack?

Well, it's a collaboration.

Having already made some preparations, Sakuma Nobumori immediately waved his ceremonial paddle. "They're just small boats," he thought. "The Oda army has hundreds of them too. These things aren't anything valuable. Historically, during the Shimabara Rebellion, the Christian rebels trapped in Shimabara had hundreds of small boats going out to sea to gather seaweed."

They were just small boats used by the local people, only able to carry a few people. But as soon as the battle started, they were immediately conscripted into the army.

A wooden shield was erected at the bow of the boat. Two people rowed, and two people shot arrows. If they could break through the beach, they would; if not, they would at least make the gesture of attacking Kizu Fortress. If the Oda army attacked the fortress, the Ikko-ikki members inside would have to defend it.

As I said before, with Nobunaga around, the number of "fierce generals" in the Oda clan increased several times over.

The main reason is that everyone knows Nobunaga loves simple and strong samurai. The fiercer you are, the more Nobunaga loves you. If you make a contribution on the spot, you will be rewarded on the spot. One of Shichibei's good brothers-in-law, Hara Nagayori, made a contribution by being the first to climb the mountain when hundreds or thousands of people attacked the Suwa House in Ichijōdani, Echizen Province. He was immediately rewarded with 2,000 kan.

Yamanouchi Kazutoyo and Todo Takatora were promoted to high-ranking samurai with a 2,000 koku rank because they made great contributions to Nobunaga during the Tanba campaign.

Even without Nobumori's order, hundreds of samurai were willing to carry tattered wooden shields and be the first to charge the beach at Kizu Fortress. Nobunaga didn't offer any rewards; his face was the reward. He simply stood there and said, "Charge! If you make it to the beach, Lord Nobunaga will spend money like water!"

Having commanded armies for many years, Nobunaga's benevolence and trustworthiness were deeply ingrained in the hearts of the people. Even though the army was composed of his retainers, he wielded immense influence. If he so desired, it would not have been difficult for him to banish even a renowned legion commander like Sakuma Nobumori.

With this reputation intact, Nobunaga, with only two hundred men, was able to directly command the thirty thousand men besieging the city, and none of them showed the slightest discontent.

They complained and felt that this was a matter of course.

The drums of battle resounded loudly as hundreds of samurai foot soldiers led the way, followed by hundreds more preparing. The army under Sakuma Nobumori consisted mainly of newly arrived troops and seven thousand nemoto-rai, whose main force was largely composed of veterans who had fought for twenty or thirty years.

A single command is quite effective; at least there are no issues with advancing or retreating. Moreover, morale has largely recovered. If you think about it carefully, Sakuma Nobumori not only absorbed the remnants of Hanawa Naomasa's forces but also Mori Yoshinari's. There is no shortage of core samurai, and Nobunaga further promoted them at the beginning of the year.

The soldiers of the Sakuma Corps are all eager for battle, and they've just tasted victory, so their morale is high for a while. They can use this to gnaw on the tough nut of Ishiyama Honganji Temple.

Compared to the battlefields on land and sea in Osaka Bay and at the mouth of the Kizugawa River, Shichibei's situation in Sakai was much more relaxed. While fighting raged on both land and sea, Shichibei was still chatting with Ashikaga Princess. He casually inquired about Nobunaga's appointment as Minister of the Interior. Last time, wasn't it just that they were halfway through their conversation in bed when a messenger from Kamiya Munemitsu's house rushed over with an urgent message?

He didn't sleep for a day and a night afterward, running around with Nobunaga.

There isn't even a moment of free time.

After the New Year, Nobunaga had been promoted to Junior Third Rank, Minister of the Interior. The Minister of the Interior at this time was somewhat different from the Minister of the Interior after the Meiji Restoration. The Minister of the Interior at this time was theoretically an outside official, and was temporarily appointed to replace the "Three Ministers" (plus the Grand Minister of State) in attending official duties when the Minister of the Left and the Minister of the Right were absent.

It wasn't a permanent position, but it could serve as a stepping stone for a member of the samurai class to rise to the rank of Left or Right Minister. Generally, once one had completed the step of becoming the Minister of the Interior, it was easy to become the Left or Right Minister.

According to Princess Ashikaga, Nobunaga will most likely be promoted to Junior Second Rank this year. Junior Second Rank is no longer just a matter of being a "celestial being"; it basically means gaining recognition from the imperial family and the concept of the emperor "sharing the fate of the nation."

During the Edo period, the mother of Inu-kubo Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was a nun. The Genroku Ako Incident occurred when he conferred the title of nun upon her.

After Japan's defeat in World War II, Emperor MacArthur visited Japan to implement democratic reforms, demanding a reduction in the rank of the court nobles. Even that old fox, Zhao Ziyang, didn't dare utter a word about this; instead, to preserve the court nobles, he specifically sent people to MacArthur's side.

Ser pleaded for mercy once.

The palace family was also destroyed, as were the gates of ordinary noble families. But could the forty or fifty court nobles who were most closely related to the Imperial Family be preserved, even if they were preserved as court officials?

MacArthur directly rejected this idea. With forty or fifty court nobles present, the Emperor would have had his own trusted confidants, a legacy spanning centuries, making it easier to secure a certain degree of freedom and power within the inner court. By handing everything over to the newly re-established Imperial Household Agency under American supervision, the Imperial Family could only smile wryly, unable to even muster a single truly trusted confidant.

Who would have thought that in the 21st century, Imperial Household Agency staff would even steal cash from the Emperor, and the Emperor wouldn't confess for several years. Finally, when they had stolen so much—several million yen—they were caught.

All I can say is that Emperor Mai did do something good.

As they chatted, Ashikaga Princess asked Shichibei for some money, saying that it was almost time for Miyoshi Yoshitsugu's memorial service, and since the Miyoshi lineage had ended and no one was going to perform the service (Nobutaka was part of the Miyoshi family in Hōshū), she was burning paper money for him as his former wife.

Sigh, Shichibei wouldn't even bother asking about something like that.

Why get angry at a dead person? It's pointless anyway.

As for Shichibei, he's just someone who has a few more homes outside of Azuchi in Nobunaga's main castle. There's no real affection involved; he doesn't care what people say. Ashikaga Princess probably still feels sorry for her son who died with Miyoshi Yoshitsugu. If he wants to go and pray, let him go. It's just a small amount of money; he doesn't need to apply anymore, he can just go to Kawamura-ya to collect it.

Seeing Shichibei's magnanimity, Ashikaga Princess breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, as someone living under someone else's roof and entirely dependent on Shichibei for food, she shouldn't have brought up such a thing. But she could also sense that Shichibei wasn't particularly lusting after her body, nor did he covet her noble birth; he just wanted to keep another woman.

This situation was actually easier to raise because Shichibei had no possessiveness towards Ashikaga Princess. The relationship between the two, especially Shichibei, was one of "de-responsibility"; they weren't really husband and wife, just a decorative figurehead. Therefore, there was nothing wrong with bringing up Ashikaga Princess, and the result was obvious: Shichibei immediately agreed.

Then let's just collect the money. Shichibei casually wrote down a note, which roughly meant that no more than a certain amount of money would be collected by Ashikaga Princess directly, and all of it would be credited to Shichibei, the big boss.

The note was written and instructed to be given to one of the maids Ashikaga Princess had desperately tried to rescue, to go to Kawamura-ya to collect it. Shichibei glanced at it.

She even exclaimed "Oh!" after taking a bath together. She was considered to have a very shapely bottom among Japanese women of that time; I vaguely remember her. Speaking of which, Ashikaga Hime's six maids each had their own unique charm, and the first few baths were quite novel for them.

"Urgent report!" Just as the maid left, a servant was led in by the maid. "Hmm?"

"The entire Kizugawaguchi Shima navy was annihilated, and Ataka Awaji no Kami was killed in action!"

Chapter 394 Defeat Leads to My Establishment of a Naval Army

How could we have lost like this! Ataka Nobuyasu is completely ruined!

Shichibei quickly stood up. Although the town seemed relatively alright at first glance, the impact was considerable. Especially in the harbor, a steady stream of retreating naval ships were arriving. The pirates were all covered in smoke and fire, and their ships bore large patches of burn marks, clearly indicating that they had been subjected to a fire attack by the Mori navy.

What about Kuki Yoshitaka? Before setting off, he confidently assured everyone that he would treat the Mori navy like dirt. How did he end up so utterly defeated? Where did his arrogance go? Where are all his men?

He casually grabbed a Shima pirate who had escaped from the ship; half of his hair was singed off, and his body was covered in large red spots. As soon as Shichibei grabbed his hand, the pirate screamed loudly.

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

Startled, Shichibei immediately released his grip, leaving the man rolling on the ground in agony. He quickly ordered his men to mobilize the Sakai clique, instructing them to bring over all the physicians and apprentices from Sakai Town to house the pirates.

Within the vast Hongjin River lies a large ship with a well tower belonging to Zhimo's navy.

Nothing was seen, only a few small boats carrying loads of wounded soldiers returning to port. On the sea outside the harbor, a deafening cheer of victory seemed to be erupting. Patches of crimson light, reflected against the evening clouds, were exceptionally intense.

fire!

Fire!

It's all over, it's all over. The Shima Navy and the Awaji Navy are truly finished. Just then, Shichibei suddenly saw a ship sailing into the harbor. A man was carried off the ship, bearing a striking resemblance to Ataka Nobuyasu. He was clearly Nobuyasu's younger brother, Ataka Shingoro Kiyoyasu.

Upon closer inspection, both legs were covered in large areas of burns, and the patient was exhaling more than inhaling.

This is terrible! There aren't that many burn specialists these days, so this is just a last resort.

As night fell, the crooked, mostly burned, and probably still flooded well tower ship finally returned to port. Disembarking from the ship was the utterly dejected Kuki Yoshitaka; he had suffered a crushing defeat, a truly devastating loss.

Of the eight admirals who went into battle, seven, excluding him, died at the Battle of Kizugawa. How did they lose? It's actually not complicated. Initially, they relied on the well...

On the large ship, the Shima navy fired at the bow of the Mori navy's Kobayashi ship from the high-rise building, while the arquebusiers and archers on the deck below also fired wildly, making the first wave of Mori navy soldiers cry out in pain, showing Kuki Yoshitaka's great power.

But this was only the first wave; there were still two, three, four, five, and six more waves of Mori naval forces rushing in. Instead of decreasing in number with each attack, the number of smaller boats surrounding the large ship at the inotoku increased dramatically.

Before they could react, the burning jade hit the well tower ship, and one ship caught fire, then two, then three, and flames spread from all sides. The morale of Zhimo's navy, which had previously held a significant advantage, was immediately dealt a heavy blow.

However, Kuki Yoshitaka remained calm. If the structures on the deck were destroyed, so be it; at least the well tower was big, and the ship was big. Besides, the oarsmen providing power were below deck; at worst, they could ram Mori Kobayashi, and even that would be manageable.

Go and disrupt the Maori navy's formation.

By disrupting the enemy's formation, victory still lies with Oda.

Then, seeing that the fighting had started on their side, the Ikko-ikki members who were fighting in Kizugawa set fire to a large number of small boats that were originally tied to the mudflats on the shore and released them.

Even Nobunaga believed these ships were only for carrying people, and thought that as long as he held back the monks inside Kizu Fortress, everything would be fine. As a result, the monks continued to struggle with Nobunaga, and the task of setting fire to the small boats could be easily left to a few followers.

More than two hundred small boats, laden with dried reeds and ablaze, rushed downstream into Osaka Bay. The Ataka Navy, which was originally on guard this side, immediately dispatched small boats to intercept them, attempting to destroy or deflect the small fire boats.

However, when the Osaka ferry, which set sail at noon, anchored near the shore of Osaka Bay, the water was initially four meters deep. By evening, as the tide began to recede, the water was only a little over two meters deep. It didn't run aground, but the oars couldn't move it. At this point, the heavy and massive hull of the ferry became a huge inconvenience.

To protect the ŌAtake ship, smaller boats had to circle around it, separating it from the fire ships. The fire ships continued downstream along the Kizu River towards the Shima navy. A pincer attack from both inside and outside.

Pulled together by the chaos, the already disorganized Shima navy, in its panic, ultimately collapsed. The numerous small boats, like ants biting an elephant, surged forward, hurling fire from all sides; eight well-built ships and seven smoke-filled boats. Only the flagship of the central army, where Kuki Yoshitaka was stationed, was prepared from the start...

Chang Linglian's Navy

They charged forward and fought their way out of the Maori navy.

Murakami Takeyoshi could not allow Kuki Yoshitaka to escape, so he ordered his ships to attack from both sides, and a boarding battle broke out between the two sides. They fought as they moved, and the fighting continued until it was almost dark before the Mori army finally gave up the pursuit.

While Kuki Yoshitaka fled, hundreds of small boats entangled the Atake navy, which was trying to defend itself. Fired darts rained down, and two large, immobile Atake ships burst into flames. Atake Nobuyasu immediately ordered his men to board the ships, seize the enemy's gate ships, and then break out. His brother, Atake Kiyoyasu, also boarded, but was struck by fired darts in the chaos.