Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

See, as they say, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. Kuwayama Shigeharu may not have won many battles, but he certainly has experience; at least he's seen a lot. Fujido Takatora is quick-tempered, Takenaka Shigeharu is good at dealing with bandits, but Kuwayama Shigeharu is steady and reliable.

Let's all pitch in and build a few more shelters; it's not a big deal anyway. If a typhoon comes, we can just tear them down or let them get blown away, it doesn't matter.

Having a sunshade made a big difference. A straw mat was laid out on the ground, and Sangshan Chongqing brewed large bowls of cool tea for everyone. The siege was a test of patience; one had to be patient.

"Hey, the smoke from the chimneys seems to be rising longer than usual today." Takenaka Shigeharu put down his teacup as he was drinking tea.

"You mean you're preparing extra cooked rice?"

"There might be a surprise attack tonight."

Who's on patrol tonight?

"Aochi Suruga no Kami, Hara Hikoji." Todo Takatora announced the names of Aochi Shigetsuna and Hara Nagayori.

Night patrols don't require many people; each of the two generals leads several hundred, mainly to guard the fortified positions and passes. If someone from inside the city were to come out and dig at the earthen ramparts, it wouldn't happen silently. If they were discovered, they would raise an alarm, and a fight might not even break out.

"Toryou, you'll keep watch for the first half of the night, and let Seizo keep watch for the second half." Shichibei looked around but didn't see Ito Hisahisa.

"I'll go and relay the order." Todo Takatora was rather anxious and jumped up from the straw mat.

Then they saw Ito Hisahisa climbing up the earthen rampart while fastening his belt. It's understandable, Ito Hisahisa's family couldn't have come along. With the army stationed and extensively constructing fortifications, small merchants, vendors, and courtesans naturally gathered around the camp.

Today wasn't a day of long patrols for Ito, nor was he on duty at the camp. So, it wasn't anything unusual for him to go out and have some fun for three minutes when he had nothing else to do.

"Your Highness is looking for me?" Ito Hisashi had just been transferred from Nobunaga's Moi-sho to Shichibei's command. His official rank was still with Nobunaga. He might be granted a fief of 10,000 to 20,000 koku in some region if he made a contribution. Naturally, he was only addressed as Lord Shichibei or Lord Tsuruga.

"You and Hu You will take turns guarding the camp tonight. Thank you for your hard work." Shichibei saw him fastening his belt but didn't ask any questions; he simply gave the order.

"Understood," Ito replied, bowing his head for a long time.

After agreeing, he took Todo Takatora's arm to arrange the night watch, but he didn't know where to put it. Todo Takatora was ambitious and always wanted to make a name for himself before marrying a noblewoman. He had even refused when the young general tried to introduce him to women from Mino. However, not getting married was one thing, but having fun was another.

"Another bowl, please." Watching the two leave arm in arm, Shichibei swallowed hard, feeling even thirstier.

"My lord, a letter has arrived from the capital." Before he could even take a sip of his cold tea, a servant led the messenger over.

Oh dear, it seems another darling of the Kinai region has been killed by Oda Nobunaga. Those clowns who were lured in by Mori Terumoto only had a few thousand or ten thousand men each. If Mori Terumoto had marched on Kyoto with an army of 100,000—no, 50,000—they would have been the invincible "Hundred Responses" who could command a hundred responses at a moment's notice.

But Mori just couldn't get up there, and the inevitable result of that was that he would be defeated one by one.

Matsunaga Hisahide has become the bomber, who will be the next unlucky one? Shichibei isn't in a hurry, we have plenty of time now, let the two of them sit down and drink some large bowls of cold tea, let's drink first and then talk.

After drinking the herbal tea, the matter was revealed. After Oda Nobutada eliminated the Matsunaga family, he moved his forces to Kyoto. Nobunaga was currently overseeing the standoff with Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple and didn't have time to assign Nobutada any tasks. Nobutada had originally planned to return to Gifu to lick his wounds with the vast wealth he had seized, but events had taken an unexpected turn.

Kobayakawa Takakage was unable to break through Hideyoshi's defenses and was unable to besiege Himeji Castle. Upon hearing that Shichibei had advanced to fight in Higashiharima, he finally began to worry.

After the first attempt to advance into the Kinai region failed, a second attempt was made. First, two or three thousand men, including Katsura Motomasa, who was stationed at Kishiwada Castle, were transferred away. Second, Suga Tatsunaga of Awaji was ordered to send two thousand men. Finally, Hoida Motochika was asked to personally lead four thousand men out of Bitchu.

Why invite Hoida Motochika? Because Kobayakawa Takakage believed that in the last joint battle between Settsu and Izumi, the generals had no one under their command and fought their own battles.

A general with sufficient prestige, capable of controlling the situation, unifying command, and launching a coordinated attack from all sides, must be dispatched. The best candidate would undoubtedly be Kobayakawa Takakage himself, but he is currently embroiled in a conflict with Hideyoshi in Harima and cannot extricate himself. Yoshikawa Motoharu, on the other hand, is responsible for defending Kyushu and has already sent his son, Yoshikawa Tsuneyoshi, with half of the Yoshikawa army into battle.

With the second and third sons both preoccupied, they had to turn to the fourth son. So, Hoida Motochika gathered eight or nine thousand men and entered Hanakuma Castle. After joining forces with Nomi Munekatsu, they had a significant numerical advantage and were fully capable of defeating the combined forces of Akechi Hidemitsu, Hosokawa Fujitaka, and others.

As expected, the Mori army broke through the siege of Hanakuma Castle and went to rescue Araki Murashige at Arioka Castle. Thus, Akechi Mitsuhide and Oda Nobutada finally reunited, and the two sides engaged in battle.

Mitsuhide led 10,000 cavalry, Nobutada 20,000, and Nobunaga's reinforcements numbered 5,000. They faced Mori 18,000 cavalry and Araki 10,000. The Mori-Araki alliance was at a disadvantage, but at least they had unified command.

If it were only Mitsuhide, the Mori would have revitalized the situation in Settsu. But Matsunaga Hisahide was useless; he was a terrible warrior. Both in history and in this world, he was easily defeated by Nobutada's 20,000 men and only lasted for less than two months.

Now things are fine, let's deal with Nobutada and Mitsuhide.

However, the Mori's landing here did have its uses. The situation in Settsu was almost hopeless, but now at least they're back to a stalemate. The Mori no longer need to haul food from the impoverished western provinces; they can collect grain from Settsu, an agricultural region with 300,000 to 400,000 koku of produce, to support the Hongan-ji Temple and supply the Mori army.

Although it seems like an additional 4,000 people have been deployed, the logistical pressure has suddenly increased.

Reduce your intake of local produce; it's definitely far better to eat what's available locally than what's from further afield.

If this continues, it's likely to devolve into a war of attrition. Whoever runs out of energy first will be finished.

It's certain that the profit margin is doomed.

No matter how you look at it, Oda Nobunaga's economy was better, with a larger population. Even his ability to manage and transport food was slightly better than Mori's. The Kinai region was one of Japan's major agricultural areas, and despite having so many people stationed on the front lines, no one seemed to go hungry.

Aside from Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi was the one whose escape route was attacked.

"If Lord Gifu can defeat the combined forces of Hoida Bitchu and Araki, his reputation as a military commander will resound throughout the Kinai and western provinces." Shichibei felt that with Mitsuhide's support, Nobutada should be able to achieve this.

"Hmm..." The people under the pavilion all nodded.

Nobutada's independence broke Matsunaga Hisahide's record, showing everyone that he was "fast." If he were to lead a large army and defeat Hoida Motochika and Araki Murashige, then everyone would know that he was "stable."

That's how fame is built step by step. Winning battles is the best form of publicity. To borrow a somewhat inappropriate phrase, "Killing one is a crime, slaughtering ten thousand is heroism." Nobunaga had a mountain of murders and arson, but that didn't stop everyone from respecting him and knowing how powerful he was.

It doesn't take much; just killing two or three thousand Mori soldiers in battle and cutting off the Mori's claws in Settsu will completely establish Nobutada's prestige.

"But looking at it this way, Mori is really arrogant." Takenaka Hanbei counted on his fingers.

The Mori army in the Kinai region numbered over 10,000, and those fighting with Hideyoshi numbered over 30,000, bringing the total to 50,000. Subtracting the 10,000 or so men of the Ukita Naoie clan, Mori Terumoto and Kikkawa Motoharu only had about 30,000 to 40,000 men under their command. To secure their territory and defend Kyushu, they had to mobilize a large number of troops.

"Like a grasshopper in autumn." Shichibei was not only prescient, but he also saw that Mori's first attack had failed and the subsequent battle had become a stalemate, meaning that the battle had in fact been lost.

This kind of mentality seems to be consistent across different groups, all pursuing a quick victory. This is partly because a quick victory allows them to reap the benefits of success as soon as possible, and partly because they can't afford a protracted war.

The Mori clan believed in quick victory, and three hundred years later they still believed in quick victory. They're ruined. The Choshu people have only used one brain for hundreds of years.

They chatted until nightfall. Because they anticipated a possible night attack, Shichibei didn't sleep. Anyway, he could catch up on sleep during the day since he had nothing to do, so he kept his eyes wide open, watching the night.

As expected, several hundred men were dispatched from Miki Castle in the latter half of the night to attempt to attack Kawamura's construction sites and granaries. Aoji Shigetsuna, Hara Nagayori, and Ito Hisahisa, who were prepared, seized the opportunity and indiscriminately slaughtered these men, killing at least a hundred.

Seeing that a night raid was hopeless, the men inside the castle were summoned back by banging gongs. Having a head was a good thing; the three generals would bring their heads in exchange for rewards: one tael of gold for each foot soldier and five taels for each samurai. If you killed Bessho Yoshichika, Nobunaga could even grant you a hereditary fiefdom of three to five thousand koku.

It was a form of entertainment during the monotonous years of siege, and that description is quite accurate. Besides seeking amusement from courtesans, what else did samurai do for amusement but kill people? They neither engaged in production nor possessed any other skills; all they learned in their lives was how to kill.

If no one's chopping, what else can be done?

Of course, samurai in the Edo period made paper umbrellas, raised goldfish, wrote novels, and grew bonsai, and all sorts of hobbies developed into professions. But back then, the world was at peace. Now, in the Warring States period, with only a glimmer of hope for unification, samurai still made a living by killing people.

Let's keep cutting like this. If we keep cutting, we'll cut off the morale of the people in the city. Who knows, Bessho Yoshichika might come out and commit seppuku himself.

Just like in the historical case of Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu, where the lord committed seppuku to save the lives of the castle's soldiers. Anyway, Nobunaga only wanted Bessho Yoshichika.

Nobunaga didn't really care about the lives of the other soldiers, not even their heads.

420. Nobutada defeated Amagasaki

Bessho Yoshichika was a formidable figure who understood the principle that it was better to rely on oneself than others. Even if one night raid failed, he would still organize a second and a third. Although the Kawamura army outside the city was on guard, one can only be a thief for a thousand days, not a thief for a thousand days, and Bessho Yoshichika would still manage to strike from time to time.

Although the losses were not significant—perhaps just burning down a couple of small huts or breaking through a section of the earthen rampart—the morale within the city remained high because of hope and food supplies.

At first, Shichibei tried to appease the Bessho retainers in the castle in the name of Bessho Nagaharu. He promised that as long as they surrendered, their territories would be safe and their past transgressions would be forgiven. But no one came out of the castle. Those who were willing to follow Bessho Nagaharu did not join the rebellion. They had escaped a few months earlier and were still serving Bessho Nagaharu.

He's been in power for so many years, and clearly he hasn't done it for nothing. The fact that he could bring over five thousand people into the city to defend it with him shows his considerable prestige in Higashiharima.

Let's see how it goes. Shichibei's forces are three times stronger than Bessho Yoshichika's, so they have plenty of resources to fight back.

In fact, it seems that siege warfare was not a common practice during Japan's Sengoku period.

Following the so-called military principle of "encirclement by ten," a famous siege battle is exemplified by Hideyoshi's attack on Odawara, where 200,000 troops besieged 50,000. At the neighboring Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple, the forces of the besieging Oda army and the Ikko-ikki within the castle were roughly equal.

In the more distant Hokuriku region, during the siege of the Seven-Tails Castle, there were 15,000 men inside the castle and 20,000 men outside, led by Uesugi Kenshin. It was less of a siege and more of a defensive operation by the defenders relying on the castle.

It can only be said that each country has its own way of fighting wars that are adapted to its own national conditions, and cannot be completely bound by certain rules and regulations.

Let's keep going. After going through a series of processes including scorching sun, typhoons, floods, and the emergency harvesting of local rice, the siege of Sanmu City is finally two-thirds complete.

One-third left? On the Kako River.

We need Hideyoshi Hashiba and Hidenaga Hashiba to capture all the branch castles along the Kako River that have been reported by Bessho Nagaharu. Although it may still not be enough to stop the Mori navy, once the branch castles are captured, Shichibei can send people to plant large logs and long bamboo poles in the riverbed.

If the outlying city walls haven't been demolished, how can we arrange for laborers to plant bamboo poles?

So what about Hideyoshi and Hidenaga? They fared alright; after three months of relentless fighting, Hidenaga finally managed to take down Kamiyoshi Castle. Kamiyoshi Yorimitsu himself ignited the...

Marugodate, he committed seppuku and threw himself into the fire to die. As for the castle soldiers and generals? Hundreds surrendered, and hundreds more died in battle.

All those who surrendered were given to Hidenaga by Hideyoshi, strengthening Hidenaga's power. You ask how Hidenaga managed to take down the castle after three months of fighting? Because Hidenaga bribed Kamiyoshi Sadamitsu, the uncle of Kamiyoshi Yorisada, who then opened the gates to the Hashiba army.

As a result, the most fortified outpost castle on the west side of Miki Castle, Kamiyoshi Castle, fell, and Kamiyoshi Sadamitsu, like Awakawa Sadanobu, was removed from his post and made his retainers by Hidenaga.

After capturing Kamiyoshi Castle, the Hashiba army was finally able to advance in large numbers to the banks of the Kako River and begin to conquer the various branch castles along the river.

Generals such as Kodera Takataka, Bessho Shigemune, and Kasuya Masao, who were originally fighting locally, all joined Hidenaga's army, forming a small legion.

By the way, because Kodera Masakazu also sided with Mori and rebelled, Kodera Takataka abandoned the Kodera surname and changed his name to Kuroda Kanbei Takataka to show his break with Mori.

When Hideyoshi received Shichibei's letter, the generals of Hidenaga were attacking Kakogawa Castle, helping Kasuya Masao reclaim his former territory. Kasuya Masao, originally a retainer of the Bessho clan, had also switched sides to Hideyoshi.

The Bessho family was embroiled in an internal strife, resulting in the removal of more than half of the local tyrants and hereditary retainers. Ironically, this was a good thing. If Miki Castle were captured and Bessho Nagaharu regained his position as lord of Miki, the entire Bessho family would be without a powerful vassal, and all retainers would have to submit to Nagaharu.

Asai Nagamasa, in the north of the river, also eliminated all the troublemakers in the north of the river because of Hori Hidemura's rebellion. The remaining nobles were basically transformed into Asai retainers and followed him to Echizen.

What was originally a discussion among the people or among the high-ranking officials smoothly transformed into a one-man show by the head of the clan, the daimyo. In a sense, this could be considered a blessing in disguise.

The powerful and influential ministers who had been meddling in his affairs were either dead or gone, and his uncle Bessho Yoshitoki, who had been assisting him, was on Nobunaga's blacklist and his entire family was to be killed. Bessho Nagaharu's good days were about to begin; there would be no more obstacles in his household.

After the weather had turned cool for several days, Hidenaga finally began his attack on Kakogawa Castle, and Shichibei witnessed firsthand the capabilities of his good brother-in-law. He wasn't just dragging his feet; he did everything methodically and systematically.

While we're all eager to go home and embrace our loved ones, he's just proceeding step by step, figuring out how to advance, how to maneuver, and how to attack the city, showing no sign of being in a hurry.

"No, I have to send a message to Koichiro." The siege has been going on for almost four months.

From summer to late autumn, the besieged forces fought more than ten battles, large and small, before finally managing to surround the Shichibei on three sides of Miki Castle. They couldn't stand seeing their brother-in-law doing well.

Haha, this "good" is of course not really good, it just means that Xiu Chang isn't putting in the effort.

"There's no need for that." Shichibei's other two brothers-in-law, Shibata Nagakatsu and Hara Nagayasu, were sitting next to him in shifts.

"Why not?" It's certainly not as comfortable as sitting by the fire in the big house at home on this flat plain.

"Although he is your brother-in-law, he is still part of Princess Himeji's military force." Takenaka Hanbei lifted the straw mat curtain and held up an account book.

"Nonsense..." That's a good point.

Even if he was his own brother-in-law, his army was still Hideyoshi's, and Shichibei really couldn't interfere with Hideyoshi's army.

"Please take a look." Takenaka Hanbei greeted the others and handed the account book to Shichibei.

It's not some strange account; it's just data on the harvest of rice from other areas after the autumn harvest. There are two versions: one shows how much was harvested, and the other shows how much was harvested after drying.

If rice is not dried and stored properly, rice weevils will infest it. This problem is particularly severe in southern China, especially in humid provinces.

Heavy. In many households, improper storage of rice has led to the rice buckets being crawling with small black insects when the lids are lifted. This has resulted in some people filling large cola bottles with rice and storing them in the refrigerator.

The data recorded before and after drying is purely to prevent anyone from tampering with the process.

If the war were fought on someone else's territory, the Kawamura family could harvest rice without any restraint. But since they were currently on Bessho Nagaharu's territory, Shichibei had to pay Bessho Nagaharu the amount of rice harvested at a price of 450 sen per koku.