Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Having divided the spoils of war, Kagekatsu also hastily withdrew his troops and rushed towards Echigo. Fortunately, at this moment he heeded the advice of Kanetsuguchi and placed Uesugi Kenshin in a large urn to carry with the army. It was as if he had become Kenshin's mourner, a filial son, carrying Kenshin's memorial tablet as he rushed towards Echigo, first securing the title of heir.

And what about Kagetora? Kagetora panicked for a moment because Uesugi Kenshin had not publicly announced a clear successor. If Kenshin turned the tide and Kagetora succeeded him in Kasugayama Castle, wouldn't that be treason and usurpation?

At this moment, it was Uesugi Norimasa, who had seen many storms, who stepped forward. His own son, Uesugi Norishige, was a close aide to Uesugi Kagetora, and the two of them were present.

Since Shiina Kagenao speaks with such certainty, Uesugi Kenshin is definitely doomed. Hesitation will only lead to more trouble. Uesugi Norimasa can use the patriarchal lineage of Uesugi Kenshin's biological father to support his great-grandson, Uesugi Kagetora, to succeed to the throne.

Uesugi Kagenobu was at Kashiwabara, on the border between Shinano and Echigo provinces.

He fought against Oda Nobuhiro and Yamagata Masamitsu, who led the forces of Shinano and Kai, in the Sekikawa area, but not in the castle.

Kagetora was also an indecisive man. To be honest, none of the adopted sons Uesugi Kenshin had chosen were decisive and capable. While he was instructing Uesugi Norimasa to prepare for the succession ceremony, he also sent people to inquire about Uesugi Kagetora's opinion.

He wanted to find the greatest common denominator and hoped that all the generals in Echigo would support him, otherwise his position as the lord of Kasugayama in Echigo would be unstable.

Actually, there was one thing he didn't understand: given the severe external threats, Kenshin's status as the legitimate adopted son, and the only adopted son from Echigo, gave him a natural advantage in uniting the generals of Echigo.

Unfortunately, he couldn't understand it.

However, there was one thing Uesugi Kagetora understood clearly. Once he inherited the throne of Kasugayama in Echigo, his older brother, Hojo Ujimasa, would be overjoyed.

Echigo, Ueno, and Kanto form a continuous line connecting the entire eastern country. While they might be lacking in the ability to conquer the whole country, they would certainly be able to hold onto their territory in the east.

I heard that Takigawa Kazumasu is currently fighting Hojo Takahiro, and as long as Hojo...

If Ujimasa joins the battle, not only will he be able to take down Takikawa Kazumasu, but he might even be able to devour Kai and Suruga.

Uesugi Kagetora may have already planned to quickly bring down his beloved elder brother, Hojo Ujimasa.

"What? The lord has retreated?" Shichibei had spent five days in Kyoto with Ii Naotora and her daughter, and was preparing to return to Sakai when he heard the news that Nobunaga's army had crossed the Seta River.

"How is the situation in Yuezhou and California?" Didn't they say that food supplies in Kanazawa Castle had run out and that Asai Nagamasa was so hungry his eyes were practically glowing green?

"The Asai magistrate has opened the gates and led his troops back to Kita-sho." The visitor was a retainer of Murai Sadakatsu, the Kyoto magistrate, and clearly knew a great deal.

"ah? "

How could Uesugi Kenshin bear to let Azai Nagamasa escape? The messenger quickly explained the reason: the Oda army had made a breakthrough in Echigo, and Uesugi Kenshin was worried about something happening at Kasugayama, so he withdrew his troops.

Oh my, our "One-Eyed Dragon of Owari" father-in-law is so brave? He was able to break through Uesugi Kagetora's defenses in Echigo and force Kenshin to retreat?

He's really become quite capable.

However, in the past two years, Oda Nobuhiro has indeed been working quite hard. Because

Shichibei got a brother-in-law, Nobuhiro's youngest son, who was over forty-five years old. To pave the way for this son, Nobuhiro really used bones as torches.

"Since Asai Nagamasa surrendered Kaga, did he cede the entire province of Kaga to the Kanrei-kun?" Shichibei thought to himself that Asai Nagamasa, in order to save his own life, transferred Kaga without Nobunaga's approval, and he was bound to suffer the consequences.

"It is said that the Regent was furious and gave the doctor a couple of hard kicks." The visitor spoke vividly, as if he had witnessed it himself.

"I understand." That's enough; Shichibei doesn't want to hear such gossip.

Now that Nobunaga has returned to Kyoto, Shichibei will definitely have to pay him a visit, so he won't leave today. When he arrived at the Right General's residence, there were already people waiting at the gate, some asking for news, others inquiring about Nobunaga's plans.

As soon as Shichibei appeared, everyone retreated. As a senior retainer and chief confidant of the Oda clan, Shichibei did not have the authority to directly confront Oda Nobunaga, but as long as we arrived, we would certainly announce our arrival and invite Shichibei inside.

Taking advantage of this moment, Shichibei asked Inase Yoshinari's older brother, Inase Sukeemon, "Isn't he Nobunaga's head servant? Now he's..."

He was a loyal old servant who had led Nobunaga's horse for a long time.

Oh, and Nobunaga also gave him a name, Tadasada, Inase Sukeemon Tadasada.

A simple question reveals that Nobunaga was truly furious with Azai Nagamasa. It wasn't just a matter of kicking him twice; he also hurled insults at him, demanding that Azai Nagamasa commit seppuku as an act of atonement, saying that death was the end of it. If it weren't for the collective persuasion of his generals, who stated that Azai Nagamasa had already done his best and was only forced to surrender, the order might have been issued immediately.

A couple of kicks or slaps are nothing compared to the mild punishment. If my boss still yells at me and hits me, it means he still cares about me. If he doesn't yell at me, hit me, or show any emotion, then I'm really doomed.

The key point is that Nobunaga semi-publicly berated Azai Nagamasa, even telling him to commit seppuku as an apology, which caused quite a stir.

"Lord Jingzhao, the lord summons you." The two were whispering to each other in the corridor when they saw Muto Genjiro come over to invite Shichibei.

"Yes, yes, please lead the way." Shichibei nodded hurriedly and said goodbye to Inase Tadasada.

Led inside by Muto Genjiro, Nobunaga, who had just finished relieving himself in his military uniform, was being helped to rub his body by his pageboys. He was wearing only a loincloth, making no attempt to hide it from Shichibei.

"Shichibei, you have done well in the affairs of California, and you have also done well in the affairs of Settsu Province." Nobunaga said this as soon as Shichibei bowed.

"I dare not take credit." What credit did Shichibei have?

In the Battle of Settsu-Toyoshima, he at least led troops. In the Battle of Kaga-Kanazawa, what merit did Shichibei achieve?

"A merit is a merit. Your ability to send military rations into the besieged city is a great achievement." Nobunaga clearly harbored some "regret" about the war in Kaga.

"This..." Shichibei really didn't send any food into the city.

Paying one tael of gold a day to recruit skilled ship captains to row into Kanazawa City and obtain firsthand information about Kanazawa—this was something Shichibei did perfectly.

But the thirty taels of rice that were delivered into the city by the bow of the boat were brought by him on his own initiative. Since ancient times, defending a city has always required military rations, and there must be a profit to be made from transporting grain into the city.

"Did your adoptive father send you any letter?" Nobunaga's thinking was really unpredictable; he had just praised Oda Nobuhiro for his merits, and now he was asking him about Oda Nobuhiro.

"Never."

"And what about your sworn brother?" Nobunaga asked Yamagata Masamitsu.

"Never."

"Hiss..." Nobunaga took a breath.

It's strange. If Oda's army really marched into Echigo and Uesugi Kenshin withdrew to relieve Kasugayama, why didn't Shichibei's father-in-law and brother-in-law send back a single message? Perhaps they were afraid that if they told Nobunaga in advance, it would be unfortunate if they failed to capture Kasugayama.

Why didn't you tell Shichibei? Such happy news should normally be shared.

446. Sakuma Kungfu is extremely difficult to master

There must be more to the story regarding the Uesugi clan. However, Nobunaga couldn't think of anything particularly noteworthy at the moment, and could only temporarily rely on the extraordinary prowess of Oda Nobuhiro and Takigawa Kazumasu. If his beloved elder brother could truly display exceptional bravery for the Oda clan's cause, Nobunaga would certainly be pleased.

As the head of the Oda clan, Nobuhiro was indeed obligated to play this role, protecting the Oda family under the guise of a close relative. Even if he didn't reach a million koku, earning six or seven hundred thousand koku would be reasonable and expected.

Since Nobunaga has asked about this, why don't we write a private letter to Kaizu Castle in Shinano Province to inquire about Oda Nobuhiro's current situation and how the battle is going?

Row.

Write this right in front of Nobunaga, and Nobunaga will make a request. Instruct Nobuhiro to immediately begin bribing the people of Echigo, not to be afraid to spend money—a few thousand kan is fine, even twenty thousand kan will do. If they can bribe the people of Ōkuni to rebel, Nobunaga will reimburse all the expenses, and Nobuhiro will also promise to keep the Echigo territory secure.

The Oda clan was so large that Nobunaga had to delegate authority to frontline commanders; this was called acting expediently. If everything had to be reported to and requested, things would have been different.

The daylily buds are already cold.

After finishing the private message, Shichibei read it aloud to Nobunaga. Although the tone was Shichibei's, the content was Nobunaga's. This gave Nobuhiro some leeway, allowing him to act freely in Shinano.

"Good news!"

As Nobunaga was putting on his clothes, a servant ran up to the veranda and announced the news to Daisho.

Where?

"Lord Sakuma has captured Iimoriyama Castle, and the entire province of Kawachi has been pacified."

"understood."

This is truly good news. With this, the Sakuma Army, with its strength exceeding 20,000 men, can finally be freed up and used as firefighters to put out fires everywhere. No longer will Nobunaga need to recruit soldiers piecemeal, squeezing them out bit by bit to fight.

"If Jiangdian achieves success, it will be a truly joyous occasion," Shichibei blurted out instinctively.

"Hmph, pacifying Hanoi is simply their duty." Nobunaga's attitude made Shichibei immediately realize the difference.

Could it be that Oda Nobutada's accusations have already reached Oda Nobunaga's ears? Sakuma Nobumori certainly performed admirably during the previous rescue of Arioka at Settsu.

They don't really respect loyalty and trustworthiness. But it's just that they're taking advantage of their seniority; there's nothing particularly wrong with them.

As a result, Shichibei didn't dare to say anything more, knowing that saying more at this point would only make things worse.

"Give him my reed horse." Nobunaga fastened his sash and finally said this.

Reed-haired horses are horses with reed-patterned markings, a subcategory of reed-haired horses. They can be roughly understood as not being pure white, or light gray. Nobunaga himself had a beloved horse named Renzen Reed-haired because of the irregular circular gray and white markings on its body.

Now that Nobumori has breached Iimori Castle and quelled the unrest in Kawachi, it would be normal for Nobunaga to reward him with tachi, armor, or horses.

Is this some kind of consolation?

Maybe, but Shichibei doesn't want to speculate.

"How is Izumi's appointment going?" Nobunaga immediately turned the page and stopped talking about Sakuma Nobumori.

"The basic process has been completed." This can be said.

One position was a unique title in this era, especially under Nobunaga, meaning that Nobunaga bestowed all power within a certain territory upon a person.

A samurai appointed to a "one-position" (一职). All matters concerning temples, shrines, farmland, administration, annual tribute, taxes, and military service were handled by this samurai. The earliest recorded example is Mitsuhide, who was appointed to a position in Shiga District of western Omi Province.

The old order is either destroyed, reconstructed, or absorbed, and dressed up in the way Nobunaga wants to see, so that after this samurai leaves, the new lord can follow suit and immediately conscript soldiers and collect taxes.

"If the position in the northern part of Ki Province is difficult, you must also lend a hand." Nobunaga had finally managed to gather a decent group of followers again, so he was still concerned.

The so-called difficulties were nothing more than unrest that needed to be suppressed. Under normal circumstances, Nobunaga only conducted land surveys, that is, clearly identifying the landowners. Once the names and lords of the land were completely determined, the lords would either personally go to war or pay money to perform corvée labor in lieu of their duties.

Such a land survey is unlikely to cause any trouble. However, there are some issues with Saiga. Firstly, there are many followers of the Jodo Shinshu sect, and secondly, the castle was previously destroyed during the attack on Saiga Castle.

Moreover, after being granted 50,000 koku of land in Saiga, Oda Nobuharu first collected a large sum of money in the form of shoku and tōbetsu, and then he had to start a labor service, launch a general petition, rebuild Saiga Castle, or choose another site to build a castle.

These are all necessary or normal procedures, but in situations involving complex social conditions...

This situation in He County might cause some trouble.

That's why Nobunaga gave Shichibei this instruction. After all, Shichibei was close by, and Shichibei's adopted son, Toyama Jiroshiro, had a fief of over 10,000 koku in Kishu, which Shichibei was supposed to manage.

"Understood," Shichibei replied.

"You may leave." Nobunaga likely had another audience to attend. His focus had long since shifted from personally leading troops into battle to establishing a system of public order and creating the Oda system.

Upon going outside, I saw a man and a horse. The horse was the same one I had just mentioned, the one that was supposed to be sent to Hanoi as a reward for Sakuma Nobumori.

As for the person, it was Oda Nobutada.

Upon learning it was Oda Nobutada, Shichibei quickly bowed. Nobutada was also looking at the horse and asked where it was to be sent. Upon learning it was to Wakae Castle, he simply nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Hearing Shichibei's greeting, Nobutada turned around and returned the greeting. There was no time for conversation; his father, Nobunaga, was already waiting for him. He said goodbye and left.

So, what did Nobutada say to Nobunaga after they met? Mainly...

This refers to the battle situation in Settsu, as well as the earlier attack by the Honganji army on the army besieging Arioka Castle.

The siege of Arioka Castle and Hanakuma Castle continues, with Hanakuma Castle in a state of limbo. The Mori clan neither evacuates its few thousand Mori soldiers nor reinforces its forces to try and break the siege. Aside from sending food to Hanakuma Castle every month, they are simply wasting their time there.

With food supplies from the Murakami navy, it was impossible to completely besiege Hanakuma Castle, resulting in a stalemate between the two sides. Arioka Castle, on the other hand, was heavily fortified; the Honganji army's previous attack had failed to breach its siege.

The city now only has enough food for half a year. If the siege cannot be lifted within six months, Araki Murashige will surely starve to death.