Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

The idea is simple: hold firm, and there will be a way.

So although Miyoshi Nobutaka and Kagawa Nobusumi entered the abandoned Yuzuki Castle, there were still many battles to fight. Those who fled with the Mori clan were mainly coastal nobles and a small number of samurai directly under the Kono clan. Those inland were now at a crossroads, each making their own choices.

"How is the Tosa army doing?" Shichibei nodded. It seems there's still a lot of work to be done in pacifying Kita Iyo.

"The Tosa has already captured Saionji..." Wada Bizen-no-kami briefly explained the situation in Minami Iyo.

With the surrender of Saionji, only the Iyo-Utsunomiya family remained. Utsunomiya Toyotsuna of the Iyo-Utsunomiya family, desiring the position of Governor of Tōtōmi, petitioned the Iyo Governor-General, Kono Michinobu, to submit a memorial. However, Kono Michinobu, not wanting his subordinates to receive official positions, secretly withheld the petition.

Finally, Utsunomiya Toyotsuna took a personal route, directly petitioning the imperial court and obtaining the position of Governor of Tōtōmi. From then on, the two sides became enemies, and the Kono family summoned Kobayakawa Takakage, who then decisively defeated the Utsunomiya army.

Utsunomiya Toyotsuna was arrested and taken to Bingo, where he was placed under the custody of Kobayakawa Takakage. His son, Utsunomiya Toyoharu, was greatly weakened; he had previously attempted to aid Ichijo Kanesada. Now completely defeated, he surrendered to Chosokabe Motochika.

In other words, Southern Iyo has been completely pacified. Northern Iyo, however, has only superficially defeated Kono, while in reality, it is engulfed in war.

Seeing the flames of war engulfing the city of Yuzuki, Miyoshi Nobutaka and Kagawa Nobusumi could only begin to suppress the rebellion, inevitably leading to the surrender of many. However, Hiraoka Nao...

Fusa and Ono Naomasa's loyalty inspired many people in Iyo Province, and Nobutaka and Nobusumi led 20,000 men to the province. Apart from the few thousand who remained to defend Yuzuki, most of the rest were sent out and were exhausted from dealing with the situation.

How to do it?

Nobutaka's idea was straightforward: to summon Chosokabe Motochika and his son Nobuchika. If the two of them came, they could at least get 10,000 cavalry reinforcements.

Then, attacking any city will become very easy and effortless.

Where would the money to pay the reinforcements come from? Despite Nobutaka's constant anxiety, when it came to actually needing money, he still had to rely on his good father, Nobunaga. The Awa region had only been pacified for a short time; that little money was far from enough for their years of continuous warfare.

"Go ask Kawamura Shichibei for it!" Nobusumi was also a bachelor, and with a large territory of 200,000 koku right in front of him, he couldn't give it up.

“That was my father’s wealth.” Miyoshi Nobutaka mainly had nothing left to mortgage.

Unlike other large merchants, Shichibei had Nobunaga's backing, so there was no possibility of him forcibly borrowing money. He shared his profits with Nobunaga. Inviting 10,000 Chosokabe cavalry—if not 10,000, then at least...

Give me five thousand.

472. A high five signifies a marriage alliance.

"This is the Junior Vice-Minister of the Imperial Household of Chōsokabe."

The monk Takimotoji, who had met Shichibei once before, introduced them to the group. It must be said that there's a reason why Chosokabe Motochika is called "Hime-wakako" (meaning "Princess Wakako"). After so many years of fighting, her skin is still quite fair.

"This is Lord Misaburo Nobuchika," the great monk Feiyou continued.

Chosokabe Nobuchika, who received the character "Nobu" from Oda Nobunaga, inherited his father's good looks and was a handsome young man with androgynous features. At least by the standards of that era, he was considered quite good-looking.

Anyway, that father and son are much better looking than Shichibei. Shichibei's unremarkable appearance would make him stand out among a group of foot soldiers.

"I am Shimokawamura Sakyō Ryōkichi," Shichibei returned the greeting to the two.

The Chosokabe father and son were also observing Shichibei. They had heard of this close relative of the Oda clan. What they knew most about Shichibei was that he was said to have a fortune of one million kan. Considering how poor Tosa Province was, one million kan? Even if the Chosokabe father and son had to dig the ground until it smoked, they definitely couldn't scrape together that much.

Moreover, Kawamuraya is said to have a million coins, perhaps even more. Kyushu and Oshu are already using Tensho Koban, so naturally Shikoku is too. Motochika and his son are well aware that the gold Koban and brand-new copper coins they are currently using were all minted by Kawamuraya.

Even if this God of Wealth isn't here to support the Shin-Hsiao and Shin-Cheng brothers, it would be nice to have a chance to meet him.

So when Shichibei sent a congratulatory letter to Miyoshi Nobutaka and Kagawa Nobusumi, informing them that Harada Nobumasa was coming to "travel," Nobutaka and Nobusumi immediately relayed the news that Shichibei was in Sanuki to Chosokabe Motochika.

In the name of Shichibei, invite Chōsokabe Motochika, and then in the name of Chōsokabe Motochika, invite Shichibei.

Once the two arrive, everything else will be easy. Although Kita Iyo has not been completely pacified, Yuzuki and his companion maintain tight control. Furthermore, they have received news that Kurushima Michifusa has surrendered to the Oda clan.

Kurushima Michi was extremely excited at this moment, as he was taking over Inoshima and Noshima. Because Murakami Takekichi and Murakami Yoshimitsu had run away, Murakami had unified the three islands without bloodshed.

Having just joined the Oda clan, he secured safety in Kazehaya County and received a reward of 2,000 kanmon. He no longer needed Morimura Haru's escort. (Kurashima-dori)

He personally brought Shichibei from Tenmura Castle to Yuzuki Castle.

Just as Nobutaka Nobusumi had predicted, Shichibei heard that he could meet Chosokabe Motochika at the neighboring Yuzuki Castle, so he gladly came to see Princess Wakako. Motochika was doing the same; he was finishing up his work on Minami Iyo, and when he learned that Shichibei had invited him, he also rushed over.

No, it should be that they came by fast ships. Motochika's brother-in-law, Ikeyori, and his small navy of dozens of ships, along with Motochika himself, incorporated merchants and ship crews from Nishi-Tosa-juku-machi. Historically, Chosokabe Nobuchika organized his own navy and followed the main force to the islands of Kyushu.

With ships, even if troops were dispatched from Tosaoka Toyo Castle, it wouldn't take long to reach Yuzuki Castle. Therefore, Shichibei arrived at Yuzuki from Amagiri and Motochika arrived at Yuzuki from Oka Toyo Castle almost simultaneously.

That's great, let's meet up.

If all goes according to plan, once Oda Nobutada has made his preparations, Hideyoshi will breach Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu. The three generals of Iyo, namely Miyoshi Nobutaka, Kagawa Nobusumi, and Chōsokabe Motochika, will then have to send 30,000 troops south of Aki to attack the Mōri clan's territory.

Shichibei and Motochika are bound to work together, so let's meet them first. Everyone exchanged greetings. Since the host of Yuzuki Castle is Kagawa Nobusumi, then Kagawa Nobusumi will be the host. Nobusumi raised his cup to celebrate the Oda clan and their ally, the Chosokabe clan, pacifying Shikoku.

Once the conversation started and their glasses clinked, things became much easier. Chosokabe Motochika was fully aware that Nobunaga wanted to attack the Mori clan, and he was willing to send troops.

Nobutaka will most likely remain in Shikoku, leading its forces. Kagawa Nobusumi, however, is less certain. As Nobunaga's trusted nephew, given his abilities, he will certainly be given more responsibility. He might be transferred to Aki or Bingo, and Iyo, where he remains, will likely be distributed as a reward to the Chosokabe clan.

Even if only 100,000 koku were ultimately given to the Chōsokabe clan, it would still be a profit. Motochika, known as the "Bat of the Island Without Birds," was not without ambition; he and Nobunaga raised their armies in the same year.

As a result, while Nobunaga now reigns supreme, he only possesses 100,000 koku in Tosa and 200,000 koku in Minami-Iyo. To put it bluntly, he's only on par with Shichibei. If Shichibei were to bring his own power, he would have twice the strength of the Chosokabe clan.

Nobuchika was brought along, and Motochika sidled up to sit next to Shichibei. Although Nobuchika was no longer a child, parents talking to children was a way to easily get the conversation flowing.

In the 1980s and 90s, when relatives borrowed money, they would often bring their children along. This was mainly to convey the message: "I'm lending you the money, don't worry, I can pay it back even if I don't have the child." Besides, it was the dead of winter, and the child's little face would be freezing.

Red also makes it easier for people to soften their hearts.

Upon learning that Shichibei was indeed to be dispatched by Nobunaga to the Seto Inland Sea and the Mori region, Motochika was secretly delighted. It seemed that his provisions for the journey would be plentiful.

When allied forces come to aid in the battle, they will certainly eat the food provided by their leader. This means they will need to prepare their own rations on the way to the rendezvous point. Historically, when Hideyoshi campaigned against Odawara, he prepared 200,000 koku of rice along the Tokaido route. All those who came to join the battle ate Hideyoshi's rice.

Oda Nobunaga had fought so many battles over the years and had never encountered any shortages. It was all because he had a huge financial backer. Now that this backer was being distributed along the way, it was practically free military merit.

When it comes to warfare, Chosokabe Motochika was somewhat arrogant. While he might not be considered an unparalleled general throughout history, he was certainly at least invincible across the four provinces. As long as there was enough rice balls, salt, and pickles, there was no battle he couldn't win.

Even if Mori Moto was alive, he would still dare to touch him.

With a good start, the conversation went much more smoothly from there. Shichibei looked at the smiling Motochika and suddenly remembered that Motochika had just captured Katsuzui Castle, taken the nearly fifty-year-old young general Okamoto prisoner, and immediately married him as a concubine, and even had a son with Okamoto.

This guy's a real lecher, judging by his appearance, he seems to like young married women. Wait, he's almost fifty, how should I describe him?

A yellowish thought popped into his head, and his eyes sparkled. This made Yuan Qin think the two were having a wonderful conversation and had hit it off immediately.

Motochika then took the opportunity to bring up Nobusuke's invitation to assist in suppressing Hiraoka Naofabu and Ōno Naomasa. He also stated that he would provide troops as an obligation of an ally, and asked, according to the custom of the Sengoku period in Japan, how much would the gift be?

Gift money?

What kind of gift money?

Shichibei, who was pondering the situation, was first taken aback, but then instantly understood why Nobutaka and Nobusumi had been so insistent on inviting him to Yuzuki Castle. So these two brats were conspiring to trick their Uncle Kawamura?

You mean Kawamura-san? Never mind, let's stick to our own way. You call me uncle, I'll call you brother.

Motochika's direct inquiry about the gift money was not abrupt; in fact, it was Shichibei's preferred method. Straightforward and direct, without beating around the bush, if he said five thousand, he meant five thousand; if he said ten thousand, he meant ten thousand—the money and the gift were settled immediately.

Besides, money is the best lubricant for human relationships. Although this is the life-saving money for the Chosokabe army, well, it's an army; it's better to leave it idle at home.

Instead of being idle, why not go out and fight a couple of battles? If you win, you can plunder; if you lose, you can leave the powerful figures in the country to take the fall.

"I wonder what the Junior Assistant of the Imperial Household thinks is appropriate?" Shichibei asked, striking a shrewd and calculating pose, his chin jutting out.

"That depends on the Jingzhao Palace's generosity." Yuanqin is a dark bat, appearing and disappearing unpredictably; how could he possibly make a direct offer?

Making an alliance with Shichibei is one thing, asking Tosa for money is another. War requires money, and asking for too little will only make things harder for oneself. Asking for too much will not be agreed upon by Nobutaka and Nobusumi.

After all, although the money came from Shichibei, the debt was owed to Nobusumi Nobutaka. They had to repay it with the annual tribute rice, and if they couldn't, the interest would start to accrue.

"Hmph, why not invite the two servants over?" Shichibei had already guessed the purpose of Nobutaka Nobusumi's invitation, so he couldn't let them stay out of it and just take what was offered.

One is a servant named Katsuyuki, and the other is a servant named Yuzuki. They both look respectable, and are daimyo with two or three hundred thousand koku of rice. Behind your back, they've been plotting against you, Uncle Kawamura. I won't swallow this insult without giving them a good whack on the head.

"..." Motochika simply smiled and winked at Nobutaka and Nobusumi.

The two, who were outwardly chatting and laughing with the others, sidled over at a glance from Shichibei and Motochika. Just by looking at Shichibei's expression, it was clear that their scheme had been exposed and they had started haggling.

"You two attendants are quite cunning," Shichibei said in a rather unfriendly tone, causing Nobutaka Nobuaki to lower his head.

Because I have a guilty conscience, I lack confidence in my words and can only force a smile. I'll punish myself with three drinks as an apology. It's impossible for me to actually say "I'm wrong," but I'll just leave it at that—I owe them a favor.

"It's also to fulfill Father's grand ambition of unifying the world by force." Nobutaka is in charge of this and that, but isn't Father just someone to be used? Let's first bring out our great father Nobunaga to cover things up.

"Aww..." Shichibei raised his cup towards Kyoto and Azuchi and drank it all in one gulp.

Okay, I remember your father's kindness, so what?

"Yuzhou is in ruins, and we are truly short of money." Nobuaki's father had long been killed by Nobunaga, so he had no father to protect him. He could only resort to reciting the classics of poverty.

"Then my interest rate is very high." Just say you want to borrow money, why pretend?

"Only five thousand strings of cash are needed. Five thousand is nothing more than a drop in the ocean for you."

Nobuaki was going all out, crawling forward two steps on his knees, almost as if he wanted to cling to Shichibei's leg.

"Oh?" Shichibei smiled and turned to Motochika.

“It makes perfect sense.” Tosa is a poor mountain village, unlike Kai, where gold is abundant. Five thousand kan would require Motochika to work hard for several months.

"It's a deal!" Shichibei had seen his share of big situations; he'd even lent out 50,000, let alone 5,000.

As the word "定" (determined) fell, before it even hit the ground, Nobuchika behind Motochika already showed a face full of joy. Shichibei, who had been observing Motochika and his son out of the corner of his eye, felt a slight pang of regret.

"You gave too much!"

"That's too little!"

Motochika didn't see his eldest son Nobuchika's overjoyed expression; he only saw Shichibei calmly agree. Five thousand kan seemed to be nothing to him; he simply pulled it out without hesitation.

Clearly, Shichibei's desired price was far more than five thousand kan. He should have coughed to express his dissatisfaction when Nobuaki made his offer.

They all regretted it, but the decision had already been made.

"Come, let's drink together." Nobutaka quickly pulled Shichibei and Motochika aside.

He asked Xincheng to pour wine for the two of them.

Well, there's no way to change this today. Shichibei can only promise that the money can be collected by Motochika directly by sending someone to Sakai, or Shichibei can send a ship to Yuzuki.

Motohiro himself was fine with it, and indicated that he would send 5,000 men to first besiege Ōno Naomasa in Floating Cave County, though their provisions would have to come from Nobuzumi. Another 3,000 men would be transferred as guards for Yuzuki Castle. Two thousand more would remain on standby at Ōzu Castle, which he had taken over from the Utsunomiya family of Iyo, as southern Iyo also needed to be suppressed.

It was tantamount to a promise that he would take charge of the fight against the Ōno clan, and that if the Ōno clan was killed, the territory would still belong to Nobuzumi, and he would withdraw his troops and return home.

After the agreement was reached, Shichibei glanced at Chosokabe Nobuchika, who was still grinning foolishly, and asked Motochika, "Have you arranged any marriage? If not, do you have a girl in mind?"

Historically, Nobuchika's wife was the daughter of his maternal uncle, Ishitani Yoritsugu, making her his cousin. In this current world, the two haven't yet discussed marriage. Ishitani Yoritsugu and Saito Toshizo, the chief retainer of Mitsuhide, were full brothers, both sons of Saito Toshikazu. Ishitani Yoritsugu was simply adopted by Ishitani Mitsumasa, a high-ranking official of the shogunate, as his son-in-law.

Because of this connection, Motochika deliberately arranged for Nobuchika to marry the daughter of Ishitani Yoritatsu. This connection still exists today, with Chosokabe Motochika and Oda Nobuchika...

All matters related to the long-term alliance were handled by Mitsuhide.

But now that Shichibei has asked, Motochika naturally replies that it hasn't happened yet.

Very well, one of Shichibei's adopted daughters has already been betrothed to Hirate Nagamasa. That leaves nine adopted daughters and one biological daughter. We can certainly recruit heroes from all over the land and form a Kawamura son-in-law troupe.