Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

As for the Korean Peninsula? Oda Nobunaga never thought about it. At least during the time when Shichibei and Nobunaga were getting along, Nobunaga never mentioned coveting the peninsula.

He did consider expanding his trade with the West across vast oceans. But that was a matter for later, since he hadn't yet unified all of Japan. All this talk was meaningless without unifying Japan.

The expedition against the Mori clan was something everyone had anticipated. Therefore, upon hearing Oda Nobutada's plans, they all accepted the orders without much panic.

Due to the harsh climate of Echizen, Nobunaga ordered Azai Nagamasa to move his main army to Azuchi first. After all, fighting was impossible in the Hokuriku region during winter.

Even if Zhuang's army is transferred, he is not afraid of being attacked.

Mitsuhide's army would be deployed after the consolidation of the Tango provincial population. Hosokawa Fujitaka and his son Tadaoki would also need to place retainers, recruit foot soldiers, and consolidate the provincial population. This would take about a month, so in total, the full army might not be mobilized until the spring of Tensho 8.

It's alright, not too late, at least Nobunaga thinks it's not too late.

Shichibei also felt that it would be safer to send troops after the New Year, because that way people could be sent directly to various places to buy new rice, greatly reducing the trouble of transporting grain from Sakai or Kinai.

"It was actually Hashiba Chikuzen no Kami!" After retreating from the castle, Mitsuhide and his senior retainers looked grave inside the Akechi residence.

When Nobunaga assigned Mitsuhide two thousand cavalry, foot soldiers, and other troops, Mitsuhide was actually experiencing conflicting emotions. His loyalty had wavered because of his mother's murder. However, Nobunaga's strong promotion gave him a glimmer of hope.

Not only did Nobunaga allocate more territory to Rikiwa, but he even transferred his personal troops to Tanba. This kind of "unreserved" trust was indeed a rare act of imperial favor in the feudal era.

Especially in the feudal context of a samurai society like Japan, directly securing the territory and taking action to distribute samurai retainers was an immense favor.

Back then, Shichibei was just a small horse-riding merchant in Tsushima. His shop only had seven customers. After marrying his sister Ai to Inase Yoshinari, he had eight customers.

However, in order to strengthen Shichibei's power, Nobunaga directly intervened, redistributing his retainers and wielding feudal authority by annexing the Atsuta Kato-ya and Tsushima Ito-ya into the Kawamura family. This enabled Shichibei to have a relatively substantial group of retainers and allow him to become the governor of Kaito District.

All the current commanders of the Oda clan's legions were, in fact, raised by Nobunaga. Only two of them did not require Nobunaga to exert much effort.

One was Nagamasa Asai, and the other was Mitsuhide Akechi.

Asai Nagamasa already had his own group of retainers, which was largely consolidated after the Hori-hidemura Rebellion. By further absorbing some lower- and middle-ranking samurai from Omi, Wakasa, and Echizen, his retainer group was remarkably clean.

Mitsuhide's retainers were greatly enriched in two waves. One wave consisted of retainers of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the shogun of the Muromachi shogunate. This group originally numbered about three thousand, but several hundred fled with Yoshiaki to Makishima Castle, while the remaining members in Kyoto and Yamashiro were Mitsuhide's subordinates.

Half of the retainers of Tamashima Castle also defected to Mitsuhide. In the end, Mitsuhide took in more than four thousand Araki retainers at Arioka Castle. From foot soldiers to the lowest-ranking soldiers, he accepted them all with a smile.

In fact, Mitsuhide's retainers had very low loyalty to Nobunaga, and many of them were even mortal enemies of Nobunaga in the past.

However, in recent years, Nobunaga has also allocated a lot of troops to him, and directly assigned him the small cavalry and the standing foot soldiers. The base color of Mitsuhide's army has been slightly tinged with Oda's quince pattern.

No matter how much you pamper someone, it's not as good as giving them ten thousand yuan.

Akechi Mitsuhide was actually a little apprehensive. Nobunaga didn't care about his reputation or his mother at all. Did he think he was too old?

Sakuma Nobumori was over fifty, as was Mitsuhide. Fifty years is a long life in the human world. In Japan's Sengoku period, living to over fifty was considered a long life.

The Akechi Army is being continuously strengthened, yet it is not being given the corresponding official titles of chief retainer. Is this in order to quickly disband, or even destroy, the Akechi Army after the war against the Mori clan in the west, or after the local forces in southern Kyushu?

To take something in advance, one must first give something in return.

Hideyoshi led the main force in the attack on the Mori clan and made great contributions. Now, he has forced the surrender of Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu County, and his achievements are actually a bit too outstanding. It would be best to pause for now, otherwise it will be difficult to reward him.

The best solution would be to drive out Mitsuhide, who was originally slated to become the governor of Hyuga, and have him lead troops to conquer Kyushu as the commander-in-chief of the subsequent Kyushu campaign.

In this way, giving Akechi Mitsuhide a large amount of resources and soldiers now is just preparation for the Kyushu conquest later.

Once Kyushu is pacified, it might be time to discard them after they've served their purpose. Being able to effectively grant them a fiefdom in Hyuga Province, possessing over 500,000 koku of land in southern Kyushu, even though far from the political and economic center, is still a substantial amount. By stationing a large number of samurai there, they could build a powerful group of retainers.

The worst fear is that with a mere flick of the wrist, the million-dollar Shi family fortune could vanish in an instant.

I chased him and released him, but his children lived in hibernation.

Even considering Oda Nobunaga's recent actions, Akechi Mitsuhide had finally pacified Sakamoto in Shiga District of Omi Province, as well as the entire Tanba Prefecture. These were territories that had been thoroughly cleaned and managed. Anyone could easily take charge and rule them.

As for Mitsuhide, he will most likely follow Hideyoshi's path, being transferred from Koho to Harima, and then from Tanba to Suo and Nagato provinces. After conquering Kyushu, he will also reorganize the provinces of Suo and Nagato. Then, Nobunaga will kick him to southern Kyushu.

It's already destined that there won't be any good days ahead of us.

Why else would Akechi Mitsuhide and his retainers look so worried? It's because the foreseeable future is terrible, already tinged with gloom.

"My lord, my lord!" Just as I was worrying, a servant suddenly rushed in from outside, shouting.

"What is it!" Senior retainer Saito Toshizo immediately reprimanded him, not even considering the time of day, before rushing over shouting like this.

"Your Masaki has suffered a miscarriage, and the situation is critical!" The servant's report was truly urgent and of utmost importance, and it had to be reported to Mitsuhide immediately.

"What!" Mitsuhide almost jumped to his feet, a sudden, inexplicable fear gripping his heart.

His current situation was already somewhat unstable, as he was already somewhat unstable with Nobunaga. If someone had explained things clearly to Nobunaga beforehand when Akechi Mitsutada led the Hatano brothers to Kyoto and surrendered, perhaps the subsequent disaster could have been avoided.

Princess Tsumagi stayed at Azuchi Castle because she was pregnant at the time. If she hadn't been pregnant, Mitsuhide would have contacted her long ago.

There was a real expectation that Lady Tsumabuki would bear a child for Nobunaga. Boy or girl, it would be good for Nobunaga at this time. This would deepen Nobunaga's affection for Lady Tsumabuki.

With her influence, it might be easier than bribing Nobunaga's close advisors with 5,000 or 10,000 kan.

"Go and invite the lady here quickly." Since Mitsuhide is an outsider, his open and aboveboard visit is perfectly acceptable.

Now that Lady Tsumabuki has miscarried, he, as a man outside the family, certainly can't easily get involved. If anyone has to go, it can only be Lady Hiroko; Hiroko is Lady Tsumabuki's older sister. If she doesn't go when her sister has miscarried, when will she?

"Yes, yes, yes..." Those around him naturally knew the importance of Tsumabuki-dono and readily agreed.

Before Hiroko even reached the walls of Azuchi Castle, Tsumaki-dono, inside the castle, was already experiencing severe shock due to premature labor and the baby's inability to be delivered in time. A mother in shock, unable to push the baby out, not only risks fetal suffocation but could also cause various other problems for the mother.

Tsumabuki-dono, now in her early twenties, has been quite favored in recent years, but this is indeed her first time giving birth. First-time mothers face inherent risks.

She also suffered a miscarriage due to an injury. The difficulty she faced was no different from passing through the gates of hell.

485. Arrange for a boat in the household.

Are you in sixth place?

The young admiral was somewhat surprised, because Shichibei had been the fifth seat of the chief retainer for many years. Although, apart from the scribe, the ranking of the other chief retainers was not very significant, demoting an elder would always easily cause dissatisfaction.

"Blindness, moving forward or backward a little, it's not a big deal." Shichibei didn't seem to care much about it.

As long as the position of the Grand Chamberlain is held, the commercial monopoly right remains. Monopoly right is more important than anything else; with Shichibei's abilities, it's impossible for him to become the Musha Magistrate.

Without illustrious military achievements, it's doubtful that someone appointed as a military magistrate would even be able to balance the relationships between various factions.

"There's a lot of discussion going on down below the castle." The young general, who had been a hostage for almost two years, had already become familiar with the female hostages.

Historically, Hideyoshi's wife Nene and mother O-Naka were on the run because they were under the walls of Azuchi Castle and feared being attacked by Akechi Mitsuhide's army.

Nobunaga's family, however, were protected by Gamo Kensuke and fled.

He escaped by going into the mountains without being captured by Akechi Hidemitsu, thus saving his life. Otherwise, all of Nobunaga's younger sons and daughters would have been slaughtered by Mitsuhide.

It is said that Lady Oichi is also returning to Azuchi from Kitashō. Asai Nagamasa's independence is being eroded step by step. Since he has become the chief retainer of the Oda clan, he must fulfill his duties as a subject.

"What's going on?" Shichibei, a small merchant by trade, loved collecting information.

Unfortunately, to this day, we still haven't been able to secure the crucial information on Nobunaga's condition, his eating habits, or his prostitution.

“Some say that Chikuzen no Kami came from a humble background, but others say that we Owari people are first-rate, and still others say…” The young general said somewhat ramblingly as he helped Shichibei change his clothes.

"What did you say?" The first two points were normal, and Shichibei noticed them when he retreated from the castle.

Hideyoshi's humble origins are common knowledge. A few years ago, Shichibei advised Hideyoshi to find a powerful or influential man as his father, and Hideyoshi agreed. We also put in the effort to find him a powerful man. After all, he is the governor of Chikuzen Province, so a powerful man is the most suitable.

But then came Bessho Yoshichika's rebellion, Yoshikawa Tsuneyoshi's attack on Kozuki Castle, and Kobayakawa Takakage's fierce assault on Tatsuno Castle. Hideyoshi was besieged on all sides and had no time to deal with these matters. He was busy day and night and didn't get any sleep.

Not to mention he was too busy, Shichibei was also extremely busy, first besieging Miki Castle, then advancing into Kishiwada Castle, followed by the Kishu campaign and the Ishiyama battle.

There was absolutely no rest, let alone helping Hideyoshi recognize his second son as his father.

Now look what's happened! He hasn't even acknowledged his father yet, and Hideyoshi is already a chief retainer of the Oda clan. Back in the shogunate era, wouldn't that be equivalent to a Kanrei or Regent?

Everyone knows that he was born into a low-ranking foot soldier/rich peasant family in Owari, with no name or surname, and neither a good father nor a good mother.

As for prioritizing people from Owari, that's simply a long-standing, habitual policy. Nobunaga rose to power from Owari, so his trusted ministers naturally had to be from there. This has nothing to do with anything else; it's determined by the fundamental nature of the regime.

Mitsuhide's achievements were significant, and his Mino ancestry fit the criteria of belonging to the Noo clan's shared destiny. During Nobunaga's era, he likely still had a chance to become a senior retainer. However, subsequent rulers were mostly conservatives, making it virtually impossible for him to achieve this.

Choose him.

"To say that Asai's contribution to the repairs is not significant..." The young general observed Shichibei's expression.

That's ridiculous. It's all because of the defeat at the Battle of Kanazawa. If Kanazawa had ended in a draw, Azai Nagamasa wouldn't have had so much trouble. The defeat at Kanazawa instantly tarnished Azai Nagamasa's glorious record of the first half of his life.

Especially compared to the military achievements of Hideyoshi Hashiba and Mitsuhide Akechi in the past two years, Nagamasa Azai was truly lacking. Although he quelled the chaos in Echizen and even entered Kaga, he ultimately failed to hold it. Failing to hold it meant the end of everything, and he lost eight or nine thousand men, along with the weapons of his 25,000-strong army, which were all given to the Uesugi army.

However, he was indeed the son-in-law of the Oda clan, and within the Japanese samurai order, he could already be considered a member of the clan. If all the male members of the Oda clan died suddenly tomorrow, he would be qualified to inherit the Oda clan's lineage.

He is fully qualified to serve as the head of the family.

"Oh dear..." Logically speaking, Shichibei should have forbidden the young admiral from discussing these things, but it was clear that these words were not spoken by the young admiral.

These women of samurai families were forced to serve as hostages at Nobunaga's castle. They were separated from their husbands for extended periods, and their husbands were often away from home.

Fighting outside, they could only come back for a month or two a year, and the feeling was indescribable.

Aside from gossiping, there's almost nothing else to enjoy in life. Japan does have karuta (flower cards), but while playing, most people are still constantly bragging. It's human nature—a love of gossip, a love of eating melons, and spreading rumors about everyone's business.

What?

It's unstoppable.

Besides, the secret meetings of the men outside were described far more explicitly than those of the women. Shichibei himself knew about his own affairs; he and Tōdō Takatora had almost plotted a rebellion.

I don't believe that Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Mitsuhide were truly loyal and wouldn't say a bad word about Nobunaga. If they were really that devoted, there wouldn't have been any surprised cheers at the meeting when the chief retainer was appointed the other day.

“I feel like the atmosphere at home is different.” Although the young general is a woman, she was raised in a martial arts family from a young age, following Nobunaga from Kiyosu Castle to Komaki Castle, and then from Komaki Castle to Gifu Castle.

The castle grew larger and the castle town expanded. The Owari sisters were still there, but the number of high-ranking officials and local lords taking hostage in the castle town also increased.

The chattering dialects below the city walls were countless, and the once united local community had transformed into a regime that embraced all sides.

This was certainly an inevitable outcome. From Owari to the whole of Japan, and then to the Owari-ruled government, it was necessary to absorb heroes from all directions into this system. Oda Nobunaga's energy was limited, and he needed to delegate some of the national affairs to the Owari samurai. But with the Owari samurai protecting the power, what about the frontier regions?

It was simply a matter of delegating power to the surrendered local gentry and clans, and their hostages and families arrived at Azuchi Castle. The extent of these peripheral gentry's loyalty to Nobunaga is questionable. And their families, too, probably didn't have much "faith" in the Oda regime.

It's already a miracle they don't secretly curse Nobunaga to die every day; expecting them to sing his praises every day is pure ridiculous.

"Here's what you'll do, you keep an eye on things, and if anything goes wrong, don't worry about these bottles and jars around the house." Saying this seems a bit inappropriate, but it's not entirely wrong either.

Houses, courtyards, furniture, and other valuable possessions are all worthwhile, but life is clearly more important. If anything were to happen to Azuchi, running away would be the only option. A quick dash into Lake Biwa, finding a small island to hide on, would be enough to escape most of the chaos of war.

Azuchi Castle is located right next to a port, making it convenient for transshipping goods along the Tsuruga-Ohama-Kyoto route. As a member of the Shichibei family, a senior retainer of the Oda clan, it would be quite normal for him to have a pleasure boat near the castle and go to the islands on the lake to escape the summer heat.

You said winter is coming soon, what kind of boat should we go on? Let's go with cargo ships. It's almost New Year's, so it's normal to be buying New Year's goods. Whether it's ships sailing from Yodogawa to Azuchi Castle on Lake Biwa, or heading south from Tsuruga to Kyoto, there's a constant stream of ships around right now. A couple more ships docked in the harbor won't attract much attention.

"Huh?" The young general paused in his hand, which was straightening his clothes. What was he doing?

Why are you running?

The castle before us is high and fortified, with Oda Nobunaga's 17,000 to 18,000 cavalrymen below. If we mobilize all the hostages from the samurai class and the women who can shoot arrows, and have them all retreat into the castle, there would be more than 30,000 men. At that time, the men would challenge us to battle, and the women would throw stones; what army in the world could possibly breach Azuchi Castle?