Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

"If you could go to Kitakyushu, that would be nice too."

"You've gotten into politics lately, haven't you, Quan Liu? That puts my mind at ease." With nothing to hide from his brother-in-law, Shichibei patted him on the shoulder, letting out a laugh typical of the young shoguns.

"It is all thanks to your excellent guidance, brother. I have learned a lot from following you." Shibata Nagakatsu's old face turned pink, and he even bowed his head in greeting.

"Hahahaha..." The two looked at each other and laughed, at least they had a consensus on the current situation.

Having defeated the two main forces of Akechi Mitsuhide and Azai Nagamasa, the situation improved significantly. Nobunaga himself moved back to Azuchi Castle and issued the "Rakushi Edict" at the castle, which allowed commerce to be conducted 365 days a year without the restrictions of three-day or six-day markets.

At the same time, it was announced that stall fees would be prohibited in the market, and the town owners of each castle town were required to immediately carry out a complete reconstruction, and all the castle towns that were destroyed by fire would be rebuilt within the year.

Niwa Nagahide finally escaped from Inaba Tottori back to Wakasa-Ohama, and with the cooperation of Oda Nobuharu, he restored the entire Wakasa territory, also managing to restore Tsuruga as well. At this time, he rushed over to see Nobunaga and inquire about Nobunaga's safety.

What could Nobunaga possibly have done? Seeing that Mitsuhide and Nagamasa's heads were perfectly fine, he was practically bursting into laughter.

Speaking of which, Niwa Nagahide was Nobunaga's son-in-law (Nobuhiro's daughter), so in terms of succession rights, he was much ahead of many others. Moreover, he was also a legion commander with a force of hundreds of thousands of koku under his command.

Let him fawn over Nobunaga; Shichibei will have plenty of trouble. The Setabashi Bridge needs extensive repairs; this important bridge, burned and trampled, must be restored.

They also have to demolish Sakamoto Castle and erase all traces of Akechi Mitsuhide in Sakamoto. Out of sight, out of mind, right? They even tore down Ishiyama Osaka Hongan-ji Temple before. A magnificent castle, second to none in the world, just like that, they demolished it.

Finally, troops had to be sent to pacify Iga, which was essentially a matter of shaving their heads (i.e., to shave their heads). There was no need to pretend; this place was unruly, so the only solution was to kill them. Only after they were subdued could Goto Mototsugu and Watanabe Ryo be brought into the country and effectively accepted its rule.

I heard that the Koga region has also begun its crackdown. Nobunaga has ordered Hachiya Yoritaka to kill anyone in his household who participated in Azai Nagamasa's rebellion, indiscriminately.

Nobunaga's main force had now recovered to 5,000 men, enough to establish a defense at Azuchi Castle. Hachiya Yoritaka, leading troops from the smaller lords of the Kinai region, also numbered 4,000 to 5,000, enough to wreak havoc in Koga. If manpower was insufficient, Nobunaga could send out his reorganized personal army.

Having just calmed Wakasa and Tsuruga, Oda Nobuharu was ordered to return immediately to kill the Negoro-ji and Koya-san-ji. The original leaders of Negoro-ji Temple were to be stripped of their titles, and all the local gentry who had registered their names at the temple were to be separated from their religious and political affiliations, and were to be forbidden from having any further involvement with them.

Anyone who dares to gather at Mount Koya will be killed, regardless of whether they are pedestrians or students. We are currently in a period of strict crackdown and high pressure, and we will not discuss right or wrong, we will only care about maintaining stability.

After the commotion, at least 100,000 people were killed in the capital region.

There are definitely more, if not more, but what can be done? When it comes to something as serious as treason, it's a matter of the emperor's wrath causing the deaths of millions. Oda Nobunaga, though not the emperor, was a figure comparable to the Shogun; his wrath could cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands.

I wonder if Nobunaga asked Niwa Nagahide about the successor in the family. He probably would have, since Niwa Nagahide was a veteran retainer of Owari and a senior member of the family.

At that moment, Hideyoshi Hashiba personally returned to Azuchi from Okayama, ostensibly to present Nobunaga with 10,000 kan as "New Year's greetings," but in reality, it was still about the Mori conquest and the "disturbance" in Ukita.

It's also possible that Nobunaga summoned him, and a rebellion resulted in the loss of three of the seven retainers of the Oda clan. Murai Sadakatsu died unjustly; he was just about to retire at sixty, and this happened at the very end.

Of the remaining four—Hideyoshi Hashiba, Nagahide Niwa, Kazumasu Takigawa, and Nagayoshi Kawamura—Nobunaga would certainly trust them more. The crucial matter of choosing a new successor would inevitably require individual meetings with these four, as well as joint discussions.

The situation is relatively stable with the Mori clan in the area, but the situation with the Hojo and Uesugi clans is tense. Takikawa Kazumasu is not expected to return for the time being, so he will definitely ask Hideyoshi for his attitude and opinion first.

Shichibei didn't inquire about Nobunaga and Hideyoshi's secret talks regarding the successor; his main concern was the unrest within the Ukita family regarding the heir. This matter was proving to be quite troublesome at this juncture.

The news wasn't exactly kept secret; after all, it involved the inheritance of the Ukita family, a powerful family with 400,000 koku of rice in Bizen Province, and couldn't possibly be handled in secrecy. Many eyes were watching, and the Ukita family members were divided into factions as a result.

As expected, the Ukita Nagae family, who were deeply intertwined with Oda Nobunaga and truly loved by all, and had been slept with countless times by him, inherited the headship of the Ukita family under Nobunaga's explicit instructions and with the strong support of Hashiba Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi rushed to Azuchi to report to Nobunaga that he had taken Ukita Naoie's wife, Lady Ōkata, as a concubine, and therefore planned to adopt Ukita Hachirō as his son. Of course, he would not be the heir apparent; the legitimate heir apparent would still be Nobunaga's beloved eldest son, Ujōmaru.

There was no need to inquire further, because Oda Nobunaga had hastily carried Hideyoshi's eldest daughter, Nene, who was still taking refuge in Kishiwada Castle, to Azuchi. With Oda Nobunaga and Hashiba Hideyoshi as witnesses, he married Hideyoshi's daughter, making her the adopted son-in-law of the Hashiba family and publicly recognized as Hideyoshi's legitimate son, named Hashiba Hidekatsu. Nobunaga then petitioned for her appointment as Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade, and Governor of Bichu.

They were eliminated in the final round.

So adopting Ukita Hachiro afterward wouldn't be a big deal. It would be like taking over Hachiro's mother, Daigo-dono, and incidentally getting a burden along the way.

The other day, Shichibei brought Ii's sister-in-law and her children down from the mountain. Although Shichibei didn't go through the formal adoption process, he planned to find two good tutors to educate the two Ii family children who were with her. He would provide them with start-up capital; whether they could succeed would depend on their own abilities.

Ultimately, the Ukita family did not rebel against this arrangement. After all, the Ukita clan, including the three elders and other key retainers, strongly supported it. Although they were grateful for the kindness shown to Ukita Naoie and wanted to support Ukita Hachiro, they ultimately chose to obey after hearing that Oda Nobunaga had decisively defeated Akechi Mitsuhide and Azai Nagamasa.

Only a very small number of Ukita Naoie's retainers, pageboys, and babiki chose to continue following Ukita Hachiro, or rather, Hachiro Hashiba; most of the other Ukita retainers chose to welcome Ukita Nagaie to the throne.

Nobunaga was pleased that Bizen Mimasaka did not cause any trouble.

Hideyoshi arrived quickly and left quickly. After giving Nobunaga 10,000 kan and taking Hashiba Hidekatsu with him, he only stayed in Azuchi for two days before rushing off to Harima Himeji like a whirlwind.

Halfway there, Hideyoshi stopped by the Seta River and chatted with Shichibei, who was repairing the bridge, for half an hour.

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Nene and the others." Hideyoshi also learned from Nene that the entire Hashiba family had escaped thanks to the young admiral and others.

"It's nothing, not worth mentioning." They're all old friends from Owari, so they'll definitely help if they can. Besides, Hidenaga's wife is Shichibei's younger sister, so how could they not help?

"I will always remember this kindness."

"Has the lord ordered you to continue the Mori campaign?" Shichibei wasn't trying to extort anything from Hideyoshi; he was just asking about official business.

"Oh dear, this matter..." Hideyoshi suddenly hesitated, leaving Shichibei somewhat puzzled.

"My lord wants to suspend the Western campaign?" No way, Shichibei thought it was impossible.

"Tsk, the gross profit margin has actually decreased."

513. Nobuyasu commits seppuku, and Dehime becomes a widow.

what!

Shichibei was greatly shocked upon hearing this. He was truly shocked. What was the purpose of Oda Nobunaga Nobutada mobilizing an army of 120,000 to launch a campaign against the western provinces? Since the Mori clan already intended to surrender, why did they have to make such a fuss?

"What comes out of my mouth goes into your ears." When Hideyoshi heard this news, he was no better off than Shichibei.

He stood at the front lines of Bichu Sarukake and Kurashiki, hesitating by the Takahashi River, still not understanding why the Mori clan had suddenly backed down, and why even Hoida Motochika had chosen to surrender.

Upon inquiring in Azuchi, it turned out that Nobunaga Nobutada and Mori Terumoto, Kikkawa Motoharu, and Kobayakawa Takakage had already reached an agreement. That was why the Mori clan withdrew their troops, awaiting Nobutada's punitive expeditionary force.

It's likely that they reached an agreement with Nobunaga. Logically speaking, a powerful daimyo like the Mori clan, with over a million koku of land, would have killed the entire family after the castle fell. But by praising Nobutada for his great achievement in destroying a province, and in return, Nobutada granting them peace in two or three provinces, it's a win-win situation for both sides.

"Wait!" Shichibei suddenly realized why Nobunaga had told Hideyoshi such a secret matter.

"It's enough that you know it in your heart." Hideyoshi held out his hand, gesturing for Shichibei not to...

To continue, here's the gist of the matter.

The Hashiba army can take a break for now, which also allows Ukita Nagaie to calmly reorganize his household. The fighting with the Mori clan has paused for a while, and there's no need to rush back into battle.

To put it more bluntly, the immense achievement of destroying the Mori clan should be handed over to the successor chosen by Nobunaga.

Although Nobunaga was too weak to walk, he was still alive. As long as he lived, he could pave the way for his chosen son. His remaining brothers, nephews, and nieces, all of whom were adults, had experience killing people and each had their own group.

Princes like Nobuo, Nobutaka, Nobusumi, and Nobufusa all possessed their own territories and commanded thousands of troops. With their support, it wouldn't be difficult for them to become heirs or legitimate sons within three to five years.

If one can achieve the great feat of destroying a powerful feudal lord like the Mori clan, one can become a respected and respected eldest son within two or three years.

"No, I understand, I understand." Shichibei would definitely shut up and wouldn't go into any more details.

In the struggle for the Oda clan's heir apparent, the one who held the main decision-making power was undoubtedly Oda Nobunaga. Even senior retainers like Hideyoshi or Shichibei only had the right to offer advice.

In the later Japanese Taiga drama "Aoi and Tokugawa Sandai," there is a scene that was filmed very well: Tokugawa Ieyasu privately summons his senior retainers to discuss the issue of the Tokugawa clan's eldest son.

Apart from Ōkubo Tadachika, all the other senior retainers did not support Hidetada. Even so, Ieyasu ultimately chose Tokugawa Hidetada and did not change the heir apparent.

It can only be said that Ieyasu would listen to the opinions of his founding veterans and core team, but that was all. When it came to making actual decisions, he still made the decisions unilaterally.

Nobunaga is currently in the same situation. He will first listen to the opinions of his long-time retainers who have been with him since he started his career in Owari, and then combine his own thoughts before making a decision.

who can that be?

That's so hard to guess.

"Never mind, it's not something that can be decided in a short time." Hideyoshi waved to Shichibei and rode off to Himeji. By offering a large sum of money and adopting Hashiba Hidekatsu, he had solidified his position and the trust of Nobunaga; his trip had not been in vain.

With the assistance of the Yamaoka brothers, who routinely maintain the Seta Bridge, the restoration project was completed in just eleven days.

The bridge is now complete. While it may not be indestructible for a thousand years—it's a wooden bridge, and it's over water—with proper maintenance, it should last for decades.

With the bridge completed, the previously separated eastern and western parts of the Kinki region were now fully connected. The demolition of Sakamoto Castle and the suppression of Iga Province proceeded simultaneously.

In the eleven days that followed, the Oda army, led by Chosokabe Nobuchika, finally breached Gifu Castle, killing Ando Morinari and Akao Kiyofuyu in battle. However, Gifu Castle was utterly destroyed; the two large-scale attacks and defenses reduced the castle and its surroundings to ruins. Thousands of corpses still lay within the castle walls, requiring immediate collection, and the cleanup work would likely take a long time.

The Mino and Owari troops, gathered under the command of Chōsokabe Nobuchika, entered Owari and took over Kiyosu Castle, which had also been burned to ruins. They also joined forces with Kita-tomi Nobukatsu's 8,000 cavalry and asked Nobunaga for orders on whether to launch a full-scale attack on Mikawa.

It seems that Gifu Castle and Kiyosu Castle will both have to be abandoned.

You say Gifu is the place where Nobunaga rose to power and conquered the land? Didn't you see that Nobunaga was already building a "peaceful paradise" and establishing himself in Azuchi Castle? His former castles, Komakiyama Castle and Nagoya Castle, have all been completely demolished.

In Japan, building and demolishing castles is a symbol of power. While castles themselves hold significance, the power to dispose of them at will is paramount. Clearly, the East...

West.

The war between Mikawa and Tōtōmi was much more intense than expected. After the Mikawa forces failed to immediately storm Hamamatsu Castle and behead Tokugawa Ieyasu, the situation spiraled out of control.

Despite this, Ieyasu still possessed the 8,000 cavalry of the Hatamoto (spearhead) elite force. This unit had almost no connection with the Mikawa garrison and belonged entirely to Ieyasu himself. This was a direct force that Ieyasu had painstakingly built up after the devastating lessons of the Mikawa Ikko-ikki uprising.

In addition, Ieyasu also sent someone to request reinforcements from Takeda Nobufusa in Suruga. Takeda Nobufusa had just reorganized his troops and was waiting for the snow to melt in the spring before launching an attack on Izu and Sagami.

Takeda Nobufusa took a group of men from the old Owari region, including Inuyama Tessai, and sent them to Suruga. He also acquired some military resources from his father, Nobunaga. Although the troops were not exactly elite, they had been integrated and trained over the past two years and had developed a semblance of their former strength, making them capable of undertaking military missions.

Upon receiving Ieyasu's request for reinforcements, Nobufusa immediately led four thousand men into and out of Tōtōmi Province. However, he did not immediately march to Hamamatsu Castle to join Tokugawa Ieyasu. Instead, he observed the situation for a while at Kakegawa Castle, a strategic point between Tōtōmi and Suruga Province.

All I can say is that this kid had some ulterior motives, though it's hard to say exactly what they were. After all, he ultimately accomplished nothing.

After confirming that Ieyasu was alive and that Hamamatsu Castle had not fallen, Takeda Nobufusa advanced further to Hamamatsu to join Ieyasu. With fresh troops, Ieyasu not only surpassed the Mikawa people in military strength, but also recovered his morale from the shadow of the rebellion.

Let's begin!

In terms of field battles, Ieyasu's skill was actually quite good. Although he might not be considered the best in the Sengoku period, once he outlasted all the best, his skill would be worthy of praise.

To put it in fiction, imagine Mori Motonari, Hojo Ujiyasu, Oda Nobunaga, and Tokugawa Ieyasu exchanging insults. The first three had all won major battles that turned the tide of a region or even the entire country. Ieyasu, a minor figure, was practically a junior compared to them.

After outliving the previous three, Ieyasu's own experience had grown, and his skills had gradually improved. While he might not have been born twenty years earlier and could have competed with other heroes for the world, he could easily deal with the mediocre and incompetent contemporaries who had fallen from grace.

Defeating someone like Matsudaira Nobuyasu and Mikawa, who were defeated by them, would be a piece of cake.

The Mikawa forces, having failed in their initial raid, retreated to the border between the two countries to recruit a large army. Ieyasu, with Nobufusa in tow, gave his eldest son no chance whatsoever. They rushed to Amaharajirahara on the border, facing the ever-expanding army...

The Sanhe forces launched a fierce attack, striking swiftly and accurately, leaving their defeated foes utterly routed.

By the time Chosokabe Nobuchika and Kitabatake Nobukatsu sent their troops to the Mikawa border, Ieyasu had already surrounded Okazaki Castle and was about to quell the unrest within the Ieyasu household.

"So, the lord's reply concerns domestic affairs, with everything revolving around Hamamatsu Kyoto." By the time Shichibei was remotely controlling the pacification of Iga from Azuchi, the battle report from Mikawa had already been delivered to Azuchi.

"Yes, Hamamatsu Kyōjō-dono means seppuku." Itō Sōjō, who delivered the intelligence from Tsushima, was in a hurry.

Chaos reigned on all sides. Ito Sojuro lost contact with the main store and heard that Nobunaga Nobutada had died and that Kishiwada was besieged. He lived in constant fear on Tsushima, terrified that Kawamuraya would collapse.

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Although Matsudaira Nobuyasu lived a few more days, he still stood with the people of Mikawa Province and turned against his own father, Ieyasu.

"It is said that Lady Tsukiyama, the principal wife of the Hamamatsu-dono, was also ordered to commit seppuku."

"How so?"

"Rumors are spreading that Lady Tsukiyama is dissatisfied with Lord Hamamatsu's destruction of the Imagawa clan, and therefore she is instigating Okazaki Nobuyasu every day." Ito Sojuro was also unaware of this.

Where did he hear this secondhand information from?

"Hmm..." That doesn't quite make sense.