Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

No wonder Hideyoshi and Katsuie were so infatuated with Lady Oichi. Historically, after the Honnoji Incident, many women in the Oda clan remained unmarried or widowed. For example, Princess Tokuhime, the wife of Matsudaira Nobuyasu, was a widow. Yet, there's no record of Hideyoshi or Katsuie harboring any interest in her.

On the contrary, there are many more records about Mrs. Oichi. There is even a saying that he refused to marry a wife, even though he didn't want any of the daughters of the Katsu family, just to wait for Mrs. Oichi.

I used to think this was just a rumor, but now that I think about it, it might not be entirely true.

"Pah, pah, pah!" Shichibei quickly banished those filthy thoughts from his mind. The heads of her husband and son were still hanging on the street.

I'm such a beast.

Upon returning home, he relayed the news to his retainers that Nobunaga had been stripped of all his power and influence and placed in Ki Province. The retainers were all astonished that Shichibei had suddenly become the governor of two districts in four provinces, commanding a staggering 800,000 koku of rice, and offered their congratulations.

Nonsense, what's there to congratulate? It's just Nobunaga giving them seven in advance.

Shichibei is just a backup plan. It's already been said that Shichibei will be transferred to the western provinces later. Once the transfer is completed, local powerful families like the temple lords of Ki Province won't follow. Hearing about 800,000 now is just for fun.

Like Tsutsui Junkei in history, who betrayed Akechi Mitsuhide in battle and defected to Hideyoshi, he received a reward of 400,000 koku of rice from Yamato Province. In reality, only 180,000 koku belonged to the head of the Tsutsui family and his retainers.

When Tsutsui Sadatsugu was transferred to a fiefdom, he received an additional 200,000 koku in places like Iga and Ueno Castle, on top of his original 180,000 koku. The original local lords of Yamato remained in their original locations to facilitate the rapid organization of armies by Hashiba Hidenaga, who was transferred later.

If Shichibei is transferred to Kyushu, it depends on whether Nobunaga's assigned retainers will follow. In any case, people like Horiuchi Ujiyoshi, Tsuchibashi no Kamishige, and Yasuda Munenaga from Kishu will definitely not run away to Kyushu.

“We should celebrate this grandly!” Kuwayama Shigeharu, as a member of the Seven Heroes' Guard, was the first to speak.

He himself was overjoyed. Not counting his pension, his son, Kuwayama Ichiharu, was transferred to Ki Province, becoming a lord with a fief of 13,000 koku. After a lifetime of struggle, he finally returned as a daimyo; how could he not be excited?

"Yes, everyone, let's have a drink." It was something worth celebrating, so Shichibei certainly wouldn't spoil the fun.

The banquet was prepared before we even left. Now it's being brought up in a continuous stream, and we still need to make preparations to welcome all the newly appointed officials and their families.

"Toroh." As everyone toasted each other, Shichibei took advantage of the large group and called over Todo Takatora.

"My lord." Todo Takatora approached Shichibei.

"I haven't received much of a promotion this time, so I'll allocate two thousand kan to you for the official business of Kishu Neko and Funagawa." Shichibei handed his wine dish to Todo Takatora and personally poured wine for him.

"This is such a great favor!" Todo Takatora took the wine dish and quickly bowed to Shichibei.

These days, "imperial favors" come in all sorts of forms. Historically, Murakami Yoshimitsu fled with the Mori clan and did not remain in the former territory of Iyo. In order to appease Murakami Yoshimitsu, Mori Terumoto rewarded him with "400 koku in the capital of Suo Province and 500 kan in the half-sacred area of ​​Suo-Nagato-ji Shrine".

After referring to the fact that Murakami Yoshimitsu transferred 2,800 koku to Nagato, we can know that the 500 kan allocated from the temple's official funds could be equivalent to at least 2,000 koku of official credit.

"Ah, you deserve much credit this time too." Shichibei poured another cup for Todo Takatora, making it a total of three cups, to show his affection.

"I will never forget the Emperor's grace."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Actually, Shichibei still had a piece of land. Toyama Jiroshiro had completely transferred his fiefdom to Kii Province, receiving over 60,000 koku. His 50,000 koku in Izumi was given to Shichibei, so he never received any of this land.

A territory of 50,000 shi (a unit of grain measure) is enough to attract heroes and outstanding individuals from all over the world.

The reason he's keeping it isn't because Shichibei is stingy, nor because his subordinates haven't performed well. The world is gradually becoming turbulent again, and Shichibei needs to make some preparations. Whether or not these preparations are needed, you must have this backup plan.

Arranging ships for refuge at Azuchi Castle is preparation, and holding a territory of 50,000 koku in hand is also preparation, and it is absolutely necessary.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone started chatting idly. The topics were mainly about how Nobunaga would organize the centrally controlled army and how he would handle the relationship between the Imperial Court and the samurai families.

Because Nobutada died in battle, the great achievement of the expedition to destroy the Mori clan has yet to be realized. The main person in charge, Murai Sadakatsu, has also perished.

The ceremony to be held before the imperial horse, which was originally scheduled for this year, has been put on hold for some time now.

Everyone had previously said that if Shichibei could attend, they would all serve as his attendants, just like the Umawari who guarded Nobutada or Nobukatsu, and would go to Kyoto in full regalia to be inspected by Emperor Ogimachi.

Some people even ordered new haori (traditional Japanese hats) and sent people to Hakata, Kyushu, to purchase saddles, but the journey to the Gomae (Ouma-mae) was still indefinitely delayed, which was truly regrettable.

Don't worry about that, Nobunaga will definitely take care of it.

Not only should it be held, but it should be held on a larger scale than before, with several thousand cavalrymen, or at least mounted warriors, to participate in the imperial procession.

The ordered kimono and the new saddles will definitely come in handy; there will be no waste. Nobunaga might even think that what everyone bought wasn't fancy enough or grand enough.

Nobunaga wasn't trying to downplay the situation; rather, he now had only two main goals: to pacify all of Japan and to ensure the Oda clan's continued wealth and prosperity.

The magnificent procession of imperial horses was used to demonstrate the power and influence of the Oda clan.

Unity is a political project, which requires a lot of money.

After a long, rambling conversation, everyone got quite drunk and ended up spending the night at Shichibei's residence. When they woke up in the morning, their burps smelled terrible. They really need to control themselves; this kind of behavior is bad for their health.

Scratching his head, Shichibei opened the door and called for a servant to bring hot water and a toothbrush. He needed to wash up before being seen, and also called everyone to get up and have breakfast. After picking up the group of people who had come to Azuchi to express their gratitude, they would have to return to Kishiwada Castle.

By the way, after Oda Nobuharu was transferred to Nakano Province, his Wakayama Castle in Ki Province became the property of Shichibei. Even under the strictest one-country-one-castle rule, Wakayama Castle did not need to be demolished. A castle lord had to be selected to oversee it, and then new Ki Province soldiers were mobilized to join Kawamura's army.

Ki Province has 400,000 koku of grain, and even after deducting the temple stipends, it could still mobilize 15,000 men. Such a large army was actually impossible for any of Shichibei's retainers to command smoothly.

That's a difficult task.

Even seasoned generals like Todo Takatora or Hara Nagayori only had a stipend of around 30,000 koku. It's absurd for a feudal lord with 30,000 koku to command an army with 400,000 koku.

It's a good time for everyone to gather together and discuss this while we're having breakfast. Since the new Kishu garrison consists of people recruited from Mino, Owari, and Omi, it would be best to appoint someone who is respected and widely recognized by the garrison as the Wakayama Castle magistrate.

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

I brushed my teeth carefully with salt, and there was no bleeding gums or gagging—another beautiful day. But it's different with our household servants; two of them clearly have cavities. These past two years, with life getting better, they must be drinking rice wine like water every day and eating sweets all the time.

But that's not surprising. Nobunaga was crazy about konpeito (Japanese candy), so we probably won't see it for the next couple of years. You'll be in for a lot of pain in a couple of years. You'll be rolling on the floor in agony, haha, just wait to find someone to pull your tooth without anesthesia!

"My lord." Just as he was watching his retainers stagger and fall, Sange Morinaka emerged from the crowd.

"What?" Shichibei replied to Saegusa Morinao with a rather authoritative air, adopting the posture of a half-father.

"This is shocking news; you probably wouldn't believe it." Ever since Saegusa Morinaka left Shichibei to guard Kyoto, he had built relationships with the pageboys around Nobunaga.

As a page himself, he naturally shared common ground with the other pagemen around Nobunaga. They were all secretaries, and although there were different ranks, exchanging experiences was bound to be enjoyable.

"How big could it be?" Shichibei could tell from his appearance that he wasn't plotting a rebellion.

If it were a rebellion, he wouldn't be playing coy with Shichibei now; he would be shouting urgently and ordering Shichibei to immediately reorganize the troops.

"This is absolutely something you wouldn't expect; it hasn't been announced yet." Saegusa Morinao, seeing his colleagues all slumped over, still hungover, leaned close to Shichibei's ear.

"The Right Minister will marry Princess Oichi to Hamamatsu Chamberlain!"

Saegusa Morinao's words struck like a thunderbolt, suddenly causing Shichibei Nao to experience ringing in his ears, with a loud clanging sound inside his ear canal.

"Ah!" Shichibei exclaimed softly, needless to say.

The so-called Hamamatsu attendant was none other than Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had been promoted from the rank of Fourth Rank Attendant to Junior Fourth Rank Attendant by Nobunaga's recommendation. After serving for another two years, he would be able to be promoted to Junior General of the Left Imperial Guard.

The position of attendant was originally set at seven people, but in reality, even within the imperial court, the number of attendants was unbelievably high, often exceeding [a certain number].

One hundred servants were assigned to the reserve positions. Therefore, even if the military lords sent out twenty or thirty servants, there would still be plenty to spare.

Indeed, Tokugawa Ieyasu's principal wife, Tsukiyama-dono, is dead. The marriage between Nobunaga and his younger brother Ieyasu in Mikawa has been dissolved, and reinforcements are urgently needed.

Since it was impossible to marry Princess Tokuhime to Ieyasu anyway, it would be better to marry Princess Oichi, whose beauty was renowned throughout the land. Historically, three months after the Honnoji Incident, Lady Oichi was married off to Shibata Katsuie in a grand ceremony by Oda Nobutaka.

The Japanese don't take many things too seriously. They believe that if someone dies, they shouldn't block the way for the living, and that's enough.

Clearly, Nobunaga did not want Lady Oichi to whine and complain endlessly in front of him, or to recite the death sutra for Azai Nagamasa and Azai Terumasa.

The best solution would be to find a good place and send her far away, preferably somewhere where she can't easily come to Azuchi. If she were given to a subordinate commander, she might still be sent back to Azuchi as a hostage. Only by marrying her to Ieyasu could she possibly live in Hamamatsu for a long time, giving Nobunaga peace and quiet.

"It seems you didn't expect this either." Saegusa Morinao hadn't had close contact with Lady Oichi, so he wasn't particularly moved, but simply because...

She was intrigued by her reputation as the most beautiful woman in the Warring States period.

"That's something I really didn't expect." Shichibei smacked his lips unconsciously.

I only confirmed last night that Lady Oichi is indeed big and fair-skinned, and then I heard this news today. How can I not smack my lips in regret? But this is an important political marriage for Nobunaga, and Shichibei cannot interfere.

Moreover, Ieyasu's role in the Tokaido is irreplaceable for the time being, especially after Matsudaira Nobuyasu was killed.

【Note 1】：『Kishininwen』によれば, 37 years old no time, 実年颢よりもはるかに如い22, 23 years old.

519. Take control of Kanto and Ueno Province

The news was quickly confirmed. Nobunaga ordered Shichibei to prepare a dowry of 10,000 kan in cash for Lady Oichi, as well as dowry items of equal value, and to carry Lady Oichi to Hamamatsu Castle in a grand manner.

Originally, Shichibei wouldn't have needed to be responsible for this amount of money, but Nobunaga's gold reserves in Azuchi Castle were completely emptied by Azai Nagamasa. After Nagamasa captured Azuchi, he opened the treasury and rewarded his troops.

He also showered the Koga and Iga troops with money, enabling them to continue fighting under his command. He extended their entire employment period, sending them to fight alongside Nagamasa in the attacks on Gifu and Kiyosu.

Afterwards, Nobunaga spent all his money on repairing Gifu, rewarding Ando Morinari with money, and recruiting 5,000 peasant soldiers from Kohoku. Only after conquering Azuchi could Azai Nagamasa succeed. Without the financial support from Azuchi, Nagamasa wouldn't have even been able to launch his campaign.

Naturally, Nobunaga's savings were depleted in one fell swoop. Even many of his treasured possessions were used by Nagamasa to reward his generals and give away to wealthy landowners.

Once these things are distributed, it's unlikely they'll be brought back. As a result, Nobunaga's current daily expenses are entirely covered by the 10,000 kan of royal provisions sent by Hideyoshi Hashiba.

If Lady Oichi were suddenly to be married off to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the money would definitely fall into Shichibei's lap. Fortunately, the chaos only lasted a month or so and did not affect spring planting. After spring planting and autumn harvest, once the annual tribute rice was collected in the fall, Nobunaga was once again a true hero.

The news surprised not only the generals under Oda's command but also those under Kawamura's command.

After all, many people had recently seen Lady Oichi, and at close range at that. Just the other day, Lady Oichi was kneeling at Azuchi Castle, begging Nobunaga not to execute Azai Terumasa. Of course, Nobunaga couldn't agree, and Azai Terumasa was killed without hesitation.

But Lady Oichi kneeling on the mat was indeed seen by many people.

Oh, so white! The Japanese at that time probably really liked this; that's part of their aesthetic sense. Although most people knew this good thing wouldn't happen to them, knowing is one thing, fantasizing is another.

Now it's all over, no need to fantasize anymore, because Mrs. Oichi is about to be carried to Hamamatsu.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear..." I saw Tōdō Takatora walking past me sighing all morning.

"What the hell are you yelling about!" Shichibei knew perfectly well what Takatora Todo was yelling about, but he could only mutter these words to himself and couldn't actually say them out loud.

Several years ago, the young major general wanted to introduce a wife to Takatora Todo, but Takatora refused. He was ambitious and determined to work his way up to marry a noblewoman from a wealthy and powerful family. Ideally, she would come from the family of one of the three noble families, or from the family of a powerful lord with a stipend of over 100,000 koku. He looked down on ordinary women, even if they were beautiful.

Given his status, it was unlikely that he would become the original Lady Oichi, but he could at least be associated with a widow. After all, he was now equivalent to a feudal lord with a salary of 30,000 shi (a unit of grain), so his status was barely enough to get involved.

Historically, Nakagawa Kiyohide was the lord of Ibaraki Castle with a 43,000 koku of rice. In order to make him defect, Nobunaga betrothed his own daughter to Kiyohide's eldest son, Nakagawa Hidemasa, who was still a child at the time.

The original Princess Oda wouldn't dare to dream, so why can't the second-married one?

"My lord, Akaza Kyubei from Echizen has arrived." Todo Takatora, utterly exasperated, led Akaza Naoyasu to sit down.

"Kubei, congratulations." Due to the large-scale transfer of fiefdoms, Akaza Naoyasu received 17,000 koku of Ki Province and successfully became a daimyo.

"It's all thanks to the skillful command of the Jingzhao Palace." If it were just a normal transfer of fiefdom, Akaza would not have wanted to be moved from his hometown of Echizen.

Nobunaga waved his hand, doubling the amount. Most normal people would be happy to accept that. Even though it was going to an unfamiliar territory, at least the territory had doubled.

"It is indeed the Lord's wisdom that is evident." After all the officials to be transferred to new fiefs had arrived, Shichibei led them up the castle to express their gratitude to Nobunaga.

Logically, a gift should be prepared, the amount depending on the amount of newly acquired territory; every little bit helps. Nobunaga is currently very poor, so everything must be converted into gold coins and presented.

"The Jingzhao Palace is just like the Right Palace, truly a harmonious relationship between ruler and subject." Since Akaza was just boasting anyway, let him keep boasting.

"You blind man, you came from the manor, have you heard about Dan Yu's enfeoffment?" Shichibei waved his hand repeatedly and asked about serious matters.