Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Following the smoke to the main camp, Nobunaga glanced at Shichibei but said nothing. Shichibei assumed Nobunaga was still laughing at yesterday's proposal, muttering to himself, "Don't look at me, don't look at me," and headed towards the camp of the small pack animal team.

Just as they were about to bypass the main camp of the shogunate, Nobunaga suddenly spoke up, asking how Prince Kida was. Shichibei, puzzled, could only reply that he was fine, having just yesterday directed his family members in making lead bullets. Nobunaga nodded in response, and Shichibei was able to successfully bypass the main camp.

The attack on Unuma Castle intensified. It was more of a fortress than a castle, a small fortress used to monitor the direction of Inuyama Castle. With the Oda army coming in full force, how could the tiny Unuma Castle possibly withstand it?

The only thing that's strange is that I haven't heard anything about Yoshizawa Umemura. Half a day and a night have passed, how come Tadakatsu Sato still hasn't figured it out?

As soon as I sat down, I heard someone on the city wall shouting for peace talks.

Seeing that things were going to get interesting, Shichibei didn't hesitate to find the tallest horse and mount it; riding a horse was always better than standing. Sure enough, some Saito's samurai came out of the castle to pay their respects to the Oda clan generals who were besieging the castle.

The man probably wanted to see Nobunaga, but Nobunaga refused to see him and instead ordered Kinoshita Hideyoshi to enter the castle to negotiate. Hideyoshi was the Grand General and Governor of Sunomata Castle, a position high enough in rank. If the situation in the castle deteriorated and Kinoshita Hideyoshi was killed, Kinoshita Hidenaga could immediately take over, preventing any major losses.

The negotiations were very quick, probably only ten minutes, and Hideyoshi rode out of the castle. The castle lord, Ōsawa Jirozaemon, agreed to open the castle gates on the condition that the lives of Ichimonro's followers and the castle soldiers be spared.

No problem, Nobunaga immediately agreed. But there were conditions: Ōsawa Jirozaemon had to accept the punishment of being banished. Wherever you went was irrelevant, but you couldn't turn around and take your entire clan to serve Saitō Tatsuoki.

As for the Ōsawa family's retainers, they were recruited by Kinoshita Hideyoshi and brought under his command to serve as foot soldiers and attend to Hideyoshi.

With the conditions favorable, Ōsawa Jirozaemon led three horses and fled the castle at breakneck speed. The rest of his followers retreated and were left under the care of Kinoshita Hideyoshi. It was a good thing, really; if history didn't change, and they followed Hideyoshi diligently, their family's revival wouldn't be a problem. Earning several thousand koku of rice would be easy. The only problem was lacking ability; otherwise, they'd only end up following Hideyori into ruin.

Ujinuma Castle was opened.

Niwa Nagahide, who was simultaneously attacking Saruzaku Castle, also reported that the castle's water supply had been severed, and that the castle lord, Tajimi, had fled to Kai Province to join Takeda Shingen. The castle's troops retreated into Dodo Castle and joined forces with Kishi Nobuyuki.

By the way, Kawajiri Hidetaka, who was leading the attack on the castle, was summoned by Nobunaga, who rewarded him with a pair of straw sandals and appointed him as the temporary castle lord of Saruzaku Castle to secure the rear.

Ape-Peck City was renamed Shengshan City, but it was just a branch city, a small fortress, and there was no real city lord or anything like that. Once Zhongnong was captured, it would definitely be a ruined city.

He glanced at the big, clumsy, and burly Kawajiri Hidetaka. This guy had the potential to become Oda Nobutada's tutor, but unfortunately Nobutada lost. Otherwise, this guy might have become a regent, a Kanrei, or even a high-ranking official in the shogunate.

I really couldn't tell.

The main camp moved forward, stationed in front of Katsuyama Castle, and began to make real contact with the three castles of Nakano. At this point, Shichibei immediately understood why Nobunaga had mocked him, and why the mockery was perfectly justified; Nobunaga had to mock Shichibei.

Because Kajita Castle is nestled behind Sekijo Castle and Dodong Castle, it forms the apex of the Nakano Triangle, with Sekijo Castle to the left and Dodong Castle to the right.

There was no way the Oda army could possibly send troops through the defenses of the two castles to attack Kajida Castle directly. If they did, they would be completely abandoning their supply lines and handing their rear over to the Saito army.

Nobunaga was wrongly accused; the boss was right to scold him.

Shichibei found Oda's army's movements somewhat perplexing afterward. Nobunaga dispatched several detachments, seemingly intending to take over Sekijo, but he also commanded Mori Yoshinari, Shibata Katsuie, and Sakai Masahiro's forces to launch a fierce attack on Dodo Castle. Dodo Castle was brought to the brink of collapse, and even a valiant general like Kishi Nobuchika was unable to hold it back.

The detached force was led by Sakuma Nobumori and Ikeda Tsuneoki, and Kinoshita Hideyoshi also went along. It is estimated that half of the departing army was Oda's army.

You're a formidable opponent, able to fight with both hands, but Nobunaga, you're over thirty. Can you handle it?

Some things are better left unsaid; it's absolutely impossible to say them aloud. Shichibei continued shuttling between Dodo Castle and Inuyama Castle, transporting large quantities of bundles of straw.

Or perhaps "bamboo bundle" would be more accurate, but it wasn't meant to stop bullets. First, straw or wheat stalks were soaked in oil, then taken out and air-dried. Next, they were bundled together with bamboo poles, and one end was lit. Because of the tight binding, the straw didn't have enough air inside, so it burned slowly.

Once the brave soldiers carried the bundle of fire to the city gate or the wooden buildings inside and outside the city, they drew their swords and cut open the bamboo, causing the grass inside to scatter and a fire to suddenly erupt, thus achieving the effect of a fire attack.

If this happened during the nuclear war era, anyone doing this kind of thing would at least be considered one of the "Three Heroes of the Bombs."

Even those cannon fodder managed to become military heroes for a few years and appear in Japanese elementary school textbooks. Of course, after Emperor MacArthur arrived in Japan, he saw those textbooks, tore them up, and used them as firewood.

The foot soldiers, having received a generous reward from Nobunaga, grabbed long bundles of fire and charged towards Dodo Castle, yelling and screaming. They were charging whether to attack or set the castle ablaze, so they charged quite quickly.

When Kishi Nobuyuki, who was on the castle, saw Oda's army launching a fire attack, he was very anxious and repeatedly released fireworks to call for help from Nagai Michitoshi and Sato Tadayoshi.

Save them! We absolutely must save them!

Nagai Michitoshi led over a thousand men, and Sato Tadanobu also led over a thousand men, and they rushed to Dodo Castle that same day to prepare for the rescue of Kishi Nobuyuki.

The following day, in a renewed battle, Sato Tadanori defected and joined Oda Nobunaga in attacking Nagai Michitoshi. Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Nagai Michitoshi barely escaped with his life; almost all of his troops were either killed or scattered. Knowing that Seki Castle was indefensible, Nagai Michitoshi fled to Gunjo Hachiman Castle and sought refuge with Endo Yoshitaka.

With the fall of Sekise Castle, Tangdong Castle was thrown into turmoil. Mori Yoshinari led a fierce attack, and his flanks repeatedly stormed into the castle. In the end, Kishi Nobuyuki and his son Kishi Nobufusa set themselves on fire, and the Kishi clan was almost wiped out, with only a very few members escaping.

The three towns of Nakano and Nao were now all in Nobunaga's hands. As for Tatsuoki, who had sent troops to rescue Ōgaki Castle the day before, he only received the news after the fall of Dōdō Castle.

They exclaimed that they had fallen for Nobunaga's feint, wondering why there was another Nobunaga at the foot of Ōgaki Castle.

It was Mori Yoshinari and Sakai Masanao who launched the fierce attack on Dodo Castle, so why is it suddenly said that Nobunaga led troops to launch a fierce attack on the reinforcements, Nagai Michitoshi? Where did things go wrong? Are there two Nobunagas?

Unwilling to surrender, Ryūō led over 3,000 men, while Nagai Michitoshi led 300, turning back to seize Kajida Castle. If Kajida Castle were in their hands, then Nakano would at least have a foothold to resist gradually.

The Oda army, riding high on its momentum, encountered the Saito army, which had come from afar. Nobunaga was truly ruthless, ordering Sato Tadayoshi and his son to serve as the vanguard, offering a pledge of allegiance, and attacking Saito Tatsuoki first.

In a chaotic battle, Ryūshō's army was defeated and retreated to Inabayama Castle. A very coincidental event occurred: Satō Tadayoshi's eldest son, Satō Tadayasu, was killed in battle.

Haha, what a coincidence that opened the door for his mother.

Although Shichibei didn't know what Nobunaga was really thinking, Nobunaga still kept his promise. On one hand, he appointed Mori Yoshinari as the lord of Sekigahara Castle. On the other hand, he personally dispatched troops to suppress and assist Sato Tadayoshi in collecting 4,389 kan of rebellious money. Those who refused to pay had their territories confiscated and their people released.

Sato Tadanobu was overwhelmed with joy and sorrow at the same time. The huge sum of 4,400 kan in cash filled his house, almost overflowing it. At the same time, his eldest son had died on the battlefield, and he had offended all the powerful and influential families in the entire Nakano region.

Whether he had figured it out himself or someone had hinted at it, Sato Tadanobu suggested to Nobunaga that he retire from public life and that Nobunaga's brother-in-law, Saito Toshiharu, marry Sato Hime and take her place in the Sato family.

Nobunaga was overjoyed and bestowed upon Sato Tadanobu Ifukamura 300 kan of retirement allowance, along with a large quantity of precious swords, fine horses, silks, and tools, and accepted his advice.

"Shichibei, I only adopted half of your strategy this time, so I can only give you half of your reward." Shichibei, who was watching with great interest, suddenly heard Nobunaga's smiling voice.

63. New knowledge and a hundredfold wealth are all that is needed for placement.

"Wasn't my plan a joke? You didn't fight the way I told you to!" Shichibei was a little confused, after all, he hadn't even looked at the map before making his own suggestion, it was just random nonsense.

and many more!

Half of it was used.

Ah… no wonder Nobunaga divided his forces and left the front line at Dodo Castle; it turns out he really did send a feint to Ōgaki. If that's the case, then Shichibei was right about the strategy of sending half of his forces to Ōgaki.

"The greatest credit naturally goes to Lord Kajita." As a powerful local lord who had just joined the empire, Nobunaga could not be addressed as a mere subject.

At least until Saito Toshiharu fully controls the Kajita clan, takes control of Kajita Castle, and eliminates the influence of Sato Tadayoshi and his son, he can be regarded as a subject.

Now they're showering us with gold and silver, rewarding us today and bestowing gifts tomorrow, with banquets and lavish parties never ceasing. A staggering 4,389 kan has been poured in, all to appease Kajita Castle and Sato Tadanobu.

"The second greatest achievement is the capture of the Dodo!" Mori Yoshinari, one of Nobunaga's most trusted retainers, led the attack on Dodo. It was perfectly reasonable for him to do so, and everyone was convinced of his merit.

"As for Shichibei, that only counts as half a contribution, hahahaha..." Nobunaga laughed, and everyone laughed along with him.

What's half a contribution worth? The old Oda retainers, including Sakuma Nobumori, who had already retreated from the feint attack at Ogaki, showed no dissatisfaction or opposition. They knew before setting out that this strategy was proposed by Shichibei, and since it was proving effective, receiving a reward was only fair.

Moreover, even half a reward made everyone around him laugh, including Sato Tadanobu, who had just joined Nobunaga's side. Nobunaga couldn't very well give Shichibei half a horse, could he? He would write an IOU for now, and then, when Shichibei performed another half-merit, they could combine them to give him a full horse.

"I dare not take credit, I dare not take credit." Shichibei smiled, for half a contribution was indeed not something that could be rewarded.

Write a statement of appreciation. Next time, put two statements together and send me 200 strings of cash. That would be wonderful.

"In principle, you should be granted two hundred kan of credit, but this time it will be halved, so you will only receive one hundred kan." Nobunaga's answer greatly surprised Shichibei.

I didn't even fight anyone! Even if I had just beheaded a single Kishi clan samurai, I would still be rewarded with a reward. Shichibei thought that there would definitely be some objections to this, but when he looked up to decline, the Oda samurai around him just laughed and didn't voice any objections.

Firstly, Shichibei certainly deserved some reward. Secondly, the idea of ​​"half a reward" was really amusing to everyone. A reward of 100 kan was not particularly impressive. All those present were important retainers of the Oda clan, holding high positions and positions, and many held 10,000 kan. It seemed as if the reward of 100 kan was just a joke Nobunaga made on a whim with Shichibei.

"Alright, alright, one hundred kan it is." Seeing that Shichibei did not answer, Nobunaga made the final decision and gestured for Shichibei to come forward.

There was no other way; Shichibei could only walk up to Nobunaga, kneel down, and thank him. It was only right; when a lord grants you territory, you kowtow to show your loyalty.

"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation." After bowing his head and then looking up, Shichibei suddenly saw Nobunaga lightly tapping his head with his riding staff and winking at him.

hiss……

What is this implying to me? Shichibei pondered this in his mind, but for a moment he couldn't figure out what it meant.

Nobunaga then had to reward the others one by one. For example, Sakai Masanao, who followed Mori Yoshinari in the fierce attack on Dodo, also received an increase in territory. Some samurai who took heads received money or horses. In short, they were all rewarded according to their merits, and there were basically no omissions.

Murai Sadakatsu was a meticulous man. As Nobunaga's right-hand scribe, he was now also serving as the military clerk, recording everyone's military achievements. He knew exactly how much a head was worth.

In any case, Nobunaga had seized the three castles of Nakano. Apart from the Kajita-Sato family's territory being kept safe, the territories of Nagai Michitoshi and Kishi Nobuchika were all taken over by Nobunaga. He could then easily station (or shield) hundreds of standing foot soldiers, both arquebusiers and archers. It would be easy for him to give some of them as rewards to those who had rendered meritorious service.

After the initial inspection and rewarding of merits, Nobunaga left Mori Yoshinari to guard Seki Castle, Saito Toshiharu to guard Kajida Castle, and led the army back to Inuyama. They then disbanded and returned to Komakiyama Castle.

Shichibei still had to go back to Komakiyama Castle to settle the cost of the horses Nobunaga had rented, so he had to follow Nobunaga back. Naturally, he ended up in the main group. When Sakuma Nobumori saw Shichibei, he waved for Shichibei to come with him.

At first, they were just chatting about what it was like to be a minor magistrate, but as the conversation got more interesting, Sakuma Nobumori suddenly praised Shichibei for his good fortune, saying that Nobunaga had personally stepped in to support him.

In fact, this wasn't the first time Nobunaga had supported his samurai. The most typical example was Ikeda Tsuneoki, who had been promoted to the rank of Inuyama daimyo with 10,000 kan (a unit of currency). With such territory, one could independently command an army of three to five thousand men to carry out independent military operations.

Tsuneoki was Nobunaga's wet nurse, and his mother was Nobuhide's concubine. Tsuneoki was also willing to go to the front lines to kill and set fires, so all the promotions were carried out smoothly.

For example, Kinoshita Hideyoshi's progress was fraught with difficulties. However, Hideyoshi is gradually receiving reinforcements from Nobunaga, beginning to build the Kinoshita retainer group, and gaining strength from the Mino factions. In extreme circumstances, Hideyoshi could mobilize an independent large-scale force of over 1,500 men to participate in large-scale battles involving tens of thousands of people.

When it came to Shichibei, they had to use even more indirect methods.

Although the goal is the same, it's worth Nobunaga's effort for you; you're truly lucky. Don't be fooled by the fact that I'm only giving you 100 kan now; others might only get 100 kan for capturing a single spear on the battlefield.

Do you have the ability to brave arrows and bullets, don heavy armor, and bravely charge into the city?

Obviously not.

Yet the rewards received were the same, and even bestowed in a more reasonable manner. Looking back now, the amount was secondary; it was the thoughtfulness that was truly enviable.

"Ah..." Shichibei immediately understood after being given such a direct explanation.

So Nobunaga wasn't making fun of me; he was genuinely giving me a chance. Not just giving me a chance, but creating one even when none existed.

"It's so good to be young." Sakuma sighed. The Oda clan's territory was growing larger and larger, and they, as hereditary retainers who had long held titles and ranks, might one day be unable to keep up with Nobunaga's thinking.

“You’re in the prime of your life,” Shichibei replied casually. Sakuma Nobumori was only in his forties; what kind of old man was he?

"Getting old, getting old."

After saying this, Sakuma Nobumori spurred his horse forward, leaving Shichibei alone to ponder the cause and effect of his words. It seemed there was some truth to it, if one thought about it.

Upon reaching Komakiyama Castle, Nobunaga's standing army was disbanded, and the troops of his senior retainers returned to their respective homes. Shichibei was now completely idle, and the state of war was lifted. As for the horse price, he could simply let Kotaro Muneko collect it; after all, he was mobile.

Before Shichibei could even sit down, Kotaro So rushed back with a message. Nobunaga had increased Shichibei's rank by 100 kan, which should have been allocated to Nakano, otherwise how could the pro-Oda forces in the area be strengthened? However, Nobunaga instructed that this be handled as a special case, and the 100 kan be allocated to Kaito District in Owari Province.

If Shichibei had the time, he would go and collect 100 kan of Nobunaga's direct territory, clearly define the positions in all four directions, and then return to Komakiyama Castle to report to Murai Sadakatsu. Murai Sadakatsu would prepare the military service records, write the settlement agreement, and hand it over to Nobunaga's signature before issuing it to Shichibei.

Wow, this is really giving me a chance.

That was a good situation; Shichibei could carve out a piece of land connected to his old territory as his new fief. The land near Katsuhata Castle was mostly Nobunaga's direct territory, land that he and his father had painstakingly suppressed over two generations, the foundation of their control over the Tsushima clan, and not easily settled with samurai.

Of course, most of the big bosses in Tsushima have territories around Tsushima, and the Tsushima Ushito Tenno Sha also has its own territory. These territories are roughly distributed around Tsushima and can be considered as affiliated lands of Tsushima.

Just like the big bosses in Sakaimachi, they also own land around Sakai. How state-owned assets were transformed into shares, shares into private ownership, and private ownership is exempt from taxation is another matter.

After all, they couldn't escape from the lighthouse right now; the land was right there, so the guardian wasn't in a hurry.

Let's go home and check the land survey records of Kaito County. We can grab a hundred kan of land and take it into our hands. We also need to send the three hundred horses Nobunaga hired back to Kiyosu and Tsushima.

Without official business, he could leisurely stroll back. Halfway there, Shichibei even stopped to check which village had sufficient manpower and which village had well-developed water conservancy facilities.