Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Now that I've added 100 strings of cash to my income, why don't I build a large waterwheel? A waterwheel would make rice milling much easier, which is an important source of income in rural areas.

If peasant women relied on themselves to pound rice in a stone mortar with wooden mallets, it would take forever. During the Qin and Han dynasties, there was a form of heavy labor punishment: being sent to the government to pound rice, called "Chengdan Chun," where men were sent to build city walls and women to pound rice.

The same was true in Europe. Mills in European villages and manors were most likely owned by lords or feudal commercial guilds. Farmers or serfs had to pay the lords to husk and grind wheat for them.

So let's just eat porridge at home. At least porridge doesn't cost money. Want some bread? Bread is expensive.

In the early days, mills in rural communes were indeed for public use, but the rural communes obviously did not last as long as the feudal lords collected usage fees.

Back at Kawamura-ya Main Store, Shichibei sent someone to inquire about the cost and materials for building a waterwheel house. After giving the instructions, he saw Inase Yoshinari standing in front of him; he must have something to say.

Upon inquiry, it turned out to be nothing urgent. It was just that Takikawa Kazumasu said someone wanted to introduce Shichibei to the city and asked Shichibei to visit Kanie Castle when he had time.

Yes, earlier, Takikawa Kazumasu said he would introduce me to some part-time jobs.

It was too late today, and there wasn't enough time to run to Kanie Castle. The next day, Shichibei instructed Inase Yoshinari to inquire about which nearby land had the best harvest before riding off to Kanie Castle.

During the Battle of Nakano, Takigawa Ieyasu was not hired by Nobunaga, so he did not participate in the battle. Now, seeing Shichibei coming, he asked Nobunaga how the battle of Nakano was going.

The news spread slowly for a while. Even Takigawa Kazumasu, who had some "ninja" connotations, was unaware of the events of the Nakano battle a few days prior.

Shichibei, being the person involved, spoke with appropriate detail and brevity, and Takikawa Kazumasu listened with repeated nods. Upon hearing that Shichibei would receive an additional 100 kan, Kazumasu quickly offered his congratulations and then invited out about a dozen ronin who were willing to work at the Kawamura-ya.

They were of all ages and backgrounds. Sometimes, the unhappiness of life can indeed be seen on a person's face. After looking around, Shichibei suddenly had an idea and immediately began to "lecture" the group of ronin.

The Kawamura family doesn't test swordsmanship or spear skills; instead, they test abilities such as calculation, construction, and document processing. Anyone who passes today, especially the top-ranked candidate, will immediately be given twenty kan (a unit of currency) and appointed to the Kawamura household, where they will be settled locally.

The second-class officials are paid a salary, and if they perform well, they may be given the opportunity to be placed in a territory.

The dozen or so ronin suddenly became agitated. Weren't they supposed to be working as shop assistants at the merchant's shop? Why were they being given territory? Was it really for Chiyo, or were they being tricked?

Many eyes swept back and forth between Shichibei and Takigawa Kazumasu. Finally, a ronin who looked to be about forty years old asked Shichibei if he was really not looking for them.

Do you think I, the dignified governor of Owari Kaito District, would deceive you ronin?

"Is there any falsehood in bestowing knowledge and action?" Shichibei asked the ronin. The ronin immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness, explaining that he had genuinely believed he was a contract-signing employee before he came, which was why he had asked the question.

Shichibei then immediately gave them a test. Two of them were just pretending and were dismissed by Takigawa Kazumasu. Of the remaining eleven, six were decent and five were passable.

"Pack up and go to Tsushimagawa Village's house for roll call tomorrow. After that, I will assign you to different positions and assign you different places." Shichibei also imitated Nobunaga, took out his folding fan, and rhythmically tapped the tatami to accompany his words.

"Hehe." The eleven men immediately knelt down and paid their respects, especially the six men who had passed the Seven Soldiers' test, who were beaming with joy.

Shichibei returned to Kawamura-ya and asked Inase Yoshinari if he had found out anything. Combining his own observations, he sent a document about the surrounding land to Komakiyama and entrusted it to Murai Sadakatsu for filing.

Since it concerned Shichibei, Murai Sadakatsu readily took care of it, and the document was handed over to Nobunaga. Nobunaga glanced at it; it was Shichibei's relocation document, and he signed it without hesitation. Murai Sadakatsu, who had come to deliver the document, coincidentally remarked that Shichibei was indeed a bit too hasty; the document was only issued today, yet he had already summoned and placed six retainers in the new government yesterday.

Nobunaga, who hadn't paid much attention at first, picked up his pen and changed 100 kan to 120 kan. 20 kan per person, that's enough to place a foot soldier.

Murai Sadamatsu said nothing, squinting as he watched Nobunaga revise the document. Once Nobunaga finished rewriting it, he quickly sent it to Tsushima. After all, when he received the letter of pacification from Nobunaga, Murai Sadamatsu had seen Nobunaga's expression, which clearly showed approval and agreement. Having spent so much time by Nobunaga's side, Murai Sadamatsu was as shrewd as a monkey.

64. Upon hearing that Princess Deok-him was to marry...

(As briefly mentioned earlier in the story of Hideyoshi selling out Hideyoshi, the eight knights of Kawamura were the owners of the Kawamura-ya, meaning they were shareholders. Therefore, they did not need to be in charge of the business; no matter how big the Kawamura-ya became, they would always have a small share. This was one of the organizational forms of old feudal guilds in Japan, and should not be equated with the new samurai nomination.)

Twenty more strings of cash?

This was something Shichibei hadn't expected. After all, according to Sakuma Nobumori, the extra 100 kan of new knowledge was something Nobunaga had deliberately designed to add to Shichibei's allowance as a joke. But since it had already been added, adding another 20 kan didn't seem like a big deal.

The man who came to deliver the petition was a servant under Murai Sadakatsu. Shichibei recognized him and quickly invited him to his home. After some thought, he prepared seven or eight dishes and invited several courtesans to entertain him. They had a great time, and Shichibei was thoroughly pleased with the servants.

The next day, Na Yu left, praising Shichibei for taking good care of him.

In the past, when they went to the villages to collect the annual tribute, the villages would naturally host a feast, and the village girls would accompany them to bathe in the evening. This was the usual practice, and even in the Edo period, this was often the case on the territories of the Tokugawa shogunate.

If you embezzle the annual tribute rice, the lord will draw his sword and behead you, but accepting local hospitality is no problem. Many retainers around Edo Castle are hoping to get a job in the countryside.

The village wasn't really doing this for any great reason; it was mainly to curry favor with their superiors. This way, no one would report the newly reclaimed land, and no one would know about the increased rice production.

How can a village girl compare with a city prostitute?

After seeing the others off, eleven ronin arrived to report for duty. After showing them Nobunaga's residence, Shichibei immediately assigned six ronin to positions, each given twenty kan of paper money, specifying their location in the official documents. The six men bowed deeply to Shichibei. Having waited in Hunan for two years without seeing any opportunity for a resurgence, being recruited by the Oda clan was naturally a way out for them.

After all, unlike those powerful lords who, even after stepping down from their domains, had relatives to rely on or funds to spend, they became masterless ronin once they left their domains, and might not even be able to afford a hot meal.

Historically, Sanada Masayuki and his son Sanada Yukimura, who were exiled to Mount Koya, were so poor that they had to sell Sanada knots, and they really almost went hungry.

Alright, alright, let's not talk about loyalty anymore. We small merchants are loyal as long as there's perpetual profit. If you work for me, you might not have a chance to become the lord of a country or a city, but you'll be able to make a living and stay warm.

Leaving that aside, Shichibei secretly learned about the dispatch of personnel to northern Ise. Now that Nobunaga had conquered Nakano, the foundation of Saito Tatsuoki's rule had been greatly shaken. Mino, which could once rival Owari, was now far inferior to Owari even with the combined forces of the Western Mino Triumvirate.

If nothing unexpected happens, Nobunaga will find a way to seize Inabayama either this autumn or in late winter or early spring next year.

After that, it will be time for the Northern Ise to launch their attack. Therefore, Shichibei needs to find out the details so that he won't be caught off guard when Nobunaga tries to find out later.

Upon hearing this, Inase Yoshinari pulled Shichibei into the house. Although the young man was still young, he had been interning at the store for many years and was quite shrewd, knowing that some things should never be made public.

Things were progressing smoothly. Many commercial activities in Kita-Ise relied on Tsushima. While Tsushima Kawamuraya wasn't the largest of the Tsushima clan, it still held considerable influence. Some minor noble families even ordered weapons, armor, and horses from Kawamuraya's traveling merchants.

This is not surprising, as Tsushima was responsible for dispatching important military supplies such as lead ingots, charcoal, and saltpeter for Nobunaga. At the same time, it also manufactured bows, arrows, and armor parts for Nobunaga.

How to describe Japanese armor? The simplest ashigaru domaru can be considered armor. The ornate, elaborately decorated, and extremely complex retro-style taiko (great armor) of the Edo period is also armor. Furthermore, the military service system of the Sengoku period in Japan also determined the lack of standardization in armor.

So, things like the kilt, the pauldron, and even the specially woven chainmail gauntlet could be disassembled and made into individual parts. A single armor piece was passed down through three generations, and if a part was missing, it could be repaired at Tsushima. Even if the domaru itself was broken, it could be repaired, just like an iron pot. You wouldn't just throw it away if you poked a hole in it.

Once it's repaired, you can paint it again. You can't tell at all that this domaru is older than the samurai wearing it.

Alright, as long as we can move around normally and gather information, that's enough. There's no need to launch an operation yet; we need to wait until Saito Tatsuoki flees to northern Ise. Whoever discovers Saito Tatsuoki's whereabouts will surely be rewarded handsomely by Nobunaga.

Furthermore, was this operation coordinated with Takigawa Kazumasu? It is highly likely that the samurai in charge of the northern Ise region was Takigawa Kazumasu. Nobunaga was unconventional in his use of people; ability was the most important factor.

Speaking of this, Inase Yoshinari nodded in agreement. Many members of the Takigawa faction served as miscellaneous soldiers for various factions in northern Ise. This term "miscellaneous soldiers" has two interpretations: one is the broad category of foot soldiers (ashigaru). The other, more specific interpretation, refers to the temporary recruitment of mountain dwellers, nobushi (unofficial soldiers), and ronin (masterless samurai) as soldiers in times of war.

The lord provides armor and weapons, as well as food and wages. Merit can be rewarded, but it's basically cash; this is explained beforehand. In short, they're cannon fodder, specifically distinguished from the lord's "true foot soldiers."

After Nobunaga's summer harvest, he went to attack Ryūshō. Meanwhile, the local lords of the small provinces of northern Ise were constantly fighting amongst themselves. It was easy to infiltrate their ranks with miscellaneous soldiers, since there weren't many sophisticated counter-espionage measures available at the time.

The victor might recruit some foot soldiers from among the regular troops, or they might disband them after the battle; it all depends on the lord's decision.

That's great. Takigawa Kazumasu was originally a mercenary, so being a henchman is exactly what he's good at. He'll definitely be "lifelike," looking exactly like the real thing.

With this major matter resolved, Shichibei can finally rest for a few days.

This time it's a real rest. Previously, Nobunaga had Shichibei plan the streets and post stations from Komakiyama to Tsushima. However, with this campaign against Mino, Nobunaga's gold coins were probably all used up, leaving him with no money for the time being, so he didn't issue any orders to repair the streets.

Those twenty men Nobunaga sent? They're just sitting around doing nothing anyway, so they can build a stable near Sekijo Castle as a temporary departure point. Once Nobunaga has captured Inabayama Castle, they can move there.

In any case, it was foreseeable that if Nobunaga wanted to advance towards Mino, he would either go through Sunomata or Sekijo, and he would need a base of operations. It was impossible for him to set up his base of operations in the wilderness, and Nobunaga was certainly aware of this.

There was a man named Jibu Daisuke who was killed by Nobunaga in the wilderness.

If Yoshimoto had happily entered Ōdaka Castle, would Nobunaga be six or seven years old this year?

You guys go ahead, I'll just stay home and relax.

There's not much to say about the twenty Yuli; after all, samurai are loyal and brave. Going to Sekijo to build stables and familiarize themselves with the situation around Sekijo might lead to some merit in the future.

The six retainers summoned to Shichibei's command should all go, inase Yoshinari Inase will lead the way. Shichibei is already guarding the store; we don't need you, brother-in-law.

This earned him a huge eye roll from Ai...

You've forgotten your own brother since you've found a new love. Your brother hardly gets a break all year round.

Shichibei had no choice but to avoid Ayi's glares and go do the math on Kawamura-ya's accounts. As Nobunaga's business expanded, so did Kawamura-ya's. Previously, Kawamura-ya could only earn seven or eight kan a month, but now its income had increased more than tenfold, and its monthly income would soon exceed one hundred kan.

Moreover, the entire Kawamura-ya business is in a period of rapid expansion, with money making money and constantly being reinvested in production. At this rate, Shichibei is very likely to become a wealthy tycoon.

Then we can buy townhouse land in Tsushima, build a warehouse, and further develop and expand...

Ai had only half-thought out when she saw Shichibei shaking his head. Tsushima would silt up to the point of being unusable for convenient sea transport in a century at most. Investing in Tsushima was pointless; they should invest in Azuchi or Osaka.

The premise for settling in Azuchi is that Nobunaga and Nobutada can succeed. Once Shichibei has enough status, he can talk to Nobunaga about why father and son cannot live in the same place. In this way, even if something earth-shattering happens, at least one person will survive, and the Oda clan will not fall into chaos.

Sigh, why are we talking about this? Inabayama hasn't even come down yet.

After spending ten days at home, Shichibei discovered that there were indeed no lawsuits in Kaito County. No wonder those pig-like samurai could serve as castle and county officials with the rank of Grand Marshal; apparently, they had no job except for conscription. The collection of annual tribute relied on both wisdom and force. The wise ones would scheme with the local lords, while the unwise ones would simply draw their swords and demand it.

The five taxes levied on the common people and the five classes of people weren't excessive; it's unlikely that all the farmers in Owari would launch a rebellion. Nobunaga also levied commercial and property taxes, so he didn't rely entirely on agricultural taxes.

After resting at home for almost a month, Inase Yoshinari and the others who had gone to Sekijo finally returned to Tsushima. The saddle house only took about half a month to build, but the round trip by foot took several days. Things went smoothly, and Mori Yoshinari, the lord of Sekijo, was quite pleased that Shichibei had built a saddle house near the castle. In those days, any shrewd lord would try to make the castle town prosperous, and saddle houses were considered a standard feature.

When playing Taikou Risshiden V, you'd find stables in the castle towns, but the game completely simplifies their function. There are only three: learning mounted archery, buying horses, and being scammed by traveling merchants from Ezo who will buy you a hundred deer to make fun of you.

"Master, I heard something down below the castle." Inase Yoshinari took the teacup from Ai and began to rub his calves.

At home, Inase Yoshinari calls Shichibei his brother-in-law, but at the shop, he has to call him "Danna," which means "owner." It's part of the feudal system, and the Japanese value this kind of thing quite a bit.

"Who is Otate-sama going to attack this time?" Shichibei checked the expense records for Inase Yoshinari and his men's construction of the stable.

"No, no, no, I heard that Lord Mitsuhime is going to marry Tokuhime to the eldest son of the Mikawa no Kami."

"Ahhh, this is normal." This is the most normal thing in the Japanese Warring States Period.

Matsudaira Ieyasu is now considered a powerful and influential clan in Mikawa, having finally recovered from the chaos of the Mikawa Ikko-ikki uprising. Although he hasn't yet completely subdued Mikawa, his family fortune is approaching 20,000 kan. Such a level of wealth is enough for Nobunaga to offer one of his daughters to win him over.

By the way, Princess Deok-ji is only seven years old this year.

This was the nature of political marriages during Japan's Sengoku period. It wasn't uncommon for children to be betrothed at age three and married off at age seven. There was no other way; that's how political marriages were conducted. The key was to establish a connection first, just like Tokugawa Hidetada's daughter, Tamahime, who was married off to the Maeda family of Kanazawa at the age of three.

Of course, Matsudaira Nobuyasu is only eight years old now, so there's not much of an age difference. It's much better than marrying a man in his forties or fifties when you're only a teenager; you won't end up a widow after just a couple of years.

"And then?" Shichibei asked Inase Yoshinari as he looked through the accounts.

"Then I entrust you to purchase goods from Kyoto and Tang Dynasty." The voice of Sugaya Nagayari suddenly came from outside the door. Shichibei and Inase Yoshishinari were sitting at the door of Kawamura's house and chatting.

"Lord Kyuuemon, please come in, please come in." Shichibei immediately stood up, put down the account book, and led Sugaya Nagayori in.

Once we sit down and talk, it's not a particularly important matter. When Nobunaga sent his sister Oichi to the Asai family and Toyama-hime to the Takeda family, he directly gave them large sums of money as a bonus. Tokuhime's marriage to the Matsudaira family would naturally cost two, but not as much as the previous two; two thousand kan would be more than enough.

Furthermore, the two thousand kan (a unit of currency) doesn't necessarily need to be all cash; bringing some of Princess Tokuhime's favorite and frequently used items would be appropriate. After all, Matsudaira Ieyasu is currently a semi-vassal of Nobunaga. Once Nobunaga gains more power, the Matsudaira family will eventually become Nobunaga's retainers.

Furthermore, this matter was already decided long ago; now it's just a matter of preparing the dowry. The so-called "Kyoto goods" refer to silk fabrics and textiles produced in Kyoto, including some embroidered and layered dyed fabrics. These are not produced in Owari or Mikawa and must be purchased in Kyoto. Other items like Kyoto-style paper, gold-lacquered lacquerware, screens, hanging scrolls, and flower arrangements are also considered Kyoto goods.

Tang goods were items produced in the neighboring Daimei region, including a considerable number of silk fabrics, as well as umbrellas, spices, tables, candlesticks, bronze mirrors, and other items. Of course, these were items Princess Tokuhime needed; Daimei exported far more goods to Japan than any other region.

When Sugaya Nagayori explained the situation, Shichibei indicated that he understood. This wasn't a difficult matter; as one of the Oda clan's trusted merchants, handling procurement was a necessary task. Shichibei only needed to inquire about Nobunaga's specific requirements and budget.

There is a list.

"You should have said so earlier," Shichibei said, taking the list. He knew the prices of some items, but others would require him to go to Sakai and Kyoto to inquire and purchase them. "No problem, leave it to me," Shichibei said, glancing at the budget at the bottom of the list, feeling confident.

Having understood the situation, Sugaya Nagayori prepared to leave. As a magistrate, he had to return to Komakiyama Castle that very day. Shichibei offered to let him stay overnight in Tsushima, but Sugaya Nagayori refused.

Before mounting his horse, Shichibei asked, "Who will be responsible for escorting the people to the Matsudaira clan?" There must be a senior and respected family retainer who can do it. Niwa Nagahide? Or Sakuma Nobumori?

It's not that I'm concerned, but Shichibei wants to go to Okazaki to see if Ieyasu is now showing off by eating rice with three parts barley and seven parts rice.