Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

It's best to have a Plan A and a Plan B, so you can have backups.

Moreover, Matsuura Shigenobu possessed a staggering 60,000 to 70,000 koku of rice, making him a formidable force. This information was also revealed by Ōtomo Sōrin, who presided over the coming-of-age ceremony for Matsuura Shigenobu in 1568.

The Ōtomo clan once suppressed most of Hizen Province, and even the Arima and Ōmura clans expressed their willingness to surrender. If it weren't for Nabeshima Naoshige's successful sneak attack in the Battle of Imayama, there would have been no Ryūzōji Temple by now.

Nobunaga was very satisfied with the sensible actions of Kamiya Sōzan and Shimai Sōshū, as well as Matsuura Shigenori's kneeling in submission. He issued them both official seals, and the Hakata people were naturally allowed to continue operating the port and towns of Hakata, enjoying semi-autonomous rights within the towns.

Matsuura Shigenobu is a given, but Hizen no Kami is a bit difficult, since most of Hizen is going to Hideyoshi. However, Iki no Kami is no problem; he can be recommended immediately. Not only that, since Iki is a province, Matsuura Shigenobu is essentially a daimyo of the province, so Nobunaga is willing to elevate his rank and appoint him as a retainer.

In other words, only the powerful daimyo of the Oda clan, who were the only ones to receive such treatment, were given to Matsuura Shigenobu. It was all high-standard, high-level service, designed to elevate him to the rank of Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade. After all, a daimyo of the Oda clan should maintain a certain level of prestige, even if it was just a daimyo from Iki Province.

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With these conditions, Shichibei should be able to persuade Matsuura Shigenobu quite well. It's like how Bessho Nagaharu was only so-so towards Oda Nobunaga back then. But after Oda Nobunaga recommended him as the governor of Harima, his loyalty immediately increased dramatically. These people just love this one governorship of their own country to death.

Then, he sent someone to Hakata to deliver the red seal. At the same time, Nobunaga also ordered Kamiya Sōzan to draw a reference map of the port layout of Hakata-tsu and send it back to Kyoto, and then send it to Mōri Terumoto for reference.

Hakata's journey was smooth sailing, while Samona's was fraught with difficulties and setbacks.

Shimazu Yoshihisa indicated that surrender was possible, but only if the current territories of Satsuma, Ōsumi, and Hyuga, plus half of Higo Province, were secured. If this wasn't achieved, the Shimazu clan wouldn't easily relinquish the territories they had conquered through countless battles. In that case, they would have to ask the Grand Chancellor to experience the savagery of the Satsuma Hayato.

In any case, besides their worthless lives, all the Satsuma Hayatos have left are their swords; diplomatic rhetoric is of no use to them.

I don't understand, I don't understand.

"Those who defy the Emperor's rule should be met with a resounding defeat." Hideyoshi was still in Kyoto at this time.

Upon hearing the report, they immediately got to work.

At this point, what feelings did Hideyoshi have towards the Shimazu clan? Absolutely none. As for his understanding of the Shimazu clan, it was minimal. Since the Oda clan was mobilizing at least 120,000 troops to land on the island, did they really need to consider the opinions of the so-called Shimazu clan? They could just go in and crush them.

Originally, it was said that the Shimazu, Satsuma, and Ōsumi provinces would receive 400,000 koku. Now that the provinces have been uprooted, it doesn't matter who gets that 400,000 koku. Give 300,000 koku to Kobayakawa Takakage, 50,000 koku to Yoshikawa Hiroie, and 80,000 to 50,000 koku to Ukita. That's just right.

Chikugo was able to remain and be given away by Oda Nobunaga. Kikkawa Hiroie became Oda Nobuhiro's son-in-law and served as Oda Nobukatsu's retainer, so he was now considered one of Oda's own. Having married noblewomen from the Owari lineage, how could he not be one of them?

Of course, Hideyoshi wouldn't say this outright; he simply advocated fighting if anyone disagreed.

“The Satsuma Hayato are barbaric and unruly; a battle would be beneficial.” Shichibei did not suggest completely annihilating the Shimazu clan.

However, there was little objection to giving the Shimazu clan a crushing defeat. After all, in today's society, you have to beat people into submission before they truly respect you. If Mori Terumoto hadn't first established his power in Tottori...

Later in Takamatsu, he was struck hard by Hideyoshi and was utterly terrified. Would he surrender the castle?

The neighboring Hojo clan didn't suffer a real, heavy blow; they only faced a few raids on Izu by Tokugawa Ieyasu and Takeda Nobufusa, which led them to misjudge their own strength and believe they could still withstand the attack.

If Hideyoshi were transferred to him, and the forces of Kai, Shun, Tou, and San were gathered for him, Hideyoshi would wipe out your Odawara Castle completely.

"Hmm?" Nobunaga turned his head to look at Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Speaking of which, the Oda clan currently only has four chief retainers, which is a bit few. Tokugawa Ieyasu has practically been subdued and made a retainer of the Oda clan. Perhaps after he is transferred to Musashi Province in the Kanto region, he will become a chief retainer of the Oda clan.

Nobunaga's expansion model differed from Hideyoshi's. Nobunaga had retainers who had grown alongside him, including daimyo with a combined power of over a million koku. Therefore, the senior retainers of the Oda clan were mostly former officials from Owari and Mino provinces.

Hideyoshi had no choice. None of his five senior retainers—Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie, Ukita Hideie, Mori Terumoto, and Kobayakawa Takakage—were true retainers; they had all gathered together to unite the country in a short period of time.

Aside from the incredibly strong bond between Ukita Hideie and Hideyoshi, it's hard to say about the others. Each of them has their own agenda and won't fight to the death for the Toyotomi clan.

Look at Nobunaga. He now has four chief retainers under his command: Hashiba Hideyoshi, Niwa Nagahide, Takigawa Kazumasu, and Kawamura Nagayoshi. He personally trained them one by one from Owari. It can be said that without Oda Nobunaga, these four would not be where they are today.

The two are worlds apart.

Even Nobunaga's kindness and restraint towards Tokugawa Ieyasu far exceeded that of Toyotomi Hideyoshi later on. Hideyoshi's regime was inherently flawed, and its subsequent development was even more distorted.

"Your subject is willing to be the vanguard." Tokugawa Ieyasu was even more radical than Hashiba Hideyoshi, immediately declaring himself the vanguard.

"..." These words settled things between Nobunaga and Hideyoshi, and they fell silent for a moment.

Shichibei glanced silently at Tokugawa Ieyasu. Before, Shichibei would have simply assumed Ieyasu was expressing loyalty. Ieyasu naturally wanted to serve his elder brother Oda Nobunaga wholeheartedly. But after that conversation not long ago, Shichibei was starting to have second thoughts.

Perhaps Tokugawa Ieyasu was also using this opportunity to seize power and unite his followers. For example...

If he were to become the vanguard general, he would inevitably lead an army of forty to fifty thousand men, traveling alone. In the provinces of Tōtōmi and Mikawa, Ieyasu could mobilize a total of over twenty thousand men. However, he wouldn't usually mobilize that many, especially for an expedition to Kyushu; he would likely only muster twelve to thirteen thousand men at most.

This would mean that 20,000 to 30,000 other Oda soldiers would be assigned to Ieyasu's command. Wasn't this a perfect opportunity to win over Shi En?

"These mere barbarians from Satsuma, why would they need Lord Hamamatsu's help?" Hideyoshi finally spoke up, seemingly determined to compete for the vanguard position.

If he defeats the Shimazu clan of Satsuma and seizes half of southern Kyushu, he will have considerable influence over these territories. Although the final decision will undoubtedly rest with Oda Nobunaga and his son, Nobunaga would likely not refuse if he wanted to provide Ukita Hachiro with a fief of 50,000 or 100,000 koku.

"No, no, no, this is also His Highness the Prime Minister's use of force, and I, your humble brother, must contribute." Tokugawa Ieyasu immediately offered a reason.

Hideyoshi had already served as Oda Nobukatsu's lieutenant and established a relationship with him. Although they weren't exactly close, they had at least fought side by side. There hadn't been any major conflicts, and with Nobukatsu as the commander-in-chief and Hideyoshi as his lieutenant, their positions and titles were already firmly established.

Shichibei needs no introduction; his role is that of the official moneybags, and...

Others are different.

If Takigawa Kazumasu and others launch the Siege of Odawara afterward, Nobukatsu will undoubtedly be his lieutenant. Wouldn't that leave Tokugawa Ieyasu somewhat behind?

He'll still be working within Oda Nobukatsu's government, and he hasn't even fought alongside Oda Nobukatsu yet, clearly defining his role. But for this reason alone, Tokugawa Ieyasu will be the vice-general this time, allowing Ieyasu and Nobukatsu to properly build a relationship.

After he said that, Hideyoshi found himself in a difficult position to argue with. It was the truth; even in the world of martial arts, there's a balance to be struck. The martial world isn't just about fighting and killing; it's also about human relationships and social dynamics.

If Tokugawa Ieyasu hadn't held this position, how could he have survived under Oda Nobukatsu's regime? He was a legitimate daimyo of two states, with a stipend of no less than 500,000 koku.

"We'll discuss this later." Nobunaga, seeing the tense atmosphere, raised his hand to signal the two to stop arguing.

The situation has changed. Originally, the plan was for Mori Terumoto, Yoshikawa Motoharu, and Kobayakawa Takakage to lead over 20,000 Mori troops as the vanguard, while Amago Katsuhisa, Ukita Nagaie, Ikeda Katsumasa, and others formed the second division, joining forces to launch a fierce attack and destroy the Ryuzoji family. Afterward, a proclamation would be issued throughout Kyushu, and the situation would be settled, or the Ryuzoji family would retreat to Hizen.

Oda's army, having landed in Bungo, then stormed into Higo and Chikugo, joining forces with the First Route Army to launch a pincer attack on the Ryuzoji clan from the north and south. Ryuzoji Takayuki, claiming to be the governor of Goshu and two islands, was the most powerful lord on Kyushu at the time, and destroying the Ryuzoji clan was of utmost importance to him.

Originally, it was thought that the Shimazu clan would at most try to bargain, but now it seems that they are determined to fight to the bitter end. Therefore, the Oda army, which originally planned to invade Higo, will have to change course and attack Hyuga, and then march south from Hyuga.

Aside from Oda Nobuo's 20,000-plus cavalry, there were 30,000 cavalry from Shikoku, 20,000 from Kawamura, and over 10,000 from Bungo and Otomo—such a large army. The shift from simply picking up what was readily available and sweeping through to a decisive battle against the enemy, especially in unfamiliar surroundings, required significant adjustments.

It's not that Nobunaga looked down on Nobukatsu; even if Nobunaga himself were to personally command 90,000 men in a decisive battle against 40,000 to 50,000 enemy troops, he would still be unable to sleep for nights on end.

If it weren't for establishing Oda Nobukatsu's authority and prestige, he wouldn't have appointed Nobukatsu as the commander-in-chief in such a situation. It would be like Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was already too old and frail to walk, still going to fight in the Siege of Osaka.

Commanding an army of hundreds of thousands to attack the formidable city of Osaka, Tokugawa Hidetada might not have had that ability.

"Our army is extremely large, and the Shimazu will certainly not dare to enter Bungo to fight us. If they enter Muko Province, the outcome will be fifty-fifty." Having finished discussing serious matters, Hideyoshi also put aside his thoughts of arguing with Ieyasu.

Even if the Shimazu clan were to fight on home ground and mobilize all their forces, their total strength would not exceed 50,000. So, with 90,000 against 50,000, it's obvious to anyone who's stronger.

Therefore, the Shimazu army would definitely choose to wait in comfort and prepare for resistance in Hyuga. Even if the Oda army had Ito Yuhei, a local of Hyuga, as a guide, Ito Yuhei's core force only numbered a few hundred, while the Oda army numbered 90,000. It might even be difficult to assign two guides to each reserve unit.

Unfamiliar with the geography, the army chose to venture deep into the area, which inevitably resulted in a 50/50 split before the battle even began.

"Ieyasu intended to send 30,000 troops to Higo, subdue the people of Higo, and recruit soldiers to garrison 40,000 to 50,000 men. Whether we march north to Chikugo or south to Satsuma, we can advance or retreat as needed." Ieyasu's intention was to actively seize the initiative in the war.

With a large force, they could exploit their advantage. Sixty thousand men were stationed on the Hyuga border, preventing the Shimazu from being able to spare any attention. A detachment was sent to capture Higo, and then to threaten Satsuma's Mizu Castle.

Success or failure is secondary; the main thing is to seize the initiative. We can't let Shimazu lead us by the nose; we must decide the final battlefield.

"However, my family has no favor or trust in Higo, so how can we establish ourselves?" Hideyoshi was not arguing for the sake of arguing; he was simply stating the facts.

Entering Higo and recruiting soldiers from among existing troops is manageable. The key question is: why should the people of Higo support you? Higo is a large country, fragmented by warlords, each with its own formidable mountain fortresses. If you manage to gather a few thousand men and retreat into a fortress, you can't easily take it by force, nor can you easily leave. Because if you leave, they will definitely come down and disrupt your supply lines.

“The Ōtomo clan has many acquaintances in Higo, who can be of use,” Tokugawa Ieyasu immediately replied.

"However, that is not the case. Shiga Minbu (Shiga Chikato), the head of the Bungo Southern District, has been alienated by Otomo Takee and is no longer of importance." Hideyoshi had previously met with Otomo Sōrin and had a serious talk with him.

"Hiss..." This was something Ieyasu hadn't expected. He had been talking eloquently, but now he stopped in his tracks.

559. Hideyoshi and Ieyasu yielded to each other.

Not only Tokugawa Ieyasu was unaware of this, but even Oda Nobunaga had only just heard about it. Nobunaga had previously discussed with Shichibei that the most valuable thing he obtained from Ōtomo Sōrin was the ledger held by the last powerful Kyushu Tandai of the Ōtomo clan.

Hideyoshi, on the other hand, talked a lot of random things during his meeting with Ōtomo Sōrin. Clearly, he wasn't just chatting for nothing; he inquired about many details of the Ōtomo family.

Things had taken a turn for the worse for some time now. Shiga Chikamori and his son Chikato were on good terms with Ōtomo Sōrin, but this incurred the displeasure of Ōtomo Yoshitsugu. Ōtomo Yoshitsugu even declared that he would send troops to attack Oka Castle and wipe out the entire Shiga family.

Later, it was Otomo Sōrin who intervened and pleaded with them until the matter was finally resolved. But even that was useless; Otomo Yoshitsugu had completely lost trust in the Shiga father and son, sidelining them. This led to Shiga Chikado later choosing to join the Shimazu clan, becoming the one who brought Shinna Tadatsumoto to power and then conquer Bungo.

Now, expecting Yoshitomo Otomo to step in and send someone to find two influential figures in Higo is something he can't do.

Speaking of which, Kikuchi Yoshitake, a member of the prestigious Higo family, was still favored by his eldest nephew.

Ōtomo Sōrin was captured and killed, demonstrating the Ōtomo family's true prestige in Higo. The Aso and Kai families even became de facto vassals of the Ōtomo family for a time, though both have now sided with Ryūzōji Takanobu.

There was no other way; the Otomo family couldn't maintain their influence in Higo, so they had to retreat step by step. Even Kunigo, who supported the Otomo family in Higo, had to switch sides.

What do we do now?

Tokugawa Ieyasu's plan was flawed from the start, unless he could pull the Shiga clan away from the Ōtomo clan and then use them as a vanguard. But there was another problem: the Ōtomo clan had only just surrendered to Oda, and Ōtomo Yoshitomo hadn't even come to Kyoto to pay his respects to Nobunaga Nobukatsu before he tried to pull away his retainers.

What kind of behavior is this? To put it bluntly, it's like defecating on Ōtomo Yoshitomo's face. Who would resort to such crude methods to undermine someone else's retainers and weaken their power?

Hideyoshi's efforts to pull the Kobayakawa clan out from under the Mori's umbrella were gradual and methodical. His subsequent attempts to draw the Ijuin clan out from the Shimazu and Naoe out from the Uesugi clan were also unsuccessful.

This isn't how you divide and conquer. If two sides have just begun to build mutual trust, then promoting their own retainers is no different from declaring war.

"Therefore, it is possible to divide our forces and march to Higo, but it will be difficult to advance directly. Unless Ryuzoji or Ōtomo collapses in the decisive battle." When it comes to warfare, Hideyoshi was very qualified to speak on the subject.

The Japanese consider Toyotomi Hideyoshi to be the best siege commander of the Sengoku period. However, there's never been a definitive consensus on whether he was the best at open-field battles. In fact, Hideyoshi would certainly be considered within that tier of open-field combat experts.

Hideyoshi's intentions are now clear: going to Higo is fine, but to achieve significant results, they can only wait until the decisive battles against the Shimazu or Ryuzoji at the front lines are decided. Only by winning those decisive battles can they shake the powerful local lords of Higo, who each have their own mountain castles and rely on their troops.

Only when Guohao wavers can he further recruit soldiers, whether it's to attack Zoga City from the north or to attack Chushui City from the south, he can proceed with ease.

"These are indeed sound words." Shichibei usually doesn't speak about matters of war, but since the commander of this route is Oda Nobuo, it's not just about fighting.

We also need to consider how to ensure Oda Nobukatsu's safety, and prevent him from causing any trouble after landing on such a dilapidated island as Kyushu. How did Sogawa Moriyasu die in history? How did Chosokabe Nobuchika die? These are lessons to be learned; we cannot allow Oda Nobukatsu to easily venture into dangerous territory.

"Hmm..." Nobunaga hesitated for a moment.

Bungo's 90,000 cavalry must have had a hierarchy; it's impossible for Hideyoshi and Ieyasu to each lead a separate force to engage in one-on-one battles. Unless the Shimazu clan refrains from any decisive battle and instead focuses entirely on defending the castle, like the Hojo clan during the Siege of Odawara, who amassed 50,000 troops at Odawara Castle, preparing to fight Hideyoshi to the bitter end.

However, in reality, even Toyotomi Hideyori Yodo-hime, who only had 650,000 koku left in the three provinces of Setsu, Kawa, and Izumi, adopted a tactic that combined field battles with castle defense.

Most people choose to fight in open field as much as possible, because there are various tactical options in open field battles. Once you enter the city defense phase, all you can do is defend the city.

Before reaching Okehazama, didn't Nobunaga hesitate for a long time before choosing to take the risk and charge straight at Imagawa Yoshimoto's main camp?

The Shimazu clan possessed neither Odawara Castle nor Osaka Castle. If they were pushed to the gates of a castle by Oda's army of over 100,000 men, they would surely perish. Therefore, the Shimazu clan would inevitably choose to wear down the Oda army in open battle, or even seek to annihilate it.

Let's fight the final battle!

The decisive battle could only take place in Hyuga, because the entire central and northern parts of Higo are under the control of the Ryuzoji clan, while the Shimazu clan's influence is limited to the area south of the Takase River. In short, it was originally the territory of the Sagara clan.

And a very small number of Aso Grand Palace Commanders.

Entering Higo from Bungo, Takamori Castle, blocking the mountain road, is now owned by Ryuzoji. As Hideyoshi once said, if Ryuzoji's main force remains undefeated in a decisive battle, Takamori Castle will not surrender. It's a disgustingly steep mountain castle (Takamori is located atop Mount Shiroyama). Two thousand men can crouch inside; you can attack, but even with twenty or thirty thousand men, you can only slowly inch your way in.

Therefore, if the Oda army wanted to quickly defeat the Shimazu, they had no choice but to go through the Hyuga region. This meant a two-way advance, and the direction the Shimazu needed to defend with all their might was also the Hyuga region.

Therefore, the Hyuga side will inevitably need to deploy a large force of over 50,000 men, around 70,000. Sending the remaining 20,000 to Higo would only be a detachment.