Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Before he could even bow, Nobunaga shouted, "Where's the arrow?" Shichibei quickly grabbed an arrow from a nearby table and presented it to Nobunaga with both hands. Nobunaga didn't even look at Shichibei; he took the arrow and shot.

These days, there's no such thing as a perfect bullseye. Shichibei's eyesight isn't great, because he used to have to do accounting at night, writing and calculating by lamplight. But he could still tell that Nobunaga's target was getting off-target the more he shot at it; he wasn't even touching the edge of the bullseye, let alone hitting it squarely.

After doing this three times, Nobunaga tossed the bow to Shichibei and began drinking sake, shirtless. Drinking low-alcohol sake like water wasn't unusual these days.

With the bow held high, Shichibei was caught in an awkward position, unsure whether to stand or kneel. It wasn't until Nobunaga had downed half a bottle of sake that he seemed to notice Shichibei, beckoning him over, and only then was Shichibei relieved.

Before even kowtowing, Nobunaga asked Shichibei why he had sent people to Sekijo to set up a stable.

Huh? What's so strange about that? I'm in the horse-riding business. You've conquered a new territory, so I'll set up a branch. According to our feudal contract, I'll provide you with horses to carry goods during wartime, and you'll guarantee that I'm the only horse-riding business in your territory during peacetime. If there's a new market, I'll definitely send people to occupy it.

"Then why didn't you set up a stable, Sunomata?" Nobunaga raised the sake bottle again, looking Shichibei up and down.

"Ah, this..." Shichibei couldn't very well say that Sunomata would be useless sooner or later, and that setting it up would be pointless, and that they should just go to Ogaki Castle to set it up in the future.

The reason we're setting up stables at the fortified castle now is to prepare for setting up stables at Inabayama Castle later. To put it bluntly, Shichibei has a bit of a God's-eye view in advance and doesn't want to put in too much effort; he only plans to set up stables in streets and castle towns where things are likely to develop.

Then Nobunaga seemed to realize something.

Sunomata was Nobunaga's bridgehead against Sai-no, while Sekijo was his main stronghold in Naka-no. There shouldn't be a clear distinction between the two; at least, Nobunaga hadn't yet discerned any superiority between them. Yet Shichibei abandoned Sunomata, focusing solely on developing his forces at Sekijo. What does this indicate? It shows that Shichibei had his own assessment of the future situation.

Just last night, after learning that the Imperial Court had granted Ashikaga Yoshihide and Ashikaga Yoshiaki both the left horse head, Nobunaga was somewhat uncertain about how the situation would develop.

Tell me your predictions so I can take a look.

Alright, this time Nobunaga silenced Shichibei. Nobunaga didn't urge him on; clearly, this was a big topic, and anyone would need to organize their thoughts before discussing it with others. So Nobunaga held up the sake bottle, taking sips every now and then, and the entire shooting range was so quiet that only the sound of Nobunaga swallowing could be heard.

After holding his breath, Shichibei could only work out the process based on the answer, starting by recounting what happened last night. At this time, the Miyoshi Triumvirate controlled Kyoto, so it was quite reasonable for the Imperial Court to grant Ashikaga Yoshihide the position of Left Horse Head, since they still needed the Miyoshi Triumvirate for their livelihood.

But why was Ashikaga Yoshiaki granted the title of Left Horse Head? This is most likely related to the excellent relationship between Asakura Yoshikage and the court nobles of Kyoto. Asakura Yoshikage himself was a master of katakana, waka, renga, sarugaku, sakutei, ega, and tea ceremony, and he recruited a large number of court nobles and monks to compose katakana at Ichijodani.

Sanjo Nishi Koji bluntly stated that Asakura Yoshikage was a saintly gentleman of his time, possessing the talent to govern the country and bring peace to the people. Even Catholic missionaries who went to Ichijodani to spread the word praised Ichijodani's prosperity and peace.

The fact that the Asakura family lavishly entertained and entertained Kyoto nobles in distress demonstrates just how good their reputation was at court.

To promote his artistic endeavors, Asakura Yoshikage frequently spent money to invite court nobles to Ichijodani for leisure. He even personally demonstrated the Ogasawara school of archery and horsemanship, composing poems and exchanging verses with the nobles, with each side praising the other.

Furthermore, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was the son of the former shogun Ashikaga Yoshiharu and the younger brother of Ashikaga Yoshiteru, making him clearly superior to Ashikaga Yoshihide in the line of succession. With only an empty shell of a court remaining, if it didn't actively maintain the hollow facade of ruler-subject and father-son relationships, then no one would take it seriously anymore.

In other words, it's highly likely that the imperial court favored Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Asakura Yoshikage. Perhaps the court's ideal scenario would be for Ashikaga Yoshiaki to become shogun and Asakura Yoshikage to become a kkanrei (military regent).

Therefore, after granting Ashikaga Yoshihide the title of Left Horse Head, the imperial court also granted Ashikaga Yoshiaki the title of Left Horse Head, hoping that Asakura Yoshikage would quickly rise up and capture Kyoto.

With its stronghold at Tsuruga, the starting port for northward trade, and its territory of 750,000 koku in Echizen, Asakura Yoshikage had the resources to rival the Miyoshi clan. The Miyoshi clan had just lost its influence in Tanba province, and Matsunaga Hisahide's Yamato and Kawachi regions had effectively become independent.

Internal strife within the family led to a gradual decline in its power.

But Asakura Yoshikage just wouldn't take action. After Nobunaga's summer harvest, he went to work on the Ryūshō, while Yoshikage just sat in Ichijōdani after the summer harvest, helping Yoshiaki send imperial edicts to the feudal lords.

Either Asakura Yoshikage lacked the ambition to seize power, or the Asakura family was currently facing some major trouble that prevented Yoshikage from going to Kyoto.

Regardless of the circumstances, given such a good opportunity, if Yi Jing didn't go to Luoyang, the chances of him going later are unlikely to be high.

Based on this, Shichibei judged that the Kinai region, that is, the area from Sunomata to Ōgaki, and from Ōgaki to Ōmi, would not undergo major changes in the short term. Even if Nobunaga conquered all of Mino, he would not suddenly and without authority intervene in the affairs of Ōmi.

Since Nobunaga won't interfere in Omi, setting up a stable in Sunomata would be a waste. There's no interaction between the two sides, so why bother with horse messengers?

On the contrary, Nobunaga will definitely launch a fierce attack on Inabayama to capture the castle. Even if this battle lasts for several years, there will be few people from Inabayama heading towards Owari, but there will be a lot of people from Owari heading towards Inabayama, in a continuous stream.

I'm a businessman, so of course I'm in it to make money.

"Then what do you think I can do?" Nobunaga's eyes lit up when he heard Shichibei's explanation. Shichibei did indeed have his own judgment.

"Your Majesty, I am bold..." Shichibei raised his head and looked at Nobunaga.

"Speak plainly, just say it." Nobunaga actually pulled his small stool, which he was sitting on, and moved right up to Shichibei.

"In my opinion, Your Majesty is not qualified to make any moves in the grand scheme of the Kinai region before you have suppressed Mino Province." You asked me to say this, so I said it.

You're not even qualified to think about such nonsense. With your current status as the lord of Owari Province, you're not even qualified to stir up trouble in the Kinai region. Those qualified to cause trouble in Kinai include Ōuchi, Hosokawa, and Miyoshi—each of them commanded over a million men at their peak.

Without a powerful force, what strategy can one play? Why did Ashikaga Yoshiaki first choose to ally with Asakura Yoshikage? It was precisely because Asakura Yoshikage was the closest to Kyoto and the one with the ability to play strategy.

Uesugi Kenshin was qualified to play Go, but he was too far away. The Ōuchi clan had played before, but they lost. The Rokkaku clan also had some influence, but they lost because of the Kannon-ji incident. Hosokawa Harumoto had already passed away, so they were even more defeated. The Hatakeyama clan was being suppressed by the Miyoshi clan; if it weren't for the support of the Kishu Yukawa clan, they would probably be completely wiped out by now.

Don't be fooled by Ashikaga Yoshiaki's previous visit to you; he was just trying to get things done before he even knew what he was doing. He even went to Sagara Yoshiyoshi.

In my opinion, unless you own 1.2 million in assets in both Nobi and Obi-go territories, you should just go to bed early and stop having these ridiculous dreams. Having too many of them can lead to unhealthy dreams.

"You!" Nobunaga stopped abruptly, the sake bottle already raised in mid-air.

"I am terrified!" Shichibei quickly lowered his head. Damn it, you told me to say it, and now you're getting anxious.

"Good, good, good, good, good." Nobunaga threw down the sake bottle and came over to pat Shichibei on the forehead.

"Not bad, Nobunaga is still listening for now, he hasn't gone mad yet." Shichibei Nagato breathed a sigh of relief and repeatedly agreed. Then Nobunaga pulled him up, which meant that Nobunaga wanted to invite him to stay for a meal, probably to talk over a meal.

Immediately, someone came to help Nobunaga change his clothes. While changing, Nobunaga asked Shichibei, "Will Ashikaga Yoshiaki also realize that Asakura Yoshikage is useless?"

So what if you see through it? Besides Asakura Yoshikage, who else can he rely on? Your brother can only muster a dozen or twenty thousand men, and with Matsudaira Ieyasu, that's three to five thousand. Can they even make it to Kyoto? Shinohara Nagafusa, who is from Awa Miyoshi, can muster twenty thousand.

Yoshiaki is actually in a situation where he has nowhere else to go.

Nobunaga did not respond. Indeed, the Miyoshi clan was now the dominant force in the Kinai region. The other clans were just minor nuisances. They could only annoy the Miyoshi clan, not kill them.

After entering the house and sitting down, Lady Nohime noticed that Shichibei only smiled and immediately guessed that Nobunaga wanted him to stay for dinner. The two were having a lively conversation, but Nobunaga wasn't about to stop there.

Since we're going to leave food for you, let's prepare more. Nobunaga's meal was rather hasty at the moment, not as elaborate as a kaiseki meal. Three dishes and a soup, or four dishes and a soup, that was about enough.

Shichibei had just risen to bow to Lady Nohime when he sat down and saw a girl of about twelve or thirteen years old run up and whisper to her. Judging from her rich attire, she wasn't a maid. Nobunaga didn't even have a daughter that old; Princess Tokuhime was only seven.

“That’s Anong’s sister,” Nobunaga replied casually.

Historically, this was the youngest daughter of Dosan. She was very young when Dosan died and was entrusted to Nagai Michitoshi for upbringing. After Nagai Michitoshi's defeat, she was taken in and raised by Lady Nohime. Later, Nobunaga arranged for her to be married off as an adopted daughter to Hatakeyama Akitaka.

67. Adjusting the West's Abundance: A Thousand Difficulties (Title: Touching the Head)

Since Lady Nohime had no children of her own, she now had a much younger sister to take care of, who could be considered half a daughter. Moreover, now that Saito Dosan was dead and even Nagai Michitoshi had been driven away, there was no one to care for and raise this little girl.

Firstly, Nobunaga and Dosan were father-in-law and son-in-law, so adopting his surviving family member would be a matter of principle. Secondly, she was just a little girl and posed no threat to Nobunaga, so it would be good for Nohime to have a companion.

The only threats were Yoshitatsu and Tatsuoki, and Nobunaga felt no qualms about wielding his sword against them. After all, Nobunaga considered himself the successor to Dosan and wanted to maintain his own orthodox lineage in Mino, so Yoshitatsu and his son were inevitably traitors.

What psychological burden could one have when killing traitors?

The two continued their conversation, Nobunaga focusing on his own thoughts and naturally not paying attention to anything else. Even after he and Shichibei finished their meal, Nobunaga was still pondering the matter.

Shichibei didn't think that much about it; he just marveled at how perceptive Nobunaga was, that he could guess Shichibei's predictions about the future simply because Nobunaga only set up stables in Sekijo and not in Sunomata.

He truly was the foremost of the "Three Heroes of the Warring States Period"!

Trying to get by under such a shrewd boss is clearly impossible if you just coast along. If you try to act too arrogantly, you might end up like Lin Xiuzhen and Sakuma Nobumori.

If a different boss came in, who would bother to find out where their subordinate merchants ran stables? Even if they cared about their retainers, they'd probably only inquire about their family affairs. At most, they might inquire about Shichibei's marriage, like before.

As they reached the city walls, a young maidservant chased after them, saying that when Shichibei sent someone to Sakai, he should bring back some red velvet thread imported from the Ming Dynasty.

Japan raises very few sheep, even in the 21st century. So, if they want wool yarn, they have to import it from neighboring Japan. But what would Lady Nohime need the yarn for? She certainly wouldn't be thinking of knitting a pair of wool gloves for Oda Nobunaga.

No, it could also be silk thread. Shichibei argued with the maid for a while about what kind of yarn it was. Sure enough, when asked, it turned out to be cotton thread.

Both are products not produced in Japan, but this "cotton" refers to the cotton used in the Ming Dynasty for spinning and threading, not the cotton tree commonly used in Japan. There are naturally differences between the two, since Japan no longer grows cotton.

How many kilograms do you want?

The maid realized she didn't know how to answer, so she told Shichibei to wait at the door while she went to ask and returned. That's what servants do, after all—run errands, deliver messages, relay orders.

Nobunaga, who was standing in the corridor deep in thought, saw a young maid running off to find Lady Nohime. This maid seemed to have been assigned to her younger sister by Nohime; what was she doing running around like that? A short while later, the maid ran out again, heading down to the castle.

Nobunaga wanted to know about Komakiyama Castle, which was a piece of cake. It turned out he'd gone to buy red yarn from Shichibei, giving the order right at the castle gate. Apparently, Nohime's sister needed the yarn for something.

hiss……

In terms of age, it's just right. However, Shichibei is already engaged, and that girl has been registered under Oda Nobunaga's name, so Shichibei will soon become Nobunaga's grandson-in-law.

However, Shichibei understood some things quite clearly, a kind of understanding that is not very common. After all, the samurai retainers of the Oda clan developed from the retainers of vassals like Kiyosu-san-gyō, who were mostly country bumpkins; how many of them possessed foresight and insight?

Well, that's all hindsight; Nobunaga only thought of it after seeing it. Shichibei is right; they haven't even occupied Nobi and Kuchi provinces, so what right do they have to interfere in Kinai affairs?

Unworthy.

Before conquering Mino, Nobunaga shouldn't have paid too much attention to outside information. Sometimes, knowing too much can lead to unhappiness.

We must quickly redeploy the three members of the Nishimino group!

It was half a month later when Shichibei returned to Komakiyama Castle with the additional dowry and the red yarn requested by Lady Nohime's maid.

Upon reaching the castle, Shichibei saw Kinoshita Hideyoshi retreating with a miserable expression. Shichibei greeted him, but Hideyoshi didn't hear him. It wasn't until Shichibei patted him on the shoulder that Hideyoshi reacted, quickly responding with a few "ohs." How strange! This immediately piqued Shichibei's interest. However, due to official business, Shichibei arranged to meet him that evening.

After handing over the dowry to Lady Nohime, he hurriedly left the castle and rushed to the Kinoshita residence. At this time, only Nene and two or three maids remained at the Kinoshita residence; the main household staff and servants, especially the men, had moved to Sunomata Castle. As the governor of Sunomata Castle, Hideyoshi was responsible for its defense. Normally, the castle was mainly guarded by several dozen men from the Kinoshita family, plus thirty archers and arquebusiers added by Nobunaga.

When Nene saw Shichibei arrive, she questioned Hideyoshi about why he hadn't informed her beforehand that he had arranged for Lord Kawamura to come for dinner. The two, a "poor couple," had been together since Hideyoshi's humble beginnings, so Nene naturally dared to criticize him. Hideyoshi begged for forgiveness from Nene while inviting Shichibei inside.

Despite her words, Ningning hurried out to buy tofu. Many of the wild vegetables at home were sent by Hideyoshi's mother, A-Zhong, so they didn't cost any money. However, she needed to buy dried fish, tofu, miso, and seaweed strips, since these things didn't grow in the fields.

What a virtuous wife!

To be honest, Shichibei was indeed praising Nene. Hideyoshi must have been secretly thrilled to have such a wife. If it weren't for Nene, he wouldn't have been able to muster even the dozen or so men and seven or eight guns he had when he first started out.

The two sat down, and Shichibei naturally asked Hideyoshi why he looked so distressed. Having just entered the city, Shichibei hadn't paid his respects to Nobunaga, nor had Nobunaga summoned him. Why should he come knocking without a reason?

Ah, it's nothing more than the Mino rebellion. The Mino Triumvirate's idea is very straightforward: everything remains unchanged. They can pledge allegiance to Nobunaga, but Nobunaga must guarantee their rights.

The biggest right they have is to obey orders but not pronouncements.

I submit to you, Nobunaga, but that's all. I won't contribute to the attack on Inabayama Castle, or I'll only contribute symbolically. For example, I'll send only two or three hundred men, no more.

Don't call me when there's war. I'll just live peacefully in my own little corner of the world, and we shouldn't interfere with each other. I'll make all the decisions about my territory, and you shouldn't send anyone to my territory or set up any facilities there.

There was nothing but superficial submission.

The three members of the Saito family are now operating under almost the same model. They want to continue to maintain this model, otherwise why would they have sided with Nobunaga?

Could Nobunaga possibly offer better terms? Impossible. They are practically no different from independent daimyo.

The last time Nobunaga rode to Sunomata, it was for this reason. If Nobunaga hadn't conquered Nakano, they wouldn't even have been willing to negotiate. The fact that they're willing to negotiate now is already a big favor to Nobunaga.

68. Hideyoshi was caught between two ends.

What were Nobunaga's bottom lines?

Anyway, no one's home. Ningning went out to buy tofu. We're like brothers, family. There's nothing we can't talk about.

Hideyoshi thought for a moment and said that during the last secret meeting between Nobunaga and the representatives of the three leaders of Nishi-Mino, they had discussed one point—the need to establish a new military service office.