Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

You found out? Heh heh, congratulations!

Nobunaga's big stick is thick and hard.

Right now, it's not just the two of them who are discussing it; all the lords who participated in the conquest of the Nine Provinces are talking about it. You enfeoff here, I enfeoff there, and the city of Fu is more lively than ever before.

Because Yoshitomo Ōtomo was ordered to go into seclusion and hand over his family business, he went to...

Kyoto served Oda Nobunaga. Therefore, Funai Castle was also to be abandoned later. The Ōtomo clan's new residence was Usuki Castle. The Shiga, Tachibana, and Takahashi clans, being powerful daimyo, were allowed to have their own castles. They could choose one within their own territory or build a new one.

The abandonment of the city is a matter for the future; at least for now, the government compound is not abandoned. Not only is it not abandoned, but it is also undergoing a temporary, large-scale expansion of the longhouses and the stag wall.

With the promulgation of the "one country, one city" decree and the need to guard against the frequent uprisings following the siege of Kyushu, an army of over 100,000 had to remain in Kyushu for at least six months to suppress the rebellion. They would only gradually relocate after the new lord established order and led all his retainers to their fiefdom. However, with 40,000 troops already amassed in the inner city, temporary expansion was necessary.

Half a year isn't a long time. Historically, the Battle of Miki lasted a year and eight months, and the Hashiba army didn't mutiny. With their salaries paid in full and their rations guaranteed every day, which foot soldier would cause trouble?

"My lord, at the Jingzhao Palace, the Imperial General requests your presence for a meeting." The two were playing with crickets when Hayami no Kamihisa approached to deliver the message.

Hayami Morihisa was already a close associate of Hideyoshi. He was from the north of the Yangtze River, and this time he would be transferred to Chikuzen. It is said that in history, he was the one who performed the second execution for Toyotomi Hideyori, and after the execution, he committed suicide to follow his lord.

"Let's go, let's go." Hideyoshi quickly lifted his leg and headed towards the palace in the inner castle.

"Did they say what it is?" Shichibei asked Hayami Morihisa as he followed.

"I've never heard of it." Hayami Morihisa simply shook his head; he was merely following orders.

When the two entered the hall, they saw Oda Nobuo sitting at the head of the table with great interest, surrounded by Oda's military commanders, including the Mori generals.

"Gentlemen, His Majesty will soon be arriving at Azuchi Castle. I will be going to Azuchi to receive him. From now on, the affairs of Kyushu will be entrusted to you all." This was Oda Nobuo's opening statement.

Oh right, Shichibei and Hideyoshi missed Emperor Ogimachi's abdication ceremony, but Oda Nobuo did. The entire process from abdication to enthronement takes about two months.

Now that the process is complete, Prince Naruhito has ascended the throne and become the new Emperor of Japan. As Oda Nobunaga envisioned, the new Emperor would once again make a pilgrimage to Azuchi-Seiryo-den (the Imperial Palace) to establish a precedent.

Furthermore, when the new emperor tours Azuchi, a new era name is promulgated. This celebrates both his accession to the throne and the successful conquest of Kyushu. There is also another reason for this: during the Muromachi period, a custom had been established whereby the Shogun would submit a memorial to the court, and then the era name would be changed.

Oda Nobunaga thought this rule was acceptable and inherited it. But this time, he wanted Oda Nobukatsu to submit the memorial, which effectively granted Oda Nobukatsu a portion of the power of the Oda clan's government.

Power is not transferred in an instant, like a snap. It requires a gradual transfer, like this, to give the new ruler legitimacy and sufficient prestige. And to cultivate a habitual understanding of various methods of power continuation and succession, thus becoming power itself.

Therefore, it is still the tenth year of Tianzheng, and the era name has not yet been changed.

Nobuo had to go back, and he was more than happy to do so anyway. Nobuo, who had a strong desire for power, couldn't be happier than to do something like this.

As the supreme commander of the conquest of Kyushu, if he were to leave Kyushu, the more than 100,000 troops on the battlefield would need to be entrusted to a general for coordination and management.

Hideyoshi, as the vice-general, was naturally the most suitable candidate. However, it would be most appropriate for Nobukatsu to personally announce this to the generals and for them to confirm it beforehand.

Only if another uprising were to occur somewhere would Hideyoshi have the authority to make decisions on the spot and mobilize the armies to suppress it.

"May I ask who served as the deputy commander when the Grand General returned to Azuchi?" Mori Terumoto asked proactively.

As Oda Nobukatsu's father-in-law, Mori Terumoto's question was quite appropriate. Although he was a vassal lord, his status as Nobukatsu's father-in-law was high.

“Naturally, it’s Major General Himeji.” Nobuo, of course, wouldn’t do anything rash, and pointed directly at Hideyoshi.

With the approval of all the generals, no one could refuse. Hideyoshi himself was a chief retainer and military officer of the Oda clan, and his status was no different from Nobukatsu's in front of Nobunaga.

"What if the situation changes and Major General Himeji is unable to manage the army?" Just when everyone thought the meeting was over and could leave, Terumoto Mori suddenly added another question.

"What?" Oda Nobuo didn't understand for a moment.

"Hiroshima Kingo's words are wise and insightful, a testament to his understanding of the nation." Hideyoshi realized that Mori Terumoto's words made a lot of sense.

Within the Kyushu camp, everything revolves around Oda Nobukatsu. If Nobukatsu is in trouble, then Hashiba Hideyoshi will take charge. This was arranged long ago, and Nobunaga approved of it.

Unfortunately, Nobukatsu is leaving Kyushu for Azuchi. This means the affairs of Kyushu will be handed over to Hideyoshi in due course, but there's only one Hideyoshi, and no substitute.

What if something happens to Hideyoshi?

Wouldn't that throw the entire army into chaos?

“Indeed.” Tokugawa Ieyasu, sitting to one side, nodded slightly, thinking to himself that Mori Terumoto was not a fool after all.

“Well…” Oda Nobuo turned his gaze to Shichibei after hearing what everyone said.

“Then let’s select Kawamura, the Chief of the Imperial Guard.” As he spoke, Nobuo raised his folding fan and pointed it in the air, indicating that he was choosing Shichibei.

"That's fine." Mori Terumoto nodded in agreement after giving his reminder.

"Huh?" Shichibei was slightly taken aback, not expecting that he was involved in this.

“That is how it should be.” Tokugawa Ieyasu expressed his agreement.

"Alright, Kawamura Kyōjō will take over. I'll be leaving now. Everyone, please be on your best while we're in battle." Oda Nobuo was in a hurry to return to Azuchi, and without even waiting for Shichibei's reply, he got up and left.

It wasn't until everyone else had reached the outer corridor that Shichibei realized what was going on. What kind of situation is this? You could have specified Tokugawa Ieyasu, why did you have to specify me?

"You're blind. With me here, this is none of your business," Hideyoshi said with a smile as he walked over to Shichibei.

"I, this, I..." Shichibei was speechless.

After exchanging greetings and nodding, everyone dispersed. Although it was just a seemingly insignificant title, and one that would most likely never be used, in reality, Shichibei became the vice-general of the 150,000-strong army of the Kyushu Campaign.

This level of experience alone is something that very few people in all of Japan possess.

579. The Sword Hunt Forces the Rebellion of the Chikugo People

Oda Nobuo left quickly, departing from Funai Port as soon as he finished his announcement. Kyushu was now pacified; all that remained was a minor disturbance. With Hideyoshi and others suppressing the rebellion in Kyushu, nothing major was likely to occur.

Even the change of leadership by Ōtomo Yoshitomo didn't cause much of a stir. The Shimazu were jumping around quite excitedly, but what good was it? Utterly useless. Umehara Province was dissatisfied with the Shimazu only having one province, and even launched a land confiscation campaign, initiating an uprising. Right now, his head is touring all the provinces of Kyushu.

The neighboring Ming Dynasty had a lineage of nine border regions, and Japan also has a lineage of nine provinces.

Oh, right, Yoshihiro Shimazu has finally appeared! He was discovered during the re-establishment of the Satsuma Izumi district and the subsequent land survey. He was recuperating in a temple on a small island off the coast of Izumi.

During the Battle of Iidayama, a lead bullet from a musket struck his helmet, hitting the rivet that held it in place. This caused Shimazu Yoshihiro to faint on the spot, and it was only through the desperate fighting of his retainers that he was pulled from the battlefield.

They didn't retreat to Yatsushiro Castle at all; instead, they found a boat at the seaside and headed towards Satsuma. The lead bullet from the arquebus got stuck between the rivet, the helmet, and the skull, and didn't actually penetrate the brain.

However, there was a small, barely noticeable dent in that area of ​​his skull, clearly indicating a fracture. Therefore, Yoshihiro Shimazu was initially in a prolonged coma, a natural protective mechanism of the body undergoing repair.

Although he later regained consciousness, he was only awake for less than two hours a day. It wasn't until the survey of the land by Kōbō reached the island that they discovered his whereabouts. They informed him that the Shimazu main family had been inherited by Shimazu Tadatatsu, that Shimazu Toshihisa had committed suicide, that Shimazu Yoshihisa had become a monk, and that Yoshihiro himself and Iehisa's possessions had been confiscated.

After three months of recuperation, a true case of "a hundred days to recover from a broken bone," Shimazu Yoshihiro finally came back to life and went to Oda Nobuo's residence to formally confirm his surrender.

As expected, the three Shimazu brothers—Ryūhaku, Yoshihiro, and Iehisa—were all taken away by Oda Nobuo. Others, such as Ijuin Tadatsune, Yamada Arinobu, and Shimazu Yoshitora, suffered the same fate.

Aso no Korechika also had to go and kowtow to Oda Nobunaga. Everyone, all the powerful daimyo in Kyushu who hadn't paid their respects to Oda Nobunaga had to go to Kyoto to kowtow to him. At the same time, they or their eldest sons were left in Azuchi or Kyoto as hostages.

I just saw Akizuki Tanemitsu, who was as happy as if he'd eaten bee droppings, leading 150,000 koku of the Akizuki Domain to Kyoto to pay homage to Oda Nobunaga.

Thank you.

The ownership of Ōsumi and Hyuga, apart from Ito Yuhei's Obi Domain, will need to be decided separately for the other territories. The Obi Domain's nominal value is 50,000 koku, and its actual value will likely be over 80,000 koku, since the entire Naka District was given to Ito Yuhei.

It is indeed necessary for everyone to go and pay their respects to Nobunaga, so that Nobunaga and Nobukatsu can discuss the matter briefly before making a decision.

According to the planned schedule, there will be no war this winter, which is the tenth year of Tensho. After the Kyushu campaign, the western provinces will be given a year to recuperate and rebuild, as well as time to suppress and control their territories. People like Hideyoshi and Shichibei will be transferred to Kyushu, and they might even need to shave their heads; there's a lot to do.

There's no rush, let's start demolishing the city.

Hideyoshi, who was originally supposed to go to Hizen and Chikuzen to suppress the rebellion, naturally moved into the Funai-kan (a government office within the Funai-kan) and began to act as the Kyushu Commander-in-Chief. Even Mori Terumoto and Tokugawa Ieyasu had to obey Hideyoshi's orders, and of course, Hideyoshi certainly wouldn't make things difficult for them.

Sometimes, people are quite strange. You can't describe them with simple terms like "wise" or "foolish." If someone is purely stupid, they simply couldn't have survived and thrived in Japan's Warring States period. But if you say they aren't stupid, you simply can't find a way to prove them.

Use a reasonable adjective to describe it.

Fukahori Junken, lord of Fukahori Tawarashi Castle in Hizen Province, and Uehara Naochika, lord of Soi Castle in Hyuga Prefecture, once again raised the banner of rebellion after hearing about the "one country, one castle" edict. They summoned samurai, ronin, and peasant soldiers to besiege the castles and defend them to the death.

If you can recruit eight or ten thousand men and, with your world-renowned fortified city, resist tens of thousands of royal troops for one or two years, then you are a remarkable person. It's understandable that you would fight tirelessly for your homeland and former territory.

You, a village chief, gather two hundred, or at most five hundred, and with your tiny wooden fence that's barely big enough to be considered a backseat, rebel right under the noses of Oda's army of over 150,000.

What can I say about you?

It's not really stupid, because even a fool knows that doing so is like throwing an egg against a rock—completely futile. Besides, it's just a ruined city; the land still belongs to its original owner. Oda Nobuo has already returned to Kyoto with Hori Hidemasa's new Kyushu land grant of three million koku. The land ownership has been registered and confirmed by Oda Nobuo, who has signed and stamped his seal.

I heard that their dilapidated wooden fence, which couldn't even compare to a landlord's mansion, was going to be demolished, and some people were still protesting. All I could do was respect their wishes, offer my blessings, and not try to understand.

Two local tyrants with only a few hundred men rebelled without requiring any intervention from Hideyoshi Hashiba or even the generals stationed in the area. Yoshikawa Motoharu dispatched Yoshikawa Motonaga, stationed in Hizen Province, with two thousand men, who then massacred the entire Fukahori Sumitaru family.

Uehara, from Hyuga, saw Tokugawa Ieyasu's first lieutenant, Honda Tadakatsu, attacking from the castle tower and shouted, "I have served the Shimazu, I have shed blood for the Shimazu, I want to see Ryuhachi, I want to see Ryuhachi!"

Honda Tadakatsu didn't care about this or that, what was Shimazu Ryuhaku? He had already gone to Kyoto to kowtow to Oda Nobunaga. Without another word, he started fighting. With three drumbeats, Honda Tadakatsu stormed into Soi Castle.

Even at this point, Uehara Naoki was still shouting that he wanted to see Ryuhachi. Honda Tadakatsu tied him up and took him to the mansion, but he didn't even get to see Hideyoshi's face before being taken out and cut into seven or eight pieces.

To surrender and then rebel again is, in essence, to kill the whole family.

"You know, ha, this..." Shichibei found these battle reports hilarious, utterly ridiculous. What on earth was going on in these people's heads?

"The more people like this, the better." Hideyoshi didn't care. When he passed by the notice board with heads displayed below the castle, he even observed the expressions of the heads.

It's a pity they've been dead for several days. Their bodies swelled up first and then shrank, so it's hard to see their expression.

"Should we issue another decree for a sword hunt?" Shichibei certainly understood that the more people killed, the better. The more local tyrants died, the better the new lords from outside could place their own people in their positions.

"Yes, but we still need to wait for the lord's order." Unlike the Mori Campaign in the Western Country, the Kyushu Conquest was a victory won solidly, one strike at a time.

The victors possess everything the losers have, so within the Mori territory, they only had to hand over a land survey ledger, while Kyushu could have its land surveyed with ropes. Now that the new Kyushu land survey ledger has been sent away, the next step will inevitably be sword hunting.

We must confiscate all weapons from the civilian population, otherwise the countryside and mountains will never be peaceful again. A mere instigation could lead to an uprising, and how will the newly arrived warlords continue to exploit the people? The more they squeeze, the more they exploit.

"While the army is still in power, are we preparing to solve this once and for all?"

"Of course." Hideyoshi didn't pretend at all. Chikuzen-Hizen was pretty much the last stop in his life. He couldn't very well be banished to a foreign country.

"Understood." Shichibei could only understand.

After the Amakusa uprising was suppressed, the fifty-two powerful families of Higo Province did not...

Forty-six families fell, and the remaining six families are Sagara, Aso, Kai, Takamori, Kenshida Aso, and Odairo.

When Todo Takatora attacked Hokuhi, Kodai Chikayasu was the first to jump out and support him, guiding the Kawamura army. Thus, the Kodai family was spared, while Todo Takatora, having received his support, inflicted a crushing defeat on Kumabe Chikanaga and his son, and Akahoshi Motoie and his son, Chikatake. Hisashi, the lord of Kumamoto Castle, was killed in the Battle of Iidayama, and the entire Kumamoto Castle was destroyed, with the entire family wiped out.

The three elders who guarded the Kikuchi family in Higo Province had all fallen into ruin. These three families were all powerful clans with a combined income of over 30,000 koku, and it would have been impossible to settle them without killing the entire family. The Kodai family, on the other hand, was a powerful clan with a combined income of 9,000 koku, and they had already been settled by Shichibei.

After the Takamori Korenao and his son Koreki died fighting to the death, Shichibei ordered a man from his clan to marry Takamori Kashiwagi and inherit the Takamori family name and the three thousand koku of land. Furthermore, because of their valiant performance in the Battle of Iidayama, their land was increased to six thousand koku.

"Should we push through Higo first, or Chikuzen first?" Hideyoshi asked the question slowly and deliberately.

Conducting a general sword hunt across Kyushu would require Nobunaga's order. However, it wouldn't be a problem to "test" the waters in Chikuzen, which had already been agreed upon with Hideyoshi, or in Higo, where Shichibei was stationed, to see how things would turn out. This was because Nobunaga had already promised to grant these territories to them, making them essentially their domains.

"..." Although it was something that had to be done, Shichibei still pondered after hearing it.

"Why not launch it in Chikugo first?" Shichibei pondered for a moment, then smiled at Hideyoshi.

The land survey in Chikugo yielded a standard 300,000 koku, which Nobunaga had promised to use to grant to Kobayakawa Takakage and his favored son, Kobayakawa Nobuhira. This 300,000 koku was more intended for Nobuhira than for Takakage.