Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

"Your Majesty, I have been overthinking this." As long as it's not sent to Kanto to become the Kamakura Kubo, the rest can be discussed later.

Next year, Oda Sanboshi will be thirteen years old (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), which is the time for his coming-of-age ceremony. Nobunaga will have another year to consider it.

586. The Oda Gosanke (Three Houses of the Oda Family) were established.

Nobunaga had his own idea, which wasn't unreasonable at all. After he explained it, Shichibei was able to roughly understand the purpose of his arrangement.

Oda Nobuhiro was a major army commander who led the army commanders on all fronts in the eastern provinces. His main territory was Shinano Province with a value of over 400,000 koku. This value of 400,000 koku included 50,000 koku from Sanada Nobuoki in Oki County, 50,000 koku from Mori Hideyori in Ina County, and 50,000 koku from Kiso Yoshimasa in Chikuma County.

The Hokuriku Army Corps along the Niwa-Nagahide line is currently launching a fierce attack on Uozu Castle, the last stronghold of the Uesugi clan in Echigo Province. Meanwhile, Oda Nobuhiro and Takigawa Kazumasu are also launching a joint attack on Uesugi Kagetora in Echigo Province.

With the Ashina clan of Aizu weakened and their communication channels with his elder brother, the Hojo clan, cut off, Uesugi Kagetora found himself isolated and helpless. He had neither the troops to support Uozu Castle nor the strength to defend against the Oda army advancing from both northern Shinano and Kozuke.

Judging from this situation, Uesugi Kagetora faces the risk of annihilation within this year.

Therefore, it would not be inappropriate to transfer Oda Nobuhiro's fief to Echigo with 400,000 koku, and then further grant Oda Sanboshi the Matsushiro Domain (Kaizu Domain) with 250,000 koku in Shinano.

Firstly, Shinano had been governed by Oda Nobuhiro for many years, and the main castle, Matsushiro Castle, had been built. There were no troublemakers left; the city had been completely pacified, making it suitable for a young lord like Oda Sanboshi to take office.

Secondly, Shinano is right next to Mino, so it can evoke a sense of nostalgia. If Oda Nobukatsu had been stationed in Mino, he might have had some reservations, but it would have been much easier to place him in Shinano.

Finally, and this was also Nobunaga's personal motive. He didn't want the Oda Nobunaga lineage to be wiped out, directly leading to the extinction of Oda Nobutada's branch.

Nobunaga had feelings for Nobutada. Nobutada had volunteered to cover the rear, drawing the enemy's attention and allowing Nobunaga to escape. While this was certainly a duty expected of a retainer in the Sengoku period, it did not prevent Nobunaga from deeply cherishing that memory.

Nobunaga would truly feel guilty if his son, Nobutada, who was supposed to become the next generation's ruler, ended up having no descendants.

Whether the Three Monks were sent to Hachiya Yoritaka or Sasa Narimasa, it would have meant the extinction of the Oda Nobutada lineage. Only two years had passed since their deaths; their bodies were still cold, yet the decision to leave no heir seemed impossible.

Ugh……

After hearing Nobunaga's explanation, Shichibei let out a long sigh. He could only...

It is said that Nobunaga transferred his feelings for Nobutada to the three monks. Fortunately, Nobunaga was rational and did not send the three monks to Kamakura to serve as the so-called Kamakura Kubo, in charge of the Kanto region, because of these feelings.

But would Oda Nobuo be happy with this arrangement? A price of 250,000 koku is quite reasonable and shouldn't cause Oda Nobuo any concern.

"The Three Masters are still young, how can they manage and restrain the 250,000 koku territories?" Shichibei also had to understand Nobunaga's thoughts based on reality.

"Since Nishizan has not yet been settled, what do you think of giving him 50,000 koku to win over the old retainers?" Nobunaga was indeed planning ahead.

Sanuki was divided into east and west. Western Sanuki originally belonged to Kagawa Nobuzumi, while Eastern Sanuki belonged to Miyoshi Nobutaka. Now, Kagawa Nobuzumi has been transferred to Buzen Province, and Matsuyama Castle in northern Iyo has been given to Chōsokabe Nobuchika, leaving Western Sanuki vacant.

With a territory of 50,000 koku, Oda Sanboshi was first tasked with gathering together Nobutada's former retainers to form a complete group of vassals. Afterward, he was moved to the great state of Shinano and became the governor of Shinano.

For example, Dan no Tadamasa, who now serves as Nobunaga's retainer and escaped with Nobutada's head, can become a senior retainer of the Three Masters. Other surviving retainers include Wakao Motomasa and Ichiyanagi Naosue. They were all gathered under Nobunaga's command.

Those under his command will be allocated funds together.

If he were to bring along the retainers who came with his mother, Takeda Matsuhime, from Kai as part of her dowry, he could certainly put on a show. And at this point, the benefits that Takeda Matsuhime brought were also mentioned.

The Takeda clan ruled Shinano for a considerable period of time, and Oda Sanboshi was one of the bloodlines of the Takeda family. When he came to establish his rule, he was at least connected to an "old friend".

"Since my lord has already made his decision, I will naturally cooperate." You've already planned everything, so why are you asking me?

"Nonsense, I have something else to say..." Hey, Nobunaga has had a lot on his plate today. Why didn't he mention it before?

Oh right, I helped Shichibei vent his anger a while ago. Nobunaga-nii is so domineering, Shichibei likes him so much.

"I don't know?" Just say it. We've already talked about the 800,000 yuan, and the three masters have also talked about it. What else is there that can't be said?

“I have observed that many famous families throughout history have died out. But the Oda clan is the lineage of all people and should not be given away lightly. What do you think about establishing the Gosanke?” Nobunaga was already considering the future.

Historically, very few members of the Oda clan were allowed to retain the Oda surname, including the current Oda Nobuharu and Oda Nobui; they all had to...

The family name was changed to Tsuda. Nobunaga's several adult sons had already gone all out and been adopted into his family. Most of Nobunaga's own brothers were also dead, and those remaining, such as Nobunaga and Nagamasa, were also adopted out.

If one inherits the lineage of another family, they are no longer considered a member of the Oda family. In the late Edo period, with no heir for the shogun, would they adopt a son from a daimyo family like the Hachisuka or Sanada clans, who had adopted sons of the shogun or one of the three noble families? Impossible.

Even Matsudaira Saimin, who was only adopted into a collateral branch of the shogun's family, was not allowed to be reinstated as shogun, let alone anyone else.

Therefore, Nobunaga's idea was to establish the Gosanke (three branches of the family) together with the Oda Nobuhiro family, the Oda Sanboshi family, and one person chosen from the second or third son of Oda Nobukatsu.

Normally, these three families take turns serving as the head of the Oda and Tsuda clans. If the main family, that is, the direct line of Nobunaga and Nobukatsu, were to die out, an heir would be chosen from among these three families.

In retrospect, Nobunaga was quite cunning. Oda Nobuhiro had five daughters and only one son, Oda Saburo-goro. It's uncertain whether he had any extra offspring to adopt. It's quite possible that the next generation would have to adopt a son from Nobukatsu to inherit the family line.

The new branch family established by Nobuo's second son was directly Nobuo's offspring, so Nobuo couldn't possibly have any objections. Finally, they added an origami...

The two-to-one ratio at Master Tian San's house already takes full account of balance.

Nobuo and Komatsu have already given birth to a legitimate son. The next son can be used to divide the family property, and then the three families will stand side by side in a perfect and harmonious manner.

"Setting up a branch family under the imperial family is indeed necessary." In the era of feudal rule by the family, clarifying the order of succession was a matter of utmost importance.

One of the apparent reasons for the serious internal strife within the Ashikaga clan was the succession dispute. The Oda clan, already under the control of the entire nation, had to be prepared for this.

Instead of following the Ashikaga family's practice of sending their surplus children to become monks, they could clearly establish the Gosanke (three main families). If the main family line died out, a new successor would be selected in the order of Nobuhiro's family, Sanboshi's family, and Nobukatsu's second son's family.

It's highly unlikely that all four families would simultaneously become extinct, given the Oda clan's reproductive capacity. Oda Nobuhide had a ton of children, Oda Nobunaga had a ton, and Oda Nobuo also had a ton; the Oda family probably had some genes for prolific procreation. Oda Nobuhiro wasn't infertile either; he had five daughters.

"Since you and Fujikichiro both agree to this proposal, things are much easier for me." Nobunaga felt relieved to see that Shichibei had no objections whatsoever.

The reason for asking Hideyoshi is that his successor, Hashiba Hidekatsu, is Nobunaga's biological son. The reason for asking Shichibei is that Shichibei will most likely become the guardian of Oda Nobuhiro's eldest son. Once the two agree, Niwa Nagahide and Takigawa Kazumasu will certainly not object. Oda Nobuhiro himself is overjoyed to be selected as one of the three great families.

In this way, the four senior retainers of the Oda clan, as well as Nobuhiro, a close relative and chief retainer, were able to reach a consensus.

"I will only do my best to be loyal." Shichibei didn't really want to speak on these matters, but now that it was just Nobunaga and Shichibei, there was nothing wrong with them exchanging words.

"Alright, alright, that's settled then." Nobunaga had no further questions; it was time to move on for today.

Just in case, Nobunaga agreed to Shichibei's request to dispatch 5,000 cavalry, including Todo Takatora, to escort him on his inspection tour of Satsuma and Ōsumi provinces. After all, there had been the incident where Shinna Tadagata feigned surrender and, upon seeing Oda Nobukatsu's palanquin, immediately shot an arrow at it.

(Historically, this refers to an incident where a retainer of the Shimazu clan shot at Toyotomi Hideyoshi's palanquin after Shimazu Yoshihisa led his men to surrender.)

Nobunaga wasn't afraid of death; he simply couldn't die now. He needed to send Uesugi Kagetora and Hojo Ujimasa to heaven and issue an edict of peace throughout the land before he could close his eyes in peace.

Many feudal lords in Oshu sent messengers to Oda Nobunaga, expressing their willingness to surrender and become his subjects as soon as Nobunaga's orders arrived. The reason they hadn't surrendered yet was because the two major traitors, Uesugi and Hojo, were standing in their way.

The reasons were quite convincing, and Nobunaga just listened to them. If they really killed Hojo Ujimasa, wouldn't they surrender? Just imagine the 200,000-strong army that wiped out the Hojo clan, rushing into Oshu to shave their heads.

After another day of rest, news arrived that Shimazu Tadatsumi's guards had arrived at Izumi in Satsuma. Izumi Castle, in accordance with Kyushu's one-castle-per-country rule, was already being demolished. This was something Nobunaga Nobukatsu was determined to do; only by completely demolishing the castle could they weaken the resistance of the Kyushu lords.

Higo Minamata Castle, which was originally the counterpart to Izumi Castle, is now the office of the Minamata magistrate, and has sent someone to deliver the news at breakneck speed. Shichibei immediately mobilized his troops to escort Nobunaga to Satsuma.

Upon seeing Shimazu Tadatsumi again at the border, Shimazu Tadatsumi not only kowtowed to Nobunaga, but also to Shichibei. He genuinely believed he had married Shichibei's biological daughter. How could he not kowtow to a true father-in-law?

His legal wife had already been moved from Kyoto to Satsuma, along with 5,000 kan from Nobukatsu and 2,000 kan from Shichibei.

A full dowry. This dowry is quite generous in this day and age. Especially considering it was given to Shimazu, a former traitor, it was exceptionally lenient.

That's good; at least Shimazu Tadatsumi knows how to be grateful. Seeing him, Shichibei curiously asked Sanada Nobushige what the state of the three Shimazu brothers—Yoshihisa, Yoshihiro, and Iehisa—who went to Kyoto to kowtow to Nobunaga, was like.

They were defeated squarely by Oda's army, so they wouldn't be outwardly convinced but inwardly resentful and cursing behind his back.

Speaking of this, the Sanada brothers, Nobushige and Nobuyuki, were beaming with excitement, exclaiming, "You have no idea, Lord Kyoto!" They were such a close-knit group; this was evident when Nobunaga summoned the Shimazu brothers and several elders of the Shimazu clan.

Yamada Arinobu and Hirata Masamune stepped forward, stating that they didn't want their personal 30,000 koku of land and were willing to return it to Shimazu Yoshihisa. They didn't want to be independent daimyo or vassal daimyo; they only wanted to be retainers serving the Shimazu family.

Historically, Toyotomi Hideyoshi did not only promote Ijuin Tadatsune to the position of daimyo, but he also promoted Yamada Arinobu. According to Hideyoshi's thinking, Yamada Arinobu, having gone from a mere vassal to an independent lord with increased territory, should have been grateful to him.

As a result, Yamada Arinobu sent his son, Yamada Yuei, to Osaka Castle as a hostage to Hideyoshi. He then took all the lands that Hideyoshi had granted him.

The department was returned to Shimazu Yoshihisa.

Hideyoshi was utterly astonished. Yamada Arinobu truly did not want independence; he was willing to become a retainer of the Shimazu clan. He was even willing to accept the severing of his family line and the killing of his son for this.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Hideyoshi did not make things difficult for him and tacitly approved of his crime of insubordination and disobedience.

Ijuin Tadatsune, on the other hand, readily accepted the 80,000 koku of land, becoming a powerful daimyo of the Shimazu clan. In effect, he accepted Hideyoshi's hospitality and was treated as an equal to Shimazu Yoshihisa in Osaka. The seeds of the subsequent civil war between the Shimazu and Ijuin clans had already been sown.

It cannot be simply said that there were ties within the Shimazu family; it should also be related to the Shimazu's association with the Satsuma, Ōsumi, and Hyuga no Enshin.

Returning to their visit to Nobunaga, Yamada Arinobu and Hirata Masamune's statement that they would rather give up their territories and offer them to Shimazu Yoshihisa deeply angered Oda Nobunaga. However, Nobunaga remained outwardly calm and instead asked them if Shimazu Yoshihisa's current territory was merely for retirement.

Furthermore, the headship of the Shimazu family has already been handed over to Shimazu Tadatsumi. There's no problem with them returning the territory to Shimazu Yoshihisa, but unless Shimazu Yoshihisa returns to Satsuma tomorrow and gives birth to a healthy son capable of ruling the territory, there's no chance of any internal strife erupting within the family.

Only then can this land remain in the possession of Yoshihisa Shimazu and his descendants.

Otherwise, once Shimazu Yoshihisa dies, the old regime will likely be taken back directly. Have you thought this through? If you have, I'll be issuing a formality.

With just one sentence, Yamada Yushin and the others were effectively shut down. Unless they returned their territory to Shimazu Tadatsumi now, they could keep it as long as the Shimazu clan did not die out.

In the end, Yamada Arinobu looked like a clown, contradicting himself before and after, losing face as the leader, and accepting a settlement of 30,000 koku.

He had demonstrated his loyalty to Shimazu Yoshihisa, but aside from that, he was truly a laughingstock, and the other lords of Kyushu laughed when they heard about it.

587. There are four families in Kawamura-rye.

Judging from what these two young men said, there's still some unspoken rivalry within the Shimazu family. Shimazu Tadatsumi, after all, is the son and beloved grandson of Shimazu Yoshitora and Yoshihisa's daughter. What's wrong with him inheriting the family business?

In Japan, if a son is deemed useless, don't they typically use their daughters to find a suitable husband to have children, thus cultivating an heir? This has been a common social practice, and it remains so even in the 21st century.

Moreover, in order to appease the defeated Shimazu clan, Nobunaga not only did not sever the Shimazu clan name, but also granted these defeated generals territories. This allowed them to retain their status as daimyo, and as powerful daimyo, each of them could have their own castle.

Although this decision was most likely made to facilitate the retreat of the various armies of Heijiu and maintain stability in Kyushu, it was undoubtedly a favor from Oda Nobunaga to the Shimazu clan.

It seems the Shimazu family matter won't be resolved anytime soon.

However, they shouldn't make any moves right now. Higo is blocked by Shichibei, and Hyuga is blocked by Ito Yuhei. Even if they wanted to cause trouble, they would have to consider their own strength first.

Shichibei and Todo Takatora escorted Nobunaga to Suino Castle, where...

This is now the castle of Shimazu Iehisa. The six lords who were enfeoffed in Ōsumi Province by Nobunaga Nobukatsu gathered at Tsuruno Castle to pay homage to Nobunaga. Nobunaga also bestowed many rewards upon them and instructed them to govern their territories well and not to cause any trouble.

At this moment, Shimazu Yoshihisa had shaved his head completely bald and was wearing a monk's bag, making him look exactly like a monk, only bowing to Oda Nobunaga. He seemed to have been beaten into submission, but whether he was truly convinced in his heart was unknown for the time being.

Hmph, at this moment, Ito Yuhei has already led two thousand men to Suino Castle, preparing to hand over to Shichibei. Seeing that Shichibei was quite happy, he said that he would open a port in Obi Domain, so that all the annual tribute rice in his domain could be transported to Ancho for sale.

When he was granted 10,000 koku of rice in Hanoi, the money to recruit soldiers for the restoration of the kingdom was lent to him by Shichibei. The young man knew how to repay kindness and kept his promise; as long as Kawamura-ya lived, this rice would be sold to Kawamura-ya forever.

Of course, it also has something to do with Kawamura Shichibei Nagayoshi serving as the chief retainer and Ōchikata of the Oda clan, but let's leave that aside for now.

Anyway, they had a good relationship and were willing to be friends with Shichibei. Speaking of which, Ito Yuhei was extremely lucky. Because he had completely lost his territory, he came to serve Nobunaga and immediately became Nobunaga's direct retainer, destined to become his hereditary retainer. This was completely different from outside retainers like Shimazu, Sagara, and Akizuki; their political treatment was far superior.

With the Ito army protecting him, Shichibei felt safe enough to withdraw his troops and return to Kumamoto Castle. At this time, tens of thousands of Kawamura military families who had been relocated from the Kinai region also arrived at Kumamoto Castle, led by Ota Gyuichi, Mori Jiroza, and Tsuchida Chikakiyo.

Faced with Kumamoto, which is still under large-scale construction and renovation, the people who moved from the Kinai region to Kyushu could only sigh and complain that Kyushu was quite hot.

Consider the feudal domains of the Edo period, which moved from Kyushu to the Tokai, and then to Oshu, essentially relocating across the entire country. Such long-distance relocations were undoubtedly both financially and physically exhausting. However, Kumamoto was already Shichibei's last stop; it couldn't possibly be any further.

It was quite remarkable that the young general Ichihime, who was originally a hostage in Azuchi, Ii's sister-in-law at the Kawamura residence in Kyoto, and Shichibei's children all migrated to Kumamoto Castle.

It turned out that Oda Nobukatsu had shown leniency, saying that since he was being transferred to a new fiefdom, he should at least take a look around. He would stay in his new territory in Kumamoto for a year or two before returning to Azuchi Castle.

In addition, Ii-sama, the eldest sister-in-law of the Kawamura residence in Kyoto, came to Kyushu because Lady Takaya of Kishiwada Castle had moved to Kyoto, and she had to stay in the Kinai region as a hostage of Hatakeyama Nobutaka.

Don't just look at the three women, famous or unknown, who were stuffed into Kumamoto Castle.