Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

The head of the Western Mino clique? It's not hard to understand; Ando Mamoru wanted to become the representative and leader of the Western Mino clique under the Oda clan. All matters concerning the Western Mino clique of the Oda clan would first pass through his hands before he relayed and deployed them downwards.

Do you all think it's possible that he gradually turned the various factions of Nishimino into his own vassals?

possible!

Nobunaga's plan was to weaken the western Mino region and gradually turn it into his own vassals, which is why he insisted on their military intervention. Could Ando Mori do something like that? He could let other local powerful clans go first, preserving his own strength. Once those clans were weakened, he could then bring in another clan to become his vassals.

This smooth and feasible method was being used throughout Japan. Mori Motonari had only so many sons, each with a different family name; he even gave pregnant maids to retainers so that their illegitimate children could inherit the retainers' businesses. In ten or twenty years, it was possible to build a considerable group of retainers.

Although this system of retainers was not reliable, just consider this: did he go from a small local tycoon with three thousand strings of cash to a powerful feudal lord with over a million bushels of grain?

As long as there are many children and they are fed quickly, the retainer group can expand rapidly.

Some might ask, what right does Ando Mamoru have? Why should Inaba Ittetsu and Ujiie Fukuto listen to him? The reason is simple: they all knew that the Saito family was no longer a reliable support, and Nobunaga was, for the time being, the best potential neighbor in the area.

But they want to get a good price and a good position from this buyer. What should they do? They are not very familiar with Nobunaga yet and need time to get to know him.

So if you were Inaba Ittetsu, would you be willing to let Ando Moritoshi stand in front and have a proper discussion with Nobunaga, to see Nobunaga's level, before making any decisions?

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down; if anyone's going to die, it'll be Mamoru Ando first.

Everyone has their own plans, but in a very strange way, their plans reached a consensus and gained the tacit approval of all parties.

But what does this have to do with me?

I am the governor of Kaito District, not the governor of Sunomata Castle. Whether Nobunaga agrees or not, it should be handled by the governor of Sunomata Castle, namely Kinoshita Hideyoshi, and it has no place for Shichibei.

That's true, but life is full of buts. Nobunaga planned to send a trustworthy retainer of some standing, but not so important that his death wouldn't cause the Oda clan any real pain, to the northern castle to meet with Ando Mori. His aim was to further investigate Ando Mori's intentions and negotiate some terms with him.

Nobunaga and Ando Mamoru made some conditions clear to each other, such as how many people Ando Mamoru could recruit after becoming the head of the Central Society.

You, Morishiwa, want to weaken the other Western forces, so I, Nobunaga, will weaken you, Morishiwa. Negotiation is a process of mutual tug-of-war; both sides want to negotiate in a direction that benefits themselves.

So you're sending me?

I?

Shichibei didn't run into any bad luck today. What if he'd gone to the northern castle and been killed by Ando-no-kami? Anyway, the two sides are still enemies, so what's wrong with killing a spy sent to provoke them? If Shichibei died in a place like this, he wouldn't even get any compensation.

Moreover, he had no son, and the vast Kawamura family had no one to inherit it. There was no guarantee that Nobunaga would designate one of his page men to marry Shichibei's sister and take her into the Kawamura family.

Unfortunately, just as Shichibei was about to look up and say something to Nobunaga, Nobunaga tapped the tatami mat and looked at Shichibei. His gaze clearly said, "You have to do it whether you want to or not."

To be honest, Shichibei almost trembled with fear. But having seen so much Nobunaga lately, he still had some resistance. Who would collect the annual tribute from the Eastern Sea District? This was a serious matter.

What he said was true, but Nobunaga didn't take it seriously, stating bluntly that Sakai Masanao could bring twenty men and collect all the annual tribute with a knife. Even without Shichibei, the Kaito district wouldn't immediately descend into chaos.

Nobunaga then pointed to Takagi Sadahisa, who was sitting on the other side, indicating that this man was from the Ando Morinari family and could secretly take Shichibei to the northern castle. Hideyoshi would take care of the rest.

In the blink of an eye, Nobunaga left like a whirlwind, seemingly in no hurry.

Takagi Sadahisa bowed to Shichibei, introduced himself, and asked Shichibei how many days he needed to prepare, whether he was leaving tomorrow or the day after, and if he had any questions.

"You can go back now. We'll meet at Sunomata Castle tomorrow night." Shichibei dismissed Takagi Sadahisa and then grabbed Hideyoshi, saying, "Was it you who recommended me to your superiors?"

Hideyoshi vehemently protested his innocence, stating that this task was rightfully his. However, Nobunaga argued that Hideyoshi was merely a subordinate figure to both the Hachisuka and Tsubouchi factions, and could mobilize over 1,500 men. Both factions trusted Hideyoshi, and with Mino still unsettled, he couldn't afford to cause any trouble for the time being. Then, without consulting Nobunaga, he summoned Shichibei.

That's not right...

Shichibei vaguely remembered that during one of the battles, Nobunaga sent Hideyoshi into the castle to persuade him to surrender. The idea was that Hideyoshi, being a high-ranking samurai general, didn't have many troops, and had a younger brother, Hidenaga, who could succeed him, so he sent Hideyoshi into the castle.

This statement is clearly contradictory.

But looking closely at Hideyoshi's appearance, he does seem quite sincere. At this moment, Hideyoshi is still quite simple and honest; last night he was so direct, grabbing Shichibei for money. He probably hasn't yet become the cruel, bloodthirsty, and somewhat senile figure he will become a decade or so later.

After thinking it over, Shichibei concluded that Hideyoshi was probably not involved, so he released Hideyoshi from under his arm. Naturally, Shichibei, who was deep in thought, did not notice the glint of shrewdness that flashed in Hideyoshi's eyes after he was freed.

Nobunaga thinks I'm useful, so he's started stuffing things into my hands. It's like giving a two- or three-year-old a puzzle toy; the child takes a triangular block and tries to stuff it into a wooden frame with circles, triangles, squares, and rhombuses cut out. He stuffs them in one by one, and when they're all perfectly fitted, he claps his hands.

That must be it, Nobunaga was always like that. Once he found someone useful, he would give that person all the KPIs he could, using them without any room for compromise, until they were pushed to their absolute limit.

After letting Hideyoshi go, Hideyoshi even asked Shichibei if he wanted to go to Sunomata Castle together. If not, he would return to Sunomata that afternoon. How could that be? Shichibei had been preparing to return to Tsushima to collect taxes that morning; he hadn't even packed his bags.

He hurriedly packed his bags upon returning home and then dispatched a messenger to Tsushima to inform Inase Yoshinari to come to Komakiyama. The following morning, Inase Yoshinari arrived at Komakiyama, where Shichibei gave him instructions. "If I pass away, you must immediately change your surname to Kawamura, inherit my name Kawamura Nagayoshi, and maintain the Kawamura family business."

Do you understand?

While Inase Yoshinari was still bewildered, Shichibei spurred his horse and charged towards Sunomata Castle. Arriving at Sunomata Castle in the afternoon, Takagi Sadahisa was already waiting inside. Hideyoshi, without any ceremony, assigned Hidenaga to Shichibei, making him Shichibei's attendant, and sending him to the northern castle.

Anyway, since Hidenaga is Shichibei's brother-in-law, it's only natural for him to serve Shichibei tea and water. There's nothing wrong with him serving as a servant now. More importantly, he'll accompany Shichibei the whole time and tell Hideyoshi everything that happened in Shinono when he returns.

As the leader of the various factions in Nishimino, it was understandable that Hideyoshi was in charge of managing the Nishimino faction.

With Takagi Sadahisa leading the way, the entire journey went quite smoothly. Both Kita Castle and Sone Castle are located north of Ōgaki Castle, and the two castles are not far apart. The area around Kita Castle will develop into Kita-cho during the Meiji era, while Sone Castle will eventually decline. Of course, neither of them can compare to Ōgaki City, which will eventually be built on the Tokaido Main Line.

Ando Eemon, who had made prior arrangements with Takagi Sadahisa, met the three at a manor house in a small village. He was quite surprised to learn that Shichibei was the head of the Tsushima clan and the commander of Kaito District.

After all, negotiations are usually more common among monks. For example, Kaikawa Shōki and Akio Keijun were active on the diplomatic stage in Mino and have preserved many documents and letters signed by Yoshiryū and his son Ryūō.

Of course, there were also merchants, such as the big boss of Tennojiya Tsuda, who did business with Shichibei. He often acted as a tea master, mediating disputes between daimyo.

Qian Zongyi was poised to become a leading figure in this field. However, his deep involvement in politics ultimately led to his downfall.

Let's talk. A good bird chooses its tree to perch on, and a good minister chooses his lord to serve; this is the way of the Warring States period. Isn't Shichibei also looking for a reserve? Nobunaga is alright, but with Nobunaga's temper, the chances of him making a mistake are not small. Using people is like piling up firewood; even without Akechi Mitsuhide, there will be another Mitsuhide to stab Nobunaga in the back.

As Ando Morinari's son, Ando Uemon was well aware of his father's needs: he was willing to pay, but the price would be exorbitant.

It's okay, ask for the moon, then negotiate the price.

"Is it really possible for Morinari to persuade Inaba Ittetsu and Ujiie Bokuzen to defect and surrender?" Ando Uemon rubbed his hands, reminding Shichibei, "This is a risky business; there's no guarantee. They didn't even make Nobunaga write an oath; it was just a promise. You don't seem like a diplomat, brother."

hiss……

This man is a formidable opponent. Shichibei is clearly not a diplomat, and he's been thoroughly outmaneuvered. Fortunately, Shichibei, being a small-time merchant, managed to maintain his composure and didn't show any weakness. He countered with a question to Ando Uemon: "Nobunaga's army of 20,000 is no match for anyone. We're talking to you now for results; without results, what's the point of talking?"

Ando Emon paused, realizing that Shichibei's words were indeed true. If Nobunaga hadn't grown powerful enough to shield others, the three families might not have even considered siding with him.

Okay, then state the conditions.

The inspectors and county officials were not allowed to enter, nor were they required to pay tribute (no money for building materials, rebellious money, or land taxes, and no annual tribute). Military service was re-established, with only 3,000 cavalrymen required to serve in the six counties of Seino. They were not required to undertake the construction of Nobunaga's castle, the management of the Kiso River, or the construction of the shrine, the imperial court, or government buildings.

Hey!

What amazing terms! So, besides calling Nobunaga "brother," you only get to serve for free for fifteen days a year, and there are only three thousand of you. If it's more than fifteen days, does Nobunaga have to pay you six cups of rice, two spoonfuls of salt, and fifty Yongle coins a day to hire you?

That's right.

Shichibei was absolutely right; Ando Uemon's conditions were indeed as he described them. He said it so naturally, as if it were a matter of course.

"Given these conditions, I have no choice but to take my leave." Shichibei stood up and left; Nobunaga would never agree to these terms.

Instead of wasting time here, we might as well go back and help Nobunaga exploit the land, get him to unleash 20,000 men, and then storm Ōgaki Castle. Once Ōgaki Castle falls, those damned Mino Triumvirate will just stand there and die.

"Hey!" Seriously, how come you're so bad at negotiating?

Seeing that Shichibei wasn't even trying to bargain, Ando Uemon got impatient. "Is this how you do diplomacy? If you go back like this, Nobunaga will chop you in half with one sword, believe it or not."

"Calm down, calm down." Suddenly, a person jumped out from behind the screen inside the room and stopped Shichibei.

How could someone be eavesdropping? This makes any negotiation impossible. Such a confidential matter, with a third ear, you want to die, but I don't. Ironically, Ando Uemon called out "brother-in-law" and joined the man in stopping Shichibei.

70. Takenaka negotiated terms with me

Brother-in-law?

Huh? Shichibei's arm was grabbed by Ando Uemon's brother-in-law. You know what, this guy's arm was pretty strong; Shichibei could tell that this man really wanted to stop him.

"I am Takenaka Hanbei Shigeharu, and I am no stranger." The brother-in-law introduced himself, and it was indeed him.

"Since you are the son-in-law of the Iga no Kami (in Japanese, a son-in-law of a mother), why not be honest with each other?" Shichibei sat down again, but still maintained an air of not wanting to talk.

“I’m a rough man, and this matter is confidential.” Takenaka Hanbei also sat down, right in front of Shichibei.

He was being quite modest, saying he was clumsy and inarticulate, and that the topic of their ongoing negotiations was of great importance. He worried that accidentally letting something slip or disrupting the talks would be disastrous. Besides, the fewer people who knew about this, the better; his absence was also to put Shichibei and the other two at ease.

"Hmm..." Shichibei waved his hand, indicating that he had turned the page on this chapter.

"If Your Excellency has any requests, please feel free to speak them," Takenaka Hanbei quickly interjected.

Shichibei, however, didn't speak, but simply stared directly at Takenaka Hanbei. No one felt this was offensive; after all, they were just observing him.

Just now, when Shichibei was pulled, Shichibei sensed that this person had some skill. Looking closer now, although Takenaka Hanbei wasn't tall, his arm muscles were quite impressive. This indicated that this person had diligently practiced spear and sword techniques, and was a "macho man," definitely stronger than a novice like Shichibei.

Looking at his appearance, he was certainly not the pale-faced, weak, scholarly type seen in later games, and had absolutely nothing to do with the pretty boy that Japanese girls admire in later generations.

His skin was dark but glossy, showing no signs of illness. His eyes were bright, and he dared to meet Shichibei's gaze without any worry that Shichibei would see anything from him.

To put it more bluntly, this man is quite confident, possessing a calm and composed demeanor. Of course, this might also be related to his upbringing; after all, he is one of the wealthiest men in Xinong, a samurai with a salary of 10,000 koku on Mount Bodhi, and commands over two hundred retainers and soldiers. Anyone who can lead a force of two hundred men well must be a shrewd individual.

"At the very least, the military service must be set at five thousand!" Shichibei knew this was Nobunaga's bottom line.

How can we weaken the strength of the Saino clan if we don't allow Saino to send out 5,000 troops? Nobunaga can give them money, and semi-independence is barely acceptable, but the number of troops must be sufficient, otherwise it's meaningless.

"..." This time, it was Takenaka Hanbei and Ando Uemon who remained silent.

Military service is a critical issue, no matter where you are in Japan. To give a simple example, Ōta Sukemasa and Hōjō Ujiyasu fought their entire lives. As the head of the Iwatsuke Ōta clan, he had a strong influence and power in Musashi. So after Ōta Ujiyasu joined the Hōjō clan, he ordered his family to provide 2,000 cavalrymen, of whom 1,000 had to be mounted "cavalrymen".

This was certainly related to the presence of ranches and horse breeding in the Kanto region, but it was also related to the Hojo clan's desire to exploit the Iwatsuke Ota clan. Providing a thousand mounted infantrymen was an immense pressure.

"Apart from that, everything is negotiable." Shichibei certainly wanted to reach an agreement, as it wasn't easy for him to come all this way.

As long as military service could be negotiated, Nobunaga would reluctantly accept all other conditions. Under the overarching premise of conquering Mino, Nobunaga's magnanimity was quite remarkable. Didn't you see how even Sato Tadakatsu became incredibly wealthy, receiving 4,400 kan in cash plus 300 kan for retirement expenses, and then went into seclusion?

"Our family must be listed among the direct members of the council." Takenaka Hanbei opened his mouth again, but said something somewhat irrelevant.

The direct retainers he referred to were different from the direct retainers Shichibei had previously been excluded from visiting Nobunaga on New Year's Day. This was because his direct retainers meant that Nobunaga could not establish any acting officials or other hierarchical structures between the Sainoshu and Nobunaga himself.

They swore allegiance only to Nobunaga and accepted his rule. Note that this oath was made only to Nobunaga himself. This declaration of loyalty was limited to Nobunaga's generation; even if Nobunaga had a legitimate son who eventually inherited the Oda clan, they could choose not to pledge allegiance.

They were not allowed to appoint Oda clan retainers to command these powerful figures. Furthermore, the scope of loyalty was significantly narrowed, limiting loyalty solely to Nobunaga.

Perhaps some people still don't understand at this point, like Takagi Sadahisa, who's probably feeling a bit confused. What does this mean?

It's very simple. Since they are not allowed to appoint a Grand Marshal, their troops can only be led by themselves or by Nobunaga himself in battle. It's only natural that Nobunaga leads them; there's nothing to say about that.

However, it's highly likely that Nobunaga won't bring their troops; they'll be left to lead their own. In effect, the soldiers of Shinon will be commanded by themselves.

Those familiar with Japan's disastrous wars know how common it was for soldiers to go through the motions without putting in any real effort. Aside from a small number of samurai who received rewards and were willing to fight bravely, the rest of the soldiers were just there to earn a living. Being able to wave a flag and shout "666" behind a samurai was already considered a sign of respect for the samurai lords.

After all, Japan was unique in the Warring States period, where the population grew with each battle.

In this way, even if 5,000 soldiers are conscripted, the probability of them suffering losses will be greatly reduced. They will not be deliberately sent out to fight, or forced into heavy siege battles with large casualties.

Even if they were specifically ordered to deliver it, they could still run away. Our army suffered a defeat and was scattered by the enemy. Lord Nobunaga, do not worry, I will immediately regroup and fight again.

What, is Nobunaga really going to draw his sword and kill someone over this? If people were to kill each other over a temporary victory or defeat, then there would be no survivors in the Oda clan. Who hasn't suffered a defeat before?