Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Shichibei couldn't help but look at Takenaka Hanbei with new respect; this man knew how to grasp the essentials. Upon learning that Nobunaga's bottom line was roughly full military service, he immediately sought the most favorable conditions for his side within that premise.

"Clap clap clap clap..." Shichibei even clapped his hands involuntarily.

Ando Emon and Takagi Sadahisa are still confused, while Kinoshita Hidenaga is doing a little better, deep in thought, having probably grasped the basics and is close to figuring it out.

"What does Lord Kawamura think?" Takenaka Hanbei smiled smugly and looked up to ask Shichibei.

"In that case, five thousand five hundred people!" Shichibei slightly adjusted the conditions, increasing them by ten percent.

“Yes!” Takenaka Hanbei immediately agreed.

"Will Iga no Kami still serve as the head scribe of the Shinnoshu?" With one matter settled, they smoothly moved on to the next agenda item.

Once a consensus is reached, the discussion becomes much easier, as the atmosphere eases and there is a possibility of working together under the same leader in the future.

"That's natural."

If it weren't for seeking an opportunity to digest and integrate the Central Clique, why would Mamoru Ando jump out to become this "repeated thief," and even lead the repetition?

"Where are the hostages?" Shichibei understood Ando Mamoru's thoughts and didn't dwell on it.

"Oh." Takenaka Hanbei immediately patted his brother-in-law's arm, indicating to Shichibei that this was the hostage.

He's definitely Ando Morinari's biological son; you can ask Takagi Sadahisa if you don't believe me. These days things are unpredictable; you can't get by without some kind of collateral. Ando Morinari is quite sensible; he's willing to risk his own son.

Shichibei then turned to look at Takagi Sadahisa, who nodded very seriously. This was indeed Ando Morinari's youngest son; there was no doubt about it. I even held him when he peed as a baby.

I wonder if Nobunaga would adopt Ando Emon, change his surname to Tsuda, or even Oda, and marry him off to an adopted daughter.

“One is not enough.” Shichibei remembered that Ando Mamoru had several children, so losing one son would not be a major blow.

Moreover, the Ando family is a large clan in western Mino. Before coming here, Shichibei had inquired and learned that Ando Mamoru had eight brothers. Imagine, eight brothers, each having four sons and four daughters. Even assuming a 30% infant mortality rate, by the next generation, that's fifty cousins ​​and brothers-in-law. And if those brothers-in-law have brothers of their own, they'd be incredibly powerful, able to do whatever they wanted in any village.

“Five.” Takenaka Hanbei immediately stretched out his palm, spreading all five fingers.

"It must include close relatives of the court officials and the sons of important ministers."

"That's how it should be."

"Hmm." Shichibei nodded in agreement. Ando Mamoru wanted to be the head of the Shinnoshu, so let him do it. He was so willing to go all out.

If he dared to rebel, Nobunaga would dare to kill his brothers, sons, nephews, and even the sons of his senior retainers. He should weigh the costs of rebellion before deciding whether to do so.

With the two main points agreed upon, all that remains are minor details. The promised rebates and taxes for all land west of the Hangase River, which Nobunaga had previously promised, will certainly be paid.

Ando Mori agreed to Ando's conditions, such as not being required to serve as a district official, not being required to perform general labor service, and not having to pay local tribute. However, Shichibei specifically pointed out that if Nobunaga's own castle, residence, or hermitage were to be repaired, the Saino garrison would have to contribute. This was an obligation as Nobunaga's direct retainers, and it was impossible for them not to contribute anything.

Regarding this, Takenaka Hanbei thought for a moment and agreed. Nobunaga couldn't possibly change his castle every day; some daimyo spent their entire lives in the same castle.

Examples include Hojo Ujiyasu's Odawara Castle, Uesugi Kenshin's Kasugayama Castle, and Takeda Shingen's Tsutsuzaki Castle. According to Takenaka Hanbei's thinking, such matters would likely only occur once or twice after Nobunaga's death, and wouldn't be a significant burden, so he agreed, quite easily.

Hehe, just you wait.

Nobunaga not only planned to move to Inabayama, but also to rebuild castles and establish his military power in Gifu. Later, he moved to Omi, initially intending to establish his main castle in Nagahama, but ultimately chose Azuchi. After conquering the Kinai region, he planned to undertake large-scale construction in Kyoto.

Hmph, just running errands for Nobunaga is enough to make you all spit out everything Nobunaga fed you, and most likely with interest.

Without leaving a written record, let's all go home and report back.

71. He's a complete idiot (make a slurry of spicy soup).

Shichibei, Takagi Sadahisa, and Kinoshita Hidenaga sat in front of Nobunaga and recounted in detail the contents of their secret conversation with Ando Uemon and Takenaka Hanbei.

Nobunaga sat there quietly listening, occasionally waving the folding fan in his hand. The weather was getting cooler, and it was unclear why he was waving that fan.

After Shichibei finished explaining, Takagi Sadahisa added some details. Nobunaga glanced at Kinoshita Hidenaga again and asked if Hidenaga was Hiyoshi's younger brother. "Of course," Hidenaga quickly replied.

Anything to add? No, no, Xiuchang would probably have to lie face down on the floor.

Alright, Nobunaga understood the outcome of Shichibei's negotiations. Overall, it met his requirements. After all, the conscription of 5,500 men was above Nobunaga's bottom line, the hostages were also taken, and they even had to repair Nobunaga's castle. Considering that the three men of Nishimino still had some resistance, these conditions were acceptable.

After sending the three away to rest, Nobunaga sat down alone.

There were no tea rooms in Komakiyama Castle, and there is no record of Nobunaga practicing the tea ceremony at that time. Otherwise, finding a small, secluded tea room, squatting down inside, would have been quite suitable for contemplation.

The future Date Masamune had such a small house in Sendai Castle, which was said to be no more than five square meters in size. He would even squat inside and eat his breakfast alone.

With no one around, Nobunaga felt quite at ease. He sat cross-legged, leaning forward, his folding fan closed, pointing and gesturing at the simple sketches of Mino and Owari.

So far, they've only persuaded Ando Morinari to surrender. The future of the Inaba and Ujiie families remains to be seen, depending on Ando Morinari's words. We can't be too happy yet. Nobunaga didn't do much of the "halfway through" celebrations, which shows he was a wise ruler.

After pondering for a while, Nobunaga ordered someone to invite Niwa Nagahide and Sakuma Nobumori. The autumn harvest was over, and as mentioned before, the annual tribute from Owari had to be used to pay bills everywhere, fill the gaps in the family, and also to take out two thousand kan to give Princess Tokuhime a grand wedding in Mikawa.

This year, Nobunaga didn't have the funds to mobilize a large army to march north to Mino to contend for supremacy. He could only hope to first win over the people of Nishino and completely eliminate the claws and teeth on the east and west sides of Inabayama Castle.

Before long, Niwa Nagahide and Sakuma Nobumori arrived. The three old men got together, and they were like three cobblers. They couldn't beat Zhuge Liang, but they could at least beat "modern Zhuge Liang."

Regardless of how the three old men plotted, Shichibei returned to the castle and was just about to ask for some tea when he saw Kinoshita Hidenaga and his younger sister, Aji, sitting under the eaves, cuddling intimately.

Bah! If it weren't for my sister and brother-in-law, I would have cursed them, saying that love makes people rot and stink.

It was Zong Xiaotaro, that lackey, who had a good eye and immediately brought over a teacup, inviting the master to have some tea. "You're so thoughtful, buddy. Our friendship from when we were kids collecting horse manure together hasn't been in vain."

Logically, Shichibei should have rushed back to Tsushima, but Sakai Masahiro, the governor of Kaito County, went to collect the tribute with a sword, so Shichibei can rest for a few days at Komakiyama Castle. Besides, Nobunaga might still have things to consult, so we can't leave either.

Then let's ask how business is at the store, and if anything major has happened. Where are the ledgers? Let me take a look.

The two exchanged questions and answers while Shichibei examined the account books. "We've sold out both seasons of alfalfa and millet this year. This autumn's crop is for our own use. After Nobunaga conquers Mino, the Kawamura family's stables will inevitably expand into Mino, and they probably won't be able to sell alfalfa anymore; they'll all have to keep it to feed our own horses."

"Excuse me?" a timid female voice reached their ears.

"Yes, yes, yes." Kotaro immediately responded. It was his habit to respond when a customer knocked on the door.

Setting down the ledger, Shichibei turned to look and saw a little girl, no more than twelve or thirteen years old, followed by a maid who was not much older. The two, mistress and servant, seemed a little timid.

After all, the stables inevitably carry some of that smell, even though horses are very clean animals and the shopkeepers take good care of them. But you can't have someone standing next to the horses collecting manure 24/7, so over time, it inevitably develops an odor. Besides, these days nobody bathes every day.

Living with large livestock every day, and not bathing or changing clothes daily, the smell surprised the little girl who had never seen anything like it, but she didn't know what to call it.

"Are you here to buy hay?" Surely they couldn't be here to ask for directions, so Shichibei clapped his hands and stepped forward to greet the guest.

"Hmm? Hmm. Hmm, Father asked me to buy fifty bundles of hay." Only then did they notice the small purse tied to the little girl's wrist.

A bundle of grass costs thirty coins, so fifty bundles would cost 1,500 coins. How could someone with such thin arms and legs carry 1,500 coins?

"This..." Kotaro So wanted to reply to the little girl.

Kawamura-ya doesn't sell hay after autumn, so it's too late to buy it now. Or who is your father? If he's a high-ranking official, we might be able to make an exception. But if he's just an ordinary samurai, we'll have to refuse.

At the other end of the street, at the corner, there's a shop called Kato-ya, owned by Kato Nobutaka. They also sell horse hay, since they don't have any horses anymore, so they sell horse hay all year round.

"Fifty bundles, is that right? Kotaro, go and order fifty bundles." Shichibei knew exactly what Kotaro was trying to say, but since two little girls had come to their door, he figured he might as well do it for them; it was only fifty bundles.

"This place is simple, so please don't sit down," Shichibei smiled at the two little girls.

He just smiled; he's not some creepy uncle. How could an ordinary person have feelings for a primary school girl? If he were to have feelings for one, it would have to be a high school girl or a college girl, eighteen years old, beautiful and well-developed, with a great figure.

However, the young girl from the Wu family in front of him was quite pretty; she was fair-skinned and delicate, and rather charming. Plus, she seemed a little shy. If it were a man from today's society, he might very well be tempted to propose marriage.

It is said that Maeda Toshiie saw Matsu and was so impressed that he ran to her door hoping to become her husband.

In other words, Shichibei is not the soul of this era. She has no interest in dry, little girls and prefers big, soft, and fragrant older sisters.

Eh!

Perhaps we can have a conversation with Ieyasu. He likes women who have given birth, preferably plump ones. If we have the chance, we can chat with him about our experiences.

Next New Year, Princess Tokuhime will definitely be sent to the Matsudaira family, so we can go there. Right now, Ieyasu is just a wealthy man, not a powerful official who can decide life and death with a single word.

Shichibei, secretly longing for the sweet and gentle older sister of the future, was unaware of the two little girls standing in the hallway scrutinizing him.

"Excuse me, is Lord Shichibei, the owner of Kawamura-ya, also in the shop?" The little girl dressed as a maid finally couldn't hold back and asked.

"That's me." Shichibei, who was interrupted, looked around and wondered if there was anyone who looked more like the boss than him.

Two workers were brushing the horse, and another was adding feed. Another worker had just returned from fetching water. Shichibei was flipping through the ledgers; that's not what a boss is.

"Ah!" The little girl, who was the owner, exclaimed softly and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

"What's wrong?" Shichibei had barely asked when Kotaro So had already hitched up two carts and was pulling out fifty bundles of grass.

Upon seeing the grass arranged, Shichibei quickly went to help. He also took the opportunity to double-count the bundles; fifty bundles meant fifty bundles, as Kawamura-ya operates with integrity.

A quick count confirmed fifty bunches, no problem. Those two little girls certainly couldn't carry fifty bunches of grass home, so Kotaro hitched up his cart and helped them haul it back.

"One thousand five hundred mon, thank you for your kind offer." Shichibei counted the herbs, and Munekotaro took the money.

Like a frightened little girl, she hurriedly opened her money bag and pulled out a piece of silver. It must have been weighed before she came; it was exactly the right amount, worth 1,500 coins.

Now that the money had been received, the transaction was complete. Shichibei instructed Kotaro to deliver the grass to the person, then turned and sat back down in the shop.

Kotaro naturally asked where her home was. The little girl gave him an address. There were hundreds of samurai around Komakiyama Castle, so it was impossible for him to remember all their home addresses clearly. But Kotaro remembered that the area seemed to be where Nobunaga's vassals lived, with their own independent houses, unlike the foot soldiers who were all crammed into longhouses.

Fortunately, it was sold. After all, it was Nobunaga's nephew, someone who worked closely with Nobunaga. It would have been unwise to offend nephew for fifty bundles of straw.

After delivering the hay, Kotaro felt the place looked familiar. When the adults from the little girl's family came out to ask what was wrong, they seemed puzzled upon learning it was a hay delivery. But upon seeing the little girl, they seemed to understand.

The samurai wasn't very old, but these days it was not uncommon for fourteen or fifteen-year-olds to have children, so Kotaro wasn't too bothered. He casually inquired which family it belonged to, so that next time the women wouldn't need to visit in person, he could just send a servant to inform them, and they would bring the grass over.

The samurai's answer greatly surprised Kotaro Munechika, Nobunaga Makai Oda Nobuhito.

That! That just now! That little girl just now, wasn't she Shichibei's...?

"He doesn't seem like a samurai." The maid gave her assessment.

"They were originally imperial merchants."

"He's not like those merchants from Tsushima. Those merchants' eyes dart around faster than an abacus. This one's a bit slow." Since no one was in the room, the maid spoke a little more freely.

"What are you talking about?" As the adopted daughter of Oda Nobuya, she is not worthy of the title of Princess yet, but her name is quite samurai-like, so she is called Little Major General.

"Am I not allowed to speak?" The maid helped the young general change his coat, her laughter bordering on unrestrained.

“That’s not called being dull, that’s called being composed. He’s the governor of Haidong County, a senior retainer of the Oda clan.” The young general immediately pointed out the maid’s mistake.

In reality, Shichibei is hardly a high-ranking retainer. He hasn't even been qualified to present Nobunaga with a tachi on the first day of the Lunar New Year, so he can't be considered a high-ranking retainer.

72. Chatting about family matters at the New Year's feast

ha?

Shichibei touched his face; it wasn't washed and was a bit oily. That dry, scrawny little girl from just now was actually his fiancée? How dare she come to her fiancé's shop looking for a man!

Tut tut...