Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

"Excellent!" Xinxiong had been waiting for this day for a long time, and he had brought up his confidants. He was going to take this opportunity to make a big splash.

"Your Excellency has considered things very carefully." Shichibei fully supports Ataka Kiyoyasu's decision to do this, since they are in-laws.

Since that's the case, the proposal was passed. The three people who were originally just Nobuo's private associates now officially hold the title of Wakane-gi, and are respectfully called "Sanchō-ō" by everyone.

Once the appointments of the three individuals were approved, they gained the status and power to publicly participate in central government discussions on major policies. Thus, they would have a voice in the subsequent meetings to elect the seven elders of the family.

Let's all speak freely and promote talented individuals for the country.

Four stools were arranged: Hideyoshi recommended Maeda Toshiie, Nagahide recommended Nagano Nobukatsu, and the three elders recommended Mori Terumoto. This was to satisfy the interests of all parties and also to take care of the feelings of the Owari Fuyo.

Maeda Toshiie and Nagano Nobukatsu were both standard fudai (hereditary successors) of Owari Province. Although Nagano Nobukatsu inherited the Nagano clan of Minami-Ise, he was Nobunaga's younger brother, so his status was not problematic. It was just a trick of replacing one member with another, just like Kagawa Nobusumi, who was also a fudai of Owari Province.

He inherited the title of Sanuki Shugodai (Governor-General) from the Kagawa clan, and at one point almost inherited the title of Iyo Shugodai from the Kono clan. But that doesn't diminish his status as the Owari Fudai (Hereditary Generation of the Owari).

Nobuo, displaying an open-minded and inclusive attitude, highly approved of the suggestions of the two elders, which was to satisfy the Owari fusuke. Only when the Owari fusuke was satisfied could he recommend Mori Terumoto.

"Then the third person is Lord Mori of Hiroshima, who is most suitable." These words were spoken by Hijikata Yuji, who was now acting as Nobuo's mouthpiece.

"..." Hideyoshi and Nagahide's choices have been approved, so what else can be said but that's tacit agreement?

“I think Edo-kyō is also a good choice.” But Oda Nobuo then offered another option: Tokugawa Ieyasu.

"The Edo Major General..." Before coming here, everyone guessed that he was going to support Mori Terumoto, but they didn't expect that Tokugawa Ieyasu would also be brought along.

Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga were nominally allies, but in reality, they were lord and vassal. Once Nobunaga became the ruler of Japan, Ieyasu was effectively a vassal daimyo. After Nobunaga's death, Nobukatsu transferred Ieyasu to the position of Musashi, solidifying his status as a retainer.

If we were to strictly count, Ieyasu could be considered a hereditary retainer of Oda Nobunaga after the Battle of Okehazama.

"If Edo no Shōjō and Hiroshima Kingō are acceptable, how about Nagoya no Samurai, Kano no Mino no Kami, Himeji no Samurai, and Toyama no Echijō no Kami?" Shichibei wasn't against it, but he felt that bringing in two outsiders at once would leave a group of people in the house who were eagerly waiting.

Takayama Shigetomo is Nobunaga's son-in-law, Tsuda Nobuuji is a member of the Tsuda clan, Ikeda Tsuneoki is a former chief retainer, and Sasa Narimasa is a hereditary meritorious official. If you put them all out of the picture and let Mori Terumoto and Tokugawa Ieyasu come in and sit down first, everyone will really be unhappy.

"Hmm..." Upon hearing Shichibei's words, Oda Nobuo realized that he shouldn't bring up Tokugawa Ieyasu again to distract himself.

If you're going to push Mori Terumoto, don't pretend. You're overdoing it, which only annoys everyone. There are so many city lords and rulers with tens or hundreds of thousands of koku of land queuing up outside, they're really eager to get in.

"So what do you all think?" Nobuo hadn't completely lost his mind after all, and immediately adjusted his tone, clearly indicating that he should still push Mori Terumoto first.

Chapter 618 Huiyuan Takes the Stage and First Persuades the Buddha (Zhu Xiucai's Three-Jin Crown)

"Although the old practice of the former prime minister was seven people, it is not necessarily necessary to fill the position with seven people at all times."

Just as everyone hesitated, Kiyoyasu Ataka spoke up with a calm voice: "Then there are five of the Four Heavenly Kings, so why must the Seven Elders of Oda be a full seven?"

In any case, they were all retainers promoted by Nobunaga and capable legion commanders. The position of chief retainer has changed hands many times. Ikeda Tsuneoki was originally a chief retainer of the Oda clan, then was assigned to Oda Nobutada and became Nobutada's chief retainer. Later, he became independent and became the lord of Osaka Castle, and now he holds no position.

The changes were enormous; it mainly depended on the lord's will, not on a fixed number of troops. The former chief retainer, Sakuma Nobumori, commander of a large army with 1.2 million koku of grain, was stripped of his command in a single move. Hayashi Hidesada was even exiled to Aki Province, where he ultimately died in Yoshida-Koriyama Castle.

Everyone couldn't help but admire Kiyoyasu Ataka. Despite his physical disability, his mind only became sharper with age. He had weathered many storms and even suffered the tragedy of his family's destruction; his experience had broadened his horizons and honed his skills.

No wonder the old saying goes that people become wise with age; it's absolutely true.

To put it bluntly, it's just about leaving a position for a senior retainer and using Mori Terumoto's entry into the cabinet as a selling point to fool the feudal lords. With this carrot dangling in front of them, aren't they just like dogs and horses, being pointed at from east to west and from south to north by Oda Nobukatsu?

Every ambitious feudal lord wants to be the chief steward of the government. If they don't even want to be a chief steward, then what's the point of being a great lord?

“This proposal is feasible,” Hideyoshi immediately agreed.

After all, Hideyoshi had praised Abe no Sadayuki as the "Strategist of Omi," and Ataka Kiyoyasu's abilities were surely superior to Abe no Sadayuki's. Hideyoshi's approval of this suggestion was perfectly normal.

“That makes sense!” Oda Nobuo was increasingly convinced that he had been right to have pulled the Atake family out of Shichibei’s hands.

If they hadn't pulled him aside back then, Ataka Kiyoyasu would have been completely subjugated by Shichibei and would have already been transferred to Higo. Just like Morimura Haru, who was also transferred to Higo. On the other hand, Kurushima Michifusa regained his status as an independent daimyo and continued to live on Iyo-kujima Island.

While he wasn't exactly a strategist, nor was he completely subservient to Oda Nobuo, he believed that Ataka Kiyoyasu's opinions were often valuable. Therefore, he appointed him as one of the three senior officials, giving him a second wind in his life, and effectively allowing him to take charge of general civil administration.

With Hideyoshi and Nobukatsu expressing their opinions one after another, the outcome was essentially set. Hideyoshi felt that leaving the position vacant meant he might be able to bring someone else into the cabinet later. Nobukatsu, on the other hand, realized this was an opportunity to win over the Owari fudai (son of the Owari clan), a position that Oda Nobunaga had specifically reserved for him.

The others, including Shichibei, naturally agreed to the decision. Therefore, according to the resolution, after Takikawa Kazumasu's retirement, Maeda Toshiie, lord of the Etsū Moriyama Domain, Nagano Nobukatsu, lord of the Ise-Nagano Domain, and Mori Terumoto, lord of the Aki-Bigo-Hiroshima Domain, were appointed as senior councilors. At the same time, it was announced that Nobukatsu clearly intended to restore the seven chief retainers system established during the lifetime of the previous Grand Chancellor.

When the news was released, naturally some were happy and some were sad. The happiest were undoubtedly those who were elected, while those who had been full of expectations were saddened because they were not elected.

Just like Shichibei said, many people felt they were senior and of high enough status. With the abdication of a powerful domain like Takigawa Kazumasu, it seemed like it was finally their turn as lords of castles and provinces, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Those who weren't chosen were bound to be unhappy with the outcome.

Well, you know what, Kiyoyasu Ataka's suggestion to leave a vacancy, making it visible to everyone, is actually working. At least everyone has something to strive for. If all the vacancies were filled by replacements, it would be very difficult to see a reduction in the number of candidates and a new election in the next few years, unless some major scandal occurs.

Although it was a major political upheaval, it did not cause a major upheaval.

Takigawa Kazumasu returned to Ueno Masahashi Castle with a satisfied heart, but his nephew, Takigawa Masashige, rushed day and night to pay his respects to Oda Nobukatsu. Nobukatsu even recommended him for a proper official position of Junior Fifth Rank, what was it called again? Sakon no Shokan, I think. Shichibei didn't listen carefully, he only knew about this.

The happiest were Maeda Toshiie, Nagano Nobukatsu, and Mori Terumoto. On the day the news was announced, they couldn't wait to rush to the castle to thank Oda Nobukatsu. They barely managed to hold back until the next morning, when they rushed to Azuchi Castle to kowtow to Nobukatsu.

At least he got involved in the central government, so his life's struggles weren't in vain.

Having exerted tremendous effort to finally rise to power, Mori Terumoto immediately proposed rebuilding the Great Buddha. The Great Buddha refers to the Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji Temple in Nara, which, as a branch temple of the main temple of the country, had been hoped by the imperial court and temple shrines to be rebuilt by Oda Nobunaga.

However, at that time, Nobunaga was busy with military campaigns and dissatisfied with the expansion of religious influence, so he did not spend a large sum of money on reconstruction. He only spent a little money to rebuild a roof for the Buddha.

Casting a bronze Buddha is not difficult; the skill to do so existed seven or eight hundred years ago, and it's not that difficult now either. The real challenge lies in building a massive wooden hall capable of completely enclosing the bronze Buddha.

Historically, Hideyoshi vowed to build Hōkō-ji Temple, and it wasn't until his death that it was essentially completed. A large Buddha statue was also cast within Hōkō-ji, and a main hall was built. The revival of Tōdai-ji Temple, a branch temple of the main province, didn't occur until the reign of the fifth patriarch, Tsunayoshi.

The Great Buddha Hall of Hōkō-ji Temple, built by Hideyoshi, was even more magnificent than Tōdai-ji Temple because its bronze Buddha statue was 19 meters tall. Documents of this building are preserved in the Daiei Museum. However, it was repeatedly built and destroyed, and finally burned down completely in 1973.

Now that the world is at peace, Oda Nobukatsu, as a ruler of the land, could very well build a Great Buddha Hall as the head Buddha of the nation, to pray for "the prosperity of the ruler and his subjects, and the well-being of the country."

To put it bluntly, it's about displaying wealth and power while using religion to stabilize the people and create an image of a peaceful and prosperous world.

But if this were to actually be built, it would probably cost hundreds of thousands of kan (a unit of currency). Although Japanese copper isn't very valuable in Japan, the materials for the Great Buddha Hall are hard to find. Especially those massive beams and pillars; even with Japan's current forestry capabilities, they'd probably be difficult to find now.

After all, Japan has a population of over ten million, and there are hardly any untouched primeval forests left. Not to mention the massive beams and pillars that could be used to rebuild the Great Buddha Hall.

There should still be large timbers like these in the forests of Brazil and Indonesia at this time, but these areas are not well-developed and do not participate in global trade. Purchasing giant trees from neighboring Korea or the Ming Dynasty is also unlikely.

Tsk, why is Oda Nobuo actually interested?

Chapter 619 Even making a wish every day won't work

It should be noted that in this line of work, it's all about who makes the vow and who pays the money. It's not like the Buddha has been refusing to help the poor for a long time; even the Great Compassion Mantra requires a VIP membership. In the twelfth year of Tenpyō (740 AD), at the strong urging of Empress Kōmyō, Emperor Shōmu vowed, "I will also undertake the construction," and spent a huge sum of money to build the so-called Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Golden Light Protecting the Nation.

If Oda Nobuo were to volunteer to build it now, he probably wouldn't have the financial means.

Previously in Kanto, the million kan of cash and tamabetsu that Oda Nobunaga had acquired, after paying for war expenses, did indeed reduce his debts by hundreds of thousands of kan over the years. However, this did not mean that the Oda family was debt-free; he still had outstanding debts.

Nobukatsu is quite wealthy. As mentioned before, he possesses various treasures, weapons, armor, calligraphy, paintings, and tea sets hidden in Nobunaga's private collection, worth hundreds of thousands, even millions of kan.

However, converting these assets into cash would be difficult for him, and it would inevitably take a long time. As for cash, due to Nobunaga's aggressive expansion, he didn't leave Nobukatsu much cash. At most, he might have a hundred thousand or twenty thousand in the treasury.

For an individual, 100,000 or 200,000 is an astronomical figure. But for the people of the world, what is 100,000 or 200,000?

The gold and silver left by Hideyoshi and Ieyasu to their descendants were worth over a million, and likely more. Of course, their unworthy descendants squandered it all in the end.

Given Shichibei's understanding of the Oda clan's finances, even if Nobukatsu had the intention to make the vow, he wouldn't have the money. Unless, in the next few years, Nobukatsu invested a significant portion of his income in the reconstruction of the Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji Temple, then there might be some possibility.

So why are you so excited?

It's clear that Nobuo did have this idea. From the perspective of a feudal emperor, creating wonders was something he was capable of doing. It allowed him to directly demonstrate the strength and prosperity of his regime to the world.

After Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed the construction of the Great Buddha Hall at Hokō-ji Temple in Kyoto, tourists from all over the country who passed by the Gojō Bridge in Kyoto and saw the magnificent Great Buddha Hall believed that the Toyotomi dynasty would last for thousands of years and continue indefinitely.

In fact, it does play a normal role in stabilizing public sentiment and strengthening social order. Of course, this statement only applies to the relatively ignorant feudal era, after all, people in those days were more superstitious and had not received systematic education.

"With the Hojo clan newly defeated and the country newly established, building a great Buddha statue is a good strategy, but..." Niwa Nagahide had also worked for Nobunaga for two years and knew about Nobunaga's aggressive economic situation.

"Hmm." Oda Nobuo nodded, but glanced at Shichibei quite naturally.

It had become a completely ingrained habit; all three members of the Oda family across two generations, including the deceased Oda Nobutada, operated this way. They only decided what they wanted to do; they didn't consider how much money or how many people were needed. Their responsibility was decision-making; execution was another matter.

Why else would I hand over almost all of the world's commercial activities to you, Kawamura Shichibei Nagayoshi?

Isn't this exactly what we've been waiting for?

"Sir, although the Kawamura-ya General Management Office manages the funds, the money was borrowed," Niwa Nagahide immediately reminded him, at least fulfilling his duty as a retainer.

"Whether or not to lend money..." Oda Nobuo didn't care. In his mind, Kawamura-ya was just a branch of the Oda family.

Shichibei was a retainer of the Oda clan, and all the monopoly on commerce was granted to him by Oda Nobunaga. Even the annual rice tribute within his territory was entrusted to Shichibei, which was also approved by Nobunaga. He would then give the money he earned to Oda Nobunaga at any time, and at the same time, he was responsible for storing military funds for the Oda army.

Rather than calling it Kawamura-ya, it was more like a retainer, Kawamura Nagayoshi, managing the family's business. According to Nobukatsu, there was no point in lending or borrowing. If they borrowed and didn't repay, then so be it; after all, this business was specifically authorized by the Oda clan.

We've already made Kawamura Nagayoshi the lord of Higo Province with a land area of ​​570,000 koku, so he's already been greatly rewarded for making money. What more could we ask for?

These were all thoughts in Oda Nobuo's mind; he certainly wouldn't say them aloud. After all, most people believed that Kawamuraya was Shichibei's property, and Oda Nobuo could take back the monopoly and have someone else run it. But directly seizing Kawamuraya would be a bit unreasonable. Shichibei, after all, was a hereditary retainer since Shimo-Owari's Nagoya, and his father had even been wounded in the Battle of Azukizaka. He was a true veteran of the Oda clan.

If they really mess things up, it will really hurt the feelings of Owari Fuyo.

"If there's any incentive, even 200,000 won't hurt." Shichibei thought Nobuo was referring to him, and he still had to show his loyalty. "Our duty is to be the big money-maker for the Oda clan."

"Excellent, excellent." Nobuyuki was overjoyed upon hearing this answer.

That's right. My Oda family supports you, Kawamuraya, loves you, and uses you, all for the sake of this wealth that comes at our beck and call.

Look at Kawamura Nagayoshi's attitude, he's very nice, he just asked for 200,000.

What could they do? Shichibei was indeed someone the old Origami family had personally supported. Without Nobunaga's unwavering support and complete trust, Kawamura-ya wouldn't be where they are today.

"It is good that Your Excellency has made a vow to build a Buddha statue. However, if Todai-ji Temple is rebuilt, the Imperial Court will surely pray for the reconstruction of Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei." Hideyoshi did not think there was anything wrong with building such a spectacle, but he had other considerations.

It's a very simple principle: Todai-ji Temple is a branch temple of the sogoku (Kyoto) state, enshrining the great Buddha Vairocana, the protector of the sogoku. Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Nahiei, on the other hand, is the national sacred site, the very foundation for the transmission of Buddhism in the country. We cannot favor one over the other, reviving one while neglecting the other.

It should be noted that when Oda Nobunaga set fire to Mount Hiei, he practically destroyed all the centuries-old temples and monasteries that had stood there. Initially, he didn't intend to burn everything down; his main purpose was to demonstrate his stance and strike at Enryaku-ji Temple, which was sheltering defeated Asakura soldiers. However, the problem is that Nobunaga didn't authorize any firefighting efforts.

The wind fanned the flames, and the fire, fueled by the wind, quickly spread across the entire mountain. Later generations even referred to this event as a "persecution of Buddhism," leaving behind scrolls depicting monks fleeing with Buddhist scriptures and statues.

Rebuilding it would cost hundreds of thousands of kan (a unit of currency). Whether it was monks who had received the title of "National Preceptor" coming to plead for it, or envoys from the imperial court sending inquiries, could Oda Nobukatsu answer?

Once the answer is given, it will cost hundreds of thousands more. Even Oda Nobukatsu, who is the ruler of the land and whose body is made of iron—no, it should be said that his body is made of gold and silver—could withstand making such a vow a few times?

Making a vow worth hundreds of thousands is something you should avoid making too often.

“That’s true…” Building a wonder to show off is certainly fine, but during the chaotic Warring States period, many wonders were destroyed.

Even Nobukatsu didn't have the power to restore all the ruins of the past within his own generation. Just as Shichibei estimated the Oda clan's finances, Nobukatsu was also estimating the money in Kawamuraya.

In Nobuo's view, it shouldn't be a problem to rake in 300,000 to 500,000 yen from Shichibei in a short period of time. But if he rakes in 500,000 yen this year and another 500,000 yen next year, Shichibei will probably be drained dry. He certainly understands the principle of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs; he still wants to pass this huge fortune on to Oda Saburo so he can continue to enjoy it.

Family treasure!

Do you understand? The Kawamura family is the Oda clan's most prized possession. As long as the Kawamura family exists, the Oda clan has an inexhaustible supply of money to spend at will. If the Kawamura family is squandered in one fell swoop, what will happen to their descendants?

I never imagined it would last forever, but at least it should be a Grand Chancellor for ten or twenty generations. The Muromachi Shogunate lasted for fifteen generations, so how could the Oda clan possibly be worse off than the Ashikaga clan?

“If it happens two or three times, that would be really inappropriate.” Shichibei quickly chimed in. If Kawamura-ya were to bear all the costs of the Great Buddha Hall’s construction, that would be enough to cause serious trouble once.

Indeed, Kawamura-ya may have assets of several million or even tens of millions, but assets and cash flow are not the same thing. If they were to borrow 500,000 today and another 500,000 tomorrow, especially if it were long-term loans, Kawamura-ya wouldn't be able to withstand it.

This is different from buying 200 trade seals for the Southern Barbarians for 800,000. Trade seals for the Southern Barbarians can be used as favors, for circulation, and can even be used as futures contracts. But investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a temple that yields no return is completely incomparable to this.