Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

The destruction of buildings was one thing, but the loss of people was even more countless. The Niwa retainers, who had suffered heavy losses in the Aizu Incident, were almost completely wiped out this time and had lost the ability to act as the vanguard to enter Aizu.

The Maeda clan of Echū, including Toshiie's brother Toshiharu and nephew Toshitsugu (Maeda Hidetsugu), almost the entire family perished in the earthquake. The samurai under Fuwa Naomitsu, lord of Komatsu Castle in Kaga, and Sasa Narimasa, lord of Toyama Castle in Echū, also suffered heavy losses.

Niwa Nagahide and the Rikidan, originally from Echizen, were now scattered and in disarray. The Oda clan's hereditary retainers in Kohoku, Mino, Owari, and Ise, except for those currently constructing Edo Port and the Aizu Road in Kanto, had temporarily lost their military capabilities.

The first to launch a rescue operation was Osaka Town Magistrate Ataka Kiyoyasu, after all, his two fathers, or rather three fathers, were buried under the ruins of Osaka Castle. Ataka Kiyoyasu was his biological father, Oda Nobuo was his father-in-law, and Kawamura Nagayoshi was his wife's biological father.

While organizing the townspeople to fight the fire in different areas and evacuate people, he, in his capacity as the Osaka Town Magistrate, ordered the lords and ministers within his territory to organize manpower to rescue the nobles inside Osaka Castle.

What came into Ataka Yuyasu's view was the Ninomaru Palace, two-thirds of which had collapsed along with the rammed earth platform. Only a few buildings near the core Honmaru remained, teetering on the brink of collapse. Several of Nobuo's concubines and maids, looking mad, rushed to the open space, letting out feeble screams and howls.

The number of Osaka Castle guards, both military and foot soldiers, who were defending the castle was countless. There was no other way but to organize the survivors first and to rescue Oda Nobuo and the other prime ministers and lords who were mixed in with the building materials and mud.

Excavation and rescue work were quickly launched. Since the chief retainer, Wakatoshi, and the feudal lords all accompanied Nobuo to participate in the Nijinsai (New Rice Festival), Ataka Oyasu was still the highest-ranking official in the entire Osaka Castle.

The first to be unearthed was Kato Mitsuyasu. Because he was stationed at the back, he turned and ran a few steps away when the platform collapsed, so he was only lightly buried and did not suffer serious injury. Ataka Takeyasu saw him and asked, "Where is the Grand Chancellor? Where are the prime ministers? And where is Lord Azuchi?"

Kato Mitsuyasu, who was completely numb and in a daze, had no reaction. Then they said that Lin Yiji had been dug out, but Lin Yiji was no different. He just closed his eyes and fainted.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, this is a disaster!

The saying "the golden seventy-two hours" may not exist now, but Ataka Oyasu is well aware that if the person cannot be pulled out within one or two days, then even if they are pulled out later, it will be too late to save them.

What will become of the world under our Grand Chancellor?

In the afternoon, a heavy rain fell, extinguishing the fire beneath Osaka Castle. However, this made the rescue efforts inside the castle even more difficult. The only thing Ataka Osamu could be thankful for was that Narita Kaihime, who had been specially arranged to give birth quietly at her secluded residence in the Sannomaru, was unharmed, as was the son she gave birth to.

Although they were somewhat frightened, at least they were still alive. The rammed earth walls of Osaka Castle were unsafe, so Ataka Oyasu immediately escorted the mother and child to the Narita residence below the castle. Narita Ujicho was not in Osaka at the time; he was in Echizen collecting the annual tribute of 200,000 koku of rice from the imperial levy, and his fate was still unknown.

Before he could even feel relieved for a moment, a terrifying message, as if the world had been destroyed, came from the ruins where he was trying to salvage the situation.

Lieutenant General Sakonoe Gon and Chikuzen Mori Hideyoshi Hashiba were killed!

Since the beginning of Owari, he had served as a lowly groom and, over thirty years, accumulated merits to become a daimyo with a fief of 500,000 koku in Chikuzen and Hizen. He held the highest rank in the Oda clan, served as a military advisor, and was renowned as the greatest siege commander of the Sengoku period. However, the highly respected and revered Lord Hashiba Chikuzen-no-kami met his demise.

"What a cataclysmic event!" Ataka Oyasu lamented. The unearthed Toyotomi Hideyoshi had been crushed to death by a beam from a building and buried in the rubble. Even if he had been discovered immediately, it would have been too late to save him.

What about the others? Where is Oda Nobuo, who was almost standing with Hashiba Hideyoshi?

As night fell, the relentless rain made the rescue even more difficult, and Ataka Oyasu was almost in despair. The fates of Oda Nobukatsu and Oda Saburo remained unknown, and by this time, several fallen lords had been unearthed. These included Ikeda Katsumasa, the lord of Suo Province and a close associate of Shichibei; Hosokawa Akimoto, a lord of 50,000 koku in Tanba-Taki District; and Muto Tomomasu, a lord of 40,000 koku in Echizen-Nanjo Province.

Shichibei had four broken ribs. If it weren't for the two collapsed rafters in front of him, which created a tiny space and preserved a bit of air, Shichibei might not be alive now.

After the entire palace was torn apart in the earthquake, Shichibei lost consciousness and was knocked unconscious by a rafter.

At this time, Osaka had barely restored order, and Kiyoyasu Ataka, one of Nobuo's three elders, miraculously escaped danger once again. Hijikata Okuhisa went to Kyoto to take care of Mori Komatsu-hime, while Takigawa Otoshi went to Ueno to arrange Takigawa Ichiji's succession and granted him the official position of Ueno-suke.

As for Nobuo's retainers, Kawamura Nagayoshi, Maeda Toshiie, and Nagano Nobukatsu, they were all dug out of the rubble, all severely injured. Unable to see or speak, they could only lie on their beds, awaiting their fate.

Only Mori Terumoto was unharmed. As the entire rammed earth platform collapsed and the palace split apart, he took the opportunity to fall onto the collapsed surface. Although he was eventually knocked unconscious and his face was swollen, he was only covered with a layer of loose soil. After two hours of heavy rain washed away the loose soil, he regained consciousness and called for help by the ditch.

With him, a proper elder of the Oda clan, in charge, the rescue work was finally able to be coordinated and carried out smoothly.

The person everyone was most concerned about, Nobuo Oda, was finally found on the afternoon of the second day of the excavation and rescue operation, in a crack more than ten meters deep in the rammed earth platform. He was already beyond dead, suffocated to death by being covered by a large amount of mud.

His body was swollen and bleeding from all seven orifices; his death was extremely gruesome. Upon seeing his beloved son-in-law in such a state, Mori Terumoto broke down in tears on the spot.

Furthermore, the monk Oda Saburo was never found. Three days had passed since the earthquake, and a five-year-old child had not eaten or drunk anything for three days. One can imagine what the outcome would be.

But Mori Terumoto, still lying in the ruins, refused to give up, insisting on a thorough excavation and meticulously sifting through every single basket of soil from the entire collapsed area.

Other adults, some dead, some alive, were dug out one after another, and another day passed. In the pit two meters to the right of where Oda Nobuo's body was found, the body of the monk Oda Saburo was finally discovered. The condition of the young children was even more exaggerated than Nobuo's; it was truly indescribable.

Mori Terumoto, the only surviving retainer, instantly realized that a major upheaval was imminent. The simultaneous deaths of the vigorous Oda Nobukatsu and his legal heir would cause immense turmoil, regardless of who succeeded him.

After all, Nobukatsu's core forces, including the Obari Fuyoshi and the western garrisons, suffered heavy losses in this massive earthquake, with the death toll in the entire Kinai region likely not falling below 100,000. Nearly 20,000 died in and around Osaka Castle, and Nobukatsu's military forces were severely crippled.

The losses are greater than those from a decisive battle. Many families are wiped out, and the loss of samurai families with their own traditions and training means one less family of hereditary soldiers to serve.

Relying solely on recruited foot soldiers and miscellaneous troops is insufficient to win a war. If these soldiers can cheer and applaud from behind, then they've already paid their lord. In a real battle, it will take the samurai class, willing to sacrifice their strength, to serve.

The Oda clan's motley crew, formed over decades, suffered heavy losses first in the Nijō Incident in Kyoto, and then again in the Tenshō Earthquake. The foundation of the Oda clan's rule over the country was already unstable.

What should we do now?

An heir? Needless to say, Mori Terumoto's only heir was the child in the womb of his adopted daughter, Mori Komatsu. As long as that child was a boy, he would be Nobuo's undisputed legitimate heir.

What if it's a girl?

The situation will become even more unpredictable. Narita Kaihime and her son have been brought under the control of Mori Terumoto. But how they will be used, or rather, whether they will be used at all, remains to be seen.

That boy, whose position was extremely awkward, had reached a crossroads in his destiny. And his fate was not in his own hands, but rather controlled by the chess players standing before him.

In conclusion, the news of the deaths of Oda Nobukatsu and Oda Saburo could not have been concealed. It's highly unlikely that a five-year-old child, especially one who had met with numerous feudal lords in public and formal settings, could have impersonated them.

Not all of Nobuo and Saburo-hoshi's close retainers are dead, so forget about impersonating them. Let's first inform all the feudal lords of this important news, and also include the news that Princess Mori Komatsu will give birth in two months.

This can be considered a relief; once Princess Komatsu gives birth to a son, everything will be alright. The Mori family, in particular, will see their situation improve dramatically.

In the power vacuum, Terumoto Mori experienced a sense of exhilaration, feeling like he owned the entire country. As the adoptive father of Komatsu Mori, the father-in-law of Nobukatsu, and simultaneously a senior retainer of the Oda clan, Terumoto Mori miraculously and temporarily seized control of the entire Oda clan's central government.

With other elders either dead or wounded, the three young retainers, already inferior in status and power, had lost Oda Nobukatsu's almost unconditional support and trust. They were simply unable to quickly seize and control the government, and were at a disadvantage almost immediately.

Kawamura Nagayoshi, Maeda Toshiie, and Nagano Nobukatsu were all seriously injured, but although they were treated and their lives were temporarily saved, such severe injuries meant they could live today but die tomorrow. With Oda Nobukatsu having lost his supreme personnel authority, Mori Terumoto had effectively become the mouthpiece of the Oda regime.

Just like Hojo was to the Kamakura Shogunate.

Fortunately, after more than twenty days, Maeda Toshiie fully recovered. Known as "the left-hand man of the spear," Toshiie was indeed the strongest among the elders. Although he was unable to manage affairs for long due to fractures in his right arm and ribs, the Owari Fuyoshi finally had a core figure on the table.

Maeda Toshiie goes without saying. He was Oda Nobunaga's page and attendant, the most typical Owari Fubukiyo. He was the kind of "pureblood" who would run after Nobunaga when he was dressed as a woman and eating melons in the street.

Faced with Mori Terumoto's de facto seizure of power, Maeda Toshiie immediately stepped forward to counterattack. Clearly, Toshiie also recognized this as his best opportunity to expand his influence among the Owari hereditary officials. With the successive deaths of veteran retainers such as Niwa Nagahide, Takigawa Kazumasu, and Hashiba Hideyoshi, Maeda Toshiie had become a leading figure in the Owari hereditary system.

Of course, there's also Kawamura Chokichi, a pure-blooded Owari genshita, but he has four broken ribs and is still lying in bed. Kawamura Chokichi, unable to get up, is essentially dead.

In less than a month, a de facto "split" and "opposition" emerged in the central government of the Oda regime. With the pregnant Mōri Komitsuki and her child Narita Kaihime both under the control of Mōri Terumoto, who held the moral high ground, he gained the upper hand.

Looking back at Edo in the distant Kanto region, Tokugawa Ieyasu trembled upon receiving news of the Great Kanto Earthquake, in which Nobuo and the monk Saburo perished, and even the chief retainer of the Oda clan, Hashiba Hideyoshi, was killed.

On the same day, Dapeng rose from the wind and lifted up to 90,000 miles.

The world, the world—the opportunity to seize the world seemed to have suddenly appeared before him. In terms of strength, he possessed over 800,000 koku of rice; in terms of rank, he was a member of the Oda clan's inner circle and was currently serving as the supreme commander of the Taira clan; in terms of status, although not a senior retainer, he was still an important figure assisting the court.

When Nobuo was re-elected as a chief retainer, Ieyasu almost won. After the deaths of Niwa Nagahide and Takigawa Kazumasu, there were rumors that he would be elected in a by-election.

What a pity! If he had been a substitute back then, he might have had a real chance now.

Desperately suppressing all his emotions, Tokugawa Ieyasu sent men to his former territories of Mikawa and Tōtōmi overnight to inform the local lords and retainers to allocate some of their stored grain to Owari to aid the troops of the Taira clan serving as the Taira army in Nago Castle.

At the same time, he urgently dispatched envoys to the Kinai region to inquire about the candidate for the next Grand Chancellor. A country cannot be without a ruler for even a day; this reasoning was perfectly justified. Even though Mori Terumoto had previously announced that the matter would be discussed after two months, once Princess Komatsu had given birth, he still wanted to inquire.

To bring this matter to the forefront and cause chaos in the central government, a chaotic central government is unable to interfere in the Kwantung region, especially with its 120,000 troops, 800,000 kan of cash, and 400,000 shi of military rations.

Chapter 633 Convening a Meeting to Determine the Successor

With the death of the monk Nobuo Saburo and the fact that Princess Komatsu had not yet given birth, the power vacuum and political chaos that had formed in the Oda clan's central government began to spread without any prompting.

Mori Terumoto expanded his power as a chief retainer, while Maeda Toshiie, as the patriarch of Owari, won over various factions. Miyoshi Nobutaka, Kagawa Nobusumi, and Harada Nobumasa, who had long since lost their right to succession, as well as Hashiba Hidekatsu and Kobayakawa Nobuhira, all rushed to Osaka.

Osaka was the location of Oda Nobukatsu's funeral hall, and the people didn't simply leave his body lying there unattended. After all, the core members of the Owari hereditary generation were still alive, and the Oda family wasn't entirely extinct. In particular, the two chief ministers appointed by Nobunaga were still in power, and Nobukatsu still had an unborn child, so the Owari hereditary generation still had someone to whom they were loyal.

Oda Nobuhisa and Oda Nobushige, however, did not show excessive enthusiasm. Oda Nobuhisa used the excuse of a blizzard in Echigo making travel difficult and temporarily stayed at Takada Castle in Echigo to observe the situation. Oda Nobushige, on the other hand, was leading the Shinano troops to repair the streets of Aizu.

The last military order he received was from Nobukatsu, who asked him to take his place as a vassal and lead the campaign to subdue Aizu, serving as Tokugawa Ieyasu's vice commander.

Disobeying orders and instead running off to do other things would easily give others grounds for criticism. Of course, there might have been other people who advised him, but in any case, Oda Nobushige was still diligently building bridges and roads and did not immediately rush to Osaka.

Harada Nobumasa is Nobuo's older brother, and Miyoshi Nobutaka is Nobuo's younger brother. Although they have effectively lost their right to succession due to being adopted into Nobuo's family, it does not prevent them from returning to fight for power.

As the foundation and core of the entire Oda regime, whoever controlled Owari Fumoyo was essentially in control of the entire country.

The general can be sidelined by the regent, and the regent can be sidelined by the inner court official—a unique Japanese phenomenon that you shouldn't miss.

The sudden upheaval in the Oda clan's rule caught everyone in Japan completely off guard. While Nobukatsu wasn't exactly a model citizen, he was remarkably healthy, inheriting the physical prowess of his father, Oda Nobunaga. He was incredibly agile; when the remnants of the Kitabatake rebellion rose up, he fled much faster than Oda Nobunaga escaped from Kanegasaki.

In terms of footwork alone, Nobuo is far superior to everyone else present. He's in such good physical condition and strictly adheres to the principle of "two dragons never meeting." Even if they did meet, they would be surrounded by tens of thousands of troops, making any trouble impossible.

Then a sudden, massive earthquake completely altered the previously settled situation. People's hearts also changed abruptly; the shift from stability to turmoil happened almost in an instant.

The waters of all of Japan have been muddied by people who couldn't wait to jump in.

When Shichibei regained his senses—not just for five or ten minutes, but to the point where he could sit up from the tatami mat with the help of a cushion, listen to reports, and contemplate decisions—it was January of the fourteenth year of Tensho (1587).

The first month of the fourteenth year of Tensho was chaotic. The New Year's ceremony, which was supposed to be a respectful greeting to Oda Nobukatsu, was not held, but the feudal lords gathered in Osaka instead. After nearly two months of reconstruction, the ruins around the castle were cleared, and the residences were restored.

Only the collapsed rammed earth platform of Osaka Castle still bears witness to the devastating disaster that occurred before.

Both Mori Terumoto's and Maeda Toshiie's residences were packed with guests. Kawamura's residence, however, was relatively quiet, as Shichibei had only just managed to sit up and attend to official business yesterday.

"What's going on outside?" Shichibei still felt pain in his body, not a dull ache, but a clear, piercing pain that went into his muscles, and it was also itchy.

"It's a long story," said Mototsugu Goto, who had come to offer New Year's greetings, shaking his head.

"It looks calm on the surface, but things are already in chaos inside." Watanabe Kanbei was the type to enjoy watching a good show, and his tone inevitably carried some emotion.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Hara Nagayoshi, who had also rushed over from Kumamoto, quickly stopped the group from gossiping.

Let Sanada Masaki and Hiratsuka Tamehiro, who accompanied Shichibei in Osaka at the time, speak and recount all the major and minor events that have happened recently.

There have been so many things happening in the last two months, but the most important thing right now is that Nobuo's wife, Mori Komatsu-hime, is about to give birth.

If a boy is born, the turbulent political situation will be immediately brought under control by the already relatively stable Oda regime.

Regardless of Nobukatsu's personal character, he was the open, legal, and orderly successor to Oda Nobunaga's position as Grand Chancellor. All the feudal lords in the land supported the order he represented and recognized that his bloodline would continue to inherit the power of the land.

But if it's not a boy...

"Ha..." Shichibei listened to the others talk for over an hour, his head throbbing, but he had no choice but to think.

"If the one selected is not a man, then between Lieutenant General Matsushiro and Lieutenant General Takada, who should be chosen?" Hara Nagayori stopped pretending, and everyone was beginning to subtly show signs of taking sides.

Lieutenant General Matsushiro was Oda Nobushige, and Lieutenant General Takada was Oda Nobuhisa. These were both candidates for succession whom Oda Nobunaga had explicitly announced to the whole of Japan. Only these two families still retained the Oda surname; all other Oda samurai were either adopted into other families or changed their surname to Tsuda.

"..." Shichibei didn't answer, he just waved his hand.

Perhaps Hara no Nagayori and the others did not know, but Shichibei was very clear that even if Mori no Komatsuhime did not give birth to a son, Nobuo still had a clear male descendant.

The only difference is their identities. Perhaps we can pull off a switcheroo. We can use Narita Kaihime's son to impersonate Mori Komatsuhime's son.

Of course, this is just Shichibei's personal speculation; it's uncertain whether Mori Terumoto would agree. It's even more uncertain whether the other Oda clan elders and Wakatoshi Ki would be willing to help replace him.

"My lord, my lord, my lord..." Everyone chimed in, suddenly facing such a difficult time, they needed Shichibei to come up with a plan.

"Let's wait until Lady Odai gives birth before we discuss this further." Shichibei had barely regained consciousness; how could he possibly make a decision immediately?

There was no other way, so everyone retreated slightly, but the news that Shichibei had regained consciousness quickly spread within a small circle. Some of the feudal lords and daimyo who had been running around were also secretly coming to "visit the sick."

For example, Shibata Nagakatsu, Ikeda Naomasa, Amago Katsuhisa...