Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Next, Shichibei began to draft a large-scale plan to transfer and bestow titles, and to allow Oda Katsuhoshi Naotomi to be included in the list of Ōmi-hatamoto after the change.

Several others also deserve punishment: Ashikaga Nobuyoshi and Hashiba Hideie, who were captured. Ashikaga Nobuyoshi abandoned his mother and siblings to join the Eastern Army. Although he didn't play a significant role, his actions were egregious, setting a terrible example in Osaka and Kyoto.

Many people were swayed by his departure, seeing the eldest son of a former general running away, and thus they too fled Osaka and Kyoto.

Since he set a bad example, he was clearly the "chief culprit." Even after his arrest, Ashikaga Princess and Ashikaga Yoshiaki pleaded for his life, but their influence was not as great as that of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had many powerful vassals pleading for him.

Therefore, Shichibei believed that he should be sentenced to seppuku, since the Ashikaga Yoshihide family had other sons, and more than one. He wasn't the head of the Ashikaga main family, and sparing him from beheading was already a favor to Ashikaga Princess.

Next is Hashiba Hideie, a man historically renowned for his unparalleled loyalty and righteousness. However, in this world, he committed a grave crime by spreading rumors that Shichibei, ostensibly gathering the western troops for Oda Nobuo's funeral, was actually plotting to kill the eastern troops.

It was because he falsely claimed during the Koyama assessment that Shichibei was sending cavalry to kill the Eastern Kingdom troops that the Eastern Kingdom troops, instigated by certain individuals, rose up in droves, elected Oda Nobushige as their leader, and launched a counterattack on the Kinai region.

He had no one to plead for him. If Tadaya Ukita were here, he might say a few words. After all, Tadaya and his brother Naoie were truly brothers with an unbreakable bond; they had weathered storms together, built their business together, and experienced great hardships together.

As for Ukita Nagaie, he had long found Hashiba Hideie an eyesore. The previous generation had a close bond, and he had grown up by Oda Nobunaga's side since childhood, so his close relationships were with Nobunaga's pagemen, and he had very little affection for Hideie.

In the end, he only left Shichibei with one sentence: "Don't kill him." If he killed Hideie, he wouldn't be able to explain it to his father when he got back.

That means he's definitely going to be exiled to Hachijojima Island, or even Oki Island. He should be grateful if he can at least keep his life.

There are two other troublesome figures: Harada Nobumasa and Takeda Nobufusa. Logically, Takeda Nobufusa, by colluding with Tokugawa Ieyasu and surrendering Sunpu and Kakegawa, causing the natural barrier of the Oi River and the strategically important town of Kakegawa to fall, should have been beheaded. However, he was, after all, Oda Nobunaga's own son and inherited the prestigious Takeda clan of the Minamoto family.

Harada Nobumasa is relatively easy to deal with; he merely colluded with the rebels and was neither the "chief culprit" nor did he commit any major crimes. After the change of allegiance, Harada Nobumasa is relatively easy to handle. He can be given 10,000 or 20,000 koku of rice and sent far away to Kyushu or Mutsu.

As for Takeda Nobufusa, after much deliberation, he still decided to kill him, and not just kill him, but behead him. If he didn't use his head to intimidate the world, people would still think that rebellion was a trivial matter.

Of course, this point can be discussed further, depending on who pleads for leniency. If the person who pleads is influential enough, it's not impossible to change the sentence to exile in Hokkaido.

Mori Tadamasa, who had previously come to pay his respects and beg for Shichibei's help, would also have his fief reduced to 10,000 koku and be sent to Kyushu or the western provinces for resettlement. His father, Mori Yoshinari, truly had a life-saving relationship with Shichibei, which was a blessing in disguise for him.

Takayama Shigetomo, who didn't plead much with Shichibei, was Nobunaga's son-in-law. He truly loved Nobunaga and sided with Nobunaga's eldest son, Nobutada. Between Oda Nobushige and Oda Katsuhoshi, he chose Oda Katsuhoshi, a decision he made without regret; defeat was defeat.

He was merely a thief; Shichibei's plan was to first provide him and his core retainers with 5,000 koku of grain. What happened after that was another matter. They couldn't let the daughter and grandson of the Great God of the Heavenly Realm be reduced to farming, could they?

Everyone else has been dealt with; they are generally not completely wiped out.

Before the war, Yamagata Masamitsu was promised the entire province of Shinano, and aside from the 50,000 koku granted to the Sanada clan, the remaining 400,000 koku would still be transferred to him. Although this brother-in-law made Shichibei somewhat unhappy, there was no doubt that the promise would be kept.

The Sanada clan retained its 50,000 koku, and an additional 150,000 koku was taken from the province of Ueno in Takigawa, thus dividing the Sanada clan in two. Sanada Nobuyuki received 100,000 koku from Ueno, and Sanada Nobushige received 100,000 koku from Ueno Numata, and each became a daimyo.

The Takigawa family received a minor punishment as a warning, and Takigawa Kazumasu's favor had been exhausted. If Takigawa wanted to use any more "volunteer soldier" tricks in the future, there would be no room for sentimentality.

Several key points: This time, Shichibei will also be replaced by one of their own.

Goto Mototsugu was granted 170,000 koku in Suruga Province; Watanabe Ryo was granted 180,000 koku in Awa Province; Todo Takatora was granted 150,000 koku in Totomi and Hamamatsu Province; and Kajikichi Nagayoshi was granted 100,000 koku in Totomi and Kakegawa Province. Hara Nagayori was granted 150,000 koku in Mikawa and Yoshida Province, and Tamaru Naomasa was further granted 140,000 koku in Mikawa and Okazaki Province.

Kagawa Nobusumi was transferred from Buzen Province with a fief of 300,000 koku to Owari Province with a fief of 490,000 koku (excluding Sakuma Nobumori and Narumi's 10,000 koku).

Kobayakawa Takakage and his son Nobuhira, who had been granted 300,000 koku in Chikugo Province, were transferred to Mino Province with 450,000 koku. Additionally, 50,000 koku were allocated to Iwamura, and Kuwayama Ichiharu was placed there.

Tsuda Nobu-ji was granted an additional 230,000 koku in Mino-Kana to 400,000 koku in Musashi-Edo. Amago Ujihisa was granted an additional 70,000 koku in Musashi-Kawagoe. Ukita Motoie, a brother of Ukita Nagaie, was granted an additional 70,000 koku in Musashi-Matsuyama.

Takikawa Otoshi was granted the title of Musashi Oshi with 250,000 koku; Hijikata Okuhisa was granted the title of Kai Province with 250,000 koku; Ataka Oyasu was granted the title of Sanuki Province with 170,000 koku; Ataka Kiyoyasu was granted the title of Izu Province with 70,000 koku; and Nagano Nobukatsu was granted the title of Sagami Province with 190,000 koku.

The father and son, Kōzuki Tomomasa and Nagamasa, were granted an additional 450,000 koku of land in Ise Province; Takenaka Shigeharu was granted an additional 100,000 koku of land in Iga Province; and Sanada Masaki was granted an additional 150,000 koku of land in Harima Province.

Tokugawa Takechiyo was transferred to Bungo County with a fief of 200,000 koku, plus an additional 100,000 koku in the two districts of Bunzen.

Kawamura Nagayoshi was granted 300,000 koku of land in Chikugo Province and 200,000 koku in Hyuga Province.

There were also some transfers, reductions, and changes in fiefdoms, but these were all actions outside of the imperial domain. The main issue was a major matter involving Hatakeyama Nobutaka's transfer of a fiefdom of 250,000 koku to Kawachi province, which needed to be discussed with the senior retainers.

Shichibei didn't leave Osaka Castle; instead, he stayed at the Sannomaru Palace, leaving his eldest son, Kawamura Nobuyoshi, at the Kawamura residence below the castle, thus maintaining coordination between the inside and outside. Then, he summoned Hatakeyama Nobutaka, asking if he had gotten anything out of his argument with those old men since returning to Osaka.

Upon seeing Shichibei residing in the Sannomaru district of Osaka, Hatakeyama Nobutaka showed neither dissatisfaction nor delight; in fact, he appeared somewhat pleased. However, he had gradually learned to conceal his emotions, merely paying respects to Shichibei before continuing to make his demands.

He wants to become a family elder or a royal attendant!

His elder brother, Nobuo, had originally planned it this way: let him grow for another two years, first as a close associate like a member of the inner circle. Then, after gaining experience, he would become a senior retainer, serving as Nobuo's mouthpiece and trusted supporter among the retainers.

"What? You want to challenge me to a duel?" Shichibei sensed that Hatakeyama Nobutaka was now quite composed and at ease.

It's unclear whether his older brother Nobuyuki's death caused him to mature so quickly, or whether he had truly come of age and unleashed the political maneuvering skills that these old nobles were most adept at.

"It's not just about you, but also about everyone else. You and I don't disagree on everything." During his time in Osaka, Nobutaka Hatakeyama truly felt the need for an official position within the government, and it couldn't be a minor one.

His position as a retainer, Nagato no Kami, was more like a status symbol within the system. In reality, his role within the government was simply that of a member of the Imperial Guard or a member of the High House.

He wasn't much different from Hosokawa Rokuro of the Hosokawa family, or Shiba Yoshigami of the Shiba Takee family. The only difference was that he held the title of governor of a province, while the other two families were more like decorative figures kept by the Oda family.

"That's true." For a moment, Shichibei thought it wouldn't be bad if Hatakeyama Nobutaka were really his biological son.

What a pity, he was the son of Akihiro Hatakeyama.

Judging from the current situation, Hatakeyama Nobutaka is still quite intelligent and willing to use his brain. He's truly incapable of fighting and expanding the territory. However, he might not be too difficult to maintain the status quo and seek a political balance in the quagmire of Osaka's politics.

“If that’s the case, why can’t I?” Hatakeyama Nobutaka was a hereditary successor of the Oda clan, but not a true successor of the Owari clan.

After Mori Terumoto became a chief retainer and Hijikata Osamu, a former retainer of the Kitabatake clan, became a middle-aged retainer, the barriers to his appointment to these positions disappeared.

"Let's give it a try." Shichibei had a fairly high chance of pushing Hatakeyama Nobutaka forward, but he couldn't say for sure.

In addition, Shichibei needs to consider the consequences of bringing Hatakeyama Nobutaka up with him. He needs to carefully calculate whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks or vice versa.

"Besides me, who else can you recommend for the ascent of the castle?" Hatakeyama Nobutaka smiled slightly, displaying considerable confidence.

The newly promoted lords will inevitably be tasked with pacifying new acquaintances within their territories, and cannot fully dedicate themselves to the power struggles in Osaka's central government. As for Shichibei's old friends and comrades, many are qualified, but few are truly of one mind.

For example, Shibata Nagakatsu could be one, or Hachiya Yoritaka could be another, but to be honest, they might not be good allies in Osaka, fighting alongside Shichibei.

While Nobutaka Hatakeyama wouldn't always listen to Shichibei, he could still cooperate with him on certain matters.

As soon as he finished speaking, a sudden idea popped into Shichibei's mind. This was an idea Shichibei had never considered before, and now that it had suddenly appeared, especially in front of Hatakeyama Nobutaka, he felt compelled to speak it out.

Early English parliamentary monarchy also incorporated elements of aristocratic republic and elective monarchy.

Chapter 667 Taking it step by step and planning ahead

The British approach, well, it had fertile ground in Japan, a country with a long tradition of figurehead monarchs. However, it faced a significant problem in terms of its practicality. Because Japan is still a geographically defined region influenced by East Asian culture, it lacked the atmosphere of an aristocratic republic.

Or perhaps it existed in the past, but it certainly doesn't exist now. Everyone wants to seize power, to implement arbitrary politics with swift retribution, and to suppress all those who covet power.

As for titles and positions that grant power, whether it's the Shogun, the Kanpaku Taige (chief advisor to the emperor), or even a Kanrei (chief advisor to the emperor) or Naikkanrei (chief advisor to the emperor), it doesn't matter. All that matters is having a title that controls the entire country. When the Ming Dynasty officially recognized Hideyoshi as King of Japan, he made it clear that he was a king in Japan who would simply become king if he so desired.

To outsiders, he is called the Great Prince of Japan or the King of Japan; but internally, he is addressed by many different names.

However, the Japanese do aspire to establish a unified monarchy, and this aspiration is widespread. While there are many feudal lords who only care about the survival of their own families within their own small territories, there are also many ambitious men who aspire to unify the world and unite Japan.

Establishing a figurehead emperor is fine, even electing a king is acceptable, for example, the Kamakura Shogunate welcomed a prince to serve as the Shogun. Later, they elected a Tokuso (or Tokuso-shogun), initially only members of the Hojo clan's direct line could serve as Tokuso, but later even members of collateral branches could serve as Tokuso.

However, restoring the system of council members among the gokenin (retainers of the imperial family), or what is known as a noble republic, would be far too difficult. The Kamakura shogunate itself could not even maintain the system of council members among the gokenin, let alone the samurai lords at present.

After all, powerful figures like Date, Satake, and Shimazu had strengths around 500,000 koku, while the hereditary retainers and senior retainers, Maeda Toshiie and Nagano Nobukatsu, only had strengths of 100,000 to 200,000 koku.

Under such circumstances, infighting is bound to break out, and the system will be difficult to maintain for long.

Unless someone can first wreak havoc and subdue all the forces, creating a relatively balanced situation, and then this person also has the integrity to retire gracefully without clinging to power, and is willing to discuss and govern with everyone, thus establishing the fundamental system of consultation among the former shogunate's retainers.

Furthermore, the system cannot be established and then abandoned; it must be stable for at least twenty years, allowing a generation to fully adapt. Ideally, the next generation should also maintain a stable system of council members for twenty years, without encroaching on the power of the junior members or establishing separate members.

It might take about forty years, two generations, to fully restore the aristocratic republic of the pre-shogunate era. However, it will also require periodically suppressing those who attempt to centralize power and establish a single authority. Sufficient prestige and power are needed to maintain a balance until it becomes the norm.

and many more!

Isn't that describing me?

It's a pity that Shichibei isn't a young man in his twenties or thirties anymore; he's a full forty-one by the traditional Chinese age reckoning. Whether he can have another twenty years or more to solidify the Gokenin (family members) council system is certainly questionable.

As for whether Kawamura Nobuyoshi, as Shichibei's successor, would be willing to maintain the status quo, or whether he would follow the example of the Kamakura Shogunate's Hojo clan by establishing his own inner court and abandoning the various institutions and systems of the Shogunate, thus creating a shogunate-led dictatorship, that was even more unpredictable.

Never mind, Shichibei can't do that for now.

Osaka is not yet completely under Shichibei's control; the others are still doing everything in their power to seize control and establish themselves as the sole rulers. Clearly, they are still highly motivated and have not yet lost all their strength.

Hatakeyama Nobutaka was still full of fighting spirit, determined to defend Oda Katsufuji's position as Grand Chancellor. Mori Terumoto and Narita Uchinaga also aspired to become influential figures in the future government. Not to mention the other chief retainers and middle-aged elders, all of whom had their own ambitions.

"Our lord wishes to divide us into fiefdoms, which would essentially give us a country. However, each of us would only be able to govern a million people, and we would be relegated to the remote part of Kyushu. This is not a good idea," said Tōdō Takatora as he entered after Hatakeyama Nobutaka had left.

"Hmm?" Only by building up a strong defense could Shichibei have loyal followers in Osaka, who would cheer him on loudly.

“The imperial ration is over three million koku…” Todo Takatora sat down and glanced at Takenaka Shigeharu, who had also sat down.

It was clear that Takenaka Shigeharu had also thought of this matter and was preparing to discuss it with Shichibei, but Todo Takatora spoke first.

Hearing their words, Shichibei had actually anticipated it, having previously said he couldn't ask his retainers first. Their attitude was definitely inclined towards supporting Shichibei's seizure of power.

Compared to being granted a fief of 100,000 or 200,000 koku, it was clearly more appealing to support Shichibei as the new ruler of the land, with them becoming chief retainers in charge of the government.

They mentioned that Oda's fiefdom was worth over three million koku, hoping to weaken the strength of the main Oda clan through this transfer and conferment of fiefdoms.

Look, you're in a hurry again.

If he were to weaken Oda Ujimune's strength right now, he would immediately become the target of everyone's anger, and even Hatakeyama Nobutaka would immediately become a complete adversary of Shichibei.

Because Oda Nobuo's death was so sudden, no one in Japan was actually prepared to seize the highest power in the country and become the new ruler of Japan.

Historically, the Toyotomi clan elders, including Tokugawa Ieyasu, clearly began preparing to seize power only after seeing that Toyotomi Hideyoshi had become senile and demented, killed Toyotomi Hidetsugu's entire family, and forcibly installed Toyotomi Hideyori.

If the crown prince chosen had remained Toyotomi Hidetsugu, even if Hidetsugu had been just an ordinary, mediocre man, Tokugawa Ieyasu would most likely not have rebelled.

Hideyoshi couldn't even grasp the most basic principle of understanding Kuniyorinaga.

Therefore, although major events such as the conflict between the Oda Katsuhoshi faction and the Oda Nobushige faction, and the uprising of Oda Nobushige and Tokugawa Ieyasu have occurred, everyone's attitude remains that they are vying for power within the framework of the Oda regime, rather than trying to replace it.

If we rush to strengthen the power of the Oda clan's main branch now, we will immediately incur the hostility of all the feudal lords in the land. Many people haven't yet come to terms with the reality that the Oda clan's main branch has been significantly weakened.

Historically, when Tokugawa Ieyasu changed the Western Army lords and bestowed titles upon the Eastern Army generals, he was rewarding the three armies in the name of Toyotomi Hideyori. The lands that Toyotomi Hideyoshi originally intended to distribute to the lords were actually Kurani.

Moreover, despite the significant promotions bestowed upon figures such as Kato Kiyomasa, Fukushima Masanori, Kuroda Nagamasa, and Asano Nagamasa, the Toyotomi family's power was not actually weakened.

If Ieyasu had been unable to restrain himself and had launched the Siege of Osaka in the second year after the Battle of Sekigahara, then the Toyotomi daimyo would not have hesitated to raise an army to defend Osaka.

In fact, it took Ieyasu more than a decade to complete his usurpation of power and to prepare for the elimination of his former lord, the Toyotomi family.

As for Shichibei, let alone how he should govern in the future, or even how he should conduct himself, he doesn't have a clear and complete plan. He hasn't even fully decided which faction to eliminate, which to win over, and which to ignore right now.

"You're all in too much of a hurry." Shichibei gestured to Todo Takatora to stop thinking about it and focus on preparing to marry Oda Nobuo and Mori Komatsuhime's eldest daughter.

He will soon become the ruler of a country, and there will be no problem for him to marry the legitimate daughter of the entire nation. A planned marriage at age 30 to 4 is not considered too outrageous in Japan.

It would be perfectly normal for a forty-year-old monarch to marry a fourteen-year-old wife, anywhere in the world.

"This..." Todo Takatora had not yet evolved into the kind of person who, in his forties or fifties, participated in the major political affairs of the Tokugawa Shogunate and even played an important role in the disintegration of Honda Masazumi's power.

"Besides, some things can be done slowly." Shichibei was calm and composed.

Many people only care that Narita Ujō became the lord of Hokusho in Echizen, with a fief of 250,000 koku, and as the maternal grandfather of Oda Katsuhoshi, he had the power to participate in the government in effect.