Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

He had an ordinary appearance, unlike the venerable monk Zeyan who exuded the air of a highly respected master. Instead, he had the air of a martial artist, with calloused palms, clearly the result of years of sword and spear training.

Come to think of it, Kizuki Tomomasa was a successor forced into the Kitabatake family, and Kizuki Toshishige's sons and nephews have only become monks in the last few years. Before that, they were probably all trained as samurai, learning to read and write, and engaging in murder and arson.

Now they're just chanting Amitabha Buddha's name while preparing to kill and commit arson.

Shichibei had no idea that the person before him was the future Takigawa Yutoshi; he simply considered him a hostage. "Let's talk," he thought, "I need to ask about the Kizaki family's situation and verify their identities."

Previously, he had sent a dozen or so men to northern Ise to act as merchants, and they had gathered a lot of miscellaneous information. After a detailed conversation with Genju Gen, they found that he spoke eloquently and had a good understanding of the situation in northern Ise. He was also very familiar with the wealthy families such as the Mokuzuki family, the Kobe family, and the Seki family.

Okay, I believe you.

Master, you may stay at Kawamura-ya. Whenever Nobunaga marches his troops into northern Ise, you will join him in fighting back against the Mokuzaki family. Shichibei will present this matter to Nobunaga later, explaining the reasons.

We also need to make it clear to Nobunaga about the 1,000 kan, and Minamoto no Jōshūgen is also a witness, indicating that we really spent that much.

Takigawa Kazumasu and Minamoto no Jōshūgen were asked to go and rest. Shichibei also summoned Nanbu Sanenaga, asking him to take his son and carry 1,000 kan to Kitaseki Castle. Shichibei wasn't comfortable entrusting such a large sum of money to anyone else. A seasoned and experienced man from his hometown would surely take good care of it.

"Isn't the master afraid that I'll run away with a thousand kan?" That old man Nanbu Saneatsu, really, he scared Shichibei for no reason.

"Then run away. If you run away, Kawamura-ya will be missing a headman." Shichibei patted the old man's arm and pulled over an abacus.

"Poor thing, an old man like me still has to do this heavy work..." Nanbu Saneyoshi didn't bother to calculate, while playing the victim and looking at the thousand kan of coins that had already been exchanged for gold.

“You eat more than I do, how are you old? A ‘young person’ like you should be taking on more responsibilities.”

How can someone in their fifties be considered old? They're not even considered elderly; they're clearly in their prime working years. The first spring of their life and career has just begun, and the best days are yet to come.

"..." Nanbu Sanenaga turned to look at Shichibei, his eyes showing more white than black.

"Oh dear." Shichibei turned and left. "You're busy, you're busy."

I need to report to Nobunaga, and I'm sure Takigawa Kazumasu will too. The advance arrangements in northern Ise were originally his responsibility, with Shichibei assisting him.

After hastily finishing the report, Shichibei signed his name and handed it to a servant. He then set off for Gifu with two horses. He also took twenty more horses to Takenaka Hanbei, who was halfway there, as he needed more animal power to traverse the roads.

After completing this process, Takikawa Kazumasu prepared to depart. He needed to personally negotiate with Kizuki Tomomasa, since the Kizuki family was a wealthy and powerful clan from a large country, with half of Ichishi District under their control, and a minimum income of 10,000 koku, not to mention 15,000.

Moreover, as a collateral branch of the Murakami Genji's middle lineage, the Mokizuki family is registered with the Imperial Court. Starting from the fifth rank, they are a prestigious family qualified to become a junior third-rank councilor.

Even if Nobunaga were to plead with the Imperial Court now, they wouldn't grant him the rank of Junior Third Rank Councilor and Left Vice-General of the Imperial Guard. However, Minamoto no Jōshū Gen's father, based solely on seniority, rose to Junior Third Rank in just twenty years. While this couldn't compare to the five Fujiwara regents in Kyoto, it was incredibly fast for a regional leader.

Before setting off, Takigawa Kazumasu and Shichibei agreed on a secret code. If the person he sent back revealed the code, Shichibei was instructed to follow it precisely. If the code was not revealed, then he should believe nothing.

As expected of Takikawa Kazumasu, he acts with considerable method. After all, when going out to carry out reconnaissance or instigate rebellions, being captured, kidnapped, or betrayed is commonplace. It's only natural to have a backup plan.

Furthermore, Kazumasu also asked Shichibei to send someone to Anokatsu to prepare a boat for him—a boat that could be set sail at any time, so that he could easily escape.

This was also crucial. Shichibei pointed to a retainer and instructed Takigawa Kazumasu to memorize his face. The two exchanged names, confirmed the location, and Takigawa Kazumasu set off. Shichibei also gave the retainer some silver and told him to go find Ito, the big boss, to hire a boat and sail to Anotsu to wait.

If Takigawa Kazumasu returns safely, then we'll send someone to call him back. If Takigawa Kazumasu doesn't return safely, then we'll have another backup plan.

Only in this way can we say that this matter has come to an end.

Watching Takigawa Kazumasu and Nanbu Sanenaga leave, Minamoto no Jōshu Gen was quite pleased, and he pulled Shichibei aside to chat. He said that he was leading the Kizuki family to abandon their evil ways and join the righteous cause. He had heard that Nobunaga had entered Inabayama Castle, and he had decided that Nobunaga was a great lord. Now that he had joined Nobunaga, he could at least curry favor, not only protect his family, but perhaps even advance further.

His idea was actually a common practice in Japan's Sengoku period: a minor branch of the main branch would take over the main branch. The Nobunaga family was just a branch of a branch, but now he had managed to make it the main branch of the Oda clan. He had defeated the Iwakura Oda, Kiyosu Oda, and Inuyama Oda, successfully completing the process of transforming from a minor branch to a main branch and becoming the "direct descendant".

The Kizukuri family is a collateral branch of the Kitabatake family of the Murakami Genji's middle branch. So what if Kizukuri Tomomasa is Kitabatake Tomonori's younger brother?

Oda Nobukatsu was Oda Nobunaga's younger brother, from the same parents.

Now that the Mokuzo family has allied themselves with Oda, if they can use this opportunity to become the leader of the Northern faction, they can not only suppress the long-time enemy, the Nagano Kudo family, but also further intimidate the main family, the Kitabatake family.

Perhaps one day, Kizuki Tomomasa will transform into Kitabatake Tomomasa, and Minamoto no Kigen might change his name to Kizuki So-and-so, becoming the head of the Kizuki family and enjoying a stipend of tens of thousands of koku. In that case, everyone will have a bright future.

As for Kitabatake Tomokyo, those who are out of touch with reality are destined to be eliminated during Japan's Sengoku period.

That sounds nice, but isn't it just about bringing in external forces, taking money from rival groups, and then rebelling against your own people? Why make it sound so nice? But Shichibei certainly wouldn't show it outwardly; his joining Oda was considered an act of "admiration for the emperor's rule."

However, Minamoto no Jōshū Gen was quite insightful. Firstly, he could see that Nobunaga was eyeing Ise, and secondly, while others were still observing or holding a hostile attitude, he encouraged Kizuki Tomomasa to make contact with Oda Nobunaga.

Someone with such insight should have made a name for themselves during the Warring States period.

Perhaps it was because his Buddhist name wasn't well-known, or perhaps it was because in another dimension's history he only used that name for a few years before returning to secular life and adopting the name "Muzou Moumou." Therefore, in the end, no records were left of Yuan Jingzhu Xuan.

In addition, he was being a bit too optimistic. He thought that if he led the Oda clan to defeat the main branch of the Kitabatake clan, the Kitabatake clan would be inherited by Kizuki Tomomasa.

Clever, yet not clever.

As if to confirm Shichibei's conjecture, Nobunaga's fourth brother, Oda Nobukatsu (who was most likely called Oda Nobuyoshi at this time, but since he changed his name several times, let's use the one that everyone is familiar with), was ordered to come to Tsushima with Nobunaga's reply.

Xinbao is nineteen years old this year, which is perfectly within the age range where he can serve in the military. These days, there are plenty of people who are fifteen or sixteen years old and already carrying guns and fighting in the war. Of course, nineteen is not too late either; it's just a range.

Upon seeing Shichibei, Oda Nobukatsu first respectfully handed over Nobunaga's reply, and then sat down to Shichibei's left, behaving very properly.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the letter was from Nobunaga's brother; Nobunaga had many brothers, some of whom rebelled and committed murder. Frankly speaking, these days, guarding against a brother with inheritance rights is about the same as guarding against a countryman who's always ready to rebel.

To this day, Nobunaga has neither formed a retainer group for Nobuyuki nor bestowed upon him any fiefdom. Although he is listed among the Oda no Kōichi-mon, his status cannot be compared to that of Shichibei, who is a senior retainer.

In any case, since Nobunaga is holding a meeting of his senior retainers, Oda Nobukatsu is not qualified to attend for the time being.

When Takeda Shingen convened a meeting of his senior retainers, his younger brother, Kawakubo Nobuzane, did not attend because his rank was insufficient. He was inferior not only to his other brother, Takeda Nobukazumi, but even to the generals of the foot soldiers. Matsuo Nobu was even worse off; he fought for Shingen until his death, yet Shingen only granted him 397 kanmon as a reward.

Having many brothers, but lacking ability, like a dragon with a saddle, will only leave behind a record of a palace that, while not very capable, has extremely ornate saddlery.

Unfolding Nobunaga's handwritten letter, two things came up. One was a request for Shichibei to keep a close eye on the movements of the northern forces, and to report to him at the slightest sign of trouble. Daily reports were fine, but Nobunaga eagerly awaited Shichibei's letter.

Another task was to thoroughly understand the situation of each family in northern Ise, to see which family could be subdued by Oda, and then to insert the Oda letter package in front of them into the family, making them a spies planted by the Oda clan in northern Ise.

Compared to the fickle nature of the Chinese people, Oda Nobukaku is probably more credible.

Regardless of which family Nobuhaku inherits, he will need Nobunaga's support to secure his position as head of the family. Before fully consolidating the power of the family he inherits, Nobuhaku will certainly not dare to harbor any disloyalty towards Nobunaga.

As for what happens after the letter bearer gains control of the household? It doesn't matter if he has disloyal intentions; Nobunaga's idea is to find a powerful local official with a salary of 10,000 to 20,000 koku.

The rebellion of Motomasa against Kitabatake no Tomonori was like inviting a wolf into the house. For Oda Nobunaga, a daimyo with 20,000 koku of rice, to rebel against Oda Nobunaga, who had 1.2 million koku, was likely like throwing an egg against a rock.

Nobunaga was Nobunaga; he had a plan.

"Does Lord Shichibei understand the Lord's meaning?" Although Shichibei's rank in the family was relatively low, he was still Nobunaga's younger brother, and Shichibei still deserved the respect due to him.

"Yes, my elder brother instructed me to quickly grasp the situation in the north and to consult with Lord Kawamura and Takikawa Sakon on all matters." Oda Nobukabe's words were surprisingly gentle and not harsh.

Moreover, he was quite good-looking, with fair and smooth skin. No wonder Toyotomi Hideyoshi saw his daughter and immediately took her into his home as a concubine.

"Understood." Then Shichibei no longer needed to do any mental preparation with Oda Nobunaga.

At this time, Ikeda Tsuneoki was already the lord of Inuyama Castle with a stipend of ten thousand kan (a unit of currency), and Niwa Nagahide, Mori Yoshinari, and others also had stipends of ten thousand kan. These were all ministers who had followed Nobunaga in his campaigns, and each of them had a substantial family fortune.

Don't believe Bao, who thinks he's part of the Oda clan and should start with 10,000 kan, or at least 5,000 kan. If he's that ambitious, Shichibei will have to act as his caretaker and try to comfort him.

They had a core group of retainers as a foundation, and Nobunaga further deployed samurai and distributed them as cavalry, thus enjoying immense wealth. The letter, however, contained nothing but two lackeys.

If he hadn't been born into the rapidly expanding Oda clan, and instead lived under the Takeda clan, he would most likely have started with a stipend of only two or three hundred kan, just like Matsuo Nobu. His salary would then have increased based on his abilities and whether he could be entrusted with important tasks.

"Then what about me?" The letter packet seemed quite eager, seeing that Shichibei put the letter away without saying anything more.

"Let's look at the records first," Shichibei said, leaving only that one sentence.

The main issue is that Nobukatsu has virtually no historical records; he was practically invisible within the Oda clan, even less documented than Tsuda Nobuzumi (Oda Nobukatsu's son). During the Kyoto Uma-mae period, Oda Nobutada had eighty riders, Kitabatake Nobuo had thirty, and Kobe Nobutaka, Nagano Nobukatsu, and Tsuda Nobuzumi each had ten riders, clearly indicating that the three had equal positions within their households.

Therefore, Shichibei would find it difficult to judge the prince's character and abilities, so he decided to observe him for two days to get a general idea before making a decision.

The so-called records were small booklets compiled from news brought back by the shop assistants of the Kawamuraya merchants who had previously gone to Kita-Ise. Shichibei also had his shop assistants traveling to and from Sakai to collect news from the Kinai region, recording everything from major events to minor ones, including rumors. Any important news was then relayed to Nobunaga.

"Huh?" Oda Nobuyoshi was clearly taken aback, but in the end he didn't drag Shichibei around asking him all sorts of questions. He simply took the several notebooks that Shichibei handed him.

Indeed, at least he's not an impatient person, Shichibei thought.

If he were an extremely impatient person, then Shichibei would have to petition Nobunaga to replace him with a younger brother. Even if northern Ise is pacified, it's still a "new territory," and it needs a mature and prudent general to manage it. If they send in an impatient one, he might just force a rebellion next month.

Historically, when Mori Nagayoshi entered Kawanakajima, on one hand, former retainers of the Takeda clan resisted Oda's order to kill them all, and on the other hand, Mori Nagayoshi urgently surveyed his territory, resulting in an immediate uprising of 8,000 men. The Uesugi clan also sent reinforcements, making it a large-scale event. Shortly after, Nobunaga died suddenly, and Mori Nagayoshi found it impossible to remain in northern Shinano, abandoning his territory and fleeing.

Although historically Oda Nobukatsu did not force the local tyrants to rebel, and Oda Nobukatsu was a complete scoundrel, Shichibei had to take this matter seriously since he was in charge.

We don't have Nobunaga's favor.

For the next two days, Oda Nobunaga spent his time reviewing the records, though he wasn't exactly meticulous. He certainly showed patience, which was commendable.

So Shichibei introduced Minamoto no Jōshūgen to him for a chat. As a local strongman in northern Ise, Minamoto no Jōshūgen was a good candidate to test Oda Nobukatsu's "ambition" toward northern Ise.

When Nobunaga sent him, he probably already had someone in mind. This is a good opportunity to test the waters, and Shichibei can also offer some advice.

When Genjuro learned that this was Nobunaga's younger brother, a hint of panic and suspicion flashed in his eyes.

103. Nagano is the optimal solution.

"You are one of the followers of the Northern forces."

Shichibei came over and patted Genjou Gen on the shoulder. Luckily, the monk was sitting, otherwise Shichibei would have been unable to pat his shoulder and could only pat his arm.

"Aww, hahaha, hahahaha..." Genji Genichi was embarrassed because Shichibei had noticed the doubt in his eyes. He also immediately understood what Shichibei meant by those words.

The carpenter was the first to stand up for Nobunaga, so at the very least, Nobunaga must have understood the principle of "spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones." Not only would he not plant anyone in the carpenter's camp, but he would also give the carpenter ample praise and rewards.

Nobunaga was incredibly generous with his money; Sato Tadakatsu was currently holding 4,400 kan in cash and 300 kan for retirement funds, surrounded by women, thoroughly enjoying himself. He was getting on in years anyway; he figured he could just indulge in drinking, gambling, and whoring in his final days and then retire.

In later generations, there was an old man in Taiwan who, at ninety years old, still rode his motorcycle to find prostitutes. He actually got caught, and his son went to the police station to bail him out. The police told him to keep an eye on his father. The son said, "My dad is still happy at ninety; I'm very proud."

Well, that's all there is to it.

Even if Nobunaga sends Oda Nobukatsu to Tsushima now, it's only to get a head start on understanding the situation in northern Ise. There are quite a few well-known and powerful forces in northern Ise, and Nobukatsu can't just randomly choose some impoverished family to inherit the family business.

In this age of fierce competition, how can we expect Nobunaga to just contribute his efforts without earning any money? Oda Nobuhide was so prolific, with twenty or thirty children, and Nobunaga had many brothers, so he definitely needed to find a proper way to make a living.

It's a bit strange, though, why wasn't Oda Nobuhiro sent? As his elder brother who had rebelled against Nobunaga, it would have been quite appropriate for him to be adopted into a prestigious family and stripped of his Oda lineage.

This is probably because, apart from the Oda Danjo-tada branch, most of the other Oda clans had been driven away, leaving the Oda Goichimono clan lacking men. The young and vigorous Oda Nobuhiro is now the head of the Oda Goichimono clan, serving as a samurai general.

During the New Year, Shichibei saw that Oda Nobuhiro's name was preceded by "Nobunaga-no-sa-nee" (Nobunaga's elder brother). In the context of Japanese, this title is considered a very respectful expression.

There's no other way. The main reason why the Oda clan is so powerful right now is that Oda Nobuhiro is old and has enough prestige to keep people in check. He's also a seasoned and experienced warrior.

Nobukatsu was killed for rebelling. Nobukatsu, who is nineteen years old this year, is sitting in front of Shichibei. Originally, Nobunaga's uncle, Oda Nobumitsu, was also a very good scribe of the Goichimono clan, but he was assassinated very "coincidentally" when he was the lord of Kiyosu Castle.

The other uncles included Oda Nobuyasu's son, Oda Nobukiyo, the lord of Inuyama Castle, who was driven out by Nobunaga and went to Kai to live a life of leisure. Oda Nobuzane had already passed away without an heir, and he adopted Nobumitsu's son.

Looking at it this way, it seems that the Nobunaga family is prolific, but not long-lived.

That's not right either, Gou Dongzhai and Xin Xiong were particularly long-lived.

Alright, let's arrange the letter bag matter first. Tongyuan Jingzhu Gen sat down to chat, and the letter bag couldn't wait to inquire about the situation of the Kobe, Nagano Kudo, and Seki families.

Branch families like the branch offices of the Kawakita family, and the branch offices of the Nagano Kudo family, such as the branch offices of the Kawakita family, were not considered by the shogunate. Indeed, the main family only had 15,000 or 20,000 koku of grain. The meager income from the branch families was not worth inheriting.

Upon hearing the question in the letter mentioning the Nagano Kudo family, Gen Minamoto no Jōshūgen immediately changed the subject. The Nagano family was originally considered a powerful clan in the northern region, but in the first year of Eiroku, they accepted Nagano Gutō (Kitabatake Gutōko) as their heir, becoming a de facto subordinate force of the Kitabatake family.