Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Sometimes it's not that the commander-in-chief necessarily has to launch a coordinated attack; it's that a single road cannot bear the weight of tens or hundreds of thousands of people passing through at the same time.

To be fair, Nambu Tadaki was at least eloquent and a true local. He had a fairly good grasp of the geography of Kuwana, Asami, and Enben districts, allowing him to answer Nobunaga's questions readily.

"Your name is Shohiro, right?" Even in the dead of winter, Shinichi still carried that tattered folding fan with him.

"Yes, Shinobu Tadamichi." Nambu Tadamichi immediately bowed his head and replied in a strong voice.

Nobunaga actually quite liked brave and strong samurai. If they were also good-looking, young, agile, and not stupid, he would be happy to mentor them.

"What did Shichibei promise you?" Nobunaga rhythmically tapped his folding fan, prompting Nambu Tadami to look up and speak.

"Keep your skills safe!" Before coming, Shichibei hadn't actually made any promises, but Nambu Kanetsuna had told him that no matter who won or lost, the survival of the family and the safety of one's skills were the most important things.

"Haha, Shichibei really is a small-time merchant, so stingy." Nobunaga laughed at Asai Masatsume and Ishikawa Ienari.

Ishikawa Ienari knew Shichibei and that he came from a merchant background, so he laughed along. Asai Masazumi even asked who Shichibei was, and when he heard that it was Kawamura Shichibei Nagayoshi, a minor character in Sunomata Castle, he nodded. He'd heard he was a merchant's henchman; no wonder he had two thousand kan to support Kinoshita Hideyoshi's castle construction.

"How much skill do you have?" After exchanging a few jokes, Nobunaga asked about Nambu Tadamichi's family fortune.

"1,200 koku of rice at the three farms in Tomita." Nambu Tadami was honest enough not to hide anything.

"After the war, I will grant your family three thousand koku." Nobunaga waved his folding fan and immediately doubled the amount for the Nanbu family, and it was far more than double.

Nanbu Tadamichi's face lit up with joy at those words, and he almost forgot to bow to Nobunaga. Fortunately, Nanbu Kanetsuna and Shichibei had given him instructions beforehand, so he didn't lose his composure in front of Oda Nobunaga. When Nobunaga was in a good mood, he was quite tolerant and wouldn't hold a grudge against a young man.

"Dayi!" He waved his hand, dismissing Nanbu Zhongming.

105. I'll take the lead in providing supplies and tactics (by Wen Mo Tou Guan)

Kazumasu Takigawa returned unharmed, which meant the talks had gone well. The boat he was renting at Anotsu Mori's house could stop waiting; the matter was settled, and they could leave.

Upon further questioning, it was discovered that Takigawa Kazumasu had even won over several of the Kizuki clan's retainers. He requested that Shichibei send another 500 kan to Kizuki Castle, as some of the Takigawa faction members were being held hostage inside.

This is not surprising. Historically, when Ishida Mitsunari bribed Kobayakawa Hideaki, he promised to give Kobayakawa Hideaki's retainer, Hiraoka Katsuyori, a stipend of 100,000 koku. Another retainer, Inaba Sadamichi, also promised to restore his former territory and return to Mino with 100,000 koku.

Of course, the promises made to Kobayakawa Hideaki were even more outrageous, stating that he would serve as Kanpaku (regent) before Hideyori's coming-of-age ceremony. If it weren't for the abundance of such records, it would be unbelievable.

Paying the money was easy enough, but was the claim that Kizukuri had defected at the last minute accurate? Takigawa Kazumasu brought back another hostage, who didn't seem to be from Kizukuri's family. He probably had other gains in Ise, but Shichibei didn't ask specifically, and Takigawa Kazumasu didn't mention it either.

Well, everyone has their little secrets about doing good deeds like this.

We've also won over Nambu Tadaki; he's right in front of Nobunaga right now. I wonder if he's gained favor with us.

Anyway, Takikawa Kazumasu happily headed towards Gifu Castle, and Shichibei wasn't envious. Two days later, he returned from his home in Anotsu by boat, bringing back not only himself but also a boatload of soybeans.

Upon inquiry, it was learned that this year's harvest in Ise was normal, even slightly better, so the powerful clans in both the northern and southern parts of the province were selling grain to earn money. Those with thriving commerce and trade within their domains, like Nobunaga's forces, who had easy access to cash, were doing well. However, the minor gentry in the villages of northern Ise, lacking any means of generating cash, relied entirely on this autumn harvest to sell their grain for money.

Ieyasu discovered that soybeans were selling reasonably well near Anotsu, costing only a little over 400 sen per shi (a unit of dry measure), so he took it upon himself to buy 100 shi. As for the money, he borrowed it from the Anotsu members in the name of Shichibei, the big boss of the Tsushima Guild. They didn't even ask for interest, showing respect to Shichibei.

Horses do need to eat beans if they are fighting or under heavy load. Beans are cheap in Anotsu, so we should definitely buy some. Shichibei nodded, opened the account, withdrew cash from the counter, and sent the servant to pay off the debt.

and many more!

Are you saying that the powerful clans in the northern and central regions are selling grain? They didn't clearly realize that Nobunaga was about to attack, so they had to stockpile grain and prepare to defend the castle?

When asked by Shichibei, Ieyasu said that grain from both the northern and central regions was now piled up in Anonozu, and had been sold for over a month. Many wealthy locals had already sold out of their grain, and the sale was almost over.

"Yoshinari? Where's Yoshinari? Where did that brat Yoshinari go?" Shichibei looked around but couldn't find Inase Yoshinari, so he shouted and searched.

“Yes, yes, boss.” Inase Yoshinari ran out while tying his belt.

"Take 10,000 kan immediately, go to Anonatsu, raise the price of rice, buy as much as you can, and come back to me if you don't have enough money." Shichibei didn't even care whether his pants were on properly or not, and immediately gave the order.

"Huh?" Inase Yoshinari must have been halfway through taking a dump, still half asleep.

"Say it again!" Shichibei grabbed Inase Yoshinari's arms with both hands, almost touching his face to hers.

"Take 10,000 kan to Anonozu, raise the price of rice, and buy as much as you can get." Fortunately, Inase Yoshinari was a former shop assistant, so he could remember this.

"Very good, let's set off immediately."

Don't return the ship to Ito, the big boss. Unload the soybeans and head back. Rent a rice house in Anotsu to store the purchased rice locally. If there's not enough to store, transport it back to Tsushima.

Suppose that the people of the wealthy northern and central states have already sold most of their grain, then if we buy more grain from them, their military rations will be reduced as a result.

Even though news of Nobunaga's unification of Mino and Owari had spread throughout the provinces, few people were certain that Nobunaga would return to attack Ise between this winter and next spring. When Minami Saneatsu went to persuade Minami Kanetsuna to sell his youngest son to the Oda clan as a child laborer, Minami Kanetsuna was clearly not certain that Nobunaga would come this year.

Following the usual logic, Nobunaga would have needed at least two or three years to consolidate his power in Mino before launching his conquests. After all, Mino was a major country, and taking over a territory of hundreds of thousands of koku would have taken half a year just to deal with the troublemakers. He would also have to guard against a rebellion by the old party or religious instigation within the territory.

But didn't Ryūō bring Saitō's core retainers to Nobunaga and even become the lord of Kiyosu Castle? The three lords of western Mino have surrendered, and Kagetoshi Toyama of eastern Mino Iwamura is Nobunaga's uncle. What does Nobunaga need to consolidate?

They're already waiting for Takikawa Kazumasu's return, so let's get started on Kitasei.

Otherwise, why would they hastily order Shichibei and Takenaka Hanbei to build the road from Kiyosu to Tsushima? It's because they need it immediately and can't delay any longer.

Now we're buying up grain from the northern and central regions at a higher price. What will happen when Nobunaga decides to send troops to the northern regions? The wealthy families in the northern regions who have run out of military rations will have to sell everything they own and buy back the military rations they just sold at two or even three times the price.

Without food, a city cannot be defended; without food, it's impossible to rally the peasants outside the city to come and defend it. Faced with the choice between the city's fall and the extermination of the entire clan, and the possibility of survival through defense, all powerful figures would choose to defend the city.

Those who don't pledge allegiance to Oda now, what good will the future hold? Nobunaga came to destroy the country and expand his territory. Those who have already pledged allegiance will become the vanguard and maintain rule in their respective areas; those who haven't will all perish.

They'll either destroy the country or choose Nobunaga's sons or brothers to succeed him. You think you can get away unscathed? Dream on.

As for us, we can simply profit from this small time difference by exploiting the information gap. Whether others know when Nobunaga is going to war depends on their status within the Oda clan and their relationship with Nobunaga. We are different; we will be the first people besides Nobunaga to know the date of his departure.

Once tens of thousands of troops are mobilized, Shichibei's thousands of horses will have to be mobilized to provide logistical support for Nobunaga. They'll also have to requisition cattle and horses from the countryside. Forty to fifty thousand men will consume a thousand koku of grain a day—and that's just for the men; the warhorses and mounts accompanying the army consume five times that amount. With the army moving, the transport of grain by civilians and livestock along the roads will continue day and night.

By the way, at this time, most of the grain in Anonozu has been sent to Sakai and Kyoto, the two grain distribution centers in western Japan. It's highly likely that Anonozu itself doesn't have much grain stored up, and if Nobunaga were to invade Anonozu, he might also levy taxes on arrows and military rations there.

We need to store a batch of grain in Anonatsu, and we won't sell it no matter how expensive it is. We'll wait until Nobunaga extorts it from Anonatsu, and then sell it to the followers there to curry favor.

They were even willing to extend credit to Shichibei for several dozen kan so that his family could buy a hundred shi of soybeans. This shows that the merchants of Anonatsu were not foolish or ignorant, but rather had some business acumen.

Shichibei will eventually have to become a "friendly" person, so it's only right that he befriends the merchants under his command.

Ayi was puzzled when she saw Shichibei sending her husband to Anotsu with tens of thousands of kan (a unit of currency) to buy rice. But after thinking about it, she suddenly realized what was going on and immediately started packing Inase Yoshinari's belongings. She even complained to Shichibei that there was no need to rush. Nobunaga's army of forty or fifty thousand men would take four or five days to walk from Gifu to Tsushima.

It will take another four or five days to conscript the entire army of the territory. The reinforcements from Asai and Tokugawa are coming one after another, so it won't be quick.

That makes sense, but who knows if there are clever people in Kita-Ise? We should act quickly while the opportunity is right. The sooner we act, the sooner we can have peace of mind.

As they were talking, one hundred koku of soybeans were unloaded at the Kawamura-ya shop. It's highly likely Nobunaga was a soldier; he'll have to buy all one hundred koku of soybeans, and it would be best to buy some more from Anotsu.

The packages were packed, and Inase Yoshinari ordered a dozen or so people, along with four or five men carrying swords, to come and leave overnight without stopping.

There were only a little over 6,000 kan in cash on the counter, with some more in other branches. Some of it was even used for lending money at granaries, temples, and shrines to earn interest. Shichibei had been busy lately and hadn't decided what to invest in next, but now that he finally had a project, he could put all the money out and prepare to go for it.

Inase Yoshiki, who arrived in Anotsu, spread false information, saying that there had been a major flood in the Mikawa-Tōtōmi area between summer and autumn, resulting in a very poor harvest, so it was necessary to purchase grain at high prices.

Mikawa and Tomi are far apart, yet not so far apart, which seems plausible, but verifying this would take several days to travel back and forth. After all, Mikawa and Tomi are quite large, and it might take five or six days to walk around them completely.

In short, the price was high, nine hundred coins per shi of rice!

With a "boom," the powerful families of Beishi and Zhongshi were roused from their slumber, clapping and stamping their feet in frustration. They had sold their rice too early! Regret, annoyance, and pain filled them; they had lost double the rice profit for nothing.

Some people stamped their feet and sold their stored military rations, betting that there would be no fighting in winter and that they could survive on wild vegetables in the spring. By summer, the wheat harvest was complete, and everything was fine.

One man led the way, and ten followed, bringing thousands of koku of rice to Anonozu. But the purchase was still ongoing, and Shichibei, as long as he had enough money, demanded that Inase Yoshinari continue the purchase.

If the powerful clans in the north and central regions back down or hesitate, continue to provoke them, spending one kan coin and one shi (a unit of dry measure) to squeeze every last grain out of them. If they aren't squeezed dry, why would they be willing to pawn their underwear to buy rice when Nobunaga's army arrives?

Within seven or eight days, Shichibei had purchased and stored tens of thousands of shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice from both the northern and central regions. He had practically emptied the military rations of the local nobles and powerful families in both areas, leaving not a single drop to be extracted.

At this time, Nambu Tadamichi, who had been sent to Gifu, returned to Tsushima.

Shichibei was aware of the news. After confirming with Takikawa Kazuyoshi the collusion between the Mokuzuki family and other powerful clansmen, Nobunaga finally made up his mind to send troops. At the moment Nambu Tadamasa returned to Tsushima, the messengers to Odani Castle and Okazaki Castle should have arrived as well.

Nobunaga officially ordered the mobilization of all military forces within his domain, to launch a full-scale attack on the northern frontier.

106. I'll take three strings of cash, no bargaining.

Nobunaga was indeed a competent feudal monarch; the most important matters of state were agriculture and war. Agriculture aside, once war broke out, Nobunaga was like a man possessed. He actually used the ships of the Kiso River garrison and the Tsushima garrison to reach the pre-arranged meeting point at Tsushima in just one day.

Flags fluttered like a sea outside Tsushima Town as over three thousand of Nobunaga's personal troops arrived with almost lightning speed. Nobunaga then took his seat on Tsushima, signed his seal, and issued orders in all directions. Groups of men and horses, both land and sea, flocked to him and gathered under his large, gold-painted Tang-style umbrella emblem.

Nobukata Saji of the Chita Peninsula also arrived at full speed with his Saji Navy. Although the Kuki Party of Minami-Ise had been defeated due to internal strife and external wars, Kitabatake Tomonori still had some navy under his command, so they had to be on guard.

Nobukata Saji was Nobunaga's brother-in-law and also the only naval talent under Nobunaga's command, so Nobunaga certainly valued him highly. He held a grand banquet for Nobukata's brother-in-law, a separate banquet for him, and even invited a Noh actor to Tsushima to entertain him.

However, he himself arrived quickly, while the others from Mino, Owari, Mikawa, and Hubei had to walk slowly. For example, his two sons-in-law arrived one after the other, with Niwa Nagahide even arriving a little faster than Saito Tatsuoki, considering that Tatsuoki's territory was in Kiyosu Castle, which was quite close.

Well, just coming is already giving Nobunaga face. Besides, Ryūō brought a proper force of 1,700 to 1,800 men, and the number of samurai in the reserve was quite large, showing a good level of organization and combat effectiveness.

Should we let him deliver it first?

Not sure.

Let Nobunaga meet with the various units at Tsushima. There's no need for Shichibei to spread the news that the Oda clan is marching north and will soon attack Kuwana County. Kuwana County is separated from Tsushima only by the Kiso River; anyone with eyes can immediately see that Nobunaga is preparing a large army.

In an instant, the people of the scattered wealthy villages in Kuwana, Yuanben, and Asame counties learned of this. In particular, Nanbu Kanetsuna, who had just sent his youngest son to work as a child laborer for the Oda clan last month, ran around shouting for his ancestors to bless him.

Why run away? Of course, it was to allow the villagers from the three villages surrounding Tomita Castle to enter and defend the castle. Tomita Castle, in its entirety, was less formidable than the post station built by Shichibei; it offered virtually no defense.

Even considering the inferior siege techniques of Japan's Sengoku period, it was only a matter of taking the city in one fell swoop. However, since the Nanbu clan was theoretically subordinate to the Kitabatake clan, the provincial governor, they had to put on a defensive posture, in case Kitabatake Tomonori sent 15,000 troops to meet Oda Nobunaga.

Since his family has been divided into two parts, even if he dies in battle, the family name can still be passed down and will not be interrupted.

The other powerful clans in the three counties weren't in such an "easy" situation. There were two reasons for this: first, they hadn't informed Nobunaga in advance, and now that Nobunaga was coming, he would surely kill their entire families; second, they had recently sold all their military rations to Anōtsu, and now they didn't even have enough rations for the soldiers defending the castle. What were they going to do?

The Umeto clan, a powerful family in the Yuanben district of the three northern counties, was actually a subordinate force of the Rokkaku family. The former head of the clan, Umeto Takazane, was the son of Rokkaku Sadayori, and the current head of the clan, Umeto Sanehide, and Rokkaku Yoshiharu are close cousins.

Umeto Mihide chose to immediately seek help from the Rokkaku family, and at the same time, bought rice.

The Asakura clan was the head of the Asakura district, and more than ten other powerful clans had originated from the Houkou (public servants) of the Muromachi shogunate and formed a loose alliance. However, given its loose alliance, even when the Asakura clan invited these clans to defend Asakura Mofuku Castle, the clans hesitated. Historically, they were defeated one by one and almost completely wiped out.

Despite their hesitation, they still went ahead with seeking aid from Kitabatake Tomonori and repurchasing military rations.

As for Kuwana District? Nobunaga has already taken action, sending Saji Nobukata with several thousand Oda soldiers to "set fire." This would both plunder and intimidate the local gentry of the three districts, letting them know that Oda Nobunaga has arrived, and they must either surrender or die.

Surrender depends on the situation. Surrendering quickly might bring you peace, while surrendering slowly means only your life is spared. Not surrendering? Stay home obediently, and Nobunaga will send you messages one by one.

Rumors have spread throughout Kuwana County that an army of 60,000 men from five countries is about to invade.

How the rumors were fabricated has nothing to do with Shichibei. In any case, the moment Nobunaga arrived at the battlefield, Shichibei was immediately reassigned as the Kokoro-bugyō (official in charge of transporting goods) and began to manage the logistics of the Oda army. Apart from the weapons and ammunition that Murai Sadakatsu brought from Gifu Castle, all other supplies were gathered locally in Tsushima and Atsuta.

Nobunaga's first battle after the autumn harvest was a well-funded, very well-funded, and extravagant one. Moreover, it was the first time Nobunaga had commanded such a large force, and he asked Shichibei to be generous in all aspects.

The claim of a 60,000-strong army is pure rumor. Nobunaga and Noobi provinces conscripted a total of 37,000 men, with 3,000 from the Mikawa tribe and 2,500 from the Asai and Otani tribes, for a total of 42,500 men.

Even with over 40,000 men, this was the first time Nobunaga had led such a force. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why he was the first to arrive at Tsushima, making advance plans and preparations.

Leaving aside Shichibei's situation, let's focus on Inase Yoshinari, who is currently in Anotsu. After spending all of the 13,000 kan that Shichibei had given him, he spent five very peaceful days.

Just when he was practically covered in hair, someone suddenly appeared and offered to buy back the two hundred bushels of rice that had been sold to him earlier for the original price of one string of cash, or even one string and one hundred cash.