Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

A biological child is a biological child, regardless of whether you like him or not; he was indeed Nobunaga's son, born out of a moment of weakness.

Look at us, taking only three or five at a time, so stingy. After asking for three this year, we have to come back next year. Look at Shin-hyo, he just throws out six hundred proper warriors.

At the wedding banquet, only one person looked very unhappy: Seki Morinobu.

Nobutaka's wife was originally betrothed to Seki Motoyoshi, the son of Seki Morinobu, who was also destined to marry into the Kobe family. Isn't that a strange coincidence? Nobunaga's fate seems almost divinely ordained.

Kobe Tomomori couldn't have a son, Nagano Fujisada couldn't have a son either, and the two powerful clans of the Northern and Central branches were the same. It was as if God was helping Nobunaga.

Since he had no biological son, Kobe Tomomori was naturally quick to submit, since the family business belonged to someone else anyway. He would definitely choose to ally with the most powerful person to preserve his family's legacy.

However, no one paid any attention to his bad complexion. Besides, he didn't dare show it in front of Nobunaga, so he could only curse under his breath.

After Seki Morinobu surrendered, the five districts of northern Ise were completely pacified. After Nobunaga completed the wedding ceremonies for Nobutaka and Suzuhime, he broke camp and continued south, passing through Anno and Ichishi districts.

Naturally, this was another stage for Takigawa Kazumasu to shine. After Kizuki Tomomasa's defection, the people of the two counties were in disarray, either fleeing to Kitabatake with their families overnight or kneeling before Nobunaga.

However, Nagano Tomonori of the Nagano family held firm in his castle, prepared to fight Nobunaga to the death. Since no one else was going to rescue him, Kitabatake Tomonori, being his own son, should surely be the one to save him.

Then came the most common scenario in the Sengoku period: Hosono Fujitsu betrayed Oda, drove out Nagano Tomofuji, raised the banner of welcoming Nobunaga, and welcomed Oda's army into the castle.

This concludes our exploration of Ise.

"Shichibei, I'm sending you to Anonozuki to collect 5,000 kan of arrows and 2,000 koku of military rations from the locals." Nobunaga immediately gave the order as soon as he passed Anonozuki.

"Five thousand kan!" That's not a low price; Shichibei needs to confirm it.

"You go with Minbu." Nobunaga turned around and saw Murai Sadakatsu riding behind him on horseback.

Murai Sadakatsu was appointed as a military inspector-in-chief, which meant he was responsible for reviewing and recording the battle achievements on behalf of Nobunaga. Because the battlefield was vast and the troops were divided into several routes, Nobunaga had to dispatch many military inspectors-in-chief.

"Understood." Shichibei, still on horseback, didn't salute. He turned around, gave a few instructions to Kotaro, and led a dozen or so men straight to Anonatsu.

Anozawa had already organized an "army" of over three thousand men, and with the outbreak of war, self-preservation was essential. However, upon hearing that Shichibei had been sent on orders, they still trusted him. After all, Shichibei was a member of the Tsushima Guild, and like them, an independent merchant.

The gate was opened, and Shichibei rode in. Immediately, someone came to lead his horse. Inase Yoshinari, who had stayed behind in Anotsu, also ran over to welcome Shichibei into the town as a victor.

"Boss, we've struck it rich!" Inase Yoshinari was so excited that his eyebrows practically flew to the sky.

"Hmm." Shichibei glanced at him, meaning to be mindful of the occasion and not to talk about this now, since Murai Sadakatsu was still behind them.

"Aww!" Inase Yoshinari immediately shut up, which was quite obedient.

Although he had expected this and was aiming to make this money, Shichibei still had some doubts after hearing Inase Yoshinari's words. He wondered how much money he would ultimately make, and how much wealth he would accumulate.

………………

There's a question that people keep asking, so I'll share what I know. If there are any mistakes, please point them out.

What is the exchange rate between Guan Gao and Shi Gao? Since Shi Gao is a value used to calculate land output, while Guan Gao is a value used to calculate land income, a piece of land with 10,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) and five public and five private households would have an annual income of 5,000 shi of rice.

Five thousand shi of rice is approximately equivalent to two thousand five hundred guan (a unit of currency). Therefore, if we calculate using the value in shi, this land is worth ten thousand shi. If we calculate using the value in guan, this land is worth two thousand five hundred guan.

Previously, Nobunaga Tomoyuki gave Shichibei 1,000 kan, which meant that Shichibei would receive land in return for 1,000 kan, so Shichibei prepared to recruit 100 retainers with 10 kan each.

108. The reverse image of the string was exploited.

The wealthy merchants of Anotsu sat before Shichibei, displaying the same smiling faces that Shichibei used to greet Oda Nobunaga.

Such a similar smile, now directed at our Shichibei. Times have changed, it feels like a lifetime ago.

The wealthy merchants breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that it was Shichibei and Murai Sadakatsu. If it had been some clueless samurai who didn't understand business, he would have just drawn his sword and demanded thousands or tens of thousands of yen. That would have been like a scholar encountering a soldier—reason would have been useless.

Now that an acquaintance has come along, at least there's room for discussion and compromise. Actually, these merchants' demands are quite low: they'll pay the money, but the lord's inspector can't enter or actually interfere in the management of Anonozu town. Commercial matters, as well as general civil administration within the town, are handled internally by the merchants themselves.

In name, they could become a force under the Oda clan, but in reality, Nobunaga only needed to sit at home and collect money. There was no need for either side to be on the verge of war or actually engage in armed conflict.

War is something that normal businessmen generally don't want to see. Of course, arms dealers and those who are inherently adventurous are an exception. Those who can profit from war without having to go to the battlefield are the biggest supporters of war.

Before they arrived, Shichibei and Murai Sadakatsu had agreed that one would play the bad cop and the other the good cop. He would play the bad cop, and Shichibei would play the good cop, doing their best to fulfill Nobunaga's instructions.

After all, Shichibei had the advantage, so the most important thing was to use a combination of coaxing and deception to get his hands on Anotsushu's money first.

As for the tactics, they were very old-fashioned. Murai Sadakatsu immediately demanded 8,000 kan from Nobunaga, plus 5,000 koku of military rations. These were the arrow levies and tōbetsu levies that Nobunaga would collect after conquering Ise.

Let's not talk about the arrow money; it's just military sponsorship fees. It's clearly stated that it's for arrows, so no further explanation is needed. The building tax is the property tax on commercial shops, collected in Mino. It's a property tax levied based on the size of the land. The larger the shop, the more is collected.

Or to put it more simply, "Liang Bieqian".

In Japanese, the characters for "beam" and "ridgepole" are used interchangeably in many contexts, as are the characters for "gei" (art) and "kawa" (river). When applied to buildings, the Chinese ceremony for building a house is called "shangliang shiji" (raising the beam), while the Japanese ceremony is called "shangdong shiji" (raising the main beam).

To collect taxes on individual buildings in the simplest and most direct way, the original inventors of this tax chose to count the number of roof beams. The amount of money charged was based on the number of roof beams, a straightforward and simple method of taxation.

That's why the more rooms a shop has, the more money it makes; a single room simply means a single beam.

Some might ask if all roof beams are the same length, making this taxation unfair. First of all, trees are living things; they die, they are not immortal. Timber that grows to maturity and is used for building houses is generally of roughly the same length.

Secondly, houses involve mechanics and other factors. There is an upper limit to the length of a beam. Even if you have a 100-meter-long beam with pillars, aren't you afraid that it won't be able to withstand the pressure of the roof and will break?

Finally, and this is the simplest point: I'm levying taxes with the power of the knife in my hand, and you're trying to discuss fairness with me?

The people of Anonatsu were well aware of the taxes levied on arrows and beams. However, they were still greatly surprised when they heard that the taxes were eight thousand kan and five thousand koku of rice.

Even though Anotsu was one of the three major ports and seven major ports in the country, it was still quite difficult for a large port in Ise Bay to raise so much money and rice all at once.

It's just pain. Having five thousand will cause pain, having three thousand will also cause pain, only not having any will prevent pain.

After making his announcement, Murai Sadakatsu ignored the wailing of the wealthy merchants and got up to leave. The others could only tug at Shichibei's sleeve, begging him to help them out of consideration for their status as wealthy merchants.

"Gentlemen, you should know that I am just a small merchant. The Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs is the Military Supervisor, the Chief of the Bureau." Shichibei curled his lip, playing the victim to show that he was of little influence.

"What are you saying, Lord Kawamura? You are the head of the road transport in Nobi Province, and also the magistrate of the small carriage. You are a favorite of Lord Gifu." A wealthy merchant hurriedly crawled to Shichibei's side.

"Isn't that still the same as being a merchant under the imperial court?"

"Oh, this."

Shichibei's words silenced the big boss. Indeed, Shichibei currently held no position within the Oda clan. He was previously the magistrate of Yokosukasa, but now that the relocation of Gifu Castle was complete, he naturally stepped down.

Nobunaga intended for Shichibei to be appointed as "O-kata" (a high-ranking military officer), so no new appointment was made. However, outside the official hierarchy, Shichibei held no official position whatsoever; he was merely a merchant.

The position of "small cavalry officer" in the army was a temporary assignment for fighting, and Murai Sadakatsu was actually a corps clerk.

"Then, then, then, we're going to be ruined!" Wow, that big boss was quite the drama queen; he actually slumped to the ground and started squeezing out tears.

The other Anotsu patrons also bowed their heads and wept, as if paying 8,000 kan would cost them their lives. If Shichibei hadn't been a small merchant himself, he would have definitely been swindled. Everyone present had at least 100,000 or 200,000 kan in capital; Shichibei himself had tens of thousands.

Even if it really were 8,000 kan, when divided among them, it wouldn't exceed 1,000 kan per person. What's the point of pretending to be poor? They're just taking advantage of the fact that the samurai outside don't understand economics and can't calculate their assets. If you really wanted to calculate it, you should ask them for 20,000 or 30,000.

"Well, then I'll make another trip for you guys." Shichibei pretended to be embarrassed.

"I will never forget the kindness of Lord Kawamura." When he heard that Shichibei was willing to turn things around, the man stopped crying, stood up, and shook hands with Shichibei vigorously.

The first meeting ended there, and Shichibei left as quickly as he could.

It wasn't that he was in a real hurry to see Nobunaga; Nobunaga was still meeting with Kizuki Tomomasa. Besides, he had to arrange for Nobunaga to marry Nagano Fujisada's daughter. Incidentally, this Nagano woman had already been married to Nagano Tomomasa once. Hosono Fujisatsu had expelled Nagano Tomomasa but kept this lady; perhaps they had planned this all along and reached an agreement quickly.

In other words, Kobe Nobutaka arrived early. If he had arrived two years later, his first wife would have had to marry Seki Motoyoshi first, and then divorce her husband to marry him.

In aristocratic marriages, widowed women with substantial dowries were highly sought after. It seems that neither feudalistic Japan nor Europe minded marrying such widowed women.

Let’s first ask ourselves how much we have earned?

Thirty thousand!

That's right. After Shichibei and Inase Yoshinari sat down, they secretly checked their rank, and the original 13,000 kan had become 44,000 kan. In the rice granary of Anotsu, there was still more than 1,000 koku of military rations left for Shichibei to do a good deed.

Yoshinari Inase could not hide his excitement and joy at all. Not only in this life, but even in his previous ten lives, he had never seen so much money.

The amount was still within Shichibei's expectations. Inase Yoshinari then recounted the story of the unscrupulous rice shop owner in Anozuk and his price-fixing alliance. He explained that the shop owner had purchased the tribute rice in bulk at 450 sen per dan. In the end, he sold it at 4 kan per dan, making a profit of at least 20,000 kan.

The combined force of these two forces dealt a heavy blow to the powerful clans of the northern and central regions. But who would sympathize with the landlords? Whether the blow was dealt or not, they were all going to be killed by Nobunaga anyway.

Make them spit out all their ill-gotten gains before they die, so they don't bury them in the ground or abscond with the money, preparing to make a comeback in the future.

After listening to Inase Yoshinari's report, Shichibei felt for the first time that his brother-in-law was quite handsome, as dazzling as a man worth 30,000 kan of gold. Before, Shichibei only thought that Inase Yoshinari was from Tsushima and knew his background well, and he didn't expect his sister to marry into a wealthy family, just that they could live a peaceful and happy life.

Looking at it now, the young man is at least obedient and honest, and even a bit henpecked. He's practically the best person to keep the house in mind; leaving the house to him won't cause any trouble.

Good, good. While the people of Anotsu are focused on Nobunaga's "60,000-strong army," let's use the ships rented from Tsushima to haul away the money tonight.

After their secret meeting, Shichibei rode away from the town, feigning to plead with Nobunaga for leniency. In reality, he simply returned to Nobunaga's headquarters to prepare for a month's stay.

"Nanabe, congratulations on your fortune." Just as he was about to become invisible and find a tent to light a fire for the night in the camp of the small cargo team, Nanabe heard a familiar voice.

"How can I get rich? I'm so poor that I almost have to beg for food." Although she knew it was Nobunaga, she still cried.

It is safe to say that Nobunaga was not against Shichibei's wealth, but rather against Shichibei's lack of recruitment. Nobunaga probably hoped that Shichibei would continue to recruit people and greatly expand the number of his samurai and retainers.

It is precisely because of the continuous expansion of Shichibei's subordinates that he is able to take on many construction and logistical responsibilities and organize small porters for the army.

"Haha, what are you doing back tonight?" It was not a coincidence. Nobunaga watched with his own eyes the small caravan of Houjie as Shichibei bypassed the shogunate.

He certainly didn't know about the money-making scheme before entering Ise. But once he entered Ise and took in the dogs, he naturally learned that someone had made a fortune while Ise was at war.

Once we get to Inase Yoshinari, there's no need to ask about the rest. Inase Yoshinari's brother, Sukeemon, was Nobunaga's head errand boy, responsible for holding Nobunaga's horse stirrups and managing his straw sandals. He even had to squat down and help Nobunaga mount his horse, acting as a footstool when necessary.

If Inase Sukeemon hadn't been Nobunaga's head servant, Shichibei wouldn't have been so willing to agree to Inase Yoshinari and Aoi's marriage.

"Let's go all out and pretend to come back to plead with you, my lord." Since Nobunaga had already entered, Shichibei naturally stood up and gave the seat of honor to Nobunaga.

"Oh? So you're planning to bribe me?" Nobunaga was quite pleased; he wasn't ashamed to talk about money.

Some people, once they've achieved power, think money is just a thing, that they've become noble, and that they shouldn't even talk about it, as it seems like a loss of face. But Nobunaga didn't care; he just talked about money. More money is better. Spreading military power throughout the world requires money, and the more money you have, the faster it will spread.

"Haha, I've got it!" Shichibei suddenly realized he had a better reason to get Anokatsu to spit out his money.

Pretending to be Kawamura Shichibei, I managed to secure them an opportunity to meet Nobunaga. There's absolutely no room for doubt; after all, Japanese society also looks down on merchants. While not as severe as in neighboring China, it was still very difficult for a mere merchant to gain an audience with a powerful daimyo like Nobunaga, whose estate was worth millions of koku.

Unless you are a great tea connoisseur like Tsuda Sogyo, or Shimai Soshi of Hakata. Hakata was a window to trade with the Ming Dynasty, and there were huge profits to be made. So, for the sake of a few thousand or tens of thousands of kan of profit per ship, the daimyo would hold their noses and try to get to know a wealthy merchant.

"What can they give me?" Nobunaga was very interested. This meant that Shichibei should hint to the Anotsu clan not to come empty-handed, but to bring more gifts.

"A famous sword or a tea set, I must have one." Shichibei didn't know what good things Anonatsushu had.

"Alright, bring them to see me." Nobunaga paused, then pounded his thigh several times before making his decision.

Anonatsu was overjoyed to receive permission to pay his respects. After all, normally, deities like Kitabatake Tomokyo would never grant an audience with lowly merchants, so Nobunaga's willingness to see them was a sign of great importance.

This alone has already excited them.

Speaking of gifts, they are even more precious, being tortoiseshell teacups from the Jizhou kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty. These are as famous as Jian ware from Fujian, and are known as "oil-spot Tenmoku." They are exquisite pieces recorded in the "Kuntai Kanso-yōchōki," a masterpiece of the world. Its author, Nōami, served Ashikaga Yoshinori and Ashikaga Yoshimasa, and was a renowned cultural figure.

Nobunaga stroked the oil-spot Tenmoku teacup, though he was only moderately interested in the tea ceremony at the moment. But since this thing was listed in the collectors' catalog and had a clear provenance, its value was self-evident.

Good things, even with hundreds or thousands of coins, may not be able to be bought.