Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Huh? What could Shichibei possibly have to do? He was just marveling at the name Yamauchi. What a fine name Yamauchi.

But since they had come to his door to ask, Shichibei had no choice but to say that the three of them looked somewhat familiar. He then introduced himself, saying that he was Shichibei from the Kawamura family of the Tsushima Shrine.

Upon hearing this, Muto Yoshibei also seemed to ponder. It might indeed be an acquaintance, but from the previous generation; Yamauchi Moritoyo had dealt with the previous Kawamura Shichibei.

Since they've come to us of their own accord, let's have a seat.

Regardless of whether the other party was short of money, Shichibei insisted that since they were old friends, he, as the host, should do his best to entertain them. So he ordered the innkeeper to serve wine and dishes, and told them to eat and drink to their heart's content.

Kazutoyo Yamauchi was alright, but his two servants were definitely hungry. When people are hungry, they don't care about manners anymore and shovel the tea-soaked rice into their mouths.

Yamauchi Kazutoyo asked Shichibei what he was doing at the castle. What was he doing? He was delivering alfalfa to Sakuma Nobumori and recruiting two or three farmers along the way.

The matter of recruiting farmers wasn't mentioned; any plausible reason would suffice. Upon hearing that even Sakuma Nobumori, a senior retainer and general of the Oda clan, had begun preparations for war, Yamauchi Kazutoyo was extremely excited. He picked up his sake cup and drank three cups in quick succession.

Are they in such a hurry to become Oda's henchmen?

Before his inner grumbling had even subsided, Yamauchi Kazutoyo asked Shichibei if Oda Nobunaga would personally lead the troops into battle. This was not a strange question, as Nobunaga had personally participated in almost every battle for the past ten years or so.

During the Warring States period, a time of great strife, Nobunaga's father, Nobuhide, was one of the so-called Kiyosu Three Commissioners, a typical retainer of a vassal state. His initial power was very small, so naturally, what does this mean?

The hereditary retainers are very small!

Even with hereditary retainers, none were as powerful as the hereditary retainers of daimyo. Take Shingen, for example, had a hereditary retainer of daimyo, Masakage, in Koma District, Yamagata Prefecture, with 23,000 kan.

After Oda Nobuhide and Oda Nobunaga rapidly expanded their power, a problem arose: for a time, there was no one capable of independently commanding thousands of members of their own clan or hereditary elders.

It's not that the retainers lacked the ability to command, but rather that the hereditary retainers did not have a sufficient number of samurai or military backbone members to support the thousands of men.

Only Nobunaga, who controlled the wealth of Tsushima and Atsuta, possessed a large number of reserve officers and retainers, as well as armed militia (red-robed and black-robed men). Only in this way could he gather thousands of men and have sufficient officers to command them.

In fact, no clear military service records have been passed down from Nobunaga throughout his life. This is largely due to the extremely rapid expansion of the Oda clan, which left no time to replenish its ranks of samurai.

Furthermore, those so-called legion commanders promoted later were only able to organize their legions thanks to Nobunaga's support. The most typical example is Shibata Katsuie, whose generals Maeda Toshiie, Fuwa Mitsuharu, and Sasa Narimasa were all direct retainers of Nobunaga. They were assigned to Katsuie as knights-errant to organize the army.

The same applies to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Including Yamauchi Kazutoyo, who is currently serving, as well as Takenaka Hanbei and Kuroda Kanbei who successively joined Nobunaga, all of them served under Hideyoshi as Nobunaga's close retainers and Hideyoshi's trusted retainers.

Hideyoshi's army expanded too quickly; he simply didn't have enough retainers to lead the troops. A large number of samurai were directly assigned to him by Nobunaga to strengthen his samurai ranks.

However, after Hideyoshi seized power, these retainers sent by Nobunaga were quickly incorporated into his household, which led to many misunderstandings.

Therefore, many people in later generations said that Oda Nobunaga was both the chairman and the general manager, and the army commanders below him were all professional managers, driven around by Nobunaga and constantly moving their troops out to new areas. In fact, this description is quite apt. After all, as the manager, apart from a small number of loyal followers, the rest of the core troops were all sent by the chairman.

Since the chairman is not dead, these people will naturally follow his lead.

Returning to the present, neither Niwa Nagahide nor Hayashi Hideaki had the ability to command an army of more than a thousand men. Sakuma Nobumori, mentioned earlier, was similar; he could command five hundred samurai, but anything more would be questionable.

In that case, Nobunaga would have no choice but to lead the troops himself.

Upon learning that Nobunaga would definitely lead the troops personally, Yamauchi Kazutoyo seemed to have received a great boost, his face beaming with excitement.

Wait a minute, Shichibei suddenly thought of another possibility. Besides wanting to pledge allegiance to Nobunaga, to serve the Oda clan in the Inuyama campaign, and then to regain his former territory, Yamauchi Kazutoyo before him...

Could he first pledge allegiance to Nobunaga, and then defect after Nobunaga raises his army to attack Inuyama? That's a bit of an overstatement; a ronin like him doesn't have that kind of power. Then, is it possible that he could ambush Oda Nobunaga in battle and kill him?

At this time, Nobunaga would often wander around the battlefield with only three or five pageboys or retainers, learning about the terrain and the enemy's deployment. This was not a secret; in fact, it was perfectly normal.

To expect someone to act like a pampered princess, hiding in the back and giving orders while still in the startup phase, is pure nonsense.

When resources are limited, it's best not to lose a single battle. You must personally control the entire battlefield, and even personally charge to the front lines when necessary, to ensure complete success.

Suppose Nobunaga leads his troops to Inuyama Castle, inspects the position of the ronin, and then Yamauchi Kazutoyo jumps up and stabs him?

18. Xiaozhu has an older brother who is a handyman.

I'm going to report you!

Shichibei instinctively thought so, but then he thought again. Kill him or not, it doesn't matter. If Oda Nobunaga is so easy to kill, then he might as well be dead. It wouldn't make a difference if he were one more person.

Anyway, we don't know anything about any assassination plot; we just met by chance and had a chat. If we're investigated, all the dozens of people in this tavern will be investigated as well.

With his eyes closed, Shichibei pretended not to know and chatted idly with Yamauchi Kazutoyo. Both of them had finally eaten their fill and were now mindful of their samurai decorum. Fortunately, they hadn't followed the example of the Qing dynasty's Eight Banners who wiped their mouths with pigskin, nor had they followed the example of the later Edo period's hatamoto who went out for a stroll on an empty stomach with a toothpick in their mouth.

We're complete strangers, so a casual chat about current events is fine. Whatever the past generation had, that's their business, it has nothing to do with this generation. Shichibei simply said he had to rush back to Tsushima that night, and that would be the end of it for today. He ordered the innkeeper to prepare twenty bamboo leaf rice balls, and then Shichibei got up to leave.

The rice balls were meant for the waiters and the farmers they recruited. Shichibei wouldn't just eat his fill and ignore the lives of his men.

Kazutoyo Yamauchi had already obtained the information he wanted. Seeing that Shichibei was about to leave, he quickly got up to see him off. Before leaving, he expressed his gratitude and said that he would definitely help him if he ever needed his help in the future.

That's a joke. By the time you've made it big, I'll be at least forty. These days, life is unpredictable. If I were to go to Kanasaki to transport grain, I wouldn't escape. I'd definitely be beheaded by the Asakura army as a war achievement. Let's see if I'm still alive then.

When they reached the crossroads outside the town, they saw two men from the family indeed stopping a group of seven or eight people, who were talking amongst themselves. It was nothing more than trying to persuade them to go and plant alfalfa, haggling over the price.

Don't think that tenants have no right to bargain. Those who have no right to bargain are the truly poor peasants, who have nothing but their lives. Other farmers can bargain if they have many able-bodied men in their family, if they have a complete set of cattle equipment, or even if they have wives and children to use as collateral for debts.

While it is one thing for the vast landlord class to oppress peasants, tenant farmers, as a means of production, can create wealth, and do so continuously.

Squeezing bone and extracting marrow is one thing, giving someone a way out is another.

There's a Japanese proverb that says an empty stomach only leads to complaints, while a hungry stomach motivates one to work harder.

If the pressure is too great, everyone will die together. Those farmers were clearly haggling over how the harvest would be divided, how much labor service they would receive, and whether they would be given a thatched hut…

Finally, after three households reached an agreement, Shichibei appeared. The two shop assistants hurriedly beckoned the three men to come forward and bow to Shichibei, but Shichibei merely waved his hand, feigning a difficult and stern demeanor. After confirming the conditions of the three farmers with the shop assistants, he took out the twenty rice balls from the bundle he was carrying.

You can take it and share it. After we finish eating, we'll hit the road.

There was no fighting or grabbing; everyone got one, and in the end, there were still two left. Shichibei didn't take any either, mounted his horse, and set off. The adults followed behind carrying bags, and the children carrying baskets. Clothes, bedding, pots and pans—all their belongings. Though worn and tattered, no one was willing to just leave their things behind.

Unfortunately, they lacked oxen and mules, which is probably why these three households were willing to go to Tsushima. Those with oxen and horses, capable of rapid agricultural production, would likely have been intercepted along the way. It was only these already impoverished farmers who were willing to go to the sandbar to plant alfalfa and barnyard grass for Shichibei.

Just as he was leaving, a samurai rushed out from below the castle. Shichibei had brought five hundred bundles of alfalfa for Sakuma Nobumori, and Nobumori, upon hearing this, praised Shichibei for being thoughtful and even sent him a small dachi. It was worth about two or three hundred coins; that was enough, a token of reciprocity.

Upon opening it, I found the sword still bearing the inscription "Muramasa." Wow, that's more than two hundred sen; the price has to double.

Although Muramasa swords aren't particularly valuable these days, the brand name on the blade is a guarantee of quality. Muramasa swords and spears from Ise are branded weapons marketed throughout the Tokaido region.

However, he gave us a small dachi (a type of ancient Chinese sword), so we'll have to send them alfalfa every year from now on. Oh well, Nobumori can still carry a gun for Nobunaga for another ten years or so, so let's send it for now. We'll deal with it when Nobumori is exiled.

The paddy fields along the road were full of farmers harvesting rice. Japanese agriculture is still somewhat extensive; they basically use bamboo to set up a high frame along the edge of the field, bundle the rice, and hang it on top to dry. After it's roughly dried, it's then taken to be threshed.

Oh, I don't recall seeing any farmers in Owari using those wooden winches for threshing grain. In my previous life, I saw a Bilibili user named Lu Lei make one; it wasn't that difficult. But we're not here in Japan to increase productivity. If no one invents it, no one invents it. After all, Shichibei isn't a farmer.

That sounds like the words of a lazy, unambitious old man.

Returning to Tsushima, it was getting dark. Shichibei first settled the three farmers in the storeroom behind the stables. Since they would be sleeping in straw huts anyway, sleeping on horse feed now didn't make much difference; as long as they could stay sheltered from the wind and rain, that was enough.

Just as Shichibei was preparing to close the door, he saw that Kotake had come again. It was his usual routine to reconcile accounts, nothing unusual. Shichibei had initially thought that Kotake could just reconcile with him, it wasn't a difficult task. But Kotake kept peeking around, and only when Ai came out of the back horse feed storeroom did he happily call out.

No, no, Shichibei is really sure this time.

Upon seeing Ai, Xiaozhu was naturally delighted and began to reconcile the accounts. Shichibei, pretending to be nonchalant while feeding the horses water, was actually eavesdropping.

Listening to them from all angles, I couldn't sense anything wrong with their conversation. But thinking back to my previous life, when I chatted with pretty girls, we only talked about random, boring, and pointless things, and we might not have gotten anything out of the conversation even after two hours.

It's mainly about chatting; I feel happy just chatting with my younger sister. We're young, we don't have all those complicated feelings.

tsk...

After reconciling the accounts, Xiaozhu mysteriously told Ayi that something very good had recently happened to his family. Ayi replied, "Oh, really?"

Wow, my sister is a "fishing enthusiast".

That young boy, Xiaozhu, was a bit of a naive virgin. After being tricked by Ayi, he spilled everything. It turned out that his older brother had been promoted from a fellow foot soldier to Nobunaga's head servant.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the so-called head servant only had to wash Nobunaga's horse and do all sorts of odd jobs. This job allowed him to stay in Nobunaga's presence for a long time.

Staying in front of the leader, regardless of whether you achieve anything, at least ensures the leader remembers your hard work. And if you do achieve something, your promotion will be incredibly fast.

So what's your brother's name?

19. As expected, not from the Kinoshita family.

Shichibei's first thought was whether your brother might be named Kinoshita Tokichiro, because Kinoshita Tokichiro once served as Oda Nobunaga's head servant.

In truth, Shichibei was simply ignorant; at this time, Kinoshita Tokichiro had already become the head of Nobunaga's 100-man foot soldier corps. While he couldn't be considered a renowned general, he had at least entered the ranks of mid-level samurai.

Furthermore, Xiao Zhu in front of me is only fifteen years old. At that age, it just doesn't match up no matter what.

Sure enough, Kotake's older brother is named Sukeemon. How to put it... it's a completely unremarkable name, utterly unremarkable, and doesn't evoke any associations with Shichibei whatsoever.

So your family doesn't have a "miao" (苗字, a kind of traditional Chinese surname)? Yes, we don't. But according to Xiaozhu, his older brother is now a proper warrior, so barring any unforeseen circumstances, he'll get himself a "miao" (苗字).

According to Japanese naming conventions, their village is called Inase Village, so his brother would probably be named Inase Sukeemon.

Very well, a name Shichibei has never heard of before. He's definitely not a future daimyo; whether he'll become Ooshimi Hatamoto is anyone's guess.

Or there's another possibility: they followed Nobunaga to Honnoji Temple and became barbecue vendors, so they didn't even pass down their family name.

"Alright," Shichibei turned back to feeding the horses, letting Kotake and Ay whisper amongst themselves. There was no need to stop them; given our family's situation, we probably couldn't marry into any high-ranking family with a million koku of rice. We could only look among the common folk for those daimyo who hadn't yet risen to power—like Fukushima Masanori? Kato Kiyomasa? Or Mizoguchi Hidekatsu? Or perhaps Hori Hidemasa?

You can't dream of getting rich overnight.

With the end of the autumn harvest, the final battle between Komakiyama Castle and Inuyama Castle for control of the entire Owari region officially began.

As expected, Nobunaga's letter was once again sent to Tsushima Town, requesting the people of Tsushima to raise arrows, saltpeter, lead ingots, swords, spears, and mules for Nobunaga.

The document issued by Horita Uma soon appeared in Shichibei's hands. Nobunaga would hire all the usable horses of the Kawamura family according to the current horse prices to assist the Tsushima clan in transporting supplies to Komakiyama.

Perhaps the main reason why my father was only given a very small amount of military service back then was that whenever the Oda army went to war, the Kawamura family would be conscripted and would be unable to take care of other ordinary businesses.

This portion of the loss was compensated for by reducing military service.

Probably, because the second crop of alfalfa on the sandbar this year is almost ready for harvest, so Shichibei is still a little worried. He asked the few old families who stayed behind on Tsushima to take charge and harvest and store it as soon as possible. The yield of this crop will definitely be worse than the last one, so don't rush to sell it. Let's discuss it after Shichibei has been observing the battlefield at Komakiyama for a few days.

There's no guarantee that the battle won't drag on, and Nobunaga's side will need horse feed urgently, so they can sell it for more money.

It was no coincidence. As the leader of the cavalry, Shichibei led the military supplies of the Tsushima clan to Komakiyama. Ito, the big boss, sent Kotake out, whose main task was to carry three arquebuses sold in Kishu.

Such a lowly monk was indeed doing the hard work of running errands. Firearms were still considered expensive items these days, and it was perfectly normal to have someone carry and guard them. The price of a single firearm far exceeded that of all sorts of people sold at the Naoezu job market.

Upon reaching the foot of Komakiyama Castle, Nobunaga indeed had already mustered a large army. The army stretched across the mountains and fields, seemingly endless, and counting from Nobunaga down to the grooms, there were probably four or five thousand men.

The camping tents surrounding the town of Komakiyama Castle were clustered together, each belonging to a lord's men, slightly distinguished from the foot soldiers and pagemen directly under Nobunaga.

In addition, the ronin mentioned earlier were also hired by Nobunaga this time, and at least three hundred ronin were divided and assigned to different units. For example, Kinoshita Tokichiro and his younger brother Kinoshita Koichiro were reinforced with more than thirty foot soldiers and ronin, and five horses.

This was clearly written on the document when Shichibei saw Murai Sadakatsu allocating weapons at the foot of the castle. This time, I really saw the future Yamato Dainagon, Kinoshita Koichiro, clearly. Not bad, he's only a little taller than me.

The only thing Shichibei didn't expect was that Takeru very affectionately called Kinoshita Koichiro "Koichiro-nii" (older brother Koichiro).

Upon further inquiry, it turned out that Xiaozhu's main family and Kinoshita Koichiro's family lived in the next village. "Next village" was just a small ditch separating them. Moreover, both Xiaozhu's father and Koichiro's father had served as foot soldiers under Oda Nobuhide.

Otherwise, his brother wouldn't have been able to serve as Nobunaga's servant. If he hadn't come from the old Owari, old Oda, or old Shimo-Shikaku districts, he wouldn't even have been qualified to warm Oda Nobunaga's straw sandals.