Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

After the inspection is completed, property tax will be levied. This was done in the past when fighting in Mino and Kita-Ise. If the tax wasn't collected at least 50,000 or 80,000 kan, the war would have been a waste.

Furthermore, the separate tax for commercial purposes is something that Shichibei is very close to. Or rather, it was pre-arranged for Shichibei to handle. Dealing with merchants is now tacitly agreed upon by the Owari samurai, who only care about getting the money.

All of the above are things to be prepared for, but there is one thing that needs to be done now. That is, after Nobunaga and the Oda army storm into southern Omi, the original monopoly on horse service in southern Omi will be abolished, and all the original stables, post stations, horse farms and ceded lands will be confirmed as rebellious property and handed over to Shichibei for takeover.

Receive immediately!

Why? Because in the summer, horse merchants from Oshu and Ushu had already taken thousands of horses on their northward-bound ships to Omi, a key area for northward trade, to sell them.

Shichibei must immediately take control of these horse resources for Nobunaga. Correspondingly, the exclusive rights to the horse breeding and the monopoly on horse breeding in Omi Province will also be handed over to Shichibei. Nobunaga has already signed the document, and now Oda Nobuhiro will hand it over to Shichibei.

Upon receiving the document, Shichibei's initial dissatisfaction at having his leisure time disrupted immediately vanished.

I knew it! Since the merchants of southern Omi wouldn't cooperate, I had no choice but to go back to the Western Paradise and ask Buddha for help. Now look what happened! After Nobunaga's furious attack, all their fixed assets went to Shichibei. They took nothing but their horses.

If there's no food in a few days, even the horses will have to be sold to Shichibei.

"Shichibei, how much capital do you have now?" Oda Nobuhiro didn't mean anything by it, he was just quite curious, after all, Shichibei was going to become his son-in-law soon.

"Hmm..." Shichibei couldn't quite put his finger on it for a moment.

Fixed assets are increasing, and most of them were acquired at low prices or even for free. The horse trading business continues smoothly, with healthy and stable revenue. If working capital is included, the normal valuation should exceed 250,000 guan (a unit of currency).

"One hundred thousand kan?" Sakuma Nobumori voiced his guess.

“I think it’s more than 150,000 kan.” Oda Nobuhiro hadn’t guessed it either.

"150,000 is about right, roughly. Some things are hard to price." Shichibei certainly wouldn't raise the price; whatever you say goes.

Once the horse-riding service in southern Omi is taken over, Shichibei's fortune will definitely reach 350,000 kan.

“I knew it, 150,000 kan, I really didn’t expect that.” Oda Nobuhiro exclaimed, and Sakuma Nobumori nodded repeatedly.

"There are still tens of thousands of yuan in debt outside, but it only looks good on the surface."

137. The Three Who Wanted Sekigahara

"Shichibei, what do you mean by this?"

Asai Nagamasa looked at the three thousand kan of gold before him and Shichibei kneeling before him, feeling somewhat bewildered.

If Shichibei was there to deliver supplies, that's easy to understand. Nobunaga had arranged beforehand that all military provisions would be supplied by the Oda army, and if they ran out, he would kill Shichibei.

Can I send money?

“This is the transport gold.” Shichibei looked up and smiled at Asai Nagamasa.

"Transportation gold?" Nagamasa had no idea where the money came from, and just stared at Shichibei.

"My lord has granted Kawamura-ya all authority over the road transport of horses in Omi. Southern Omi is naturally a matter for my lord to decide, but Northern Omi will require the guidance of Prince Kotani." Shichibei's money was certainly not given for nothing; this was a one-step solution.

The horse-riding service in Omi Province was actually derived from the various autonomous and monopolistic rights granted by the Muromachi Shogunate, the Imperial Court, and the Daiji Shrines within the Kinai region. Later, when southern Omi became the territory of the Sasaki Rokkaku clan, the horse-riding service along the Lake Biwa region came under the control of the Rokkaku family and gained their special privileges.

Sigh, it should have been the shogunate's permission, so how did it become the Rokkaku family's permission?

Just like the horses and stables of the Kawamura family, how did they somehow go from being government-owned horses to becoming my father's private property?

The Asai family in northern Omi was only in its third generation by the time of Nagamasa, and their control over the region was very weak. During the Hisamasa era, they were briefly a vassal daimyo of the Rokkaku family.

Therefore, the horse-riding service in northern Omi was, in fact, commissioned by the Rokkaku clan. Although Nobunaga now categorized them all as traitors, brutally killed them, and granted them a monopoly, northern Omi was still the territory of the Asai family. Local officials had more power than distant ones, and Shichibei, being a small merchant, understood the basic principles.

Rather than causing some trouble in the future, it's better to pave the way with gold now and shut Asai Nagamasa up.

Furthermore, Shichibei must press his advantage and completely eliminate any chance of the Omi horse-riding companies that also operate in northern Omi. The northern Omi horse-riding business must also be brought under the jurisdiction of Kawamuraya.

"So this is how Prince Gifu makes money." Asai Nagamasa was still surprised after hearing this. Of course, he knew that selling commercial monopolies could bring in money.

But I never expected that even such a small roadside horse-riding job could be sold for such a large sum of money, and that Shichibei was willing to come and give the money away.

“My lord is busy with countless affairs of state, so these mundane matters are naturally entrusted to us lowly servants.” Shichibei didn’t care what he thought; he just wanted to coax Azai Nagamasa into selling the franchise to Kawamura-ya.

"Of course, of course." Asai Nagamasa stood up from the stool and helped Shichibei up, as if he wanted to make peace with him.

And then what? Then Azai Nagamasa asked Shichibei, "Nobunaga owns Ōmachi towns like Tsushima, Atsuta, and Anōtsu, and he also owns Ōmachi town like Nagahama, located somewhere in the middle of the Hokkai trade route. Although he's not as powerful as Asakura Yoshikage, who controlled Ohama and Tsuruga, he hardly profited from the Hokkai trade."

Aside from the normal need to fight a war and obtain a sum of money, what other methods are there? Like Nobunaga, could it be to sell or confirm existing commercial monopolies?

You can only squeeze money once, you can't squeeze it every year or every month to make a steady stream of money, right? Only by acquiring more money can the family's power be strengthened.

Sigh, it seems that Asai Nagamasa is just a macho man.

The story of Ishida Mitsunari is quite long. Hideyoshi offered Ishida Mitsunari a salary of 200 koku, but Mitsunari said he didn't want the salary, only the right to harvest reeds in certain areas along the shore of Lake Biwa. He would then weave the reed mats and transport them to Kyoto to sell, earning as much as 10,000 koku annually.

This story likely has some truth to it, along with some embellishment, because Kyoto townhouses and noble families used reed mats for shade. These mats were worth a bit of money, and in the past, ordinary people produced and sold them themselves; there was no concept of monopoly. Since Ishida Mitsunari, he has directly sought to monopolize them, naturally making money from them.

However, according to later records, when Kobayakawa Hideaki stormed Sawayama Castle, he assumed that Mitsunari, as the chief retainer of the Toyotomi clan, must have amassed a great fortune through cunning and extortion. Upon entering, however, he found Mitsunari's residence extremely simple, with no savings whatsoever. Only then did everyone realize that Mitsunari had genuinely worked diligently for Hideyoshi, without any regard for his own interests.

Hideyoshi and Mitsunari were truly a model of harmonious relationship between ruler and subject.

By taking the protagonist from this story, Shichibei used it as an example to explain to Azai Nagamasa. Azai Nagamasa practically patted Shichibei on the head, implying he wanted to open it up and see what was inside.

He was a tall, dark-skinned, overweight man, standing at 1.82 meters. With Shichibei standing next to him, the scene was indeed difficult to describe. In any case, in later generations, it was rare for a man who was 1.82 meters tall to date a woman who was only 1.42 meters tall.

"You're in the Oda clan, and Ieroki is...?" Asai Nagamasa stroked Shichibei. Indeed, Shichibei was small and short, looking like a toy next to him.

"Two thousand five hundred kan." Shichibei couldn't lash out yet, so he could only force a smile.

"Not much, really not much..." Asai Nagamasa sighed as he let go of her hand, and invited Shichibei to stay for a drink.

There's no time for that now; Shichibei has to go and take over the "rebellion" of the entire Omi horse-riding service. Now that there's a document signed by Azai Nagamasa, Shichibei has the final say on the entire Omi horse-riding service, and all the old practitioners have been banished and forced into retirement.

Let them roam freely for a few days. Shichibei still needs to go to Imahama to buy horses from the northern merchants. He needs to control this important source of horses for Nobunaga to ensure the smooth operation of the Oda clan's army.

Nagamasa reluctantly signed the official document to Shichibei, accepting the three thousand kan with a smile, while also instructing Shichibei that he didn't need to come in person for such trivial matters in the future, and that sending a servant would suffice.

It's not impossible. If Nagamasa ultimately chooses to defect to Nobunaga, then Shichibei should indeed stay away from the "Three Cups of Wine".

A major undertaking was successfully completed. For a mere three thousand kan, he obtained the exclusive right to operate a horse trading business in northern Omi and the authority to provide horse services—a truly worthwhile deal. Merchants and travelers entering the Kinai region from the Hokuriku and even the Oshu regions all passed through Omi. Even if most chose to travel by water via Lake Biwa, the few who took the land route were enough to make Shichibei a fortune.

Kotaro was already waiting at the foot of Kannonji Castle. Upon hearing the news of Shichibei's triumphant return, he immediately declared that he would handle the matter. No one should try to take over the takeover of northern Omi from him.

He was a veteran, so naturally no one dared to snatch his offer. However, Shichibei sent Kuwayama Shigekatsu with a few soldiers to accompany him, partly to facilitate communication, and partly to have some soldiers to guard against any unforeseen events.

As a result, So Kotaro had just excitedly led a few dozen men to northern Omi when he ran into Nobunaga, who was returning from a horse-riding trip. Nobunaga, of course, recognized this young man who had almost knocked Saito Tatsuoki into the Kiso River while swimming, and asked So Kotaro where he was going.

Upon asking, it was clear that Sou Kotaro was heading to northern Omi. After asking a few more questions, Nobunaga, seemingly lost in thought, casually gave Sou Kotaro a few instructions and then rode off to the Noyakura warehouse below Kannonji Castle to find Shichibei.

"Shichibei, is it convenient for you to do things in Jiangnan?" Nobunaga asked Shichibei directly from his horse.

"Huh? There's nothing inconvenient." Shichibei was indeed not experiencing any inconvenience for the time being.

After all, those who dared to cause trouble for Shichibei were all crushed by Nobunaga's iron fist and fled. Northern Omi had just received a document from Azai Nagamasa, even though the local system was based on local councils. Nagamasa, having defeated the Rokkaku family, held considerable prestige within the clan.

Prestigious lords speak loudly, and their retainers often follow suit. This is why Nagamasa felt he had a chance to subdue the powerful figures under his command, become the true governor of northern Omi, and clearly define the hierarchy between ruler and subject.

While he still enjoys prestige and is young enough to have time to suppress him, we must quickly seize control of the 300,000 koku of northern Omi. If he gets too old, many things will become impossible.

"Alright, alright." Nobunaga stared at Shichibei for several seconds without saying anything, and finally turned to look at the hundreds of riders following him.

"..." Although Shichibei was used to Nobunaga asking nonsensical questions, what was this all about?

"Alright then, I'll assign Aochi Suruga to you and your strength!" Nobunaga made a decision immediately after scanning the room.

"Give it to me!" Shichibei instinctively knelt on one knee, but then immediately realized, "I haven't asked for it yet."

Before coming here, Shichibei had already thought about which members of the Koshu clan he wanted. In fact, Shichibei had a bit of a wicked sense of humor and wanted to ask Nobunaga for the three generals: Kuchiki Kawachi-no-kami, Ogawa Tosa-no-kami, and Akaza Bingo-no-kami.

I want to see if having these three people in my team will bankrupt the company.

When they arrived at Kannonji Castle, they learned that Kuchiki Motonaga was a retainer of the shogunate; the Ogawa branch was divided into two: one branch was in Ogawa Castle in Koga, still serving Rokkaku Yoshikata, and the other branch was serving Azai Nagamasa; Akaza Naoyasu was even better, as he was not from Omi at all, and it was unknown where he was serving now (the Asakura family).

"It's such a shame I couldn't gather enough cards even though I was struck by lightning today." Shichibei was annoyed for a few seconds, feeling he had missed out on the great joy of collecting cards.

Later, I thought about finding other decent samurai, many of whom came from Omi Province. Many of them rose to high positions after joining the Toyotomi regime. Quite a few of them would become feudal lords in the future, so I could take my time to choose.

Why are you pointing me to Aochi Suruga Moritsushi Shigetsuna right now?

"Let's do it this way. You'll need an assistant in Omi too." After saying that, Nobunaga spurred his horse and rode away before Shichibei could say anything more.

"No, this..." Nobunaga really does say whatever comes to mind.

I don't know any Aochi Suruga no Kami Shigetsuna. Who is this guy again? The people around me are all just clerks and such; no one seems to know anything about the origins of the samurai of southern Omi.

When Sakuma Nobumori brought Aochi Shigetsuna over that evening, Shichibei felt that this person looked somewhat familiar. After being introduced, he learned that this was Gamo Kensuke's younger brother.

Sigh, no wonder it looked so familiar. I spent half the day watching it the other day, hoping to see a good show about a son-in-law from the Warring States period, but I didn't see a thing.

Let's get to know each other a little. Aochi Shigetsuna is thirty-eight years old and was succeeded by the Hino Gamo clan to the Aochi clan of Kurita. As we mentioned before, Kondo Kasumori is the lord of half of Kurita district, and the Aochi family owns the remaining half, which contains 4,000 koku.

In the joint list of names in the Royal County, the Rokkaku family included twenty local noble families, with the Aoji family among them, ranking fourth.

Their ancestry can be traced back to Sasaki Sadatsuna, whose fifth son was Mabuchi Hirosada, and Mabuchi Hirosada's fourth son was Aochi Monetsuna. They can be considered a branch of the Sasaki Rokkaku clan with a clear lineage, and they lived in southern Omi for three or four hundred years.

They are a large and prestigious group, but their actual strength is average, enough to serve as a support for Shichibei. They can gather about a hundred men, including twenty or thirty proper samurai, which is sufficient for Shichibei to work for in southern Omi.

At least Nobunaga didn't just randomly choose Shichibei; he was a proper candidate.

Well, let them stay. What else can we do? Nobunaga is personally involved, and there's no refusing. It's just that I don't know what happened to this family in the end. I only know that Aochi Shigetsuna's eldest son, Aochi Chiyohisa, was sent to serve as a page to Nobunaga.

Aochi Shigetsuna even asked Shichibei if he was married and if he had any concubines. Sakuma Nobumori, standing nearby, coughed twice. Shichibei was engaged to Oda Nobuhiro's daughter. "Excuse me, excuse me," he said. "Aochi Shigetsuna has never subdued another family or changed allegiance before; there are many things he doesn't understand."

Perhaps in his mind, Shichibei's 2,500 kan of credit was equivalent to 10,000 koku of rice outside. Such a fortune was more than enough to allow him to have two concubines in addition to his principal wife.

It has to be said, Gamo Sadahide is quite fertile; Aochi Shigetsuna even has a younger sister who's waiting to be married. Of course, his older brother Gamo Kenshide is probably also inquiring about whether Shibata Katsuie has any concubines or something like that.

There's a war going on; we'll discuss this later.

Following the Kawamura family, there were no combat missions; they mostly did the work of a minor official. They didn't need to go to Gifu or Tsushima to serve in peacetime; it was only when there was a war that they had to mobilize their men and report to Shichibei's camp for orders.

After all, Nobunaga's wars were becoming increasingly large-scale, and he often brought tens of thousands of soldiers, grooms, and servants with him, all of whom needed samurai to manage. Shichibei alone was not enough; he needed to coordinate with his forces.

That's all.

Upon hearing that he wouldn't be sent to the front lines as cannon fodder, Aochi Shigetsuna visibly breathed a sigh of relief, his previously somewhat uneasy expression immediately relaxing. In his mind, being able to preserve his family was a stroke of luck; he couldn't handle the battles on the battlefield.

138. Miho consistently refused to play.

Leaving aside Nobunaga's leisurely stroll through southern Omi in search of a new castle site, let's focus on two other significant events. One is that Ashikaga Yoshiaki has moved from Sawayama Castle to Kannonji Temple, displaying great enthusiasm and excitement. Yoshiaki likely believes he will have the opportunity to enter Kyoto and inherit the throne in the autumn.

Another task was handled by Sakuma Nobumori and Oda Nobuhiro: the incorporation and disposal of the defeated Rokkaku clan's troops had been completed. Apart from the Rokkaku father and son who retreated to Koga District to continue their resistance, the vast majority of forces in southern Omi had either fled or surrendered, and the remaining troops had been reorganized and could be driven forward to wear down the Miyoshi Triumvirate's army.

By the way, the Yoshida Izumo no Kami Takashige I mentioned earlier, he had such amazing legs. Even when Minosaku Castle was engulfed in flames and surrounded by enemies on all sides, he and his younger brother managed to escape and retreat to Kyoto.

Despite being over eighty years old, Yoshida Shigemasa, who remained in Kawakami Village in Omi Province, personally came to pay his respects to Nobunaga. As the sole inheritor of the Hioki-ryu archery style, Nobunaga showed him some leniency, agreeing not to pursue the crime of Minosaku Castle resisting the imperial army and ordering a halt to the pursuit of Yoshida Izumo-no-kami and others.