Owari Yumeki Golden Day

Shichibei himself actually had a preference, preferring to attack Awaji and Awa. Because although Sakai had now joined the Oda clan, once Sakai went out to sea, he would face the Ataka navy of Awaji.

It is obvious that Ataka Nobuyasu and Oda Nobunaga are in a state of opposition, which is not conducive to the smooth development of Sakai's trade, and is not conducive to the promotion of Shichibei's interests in Sakai.

But our own tendency still couldn't compete with the majority of the young samurai in Owari. We weren't like the later Japanese warriors, the northbound and southbound factions still had some power to pull each other apart. Shichibei, alone, couldn't argue with the majority.

Unless some powerful groups in Kinai gradually gain a say in the Oda family, there may be voices calling for attacking Awa and Awaji first.

At present, even the voices calling for an attack on Echizen and Wakasa are muted, let alone Awa. Attacking the Asakura clan would allow them to seize Tsuruga and Obama, two major ports for northern trade. This was what Nobunaga himself hoped for and desired, but he couldn't completely go against the wishes of his retainers and act unilaterally.

Otherwise, he seemed to be testing something by chatting casually at the banquet, just to see the attitude within the retainers' group.

At this time, what was lacking was a good lackey, and it had to be the kind of lackey with a voice at home, who could jump out and echo Nobunaga's thoughts. But unfortunately, although the lackey was there, he did not speak up to affect the strategic position of the Oda family.

Didn't you say there's Shichibei? Shichibei supports fighting Awaji and Awa.

The banquet ended, Nobunaga stood up to leave, and Shichibei immediately escorted him out. As he was holding his horse, Nobunaga suddenly thought of how many people had just spoken nonsense, but how come Shichibei didn't even fart?

"Where do you think our family's next offensive direction should be?" Nobunaga did not rush to mount his horse, but asked Shichibei instead.

"I am the one who fought with you..." Shichibei is not one to pretend. If I am the one who fought with you, then I will fight with you. Everyone will feel more at ease to hand over the money to me.

"Tsk, I don't want you to carry a spear and go first." Nobunaga saw that Shichibei didn't want to say it, but he would never indulge Shichibei. The person who could be indulged by Nobunaga has not been born yet.

"Then..." Shichibei hesitated a little, wondering whether he should refer to the Awa in his heart or the Tsuruga that Nobunaga was expecting.

"Don't you want to be the general agent of the country?" Nobunaga stroked his riding stick and said to Shichibei in a suggestive way.

"Ah?" Wow, Shichibei was a little surprised.

It wasn't that he didn't want to do it, but in another dimension, the entire family of the general representative of the country was executed. Besides, Shichibei didn't really care whether he became the general representative or not. If he had to manage farmland, temples, shrines, streets, towns, and mines, he didn't think he had the ability to do it.

Being able to serve as the Great Pro-King of the World would be a complete success. Simply managing all commercial and trade activities in Sanjin Qichou and establishing a government-business monopoly would make this trip worthwhile.

"How is it?" Nobunaga was also a person who was very good at making big promises.

Unfortunately, the last big pie was drawn for Akechi Mitsuhide, allowing him to freely carve out the two countries of Kumo and Iwami. If he could take the Iwami Silver Mine, the pie would be even bigger than one million koku.

Perhaps it was too big to be eaten by Akechi Mitsuhide, who chose not to eat the cake anymore and committed a murder in a fit of passion.

"I only know how to serve my lord loyally and bravely." After thinking about it, Shichibei felt that he still couldn't let out a word.

If he is not released, at most he will be called a sly person. If he is released, there is no guarantee that he will bring up the past later.

"Tsk! You haven't learned the simplicity of a samurai, but you have learned 70% of the cunning of a businessman." Nobunaga frowned, criticizing Shichibei.

But since Shichibei did not express his opinion, there was no actual impact. Nobunaga just cursed him a few times, then immediately mounted his horse and rushed back to his residence in Linden Valley.

Scratching my head, I prepared to write a letter to Kuki Yoshitaka in Tsushima.

The main opinion of the family is to attack Minami-Ise, so Nobunaga will most likely not go against the will of his retainers and attack Asakura first. After the autumn harvest, Nobunaga will launch a fierce attack on Minami-Ise, and that will be the opportunity for Kuki Yoshitaka to make an appearance.

In addition to building warships and recruiting pirate sailors, Kuki Yoshitaka also needed to incite the people of Shima and the nearby Wataru-kai County to rise up against Kitabatake Tomomichi and Kitabatake Tomofusa, father and son. This matter had to be prepared in advance, and the sooner it was done, the better.

If rebellion really comes on impulse, well, just look at Mitsuhide.

Takigawa Ieyasu, stationed at Kanie Castle, must have caught wind of the situation and quickly rode to Gifu Castle to find Shichibei to understand Nobunaga's current stance. He was the deputy commander of the Ise faction, and he wholeheartedly supported Nobunaga's attack on Minami-Ise. He would undoubtedly be the main force in the attack, and he would undoubtedly play a significant role.

If you have made great contributions, you will get everything you deserve, and standing out from the crowd will be a piece of cake.

Speaking of the five counties of Northern Ise, he only gave them to Nobutaka, or Nobunaga, to manage on his behalf. After all, he was not really given all five counties. If he wanted to be granted the real title, he had to work hard in the war.

Seeing him like this, Shichibei could only feel pity for him. If they really conquered Minamiise and Shima, they would be entrusted to Nobuo and Kuki Yoshitaka. It had nothing to do with you, brother.

It was not until the Nagashima Ikko-ikki was completely suppressed that Takigawa Ieyasu obtained the Chigyo of the four northern counties of Ise, while Kobe Nobutaka obtained the Suzuka and Kawaguchi counties.

Nagano Nobuharu received Anano County, Kitabatake Nobuo received the five counties of Minami Ise. These four formed the so-called "guerrilla army" and acted as firefighters everywhere.

The Ise clan's participation in Araki Murashige's rebellion, the Kishu expedition, the Bessho Nagaharu rebellion, and many other events can be found. It was not until Takigawa Ieyasu became the successor of the Hojo clan and the commander of the Kanto corps, and Kitabatake Nobuo was further promoted, that Nobutaka and Nobuhiro were transferred from the guerrilla corps to Nobutada's central corps.

In the following decades, Ise was a country of separation and reunion, with comings and goings, and it was worthy of being called a miniature Warring States period.

"The Kitabatake clan resisted the royal army and raised an unjust war, so they must be severely punished!" Takigawa Kazumasu was beaming with joy, as it was finally his time to show off.

"Brother, you came to Gifu not just to talk to me, right?" Shichibei thought to himself, "If you have anything to say, just tell it to me."

"Haha, you know, I'm in Kanie, far away from Gifu." Takigawa Kazumasu and Shichibei have known each other for many years, and it is generally recognized by everyone in the Oda family that Shichibei is an honest man.

The kind of person who is loyal and trustworthy never talks behind others' backs, gets along well with colleagues and is close to fellow villagers.

"If we take over Nanshi, brother, we'll move our headquarters to Ohkawachi, which is even farther away." Shichibei certainly understood what was being said. He was just afraid that he wouldn't have a chance to make progress.

"Well, that's different." Hanawa Naomasa was sent to Bizen to kill Urakami Munekage, but he was in the emperor's heart, and Nobunaga was still thinking about him no matter how far away he was.

Distance is just a consideration; what really matters is achievement.

"In my opinion, the lord will indeed go south in the autumn." Shichibei heard it clearly at the banquet that day.

"It's really worth the trip to hear you say that." Takigawa Kazumasu laughed after hearing that.

"Hmm." It came out of my mouth and entered your ears, but once he left this door, Shichibei would not admit it.

"Don't worry, I'm here on official business." Takigawa Kazumasu was also ordered to come to the court, and he did not come to Gifu privately.

It wasn't a big deal, a simple one. Nobunaga's uncle was Toyama Kageto, the head of the Iwamura Toyama clan. But they had no legitimate son, and neither did they have any concubines.

Last year, Toyama Naoyoshi, lord of Naegi Castle, responded to Takeda Shingen's order to invade Suruga and was mobilized to fight, but was killed in battle. The defeat of many members of the same clan led to the turmoil in the Toyama family, and the question of succession became apparent.

If Toyama Naoyoshi hadn't died, then Kageto would have had no problem passing the throne to his younger brother. But now that Naoyoshi was dead and Kageto had no descendants, everyone knew that Nobunaga had no problem annexing his uncle's family business.

So he sent Takigawa Kazumasu to hint to Toyama Kagetomo whether he was willing to adopt Nobunaga's son Goboumaru as his legitimate son and inherit the family business of the Iwamura Toyama clan.

Because they were afraid that sending family elders like Niwa Nagahide or Sakuma Nobumori would put too much pressure on Toyama Keito and make him feel dissatisfied, they sent Takigawa Kazumasu instead.

In theory, the Toyama family was a powerful local clan between the Oda and Takeda clans, and this matter was also reported to Takeda Shingen. However, Nobunaga wanted to complete the matter secretly before notifying him.

Work quietly and don't shoot.

Oh, that's serious business, Shichibei thought. Toyama Keito is already in his fifties or sixties, and he doesn't know what tomorrow will bring. It's right to prepare early. Nobunaga is very far-sighted.

Wait, it turns out that at this time, Nobunaga had already decided to adopt Nobuo, also known as Oda Chashamaru, to Kitabatake.

Otherwise, why would Gonan Gobōmaru be pushed out?

Seeing that Shichibei suddenly seemed to be lost in thought, and there was a look of surprise in his eyes, Takigawa Kazumasu stopped his narration and couldn't help but look at Shichibei.

Isn't it just a simple matter of sending one's son to Guohao's house to be adopted? It's happening all over Japan, it's not surprising at all. Why is Shichibei surprised?

Normally, since there was the eldest son, Oda Qimyoumaru, also known as Oda Nobutada, the remaining sons should have been arranged one by one in order. Why did they suddenly choose to skip over Chashoumaru and the fourth son, Ojimaru?

Last time in Ise, Oda Sanshimaru, also known as Nobutaka, was arranged to be the heir. No one thought it was inappropriate, as Nobutaka was born two hours before Nobuo. Later legends said that because his mother's status was lower than that of Lady Ikoma, he was relegated to the position of the third son.

In fact, there is no clear position for the second and third sons in the Oda family now, because the most important thing is to establish the status of the legitimate son. The subsequent sons are all retainers of the legitimate son, and there is no particular superiority or inferiority.

So it can be understood that the earlier-born Nobutaka was arranged first, and this time the later-born Nobuo should be arranged.

"Five men..." Although Shichibei didn't say anything, his mouth shape still exposed Takigawa Kazumasu.

"Ah!" After reading the lip reading, Takigawa Kazumasu suddenly thought of something in his mind like lightning.

173. Another attack on the army and food

Takigawa Ikki, who had been quite excited and full of the determination to do something big, suddenly felt weak. He was no fool, and his understanding of the order and morality of the Japanese Warring States period was even better than Shichibei's.

When the word "five men" came out of Shichibei's mouth, Takigawa Kazumasu suddenly understood.

Why did they skip the middle one and arrange the latter one first when they were arranging for their sons to be adopted? It was simply because there was another arrangement for the middle one, so it was skipped.

Takigawa Kazumasu even figured out why he left behind two sons. One inherited the Kitabatake clan's main branch, while the other inherited the Kitabatake clan's important branch, the Ōkouchi Kitabatake clan. The Ōkouchi clan was the head of the so-called Kitabatake Three Gosho, much like the later Tokugawa Gosho.

If the direct line of the Kitahata clan is cut off, the Okawachi clan, the Tanamaru clan, and the Sakauchi clan will be the successors according to the Kitahata clan's family lineage.

Why do they think so? Historically, the Kitabatake clan resisted the Oda army by concentrating all their efforts on defending Ōkouchi Castle. Built on a hilly mountainside, Ōkouchi Castle is bordered by the Sakanouchi River to the east, the Yatsu River to the north, and deep valleys and fortified walls piercing the ground to the west and south, making it a fortress that was virtually impregnable.

However, he still blocked the Oda army at the key pass where they were entering Minami-Ise through Ishi County. If he did not break through the heavily guarded Okawachi Castle, and entered the Kiriyama Palace abandoned by Kitada Tomokuni, it would be tantamount to seeking his own death.

It was natural for Oda Nobunaga to want to control such an important position. So it would be reasonable to arrange for one son to inherit the Ōkouchi clan and control Ōkouchi Castle, and then place another son in the Hojo clan and control Take County.

tired……

Takigawa Kazumasu, who had just been dancing with joy, suddenly felt tired. His straight back slowly hunched, and his previous high spirits were gone.

The Kitabatake clan's territory was so small, and because Mokuzo Tomomasa surrendered first, he was promised security. Kuki Yoshitaka was promised to revive the Shima Kuki clan and secure the entire Shima province. Now, if he were to send his two sons to the Kitabatake and Ōkouchi clans, even if he fought tooth and nail to conquer the Kitabatake clan, what would Takigawa Ieyasu gain?

Being loyal and brave in serving the country is to gain the emperor's grace. Without new emperor's grace, what is the point of serving the country?

Fuck his grandma!

Seeing Takigawa Ikki's sudden change, Shichibei, who had been lost in thought, immediately realized that he had revealed too much. Perhaps without his reminder, Takigawa Ikki wouldn't have thought of this. Now that he had thought of it, he felt a pang in his heart.

"Sakon, things are not decided yet, things are not decided yet." Shichibei hurriedly tried to make amends, saying that the two sons reserved might be one for Kitabatake and the other for Asakura.

Then Minami-Ise could still give some land as a reward to loyal and brave samurai. No matter how much this reward was, at least he still had it.

"Sigh..." Takigawa Kazumasu sighed and waved his hands repeatedly.

He could clearly see that this matter had nothing to do with Shichibei; Nobunaga was in charge. Shichibei had simply happened to think of it, and hadn't even mentioned it, muttering "five men." The rest was purely his own speculation.

Could it be that Shichibei was to be blamed for something like this? Impossible. If Takigawa Ikki was such a fool, such an ignorant person, he would have been kicked out by Nobunaga long ago.

"My lord, you have Luoyang with the general in your arms. You look upon all the heroes as if they were towering over you. If you cannot get it today, you can get it tomorrow." Shichibei could only persuade him again.

"I understand, I understand." Takigawa Kazumasu just raised his expectations too high, thinking that he could be granted a county in northern Ise.

I came here excitedly, but was suddenly hit hard. It's just a little painful to the heart, but I just need to adjust a little.

"Stop grimacing and come have a drink."

What else was there to say? Shichibei quickly stood up and asked the servants outside to bring wine and food, and invited Takigawa Kazumasu to have a meal and rest first.

The work that needed to be done had to be done. Takigawa Ieyasu accepted the order and went to Iwamura Castle to visit Toyama Keito. He hinted to Toyama Keito about the issue of adopting a child and took advantage of Keito's wife (Otsuya no Kata) who was from the Oda family to facilitate the matter as soon as possible.

Shichibei also had to go up to the city. This year's autumn harvest included not only the annual tribute rice from the two countries of Nobi, but also the annual tribute rice from Kitase and Nakasei. Nobunaga gave all of it to Shichibei this year because he had used it easily last year.

A few days ago, he promised Shichibei the position of General Agent of the World, but it wasn't just a promise. As long as Shichibei continued to work well for him, he would really give him the position of General Agent of the World.

But this job is hot, so it’s better not to fight for it.

Let's first settle the accounts with Nobunaga regarding the Nobi-se and three kingdoms. Sakaimachi still has a lot of unfinished business. Who suggested to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Build high walls, store abundant food, and wait until you claim the throne"? Lay a solid foundation before discussing other matters. There's no need for a hasty expansion now; a contemporary leader might have made the same choice.

But Shichibei had foresight, knowing that Nobunaga would gradually establish his advantage in the chaos that would rage over the next decade or so. We still had time, so there was no need to rush.

By the way, why didn't we receive the annual tribute rice from Minami-Omi? It's because Minami-Omi has a very prosperous rural market and a port town along the shore of Lake Biwa with extremely convenient transportation.

Therefore, the level of monetary payment of annual tribute in Minami-Omi was far superior to that in Owari and Mino. Farmers had their own channels and methods to cash in rice, thus eliminating the need for middlemen and being exploited less.

Nobunaga could obtain cash directly from the direct territory of Minami-Omi, without having to go through Shichibei again. He only needed to dispatch Murai Sadakatsu and Myōin Yoshimasa to collect the money.

However, Minami-Omi has not yet built a castle to serve as a government office. Murai Sadakatsu and his colleagues either go to the castle town of the original Kannonji Castle or to Ozu Town to work.

Who knows what Nobunaga is planning?

When Nobunaga heard Shichibei say he was inquiring about the annual tribute rice, he told him that he was already a member of the Nobi family and that he didn't need to apply for it every year anymore, so he could just handle it directly. When he had originally sent Shichibei the letter, he had already said that he would not be allowed to do so.

Another requirement was that when purchasing tribute rice from Kitase and Nakagase, the price of tribute rice from Minase should also be raised. Nobunaga would have to pay the price for all the tribute rice from Minase, regardless of the price. He also had to bring all the Minase tribute rice, originally sold at Daiminato in front of Ise Jingu, to Annozu.

"My lord, do you want to attack with food and soldiers?" Shichibei had used this trick before and made a fortune.

"It also depends on whether Kitabatake Chunagon takes the bait." Nobunaga did not pretend. As soon as the order was given, Shichibei could naturally think of it.

But having already played with Kitashi once before, it's hard to say whether Kitabatake Gukyo and Kitabatake Gufu will fall for it again. No wonder Nobunaga said any amount would be fine, what about 600 coins per koku? Just increase the power level to 3 or 4 kan per koku.

Besides the annual tribute rice that was handed over to the feudal lords, a considerable portion would remain in the hands of wealthy farmers and landlords. Kitabatake Gukuni might not be fooled, but these wealthy farmers and landlords would definitely be fooled and sell out all the rice they had.

In order to maintain daily expenses, the Kitabatake family would sell a large amount of annual tribute rice in exchange for money, regardless of whether there was a strategy of military and food attack, to maintain the military and political operations of the entire family for the second year.

As we said before, the main factor that determines how long a daimyo can fight in the second year is how much rice is left over from selling this year.

What Nobunaga just referred to was mainly buying the rice from the wealthy farmers in the Kitabatake family's territory, as well as the rice left by the Kitabatake family.

When a war really breaks out in the future, there will be no rice in the Kitabatake family's rice warehouse, and there will be no rice in the surrounding rural areas. Then even if they want to gather troops and defend the city, they will soon collapse.

If you can't even have a mouthful of rice to eat, who will risk their life and carry a gun for you?

"Then I will first establish a military station in Annozu." Shichibei nodded in agreement.

The rice purchased from Minami-Ise was stored in Annozu. There was no need to ship it to Sakaimachi for sale. When Nobunaga raised his army to attack Minami-Ise, it would have required at least 50,000 to 80,000 men, and the daily consumption of grain would have been over a thousand koku. A month of fighting would have required tens of thousands of koku of grain, and if you factor in horse feed, salt, miso, and other supplies, the figure would be astronomical.

"Store another 10,000 pieces of wood as thick as arms, no, 20,000." It seems that Nobunaga attaches great importance to Ohkouchi Castle and has already anticipated the construction of offensive fortifications outside the city.

"I understand. Everything will be ready in two days at most." It's a small matter.

Tsushima, under Shichibei's rule, was a transshipment hub for the timber trade on the Kiso River. Timber shipped downstream from the Kiso River gathered in Tsushima Town. Even 50,000 pieces of timber, let alone 20,000 arm-thick logs, could be quickly sourced with just the right amount of money.

The forestry industry was no longer profitable in 2024. However, it is now a very profitable industry with many practitioners.

Why was it said that there were not many giant trees in Japan when rebuilding the Great Buddha Hall? Because the vast mountains and forests near human settlements have actually begun to be transformed into semi-artificial and semi-natural forests.