Owari Yumeki Golden Day

Fortunately, Shichibei has a strong mentality. He was a slave in his previous life, so he won't be easily swayed by his boss's ridicule. Anyway, he doesn't need his boss's PUA. As long as he has a good attitude and can get medical insurance every month, then he'll just do it.

"Okay, you can leave now." After Nobunaga laughed, he gently tapped Shichibei's head with his whip and told him to get out.

"I can't fight, I can't fight, but you insist I tell you, and then you laugh at me. This boss is really annoying."

After Shichibei left, Nobunaga turned around and called his elder brother Oda Nobuhiro, as well as his younger brothers Oda Nobuteru and Oda Nobukatsu. After repeated confirmation, he came to a conclusion.

None of them are as handsome as me!

So he looked at Maeda Toshiie and Ikeda Terumasa, and finally felt that Ikeda Terumasa was more like him. After all, they were raised by the same mother, and the more they fed, the more they resembled each other, which made sense.

As Nobunaga was doing this, he put his knuckles on Ikeda Terumasa's head. Ikeda Terumasa didn't understand what was happening, but after Nobunaga asked him to take two steps without any problem, he started nodding.

Very good, very good. Terumasa Ikeda is indeed similar to me, just a little bit worse than me.

62. Half the strategy, half the reward

After being ridiculed by his boss, Shichibei returned to Inuyama happily without any hesitation. His main responsibility was to supervise the women of Ikeda Terumasa's retainers in the castle, preparing lead bullets.

How great it is! Working with a group of women who are at least not village girls is definitely more enjoyable than squatting on the front line.

The Ikeda family had been under the protection of Oda Nobuhide, and while their retainers weren't large, they had slowly recovered over the past two years. From the eldest sister to the youngest sister, there were seventy or eighty of them, and including the maids, the number exceeded one hundred. They sat around Shichibei, listening to him explain the process of making lead bullets.

Then you'd push and shove each other over to the crucible to watch the lead ingot melt. Listening to a bunch of women chattering was annoying, but at least it was better than listening to a bunch of men bickering.

His wife was from the Arao family. Her father was Arao Zenji. Araao Zenji's father was Saji Tamesada, lord of Ono Castle in Chita County, Owari. The Saji family was a powerful Owari tycoon, favored by both Nobuhide and Nobunaga. His ability to marry a daughter who was actually from the Saji family was a testament to his status.

As was customary today, Shichibei addressed this lady as Kida-dono (Arao Zenji was the lord of Kida Castle in Chita County). She looked quite presentable, and instead of wearing a wide-sleeved robe, she wore a simple dress with her sleeves tied up with loops, giving her the air of a sharp-toned samurai.

Seeing Shichibei, Mrs. Kida even greeted him. She knew that Shichibei was currently destined to be the adopted daughter of Oda Nobuya, so she didn't ask about the marriage, but instead learned about Shichibei's family situation.

Upon learning that Shichibei's eldest sister had married the younger brother of Nobunaga's servant, Inase Sukemon, and that his second sister had married the younger brother of Sumata Castle lord Kinoshita Hideyoshi, Mrs. Kida nodded repeatedly.

This is how the daughters of the old Owari retainers should be circulated.

The women around her were not as reserved as she was. When they found out that Shichibei was still unmarried, they started to flirt with him. They were laughing as they did so. These old ladies just loved to tease a virgin like Shichibei.

In the end, it was Mrs. Kida who came to the rescue, quickly dropping out 5,000 lead bullets. "Master Odate is fighting up ahead, what are you doing playing with your little virgin?"

After finally getting out of the clutches of the old women, Shichibei felt himself covered in sweat, even covered in some messy perfume powder, a truly "fragrant sweat".

The women of the samurai families laughed, but they still didn't care about the importance of their husbands and children fighting in Mino. After Shichibei's instruction, they all set to work. Strength in numbers, the dripping lead bullets soon filled the ash tray.

There is no need to count, just weigh it directly. Anyway, the dripping hole is fixed, so the lead bullets that drip down will certainly not be too big or too small.

"Brother Shichibei, please stay in Inuyama Castle tonight." An old woman came up to ask Shichibei after finishing her work.

"No, no, I have to deliver these lead bullets to the front line." Shichibei was afraid that he would be eaten alive by the goblins if he slept in Inuyama tonight.

"It's getting dark now, can you make it to the front of Unuma Castle?" Another female member of the family also asked Shichibei. Even if there was a floating bridge under Inuyama Castle, it would be very troublesome to travel at night.

"Hmm..." That's a good point.

Shichibei had a hand in building the streets and post stations between Komakiyama and Inuyama, and he was very familiar with them. While it's a bit of an exaggeration to say you could walk it with your eyes closed, it's certainly not a problem for a nighttime walk. However, after crossing the Kiso River, you're in enemy territory. Shichibei was truly in the dark. While it might seem easy to walk towards Inuyama Castle during the day, the uncertainty at night made things much more difficult.

"Yes, Shichibei, you should rest for one night under the city. We have already sent three days' worth of medicine across the river this morning." Mrs. Kida thought for a moment and said so.

The three-day supply of lead bullets and gunpowder was a constant supply at Komaki Castle, but now, just before the battle, they had to be made in Inuyama. Since there was already a stockpile before the battle, there was no need to rush.

Okay, I'll do it reluctantly.

"What's difficult for you? Hahaha..." A group of old ladies left laughing and went back to their homes.

After all, Shichibei was considered a Kaito-gun daemon, a mid-level samurai, so Mrs. Kida invited Shichibei to dine in the castle. She also provided him with a room to rest. Inuyama Tessai had fled to Kai, but Inuyama Castle had been preserved intact, and the palace within the castle remained as it had been.

Then came the exciting bathing session. Although Shichibei was not looking forward to it, since he was already there, he had to take a look.

Congratulations!

I was still a virgin the next day.

Hooking the lead bullets made from the Ikeda women's drippings onto his horse's back, Shichibei, accompanied by a few servants and a garrison commander, headed for Unuma Castle. It wasn't far, and the walk wouldn't take long. Last night, it was dark, so he didn't dare wander around. Now, in broad daylight, he could see the various smoke and black fumes rising from the base of Unuma Castle.

The smoke was naturally from the soldiers cooking outdoors, while the black smoke was the warning fireworks released by Unuma Castle to the fortress behind. Regardless of whether Nagai Michiri came to rescue, the notification must be made.

Following the fireworks to the main camp, Nobunaga glanced at Shichibei and said nothing. Shichibei thought Nobunaga was still laughing at the proposal from yesterday, so he muttered to himself, "Don't look at me, don't look at me," and walked towards the camp of the small group of people.

They were almost around the main camp when Nobunaga suddenly asked if Kida-dono was doing well. Shichibei, confused, could only reply, "He's doing fine. He was directing the families to make lead bullets yesterday." Nobunaga nodded, and Shichibei successfully bypassed the main camp.

The attack on Unuma Castle intensified. It was more of a fort than a castle, a small one at that, designed to monitor the direction of Inuyama Castle. With the Oda army coming in full force, how could tiny Unuma Castle resist?

The only thing I find strange is that I haven't heard about Umemura Ryoze. Half a day and a whole night have already passed, so why hasn't Sato Tadanori figured it out yet?

As soon as I sat down, I heard someone on the city wall shouting for peace.

There was something interesting to watch, so Shichibei didn't hesitate to find the tallest horse and ride on it. Riding a horse always made him taller than standing. Sure enough, some samurai from the Saito faction came out of the city to pay their respects to the Oda generals who were besieging the city.

The man likely wanted to meet Nobunaga, but Nobunaga refused to see him and instead ordered Kinoshita Hideyoshi to enter the castle to negotiate. Hideyoshi was the samurai general and the mayor of Sumata Castle, a position of sufficient authority. If the castle rebelled and Kinoshita Hideyoshi was killed, Kinoshita Hidenaga could immediately take over, minimizing any major losses.

The negotiation was very quick, perhaps only ten minutes later, Hideyoshi rushed out of the castle. The castle lord, Jirozaemon Ōzawa, was willing to open the city walls on the condition that the lives of the Ichimon's party and the castle soldiers be spared.

No problem, Nobunaga agreed immediately. But there was a condition: Ozawa Jirozaemon had to accept the punishment of exile. No matter where you go, you can't just turn around and take your whole gang to serve Saito Tatsuoki.

As for the male members of the Ozawa family, they were summoned by Kinoshita Hideyoshi to serve him as foot soldiers and serve Hideyoshi.

When the conditions were right, Ōzawa Jirozaemon pulled up three horses and sped out of the city. The rest of the gang retreated, leaving Kinoshita Hideyoshi in charge. This was a good thing. If history hadn't changed, following Hideyoshi would have easily restored the family. Earning a few thousand koku would have been easy, but if they lacked the skills, they would have been forced to follow Hideyori and suffer.

Unuma Castle opens.

Niwa Nagahide, who was also attacking Sarushu Castle, also reported that the castle's water vein had been cut off, and the castle's lord, Tajimi, had fled to Kai and joined Takeda Shingen. The castle soldiers retreated to Dodo Castle and reunited with Kishi Nobushu.

By the way, Kawajiri Hidetaka, who was the vanguard in the siege, was summoned by Nobunaga, rewarded with a pair of straw sandals, and appointed as the temporary mayor of Sarutoku Castle to ensure the retreat.

Yuanzhu Castle was renamed Shengshan Castle, but this castle was just a branch castle, a small fort, and there was no question of whether there was a lord or not. Once Zhongnong was captured, the city would definitely be abandoned.

He glanced at the thick and stupid Kawajiri Hidetaka. He thought that this guy had a chance to become Oda Nobutada's tutor in the future. It was a pity that Nobutada was defeated. Otherwise, this guy might have become a regent, a kanrei, or a shogun in the future.

I really can’t tell.

The main camp moved forward and entered Katsuyama Castle, and began to make real contact with the three castles of Nakanosuke. At this point, Shichibei immediately understood why Nobunaga was making fun of him, and it was natural that he had to make fun of Shichibei.

Because Kajida Castle is the top corner of the Nakano Triangle after being shielded by Seki Castle and Dodo Castle, the left corner is Seki Castle and the right corner is Dodo Castle.

There was no way the Oda army could have marched through the defenses of the two castles and attacked Kajida Castle directly. To do so would have meant abandoning their food supply and leaving their retreat to the Saito army.

I wrongly blamed Nobunaga, it was the boss who scolded me.

But Shichibei was puzzled by the Oda army's subsequent movements. Nobunaga dispatched several divisions, seemingly planning to attack Sekijō Castle, but then directed divisions led by Mori Yoshinari, Shibata Katsuie, and Sakai Masanari to launch a fierce assault on Dodo Castle. This assault severely crippled the castle, rendering it impenetrable even for a brave general like Kishi Nobushu, who was stationed there.

The separated troops were led by Nobumori Sakuma, Terumasa Ikeda and others, and Hideyoshi Kinoshita also went with them. The army that left was probably half of the Oda army.

He is indeed a powerful man who can shoot with both hands, but Nobunaga, you are over 30 years old. Can you handle it?

Some things should only be thought of in the heart, and should never be spoken to anyone. Shichibei continued to rush between Dodo Castle and Inuyama Castle, transporting large quantities of straw bundles.

Or, more accurately, bamboo bundles, but they weren't meant to stop bullets. Rice or wheat straw was soaked in oil, dried in the shade, and then tied into a bundle with bamboo poles, one end of which was set on fire. Because the bamboo poles were tightly bound, the straw didn't have enough air inside, so it burned slowly.

After the brave soldiers rushed to the city gate or wooden buildings inside or outside the city with the fire bundle, they drew their swords and cut the bamboo, causing the grass inside to scatter and a fire to suddenly break out, thus achieving the effect of a fire attack.

If we put aside the nuclear age, anyone who does this kind of thing will at least be called one of the "Three Bomb Warriors".

The three cannon fodders also played the role of military gods for a few years, and were included in Japanese elementary school textbooks for a few years. Of course, when the five-star emperor MacArthur came to Japan, he saw the text and tore it up and burned it for firewood.

The foot soldiers who had received Nobunaga's generous reward rushed towards the Dodo Castle with long bundles of fire in their arms, yelling and screaming. Attacking a castle is like rushing, setting fire to it is also like rushing, and they rushed quite quickly.

Kishi Nobushu on the city wall was also very anxious when he saw the Oda army's fire attack. He released fireworks repeatedly and asked for help from Nagai Michitoshi and Sato Tadanori.

Save! We must save!

Nagai Michitoshi brought more than a thousand people, and Sato Tadanori also brought more than a thousand people, and rushed to Dodo Castle that day to prepare to rescue Kishi Nobushu.

The next day, Sato Tadanori switched sides and joined forces with Oda Nobunaga to attack Nagai Michitoshi. Caught completely unaware, Nagai Michitoshi barely escaped death, while nearly all of the Seki Castle troops were killed or dispersed. Knowing that Seki Castle was untenable, Nagai Michitoshi fled to Gujo Hachiman Castle and took refuge with Endo Yoshitaka.

With the fall of Seki Castle, Dodo Castle was shaken. Mori Yoshinari led a fierce attack, and the guerrillas rushed into the castle one after another. Finally, Kishi Nobushu and his son, Kishi Nobufusa, set themselves on fire, and the Kishi clan was almost wiped out, with only a few members escaping.

All three towns of Nakano had thus fallen into Nobunaga's hands. Ryuoki, who had sent troops to rescue Ogaki Castle the day before, did not receive any news until Dodo Castle had fallen.

I feel like I've fallen into Nobunaga's trap. Why is there a Nobunaga living under Ogaki Castle?

It was Mori Kanari and Sakai Masanari who attacked Dodo Castle, so why is it suddenly said that Nobunaga led his troops to attack the reinforcements, Nagai Michitoshi? What went wrong? Were there two Nobunagas?

Still unwilling to surrender, Ryusei led over 3,000 men, while Nagai Michiri led 300 men, turning back to seize Kajita Castle. If Kajita Castle was captured, Nakano would at least have a fulcrum from which to slowly resist.

The Oda army, which was in high spirits, encountered the Saito army that had come from afar. Nobunaga was really rude and ordered Sato Tadanori and his son to serve as the vanguard, surrender, and attack Saito Tatsuoki first.

After a chaotic battle, Long Xing's army was defeated and retreated to Inabayama Castle. Coincidentally, Sato Tadanori's legitimate son, Sato Tadayasu, was killed in the battle.

Haha, it was such a coincidence that I opened the door for you.

Although Shichibei had no idea what Nobunaga was actually thinking, he nonetheless fulfilled his promise. He ordered Mori Yoshinari to enter Seki Castle and serve as its lord. He also personally dispatched troops to suppress the rebellion, assisting Sato Tadanori in collecting 4,389 kan of rebellion money. Those who refused to pay had their territories confiscated and their personnel exiled.

Sato Tadanori was overwhelmed with joy and sorrow. A huge sum of 4,400 kan in cash filled his house, nearly filling it up. Meanwhile, his eldest son died in battle, and all the powerful families in Zhongnan were completely offended.

It is not known whether he figured it out himself or someone hinted to him, but Sato Tadanori proposed to Nobunaga that he should retire and have Nobunaga's brother-in-law Saito Toshiharu marry Satohime and succeed the Sato family.

Nobunaga was extremely happy and gave Sato Tadanori Ifukamura 300 kan of pension, as well as a large number of precious swords, horses, silks and props, and accepted his suggestion.

"Nanabe, I have only adopted half of your strategy this time, so I can only give you half of the reward." Nanabe, who was watching with great interest, suddenly heard Nobunaga's voice with a smile.

63. New knowledge is a great way to gain experience

"Isn't my strategy a joke? You didn't play according to my instructions, did you?" Shichibei was a little confused. After all, he didn't even look at the map and just spoke out of his mind. It was purely a random suggestion.

and many more!

Used half.

Ah… no wonder Nobunaga split his troops away from the front lines of Dodo Castle. So he really did send decoy troops to Ogaki. If that's the case, then Shichibei was right about the strategy of splitting the troops to Ogaki.

"The first credit naturally goes to Kajita-dono." As a local tyrant from the Okunoki region who had just defected, Nobunaga could not completely address him as a subject.

At least we have to wait until Saito Toshiharu completely controls the Kajita people, controls Kajita Castle, and eliminates the influence of Sato Tadanori and his son Tadayasu before we can treat them as our vassal.

Now it's not just about getting on a horse, getting off a horse, getting silver, rewards today, gifts tomorrow, banquets and entertainment all the time. A huge sum of 4,389 kan was spent just to stabilize Kajita Castle and Sato Tadanori.

"The second achievement is the third left who conquered the cave!" The third left, Mori Yoshinari, one of Nobunaga's important ministers, led the team to attack the cave. It was reasonable and everyone was convinced.

"As for you, Shichibei, that can only be considered half a credit, hahahaha..." Nobunaga laughed, and everyone laughed too.

What's the value of half a contribution? Sakuma Nobumori and other former Oda retainers, who had already retreated from the Ogaki decoy, showed no dissatisfaction or opposition. Before they set out, they knew that this strategy was proposed by Shichibei, and since it was working, it was only natural that they would be rewarded.

Besides, half a reward made everyone around laugh, even Sato Tadanori, who had just joined Nobunaga, laughed along. Nobunaga couldn't just give Shichibei half a horse, right? He should just write an IOU this time, and then if he did half a merit next time, they would add up the total and give him a full horse.

"I dare not take credit for it, I dare not take credit for it." Shichibei also laughed. It is true that half the credit cannot be rewarded.

Write a letter of gratitude. Next time, put the two letters together and give me 200 strings of cash. I will be very happy.

"Logically, you should be granted 200 kan of salary, but this time it is reduced by half, so it is only 100 kan." However, Nobunaga's answer surprised Shichibei.

I didn't kill anyone in battle, but even if I cut off the head of a Kishi family warrior, I would be rewarded with a gift. Shichibei thought that someone would definitely object to this, but when he looked up to refuse, the Oda warriors on his left and right just laughed and didn't object.

First of all, Shichibei really deserved some reward, and secondly, the statement of "half a reward" really made everyone laugh. The one hundred kan reward was not so impressive. Those present were all important officials of the Oda clan, with high kan and prominent positions, and there were not just one or two people with ten thousand kan. It seemed that the one hundred kan reward was just a joke that Nobunaga made to Shichibei on a whim.

"Okay, okay, one hundred kan." Seeing that Shichibei did not answer, Nobunaga made the final decision and signaled Shichibei to come forward.

There was no other way, so Shichibei could only walk up to Nobunaga and kneel down to express his gratitude. This was only natural, as the lord had granted you territory, and you kowtowed to show your loyalty.

"I am so terrified." After bowing his head and looking up again, Shichibei suddenly saw Nobunaga raising his hand and tapping his head lightly with his riding stick, and winked at him.

hiss……

What is this hinting at? Although Qibingwei repeatedly imagined it in his mind, he couldn't figure out what it meant for a while.

Nobunaga later rewarded others one by one, such as Sakai Masanari, who had accompanied Mori Kanari in the attack on the Dodo Cave, and his territory was increased. Some samurai who captured heads were given money or horses. In short, according to the size of their merits, there were corresponding rewards, and there were almost no omissions.

Murai Sadakatsu was a man of meticulous attention. As Nobunaga's right-hand man, he also served as the military supervisor, recording the military achievements of all the soldiers. He had a clear idea of ​​how much a head was worth.

Nobunaga had already captured the three castles of Nakano. Besides securing the territory of the Kajita Sato clan, he also took over the territories of Nagai Michitoshi and Kishi Nobushu, allowing him to deploy hundreds of regular foot soldiers, armed with arquebuses and bows. It was easy to reward meritorious service with some of these.

After the first inspection and reward of merit were completed, Nobunaga left Mori Kanari to guard Sekikawa Castle and Saito Toshiharu to guard Kajita Castle, and led the army to withdraw to Inuyama, then disbanded and returned to Komakiyama Castle.

Shichibei had to go back to Komakiyama Castle to settle the price of Nobunaga's rented horses, so he had to follow Nobunaga back. Naturally, he would be mixed in with the group. When Sakuma Nobumori saw Shichibei, he beckoned him to go with him.

At first, they were just chatting about what it felt like to be a small monk. When the conversation got lively, Sakuma Nobumori suddenly praised Shichibei for being so lucky, and Nobunaga actually personally supported Shichibei.

This wasn't the first time Nobunaga had supported his samurai, with the most notable example being Ikeda Terumasa, who had already raised the Inuyama daimyo to a fiefdom of 10,000 kan. With such territory, one could independently command a front and lead 3,000 to 5,000 men to conduct independent military operations.

Hengxing was Nobunaga's foster brother, and his mother was Nobuhide's concubine. Hengxing was also willing to go into battle and kill people and set fires, so all the promotions he received were done naturally.

Kinoshita Hideyoshi, for example, had a bumpy start. But now, with the gradual recruitment of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi began to build a group of Kinoshita retainers, and with the added strength of the Nishi Mino factions, he could, at the extreme, mobilize an independent large reserve force of over 1,500 men to participate in a major battle involving tens of thousands of men.

When it comes to Shichibei, you have to "attack indirectly".