Owari Yumeki Golden Day

But once Nobunaga endorsed it, no one in the room dared to say anything. Nobunaga's prestige in the four counties of Owari was unshakable. After all, the middle-aged people of Owari had grown up with Nobunaga. Those who followed Nobunaga's lead back then were either dead or successful.

In short, Nobunaga holds the right to speak for this generation and has unparalleled appeal among this generation.

But you didn't ride over ten or twenty kilometers just to watch me judge a murder case, did you? Shichibei personally carried the teacup to Nobunaga.

Of course, Nobunaga wasn't just here to watch a trial. He wanted to see if Shichibei's stable had any decent horses. He was planning to give five horses to Matsudaira Ieyasu and Matsudaira Nobuyasu, father and son, preferably war horses. But such things were hard to come by, and Shichibei was also in the horse business, so perhaps there were some good horses in the stable.

Yes, there were. There was also a warhorse in the stable, and there were also quite a few rather majestic-looking riding horses. Riding horses were sometimes even taller than warhorses, but being tall wasn't enough; they had to be brave, able to withstand the noise of gunfire and clamor to be a warhorse.

If you're just giving it to Ieyasu and Nobuyasu to ride, there are plenty of options. Japanese horses are descended from Mongolian horses, and they have the advantages of being very patient and good at long distances. They're perfect for just riding over mountains and hills.

Nobunaga probably had some knowledge of horses, so in addition to the black-haired warhorse that looked decent, he also picked out two other horses.

"You have always been so loyal and diligent in your service. I will definitely give you a greater reward."

Nobunaga, mounting his horse, gently tapped Shichibei's head with his riding stick and said this. His tone was unusually gentle.

"I'm so frightened." Shichibei was about to kneel down on one knee, but he was worried that Nobunaga's horse staff wouldn't be able to touch his head.

"There will be plenty of tasks for you to do in the future, so just wait." Nobunaga put away his riding stick and signaled Shichibei not to kneel down to answer.

"It's all my responsibility."

The sound of their conversation was so strong that no one else could hear it. Having finished, Nobunaga, with no reason to hold back, rode away. However, Sassa Narimasa stayed behind, telling Shichibei to report to Komakiyama in ten days with fifty horses.

I have to send Princess Tokuhime off to get married, and at the same time congratulate Tokugawa Ieyasu who has finally become the "real Mikawa Lord".

Nobunaga's sudden request for horses stemmed from the fact that Matsudaira Ieyasu had received imperial permission in December of the previous year. After offering a hefty sum of 300 kan (a sum completely out of proportion to the prevailing value) to the court, the court finally recognized Matsudaira Ieyasu's position as Mikawa no Kami, granting him official credentials. He also declared himself a descendant of the Tokugawa clan, a branch of the Nitta clan, a branch of the Seiwa Genji clan.

The imperial court appointed "Tokugawa Ieyasu" as the governor of Mikawa, which in fact also recognized the status of Ieyasu Kiyomizu's ancestry. Although no one cared about his false ancestry at the moment, it would be useful in the future.

From being a local tycoon with no background in Mikawa, he transformed himself into a branch of the Seiwa Genji clan, which at least made him a little more "noble".

Mikawa was actually a province with a strong feudal atmosphere of samurai. Because the Kira clan, a branch of the Ashikaga clan, descended from Kira Castle in Mikawa and produced a large number of famous samurai from the Minamoto clan, the history of distinguishing between high and low according to one's origin was long in the country.

If Ieyasu wanted to gain a foothold in Mikawa, in addition to relying on his own family of Matsudaira, which sometimes rebelled and sometimes obeyed him, he also had to give himself a high-ranking background.

You are a branch of Ashikaga. Although I am not as good as you, I am also a branch of Tokugawa. We are both "Gen."

When I heard this, I thought Nobunaga really loved me so much that he came to see me. Shichibei nodded repeatedly, but he felt a little disappointed in his heart.

Who was the envoy escorting the bride? Sakuma Nobumori.

The marriage was brokered by the brothers Mizuno Nobumoto and Mizuno Tadashige, who met the bride's party at the border of Owari, rested the night at Kariya Castle, and then escorted them all the way to Okazaki Castle. It was rumored that Tokugawa Ieyasu and his son Tokugawa Nobuyasu would come out of the city to greet them, but the final arrangements remained to be seen.

Got it, got it. Shichibei will ensure that the men and horses will arrive on time. Sasa Narimasa nodded, whipped his horse and went after Oda Nobunaga.

After everyone had run away, Shichibei realized that he had forgotten something. Even if he didn't inform Oda Nobunaga, he should have asked Sassa Narimasa.

Who will chop off the head?

Shichibei, the Kaito County governor, didn't have any particularly skilled beheaders under his command. Even the few samurai retainers at Shinchi's side were primarily focused on construction, calculations, and paperwork. Examining corpses was fine, but expecting them to chop off heads?

Although it is not impossible, if it is cut once, twice or three times, it will really be a bit unsightly.

The father and son were to be publicly displayed today, and the execution would begin tomorrow. There was still time. Shichibei immediately sent for someone to go to Ohashi Castle across the river, asking for a samurai who knew how to behead people, and who was skilled in the art. He had to find someone who could kill with a single blow, someone with superb swordsmanship.

Anyway, Shichibei can't chop off heads. If he had the ability to chop off heads, Shichibei would have become rich long ago. Look at Yamanouchi Ichitoyo, who was willing to go out and help Nobunaga chop off people just because he could chop people, and he was paid 45 kan to do it.

If we work for another two years and cut down two more, we can easily get two or three hundred strings of cash.

Fortunately, the guy sent to Bridge City reported back quickly, saying they could send him, but they had to give him a special sword. And it had to be a good sword. A warrior's sword is for chopping down fellow warriors in battle, not for slaying the untouchables, whose blood would stain their precious swords. Also, having a good sword made sense. A broken sword, if it hit a bone, would immediately tear it apart. Three cuts to the neck wouldn't break, and blood would spurt all over the ground. That was outrageous.

It was a small matter, a small matter. Shichibei immediately went to Tsushima's dokuan to find someone to buy a good sword. It wasn't made by a famous craftsman, so two or three kan was pretty good. It wouldn't chip easily anyway.

Boss Dokura, who has heard he's going to be beheaded tomorrow, is still asking Shichibei, "Is Boss Kawamura going to chop someone off himself?" Then I'll definitely be there tomorrow. Whenever the chopping happens, I'll bring my whole family to watch.

Go away, go away. What's so good about being beheaded?

While the retainers weren't very skilled at beheading, they were quite skilled at sharpening knives. Shichibei pulled out his Omi-made kodachi, and the retainers immediately began sharpening it. Knife sharpening was a necessary skill for them; they carried a knife around every day for show, and even a "kind-hearted sword" needed maintenance.

The next day, a samurai from the Ohashi family crossed the river to the station, greeted Shichibei, introduced himself, and asked for the sword. He said it was not bad, and then sat quietly on the porch.

Before the killing, Shichibei asked if he wanted to eat or drink. The samurai didn't hesitate. He had already eaten before the meal arrived, but he could have a pot of wine. It was the low-alcohol rice wine from the countryside, which he drank like water.

He quickly called for the waiter to bring two bottles of wine. The warrior took out a piece of cloth and repeatedly rubbed his sword, occasionally holding the bottle and drinking deeply. How can I describe it? He really did have a murderous aura about him.

After drinking two bottles in a row, the warrior looked at the sun and then at Shichibei. Yes, it's time to be beheaded.

Two straw mats were laid along the riverbank. There were no fences, but ten guards were on hand to maintain order. Many nearby townspeople knew about the beheading and came to watch. It was New Year's Day, and there was little to do. Plus, there wasn't much snow this year, so it was easy to get out and about, so the place was packed.

"Sir?" A man saw the seven soldiers riding towards him.

He then peered behind Shichibei, thinking that beheading was something that needed an expert. When he saw the samurai carrying the sword, he stepped forward to lead Shichibei's horse.

"Take the murderer down and behead him." The murderer and his son were previously tied to the cross, but now they had to be taken down and pushed onto a straw mat.

There was no cry of injustice, no plea for mercy. Under normal circumstances, there would have been further identification and notification of the surroundings. Today, because it's winter, the entire province was on display. The father still looked like a human being, while the murderer was breathing less and less, with no trace of the arrogance he had shown when he beat another child to death with his fists a few days ago.

At least for Shichibei this is a good thing. There is no need to go through the procedures and he can just behead him.

As the first local case of the new year, the news of the case spread everywhere. When people saw the murderer and his son being taken down, some even shouted that they were going to chop them off and crowded forward to see how their heads would be chopped off.

Forgot to bring in dozens of people to maintain order.

Never mind, just chop it off and leave. With a wave of his hand, Shichibei unsheathed the katana. It was so cold, no wonder he had been rubbing it with a cloth just now. Now the sword was "warm" and no longer stiff.

With one blow, Dahao's head rolled three meters away. The crowd erupted in exclamations and chatter, as if a lively field music performance were being performed before them.

As Shichibei chopped off the second head, he turned his horse and rode away. Nobunaga's sentence contained only beheading, without the "prison gate." That is, there was no additional requirement to display the head in government offices, prisons, or on street bulletin boards. Therefore, the body could be collected and cremated by the family after it was chopped off.

Upon returning home, Shichibei felt inexplicably nauseous. It wasn't the thought of beheading that irritated him, but rather his melancholy. He didn't even want to stay in Tsushima anymore. After a moment's hesitation, he instructed Inase Yoshinari to treat the Ohashi samurai well. Then, without even packing his belongings, Shichibei rushed straight to Komakiyama Castle to await his bride's arrival.

It was hard to describe the feeling that made Shichibei sleep in bed for two days before he recovered. Then he spent several days grooming and riding horses, and then hanging out outside for a few more days before he finally understood.

The day for Princess Tokuhime to depart arrived, and Nobunaga personally escorted her off. Perhaps because Princess Tokuhime was the daughter of Lady Ikoma, Nobunaga loved her so much that he actually followed the wedding procession all the way to Kariya.

The eight-year-old girl left her parents just like that. It is very likely that she will never see her parents again in this life.

Tokugawa Ieyasu and Tokugawa Nobuyasu were also very attentive, even traveling to Kariya to meet Nobunaga. The Ieyasu father and son did not approach Nobunaga as equal allies. Judging by Shichibei, Ieyasu held a very humble position, almost like a vassal.

As for his appearance, I don't think he can be a commander-in-chief with this face.

If you look closely, you will see that Ieyasu was slightly chubby at the time, with a round face and light eyebrows, a small mouth, and a small nose. This resulted in his facial features not looking full and coordinated, and more importantly, he was still dark, a rough black, not the shiny kind.

The difference between dark black and bright black is indeed huge.

However, Ieyasu's earlobes are quite long, which is said to be a sign of a king, but I don't know if it's true. It is said that Liu Bei also had ears that reached down to his shoulders, but Ieyasu's hands did not reach past his knees.

"Who is this?" Shichibei was still observing from the shadows. Ieyasu suddenly looked over.

"Kawamura Shichibei is the royal merchant of Tsushima and also the governor of Kaito County." Nobunaga directly pointed out Shichibei's identity.

"Greetings, Mikawa-no-Kami." Everyone was sitting in a camp outside Kariya Castle, with straw mats and felt spread on the ground. Shichibei was sitting behind Nobunaga.

"Okay, okay." Ieyasu behaved very kindly and bowed his head to Shichibei.

He then praised Nobunaga for the abundance of talented people under his command, saying that all kinds of talents would emerge from time to time. Unlike when he was in Mikawa, his country was small and weak, and there were few decent samurai.

Nobunaga glanced at Shichibei, seeming a little proud. But the topic certainly didn't stay on Shichibei, and soon the conversation turned to the real affairs of state.

Shingen sent an envoy to Tokugawa Ieyasu to inquire about Mikawa's national strength, specifically how many troops it could mobilize.

76. Is Nobuyasu a fool?

It is said that Nobunaga and Ieyasu slept on the same couch that night. They had known each other since childhood, so it was probably not their first time sleeping on the same couch. Besides, they were supposed to be discussing Takeda Shingen, so what else might have happened?

Based on Shichibei's observation of Ieyasu's appearance during the day, it is highly unlikely.

Nobunaga is quite picky.

Since Takeda Shingen sent people to befriend Tokugawa Ieyasu, it meant that after conquering Nishi-Ueno, there were no more soft persimmons on the periphery of the Takeda family that he could easily exploit. After weighing the pros and cons, attacking Suruga became Takeda Shingen's final choice.

During the Warring States Period, if one did not advance, one would retreat. It was nearly impossible for a ruler who maintained the status quo to survive. Either they aggressively expanded or perished on the battlefield. Submission and the preservation of their family's reputation were likely difficult.

Even the most insignificant faction in the corners of the country fought tooth and nail for the survival of its clan. Yasha Kuro Tozawa Moriyasu, upon hearing the order to attack Odawara, marched out on nine horses. Even a faction as small as the Tozawa clan had to do everything in its power to survive.

Now Ieyasu can at least gather five or six thousand people, which makes him qualified to play chess. It is normal for Shingen to pay attention to them and start to get to know them.

It's unclear when the war will begin, but Takeda Yoshinobu is already dead. Whether he died of illness, suicide, depression, or assassination, he's dead. Shingen must have already begun recruiting the Imagawa clan's most important samurai in Suruga. For example, the Katsurayama clan, once a hereditary retainer of the Imagawa clan, eventually defected to Takeda.

Continue to send the bride off.

Nobunaga would not go to Okazaki Castle. After a night of detailed discussions with Ieyasu, he returned to Komakiyama Castle to continue his attack on Mino. Andō Morinari had colluded with Oda the previous year, and it was unknown how far he had progressed in persuading the Seino clan.

When we arrived at Okazaki, it was not yet noon, which shows how close Okazaki is to Owari.

As the main castle of the peaceful Matsudaira clan, Okazaki Castle has a short history. Ieyasu's grandfather, Kiyoyasu, built Okazaki Castle with the funds he amassed after accepting gold and rice from a foreign power and secretly rebelling against his former lords, the Kira clan.

It's worth mentioning that Okazaki Castle has a very good meaning. At the time, Okazaki was a flat mountain castle. The castle's main tower was located on Longtou Mountain. Look at that resonant name, Longtou Mountain. Other buildings were built around Longtou Mountain. After three generations of expansion, Okazaki now even has stone walls.

However, after the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese government ordered the castles to be demolished. Castles in other places were only demolished with the keep and turrets, and many stone walls and moats were left untouched.

Okazaki Castle was different. As the founding seat of the Tokugawa clan and the former residence of the Shogun, it received exceptional care. All traces of Okazaki Castle were erased, leaving not a single trace. It was only with the construction of Okazaki Park that a section of the moat was finally preserved, converted into a park pond.

As we've mentioned before, during the castle decree, many castle gates were demolished to become temple gates, and residences and halls were demolished to become shrines. Okazaki Castle was different. Every brick, every tile, every blade of grass, every tree was razed to the ground. Even a single piece of wood was burned to ashes.

Tsk.

As Nobunaga's daughter, Princess Tokuhime's marriage naturally had its own set of rules, much like how Aichi had been sent to the Odani Asai family. She was also to stay overnight at the Mizuno family's residence below the castle, where she would be briefly briefed on the castle's layout and the necessary etiquette and manners.

Of course, the most important thing is to avoid meeting Ieyasu's wife, Tsukiyama-dono. Tsukiyama-dono is the adopted daughter of Imagawa Yoshimoto, so Tokuhime's father is the murderer of Tsukiyama-dono's father, so it would be strange if they could have a good relationship.

Shichibei doesn't need to learn etiquette. The envoy is Sakuma Nobumori, the matchmaker is Mizuno Nobumoto, and we're just escorting the bride. Why not take this opportunity to stroll around Okazaki Castle and see what it has to offer?

The first feeling is shabby, just shabby wherever you look.

Most roofs are thatched, which isn't necessarily bad. Rural huts have thatched roofs, and some can last a hundred years if properly maintained. But if you even thatch the roofs of city gates, turrets, and turrets, that's a bit ridiculous.

What if the enemy attacking the city uses fire? The gates and turrets are on fire, and the soldiers below don't know how to panic.

The stone walls are also patchy, currently only located near the city gates. Other areas are filled with simple water moats. The depth of these moats is unknown, but they are likely just over two meters. Due to winter, some of them are dry, leaving only a few dark puddles.

The book "Aoi: The Three Generations of Tokugawa" says that the best siege strategist in the world was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who used a variety of methods, including water attacks, earth attacks, and military and food attacks, and was considered the best siege strategist in the Warring States period. However, the best field commander was Tokugawa Ieyasu.

After all, by 1600, there were only a few who could fight Tokugawa Ieyasu in the open. Ieyasu at that time might have preferred open battles, so he didn't pay much attention to the defense of the city.

The historical account of Ieyasu's departure from Mikatagahara, claiming he was disrespected by Takeda Shingen and his humiliating abandonment of Hamamatsu, is untenable. Perhaps more plausible is that Ieyasu feared that the Okazaki horde would surrender upon Shingen's arrival in Mikawa.

No matter how you look at it, the military strength is 8,000 to 25,000, and the advantage is on De, so Ieyasu went up.

Speaking of this one incident, Ieyasu clearly had some confidence in his ability to fight in the field. Otherwise, he would not have gone out of the city to fight despite the presence of 3,000 Oda reinforcements.

But no matter how much you enjoy fighting in the field, you cannot avoid building cities.

It seems to be the same reasoning. Didn't Takeda Shingen say that people are the city, people are the wall? Although Shingen still had a small castle to defend the mountain city, Tsutsujizaki-kan had no defenses, which is indeed true.

Never mind. Shichibei wasn't betting with the Tokugawa clan right now. And even if he did, he wouldn't have won anything. By the time of the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, Ieyasu had conquered all of Suna-san and most of Koshin, his power far surpassing that of Takeda Shingen and Imagawa Yoshimoto at their peak. As a result, Ishikawa Sukemasa, one of the two great flag bearers of Mikawa, didn't even receive 50,000 koku.

Look at how generous Takeda Shingen and Imagawa Yoshimoto were, and then look at Ieyasu, and you will know how stingy he was.

Even the important officials of the past dynasties were like this, let alone the newcomers who were invested in halfway through. I am afraid they can only eat the leftovers and drink the soup.

As I was muttering, perhaps because it was dark, I saw a samurai unbutton his pants and urinate into the water well. This wasn't unusual; even in the Edo period, sewerage was still rare. The shogun would dig a special pit in the castle for both large and small bowels. When the shogun was replaced, the pit would be filled in and a new one dug elsewhere.

Someone is peeing, so we definitely can't go over there anymore. It would be so rude to go over there. As a result, Shichibei turned around, and maybe because he turned too loudly, the guy who was peeing over there actually asked.

Well, say hello then.

Do you want me to help you?

The man had finished and was walking over quickly. Shichibei was a bit surprised when he saw the man, because it was Matsudaira Nobuyasu, or now known as Matsudaira Takechiyo. He was getting married tomorrow and would be coming of age. At nine, he was considered an adult, so he took the character "Nobu" from Oda Nobunaga's name, and was officially called Matsudaira Nobuyasu.

"It's you!" Matsudaira Nobuyasu was also quite surprised. It was already evening, and Shichibei was still wandering around in and out of the city.

"Wakaokazaki-dono." Shichibei bowed his head and saluted.

After all, he was Nobunaga's son-in-law. Nobunaga was our lord, so Tokugawa Nobuyasu was also half-lord. He could be considered a colleague with Ieyasu, but with Nobuyasu, it was a different matter.

"Are you here to pee too?" Xinkang never expected to say that.

"Oh, no, no, no, it's just that it's a rare occasion for me to come to Okazaki, so I looked around." The two families were allies, and Shichibei had nothing to hide.

"There's nothing to see here. It's far inferior to Sunpu-kan." Nobuyasu was also a quick-witted man. He immediately belittled his own home as if it were worthless.

But it seemed that his father followed his example. He also felt that Okazaki Castle was shabby and dilapidated, so when he had the chance to escape, he went directly to the Sunpu Castle that he had always longed for, and lived there in his retirement.

Is there something wrong with this statement?

After all, Imagawakan in Sunpu offers a direct view of the magnificent sunrise over Mount Fuji, while also being a prime location for seaborne transportation. If someone with business sense had gone there, they would have undoubtedly achieved great success, like Wang Ji.

"Imagawa-kan is a place that even the princes in Luoyang say is good." Shichibei was not very interested in coaxing the child, so he just did it for the sake of his gesture.

"Those people have all run away. Ever since the death of Jibu Daifu, Sunpukan has become deserted." Nobuyasu was in high spirits, and I didn't understand why.

"I remember Wakadono only being in Imagawa-kan for three or four years."