Owari Yumeki Golden Day

"How much can you earn from seventy acres?" Nobunaga was considered to be one of the more financially savvy daimyo among the Warring States period, and he was not the type of person who would exhaust all resources.

"One mu is worth twelve strings of cash, and seventy mu is worth eight hundred and forty strings of cash." Of course, this figure is a rough estimate and may fluctuate.

"It's also an income." Nobunaga nodded. The number was not so big that he would be jealous.

“Just some additional information.”

"You see, these small businessmen are always crying poor." Nobunaga patted Nobuyasu on the shoulder and joked with Shichibei.

"I can see that you are not speaking the truth." Nobuyasu actually joined forces with Nobunaga and sang the same tune with him.

"Hahahaha, Shichibei, Saburo said you are not honest." Nobunaga certainly did not mean to blame him, he was just joking with Shichibei.

By the way, it is quite strange that at this time, Tokugawa Nobuyasu should be called Okazaki Saburo Nobuyasu or Tokugawa Saburo Nobuyasu. However, in the documents left in history, Nobunaga actually called Nobuyasu Matsudaira Saburo Nobuyasu.

There is a saying that Tokugawa Ieyasu was betting on both sides. The Tokugawa surname he bought was related to the Genji clan, but the Matsudaira surname could be related to the Fujiwara clan.

It depends on future developments. Names and other such things can be replaced at any time if necessary.

It’s not impossible for the father to take his son’s surname.

"I am terrified." Shichibei just lowered his head, not really terrified.

"Why don't you make the safflower field bigger?" Then Nobunaga asked the question that Shichibei wanted him to ask.

"It's still about the Bantenren believers. That old man hopes to use his cake-making skills in exchange for his children's landing permits." Shichibei said sincerely.

Nobunaga was a pragmatist, and the Christians who had been allowed ashore before, because they knew how to build cannons, were now able to maintain their faith and even built a small neighborhood church. Of course, Nobunaga did not allow them to preach, and no Christian clergy came to Owari.

"Hmm..." Nobunaga looked at Shichibei without answering.

The matter could be big or small, but there were two issues. One was that Tsushima Town was the headquarters of Tsushima Taisha Shrine, and other faiths were not allowed to exist. The other was that those Christians could not provide reasonable value to Nobunaga. Nobunaga did not need indigo dyeing craftsmen.

"Since we can't place him in Owari, how about placing him in Mino?" Tokugawa Nobuyasu suddenly said.

"Saburo, this is what you don't know. The safflower has to be picked early in the morning to make flower cakes. The fields are in Tsushima and the people are in Mino. How do you make the cakes?" Nobunaga didn't mind Nobuyasu's interruption at all, and patiently explained to Nobuyasu.

"The fields are everywhere..."

"You need the sandy land at the river mouth."

"No wonder." Xinkang's interruption was actually a good thing. At least the seriousness of accepting Christians was diluted.

"Nanabe, um." Nobunaga gestured to Nanabe to express his thoughts.

"If Bei Shitong were under the lord's command, it would be simple."

Look at northern Ise, where the Ikko sect thrives, yet Tsushima Gyoto Tenno Shrine and Ise Jingu Shrine haven't seen any trouble. And how did Yamashina Honganji Temple in Kyoto disappear? It was attacked and burned to the ground by Tendai monks.

Japan is such a tiny place, and to put it in a more mystical way, the power of faith is limited. The Tendai sect is considered first-rate, while our faith in Tsushima Gyuto Tenno is probably only third-rate, even inferior to the Ikko sect. Being able to defend Tsushima Town, our stronghold, is a testament to our ancestors' merit.

"Nanabe!" Nobunaga raised his hand and called Nanabe.

Needless to say, Shichibei understood immediately and said nothing more. The situation in Northern Ise was still a secret, so it would be inappropriate to discuss it further. However, Shichibei's statement was straightforward: to place them in Ise Province, across the Kiso River.

Nagashima Gansho-ji Temple can be regarded as a pioneer. The Ikko sect with tens of thousands of believers is so conspicuous, while the Christians with only ten or eight believers are just a small role among small roles.

Once Nobunaga entered Kyoto and began to pay attention to Christianity, or the huge profits from trade with Spain and Portugal behind Christianity, as well as the convenience of importing large quantities of iron cannons and saltpeter, everything would be fine.

The chat had worn off, and Tokugawa Nobuyasu had arranged to buy the horses. Nobuyasu didn't even need to drive the horses back to Mikawa himself; Shichibei would arrange for them to be gathered at Atsuta and then transferred to Okazaki. Nobunaga had been so forthcoming with the payment, so Shichibei would definitely deliver the horses to Nobunaga's door.

At night, Nobunaga sent another person to Kawamura's house to summon Shichibei to climb the city wall.

Sure enough, he was asking about Kitaiise!

The Nishi Mino trio have basically become collusion within the group, and Tokugawa Ieyasu's reinforcements have also been arranged. Now all that's left is a fierce attack on Inabayama Castle.

We need to bring up the case of blocking Long Xing's escape and discuss it again. When Shichibei mentioned Kitaiise in the afternoon, Nobunaga thought of this matter.

Shichibei didn't handle this himself, but instead delegated it to Sokotaro. He had inquired about the progress a few years ago and had already received support from some of his close friends.

Shichibei even hinted to some small local tyrants with only a few hundred kan in their pockets that if they surrendered with courtesy once Nobunaga's flag arrived, not only would they be able to stay safe, but they might also become Nobunaga's vanguard of Ise.

Break into the house, take the dog, let the dog go first, take over the house, give the dog a bone, and leave the dog to guard the door.

Even we understand the routine, so of course Nobunaga will understand it.

After reviewing the progress, Nobunaga was quite satisfied. Regarding the major provincial powers like Kobe, Nagano, and Seki, Nobunaga would definitely focus on subjugating them. After all, these were local tyrants, and if he could annex their samurai groups, Nobunaga's empire would expand rapidly.

If they were all driven away, not only would there be the possibility of uprisings or conspiracies, but there would also be no sufficient number of samurai groups to govern the area.

If Saito Ryūsei were to flee, a number of Mino samurai would undoubtedly flee as well. Even a broken ship still holds three pounds of iron, let alone the Saito family, who had run Mino for three generations. Taking away a hundred or so respectable samurai at once would be a daunting task.

Kinoshita Hideyoshi was a unique samurai who was promoted from foot soldiers and miscellaneous soldiers, and even from farmers and townspeople. There is no one in the world more inspiring than him.

"What are the benefits of me helping you place Bantenlian?" After talking about military affairs, Nobunaga's tone changed.

"Hmm? I'm stupid." Shichibei really didn't understand at first.

Does this mean that Shichibei wants to use part of Benhua's income to recruit samurai? Or does it mean that Shichibei wants to take on more military service?

"Five hundred acres of safflower, six thousand kan a year." Nobunaga muttered.

Nobunaga looked down on 300 kan, 500 kan and 800 kan as well, but 5,000 kan and 6,000 kan were not necessarily the same. 6,000 kan was the price to win over Takeda Shingen as an ally and ask him to send troops to help him in the war.

"I can pay the transportation gold." Never mind for now, just make your attitude known.

"That's not necessary..." Nobunaga waved at Shichibei, motioning him to sit forward in front of him.

Since he's been beckoned, Shichibei must move forward. Who knows if Nobunaga has any little secrets or hobbies to tell?

"If I ask you to be the Oyakata of Owari, can you hold up your position?" Nobunaga asked sincerely.

The so-called Oyakata is basically no longer used in later Japan, or only in construction companies that have been around for hundreds of years will the carpenter leading the team be called Oyakata.

However, nowadays, the term "oyakata" is more widely used. The "oyakata" mentioned by Nobunaga refers to the "general merchant" who commands all the merchant heads and town names in a country.

Merchants like those in Tsushima, Atsuta, and Kiyosu were all under the command of this oyakata. With power came obligations. When Nobunaga asked for money, the oyakata immediately gave it and then asked his subordinates to share the responsibility. When Nobunaga asked for horses, the oyakata immediately brought them. When Nobunaga asked for gunpowder, the oyakata immediately delivered it.

From then on, Nobunaga discussed all the country's business activities one-on-one with his relatives, and no one else was required to participate.

80. First make the annual tribute deposit

It is tempting, but there is a problem. With Shichibei's current financial situation, it is completely impossible for him to support the business and heavy responsibility of the Oikata.

If safflower could be sold for 60,000 kan a year, and he had a huge amount of liquid cash of 100,000 or 80,000 kan, then Shichibei would be able to calmly take on the role of Oyakata and take charge of the country's business.

Nobunaga's main reason for wanting a pro-government official was to "lazy governance." Just like the King of Ho, who also appointed five so-called Royal Assets (Funds) Management Committee members to assist the King in collecting various direct and indirect taxes.

Over 100 million francs in taxes were collected from the people and handed over to the royal family. At the same time, they were able to extort at least 130 million francs from the people.

These big tax farmers used this opportunity to realize their dream of becoming rich enough to rival a nation, and even began lending money to the French royal family at an interest rate of 8% or even 1%.

Because of their good reputation in the financial world, the rentier class in France often pool their money for management by these five commissioners at an interest rate of 2% or 3%.

Needless to say, Nobunaga naturally had the same idea as Louis the Beheaded of France. Now he had to rely mainly on annual tribute income to fight wars, but what if he had a pro-Kate?

If the commercial power of a country is completely handed over to the pro-kata, the pro-kata will have to provide Nobunaga with funds for war at any time. Nobunaga will then mortgage the collection rights of the subsequent doubetsu money, yazen, and danzen to the pro-kata, and the pro-kata will collect them.

Interest was paid as usual, and a certain profit margin had to be given to the patron saint. However, Nobunaga was also freed from the shackles of fighting in the autumn, and could fight all year round.

A kind of mutual benefit...

It’s just that it’s hard to say whether it will eventually develop into some deformed state. After all, Louis XVI, the founding father of the United States and Vietnam, was beheaded too quickly, and this model was destroyed by the French before it could develop into its ultimate form.

With Shichibei's current status and wealth, he couldn't even touch the Okiya faction. But if Nobunaga were to deliberately support him, the situation would be different. Just like when he directly helped Shichibei establish a samurai group, if there were tangible intervention, many objective economic laws would temporarily exhibit unexplained developments.

Although the visible big hand will definitely not be able to play by the economic laws in the end, it does not prevent its intervention from being effective during those days.

After all, the first time you take Viagra, even a 25mg dose, can keep you going all night. If you take it multiple times, even a 100mg dose will require some thought.

"I have considered this matter myself, you just prepare it." Nobunaga's territory was growing larger and larger, and wars were becoming more frequent, requiring faster and more controllable financing channels.

"Yes!" Shichibei never thought of becoming an Okinawan. Being able to monopolize the horse-carrying business was enough for him to eat, drink and have fun for the rest of his life.

But now that Nobunaga has mentioned it, Qibingwei can't help but dream. But Qibingwei is now...

By the way, about Takenaka Hanbei.

"My lord, the capture of Mino is complete. I need someone to help me..." Shichibei was trying to organize his words. It was his first time asking for help and he had no experience.

"Apart from those three, you can pick any two or three others." Nobunaga simply waved his hand, not caring at all.

As expected, Nobunaga's distribution of Mino and power was somewhat arbitrary, just like in history. After all, Nobunaga was not a time traveler, and he did not have the foresight to pave the way for his son in the future.

"I understand." Since Nobunaga had agreed, that was all. There was no need for Shichibei to say more or explain.

Nobunaga was quick to make decisions on such matters; he was indeed a man of great decisiveness. Take the Battle of Okehazama, for example. He spent the first half of the night conferring with his retainers to no avail, then spent the middle part drinking and dancing, letting Aichi beat a drum and lamenting the passing of fifty years of his life. Then, in the early morning, he rushed out of Kiyosu Castle and headed for Atsuta Shrine.

When faced with such a major life event, Nobunaga spent no more than four hours considering it.

Even considering the three to five days after learning of Imagawa Yoshimoto's uprising, it takes an extraordinary person to make such a decisive decision. Li Congke hesitated in Luoyang for two months, waiting for Shi Jingtang and his Khitan troops to arrive at the city. Seeing Shi Jingtang approaching, he still hesitated, and instead of fleeing, he was forced to commit suicide by burning himself.

"Do you have 10,000 kan now?" Nobunaga didn't take Qibing's question seriously and continued to ask about Qibing's strength.

"My lord, you think too highly of me..." If I had ten thousand strings of cash, I would go find a mountain sect to become a monk and start eating, drinking, gambling and whoring.

"Are you really poor?" Nobunaga sighed, not treating Shichibei as an outsider.

"Ah this."

So what? Shichibei was stunned by Nobunaga. Is that reasonable? You don't even have 10,000 kan in cash, and you're still looking down on me?

The Kawamura family, with a mere 380 kan of wealth, lacked 10,000 kan in cash, which was perfectly natural. As the lord of Owari Province, you possessed the three and a half counties of Nakanō, a daimyo with a net worth of nearly one million koku. It would be shameful for you to not have 10,000 kan.

"Oh, this is really troublesome." Nobunaga actually crossed his legs as if he was lying on a kang, and no longer knelt seriously.

"..." If it were any other time, Shichibei would have said that he was terrified, but now it was better to say nothing.

Perhaps Nobunaga had grand ambitions, plans that Shichibei couldn't quite grasp. Perhaps Nobunaga himself simply hit the nail on the head and thought it was worth a try, a typical "I think so" scenario.

"I originally wanted you to take charge of the annual tribute rice." Nobunaga muttered these words, which made Shichibei straighten his back immediately.

By this time, Japan's Warring States period had entered its middle and late stages of annexation. Transnational states had emerged, and powerful powers capable of unifying their regions emerged in nearly all of the Five Provinces and Seven Provinces. Previously fragmented markets and trade routes gradually became integrated through the integration of local lords and the further development of commerce and crafts.

Similar to the rice from the Lake Biwa region, a mature market has already been formed, with tribute rice being gathered and sold in places like Imahama and Otsu.

Sakata in the Northeast region has now become the leading rice trading center, and will soon produce wealthy merchants with capital of hundreds of thousands or even millions.

Western provinces, including Shikoku Island, also began to ship grain to Sakai, an important consumer market, for centralized sales. This trend became even more pronounced after the establishment of Osaka.

Osaka would become the largest rice trading market in Japan, even larger than the future Edo.

The meaning of Nobunaga's words was very clear, that is, after all places paid the annual tribute rice and money to Komakiyama Castle, Shichibei would be responsible for the underwriting of the annual tribute rice.

For example, Nobunaga actually received 100,000 stones of rice. Shichibei gave a number, and Nobunaga took half of it to pay for various daily expenses and to give money to the foot soldiers and those samurai who only received salaries.

The other half was kept in Shichibei's cabinet, and Shichibei later provided Nobunaga with various goods he needed, including the most basic weapons and armor, iron cannons, saltpeter, and daily necessities needed by Nobunaga himself, his harem, and his children.

If there were any unexpected expenses or a shortage of money, they would be drawn from the Shichibei counter. Since there was unlikely to be any surplus, Shichibei would have to make up for it.

The following year, the tribute rice arrived at the warehouse, and Shichibei continued to underwrite it. This cycle repeated itself, saving Nobunaga time and profiting Shichibei. As long as the land could still produce rice, the entire operation could continue.

By the following year, the rice wasn't even enough to pay off the previous debts, which led to the Edo period's Shimazu and Mori families paying their debts in installments of 100 or 200 years. Or the shogunate would use it as an excuse to demand tributes of 300,000 or 500,000 taels. If they didn't, their property would be confiscated and they would be exiled, or the debt would be extinguished upon their death.

Of course, under normal circumstances, the shogunate and daimyo would default on their debts and rob money, and they committed relatively few murders and property confiscations.

After all, killing people and ransacking their homes today was satisfying, and it was a great bonanza. But once this wave of killing was done, no one was willing to do it again, or could do it any more.

Just like Shichibei now, he wanted to enter this business, but he didn't have the capital to do so. Without being a wealthy merchant, he simply wasn't qualified to take on such an order. Eighty or a hundred thousand was just the entry threshold; it was best to have a few hundred thousand in liquid capital to navigate the daimyo with ease.

"I can take charge of 20,000 stones this year!" Shichibei knew that the opportunity was rare, and Nobunaga would not delay his great cause of spreading military power throughout the world because of his current appreciation of Shichibei.

If Shichibei's capital couldn't keep up with his expansion, then Nobunaga wouldn't mind embracing the existing wealthy merchants. Many of the wealthy merchants in Sakai and Kyoto had actually switched sides and sided with Nobunaga, working for him and even underwriting the annual tribute rice.

Nobunaga will only favor you for a long time if you are of use to him.

"Twenty thousand stones is not a small amount." Nobunaga blinked his eyes, as if he was calculating Shichibei's financial resources.

Nowadays, a dan of rice costs around 500 to 600 sen. Unless there's a famine, the price doesn't usually go up much. Especially in grain-producing areas like the Lake Biwa coast and the Nobi Plain, the price of rice has long remained around 600 sen per dan. If you're buying large quantities, a dan might only fetch 500 sen.

Don’t think that this price is too low, because the rice still needs to be transported to rice markets like Sakai or Kyoto. As rice is a bulk commodity, the shipping cost is also very high.

Twenty thousand koku of rice equaled ten thousand kan, a huge sum of money. Just now, Shichibei said he didn't have ten thousand kan in cash, and now he wanted to take care of twenty thousand koku of rice. Naturally, Nobunaga had to make a slight assessment.

"After the autumn, I can first withdraw 5,000 strings of cash for the lord to sell publicly, and the rest will be handled by the lord in Sakai." Shichibei immediately expressed his guarantee.

"Oh~~~" Nobunaga's tone was low at first and then high, which seemed to imply that this was the case.

"It's man-made."

"That's right!"

Nobunaga really couldn't do without his broken fan that he used to dance the Atsumori dance even in the middle of winter. Now he actually took it out and tapped the forehead of Shichibei who bowed his head to express his opinion.

As soon as he said "get ready", Nobunaga stood up and signaled Shichibei to do as he pleased. It was getting late, and I couldn't let you stay in the city overnight, so go home early.