Owari Yumeki Golden Day

In the past, the Muzō family had fought many battles with the Nagano family, but now they were at odds. To put it more bluntly, the Nagano family had been sidelining the Kitabatake family, but hadn't gained any advantage, and so they were dissatisfied.

After Nagano Guto was adopted as heir, Kitada Gukuni launched a campaign against the Akabori and Sekike clans of northern Ise. The result was a typical example of a poorly fought war in the "Japanese Mini-Warring States Period," with an army of over 10,000 soldiers against the Sekike clan, who only had 1,000 or 2,000 men. The Sekike clan was severely defeated and retreated southward.

If you were an old retainer of the Nagano family, would you still be willing to follow the Kitabatake family?

Definitely not.

I accepted your protection in order to survive in the Warring States Period, gain some minor benefits, and wait for the next opportunity.

As a result, they did not see any benefits and suffered heavy losses. The old retainers of the Nagano family, especially the important retainer of the branch family, Hosono Fujiatsu, were extremely dissatisfied. They believed that they should not follow the Kitabatake family and it would be better to remain independent.

No asylum was obtained and many people died.

The reason many of the family's former retainers remain under the Kitabatake clan despite their discontent is largely due to the fact that the previous heads, Nagano Tanefuji and Nagano Fujisada, died suddenly on the same day of the same month in 1696—what a coincidence. So, it's justice, the cycle continues. When Kitabatake Tomonori murdered his entire family, did he ever imagine that his own family would be murdered?

More importantly, Nagano Fujimasa's son Nagano Fujikatsu died young, so if one wanted to find a legitimate and declared heir, they had to look back to their grandfather's generation a hundred years ago.

To put it bluntly, it was a serious and forceful claim that there was no heir, and the Kitabatake family had a strong foundation in the southern part of Ise. Before the outside forces entered Ise, Hosono Fujiatsu and others could only lie dormant for the time being.

If Oda Nobunaga had any intentions towards the Nagano Kudo clan, he could have easily used Oda Nobunaga's powerful military to drive away Kitabatake's reinforcements and take over the Nagano clan. As descendants of the Otomaru Kudo clan of the Fujiwara Southern Branch, the Nagano clan was a prestigious family with a long and rich history.

A family holding encompassing more than half a county of Ichishi is perfectly suited to Oda Shinpo's status. With the addition of a branch family, raising a thousand-man army would be no problem. With this moderately large foundation, with gradual development, he might be able to rise to prominence within the Oda clan and achieve great things.

Furthermore, if he succeeds the Nagano clan, he can be promoted to the fifth rank immediately. After a few years of experience, he can become a fourth rank attendant and the Imperial Minister. Famous families like those in Ise all have their names in the imperial court, and their origins are not ordinary people.

It costs you three hundred to buy an official position, but only fifty for them.

"So the Nagano family is indeed a good choice?" Although Shichibei knew something, he did not know as much as Minamoto no Jyoujushugen, the person involved.

"Of course. Besides, only by stabilizing Ichishi County can we stabilize Annozu." Minamoto no Jyoshushugen gave an answer that Nobunaga would definitely like very much.

Nobuhide and Nobunaga rose to prominence thanks to their control of the commercial cities of Tsushima and Atsuta. Now that the crucial Ise Bay port of Anotsu lay before him, how could Nobunaga not be envious?

Annozu, where Annozu is located, is located to the north of Ichishi County. Only by completely controlling Ichishi County can the large port town of Annozu be guaranteed to completely fall into the hands of the Oda family.

"There is actually this truth." Oda Shinbao also nodded. He certainly knew that his brother was jealous of Annozu.

"Besides, Yishi is the front line against the southern forces, and it is the place where military force can be used to gain merit." A gleam of light flashed in Minamoto Jingzhuxuan's eyes, and he used the simplest language possible to test whether Oda Shinbao had any ambitions.

If Oda Nobunaga had ambitions, that would actually be a good thing. The carpenters had joined Oda, and the Nagano clan had joined Oda, so Nobunaga would definitely have the idea of ​​taking over Ise and annexing Kitabatake.

Only by attacking Kitabatake can the value of the wood building family be fully demonstrated. At the same time, by defeating Kitabatake Tomomichi, Wood building family can Tomomasa inherit the main family, and Minamoto no Jyoshushugen can also become a wood building master.

"A general from the Northern Force?" Shichibei was a little confused.

Because the five counties of Northern Ise were given to Takigawa Ieyasu in the future, he became the so-called army commander of Northern Ise. Of course, later on, he was given the title of Ueno Province and was responsible for Nobunaga's Kanto strategy.

Ise actually became Nobunaga's "belly", and after suppressing the Nagashima Ikko-ikki, there were basically no large-scale battles. Nobuo's own attempt to cause trouble in Iga is another matter.

The main reason was that Minamoto no Jyoushugen hadn't expected the Kitabatake clan, so powerful since the Nanboku-chous period, to be defeated so easily by Nobunaga. Perhaps in his mind, Nobunaga would have to fight the Kitabatake clan, the foremost power in the southern region with assets worth hundreds of thousands of koku, for another decade or two.

"Why don't I write a proposal after I go back and ask you two to carefully review it." Minamoto no Jyoushugen saw that Oda's letter package was quite interested. Although Shichibei had some doubts, he did not express clear opposition.

Then this matter can be made into 50% or 60%. How many talents can the Oda family have who are proficient in Ise? Apart from Takigawa Ieyasu, the second one might be Minamoto Jojushugen.

Now he is serving as a hostage at Shichibei's place. Once Takigawa Ikmasu returns and successfully makes the wooden builder's official known, Nobunaga will most likely bring him to Gifu Castle and question him thoroughly.

At that time, he would explain to Nobunaga the advantages of inheriting the Nagano family. If Takigawa Ieyasu and Shichibei also expressed their approval, then the matter would be settled. As for Nobunaga's own opinion? That was completely unimportant. As Nobunaga's younger brother, he was a chess piece in Nobunaga's plan for the north, and chess pieces were not allowed to have their own will.

Besides, Nobunaga personally took action to find a famous family for him, so why would Xinbao be dissatisfied?

"Thank you very much." Shichibei and Oda Nobukatsu expressed their gratitude to Minamoto no Jyoujuu at the same time.

When it comes to getting things done, it's only natural to seek out experts. Minamoto Jyoshugen's explanations were so coherent that Shichibei couldn't find a single fault. It's fortunate that Takigawa Ikki found such a monk. If we were on our own, we wouldn't have known such detailed information about the Nagano family.

After sending Minamoto no Jyoushugen off, Shichibei asked Oda to write a letter to his brother, explaining his experiences in Tsushima and his thoughts on the future of the northern region. As Nobunaga had requested, he would report anything.

After he finished writing, Shichibei read it through, confirmed it was correct, and countersigned it. It seems that since Nobunaga chose the Nagano family for the envelope in history, recommending the Nagano family now would probably gain Nobunaga's approval.

Nobunaga's reply came very quickly, two letters. The one to Xinbao urged him to keep up the good work and continue to learn about the various situations in the northern and central Ise regions. The more he understood, the better. It was obvious that Nobunaga really wanted his younger brother to play a certain role in Ise. The other brothers were too young, so Xinbao was the only one who could be used.

As for Nobunaga's sons, forget about them. The younger one is still breastfeeding, and the older one, Nobutada, is only twelve years old.

Nobunaga himself came of age at the age of twelve and served as lord of Nakuruno Castle under the auspices of Hirate Masahide. He knew the hardships involved, so there was no need to put such great pressure on Nobutada now.

The letter to Shichibei instructed him to bribe the smaller powerful families in northern Ise, those with 1,000 or 2,000 koku. His main goal was to understand the road conditions and power distribution in northern Ise, or more accurately, the "predecessors."

In later times, they were called guides. They didn't need to have great power or a high reputation, as long as they were familiar with the environment.

Whether it was 500 kan, the restoration of existing territories, or even an increase in territories, he could agree to it. For a lord with 1,000 koku to raise him to 2,000 koku was a great honor, and he could offer him official titles and make promises. Nobunaga granted full authority to Shichibei. He also had Murai Sadakatsu deliver the 1,000 kan he had previously bribed Mokuzo Gumasa with.

I understand. The big forces need to be bought over, but the small minions cannot be forgotten either.

And judging from what Nobunaga meant, if Shichibei could buy over some decent people, he could also let him select two or three families as his allies, just like the Mino clan did.

The major forces must be handed over to Ieyasu Takigawa to form the Northern Ise Legion, and the small powerful families must be handed over to Shichibei to work, so that the resources and talents can be fully utilized.

After all, large factions have ready-made armies that can be mobilized immediately. Small factions, with a total of three or five retainers and a village with 500 koku of land, can only bring with them a maximum of twenty or thirty old and weak peasant soldiers. Their fighting power is weak, and their fighting will is very unstable.

Just follow Qibingwei to build roads and deliver military supplies, don't expect too much.

Oh, and I need to explain a little more. Kitabatake Munekyo overthrew the Nagano clan in 1891, and then engaged in a stalemate with the Northern Ise generals in 1895. In 1896, Kitabatake Harutomo died and became a monk. Now, in 1891, why is he so useless? Why isn't he continuing his offensive against Northern Ise? Is he unifying the country?

Why would you give the shattered northern Ise to Nobunaga for no reason?

In fact, no. After Kitabatake Tomonori failed in his attack on the Sekike and Akahori families, he thought that northern Ise was not so easy to conquer, so he turned to attack Iga and Yamato.

The Yamato Akiyama clan was originally under the Miyoshi clan, but was later defeated by Kitabatake Tomonori, who killed the Akiyama clan. Akiyama Naokuni handed over his father as a hostage and became a subordinate of the Kitabatake clan.

After subduing the Akiyama clan, the Akiyama clan, with the Kitabatake clan as their backing, and the Togawa clan, with the Miyoshi clan as their backing, jointly competed for the temple domain of Kofuku-ji Temple in Yamato.

At this moment, things are gradually getting quieter in Xingfu Temple.

Therefore, Kitabatake Munetoshi did not sit at home and wait for death. If he had not met Nobunaga, he and his father Kitabatake Harutomo would have been wise rulers of the Kitabatake family. One defeated the Nagano family that had been fighting for a hundred years, and the other expanded the Kitabatake family's power to northern Ise, Iga, Kii and Yamato.

As a swordsman and provincial governor, Kitabatake Munekyo was actually a very qualified Warring States daimyo. It was just that he encountered Nobunaga, who had already developed to a full extent, dominated the two countries of Nobi and also had the banner of the king, Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

He acted like a weak chicken, was bullied, and finally his whole family died suddenly, without even a legitimate descendant left.

104. Nobunaga intends to raise 50,000 soldiers

Then, just as he was about to fall asleep, he got a pillow. Nobunaga just said that Shichibei could find a few small countrymen with a salary of one or two thousand koku, grant them official positions and make promises, and even increase their knowledge and actions to form a vanguard group.

So Sanenaga came back from Ise and came to his hometown Nanbu, but what about Kazumasu Takigawa?

Of course, he is still negotiating with Mokuzo Guzheng.

Minami Sanenaga was truly a shrewd man. After handing the money to Mokuzo Tomomasa, he happily returned. His mission was to deliver the money; the negotiations had nothing to do with him. Furthermore, as a subordinate, he had no authorization to negotiate.

Takigawa Kazumasu told him to run first and see if he could get away. Nanbu Sanenaga was eager to do so and ran away without any hesitation.

But he didn't come back empty-handed; he brought someone with him. According to Minami Namio, the boy he brought back was actually his cousin.

Nanbu Jinhachiro Tadaaki.

Nanbu Shitachi was 52 years old, and Nanbu Tadaaki wasn't even 25. What kind of brother was he? I wouldn't recognize him if I picked him up on the street.

Only after he sat down and began to tell his story did Shichibei finally understand. Nanbu Tadaaki was the little-known Nanbu clan we mentioned earlier, the one that moved from Kai Nanbu-sho to the Owari and Ise areas.

It's just that Nanbu Tadaki's ancestors had some merit and were awarded the six villages of Tomita, while Nanbu Sanenaga's ancestors had little merit and were only awarded one village near Tsushima and became a pastoral official.

The two branches had been separated for centuries, with no previous contact. Recently, Shichibei dispatched merchants to northern Ise and discovered that the Nanbu Tadaaki clan was still alive, having survived centuries of conflict. However, of the former Tomita Six Villages, only three remain: Tomita Isshiki, Matsubara, and Amensuka, each boasting a combined total of 1,000 koku.

On his way, Minami Sanenaga visited the so-called Tomita Nanbu clan (of Ise Asamei County). They sat down for a chat. The old man was quite junior. Minami Kanetsuna, the head of the Tomita Nanbu clan, asked Minami Sanenaga what he was doing in Ise, was he selling goods or buying them?

I came here for the survival of my Nanbu family!

The old man was a scoundrel, saying that Oda Nobunaga was about to send troops to attack northern Ise. The Nanbu clan, formerly the chief minister of the Muromachi shogunate and now under the patron saint of the Kitabatake clan, was only separated from Owari by Kuwana County. When Nobunaga arrived, the first clan he would attack was the Nanbu clan.

Oda Nobuhide had attacked Northern Ise, so the Oda family had a previous record. Nanbu Kanetsuna also knew that Nobunaga had suppressed Mino, so it was indeed possible that they would attack Northern Ise next year.

What to do? Of course, the old way.

Your eldest son, Nanbu Kai no Kami Tadatsugu, remains in Tomita Castle, nominally obeying the orders of the provincial governor, the Kitabatake clan. Your youngest son, Nanbu Tadaki, will return to Owari with me. Is it still necessary for me to teach you such a simple method of betting on both sides?

Yes, that makes sense. So, Nanbu Kanetsuga gave his son, Nanbu Tadaaki, to Nanbu Sanenaga, asking him to take good care of him. When Nobunaga decided to attack Ise, he would lead the way. That way, regardless of the outcome, the Nanbu clan would survive.

"Is it that simple?" Shichibei scratched his head, feeling that what Minami Sanenaga said was too simple.

You go to their house, make some noise, and then they send their son over. Without any guarantees or promises, you, an old man, are tricked into using this short, strong young man, who can even pull a millstone, as a "child laborer."

"It took me a lot of effort to say this." Nanbu Shichang pounded his old waist and acted like he was in great pain.

"Yes, yes, yes." Shichibei stretched out his hand and gestured to stop.

While I was running around naked on the streets, you were sneaking around in the store. We are all in the same store, why are you pretending to be so powerful?

Then there's Nanbu Tadaaki, standing quietly in the yard, a pitiful child, having been sent away by his father in his teens. But he didn't suffer any loss. Historically, the Ise Tomita Nanbu clan was undoubtedly destroyed. Now that he's in Tsushima, he's sure to have a lot of skills to keep him safe. If he can chop people, Nobunaga might even be able to pull off a horse sceptre.

No, it should be the Akamegi-shu or the Kuromegi-shu. News had leaked out that Nobunaga was reorganizing the Makai-shu in Gifu. So Kotaro was considered Nobunaga's Makai, and he received notice that the Makai-shu were being reorganized. Given his military prowess, he definitely wouldn't be chosen for the Makai-shu, so he went to Gifu and returned overnight.

It was said that Maeda Toshiie and Sasa Narimasa beat people so fiercely that it hurt to watch. So without hesitation, he chose to reorganize it into the right pen and continue to send it to Shichibei as an official.

"Jinpachiro, I believe you are already aware of your responsibilities. I am now sending you to Gifu Castle to meet the lord and have a good conversation." Shichibei waved to Nanbu Tadaaki, and Nanbu Tadaaki ran over honestly and obediently.

"I understand, I understand. My father and brother explained everything to me clearly before I came here." Nanbu Zhongming nodded repeatedly.

That's all, we'll leave for Gifu tomorrow. Nobunaga only needs a guide who is familiar with the roads and conditions of Northern Ise. Other talents are irrelevant, whether it's swordsmanship or eloquence, Nobunaga doesn't care.

........................

The residence in Tiyanaga Valley below Gifu Castle was complete, with only some finishing touches remaining. Nobunaga, along with his wives and children, happily moved into the new house before the New Year.

According to his plan, he also needed to build pavilions, corridors, and a pavilion overlooking the pond. The subsequent construction work would take another year or two, but those would be ancillary buildings, as the main residence had already been completed.

At this time, Nobunaga was summoning Asai Masatsugu at his residence. Masatsugu's father was Asai Masanobu, one of the elders of the Hubei Asai clan. During the time of Asai Ryomasa, he had worked with Asai Ryomasa to destroy the Kyogoku clan's foundation in Hubei, and was considered an original shareholder, a kind of partnership in the business.

Now Nobunaga summoned Asai Masumi with one goal: to attack northern Ise and hope the Asai army would send reinforcements. With overwhelming force, he could quickly and swiftly sweep across northern Ise. At the same time, he would intimidate the Kitabatake clan of southern Ise, fearing Nobunaga's military might and refusing to support the numerous powerful lords of northern Ise.

As a regional daimyo with tens of thousands of troops, if Nobunaga had only brought 10,000 or 20,000 men to Northern Ise, Kitabatake Muneyoshi would have undoubtedly mobilized troops to rescue Northern Ise Kunihiro. But what if Nobunaga had 40,000 or 50,000 men? Kitabatake Muneyoshi would have had to consider whether this was a case of slapping an egg against a rock.

Alongside Asai Masatsugu was Ishikawa Ienari, who had already been to Gifu. While last time he had come to attack the city, this time he was there to take orders. Nobunaga also requested a large number of troops from the Tokugawa clan, but it wasn't necessary to send a large number, just a gesture.

Just like last time, I gave the order and your two thousand men arrived day and night. Nobunaga was very satisfied with this attitude. Now that he was going to attack Ise, he informed Tokugawa Ieyasu in advance, hoping that Ieyasu would also send two to three thousand men.

Try to expand the momentum of the Oda army and make it look invincible.

How could they refuse? On the one hand, Nobunaga promised to give them gifts for the troops and provide them with food after they arrived at the battlefield. On the other hand, winter is a good season for going out to kill and burn people. Since they were idle at home anyway, they might as well go out and rob.

At that moment, a young man nearby reported that Tsushima Shichibei had sent a young man. Asai Masatsugu and Ishikawa Iesuke were about to leave. The matter was settled, and they were just waiting for Nobunaga's orders. However, Nobunaga indicated that they didn't need to be shy, as he wasn't a significant figure.

After Nanbu Tadaaki introduced himself, the two were completely clueless. Did they know there was a Tomita Nanbu family in Ise? It was the first time they had heard of it, and it was truly bizarre.

Nobunaga unfolded the map presented by Takigawa Ieyasu and Shichibei and asked Nanbu Tadaaki to explain it to him. He also asked which routes were easier to travel, which routes offered access to water transportation, and the preferences of the powerful families in the area.

If Nobunaga had gathered an army of 40,000 or 50,000, it would have been impossible for them to march along a single road. Not to mention the poor quality of Japanese roads at the time, the logistics, sanitation, accommodation, and even communications alone would not have allowed 40,000 or 50,000 people to march together.

Sometimes it is not the commander who has to divide and attack together, but one road cannot accommodate tens of thousands of people passing at the same time.

It's worth mentioning that Nanbu Tadaaki was at least not stupid, and he was indeed a local. He had a good understanding of the geographical information of Kuwana, Asaaki, and Inabe counties, and was able to answer Nobunaga's questions at any time.

"Your name is Jinpachiro, right?" Nobunaga still held the broken folding fan in his hand even in the middle of winter.

"Yes, Jinpachiro Tadaaki." Nanbu Tadaaki immediately lowered his head and answered with a strong voice.

Nobunaga actually liked those brave and strong warriors. If they were good-looking, young, nimble and smart, he would be happy to promote them.

"What did Shichibei promise to give you?" Nobunaga rhythmically tapped the folding fan in his hand, causing Nanbu Tadaaki to raise his head and speak.

"My skills are safe!" Before coming, Shichibei actually didn't promise anything, but Nanbu Kanetsuna told him that no matter who wins or loses, the survival of the family and the safety of the skills are the most important.

"Haha, Shichibei is indeed a small trader, very stingy." Nobunaga laughed at Asai Masumi and Isenari Ishikawa.

Ishikawa Ienari knew Shichibei and, knowing he came from a merchant family, joined in the laughter. Asai Masatsugu asked who Shichibei was, and upon hearing it was Kawamura Shichibei Nagakichi, a supporting character in Sunomata Ichijo Castle, he nodded. He'd heard it was a merchant who passed on the horse's head, so it was no wonder he had two thousand kan of silver to support Kinoshita Hideyoshi in building the castle.

"How much ability does your family have?" After a few jokes, Nobunaga asked about Nanbu Tadaaki's family income.

"One thousand two hundred koku in Futian Sanzhuang." Nanbu Tadaaki was honest and did not hide anything.

"After the war, I will grant your family 3,000 koku." Nobunaga waved his folding fan and immediately doubled the amount given to the Nanbu family, and it was far more than doubled.

This statement made Nanbu Tadaaki's face light up, so much so that he almost forgot to salute Nobunaga. Fortunately, Nanbu Kanetsuga and Shichibei had warned him beforehand, so he didn't lose his composure in front of Oda Nobunaga. When Nobunaga was in a good mood, he was quite tolerant and didn't bother with a young man.

"Dayi!" He waved his hand and let Nanbu Zhongming retreat.

105. I will take the lead in the battle of food and tactics (Wentouguan)

Takigawa Kazumasu returned in one piece, which clearly meant the talks went well. We could have the charter boat waiting at Annozu, so we didn't have to wait any longer. Once the matter was settled, we could leave.

Further questioning revealed that Takigawa Ieyasu had even won over several of the Mokuzaku retainers. Shichibei, please send another 500 kan to Mokuzaku Castle now. Some of Takigawa's followers are being held hostage within the castle.

This is not surprising. Historically, when Ishida Mitsunari bribed Kobayakawa Hideaki, he promised to give Kobayakawa Hideaki's retainer Hiraoka Katsuyori 100,000 koku of salary. Another retainer, Inaba Sadamichi, also promised to restore his old territories to 100,000 koku in Mino.

Of course, the promise made to Kobayakawa Hideaki was even more outrageous: he would serve as regent until Hideyori came of age. If it weren't for the numerous records of this kind, it would be hard to believe.