Owari Yumeki Golden Day

Counting all of them, there are more than 200 people, maybe even more.

Sure enough, when all were counted, there were over 250 men. When the accounts of the old retainers, the yorikuni, and the newcomers were compiled, Kawamuraya, or Shichibei's subordinates, had a staggering 500 men.

Even Takenaka Hanbei was somewhat surprised by this number, as the vast majority of these five hundred men were literate and could serve as the backbone. Even if some of them had more muscle than brain, that was still quite a feat. After all, being able to understand tactical instructions was considered a good soldier these days.

When Yuan Shikai was training his troops at Xiaozhan, he said that the soldiers couldn't even tell the difference between left and right. In the end, they had to put cloth shoes on one foot and straw sandals on the other, and only then could they tell the difference between left and right and then start training.

In other words, those who can distinguish left from right and know when to advance and retreat are the good soldiers of the moment.

"Last time in Ise, I heard that the Lord himself only assigned 600 retainers to Kobe-dono." Takenaka Hanbei used to be proud of the fact that his family had more than 100 people and less than 200 retainers.

"Yes, Kobe-dono has 600 riders and Nagano-dono has 500 riders." Shichibei remembered hearing it clearly.

Back then, they were still stalking Kinoshita Hideyoshi's backs, envious of his father's kindness. They were still teenagers, barely even hairless, when Nobunaga personally stepped in to help them with their duties and recruit retainers. When they grew up, fought a few battles, and became powerful generals, they would be ready.

"You are not inferior to Nagano-dono." Takenaka Hanbei was very emotional.

"There are only five hundred people." Shichibei didn't think much of it.

"That's all? This is Kawamura Gobai Doshin!"

113. Recruit more apprentices and train more

What happened to the Five Hundred? They couldn't just go out and fight with their guns, right? Only those recruited to guard the post stations and stables, or to act as security guards, could be recruited to fight. But their primary job was to guard the post stations in peacetime and the small pack trains in wartime.

If one day Oda Nobunaga drags me, Kawamura Shichibei, to the battlefield, I will be doomed.

The Oda family has so many strong men that they are considered a famous male luxury group in the Japanese Warring States Period. Unless a meteorite hits Gifu Castle, we only have 500 guys here.

Don't add too much drama to yourself, the real thing is to take on the heavy responsibility for Nobunaga.

Takenaka Hanbei could only laugh to himself. He came from a legitimate samurai family, and with a fortune of ten thousand koku, he could only muster two hundred retainers. He had to temporarily mobilize peasants and hire miscellaneous soldiers to gather an army of five or six hundred.

With a fortune of 2,500 kan, Shichibei could also mobilize 500 men, always on standby. At the sound of the whistle, they could be deployed instantly, without any preparations or extra expense.

There is indeed a difference between military families and merchants.

"Kotaro, after you return to Owari, do another thing." Now that things have come to this point, Shichibei is ready to bring up the issue of building a talent team.

"Hmm?" So Kotaro was looking through the retainer allocation account.

"Our store will recruit another fifty apprentices, and each branch will recruit thirty to fifty apprentices. Priority will be given to recruiting from households, followed by townspeople and farmers." Shichibei's idea was actually very simple.

Most of the Mino ronin recruited previously, and the Ise ronin recruited not long ago, came with families. Shichibei had originally intended to recruit the boys from their families into the Kawamuraya system, and now he was simply executing it.

These people served Kawamura Shichibei Nagakichi, a retainer of the Oda family, and also worked for the Owari royal merchant Kawamura-ya. Although their identities were not "dual-affiliated", they were relatively vague.

It would be better to settle them down in advance and let them stay in the Kawamura family to serve for generations. Besides, recruiting the children of samurai is indeed easier to educate than recruiting the children of farmers.

The sons of townspeople and farmers were no problem either. As long as they had the talent, they would have seven to nine years to slowly train them. Those who could develop it would surely all be promoted to the rank of Shibei. Those who couldn't, could only be eliminated naturally.

Now that Oda Nobunaga has territories spanning two and a half countries, our five hundred loyal men are barely enough. What will happen after Nobunaga conquers over twenty countries and becomes the ruler of the world?

I'm afraid it would take five thousand or even ten thousand people to get the job done.

For the future, preparations must be made now, recruiting young apprentices to apprentice in the shop every year. Regardless of whether this is a feudal guild apprenticeship system or not, as long as it works, who cares whether it infringes on the apprentices' human rights.

In the past, one of our branches was responsible for the business of Tsushima Town. Now, each of our branches is designed to cover the entire territory. Back then, each branch had dozens of employees, but now 200 or 300 is considered a reasonable staffing. During this period of business expansion, with so many project lines, we need to have a broad staffing structure.

In other words, there is no such thing as campus recruitment or social recruitment these days. If there were, it would not be impossible for Shichibei to find a reputable university and recruit all the 4,000 to 5,000 graduates in its class.

We should keep a few more people for the time being, in case Nobunaga invades Hunan and defeats the old Hunan Daochu Chuanma service, we will not be able to replace them immediately.

"I understand!" So Kotaro agreed immediately.

"It doesn't matter if there are more people than allowed, the only problem is that there aren't enough." Anyway, the younger ones are all free child laborers, so as long as they are provided with food and accommodation, then it's fine. Isn't it just a matter of bringing as many as possible?

One of the profit points of the old feudal guild system was to exploit the labor value of apprentices. An apprentice worked for free until he was 20 years old, or even in his twenties, so how could he not make money?

The only difference is that, at a certain stage in the feudal guild system, beating an apprentice to death was out of the question. It's better here, where you can beat and scold, but you don't want to kill anyone. After all, who doesn't have weapons these days? We're all in the same shop, so the ultimate one-for-one exchange is right.

"Okay, I will do it right away." So Kotaro closed the retainer account and agreed immediately.

"By the way, the fees at the post station under Qingsu Castle are twice as high as those at other post stations." Shichibei gave one more instruction.

If nothing unexpected happens, Kiyosu will likely remain the political center of Owari for the next thirty years or so. Before the construction of the so-called Nagoya Castle, Kiyosu's castle town must have been the gathering point of various streets.

Tsushima would become completely silted up after 1650 and quickly lose its role as a major trading town. The same was true for Sakai, due not only to competition from Osaka but also to the gradual silting up of Sakai Port after 1650. These major port towns would gradually give way to newer, more developed areas with better ports.

It's not our style to dwell on it for so long. We can just focus on Kiyosu for now. When Kiyosu is also abandoned, we can follow it to Nagoya.

So Kotaro simply nodded, not asking why. The current lord of Kiyosu Castle is Saito Ryuoki, but who knows how long he can hold onto this position? According to normal feudal logic, Owari was Nobunaga's most fundamental base, the place where Ryuoki would strive for supremacy, and ultimately, it would inevitably be passed on to his son.

Saito Tatsuoki would definitely leave, and Nobunaga's legitimate son would become the lord of the city. It is understandable that he would set up a branch in Kiyosu to serve the legitimate son of the family.

It's a pity that Lady Nohime has not given birth to a son yet. If she had, everyone would definitely compete to be the young master's tutor.

In Japan, the term "sei-nan" doesn't necessarily refer solely to the offspring born to the principal wife. The most appropriate definition is a male heir whose inheritance rights have been established. If the principal wife has a son, then the eldest son is most likely her son. If the principal wife has no children, then the decision of the head of the household depends on his or her wishes.

The Oda retainers had not yet made their final bets, so there was no need to assume that Oda Nobutada or Oda Qimyoumaru was the legitimate son of the Oda family. Even though he was born to Lady Ikoma, who was favored by Nobunaga.

Because Nobunaga also had a bastard son of ordinary birth, Oda Nobumasa, who had already come of age. His mother was the sister of Hanawa Naomasa (later known as Harada Naomasa), who was currently serving as an Akamori no Ishu. Although his status was not prominent, he was still a member of the core power of the Oda regime.

There is a theory that Nobunaga actually wanted to use the adult Nobumasa as a backup besides Nobutada, so he deliberately supported Hanawa Naomasa. In addition, Hanawa Naomasa was indeed very dedicated and made contributions in both domestic and foreign affairs.

It was not until Nobutada showed enough magnanimity to inherit the Oda family business that Nobunaga basically gave up supporting Hanawa Naomasa and Nobumasa. After waiting for Hanawa Naomasa to attack Honganji and suffer a crushing defeat, with more than half of his followers and core retainers lost, Nobunaga took advantage of the situation and uprooted Hanawa Naomasa's power.

Having lost the support of this powerful Oda family elder, Nobumasa completely withdrew from the battle for the Oda family's heir.

If Hanawa Naomasa were still alive, he would have been the guardian of Yamato, half of Kawachi, and half of Yamashiro, and would have been a senior figure in the Oda clan. It remains to be seen how the Kiyosu Conference would have unfolded and what its outcome would have been.

After all, in the feudal era, having an adult and healthy heir was a very important competitive advantage.

While Nobuo and Nobutaka were both passed away early to inherit other families, Nobumasa remained by his side. It wasn't until Hanawa Naomasa's downfall that he was passed on to Murai Sadakatsu. Prior to this, in 1547, Nobunaga had appointed him to the rank of Osumi no Kami, Junior Fifth Rank, Lower. Meanwhile, Nobutada was only appointed Junior Fifth Rank, Lower, in 1547, and only in 1547 was he appointed Dewasuke (later Akitajosuke) the rank.

In 1540, after Hanako Naomasa was killed in battle, the Hanako clan's vassal group collapsed, and Nobutada was quickly promoted to the rank of Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Left Guard Major-General. At the same time, he inherited the Oda clan's leadership, was appointed lord of Gifu Castle, and ruled over Mino and Owari.

Judging from the known situation, it is not so certain who Nobunaga will choose as his heir. There is no need to rush to take a position or get close to him.

Tong Guowei in "Yongzheng Dynasty" scolds Longkodo, saying that he has opportunities to speak and opportunities to keep silent, but where do all these opportunities come from? Some people resign and return to their hometowns, while others rush to take the imperial examinations at night. Youth does not know the taste of sorrow, but old age makes it difficult to understand the journey.

After the winner is decided and the candidate is confirmed, we can go up and welcome him.

We must understand our own value, which is to serve as a medium for Nobunaga to manage business activities. Feudal rulers do not want to divert their energy to things like managing business, which is the soil for the survival of Shichibei.

So Kotaro left the residence and went to the front store to make arrangements. Shichibei decided to follow his suggestion and divide the staff into Mino, Owari, and Ise groups. This didn't require the assistance of Takenaka Hanbei; he was a clerk and wasn't busy at the moment, so there was no need for him to be constantly at Shichibei's side.

Go take a vacation. In the second half of last year, I came here to help relocate Komaki Castle, and then was sent to build the street from Kiyosu to Tsushima. After that, I joined the expedition to Ise. I haven't had a rest for several months.

Takenaka Hanbei collected his and his retainers' salaries, spent a night drunk in Gifu, and then hurried back home. He was just working part-time, but why was he working so hard when his boss gave him a day off?

The boss's shares won't be shared with the employees, so working hard will only make the boss buy a Rolls-Royce sooner next year. Takenaka Hanbei understood this principle very well: he was diligent when on duty and went home to relax when not on duty.

Making more plans and making more strategies is a waste of your energy.

With Shichibei personally managing the store, Tsuchida Yoshikiyo had a holiday. He was responsible for transporting timber from the Kiso River to Linden Valley and assisting in the construction of Oda Nobunaga's residence. He had been busy for several months and also had to take a holiday.

Fortunately, we inherited a company that had been operating for many years, with its own operating system and the business it was doing all year round. Unless there were any emergencies, we just needed to understand the accounts and make adjustments, and it wasn't too hectic.

Steal a half day of leisure from this busy life.

Nobunaga was the same. When he had some free time, he would recruit sumo wrestlers from Kyoto to perform sumo in Gifu and entertain his important ministers and direct ministers.

Like Noh, Shichibei doesn't really like sumo, but modern people, lacking much entertainment, enjoy watching it. After all, it's a fiercely competitive sport, and in some ways, it's even more entertaining than Noh.

Shichibei shifted his seat forward and sat on the porch of Nobunaga's residence. It could be roughly considered the inner part was the Great Corridor, and the outer part was the Great Hiroma, though this was the term used by the Tokugawa shogunate. The Oda clan didn't bring up any of the "Three Great Houses." At Nobunaga's side were the family elders Hayashi Hidetada and Sakuma Nobumori, and slightly below them sat Oda Nobuhiro, a close relative and the head of the family.

This was indeed the seating arrangement of the Oda family. Niwa Nagahide, Mori Yoshinari, Shibata Katsuie and Ikeda Terumasa all had to move back a little and sit at the second seat.

Even Saito Tatsuoki was seated higher than Shichibei, considering he was now a member of the Oda clan and the lord of Kiyosu Castle, which held 15,000 kan. However, Mizuno Nobumoto, whose territory was far greater than Shichibei's, finally sat behind him, giving him a sense of kinship.

Two sumo wrestlers outside the corridor pushed each other back and forth. Sumo at this moment seemed more about skill than victory. The wrestlers focused on performing various maneuvers with fierce shoving, not necessarily aiming to defeat their opponents.

The Oda retainers, standing around him, watched with rapturous delight, clapping and shouting. After all, this wasn't a Noh play, so they couldn't interrupt. Furthermore, the atmosphere between the Oda clan and his subjects was relatively relaxed at this point. While there wouldn't be any instances of the emperor being struck with three fists, or Ma Qi and Kangxi fighting in the court, some chatting and laughing were fine.

After one set of sumo wrestlers finishes their performance, there's a brief pause before a new set takes over. Someone even calls out the names of the wrestlers. It's said that when Hayato Satsuma, captured by the imperial court and brought to Kyoto, performed wrestling and other skills at the palace, Hayato would call out the names. This tradition has become a part of Japan's cultural heritage.

As he was watching, Kinoshita Hideyoshi, who was standing next to Shichibei, nudged him. Shichibei turned around to ask, but Hideyoshi glanced in Nobunaga's direction. Nobunaga saw Shichibei looking at him and gently waved his folding fan.

What are you calling me for?

Shichibei bent his body and knelt down at the foot of Nobunaga's couch. Nobunaga didn't say anything, but first pointed to a place in the open space outside the corridor. Shichibei looked around in the direction he pointed, and after a careful look, he found a man named Oda Nobuya there.

Even if one is listed as one of the Oda clan, if one's status is not high enough, one can only stand in the open space outside the corridor. This ranking of the Warring States samurai is indeed a bit based on strength.

"When are you planning your wedding?" Nobunaga asked when he saw Shichibei discover Oda Nobuya.

"Um, no..." Shichibei scratched his head. The little girl hadn't even had that, so why was she getting married?

Even if you want to be in line with the background of the times, you still have to come before you can get married. Besides, why are you, Oda Nobunaga, so anxious about this?

"Anong sent someone to ask, and he said that the young man has already become an official." Nobunaga saw the expression on Shichibei's face and knew what he was hesitating about.

"Oh..." You actually knew it earlier than me.

"You are already 24 years old this year, but you don't even have a wife." Nobunaga felt more anxious than Shichibei.

114. General Minamoto no Yoshiei's Announcement

Sumo wrestling was a popular entertainment for the samurai, and everyone watched with gusto. Because the performances were so popular, Oda Nobunaga invited the wrestlers to stay in Gifu Castle for two or three more days to perform two more shows. Foot soldiers and even ordinary townspeople were allowed to watch.

In Shadow Warrior, there's a scene where Nobumasa, in order to convince the lower- and middle-ranking samurai of the Takeda clan that Shingen was still alive, takes the shadow warriors to a nighttime Noh performance. While the high-ranking samurai and generals are the only ones inside the curtain, the trees and slopes outside are filled with Takeda soldiers and Oda clan spies.

Ordinary people also hope to have some entertainment activities. Even if it is a Noh play that they don’t understand, they are very happy just to watch it for the sake of novelty.

Outside, the atmosphere was bustling like New Year's Eve, and the city itself was bustling with activity, as Nobunaga's concubine had given birth to a daughter. Shichibei had a vague impression of this girl and wondered which princess she was. Judging by her age, she could have been the wife of Maeda Toshinaga or Nakagawa Hidemasa.

It was because of this incident that Nobunaga suddenly remembered why the marriage between Shichibei and Oda Nobunaga's adopted daughter had not taken place. Lady Nohime then told him that the girl was still young and could not get married.

Nobunaga was a bit anxious at the time. For ordinary samurai, it was normal to get married in their twenties or even thirties. But Shichibei was now a royal merchant worth 2,500 kan, a huge family fortune. It was said that he also had the Kawamura Five Hundred Doshinshu.

This group of retainers cannot be disbanded because of the lack of an heir. They must be kept together and continue to work for the Oda family.

So he asked Lady Nohime to go to Oda Nobuya's house to inquire again. Perhaps it was because of his inquiry that it happened. The girl had her period, which was considered "adulthood" in those days.

That was why Nobunaga specifically asked Shichibei why he had not yet married Nobuya's daughter, with whom he had already been engaged.

I'm so busy every day, and you've been whipping me around like a top. I just got a break, so how could I have time to think about this? Shichibei grumbled in his heart, but he could only say that he was still young and had forgotten for a moment.

"You, can you even forget such a thing?" Nobunaga also had a rare moment of free time, so he joked with Shichibei when he had time.

"The world is not yet at peace, so I have no time for personal affection!"

Suddenly, Qibingwei remembered a very compelling sentence and immediately said it to him, which made Nobunaga stunned. This sentence was so powerful that Nobunaga didn't know how to respond. After he glanced at Qibingwei who had finished speaking, he found that Qibingwei was speaking without thinking, so he took out his folding fan and hit Qibingwei on the forehead.

"A loach in the rice paddy."

"Hahahaha..." Before Shichibei could answer, Lady Nohime, who was holding the child behind Nobunaga, burst out laughing.

As Nobunaga's principal wife, the daughters born to his concubines of lesser rank were naturally brought to Nobunaga by Lady Nohime. Nobunaga was a man of great energy, and many of his concubines, even his maids, were just there to pass the time, with no special affection or favor towards them.

Moreover, as a daimyo, especially one in a period of expansion and growth, expanding one's family was essential. Having a large number of followers was certainly a double-edged sword, but in these days, no one could be trusted, and sons and brothers were more trustworthy. Only with a sufficient number of followers could one rule over more territory.

That's easy to say. Nobunaga needed to work hard. He shouldn't be like Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the future, with a slew of wives and only one child. If he had twenty or thirty sons, half of whom grew up and succeeded or founded ten daimyo families, who could rebel?

If they want to rebel, they should do it among the brothers themselves. In the end, the flesh will rot in the Hashiba family, which is better than giving it to others.

Nobunaga glanced back at his wife, signaling her that Lady Nohime was discussing the important matter of succession with her retainers, and asked her to stop laughing. Lady Nohime had no choice but to hand the child to the maid, lowered her head slightly, and covered her face with her hands.

"Do you think that being Nobunaga's daughter is not of sufficient status?" Nobunaga stopped Lady Nohime from laughing and asked Shichibei in a very formal tone.

This kind of thing can be explained openly. Japan has always been a country that values ​​hierarchy and matching. It might have been a little better in the 21st century, but nowadays, the rules and regulations are so rigid.

A man's status determines the status of his wife. Nobunaga, as the eldest son of a daimyo from the four lower counties of Owari, married Lady Nohime. Tokugawa Ieyasu, the heir to the Matsudaira clan of western Mikawa, married Lady Chikuyama.

The status of both of them was that they were heirs to half of the country at that time, so they both married the daughters or adopted daughters of powerful and famous people. Hideyoshi was just a foot soldier at that time, and he married the daughter of the Asano family, the foot soldier leader of Oda Archery.

If Hideyoshi were to get married now, he would have to send Nene to the homes of Hayashi Hidetada or Sakuma Nobumori to get gilded and become the daughter of the Oda clan elder, so that she would be worthy of being Hideyoshi's wife.

With Shichibei's initial wealth of 60 kan, marrying the daughter of Ohashi Shigenaga, a retainer of Ohashi Castle, was a perfectly fitting rank. One was a subordinate, while the other was a direct retainer of Oda, possessing little wealth. While Shichibei's family background was logically superior, the Ohashi clan was the Oda clan's representative in Tsushima. This relationship evened out the two, making them evenly matched.

By the time Shichibei had become powerful and had accumulated over 300 kan, he had already annexed Atsuta Kato Denmaya, and his status was actually a bit out of sync. Nobunaga then instructed Oda Nobuya to adopt the girl and maintain the engagement with Shichibei.

Oda Nobuyasu was a member of Oda Gorenji, so his daughter was married to Shichibei at the time, which was a perfect match. After all, Oda Nobuyasu was not only a member of Oda Gorenji, but also a 400-kan imperial stable.

The situation was different now. The Ohashi family's fortune was inherited by Oda Nobuya's brother, Ohashi Nagamasa, and had nothing to do with him. His wealth had only increased to 800 kan so far, and the daughter of a samurai family with 800 kan and a samurai with 2,500 kan had already formed a class gap.

In the Edo period, a 10,000-koku daimyo marrying the daughter of a 3,200-koku daimyo hatamoto family was considered a match made in heaven. However, this was not the Edo period, and if we had to make an analogy, Shichibei would have to marry the daughter of an Akame no Ishu or a Kurome no Ishu family to be worthy of his current status.

In today's marriages, the love of children is the least important factor to consider; the most important thing to consider is family background and status.

"No, no, no, I am just a small businessman. I only need the appreciation of my lord and do not need any external help." Shichibei really did not think about how noble his wife was, and besides, we cannot suppress her nobility.

Originally, the core of Kawamuraya was the commercial monopoly, and only Nobunaga could grant this right. No one else could do anything. Even if they married the daughters of Sakuma Nobumori or Niwa Nagahide, they could only indirectly influence Nobunaga, but could not determine who would own the commercial monopoly.