Owari Yumeki Golden Day

Nobunaga naturally also paid his respects to the Emperor and Prince Makotohito, and was appointed Junior Fourth Rank Tanshochu. After arriving in Kyoto, this Inspector General was the real Inspector General.

The imperial court was very tactful and treated Nobunaga as a Shiba Kanrei and also offered him the paulownia crest. Nobunaga accepted it calmly. After all, it was a treatment that would enhance the status of the Oda clan, so Nobunaga accepted it without any objection.

After waiting in the capital for three days, Ashikaga Yoshiei's resignation letter, or Ashikaga Yoshiei himself, never arrived.

140. A pot of mung beans can also save lives

three days?

Three days were enough for several round trips between Kyoto and Sakai. Even if Ashikaga Yoshiei could not go in person, as long as the letter of resignation was sent to Kyoto, Nobunaga would nod and agree to the various promises he had made to Yoshiei before.

What does this mean by not even saying a word? Does Ashikaga Yoshiei think he still has room for maneuver? That shouldn't be the case. Nobunaga not only entered Kyoto, but even met the emperor. He took off his pants and shook them three times, just one last shiver. He was already at the door. How could he have any room for maneuver?

Nobunaga immediately ordered Wada Koremasa and Matsui Tomokan to go to Sakai again. Regardless of whether they brought back the person or not, they had to submit a letter of resignation from the shogunate. If they didn't submit a letter of resignation, they would not return and would stay in Sakaimachi.

Shichibei, who was currently touring Kyoto, wasn't in a hurry at all. He had been to Kyoto several times in his previous life and had seen almost everything there was to see. However, there was one advantage to this visit: he could see anything he hadn't been allowed to see in his previous life.

In name, the purpose was to select a suitable venue for Nobunaga to hold tea parties and renga parties, but wouldn't that mean that all doors would have to be opened for Shichibei?

Nobunaga now had over 60,000 troops stationed in and around Kyoto, looking incredibly powerful. Rumors swirled that he would soon become the governor of the Muromachi shogunate. Forget temples and shrines; even the estates and palaces of the Sekkan clan would have to be opened to Nobunaga.

It should be noted that Nobunaga only issued an order not to kill people when he entered the capital, not that he could not kill people. In the past, if the lords and daimyo or the people of the world came to Kyoto and entered the capital without killing or setting fire to people, they would not show their dignity.

So there really is a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva enshrined in Kinkakuji Temple? Shichibei didn't even need to ask, as the monk led him to the third floor of Kinkakuji Temple for a tour. Currently, the third floor of Kinkakuji Temple was covered in gold leaf, but it was already very mottled, no longer as magnificent as it once was.

The inner three floors now house twelve statues of various kinds, including one of the third shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, though this is a monk-like statue, quite different from the outer statues in robes and caps.

The Four Heavenly Kings guarding the Tathagata are quite realistic. I wonder which dynasty they are from. It's possible they date back to the Song Dynasty. They are truly a treasure. If they could be preserved, they would be considered a national treasure in East Asian culture.

It was quite nice, but the space was too small to hold a tea party for Nobunaga and his guests. Shichibei curled his lips. "Traveling is really tiring. There are no rickshaws in Kyoto right now. We have to ride horses and walk. It's really tiring."

Besides, many streets are now dilapidated and closed, and there are even dead ends, making it difficult to navigate. I hope Hideyoshi and his men will pay more attention to the governance of Kyoto and send me a detailed map of Kyoto in a few days.

"Tsk..." So Kotaro came back from Kitaomi. He was excited to hear that he could visit Kyoto, but he seemed a little disappointed after seeing it.

"What?" Shichibei didn't really think it was that interesting, he was just here anyway.

Fortunately, there was no major plague or war. Kyoto had its share of troubles, as the Kamogawa River was blocked by 40,000 corpses and the entire city was filled with filth.

The Shimokyo area has been in turmoil for years, and with no shogunate or government office to maintain public order in the past two years, theft and even looting are rampant, people are fleeing, and houses are damaged, which are all normal.

The current Japanese countryside people have dreamy expectations for Kyoto, which is the same as the future Japanese people having dreamy expectations for Paris.

Only after you come here, you will find out, alas...

It’s hard to describe in one word.

"It doesn't feel interesting." So Kotaro spoke frankly. He really didn't feel that Kyoto was brilliant and prosperous. It just seemed shabby and run-down.

"Well, that's enough. After all, we have experienced many wars." Shichibei had expected this and was mentally prepared.

At least there's one advantage now: the tourist attraction is mostly empty. If I were to come here in the future, the streets would be packed with people. Even before the sun rises at 4 or 5 in the morning, there would be Little Red Book fairies taking photos. By daybreak, the people on the streets wouldn't be able to say anything.

I'd rather find a McDonald's, grab a bag of fries, and eat while watching the foreigners squeeze in. Of course, McDonald's probably doesn't have seats, so I'll have to order takeout and sit on the riverbank. There aren't any seagulls near the river, but the birds aren't afraid of people and are happy to get some fries.

Returning to the small, large camp outside Kyoto, Shichibei rubbed his leg. No one around had any major news to report. The logistics line from Gifu to Kyoto had already been established, so there was indeed nothing to worry about.

The next step would probably be to follow the instructions of Nobumori Sakuma and start preparing for the inspection of the land in Minami-Omi, as well as collecting Dan money from the land and Dobetsu money from the commercial towns.

The Oda army didn't rob you, and they are considering asking you to collect some property tax.

As Shichibei sat down and rubbed his legs, he suddenly noticed Noda Sanbei charging in on horseback, nearly bumping into someone. What was wrong with this guy? It was his first business trip, and he already caused such a scene.

Noda only stopped his horse when he was almost in front of Shichibei, braking so hard that the horse's front hooves were pulled off the ground. He dismounted with an awkward tumble and a crawl.

What's even funnier is that he crawled over using his hands and feet, but because he couldn't breathe and couldn't speak, he could only point backwards, signaling Shichibei to look outside and not to pay any attention to him.

What? Why are you in such a hurry?

Shichibei, his legs still aching, stood up, took a few steps, and looked outside. He saw two equestrians, flanked by a third horse, galloping in. The man between them looked familiar, but he couldn't place who he was familiar with.

Yes, like Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

That, that, that, that!

Shichibei had previously only asked Noda to keep an eye on the situation in Sakaimachi and check on Ashikaga Yoshiei's movements, but how could he be so arrogant now that he actually "kidnapped" Ashikaga Yoshiei? This was too much of an exaggeration.

Ashikaga Yoshiei was the true leader of the Japanese samurai clan, officially declared the Shogun by the Muromachi shogunate. You dared to kidnap this man? You are many times more daring than Shichibei.

"The governor has been poisoned. Go, go, go and get a doctor..." At this moment, Noda Sanbei finally caught his breath and said these words.

"Huh?" Shichibei rushed forward and observed Ashikaga Yoshiei's appearance. His face looked extremely painful and his complexion was abnormal, but there were no external injuries. It seemed that he was really poisoned.

what to do? what to do? what to do?

I don't know how to rescue him. The two men helped Ashikaga Yoshiei lie down on the straw couch, and they saw that his condition was getting worse and worse.

So Kotaro, on the other hand, immediately ran out of the camp to find a doctor, while Shichibei stamped his feet when he suddenly realized there was a pot of mung bean soup next to his bed, a summertime refreshment drink.

He ordered his servant to pry open Ashikaga Yoshiei's mouth, took a gourd ladle used for horse drinking water, scooped up mung bean soup, and poured it into Ashikaga Yoshiei's mouth. Half of the ladle didn't go in, but Shichibei didn't care and continued to pour him as much as he could.

These days, neither arsenic nor aconite is easy to obtain. Aconite is said to be more toxic than arsenic, but in most cases, it is impossible to collect enough aconite to kill an adult.

Therefore, the most commonly used poisons are relatively common plant poisons such as strychnine, oleander, and tripterygium wilfordii. Mung beans are said to be an antidote to these poisons. Whether this is true or not is completely unknown, so in this situation, we can only try it out.

What to do after the injection? Shichibei had no idea. He could only put the man down against the haystack and wait for the doctor to come.

Noda Sanbei finally caught his breath. Actually, there was nothing strange about it. They just went to meet Ashikaga Yoshiei under the name of Matsui Tomokan.

Even though Ashikaga Yoshiei was a general and had hundreds of people serving him, apart from his own confidants, the remaining dozens of people were "guards" sent by Miyoshi. Whether they were there to protect his safety or to place him under house arrest is irrelevant.

The attention of the Miyoshi trio was all on Nobunaga at this time, and they indeed relaxed their surveillance on Ashikaga Yoshiei. If it were not for this, Noda would not have been able to see Yoshiei.

The main purpose of Miyoshi's guards was to prevent Ashikaga Yoshihide from running away or being harmed by someone.

Since there were no orders from above, there was no need to ask any questions about meeting guests. Besides, Matsui Tomokan was a tea connoisseur who had long been friends with Ashikaga Yoshiei in Sakaimachi, so he just met with them.

Seeing that Noda Sanbei and his men had more than a dozen fine horses, one of Ashikaga Yoshiei's confidants hinted that Nobunaga had sent someone to meet them. In fact, no, Noda also said no, but he could not resist the other party's inner planning.

Ashikaga Yoshihide, who had a premonition that his tenure as general would not last long, was ready to sell himself for a better price and go to see Nobunaga.

He was about to flee, and the Miyoshi Three had somehow learned that he might be colluding with Nobunaga. Since the Hōshū Kubo family had three brothers, and if one, Ashikaga Yoshiei, died, there was always another to be appointed. The Miyoshi Three immediately became murderous and prepared to kill the disobedient Ashikaga Yoshiei.

Originally, they had already killed Ashikaga Yoshiteru. Killing one is killing, and killing two is also killing. It doesn't make any difference.

Noda, who was gathering information outside Sakai and watching the situation, hooked up with Yoshiei's confidant. They suggested that he offer the horse to Yoshiei, and he agreed on his own initiative. Then Yoshiei fled in the middle of the night with a dozen of his confidants, rushing towards Kyoto.

Because Yirong had a back sore, he had been taking medicine recently. When they were halfway through their run this afternoon, not far from Kyoto, they stopped to rest. Yirong's attendants served him medicine. Wow, the medicine was prepared by the guards of the Three Good Men, and some seasoning was added to it. Before they even reached Kyoto, Yirong's face turned unrecognizable.

Shichibei saw what happened next. Now Yirong was lying on the straw couch, half dead.

By the way, hurry up and report to Oda Nobunaga!

Just as he was about to call Hanbei Takenaka to report to Nobunaga, he saw So Kotaro rushing in with Akechi Mitsuhide and Kinoshita Hideyoshi. Mitsuhide took one look at Yoshiei and said, "Looks like it, looks like it," then knelt beside the couch to check Ashikaga Yoshiei's pulse. Before he could determine what was wrong, Ashikaga Yoshiei began vomiting, so severely that he nearly vomited all over Mitsuhide's face.

Hideyoshi also brought two doctors, and when they saw this scene, their medicine boxes on their backs shook three times. They asked what kind of poison the patient had been exposed to and what treatment had been performed.

The dozen or so Yirong attendants who followed behind him knew nothing but pulled out the medicine Yirong had taken and said it was the cause of his condition. There were no microscopes back then, and since they only had pills, they broke them open and crushed them before tasting them bit by bit.

Yirong vomited even more violently...

At this moment, Nobunaga also ran over wearing his crown. It turned out that Takenaka Hanbei had just disappeared and had gone directly to report to Nobunaga.

If Ashikaga Yoshihide hadn't been in Kyoto, he would have been dead. But now that he was in Kyoto, dead at Nobunaga's hands, there were many things he couldn't explain. Nobunaga, looking even more anxious than Yoshihide's attendants, immediately approached Shichibei and asked him what was going on.

I know shit. If I knew, how could I not tell you?

Seeing that Shichibei really didn't know, Nobunaga immediately ordered the young men around him to capture all the doctors in Kyoto, as many as possible, and bring them all to the stable to save Yoshiei.

The small stable was filled with vassal generals and all parties who had heard the news sent people to inquire. Even Ashikaga Yoshiaki sent Sogasuke to see if it was indeed Ashikaga Yoshihide.

When it was dark, dozens of captured doctors held a consultation and found that after Yirong vomited for more than half an hour, his complexion gradually recovered and his breathing was no longer rapid, but he was still in a coma.

Help!

Upon learning that Shichibei had given Ashikaga Yoshiei a whole pot of mung bean soup, the old Chinese doctor who was in charge praised Shichibei and said he had done a good job.

What to do now?

Wait!

Because the exact cause of the poison is unclear, a mild antidote is the only solution. Consider Ashikaga Yoshiei's situation; his symptoms have subsided thanks to a generous dose of mung bean soup. Now it all depends on his physical condition; perhaps a night of high fever and sweating will help.

"Nanabe, um, what's wrong with you?" Nobunaga saw that Ashikaga Yoshiei's situation had stabilized, and asked again.

With no other options, Shichibei had to have Noda recount the entire incident to Nobunaga. It wasn't Shichibei's intention to abduct Ashikaga Yoshiei, but rather Yoshiei's own decision to flee without informing the Sakai clan or Matsunaga Hisahide. He then wandered into Shichibei's camp and was poisoned.

Yirong's attendants all said that it must have been the Three Good Men who poisoned him, because they were the ones who prepared the medicine, and there was no one else but them.

But what they said was not enough. They had to capture the Three Good Men to confirm it.

"Go tell Gonroku that I want to see the traitor Iwanari within three days!" Nobunaga swung his horse staff in annoyance.

Upon receiving the order, Shibata Katsuie, Mori Yoshinari, Hanawa Naomasa, and Hachiya Yoritaka immediately broke camp and set off for Katsuryuji Castle, preparing to attack the castle and capture Iwanari Tomomichi alive to confront Nobunaga.

As one of the Three Miyoshi, Iwanari Tomomichi would have known about the poisoning of Ashikaga Yoshiei. After all, killing the shogun was a serious crime, and it was better for several people to bear the responsibility than for one person to bear it alone.

141. Watch the Five Oxen Dismemberment Show

Iwanari Tomomichi, who had an army of 10,000, discovered that Nobunaga himself did not come to attack Katsuryuji Castle in person, and that the troops led by Shibata Katsuie and other four generals were no more than 15,000. After a little thought, he chose to leave the city and fight a field battle with the Oda army.

Okay, I love field battles!

Shibata Katsuie received strict orders from Nobunaga to capture Katsuryuji Castle as quickly as possible and capture Iwanari Tomomichi alive to confront him in Kyoto. Therefore, he worked very hard and led his troops to attack fiercely. He even led the charge himself, and in less than two hours, he had defeated the famous Miyoshi Army in Kinai.

After the battle, a post-battle head count revealed over fifty samurai, including several of the Miyoshi clan's generals in Kinai. Over two hundred lesser-known samurai were also found, and the dead numbered over a thousand, leaving the entire city of Katsuryuji in a state of dread.

After only one day of resistance, Iwanari Tomomichi fled the city. Only then did he realize that the Oda army was no country bumpkin, but rather a force forged by Nobunaga's years of battles, through the fiercest battles of the land. They truly possessed some formidable skills.

Frightened by this, Miyoshi Masayasu of Kizu Castle, Miyoshi Nagayoshi and Hosokawa Yoshimoto of Akutagawa Castle fled on the same day, almost in a panic, and even abandoned many treasures passed down from generation to generation in the Miyoshi and Hosokawa families in the castle.

Unfortunately, these were all veteran generals at the time, good at fighting and running away. Shibata Katsuie failed to capture Iwanari Tomomichi alive, and he immediately sent someone back to the capital to apologize.

Fortunately, Ashikaga Yoshiei had regained consciousness. He had indeed been poisoned by some plant extract, but the effects hadn't lasted long. He had consumed large amounts of mung bean soup to detoxify, and had also vomited some of the poisoned pills due to excessive water intake. So, after consulting with renowned Kyoto doctors and taking several more doses of herbal remedies, he was finally able to sit up and speak.

What else can I say? The imperial edict was widely distributed. The damn Three Good Men poisoned the general!

Very sensible, he released it without asking Nobunaga to mention it. Ashikaga Yoshiei is indeed a qualified political creature, with his own clear understanding and judgment of the situation. As for how high the resolution is, whether it is 1080p, 720p, or 360p, we will have to wait and see.

Regarding the Shogun's resignation, Nobunaga sent Niwa Nagahide, Murai Sadakatsu, and Akechi Mitsuhide to have a secret meeting with Ashikaga Yoshiei. Shichibei is not sure what the discussion was about, but in the end, Ashikaga Yoshiei formally submitted his resignation to the court.

With this memorial, everything was fine. Even Ashikaga Yoshiaki showed a bit of mercy and tolerance of a victor towards his cousin who had previously shouted for war and wanted to kill him.

Nobunaga had previously promised to honor Ashikaga Yoshiei as the Grand Palace, but to prohibit him from participating in the shogunate's politics, and to provide him with a pension of 50,000 koku to cover Yoshiei's expenses.

Of course, Yoshiei was definitely not allowed to live near Kyoto, and he was not even allowed to stay in Yamashiro Province. Where he moved to was not yet known, and Nobunaga would make the decision later.

After solving the biggest problem of "two days on the same day", Nobunaga became extremely happy and went to have a tea party.

Matsui Tomokan, who was originally sent to Sakaimachi to persuade Ashikaga Yoshiei, also ran back. Yoshiei had already run away, so why was he still staying? Because his tea art was useful, Nobunaga didn't say much, but just ordered him to be a nearby tea master and make tea for everyone.

Before the meeting, I saw Shichibei. Matsui Tomokan even asked, "If I'd known you'd sent someone outside the town, I'd have just grabbed Yoshiei and run away. Next time you have plans, let me know in advance, brother."

Hey, how dare I rob a general?

That was Yirong's own plan to escape, and he ran into him halfway. But Shichibei was definitely easygoing on the surface, blaming me for not thinking things through. Shichibei even apologized to Matsui Tomokan.

Although he wants to see other people's blood splashing on his feet, Shichibei will not allow his own blood to splash on his feet. We should make more good friends when we are out there.

Nobunaga held a tea party today, entertaining not only the court noble Yamashina Nobutsugu and the samurai leader Hirohashi Kunimitsu, but also the main attraction: the Matsunaga father and son, who had come from Yamato Tamonyama Castle. Hirohashi Kunimitsu's sister, Hirohashi Yasuko, was the second wife of Matsunaga Hisahide, acting as a sort of guarantor for her brother-in-law.

Hirohashi Kunimitsu himself held the position of Sho-Nin-Mi, Gon-Dainagon. His father, Hirohashi Kanehide, held the position of Nai-Minister, having been a member of the Hino-ryū clan of the Fujiwara no Kita clan. He was a prominent figure, a member of a prestigious family. Both father and son served as senior ministers presiding over the Kasuga Festival on numerous occasions, and they enjoyed considerable influence with Emperor Go-Omiya.

For Nobunaga, who was trying to win over the imperial court and boost the status of the Oda family, getting to know two more influential nobles was a necessary operation and activity.

Shichibei, who was sitting at the waiter's table, not drinking tea but just watching, was very attentive to the Matsunaga father and son who had already appeared on the stage. Matsunaga Hisahide himself was an old man in his sixties. I don't know why Hirohashi Kanehide was willing to marry his daughter to Hisahide, who was in his fifties. Hisahide had age spots on his face. What was he trying to do?

Because he is old, ugly, and doesn’t take a shower?

Political marriages in the feudal era were a business that was impossible to fathom. Personal affection was bullshit; it all depended on the careful considerations at the time of the marriage.

To be honest, Matsunaga Hisahide is not a handsome guy. Even his son Matsunaga Hisahide is very ordinary looking. Even Hisahide looks a bit like a kind old man, and his smile is a bit kind.

He really doesn't look like one of the three great villains of the Warring States Period. If he hadn't been given a preconceived notion of who he was, Shichibei would have simply mistaken Matsunaga Hisahide for an old retainer from the Kinai shogunate who came to flatter Nobunaga.

Over the past two days, those retainers who had previously insisted that Nobunaga issue a decree of benevolence in their behalf before they would support Yoshiaki and Nobunaga have now come to lick Yoshiaki and Nobunaga like dogs, hoping to be reappointed as officials in the new shogunate and obtain some kind of official position.

Although the shogunate was in disrepair and becoming less and less valuable, the incompetent retainers in Kyoto could not clearly sense that the Muromachi shogunate was heading towards inevitable decline. They still believed that they had the power to mediate and appoint officials to various parties, and they could confidently serve as the head of the nation's samurai.

Just as he was thinking about it, Shichibei saw the most important scene of the day - the presentation of the world's best specialty "Ninety-nine Eggplants".

The square box made of cypress wood was wrapped in an indigo-dyed furoshiki. When the lid of the box was opened, Hisahide took out the ninety-nine eggplants and displayed them in front of everyone. Yamashina Gentsugu, Hirohashi Kunimitsu and others exclaimed in surprise.

"I wish to offer this to Gifu-dono!"