Owari Yumeki Golden Day

When he heard that Shichibei was indeed in charge of the annual tribute rice, he immediately changed his work content on the spot and began to prepare to record the quantity and quality of the shipped grain in Gifu and Tsushima.

It's no surprise that Japanese rice merchants recorded various rice production and quality data during the Edo period, treating it as important commercial data. Some even specifically recorded where glutinous rice was grown near Lake Biwa, which was suitable for making rice cakes. Since the rice cakes used for New Year offerings in Japan are called "kagami-mochi," the rice from this area became known as "kagami rice."

As for Echigo rice, due to its large temperature difference between day and night and its excellent taste, it gradually became popular among residents of Kanto, especially Edo. So much so that merchants sometimes passed Kanto rice off as Echigo rice, and as a result, Kanto farmers began to grow other crops instead of rice to ensure sales.

During the Edo period, when eating sweet potatoes, the old Edo people must eat the sweet potatoes produced in Kawagoe Castle, which were so authentic.

But Kawagoe is now an important rice-producing area. Its earliest name was simply "Kawahi." It was fertile land where river silt and mud accumulated. However, because people in the Edo period enjoyed eating Echigo rice, they eventually gave up rice cultivation.

Shichibei would also record this data, not out of any craftsmanship, but to respond to the market in a timely manner. However, in later generations, this thing became a source of bragging rights.

Not to mention.

Before closing the warehouse, Shichibei had to inspect the newly built warehouses in Gifu and Tsushima. With his capital, Shichibei had already begun to consider expanding into the rice business. He wanted to not just be a middleman, but also manage the entire rice industry.

The next time Nobunaga needs to dispatch a large amount of military rations and rice, Shichibei will not need to borrow from the merchants in Sakaimachi, but can directly transfer it from his own warehouse.

Of course, Hideyoshi had to cooperate with other wealthy merchants to carry out long-distance military campaigns such as those in Kanto and Kyushu, which required the transportation of hundreds of thousands or even millions of stones of military rations at once.

After checking the accounts with Inase Yoshizari and about to start working, Ai walked in from the back of the store with a bulging belly.

Goodness me, why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? Ai rolled his eyes at Shichibei. There was a war going on in Kinai, a massive battle involving hundreds of thousands of people. How could a small merchant like them dare to go to Kinai alone? Besides, it had only been obvious for about four months. Just when he was about to tell her, he heard that Nobunaga had withdrawn.

Why would you notify me then? Shichibei came running back all by himself.

It made so much sense that I couldn't refute it.

Having a child was a good thing, anyway. Besides, Aiyi was already an adult, her body had already developed, so she wouldn't have to give birth before her pelvis was fully developed. Natural childbirth at this age was infinitely more likely than at thirteen or fourteen, and the risk factor was significantly reduced.

It’s a good thing, indeed a good thing.

On the other hand, Aji, who married Kinoshita Hidenaga, has been married for a while now, but there is still no news. They are from the Kinoshita family, ah, what is going on? I don't understand.

If you're talking about bad dad genes, they don't have the same dad. If you're talking about bad mom genes, Ah Zhong gave birth to several children, not counting those who died in infancy, there are two boys and two girls who grew up to adulthood.

A big departure.

After sending a letter to Sunomata Castle to inquire, Shichibei happily began collecting and transporting Nobi's annual tribute rice. While keeping the accounts, he also asked Inase Yoshinari, "What will the child be named when he's born? It can't be Dalang for a boy and Ah Cai for a girl."

Speaking of this, Inase Yoshinari, who was calculating on his abacus, paused. "I haven't thought about it yet. I really haven't thought about it yet." Actually, calling him "Azhu" is the most convenient. A man can be called Xiaozhu, and a woman can also be called Xiaozhu. It's like a nickname for him.

But he was now a well-known samurai, so he couldn't just pick a name casually. It just so happened that his name, Yoshinari, was given by Shichibei. Shichibei's full name was Kawamura Nagakichi, so he was called Inase Yoshinari.

While thinking about it, Nobunaga has issued an order that the annual tribute rice from the two direct territories of Nobi and Mino should be sold to Shichibei first. In fact, Owari and Mino had many retainers who knew the territory, such as Sakuma Nobumori, Niwa Nagahide, and Ikeda Terumasa, each of whom was a daimyo with a fortune of over ten thousand kan.

Even the great nobles like the Nishimino Three had their own channels and did not follow Nobunaga. In the end, after deducting the amount that had to be retained, Nobunaga only delivered a little over 130,000 koku of tribute rice to Shichibei.

On the other hand, Sakuma Nobumori, who was on good terms with Shichibei, also sold several thousand koku of rice from his own domain to Shichibei. In addition, local tycoons and local lords brought tens of thousands of koku of rice to Tsushima to sell.

This is the case with small samurai like Ota Ushiichi, who only had 200 to 300 koku of land. Collecting a little bit of money together would also be a huge sum.

Thus, the rice that Shichibei finally acquired totaled over 210,000 koku. This was not quite in line with Nobi's figure of 1 million koku, but they still had to keep working hard to achieve a final total of over 500,000 koku.

We think it's too little, but the people in Sakaimachi and Annozu don't think it's too little. Aside from the 40,000 koku of rice they must return and the 40,000 koku they agreed to sell to them, the rest of the annual tribute rice is worth fighting for.

Shichibei thought that Nobunaga would definitely attack Asakura Yoshikage or Kitabatake Mufusa later. Both of them were very powerful and flatly refused Nobunaga's request for them to go to Kyoto to congratulate him. If Nobunaga didn't kill them both, it would be a shame for the money and effort he had invested in supporting a shogun.

Therefore, at least 50,000 stones should be reserved to be on the safe side.

Thus, the actual amount of annual tribute rice that could be sold was only 80,000 koku. As soon as Shichibei announced the number, several of the bandits sent by the guildhall calculated it, rummaging around on the abacus with Shichibei, and finally came up with a decent number.

Transaction.

Ships gathered at Tsushima Castle, and a constant stream of ships arrived from above. The Tsuda boss of Sakaimachi even sent a letter to Shichibei, stating that any future requests for military rations would be subject to the current regulations. Upon receiving a document signed and sealed by Shichibei, they would distribute the rations.

There is no limit whether it is sent to Kinai or Tsushima.

There was another thing that Tsuda told Shichibei, asking him to keep it secret: the Miyoshi Three were dispatching weapons, cannons, and ammunition in Sakaimachi, and it was clear that they were planning a counterattack.

Because Nobuyasu Ataka of the Awaji Navy supported them, Shichibei refused to send ships into the Naruto and Awaji Channels. The Sakaimachi-based shipwrecks were not afraid, as they had paid the Ataka Navy a ship mark and were flying the Ataka Navy's flag.

Ow...

You see, that's the benefit of doing business. Because they were collaborating, and it was a close collaboration, Tsuda's boss was afraid that Shichibei would lose money and go bankrupt. So he didn't hesitate to pass on this secret information to Shichibei.

Even though he knew Shichibei would definitely pass the message on to Nobunaga, he still told him. The news of the Miyoshi trio mobilizing their weapons would eventually leak out anyway, so it was more important to warn Shichibei first.

"Someone, come, come!" Shichibei suddenly thought of something.

Unwilling to accept defeat, the Miyoshi Three, who had not lost any of their main forces, launched an attack on Ashikaga Yoshiaki in Kyoto during the Lunar New Year holiday. However, they were unsuccessful due to the heroic efforts of the Fukushima and the Ashigaru, as well as Nobunaga's miraculous arrival.

If they succeeded and captured or even killed Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Nobunaga's ascension to the throne would immediately become a laughing stock throughout Japan. He would be ridiculed by all the feudal lords in Japan, and even various internal forces would doubt Nobunaga's strength, severely damaging Nobunaga's prestige.

Judging from the letter from the Tsuda boss, the Miyoshi Trio did have the intention of making a comeback. After all, they retreated to Awa without even fighting, and although they lost forces in Kinai, they did not lose forces in Awa, Sanuki, Awaji, and part of Iyo.

Especially the 20,000 men under Shinohara Nagafusa, who did not even set up defenses in Yueshui Castle and simply fled. It was not difficult for the forces of the Miyoshi Three to mobilize 40,000 men.

If 40,000 people were used in the same direction, they would be killing anyone who stood in their way.

Two shop assistants heard Qibingwei's shout and ran in. Qibingwei immediately wrote a letter and ordered them to send it to the branch store at the foot of Guanyin Temple.

I just want to ask one thing: how many Oshu horses were purchased in Omi?

If we investigate thoroughly now, it might be of great use during the Lunar New Year. If we prepare properly, we might be able to allow Oda Nobunaga and his horsemen to reach Kyoto in just one day and one night.

If it were really useful, then Shichibei's great achievement could completely dispel the slight unhappiness in Nobunaga's heart. It might even turn the page completely, making Nobunaga's favor for our Shichibei even higher.

The two servants ran out, and immediately someone brought out a horse and ran to Qingxu. Now that the post stations and stables in Wei, Nong, and Jiang provinces have been repaired, the horses are replaced without changing the people, and the letter may even take only 24 hours to go back and forth.

154. Iwase kills the merchant

The number of horses in the branches, post stations and stables in various places was reported very quickly. Due to the integration of the Oshu horses for the northern trade under Nobunaga's order, the number of horses under Shichibei's control exceeded 5,000.

This is probably slightly earlier than in history. In history, Nobunaga did not completely order the horse trade in Omi to be conducted under Azuchi Castle until he issued the Rakuichi Rakuza Order. This was to ensure that Nobunaga could quickly recruit horses, control the resources of pack horses, and strengthen the mobility of his army.

Since Azuchi Castle still existed and Kannonji Castle had been demolished, Nobunaga decreed that horse trade was only permitted in towns directly under Nobunaga's control, such as Otsu and Kusatsu. Furthermore, this was only permitted to the Kawamuraya family, as all the existing horse traders had been wiped out by the Iron Fist for resisting the imperial army.

As an important military resource, Nobunaga attached great importance to it. When granting red seal certificates to various towns, he specifically wrote down the specific matters regarding the trade of horses, cannons, etc.

Furthermore, adjusting the commodity trading rights of various towns and cities and granting or depriving monopoly rights is also one of the privileges of the people of the world or the governor.

Once you have power in your hands, you can just issue orders.

If the Oda family didn't seize all the horses and cannons, then Oda Nobunaga's battle for Luo would have been in vain. Nobunaga grasped both reputation and practical benefits with both hands.

Just then, the waiter outside came in to report that the big boss of Itoya, Ito, had arrived. This was the big boss of the Tsushima clan, the president and the chief. Shichibei used to be only a shoe carrier.

He quickly ordered someone to go and invite him, and Shichibei also put on his shoes and stood at the door of the back room to greet Ito Sojuro. After just one look, Shichibei found that Boss Ito was not in good condition, not as energetic as before.

Oh my, this is something that happened.

He quickly ushered the person in and offered tea, then Shichibei quickly shielded his attendants. No one would come to see him for no reason. Since Boss Ito was here, there must be something going on.

"Oyakata, Oyakata, please be sure to save Itoya!" Seeing that there was indeed no one around, Ito Sojuro immediately kowtowed to Shichibei.

By the way, when Nobunaga assigned this year's tribute rice to Shichibei, he officially became the Oyari of both Owari and Mino. From now on, any matters concerning the collection of arrow money and dobetsu money, commercial disputes, land transactions within the town, or the succession and termination of monopoly rights...

All matters related to trade within the two countries were from then on entrusted to Shichibei alone. From then on, Nobunaga only referred Shichibei to him for all matters concerning the management of towns and villages.

Of course, from then on, Shichibei had to start providing Nobunaga with cash turnover, short-term military loans, long-term annual tribute rice, and even military equipment dispatch services.

Nobunaga only cared about the money and didn't ask about anything else.

"What do you mean?" Shichibei quickly asked Ito Sojuro to stand up. They were all from the Tsushima clan, so if they had any difficulties, they could just speak up.

Even if it was just three or five thousand kan, Shichibei would lend it to him immediately, relying on his boss, Ito, for his reputation. No collateral was needed, all because he knew Ito Sojuro well, knowing that he had some skills in the shipping industry and could make it work again and repay the debt.

"Itoya has suffered a great disaster this time..." I never expected that Ito Sojuuro would actually cry, completely lacking his usual charm.

"This, this, this..." If you have something to say, just say it. Don't cry. Crying can solve any problem.

If you want to play the victim, there's no need to do that. Shichibei is happy to lend you the money. Stop crying. There are so many things to do every day, how can I have the time to watch a grown man like you cry?

"The shipping fleet heading to Sakaizu was attacked by the Miyoshi gang and the entire fleet was wiped out." Ito Sojuro finally told the story.

"what!"

Shichibei was genuinely surprised, as Tsuda had mentioned this earlier. At the time, Shichibei had thought the Miyoshi Trio were attempting a comeback and were mobilizing military supplies. Now, he realized they weren't just mobilizing supplies; they were also raising funds.

What's the best way to raise money for the army? Of course, looting.

So the Bozhou navy was openly robbing people along the Awaji Channel and the Naruto Channel. If you had a ship mark, you could just pay a few bucks and get away with it. After all, Ataka Nobuyasu still had to stay in this area, so he had to give the Ataka navy face.

If there is no ship mark, then just wait for the ship and the goods to be split 30% and 70%. Anyway, the Miyoshi Trio still have some reputation in Sakaimachi, and there are plenty of channels and routes to sell the goods, so there is no need to worry about not being able to sell them.

As for those of the Tsushima clan, the Atsuta clan, or the Annozu clan? Sorry, we'll seize you and your boat. Those who don't resist will be sold into slavery, waiting for your boss to redeem you. Those who resist will be hacked to pieces and thrown into the water, where there will be plenty of fish, shrimp, and crabs to eat them.

In addition, doing such a thing also requires a person to establish his authority by killing someone, and the person he killed happened to be encountered by Ito Sojuro. When Itoya's fleet was transporting ceramics to Sakaimachi, it encountered the Hatano Miyoshishu.

To establish authority, one must kill. Itoya's boatmen and sailors, including the banto deshiro, were killed by the Miyoshi trio by the hundreds. This was worse than a shipwreck. Even with strong winds and waves, they could still find a small fishing village to dock, so at least no one would die.

If we were to go to war and the enemy was involved, not only would our ship and cargo be lost, but more importantly, our crew members would be killed.

Today, the feudal guild system is still in place, and training a qualified clerk is not easy. Many clerks have served the merchant house for generations. They are not only hardworking but also loyal. Hundreds of people died, which directly cut off the backbone of Itoya.

Another point is that, since Ito-ya is still in Tsushima, he has to pay back the money for the goods that the owners entrusted to him. The ship and the people are gone, and now he has to pay back the money too. Ito-ya has been completely bankrupted and there is no hope for it.

That's why Sojuro Ito was crying. The money he borrowed was no longer of much use to him, and it would have been fine if he had just paid it back, but he was crying because of the loss of a key member of Itoya.

"This, this, this..." Shichibei never expected that he would encounter such a thing just after becoming the Oyakata.

"I hope you will report this to the Imperial Palace and avenge the people of Tsushima." Ito Sojuro kowtowed to Shichibei again.

This time, not only were hundreds of Itoya's employees killed, but also other merchants from the Tsushima clan on board, and even unrelated itinerant merchants were killed. Originally, they had all gone to Sakaimachi to do business together, but now, all of them had anointed the swords of the Miyoshi Three.

"Don't worry, I will do my best to report this matter to Your Highness!" That's right, since you have done this, if you can't even stand up for the merchants under your command, then you'd better not do it as soon as possible.

"Let's set off immediately!" After helping Ito Sojuro up, Shichibei asked someone to go outside and bring the horses.

From Tsushima, you can quickly travel to Gifu via the Ise Kaido and arrive there on the same day. You can change horses at each stop anyway, so there's no need to hesitate.

Upon hearing Shichibei's request, Ito Sojuro immediately decided to ascend the castle walls in Gifu and pay his respects. Without hesitation, he mounted his horse and rode off. Two of Itoya's employees, who had managed to escape, also followed. If Nobunaga asked, someone involved would have to tell him.

When we arrived in Gifu, it was already dark.

Ito Sojuro originally thought that Shichibei would wait overnight and then come up to Nobunaga the next morning to report. He never expected that Shichibei would rush directly to the gate of Nobunaga's residence in Tinggu, which was below the castle. The gatekeeper Hisamatsu Toshikatsu was stunned, wondering how he could break into Nobunaga's residence at night.

Fortunately, Nobunaga didn't usually live in the castle tower atop Gifu Castle. He usually lived with his family in the Lime Valley below the castle. Shichibei howled at the gate, and someone came out to ask. Who on earth was so tactless as to make such a commotion outside the mansion so late at night?

Hisamatsu Toshikatsu, who had been holding Shichibei back, now relaxed. The matter had been escalated, and his work was complete. Seeing the young man coming to inquire, Shichibei immediately said he had an important matter to report to Nobunaga. Please be kind and let him in.

Xiao Xing frowned. Nobunaga might already be preparing to sleep with one of his concubines by this time, so how could he possibly be meeting with his ministers? But seeing Shichibei's anxious expression, and knowing that he was still one of his favorites, he simply said he would go in and ask, but offered no guarantees.

Doesn't work? If it doesn't work, we can only force our way in.

This was different from the Asai Nagamasa incident, which somewhat violated Nobunaga's authority. But this incident was a slap in the face of the Oda clan. The Miyoshi Three specifically killed the Oda clan's royal merchants, which was like shitting on Nobunaga's neck.

Not long after, the young man came out and led Qibingwei inside.

At this time, Nobunaga had already changed into his white silk pajamas for bed. If it weren't for Shichibei saying that he had something extremely urgent to report, he would never have gotten up. Seeing Shichibei and Ito Sojuro with him, he was a little puzzled.

"Had you just become Oyakata, and you already have a problem that needs to be handed over to the emperor? That Shichibei is really useless." Just as he was thinking about this, Shichibei immediately told him about the attack on the Itoya fleet and the hundreds of people killed.

Nobunaga, whose expression had been calm and thoughtful, flew into a rage. How dare someone attack the Oda clan's royal merchants like this? Selling them into slavery and waiting for their boss to redeem them was at least in line with the rules of the Japanese Warring States period. Now, they were actually beating and killing hundreds of people. This truly meant they were determined to fight Nobunaga to the death.

"Who is this rebel?"

"I heard it was the Iwase chief tax collector." Ito Sojuro responded immediately.

"Okay, okay, Iwanari Tomomichi, right?" Nobunaga was really angry and even called people by their names.

Come to think of it, Iwanari Tomomichi was originally the lord of the mountain castle Katsuryuji, but he had abandoned all his territory, which was worth tens of thousands of koku. Furthermore, he lost at least fifty famous samurai in the battle against Shibata Katsuie, Hanawa Naomasa, and others.

Now that their strength has been severely weakened, they are truly ruthless. Their hostility towards Nobunaga must have been immense. They were filled with hatred for the Oda clan's merchant fleet, and upon seeing it, they slaughtered them indiscriminately.

Not only did he plunder ships and cargo, but he also attempted to use this action to avenge Nobunaga's seizure of Katsuryuji Castle from him. It's no wonder he didn't follow the rules of the chaotic Warring States period, where hunting and arresting people was prohibited. Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo only captured people and allowed ransoms. If he had simply killed them, the vengeance would have been immense.

"My lord, please give justice to the people of Tsushima." Shichibei quickly said. Even if it is unrealistic to march into Awa now, this gesture must be made.

"That's for sure!" Nobunaga certainly understood this.

The Oda clan's naval power was not sufficient, not even a large andaka ship. It was not until Niwa Nagahide came forward and began to consider invading the western part of the country that they organized the construction of the large andaka ship.

Furthermore, Shima is now under the Kitabatake clan's sphere of influence. After being driven away by Kitabatake Tomonori, Kuki Yoshitaka is now wandering around Kumano and other places, seeking to revive his clan. However, he has already formed a liaison with Takigawa Kazumasu. If he can act as a guide and lead the Oda clan back to Shima in two years, perhaps he can regain control of the navy.

"Shichibei, give him 1,000 taro pieces of rice as compensation." Nobunaga turned around and instructed Shichibei.

"As ordered."

Nobunaga knew about this, and while he was indeed furious, he couldn't immediately send troops to kill Iwanari Tomomichi. Besides promising revenge, he also offered some comfort to the families of the victims, which was a gesture of respect.

After leaving the residence, Shichibei settled Ito Sojuro and the others in the Gifu branch. So Kotaro, who was in charge of the branch, asked what had happened, why they had to go up to the castle so late at night.