Owari Yumeki Golden Day

Hearing about the incident at Itoya, he felt a sympathetic response. Iwanari Tomomichi, unable to defeat Oda Nobunaga on the battlefield, took his anger out on the Oda family's small merchants. In troubled times, simply trying to survive, even earning enough to survive, was incredibly difficult.

While cursing Iwanari Tomomichi, So Kotaro arranged for Ito and the others to rest. He was a man of temperament. However, he believed in Nobunaga and told Ito and the others that Nobunaga was a man of his word.

Whoever's family is to be killed, their entire family will be killed.

Since Nobunaga has already promised to raise an army to avenge everyone, he will definitely behead Iwanari Tomomichi and send his head to Tsushima Town to sacrifice to the people who were killed in Tsushima.

This is true. If you want to be a daimyo, you must have this kind of awareness. If you don't even dare to kill someone for revenge, you will have no face to stay in Owari and Mino.

After only a night's rest, the bell rang from within the castle, demanding the samurai generals ascend the city walls. Nobunaga also informed his senior officials of the attack on the Oda merchants by the Miyoshi trio. Previously, Nobunaga had intended to attack Asakura Yoshikage or Kitabatake Tomofusa, who had resisted the king's rule, but now he might need to change his strategy.

The Miyoshi Trio were causing quite a stir. If you don't kill the snake, it will surely be attacked again. Furthermore, judging by their actions, it was clear they were planning a counterattack. Given this, the Oda clan might have to adjust their main offensive strategy.

For the time being, ignore Asakura Yoshikage and Kitabatake Tomofusa, but instead attack Shikoku Island, eliminate the remnants of the Miyoshi Three First, and completely cut off their covetousness for Kinai.

After all, Asakura Yoshikage and Kitabatake Tomofusa simply refused to come to pay homage and offer congratulations. Although this also disrespected Nobunaga, this behavior was far less serious than directly killing Oda's men.

Shichibei, who was sitting in the middle, was thinking secretly, could it be that this incident would lead to changes in the development of the Oda family?

155. When you get old, you can only be merged

Unaware of the Oda disaster, news of a major event unfolded in Suruga. The Takeda army had broken through the Imagawa Mansion, and the tiger, trapped for a lifetime within the Koshin Mountains, escaped its iron cage and saw the sea it had always dreamed of.

Needless to say, Nobunaga immediately inquired about Captain Tsubasa Imagawa Ujizane's situation, but none of them were clear. After all, Suruga was in turmoil, with the Takeda, Imagawa, Hojo, and Tokugawa clans engaged in a chaotic slaughter, and betrayal and conspiracy abounded. Even the Imagawa clan's former hereditary retainers and the Takeda samurai leading the attack were unable to grasp the situation.

Although it was something that had been expected, it was still surprising when the news reached Gifu Castle.

At least, at least in the pavilion of the Linden Valley Residence at night, Nobunaga once again danced the Atsumori dance. As the stepping stone for Nobunaga's transformation from the Owari fool to the Owari storm man, the Imagawa family finally disappeared today.

The strong and the tyrannical will eventually fall, like dust in the wind.

Dancing aside, the whereabouts of the Imagawa clan still needed to be investigated. Hiromasa Ida and Shichibei were ordered to immediately send someone to investigate. Shichibei had two acquaintances in the Takeda family, so he quickly went to inquire.

If Uji was really killed, then it would be all over. If he was not killed, he fled to Hojo or Echigo. We must get accurate information about his whereabouts.

This was easier than avenging Boss Ito, so Shichibei dispatched his men directly to Totomi. Kawamuraya already had a branch near Mikawa Okazaki Castle, so they could quickly recruit personnel. A few men could inquire at Totomi Kakegawa Castle and confirm the news.

Imagawa Ujizane did not choose to seek refuge with his father-in-law Hojo Ujiyasu, but instead chose to trust his hereditary retainer Asahina Taitomo and went to Totomi Kakegawa Castle to continue to hold on in an attempt to make a comeback.

Just like Rokkaku and his son who took refuge in the Koga Mountains, staying in their homeland would at least have an influence on the local nobles and still have a voice. If they truly fled abroad, not only would their reputation plummet, but even the loyalists who wanted to resist would lose hope.

After rushing to deliver this news to Nobunaga, he couldn't help but look up to Imagawa Ujizane. After all, he was the son of Imagawa Osamu Daisuke, and the son of a powerful lord wasn't a coward. Even when attacked from both sides, he didn't flee, but rather defended Guagawa Castle to the death.

Seeing that Nobunaga had also called Qimyoumaru, who he had been training with, he told him that it was against the prestige of the samurai family to flee without fighting to the last moment. He should be like Imagawa Ujizane, fighting to the end and never fleeing midway.

Well, your son did not escape.

"Nanabe, does Tsushima have craftsmen who supervise the construction of large ships?" Nobunaga touched Qimyoumaru's head and turned to ask Nanabe.

"Yes, there are craftsmen who can make large taro." After suffering a severe blow, Itoya's most valuable assets are probably these boatmen and shipbuilders.

"You go and take over these craftsmen immediately and start building the Sekibune and Kobaya." Nobunaga gave the order without hesitation.

"But these are..." These are all Itoya's property. Although Shichibei is not a good person, he can't take advantage of someone in distress, especially someone he knows.

"Can't we buy it with money? Sojuro is already old." A few days ago, Nobunaga had repeatedly confirmed with Ito Sojuro that the Miyoshi bandits had attacked Oda's ships.

It was around that time that it was confirmed that Ito Sojuro had been frightened by the Miyoshi Trio and had lost the will to continue to expand his family. What does it mean if you lose the will to continue to advance in the Oda family?

Self-explanatory!

"Ah, this!" Shichibei never expected that Nobunaga's order would be like this.

This is exactly how Nobunaga behaved. Those who could no longer contribute to the development of the Oda clan deserved only retirement. Landing safely was a blessing, at least Nobunaga still thought it was worth giving Ito Sojuro some money so he could return home and retire.

The future? It’s hard to say.

"Sakon will bring someone to see you in a few days. He will tell you in detail the number of ships needed." Nobunaga had made the decision, and Shichibei would not directly advise him.

"I understand!" Shichibei had no choice but to obey.

As for the money, all of it could be paid from the annual tribute rice sold by Nobunaga. It was previously agreed that half of the annual tribute rice price would be paid first, and the remaining half would be kept in Kawamura's cabinet to facilitate the dispatch of military equipment and supplies.

Then Shichibei sat down in front of Ito Sojuro. After hearing Nobunaga's order, Ito Sojuro didn't collapse or say he had to resist to the death. As the head of the Tsushima merchants for two generations of Oda Nobuhide and Oda Nobunaga, Ito Sojuro had already realized this.

Use them when they are useful, and kick them out when they are useless. Isn't this how the daimyo princes treat the imperial merchants?

Now that the remaining properties can be sold instead of being confiscated directly and handed over to the next royal merchant who can take over the business, it is already a favor from Nobunaga.

Besides, the seller was Shichibei. Apart from anything else, Shichibei was also a small businessman and understood the difficulties faced by these businessmen. No, he understood the difficulties faced by these officials and businessmen.

The so-called official-businessman is, after all, merely an appendage of the official. The money he earns and the fortune he makes never belong to the businessman from the beginning.

Oh, stop lamenting. Shichibei can still haul goods and grain for Nobunaga, so he still has something to live for. If he can't sell anymore, if he can't run fast enough, he'll be retired. Even exile isn't out of the question. There's no point in talking about this.

Seeing an Oda retainer forced into seclusion by Nobunaga for the first time, Shichibei tried to act with dignity. Ito Sojuro himself received a thousand kan in cash and returned to his estate to retire. Indeed, his family also held a 200-koku rank. Their relationship with Nobunaga was a standard one, otherwise he wouldn't have surrendered his family property at Nobunaga's command.

As for all of Itoya's employees, upstream and downstream businesses, store assets, and craftsmanship, they were all transferred to Shichibei. At the same time, Shichibei assumed the huge amount of compensation he owed for the goods.

The conditions were quite good, and Ito Sojuro could at least retire safely. Everyone at Itoya would also have a good job to go to, and would not be immediately unemployed and become ronin.

After signing the documents and transferring the land title, Ito Sojuro summoned his son to Shichibei's presence. He had him kowtow vigorously, a gesture he accepted with equanimity. This was just like the kind of drama you see in operas, like the one about entrusting a wife to a son.

Dad has retired, and while he still has some connections, or perhaps a little face, he entrusts his son to the boss. Perhaps he can help his family recover, or at least provide for their own well-being.

That's fine, that's how it should be.

Shichibei also attended the Ito family's succession and transfer ceremony of the family head, and gave a haircut to the new Ito Sojuro.

Future magnates like Hongike and Mitsui often inherited a single name from generation to generation. It wasn't so much a name as it was an honorific title for the leader of the entire merchant house.

As for the previous Sojuro, he became a monk and named himself Diaosouzai, which means he lived in seclusion and did not care about worldly affairs.

The contemporary Ito Sojuro brought over 200 of Itoya's clerks and over a hundred shipwrights to join Kawamuraya. He was not only able to read the stars, but also to understand the ship's route and to steer the bow of a coastal ship.

Otherwise, Itoya would have been ruined. It was a pity that their most important shipping business had been completely destroyed because they had lost most of their ships.

It is difficult to reorganize the business and revive Itoya.

According to the rules of business mergers, Ito Sojuro became the owner of Kawamuraya. If he could really succeed, he could use the annual dividends to accumulate capital, train his employees, rebuild his network, and establish his prestige. In twenty years, he might become a successful businessman.

If he fails, then the reputation of Itoya will end here. He is also considered the last generation of Ito Sojuro. When his son comes out again, I am afraid that even the surname Ito will have to be changed to something else.

Kawamura Nine Riders, now changed to Kawamura Ten Riders.

Yoshinari Inase was very familiar with Ito Sojuro. He had spent seven years as a child laborer at Itoya, and practically grew up with Ito Sojuro. The two were childhood friends, and now that Itoya was in trouble and had been merged into Kawamuraya, there was nothing he could do about it.

The two brothers hugged each other for a moment, comforting each other, but they had to get on with their business. After counting the assets, Shichibei gathered all the boatmen, took a roll call, and entered them back into the register.

After registering, Takigawa Ieya rushed to Kawamura-ya with the man Nobunaga had appointed. He had probably timed his arrival, knowing that it would take some time for Shichibei to annex Itoya.

Kuki Yoshitaka.

Well, as expected, it was Kuki Yoshitaka. The Kuki clan's territory in Shima had been annexed by Kitabatake Gukyou, and now he had come to Nobunaga's side, aiming to revive the family.

Originally, Nobunaga's attitude towards him was just average. However, due to Iwanari Tomomichi's massacre of the Oda family's merchant ships, Nobunaga realized that in addition to the Chita navy of his brother-in-law Saji's family, he had to form a direct navy that would obey his orders completely.

Sooner or later, they would have to cross the sea to attack Shikoku, and in the future, they would have to attack Kyushu, and both would require a navy, and a powerful navy at that. The Chita navy, with its few men and few ships, would definitely not be able to cope with it.

Before coming here, Takigawa Ieyasu must have introduced Shichibei to Kuki Yoshitaka, knowing that Shichibei was already a high-ranking samurai with a salary of 5,000 kan. More importantly, he was currently the Okada of Nobi Province and Nobunaga's top official in charge of industry and commerce, making him an extremely close friend.

He couldn't compare to those elders whose family salaries were already over ten thousand kan, but he was Nobunaga's personal Shichibei. This favor, this confidant, was the most important thing in the feudal era.

Naturally, Kuki Yoshitaka kowtowed to Shichibei very smoothly. Before he finished, Shichibei told him that it was not necessary and that he was just working hard for Nobunaga.

Look at the Ito family. They worked hard for almost thirty years, but when they couldn't sell anymore, they immediately closed down. They handed over the entire business to others, not even allowing their employees to stay. Everything had to be handed over.

Just as in the mid-to-late Azuchi-Momoyama period, when a vassal daimyo's possessions were confiscated, his mid- to high-ranking hereditary successors might also be exiled along with him. The rest of his possessions, from castles to ordinary ashigaru infantry, were all handed over to the receiving daimyo.

Both Hideyoshi and the future Ieyasu required the daimyo who took over to immediately organize an army to fulfill the necessary feudal military obligations.

It is very cold, that is, rights and obligations are equal.

Let's ask, Kuki Yoshitaka couldn't have come all alone to Nobunaga's aid? If that were the case, Nobunaga wouldn't have paid him so much attention. After all, a simple naval commander could have simply asked the Saji family for him, why would he need to look for him elsewhere?

Of course not. When escaping from Shimahachi Castle, Kuki Yoshitaka brought with him a few hundred remnants of his army. He also gathered a group of stragglers and robbed houses in Kumano Beach, collecting boat bids to survive.

Now he has surrendered to Nobunaga, firstly to rely on Nobunaga to regain his old territory, and secondly because he can no longer support so many people and hopes to get Nobunaga's support.

A few small amounts of money don’t matter; the key point is the water army.

The once-famous Kumano navy on the sea route was now reduced to a few men. But a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Kuki Yoshitaka said that as long as there were enough ships and food, he could bring even a thousand men to Nobunaga's side.

Today, Japanese naval warships rely primarily on oars, supplemented by sails. Ordinary kansen and kozai are purely oared boats. Rowers are easy to find; they require a strong crew and two months of training. Once they can row with both hands, they qualify. Those who engage in boarding and hand-to-hand combat are true pirates.

Across the world, in the Mediterranean, the Barbary pirates of North Africa used white slaves to row their boats. From this point forward, a hundred or two hundred years later, a white French woman would be worth only ten or twenty livres in the Tunisian slave market.

It is said that a strong white rowing slave can be sold for more than sixty livres, and this may also be due to market conditions.

Since rowers could be recruited, if Kuki Yoshitaka could find a thousand true pirates, then for Nobunaga at this point, they would indeed be a force worth recruiting. After all, pirates were a technically skilled branch of the military, requiring much higher standards than ordinary ashigaru infantry.

Well, let's go to the shipyard. The Tsushima shipyard doesn't have any dry dock facilities, just wooden frames on the open ground for shipbuilding. Anyway, they don't build any solid and huge warships, the largest they can build is a large tsukiya.

I originally thought that Kuki Yoshitaka would think the boat was too small, but unexpectedly he was very satisfied and said that the large boat was more than enough.

156. Managing worldly affairs is a lot

Anyway, Shichibei doesn't know anything about shipbuilding, so let's ask Ito Sojuro. The young man's family suddenly became poor, and now this is the only thing he can do.

After confirming with Shichibei that Oda Nobunaga had approved the funds for shipbuilding and that there was also money and food to support the Kuki pirates, there was really no need for Kuki Yoshitaka to keep following Shichibei around all the time.

But Kuki Yoshitaka was still curious. He wondered how powerful Shichibei was. How could he suddenly acquire Itoya? Even if the Ito family had lost personnel and money, they were still the head of the Tsushima-kai and a well-known merchant house in Ise Bay. Even if they were just barely surviving, they should still be able to survive.

Speaking of this, Takigawa Kazumasu didn't have any strong feelings about it. He just said that the previous generation, Ito Sojuro, suffered a great disaster and was unable to manage the affairs, so he was ordered to live in seclusion.

tsk...

These words had a different meaning for Kuki Yoshitaka, who had just surrendered to Nobunaga. After all, Takigawa Ieyasu was still young, and as a general in charge of a region, he didn't have the sense of crisis that he would be kicked out by Nobunaga if he became too old and could no longer work.

Kuki Yoshitaka had only just arrived, and his food, water, and even his shoes were all dependent on Nobunaga for supplies. If he was useful to Nobunaga now, then all was well. But what if he was no longer useful? Perhaps, like Ito Sojuro before him, he would be forced into seclusion.

At this thought, Kuki Yoshitaka swallowed his saliva. He quickly went to contact Ito Sojuro and told him what kind of ship he needed, how many shields and shipbuilders he needed, and that he also needed to modify the stern rudder to cope with the possible whirlpools in the Naruto Channel.

In later times, the sight of the swirling waters below from the Naruto Bridge in Japan became a tourist attraction. Visitors could even try picking onions on Awaji Island. But today, a single whirlpool could claim the lives of countless boatmen.

The annual tribute rice shipped to Sakaimachi was also delivered. Sakaimachi agreed to accept payment in cash or with goods Shichibei needed. For example, items like Sakai teppo, lead ingots, and ashigaru armor were all sold at one price in Sakai, one of Japan's largest weapons production centers. Shichibei would pay a different price for these items.

Of course, if Shichibei transferred it to Nobunaga, he would have to add another three or five coins. He would have to make some money from the handling fee.

Look at the horror of maritime transport! The Three Good Gang kills people at the drop of a hat. You lose both your people and your ship. Earning a few hard-earned cents is no easier than licking blood from a samurai's sword.

Let's just settle the payment right away, get the money in our pockets. We'll need to dispatch the weapons later, and we'll settle the bill later. Anyway, Shichibei's job as the annual tribute rice is secure, and the townspeople in each town know he's been appointed Oyakata. Tsuda, the big boss of Sakaimachi, tipped him off because he saw he was in Oyakata, and there was value in further cooperation.

I still have to go and reconcile accounts with Sadakatsu Murai.

The matter of taking over Itoya also needed to be reported to Nobunaga. Nobunaga didn't ask about it, that was his business, but we had to report it. The sudden annexation of the Ito family, the Tsushima merchant lord established during Nobuhide's time, was a major event.

Take, for example, Denmark, a country with a population of only about five million. What were the issues discussed in parliament? For example, to protect small animals, they banned animal performances. But animals couldn't simply be euthanized, so public funds for purchasing animals had to be reviewed, and the animals had to be placed in zoos for their retirement.

It turned out that the elephant I wanted to buy had an animal companion, a camel, and if the camel wasn't with the elephant, the elephant would become depressed and go on a hunger strike, so they had to buy both together.

Let me tell you, this trivial matter was discussed in the Danish Parliament for more than 30 minutes, and in the end the Danish Prime Minister laughed himself out of it when he was making his statement.

As for national affairs, you have to consider the size of the country.

But kneeling in the hall, listening to the others' reports, Shichibei also felt that his own matter was insignificant. The previous report had stated that Ashikaga Yoshiei had been relocated to Riksei-ji Temple in Mino, and that Nobunaga had previously promised Yoshiei a 50,000-koku domain and pension if he surrendered. So Shimada Hidemitsu came to ask where the 50,000-koku domain would be allocated to resettle Ashikaga Yoshiei.

Nobunaga had to be cautious about the former shogun's affairs. But he wasn't too happy about actually giving such a shogun 50,000 koku of shogunate. Seeing Shichibei sitting at the end, he immediately asked him to give 10,000 kan to Ashikaga Yoshiei.

A 50,000-shi territory, in exchange for a guaranteed annual income of 10,000 guan, was quite good. Furthermore, with territory came military obligations. It would be much easier to just receive a lump sum.

For example, in history, Ashikaga Yoshiaki brought 500 people with him as Hideyoshi's horse guards when Hideyoshi went to Korea.

If Nobunaga really went to war later, Ashikaga Yoshihide could also appoint a magistrate to lead a few hundred foot soldiers to serve as the defense force for Nobunaga's main camp. Anyway, there was no expectation of much combat effectiveness from these people, so it would be enough to serve the purpose.

Fine, it's Nobunaga's money anyway, he can spend it however he likes. Shichibei first agreed to Nobunaga, then nodded to Shimada Hidemitsu, and then they had to hand over the payment.

After one incident, another occurred. Akechi Mitsuhide, who was in the Kyoto court, sent someone to Gifu to inform Nobunaga. Then, the samurai of the court reported that Manri-koji Sukefusa, along with high-ranking officials and monks such as Kikutei Haruki, Yamashina Gentsugu, Niwata Shigeyasu, and Shogoin Michisumi (Konoe Maekyuki's younger brother), would be visiting Nobunaga in Gifu.

Matsunaga Hisahide, who had previously been appointed as the guardian of Yamato, would personally rush to Gifu to wish Nobunaga a happy new year in order to thank Nobunaga for sending a large army to help him pacify Yamato.

Now Nobunaga's new position of ruling the world is very strong. At least everyone in Kinai feels that the world will continue to follow the order established in this round. So it is only natural that the court is close to Nobunaga and Hisahide is trying to please Nobunaga.

Hearing this, Nobunaga simply nodded. Even the former shogun of the Muromachi shogunate could be received well, let alone other small-timers. They could just follow the procedures.

At worst, Nobunaga could just treat them to a meal, watch a Noh play, and give them some money, and that would be enough to get rid of them.

It is likely that the imperial court and the shogunate would also send Nobunaga the paulownia crest and the Ashikaga Nihikiryo horse emblem, one to represent the imperial court's suppression of disobedience, the other to represent the Ashikaga's suppression of treason. This was Nobunaga's explicit statement to the imperial court and the shogunate that he wanted to exercise central authority on behalf of the old order and needed its recognition.

Although the emperor is the one with the strongest army and horses, it is better to accept the abdication openly than to kill the entire family of the previous generation and succeed to the throne with the name of a traitor.

If nothing else, at least the forces that didn't want to resist would be able to kneel down faster. The emperor has surrendered and given in, so it's only reasonable for you, a county magistrate, to kneel down together.

Matsui Tomokan and Sugaya Nagayari were assigned to greet these people and arrange a meeting time. Finally, it was Nobunaga's turn to report on the annexation of Itoya and the shipbuilding arrangements for Kuki Yoshitaka.