Owari Yumeki Golden Day

The workers sent from all over the country were assigned to them. Shichibei was responsible for dismantling the various branch castles in Minami-Omi and transporting the stored wood and stones to Kyoto to build the city for Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

It was really a case of concentrating resources to accomplish a great task. Laborers from all the countries in Kinai, including Omi, were transported to the roads. Nobunaga was truly powerful for being able to initiate such a large-scale labor service.

As for why they didn't dig up the mountains and cut rocks, but instead dug up people's graves, it was because Nobunaga ordered that the New Nijo Palace must be repaired within four to six months, and not only repaired, but also built firmly.

It's really just the boss talking, and the people running around. He said four to six months, so the people had to make up for it with four months. He said six months because he was being polite, but would anyone like Murai Sadakatsu really take it?

The resulting fortress was so large that it not only filled the site of the former "Bueijin Imperial Palace," but also encompassed Shinnyo-ji Temple in the back. Murai Sadakatsu had to pay both a smile and money, ultimately securing a larger plot of land elsewhere before Shinnyo-ji Temple agreed to move.

At this point, many people should have noticed that Murai Sadakatsu built the castle tower, Shimada Hidemitsu built the stone wall, and Shichibei transported the materials. But what about the palace? You can't let Ashikaga Yoshiaki sleep in the open, right?

Therefore, all the military buildings in the capital suffered a great disaster. In order to ensure the construction period, it was a whirlwind demolition.

The Honkuji Temple where Yoshiaki was currently living was demolished and relocated to the Imperial Palace. More than 1,500 monks and believers of the Hokke sect expressed their willingness to pay Nobunaga a huge sum of 10,000 kan, and even mobilized the court nobles to persuade them, but Nobunaga refused and insisted on completing the Imperial Palace quickly.

The Hosokawa Noriyama residence, also known as Hosokawa Fujitaka's residence, was demolished to a bare wasteland by 4,000 Oda soldiers within two days. Even the decorative rocks in the courtyard were removed. Yan Jiqing recorded in his diary that day that the Oda soldiers played flutes and drums, and the demolition was carried out in a very "orderly" manner.

Nobunaga also ordered the demolition of all the gardens and mansions in the Musha-koji area. Any buildings that could be used were moved directly to the Imperial Palace, while those that were no longer needed were given to Shichibei to look after, to be used later when other buildings were being renovated. Since they were all wooden buildings, as long as the wood was not damaged, it would have a place to go.

The story is quite well-organized. The gate of Kannonji Castle was dismantled and given to Nijo Palace. After Ashikaga Yoshiaki was defeated and driven away, the gate was dismantled and taken to Azuchi Castle. Azuchi Castle burned down, and the remaining part went to Sawayama Castle. Sawayama Castle was captured and burned by Kobayakawa Hideaki, and the remaining part went to Hikone Castle. Hikone Castle was not demolished during the abolition of the feudal domain, but was rebuilt under the orders of Shigenobu Ōkuma, with many parts modified.

Who knows, there might be wooden rafters somewhere that were touched by Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

With such a large-scale demolition effort, the Nijo Palace quickly expanded its buildings. "Old Man's Miscellaneous Stories" records that many of the magnificent gold-lacquered rooms were restored within the Nijo Palace. Combined with the eight-meter-high stone wall, the Nijo Palace's defensive capabilities were greatly enhanced.

It can even be said that Nijo Gosho was a pioneer in the construction of flat castles in modern times. It gradually became a trend to use long moats and stone walls to form defenses, build huge castle towns and main structures, and abandon mountain castles that only had military purposes and were difficult to develop.

"Fujikichiro." Shichibei, who was directing workers to move tombstones at the construction site, saw Hideyoshi walking into the construction site in high spirits. Nobunaga was visiting the three-story castle tower that was more than half built.

"Oh, Shichibei." Seeing that it was Shichibei, Hideyoshi immediately stopped.

"Have you received the 20,000 kan from Sakaimachi?" Being able to see Hideyoshi means that the money has arrived.

"Of course." Hideyoshi was very happy. With the huge sum of 20,000 kan in his account, many of Nobunaga's expenses were settled.

"Congratulations..."

"Let's talk about it later, let's talk about it later." Hideyoshi smiled and waved his hand, then happily went to Nobunaga to report.

165. Fujitaka is one step ahead

Hideyoshi received assistance from the Sakaimachi merchant Sen Soi, and also relied on the power of Nobunaga who defeated the Miyoshi Three twice, and successfully collected 20,000 kan of arrow money from Sakaimachi.

The key point is that Sakaimachi, which was originally a so-called "free city", was willing to accept the agent sent by Nobunaga himself under the pressure of Hideyoshi and the persuasion of Sen Soi.

Before this, Sakai's deputies were selected from among the Kaigoshu. For example, Imai Munehisa served as Sakai's deputies appointed by the imperial court and the shogunate, and actually presided over Sakai's affairs as a Kaigoshu.

The rule of the imperial court and the shogunate over Sakai was more like a tacit agreement, that is, Sakai recommended a person to be selected and appointed as the official imperial court and shogunate.

On the surface, a kind of collaboration has been achieved, and this model will be applied in many controversial areas in the future. One earns money, the other earns face, and harmony brings wealth.

And now Sakai is actually willing to accept the deputy appointed by Nobunaga. No matter how you look at it, it shows that Nobunaga has the support of everyone... right before our eyes.

Outsiders don't know, but our Shichibei and Hideyoshi know it very well. Now is the time for Nobunaga to establish his position. As the successor of the old order, what Nobunaga needs most is not money or people, but face.

Coming to pay respect to Lord Nobunaga, recognizing Lord Nobunaga as your big brother, and sitting in the top seat, that is the most important thing.

After all, Nobunaga was also human, without supernatural powers. He needed the method of "recruiting soldiers with soldiers" to rapidly expand the power of the entire Oda family like a snowball. He needed the submission of the people and the majesty and momentum of the leader of the alliance.

As long as the tiger skin was inflated, Nobunaga could use it to scare those outside who coveted him. Then, the tendons and bones wrapped in the tiger skin would grow new flesh and blood, and sooner or later, the fake tiger would become a real tiger.

When I become a real tiger, you still refuse to obey? I will beat you into submission.

I really don't know what tricks Hideyoshi pulled to bring a free city like Sakaimachi to its knees. Weren't the Hosokawa and Miyoshi families powerful back then? They were just as powerful. Miyoshi Nagayoshi, like Nobunaga, could kill anyone he wanted. He truly carved his kingdom with a sword.

He hadn't even gained Sakaimachi's submission; he had merely used Matsunaga Hisahide, Miyoshi Nagayoshi, and others to exert influence over Sakaimachi. Now, Nobunaga could actually appoint his own deputy? This was unprecedented.

As soon as he stopped making the "tsk" sound, Nobunaga's son came out quickly and called Shichibei in.

Shichibei suddenly felt a sense of blessing. "Sakai Daikan, who else but me could take charge of this huge Oda clan?" Now, Nobunaga had completely thrown all these things to Shichibei, not doing them himself.

He washed his hands directly in the ditch nearby, looked at the water surface, and found that there was no dust on his face. Then Shichibei ran towards the inner construction site where the triple tower was being built.

Arriving at the construction site, he naturally saw Nobunaga sitting casually on a step stone, listening to Hideyoshi's report. It was obvious that Nobunaga was very satisfied with Hideyoshi's successful completion of the task. In front of old Oda and old Owari, Nobunaga rarely showed that relatively uninhibited smile.

In front of the nobles and shogunate officials outside, Nobunaga had to pretend and show his most ferocious and majestic side. But in front of people like Hideyoshi who held his sandals and led his horse reins, he could show a little bit of his true self.

Just like in front of Shichibei, Nobunaga was still wearing a loincloth in front of Shichibei the other day, and he didn't treat Shichibei as an outsider. After all, there is a big difference in the feelings between the old ministers who followed the emperor and the ministers who came to serve later.

"Nanabe, come here." Nobunaga, who was laughing and chatting with Hideyoshi, saw Nanabe and waved to him hurriedly.

"Shichibei is the most suitable person to do this job." Hideyoshi was also laughing beside him, seeing that Shichibei was very happy.

Hideyoshi and Shichibei held completely different positions within the Oda clan, and there was no conflict. Hideyoshi understood that a samurai career was the path to success, so despite his limited martial arts skills, he bravely braved the dangers of the battlefield, fighting for Nobunaga. Nobunaga appreciated hard-working individuals like him and promoted him from the grassroots.

The task of Shichibei was much simpler, and he didn't even need to be responsible for the general city construction tasks. The small merchant was just a small merchant, the small merchant who stayed by Nobunaga's side.

"I wonder?" Shichibei first knelt on one knee to salute Nobunaga, and then asked.

"What else could it be? You're asking even though you already know the answer." Nobunaga pointed at Shichibei and joked. After all, Hideyoshi came over from the Mizuhori Ishigaki at the door, so he must have met Shichibei before.

"Sakaishiro?" Shichibei didn't need to act stupid at a time like this.

"There are two. The first is that the sale of Sakai's weapons must be recorded and approved by you in person. The second is that the dispatch of Sakai's ships and sailors also needs to be recorded and approved by you in person." Nobunaga stood up and tapped Shichibei's shoulder with his folding fan, meaning that Shichibei must remember it.

Because Sakaimachi knelt very smoothly, no matter how Hideyoshi made him kneel, he knelt now. He knelt to give Nobunaga face and called Nobunaga brother. But Nobunaga was busy with the war at that time and had no time to send a large number of people to directly manage Sakaimachi.

The management of Sakaimachi mainly focused on weapons and ships. Just like the previous takeover of Kunitomo Village, all the iron cannons in Kunitomo Village were only allowed to be sold to the Oda family and those with identities recognized by the Oda family.

Anyway, the supply of cannons is far less than the demand these days, and Nobunaga only regrets that there are not enough cannons.

Similarly, the teppo produced in Sakaimachi could only be sold to Nobunaga or his daimyo and samurai subordinates. The only force that would be strengthened was the Oda army, and no other region was allowed to purchase teppo from Sakaimachi.

The ships were easy to understand. Not long ago, Miyoshi and his three followers landed in Awa. With an army of over 10,000 people and the accompanying logistics, it was difficult for Miyoshi's own navy to handle it, so he borrowed ships and sailors from Sakai.

In the future, such a skilled fleet, which could even sail as far as Luzon and Siam, must be prohibited from being used by other forces hostile to Oda.

In addition, Nobunaga has already thought about attacking Awa and wiping out the remaining members of the Miyoshi Trio. In this way, Sakai's water force will be a very valuable force.

After all, merchants were essentially pirates, and while there was a gap between sailors and naval forces, it wasn't that wide in Japan. If it were, two samurai, Todo Takatora and Wakisaka Yasuji, wouldn't have been able to rally a force that could have crushed the Joseon naval forces of Won Gyun and engaged in a head-to-head battle with Yi Sun-sin.

"Understood!" Shichibei answered loudly.

Nobunaga's intentions were immediately understood. He had no intention of interfering in Sakai's administration, but he would keep military matters under control. In theory, this was a continuation of the previous strategy of gaining both face and substance. After all, Nobunaga was fully capable of purchasing all the military equipment produced in Sakaimachi, and Sakai's economic power remained intact.

win-win.

"It will only take two or three days to go back and forth, so you should run more frequently." The construction site of Nijo Palace has not been completed yet. Shichibei does have a job to do, but Nobunaga only trusts Shichibei in business matters for the time being.

"The stone wall construction is completed, and Hanbei can take over the subsequent finishing work." While Xue Ye followed Nobunaga in the charge, he spent the New Year at home with his men.

Now that the charge is over and the fortification has begun, all the soldiers must follow and serve. Not only Takenaka Shigeharu, but also Aochi Shigetsuna, Kuwayama Shigekatsu, Tsuchida Yoshikiyo, and Ota Ushiichi have all been summoned to Kyoto. We can't just dig up someone's grave alone.

The tombstones were mostly piled into the stone walls of Nijo Palace, and the remaining tombstones were subsequently moved to a storage yard for future use in the construction of the city. With the various branch castles in Jiangnan demolished, Nobunaga would sooner or later build a new castle there to serve as the administrative and military center for controlling the territory.

"I won't ask about your own affairs. Just go and come back quickly." Nobunaga immediately handed over a pen and paper and was about to sign the official document on the spot.

"Yes!" Well, let's do as we're told.

I kowtowed to Nobunaga, who also wrote very smoothly. After he finished the last stroke of his seal, Nobunaga breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, the weather was warm, and the ink would dry quickly.

The construction site was in austere conditions, so Nobunaga didn't use his iconic Tenka Fubu seal. It was just a formality, after all. Many of Nobunaga's documents didn't have a seal, but his monogram was just as effective. Before I could fold the document and seal it in its envelope, an acquaintance ran in.

Hosokawa Fujitaka.

How could they come here at such a late hour without any announcement? Shichibei stood up, looked behind him, and showed Nobunaga to Hosokawa Fujitaka.

Seeing Nobunaga, Hosokawa Fujitaka ran up to him like a flash and kowtowed to him. Nobunaga was still stunned, a little confused, and a few words came out of Hosokawa Fujitaka's mouth.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki has betrothed his sister to Miyoshi Yoshitsugu!

Wow! Shichibei, crouching in the back, was startled. Perhaps on the surface, this was just an example of Ashikaga Yoshiaki co-opting powerful local figures. Miyoshi Yoshitsugu was, after all, the guardian of half of Kawachi. As the lord of Wakae Castle, it wouldn't be difficult for him to recruit a few thousand men to support Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

Those who look deeper will find that Ashikaga Yoshiaki did not inform Nobunaga himself about this matter, nor did he obtain Nobunaga's consent. Nobunaga was the new shogunate regent recognized by both the shogunate and the imperial court. How could such a major event not be reported to Nobunaga?

Whether it was the Toyotomi regime or the Tokugawa regime, marriages between daimyo had to be reported to Toyotomi Hideyoshi or the Tokugawa Shogun himself and could only be implemented after approval.

After Hideyoshi, Tokugawa Ieyasu's main rebellious act was his extensive marriage alliances with feudal lords for about a year, which he failed to gain the approval of Toyotomi Hideyori or Hideyori's successor, Maeda Toshiie. In other words, he lacked even the endorsement of the Go-nenyoshu and Go-bukyōshu.

Although Ashikaga Yoshiaki was the shogun, his support as a shogun was Oda Nobunaga. No matter what, he had to inform Nobunaga about marrying Ashikaga's daughter to a feudal lord.

Now that he doesn't even report it, it's no wonder Nobunaga issued a ban on him.

Hideyoshi must have noticed both of these things and was secretly speculating. Shichibei's thoughts deepened, as the person who reported the news was actually Hosokawa Fujitaka.

If Akechi Mitsuhide had come to report the news, it would have been completely understandable, as that was what Mitsuhide had always done. Even if he hadn't come to report the news, Shichibei would have cried out in surprise.

But did Hosokawa Fujitaka come to report the news?

Do you want to improve too?

Hosokawa Fujitaka was a complete vassal of the Ashikaga family, and had no relationship with Oda Nobunaga as a vassal. Mitsuhide's failure to report the incident suggests that he was still unaware of it, and it was evidently not long before the incident occurred. It wasn't long before Hosokawa Fujitaka reported the incident to Nobunaga, a truly remarkable moment.

Nobunaga, upon hearing this news, showed no sign of rage. Instead, he sneered and sat back on the steps. Hosokawa Fujitaka, kneeling on one knee, appeared to be bowing his head, but in reality, he was secretly adjusting his posture, observing Nobunaga's situation.

Shichibei and Hideyoshi exchanged glances, their conversation flowing. Though unable to speak, they immediately decided that this was not a matter for them to get involved in, so it was best to keep quiet.

At that moment, Akechi Mitsuhide also ran in. Mitsuhide was a key vassal of both Nobunaga and Yoshiaki, the kind of person who would immediately visit Nobunaga for important news without needing to be informed. As he hurried in, he saw Hosokawa Fujitaka already kneeling on the ground.

Fujitaka, why are you also...

I don’t know if it was because he was too shocked to see Hosokawa Fujitaka coming to tell tales, but Akechi Mitsuhide actually stopped for a moment and didn’t move forward for a few seconds.

When he regained his composure, he reported to Nobunaga that Ashikaga Yoshiaki had betrothed his sister to Miyoshi Yoshitsugu. If Mitsuhide had concealed such a major event, he would have lost his reputation in Nobunaga's eyes.

Two people, one thing, but seeing this, Nobunaga actually laughed.

He laughed heartily, then stood up and waved his hand, telling everyone to leave. Not only Hosokawa Fujitaka and Akechi Mitsuhide, but also Hideyoshi and Shichibei had to leave.

Yoshiaki's actions undoubtedly widened the rift between him and Nobunaga. However, since both sides needed each other, there was no political basis for a falling out immediately. So...

I don't know, I really don't know. Was Yoshiaki doing this purely to win over Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, or did he have a deeper agenda? Or did he feel that as the Shogun, he had his own sphere of authority. The Ashikaga clan didn't need the kanrei's consent to marry off their daughters.

They walked all the way to the outside of the stone wall. Shichibei pulled Hideyoshi's sleeve, and the two of them paused for a moment, mainly to observe the situation of Hosokawa Fujitaka and Akechi Mitsuhide.

Hosokawa Fujitaka acted very calmly, as if to say, "Since you were not around, I was afraid something might happen, so I reported it to the boss without you. I hope you won't be angry, brother." He is the image of a workplace bitch.

Seeing him like this, Akechi Mitsuhide simply stared at Hosokawa Fujitaka intently for a moment, perhaps realizing something. He patted Fujitaka's hand, then clapped his own hands, feigning indifference. He took the horse from the attendant's hand, gave it a kick, and disappeared before everyone.

166. Occasionally seeing the famous temple

Shichibei received Nobunaga's order and naturally had to pack up and rush to Sakaimachi. Hideyoshi also suggested that Hidenaga should go with him. Firstly, Hidenaga was Shichibei's brother-in-law and they were family. Secondly, Hidenaga had previously accompanied Hideyoshi in Sakaimachi and could help Shichibei with some directions.

Anyway, Hideyoshi had fulfilled his mission, so he was fine for the time being. If he was fine, Hidenaga would be fine too.

Well, Takenaka Hanbei and the others had to stay to help with the construction of the Nijō Palace, while Inase Yoshinari and So Kotaro were still managing the shop in Nobi. Bringing Hidenaga with him would give him someone to help and consult with in case of an emergency.

As for the small theater seen at the Nijō Gosho construction site, Shichibei and Hideyoshi both chose to ignore it. Let's just listen to their words and watch their actions. These days, people's hearts are very turbulent, aren't they?

Who knows whether he was the first to lick Nobunaga, or whether Nobunaga secretly made a wish to him first. The two of them were not the worms in Nobunaga's stomach. Now that the Oda family has become a big business, there are always things happening that the two of them don't know about.

Once you close your eyes, the most important thing is to do your own job well.

The most convenient way to get to Sakaimachi was by boat along the Yodo River. However, Nobunaga's official duties were urgent, and he thought it was faster to ride a horse. He took a few servants with him, took Hidenaga with him, and rushed to Sakai.

The moat is wide and the fence gate is high, so it is not difficult to temporarily mobilize several thousand soldiers, but it is hard to say whether the merchants are willing to fight directly in Sakaimachi.

Like the numerous local uprisings and deoksei uprisings that occurred in Kinai throughout history, the peasants who started the uprisings often set fire to temples, shrines, palaces, and government offices. The key point was to be cautious. The shogunate and the imperial court had the power to suppress the uprisings, but once the fighting started, the palaces and buildings would be destroyed.

Once Nobunaga's army arrives, Sakaimachi may be able to be defended, but the prosperous streets, wealthy townspeople, and neighboring buildings will all be destroyed in the war.

It’s better to vote.

Without rushing to reveal his identity, Shichibei planned to first visit the big boss of Tennoji-ya, who was also a great tea master and secretly supported Miyoshi Nagayoshi. If he was really implicated by Nobunaga, he would definitely be implicated like Tsuda Munekichi, whose entire clan would be implicated.

Considering that he had previously hinted to us that the Miyoshi Trio were gathering military supplies in Sakaimachi, Shichibei would definitely not reveal this matter. However, friendship is friendship, and submission is submission.

With Hidenaga wearing a bamboo hat that partially covered his face, Shichibei entered Sakaimachi incognito. In fact, Sakai City still existed in Japan in the 21st century, but it had become a local government under Osaka Prefecture. It no longer held the grandeur of being Japan's largest foreign trade port.

There are now 53 ken (I couldn't find out the unit of measurement, could someone explain it to me) of iron cannon smithies in the town, with over 500 skilled workers. It is on par with Kunitomo Village as a famous iron cannon production area.

Furthermore, Sakaimachi also knows how to mix gunpowder and make tinder, and the entire iron cannon assembly process can be completed in Sakaimachi. Currently, perhaps only the Honganji faction possesses this complete upstream and downstream handicraft system.

That's right, Japan needed to import saltpeter and lead ingots from abroad. In the early days of Nobunaga's encirclement, Nobunaga believed that after he bought all the saltpeter in Sakaimachi, the arquebuses of other Japanese factions would become firewood sticks.

However, the Honganji forces discovered saltpeter mines in Hokuriku and gradually learned the technology of accumulating saltpeter and making it. Thanks to the long-term support of the Honganji forces in Hokuriku, Ishiyama Honganji was able to obtain a large amount of saltpeter to continuously resist the Oda army's attacks for ten years.

The eventual opening of Ishiyama Honganji was also linked to the Oda clan's conquest of Kaga Province in Hokuriku, which gradually cut off Ishiyama Castle's saltpeter supply. There are also rumors that the bodies of Ikko sect members who died in battle (perhaps chopped up) were buried in a pond, mixed with feces and urine, and left there for six months or a year to produce saltpeter. Whether this is true is unclear.

Perhaps, but it's not as easy as mining saltpeter directly from the Kaga Saltpeter Mine. Without a large and stable source of saltpeter, how could the continuous operations of armed groups such as the Kii Kokawa Temple and the Saiga clan be supported?

In addition to the upstream and downstream of arquebuses, Sakaimachi also has units manufacturing almost all kinds of military equipment, including swords, spears, halberds, armor, hats, bows, strings and arrows.

It's no wonder Sakaimachi has become Japan's largest commercial port town. With a thriving craft industry and a flourishing ocean-going shipping industry, and conveniently located in central Japan, it connects to the Kinai consumer market via the Lake Biwa system. Sakaimachi's development was a perfect combination of timing, location, and people.