Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Nobukiyo then surrendered Inuyama Castle, including its gold storehouse and armory. Nobukiyo's son, Oda Nobumasa, surrendered on behalf of the Inuyama Oda clan, leading his retainers and samurai to join Oda Nobunaga.

Of course, Oda Nobuyoshi had to retreat to the castle and live in the town of Komakiyama Castle. He only retained the lands for settling and supporting his retainers, while the rest of his lands were handed over to Nobunaga for inspection and disposal.

To show sincerity, Nobukiyoshi's wife, Nobuyoshi's mother, and Nobunaga's older sister Inuyama-dono, will soon be sent out of the castle to Nobunaga's main camp.

Nobukiyoshi's younger brother, Oda Nobumasa, had already arrived at Nobunaga's main camp ahead of time, carrying Nobukiyoshi's youngest son, Juro, as a hostage, to show that Nobukiyoshi had no intention of going back on his word.

The terms weren't too outrageous. Nobunaga, who was drinking tea and rice porridge, pondered as he ate. After finishing his bowl of rice, he agreed to Oda Nobukiyo's peace terms.

Nobunaga then instructed Sugaya Nagayori, who was sitting at the end of the pack, to immediately gather one hundred pack horses and riding horses from the small pack caravan, hand them over to Niwa Nagahide, and then hand them over to Oda Nobukiyo so that Nobukiyo could escape.

Huh? Sugaya Nagayori swallowed hard, then asked the most profound question: Where did you get a hundred horses?

No? Nobunaga paused, then realized it was true.

If we're talking about the entire Oda army's horses, there were at least eight hundred, if not a thousand. But at least five hundred of them were warhorses for samurai, messengers, and replacement horses. The remaining pack animals and riding horses were practically nonexistent.

Even if there were, they weren't Nobunaga's; they were brought by the chieftains of the Atsuta and Tsushima clans in response to your military requests.

Kato Nobutaka brought more than sixty horses, Shichibei brought more than thirty, and together with the mules and horses of Oda Nobunaga's personal foot soldiers, they made up a small pack animal team of more than one hundred horses.

That's all there is. You're asking for a hundred? Are you kidding me?

"Then summon Kawamura Chief Yoshi and Kato Nobutaka!" Nobunaga didn't hesitate at all, putting down his bowl and calling for them.

"Huh? Why are you calling me by my name? It's been years since anyone called me by my full name." Shichibei, who had just finished pouring tea for Mori Yoshinari and was about to leave, turned back to look at Nobunaga.

"Kawamura Shichibei Nagayoshi is right here." Sugaya Nagayori pressed Shichibei's head down, making Shichibei kowtow to Nobunaga.

"Raise your head." Nobunaga unconsciously looked around, wondering where the servant who had just poured tea had gone.

Don't worry, Nobunaga wouldn't even look at someone as pathetic as Shichibei. No wonder he was so surprised earlier, wondering where this little dwarf came from to pour him tea.

"So you're Tsushima Denma-no-kami? How much do you know?"

"Your subject possesses sixty strings of cash worth of land in the Gengao region of Haixi Commandery," Shichibei replied truthfully.

How many horses do you have?

Thirty-three horses.

"Gorōzae, give Shichibei 230 kan." After receiving the confirmed amount, Nobunaga pointed at Niwa Nagahide.

"Ah, this..." Shichibei didn't want to agree, but Nobunaga didn't allow any further explanation and had already bought all of Shichibei's horses.

At this moment, Kato Nobutaka was also summoned in. Following the same procedure, Nobunaga bought all of his packhorses without any room for negotiation. He then ordered the two men to immediately follow Niwa Nagahide, leading the horses to Inuyama Castle.

No, it's one thing for you to buy horses, but why do you want me to escort them to the city walls? What if Oda Nobukiyo fights to the death, killing one would be enough, killing two would be a bonus?

Full of complaints, Shichibei, escorted by foot soldiers, arrived at Inuyama Castle along with all the usable horses in his household.

At this time, Oda Nobukiyo, his trusted servants, and some of his concubines had already packed their belongings. Nobukiyo, still wearing his armor, spoke at length to Oda Nobuyoshi, who had come to see him off. After glancing at Oda Nobunaga from afar, he headed upstream on the Kiso River.

I want to join Takeda.

Oda Nobuyoshi then surrendered to Nobunaga with the Inuyama clan's retainers and handed over everything in Inuyama Castle. Nobunaga's wet nurse, Ikeda Tsuneoki, was appointed as the lord of Inuyama Castle and immediately led his troops to take over the castle.

"Shichibei, I now order you to assist Goro in building the road from Komakiyama to Mino, setting up post stations, and stockpiling hay." Shichibei returned to Nobunaga's army with a somewhat dejected look on his face.

Halfway there, they saw Nobunaga galloping towards them on horseback. Nobunaga stopped his horse with a shout and gave the order to Shichibei without hesitation.

"I'm the head of the stables, not the head of the commoners." Shichibei had just knelt on one knee, wanting to explain his duties to Nobunaga. Nobunaga, however, simply gave the order, then took off his own wakizashi and casually tossed it to Shichibei.

The wakizashi hit Shichibei squarely on the forehead, causing him considerable pain. Just as he was about to utter a few words, Nobunaga's horse galloped off, leaving Shichibei with a mouthful of dust.

To be honest, Shichibei never imagined that his first encounter with Nobunaga would be like this.

As he walked back, spitting and groaning, he spotted his first acquaintance, Yamauchi Kazutoyo. At this moment, the lower half of Yamauchi Kazutoyo's face was completely covered up, and if it weren't for the familiar appearance of Goto Yoshibei beside him, he would almost have been unrecognizable.

When Yamauchi Kazutoyo saw Shichibei, he mumbled something incessantly. It was Goto Kichibei who added that just now, Nobunaga had confirmed Yamauchi Kazutoyo's status as Ichibanjo and his merit in risking his life to storm Inuyama Tomomaru, and awarded him a stipend of forty-five kan.

Near Kuroda Castle, the old home of the Yamauchi family, Yamauchi Kazutoyo was able to restore the Yamauchi family's former territory in one battle, and the family prospered again.

Forget about drawing his sword and slashing Nobunaga back then; Yamauchi Kazutoyo was so excited he almost hugged Goto Yoshibei on the spot. The two of them were laughing and crying at the same time, and they're still shedding tears now.

"Everyone has witnessed Inouemon's bravery." What could Shichibei say? Why didn't he dare fight Oda Nobunaga?

"..." Yamauchi Kazutoyo mumbled a long string of words, which was translated by Goto Kichibei.

The gist of it was: Do you have any horses left? Sell me one, because Nobunaga will definitely send troops to Mino again soon. Yamauchi Kazutoyo was a famous lord with 45 kan (a unit of currency), so logically he should have one horse and two guards.

"Haha, where would I get another horse?" Shichibei laughed.

Horse? You want a horse? I don't even know where to find one.

22. Wu Lang Zuo deliberately tested him.

When they went, they had a dozen or so servants and drove over thirty horses. When they returned, only the men were left, carrying over a thousand catties of copper coins. Nobunaga was so deliberate; he wouldn't give them a single coin of gold, calculating everything in copper coins.

Only Shichibei fared a little better; being the owner, he wasn't assigned to the hard labor. His share was carried by Kotake. The young man was quite perceptive; although it wasn't Ito-ya's business, it was his brother-in-law's.

Back at Kawamura-ya, everyone in the family thought Nobunaga had suffered a defeat and lost even the horses that had accompanied him. They only breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the 230 kan (a unit of currency).

But that was only a sigh of relief. Now that the horses are gone, how can the horse business be continued?

We'll have to figure out a way to buy horses, what else can we do?

Just like the fixed-time monthly markets held in Tsushima and Atsuta, horse traders from Shinano also regularly traveled along the sea route. Why? Those who have watched the TV series "Yongzheng Dynasty" will surely remember the episode where the grandfather is the first Baturu of the Qing Dynasty. Everyone else went hunting, but the fourth prince refused to go.

Firstly, his archery skills might not be as good as the other princes'. Secondly, there's a saying: "Do not shoot birds in spring, for their young wait in the nest for their mothers to return." Spring is the mating season for animals, and at this time, female animals often become pregnant and begin to nurture their offspring.

That's how horses are. They mate and become pregnant after spring, and the gestation period takes about ten months. It takes more than two years for a foal to grow to adulthood. If you do the math, isn't there a batch of horses reaching adulthood every May or June?

The last time Shichibei was in Imahama, wasn't it around May or June when he bumped into a horse merchant traveling south from Ōu? Going to find the horse merchant again now would definitely be fruitless.

Everyone naturally turned to look at Shichibei, since Shichibei was the head of the family and the master, and they all followed him and ate with him.

We definitely need to buy horses. First, we should ask around in Tsushima-cho. We don't need to ask Atsuta; Kato Nobutaka is probably even more anxious than we are. Also, send two people to Komakiyama Castle, where samurai gather. They might be able to find someone selling horses there.

Secondly, the money shouldn't just sit idle in our house; it should be handed over to the Tsushima Ushito Tenno Shrine or the Tsushima Tsuchiya for management. Similar to the Tang and Song dynasties in neighboring mainland China, temples and shrines, to some extent, assumed some of the functions of "banks," accepting deposits and making loans.

In Kyoto and other major towns like Mitsu and Shichiminato, traditional warehouses emerged, which were financial institutions that combined pawning, pledging, lending, and savings.

Depositing 230 strings of cash with them first, even if it only yields 10 or 8 strings of interest a year, is still good. At least they don't charge storage fees, we should already be grateful.

As for your question about the money for betting on the horse?

The second crop of alfalfa was harvested, and I was originally planning to keep it and sell it to Nobunaga. But now, forget about keeping it! I'll take it to Komakiyama Castle and sell as much as I can. Winter is coming soon, and the samurai at the castle will definitely need to stockpile fodder for their horses. Once the alfalfa is sold, I'll have money to buy horses.

Our own thatched sheds and storage rooms on the shore are now crammed full; there's no room left to store this dried material. Things have moved too fast; all our original plans have been overturned. Everything has to be planned from scratch, or rather, we should stop planning for now and wait until after the New Year.

The only good news is that the safflowers on the two mu of land on the sandbar have already been planted. Whether they will survive or not, we'll see next spring. If they do, Shichibei will take out a loan to build up the dikes on several hundred mu of land, then properly cultivate the soil and create ridges, and make a killing for him.

"Shichibei? Shichibei. Shichibei, you rarely come to the castle to perform your duties." Niwa Nagahide sat down in front of Shichibei, carefully examining the person in front of him.

"Yes, my family does not rely on martial arts to establish itself." Shichibei has come to Komakiyama again.

Besides bringing in the second crop of alfalfa to sell, he also had to assist Niwa Nagahide. Nobunaga's next offensive was towards Mino, so repairing the streets and bridges from Komakiyama to Mino was the most important task at present.

Shichibei had previously estimated that Nobunaga would take advantage of the victory to attack Mino, but Nobunaga not only held back, but also immediately withdrew his troops and mobilized the people in his territory during the winter off-season to start a general labor service.

"These days, what's the difference between martial arts sects and non-martial arts sects..." Niwa Nagahide just smiled, not caring much about the so-called samurai identity.

Indeed, these days shrines have their own rules, temples have their own rules, merchants have their own rules, court nobles have their own rules, even retired famous old men have their own retirement provisions, and beautiful widows at home have their own dressing provisions. If a war really breaks out, are they going to pull all these people into the war?

Some women's cosmetics cost three to five thousand shi (a unit of dry measure), so we can't expect them to suddenly summon a troop of nuns like in a game, complete with special skills for us to use.

War is indeed a matter of total mobilization, but unless it's a matter of life and death, who would drag everyone onto the battlefield? The Dotonbori in Osaka was excavated by Yasui Dotonbori, a merchant in the Osaka transportation industry. It was only when the Toyotomi clan faced a life-or-death situation that they called upon their men to fight alongside them against the Tokugawa clan.

Given the vagueness of the broad definition of samurai families, it's no wonder that Niwa Nagahide didn't care.

"Then should I take responsibility?" Shichibei was there to perform his duties, but Nobunaga finished his show of bravado in a few words and left, even giving Shichibei a bump on the forehead.

Well, there's nothing I can do now but ask Niwa Nagahide. You're Nobunaga's adopted son-in-law, so I'll do whatever you say.

"Set up a post station every mile, and stockpile enough fodder for fifty horses for five days." Shichibei probably wouldn't do the road repair work either, so Niwa Nagahide let Shichibei do his old job.

"It's a small matter."

"How much hay did you bring from Tsushima? Is it enough to feed the horses?"

"If Your Excellency has any needs, I will certainly make the arrangements." As long as Nobunaga pays, I'll even bring you the dry feed I've reserved for my own horse.

"Let's go." Niwa Nagahide tapped his folding fan, took Shichibei with him, and began to walk down the castle.

Since the matter couldn't be accomplished in a day or two, Shichibei and several other family members who had come on the same mission stayed temporarily at Niwa Nagahide's house to assist him in preparing the post road.

Nobunaga's main offensive strategy for Mino was to target the Nakano region, aiming to break the connection between Nishino and Tono, thereby weakening Saito Tatsuoki's power.

Mino was also a prosperous agricultural region, and during the reign of the Toki clan, it was a powerful territory capable of influencing the fate of the nation. Compared to Owari, Mino was in no way inferior. If a powerful and cohesive daimyo were to come along, it's uncertain whether Nobunaga would dare to attack Mino.

In other words, with a young lord currently ruling Mino, and the ruler weak while the retainers are strong, Nobunaga has focused his main attack on Mino. To say that Nobunaga is now full of confidence and believes he can unify Japan is pure nonsense and downright overestimating himself.

Let's wait until he conquers Mino Province before considering unifying the Kinai region. Right now, the main objective is to conquer Mino. The roads to be prepared are those leading from Owari to Mino.

To be more precise, or to be more assertive, it mainly refers to the streets and bridges in the Nakanosumata region.

Yes, the legendary Sunomata Castle.

By this time, Nobunaga had already established a foothold in the Nakano region, specifically on the north bank of the Kiso River. After defeating the Imagawa army at Okehazama, Nobunaga turned his attention to Mino. Had it not been for Oda Nobukiyo's rebellion and opposition to Nobunaga, Nobunaga would likely have already reached the walls of Inabayama Castle.

If Nobunaga controlled Sunomata, then Ōgaki Castle in Shinō would directly face Nobunaga's military might. Moreover, Nobunaga's control would extend to the Nagara River (Sunomata River) line, and the Oda territory on the north bank of the Kiso River, which was originally on the front line, would be able to gain sufficient cover, allowing them to garrison and fight, providing Nobunaga with military supplies and manpower.

Seeing Nobunaga's imposing presence, Ujiie Fukuzen, the lord of Ōgaki Castle, will likely be greatly shaken.

Alright, that's all for later. How to build a pontoon bridge across the Kiso River, how to protect the pontoon bridge under the premise that Saito's army could appear at any time on the north bank, and how to set up post stations and fortresses?

Upon hearing this, Shichibei immediately closed his eyes and said, "That's your business, samurai. I'm here to repair the stables. Why are you asking me? If I had the ability to go to the battlefield and kill people, or to manage civil affairs, build cities and fortresses, what would I need you, Niwa Nagahide, for?"

I was the one who should marry Oda Nobunaga's adopted daughter. In the future, you won't be the daimyo of the Niwa clan, which has a million koku of rice.

"Shichibei? Shichibei?" Niwa Nagahide didn't know what he was thinking. If it were anyone else, they would have just ignored Shichibei if he didn't answer.

He was different; it seemed he absolutely needed an answer from Shichibei. Even if Shichibei closed his eyes and pretended to be dead?

"There are established procedures for the construction, and you can understand the Kawanami clan and Hachisuka party who are in charge of the Kiso River. As long as the Kawanami clan agrees, boats and people familiar with the water can be obtained immediately. The pontoon bridge can be completed in one or two days at most."

"What about the fortresses and post stations on the north bank?" Niwa Nagahide nodded slightly.

"Hire the local lords of Jiangzhou or the local lords of Dazhou to construct palisades, while the local lords of Danyu County dig trenches. The work will proceed simultaneously, and the palisades can be completed in three to five days at most."

The so-called "Akuta-chō" or "Phi-chō" are now construction groups. They can be understood as guilds with a long history; the Akuta-chō specializes in stonemasonry, while the Phi-chō specializes in carpentry. Specialization is one thing, but in reality, they could easily handle all the construction work in the entire city.

Hire these skilled construction workers, tell them the size of the fort to be built, and they will calculate the required materials and manpower in a short time. Then they can prepare the materials themselves, or the employer can prepare them according to the requirements and the workers will provide the labor.

The on-site construction followed a traditional and orderly process. Farmers from Owari-Niwa District were conscripted to dig trenches three meters wide and two meters deep. Water was channeled in where there was water, and sharpened bamboo was planted in the trenches when there was no water. Open spaces of 100 or 200 tsubo were set up in the middle, depending on the required size.