Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

"It is said that the lord had a dispute with Lord Otani, and Lord Otani left in anger, returning to camp alone on horseback." So Kotaro was in charge of dispatching horses in Kyoto, so it was not surprising that he saw something.

Kotaro So didn't know the specifics of the dispute, but Shichibei could guess what it was about.

Protecting Jiangbei!

Before heading to Kyoto, Nobunaga hadn't given Azai Nagamasa a clear promise, since no one knew if the trip would be successful. Halfway there, seeing the chances of success increase significantly, Azai Nagamasa probably mentioned it to Nobunaga.

After all, he brought 5,000 men to join the alliance. He was Nobunaga's brother-in-law, supported Nobunaga as the leader of the alliance, and possessed considerable strength. Logically, it wouldn't be difficult for him to become the governor of Jiangbei; it was perfectly reasonable.

But Nobunaga, for reasons unknown, perhaps felt he could use the position of Governor of Kohoku to keep Azai Nagamasa in check and force him to fight for him. So even Matsunaga Hisahide was appointed Governor of Yamato, and Ikeda Katsumasa retained his position as Governor of Settsu, while Nobunaga, despite his meritorious service in supporting the emperor, had received nothing.

Giving him money and provisions was the price he paid for his military campaign, not a reward. Besides, after entering Kyoto, Nobunaga didn't allow three days of looting to let his soldiers have a good time. It's like Azai Nagamasa brought over 5,000 men on this trip for nothing.

It's such a simple matter, why won't Nobunaga help by mentioning it?

As if to confirm their conversation, a subordinate reported that Lord Asai Otani was leading his troops in a retreat towards northern Omi. The checkpoints along the way had not received orders and were unsure whether to stop them. Or rather, they did not stop them, but the samurai guarding the checkpoints chose to pass the problem on to their superiors.

If something goes wrong, it's because I've reported it, and that's how the work is documented.

Even if Nobunaga were furious, the lash wouldn't hit the samurai guarding the pass, but rather Shichibei's forehead.

"My God..." After hearing the report, Shichibei felt that this matter was probably not going to end well.

What was Nobunaga thinking? Why couldn't he just give the position of Governor of Kohoku to Azai Nagamasa? If he had given Azai Nagamasa the position of Governor of Kohoku, and then recommended him for the position of Governor of Omi, Azai Nagamasa would have been incredibly grateful and devoted to him.

Now that this incident has happened, even if Azai Nagamasa is his son-in-law, it will still leave a thorn in his side. Even if Nobunaga later realizes his mistake and sends Nagamasa those two items, Azai Nagamasa's gratitude won't be as great.

All that could be seen was the Asai army of over five thousand men, flying swiftly past Kannonji Castle, leaving Nobunaga's main force behind, and returning to Odani. At this moment, Asai Nagamasa probably felt like he had been tricked and made a fool of by Nobunaga.

They gained not an inch of territory, nor even a decent official position. Indeed, for the Asai family, this trip to Kyoto was a wasted trip, yielding nothing.

145. New Order Under the Old Framework

Asai Nagamasa's hasty return to the castle was not surprising, given the poor communication at the time and the fact that many people were away fighting. Everyone assumed that Nobunaga had simply sent him away.

Not long after, the 5,000 cavalrymen of Mikawa were also permitted to leave Kyoto and return to their home base in Mikawa. The Imperial Court originally planned to grant the position of Kyoto Daifu, a powerful ally of the people, as was customary. Just like Isshiki Yoshitatsu of Mino Province and Date Harumune of Mutsu Province, they were all appointed as Kyoto Daifu.

However, because Nobunaga resigned from his post as Kanrei (military governor), and the Tenka Fushogun (vice-shogun) was unwilling to take the position, Tokugawa also did not accept the post of Kyōjō Daifu (major governor of Kyōjō), continuing to serve as the governor of Mikawa. Even after Ieyasu had already entered Tōtōmi Province and begun to divide the declining Imagawa clan with Takeda Shingen, this continued.

Oh dear, what is Nobunaga thinking?

Why treat Azai Nagamasa this way?

Despite his many doubts, Shichibei could only suppress them for the time being. Nobunaga could offer suggestions, but whether or not they were listened to was always his own decision. Nobunaga had done many things against the will of the people, or rather, acted unilaterally. Some succeeded, some failed; it's hard to say who was right or wrong.

Let's continue registering the land situation in southern Omi. This is a task, and we'll be punished if we don't do it well. Also, now that we've determined the land's output and owners, we can order the landowners to perform labor according to the land's output, specifically to repair the road between Ōgaki Castle and Setabashi Bridge.

This matter is relatively easy to handle, because the Rokkaku family of Jiangnan was actually a pioneer in areas such as road construction, residences for retainers, and markets and entertainment venues. Rokkaku Sadarai probably realized long ago that exploiting the common people was short-sighted and that obtaining a steady stream of cash from commerce and trade was the right way.

Therefore, the streets near Nanjiang are relatively well-constructed, and the road network is relatively well-established. If it weren't for the sudden passage of an army of over 60,000 people, perhaps no repairs would have been necessary.

Taking this opportunity, let's first get a grasp of the road network in southern Omi. Doing business related to his own business doesn't feel tiring at all; in fact, he enjoys it. Detailed records of the road conditions, maps, and backups are all important business data for running the horse-riding shop in the future.

Halfway through the work, Nobunaga sent someone to summon Shichibei. Because of a somewhat unbelievable scene that happened to Nobunaga, Shimazu Yoshihisa and Kiiri Suehisa personally went to Kyoto to congratulate Ashikaga Yoshiaki on his arrival.

too fast!

That's the well-known Shimazu Yoshihisa, though he's not particularly famous outside of southern Kyushu right now. Once the four brothers swept through Kyushu, they became renowned generals of the Sengoku period.

With most of his retainers dispatched to campaigns, and even important retainers of the shogunate, such as Wada Koremasa, being appointed lord of Akutagawa Yamashiro Castle and sent to Yamato to participate in the campaign, Nobunaga had few capable people at his side. Those who were close enough and able to spare the time were mainly Shichibei and Murai Sadakatsu.

Someone asked, "Where are Hideyoshi and Mitsuhide?" Hideyoshi went to entertain Sagara Yoshihiro's envoy, and Mitsuhide went to entertain Mori Motonari's envoy. If they hadn't both been sent out, why would Nobunaga have sent someone to summon Shichibei?

Sagara and Mori were truly loyal retainers of the shogunate. As soon as news of Yoshiaki's successful march on Kyoto reached them, they immediately sent people to congratulate him. No wonder Yoshiaki had sent someone to deceive them in the first place; even sending five hundred men to bolster their forces would have been helpful.

Alright, alright, I'd love to have the chance to meet Yoshihisa Shimazu.

The Shimazu family arrived in haste, numbering only a dozen or so, so accommodations were easily arranged. Later, during the Edo period, the Shimazu family owned numerous residences in Osaka, Kyoto, and Edo, staying wherever they went. This was because Satsuma was located in a remote area, far from the central government, and in order to obtain firsthand information from the central authorities, they chose to establish resident personnel directly in the area.

The Shimazu clan is now showing this trend: by constantly strengthening ties with the central government, gaining its approval, and thus seizing the legitimacy, they are launching successive attacks on various nearby forces.

The main purpose of this visit is to congratulate Yoshiaki on his succession. As for the position of Satsuma Governor, it has long been recognized by Ashikaga Yoshiharu and Ashikaga Yoshiteru, and the current head of the Shimazu clan, Shimazu Takahisa, is the official Satsuma Governor.

Look at that.

Hayato Satsuma doesn't seem to be any particularly different from other Japanese people; he's dark-skinned, thin, and just an ordinary person. However, historically, Yoshihisa Shimazu was one of the inheritors of the "Kokin Denju" (traditional Japanese and modern education), and is said to have had a very high level of cultural refinement.

It's not apparent now; even Shichibei hasn't received the ancient and modern teachings, let alone a country bumpkin like him from Satsuma. However, at this point, his family has already established contact with the Konoe clan of the Settsu family. Relying on the Konoe clan, it's not impossible for him to receive the ancient and modern teachings.

By the way, why hasn't Konoe-mae come for so long?

Because Ashikaga Yoshiaki submitted a memorial to the imperial court, arguing that Konoe Sakihisa had assisted the Miyoshi Triumvirate in the assassination of Ashikaga Yoshiteru and in helping Yoshihide succeed to the throne. With the change of dynasties, a new emperor brought a new court, and the regent had to be replaced.

Therefore, following Ashikaga Yoshiaki's ideas and suggestions, the imperial court appointed Nijō Haruyoshi as Kanpaku (regent). As for Konoe Sakihisa, Ashikaga Yoshiaki actually requested his expulsion.

It's basically exile. Although it didn't say where he was being exiled to, Konoe Sakihisa is definitely not in Kyoto right now.

Shimazu Yoshihisa was quite curious about Shichibei, wondering why a renowned samurai with a salary of 5,000 kan (a unit of currency) wasn't on campaign but instead was occupying land in southern Omi. Perhaps he wanted to use this small example to understand the Oda clan's system of retainer organization and how they were used.

Our Shichibei doesn't put on airs; he bluntly states that he's merely a merchant and has no obligation to participate in military expeditions. This time, he's serving as a minor transport commissioner in Kyoto. If Nobunaga's territory hadn't suddenly expanded by five or six provinces, leaving him with too many people to manage, Shichibei would never have been sent to receive him.

Even merchants can receive 5,000 guan!

The entire Satsuma region currently holds only 220,000 koku, which translates to 55,000 kan. Granting roughly one-tenth of Satsuma's territory to a merchant without any military obligations was far beyond Shimazu Yoshihisa's comprehension.

The Shimazu clan's military system required those who owned two plots of land and were able to provide themselves with a full set of weapons; these were called "Yuzu-shu" (meaning "those with sufficient land"). Those who owned less than two plots of land were provided with weapons depending on the circumstances; these were called "Muzu-shu" (meaning "those without sufficient land").

Its essence was still to mobilize peasants and soldiers to the greatest extent possible, extending military obligations to every peasant within the territory. It can also be seen as a direct manifestation of the thirst for soldiers.

In Shimazu Yoshihisa's mind, 5,000 kan could yield at least 500 regular foot soldiers. How could Nobunaga be willing to give up such a large territory to a mere merchant?

You'll understand when you've conquered all of Kyushu and start preparing the massive logistical support for crossing the seas, as well as establishing a horse-riding system spanning more than ten countries. As for now, haha, Shichibei smiled without saying a word.

Fortunately, there were plenty of riddle-solving people these days, and besides, Shimazu Yoshihisa wasn't a real brute who would kill someone at the slightest provocation. After settling in and confirming with Yoshiaki's close retainer, Mibuchi Fujihide, Shichibei took Shimazu Yoshihisa to pay his respects to Yoshiaki.

In truth, the Shimazu clan was nothing special; they offered the shogunate one hundred taels of gold, a katana, and a fine horse.

Yoshiaki wasn't in a hurry to use those hundred taels; what he wanted was this attitude. The shogun resides in the capital, sits in the palace, and manages all the samurai families in the land. The more samurai families acknowledge Yoshiaki, the greater his power will be.

Money is secondary; what matters is that people come, kowtow to me, and acknowledge me as their shogun. If all the feudal lords in the land came to kowtow to Yoshiaki and offered him tribute of tens or hundreds of taels of silver, Nobunaga would have to think twice before exiling Yoshiaki.

After all, the title of the ruler of all under heaven is too great, and people who are not from this era cannot easily understand it.

After Yoshiaki finished his meeting, Nobunaga specifically requested to see Shimazu Yoshihisa and Kiiri Suehisa, saying he would host a banquet for the guests from afar who had come to the shogunate. Everyone in Kyoto already knew that Nobunaga had refused the position of Kanrei (military regent), but Shimazu Yoshihisa was unaware and assumed Nobunaga was the Kanrei. Since the Kanrei was inviting the Shugo (military governor) to dinner, the Shugo would naturally have to give him face.

Nobunaga didn't care about the Shimazu or Satsuma people; after a few rounds of drinks, he started asking about trade with the southern barbarians of Kyushu, especially the trade in firearms and saltpeter. Of course, the same went for trade with Ming China, Ryukyu, and even Annam and Siam. Nobunaga was very interested in this kind of long-distance trade.

The main reason is that I'm interested in this stuff because it's a quick way to make money, and Kuku makes money.

Before attending the banquet, Shimazu Yoshihisa, who was still trying to figure out Nobunaga's personality, was dumbfounded. He immediately analyzed that Nobunaga was a pragmatic person. As long as there was a clear benefit, he would do it, and breaking certain conventions of the current society was not out of the question.

The key point is that Nobunaga's words also contained a lot of attempts to win them over. After all, the Shimazu clan, aside from other things, did have genuine trade with Ryukyu and had even seen real Nanban people, so they had experience in conducting trade.

Thus, Shimazu Yoshihisa deduced another principle: Nobunaga would not hesitate to win over and reward anyone or any force that was useful to him.

Just now, Nobunaga asked Yoshihisa, who had already been appointed as a repairman, if he wanted to be promoted to the fifth rank. Or perhaps Shimazu Takahisa could also think of a way to move him up. The Shimazu clan sent people to Kyoto precisely to obtain official positions in the Imperial Court and the Shogunate.

Nobunaga's image in Yoshihisa's mind is becoming more and more complete.

Because the Shimazu family was useful and served as a window through which Nobunaga could reach, Nobunaga ordered Shichibei to do his utmost to entertain Shimazu Yoshihisa, ensuring that Yoshihisa left satisfied. He even personally paid for and gifted Yoshihisa with many Kyoto-related items.

After finishing his meal and stepping outside, he ran into Mitsuhide. Nobunaga was so busy that he continued his meetings after finishing his meal.

After helping Yoshihisa onto his horse, Shichibei turned back and exchanged a few words with Mitsuhide. "Did the Mori clan's envoy pay his respects to Yoshiaki? They came to Kyoto to congratulate the new lord on his ascension to the throne, didn't they?"

Mitsuhide, who was waiting for Nobunaga's summons anyway, and since it was all public knowledge, started chatting with Shichibei. It turned out that the Mori clan had come to Kyoto not only to congratulate Ashikaga Yoshiaki, but also to make a request.

The deer who swore an oath to the moon, Yamanaka Shikanosuke, captured Gassan-Toda Castle. Therefore, at this stage, the Mori clan couldn't advance on Kyoto and had to continue fighting the remnants of the Amago clan.

In order to suppress the Amago clan, whose rebellion could be led by a mere 10,000 men in Izumo Province, Mori Motonari hoped that the shogunate would send troops to attack the famous clan of Tajima Mountain.

Because of their past alliance with the Amago family, the Yamana clan supported Amago Katsuhisa and Yamanaka Shikanosuke's resurgence army. With the Yamana's financial and logistical support, it was much more difficult for the Mori clan to defeat the Amago.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki couldn't make the decision on this matter, since he had only just taken over the Yamashiro Imperial Household Agency and had neither soldiers nor money. It was up to Oda Nobunaga to decide whether to send troops to aid the Mori.

The Mori clan's request came at a price: a royal restaurant in Bingo Province was returned to the shogunate. In short, the Mori family regularly paid Ashikaga Yoshiaki a certain amount of money each year, and then used Yoshiaki's name to persuade Nobunaga.

At this time, Nobunaga was establishing himself, gaining fame, and solidifying his position as the ruler of the land. There was indeed a certain chance that he would agree to Mori Motonari's request and send troops to Tajima.

Just like Matsunaga Hisahide of Yamato, who presented ninety-nine eggplants and put on quite a show for Nobunaga. Nobunaga then ordered Sakuma Nobumori to lead an army of 20,000 to restore Yamato Province for him.

When it comes to war, you have to consider both the economy and the politics.

After their conversation, the pageboys entered, and Nobunaga rested. Mitsuhide apologized and led the Mori clan's messenger to pay his respects to Nobunaga.

"Of course, of course," Shichibei replied, preparing to head out as well. Although Nobunaga wasn't officially a Kanrei (chief advisor), he was indeed fulfilling the role of one. To put it bluntly, he was in charge of the shogunate's administration when the shogun was a minor, and he participated in the administration when the shogun came of age.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki was indeed an adult, but he lacked the ability to handle the affairs of the shogunate, so Nobunaga had to deal with it personally.

Wait a minute, Shichibei suddenly realized something. Nobunaga removed the name of the Muromachi Shogunate, but seized its substance. He was constantly using various methods, directly or indirectly, to adjust the allegiance of all the samurai families in the land to him.

He is responsible to his subordinates, so those subordinates must be loyal to him.

Yoshiaki was unable to take on the responsibility, so Nobunaga took over, thus gaining the loyalty of the old samurai families under the framework of the shogunate.

If Nobunaga were to become Kanrei (chief advisor to the emperor), people would only see him as someone who was ruling in place of Yoshiaki, and their loyalty would naturally remain to Yoshiaki. If he were not Kanrei, he would lose that empty shell, and if he wanted to gain Nobunaga's decision-making and responsibility for the affairs of the realm, he would have to pledge allegiance to Nobunaga.

The entire pattern may not be described accurately, but the path Nobunaga chose to take seems to be just that kind of path.

Nobunaga's ambition was not only to seize the country, but also to inherit all the former retainers of the Muromachi Shogunate, as the Oda clan was of humble origin and lacked sufficient samurai, thus forming a new "Go'en Houko" system.

With several new territories in the Kinai region now under Nobunaga's control, he lacked sufficient samurai to govern them. Therefore, he had to temporarily manage the Kinai region by utilizing the existing order of the old samurai system. For example, he employed figures like Miyoshi Yoshitsugu and Hatakeyama Takamasa, employing a strategy of maintaining the old system while gradually annexing and assimilating the remaining territories as opportunities arose.

Hey!

No wonder, no wonder, no wonder. Nobunaga had his own reasons for not granting the position of Governor of Kohoku to Azai Nagamasa.

146. One-sided love is unacceptable.

To put it simply, Nobunaga has only just entered Kyoto and has just begun to have the legitimacy and opportunity to take over and digest the forces under the old order framework.

However, to digest the old order, it is necessary to maintain it temporarily.

The disagreement between Azai Nagamasa and Nobunaga was inevitable, because Nagamasa wanted to break the old order and take on the position of Kohoku Shugo (King of the North). If Nagamasa were given the position, what would the other participants and maintainers of the old order think? Wouldn't they feel that Nobunaga was there to break the old order, not to maintain it?

Compared to taking over the entire old order, Nobunaga felt that he could overcome his brother-in-law Asai Nagamasa's "minor dissatisfaction".

Furthermore, to be honest, based on our interactions over the past few days, Shichibei senses that Nobunaga is showing signs of becoming arrogant. He acts as if he has the entire world under his control, with even Shimazu Takahisa of Satsuma Province, Yoshihiro Sagara of Higo Province, and Mori Motonari of Aki Province coming to express their goodwill and appointing him as the Kanrei (regent) to rule in place of the Shogun.

The changes in the overall atmosphere and environment can easily make a person feel arrogant.

Furthermore, Rokkaku died with a single touch, and Miyoshi escaped at lightning speed, making Nobunaga feel that there were no heroes in the world. He himself was truly invincible throughout Japan, but how lonely it was to be invincible.

With this understanding, Azai Nagamasa, with his 300,000 koku of rice, no longer had a clear stance, or rather, the right, to continue being an ally of Nobunaga. Instead, he should have clearly recognized the current situation, become a vassal daimyo of Nobunaga, and eventually, step by step, become Nobunaga's retainer.