Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

One hundred taels of gold is nothing to a daimyo. The point is this attitude.

The saying goes, "Don't punish the diligent, don't punish the lazy, only punish the blind." Kitabatake insisted on being the one who was blind, and Nobunaga was definitely unhappy about it. Not long ago, even Hida's Anekokichi Yoshinaga and Tajima's Otagaki Terunobu, figures who would be completely ignored even in later games, had very cleverly sent people to Kyoto to congratulate Yoshiaki and Nobunaga.

What do you mean by "You can't teach Kitabatake Tomoe"?

Since that was the case, Nobunaga, in his capacity as regent of the shogunate, would certainly send someone to have a proper talk with Kitabatake Tomonori. Thus, Shichibei and Takigawa Kazumasu were sent as envoys to the Kitabatake clan.

At this time, the head of the Kitabatake family was already Kitabatake Tomofusa, which was not uncommon in Japan's Sengoku period. A father in his prime relinquishing the headship of the family to his son not only prevented a situation of "filial piety" but also reassured his son. Furthermore, while still in his prime, he could allow his son to take over for a few years, stabilizing the overall situation.

Once the father passes away, the son will be old and strong, and the family business will be able to be stably inherited. Nobunaga's position as head of the Oda clan had already passed to Oda Nobutada during the Honnoji Incident; it was the same situation.

Due to historical changes in this world, Oda's forces successfully quelled the rebellion of the Motokō clan ahead of schedule and also destroyed the Nagano Kudō family. Oda's pressure on Kitabatake intensified, becoming even more urgent. Consequently, the family was violently divided into two factions.

One group of people believed that Oda Nobunaga had now become the shogunate's Kanrei (regent), the new ruler of the land, and quite impressive. He had reorganized the situation in the Kinai region and was the successor and maintainer of the old order. Even representatives of religious forces like the Hongan-ji Temple and Mount Hiei were eagerly going to pay homage to Nobunaga, so why didn't we follow suit?

This faction included senior retainers such as Fujikata Asanari, and Toriya Mitsuyoshi, who had previously met Shichibei and was considered quite sensible, and they all made the same proposal.

It's really just a matter of bowing one's head; judging from Nobunaga's actions, he didn't actually interfere in the internal affairs of the various daimyo. The key point was simply that they recognized his new regime.

Another group believed that Oda Nobunaga was nobody, and his father, Oda Nobuhide, was just a troublemaker. Both father and son were warmongering country bumpkins, while the Kitabatake clan was a noble family, with a long-standing tradition, and their status was far superior to that of the Oda clan.

The key point is that the Kitabatake clan never bowed down to the shogunate's regent or begged for his approval. They weren't the shogunate's retainers in Kita-Ise, needing to curry favor with the shogunate's regent. If we did something without precedent or precedent, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Kitabatake clan's reputation?

This faction was mainly composed of Nagano Gufu, who had been driven away by Nobunaga, and Kitabatake Chikashige, a member of the Ichimonji clan. They advocated ignoring Nobunaga's warnings and strengthening ties with the Imperial Court.

You, Nobunaga, are loyal to the Imperial Court, right? Well, my Kitabatake clan has the Imperial Court's approval. If you hit me, you're slapping the Imperial Court in the face. Go ahead and try hitting me.

After learning that Oda Nobunaga had successfully brought Ashikaga Yoshiaki to Kyoto, the two sides began arguing fiercely. After all, people are living beings, and can hear and see. Even the lords of Satsuma and Higo heard the news and sent envoys to Kyoto. The Kitabatake clan couldn't pretend to be dead; their attempt to feign indifference resulted in Nobunaga immediately sending someone to inquire.

Just like Asakura Yoshikage, why aren't you here yet? Do you still want to keep your job as the Echizen Governor?

Now things are really messed up. Nobunaga's messenger is on his way to Kiriyama Palace. How should we deal with this? How should we answer? We can't just kill him and pretend we don't know anything.

"Hey, good idea!" Kitabatake Chikashige immediately suggested finding some mountain bandits and river pirates to kill the Muromachi Shogunate's messenger on the way. Since the Kitabatake family hadn't received any inquiries, they naturally didn't need to make a statement.

Fortunately, Kitada Tomonori is still alive and hasn't gone mad from greed. How could anyone be so audacious as to kill an envoy officially dispatched by the shogunate's regent?

Once the messenger is executed, forget about feigning death; Oda Nobunaga could simply issue a shogunate punitive order, summoning a million-strong army from across the country to kill Kitabatake—it would be perfectly justified. The imperial court wouldn't utter a peep. This isn't just a simple execution; it's defecating within the framework of the old national order.

The conversation can only return to how to respond after we meet.

"The ceremony of accepting the imperial decree has been completed, and since Lord Kiriyama is a feudal lord, why does he not go to Kyoto to pay homage?" Takigawa Kazumasu, the chief envoy, sat in front of Kitabatake Kotobu and inquired about the reason.

“I, Kitabatake, am neither a lord nor a protector, but a governor of a state appointed by the Emperor,” Kitabatake Tomofusa replied.

There are two meanings. One is that my family is a court noble. Kitada Tomonori is a genuine court noble, a Junior Third Rank Middle Counselor. There is a difference between the court nobles and the samurai families, and it is not your Muromachi Shogunate's place to interfere with my family.

Another meaning is to show off that your family has influence with the imperial court and is respected by the Emperor. Don't be arrogant or push your luck.

"Hmph..." It's just arguing for the sake of arguing, anyone can do that.

Shichibei stopped Takikawa Kazumasu from answering, bowed slightly, and first paid his respects to Kitabatake Tomofusa. If nothing unexpected happened, Tomofusa would become a Junior Third Rank Middle Counselor in the future, which was considered divine in Japan and not considered human. So, on the surface, we had to make sure he couldn't find fault with us.

"The so-called National Secretary is nothing more than the one who governs the country. Since he is governed by the National Secretary, he is a subject of my shogunate!" Shichibei blurted out.

The term "Chiyo no Kunisuke" mentioned here originated from the Innomiya system of the Heian period. Simply put, it refers to high-ranking nobles and bureaucrats who were allowed to recommend their own sons or relatives by marriage to serve as governors or magistrates in the provinces they governed, thereby receiving taxes and tribute from those provinces.

Initially, only those of extremely high status, such as retired emperors, retired emperors, empresses, and crown princes, who were not emperors but needed money to maintain their standard of living, were qualified to make recommendations.

Right? You're the Empress, you're the Crown Prince, it's unseemly to be broke. So the Emperor allows you to send someone to the countryside as a governor to collect the money from that province and let you have your fun.

However, this system quickly collapsed and was exploited by the regents. The Fujiwara family frequently appointed empresses as regents, thus constantly recommending provincial governors and plundering the country's taxes.

Even more impressively, when Taira no Kiyomori came to power, he further developed this system, and more than thirty provinces throughout Japan became "governor-generals" under the Taira clan. The imperial court no longer appointed governors and governors of provinces, but instead directly appointed members of the Taira clan as governors of these provinces, allowing them to control these countries themselves.

The later Kamakura Shogunate followed suit, designating all nine provinces in the Kanto region as "Kanto Gobun Provinces." This meant that all nine provinces became hereditary provinces under the Kamakura Shogunate, effectively separating them from the imperial court and severing their ties with it.

Besides the samurai family, the temple families also do the same. Last time, when they were repairing the Great Buddha Hall of Todai-ji Temple, Todai-ji had no money. What did they do?

So they went to the imperial court and cried, made a scene, and jumped up and down. In the end, the imperial court actually ordered that Todai-ji become the governor of Suo Province, that is, the monk would serve as the governor of Suo Province, collect money, and build the Great Buddha Hall.

The system has completely deteriorated and is no longer acceptable.

Thus, during the Muromachi Shogunate, in the era of Ashikaga Takauji and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, corresponding institutional adjustments were made to various aspects of the state of Chigyoku and its lord.

Especially during the Ashikaga Yoshimitsu period, it was finally established that all the powers of the former provincial governors, such as the "Power to Seize Harvested Fields, Power to Envoys' Conduct, Power to Pay Half Taxes, Power to Allocate Land in Missing Areas, and Power to Collect Money," could only be exercised after being granted by the shogunate.

In other words, you either become a completely nominal governor of a certain province, living a life of idleness in Kyoto while being managed by a governor appointed by the shogunate, or you accept the shogunate's new system and regain these powers from the Muromachi shogun to govern.

The vast majority of the provincial governors, or lords of the provinces, were brutally beaten back to Kyoto by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's iron fist, leaving only a few nobles who still retained local power.

Therefore, it was natural that they had to accept the new system of the shogunate, that is, obtain authorization from the shogunate.

What nonsense are you spouting, claiming to be a high-ranking official, a nobleman, or even related to Amaterasu Omikami? Sorry, but you were once under the command of Lord Rokuon-in and received his imperial instruction.

Without Ashikaga's orders and without receiving his imperial instruction, where does your authority as the provincial governor come from?

"Such a thing is true?" Kitabatake Tomofusa hurriedly turned to look at his father, while the Kitabatake clan's retainers whispered among themselves. They couldn't understand or accept that their ancestor had kowtowed to Ashikaga Takauji and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, pledged his loyalty, and become a retainer of both the court nobles and the samurai.

Hehe, this kind of thing, it's highly likely that it was a compromise between Ashikaga Takauji and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and the ancestors of the Kitabatake family. The ancestors of the Ashikaga family were all masters of balancing things out. Ashikaga Takauji could even be said to have relied entirely on his words to get 120 people from Kanto to 2500 people in Mikawa, and even slept with Sasaki Henkan in Omi.

In the end, he actually seized power and established the Muromachi Shogunate.

How the compromise was made back then is now impossible to know. But this system must have been real. If it weren't for this system, how could the shogunate have completely rendered the governors of the imperial court nominal and made them the actual rulers of their respective regions?

In that wave of new officials replacing old ones, the Kitabatake clan's survival must have involved some collusion and deals. However, this does not negate the fact that the Kitabatake clan's ancestor was a retainer of the Ashikaga clan.

In Japan, it's quite normal to have two retainers. Nobushige Oyamada was a retainer of both the Takeda and Hojo clans, although the Kitabatake clan had a wider range of retainers.

"Since you are His Highness Gongfang's subject, why do you not bow!"

Not only must one pay homage to Ashikaga Yoshiaki, but also to Oda Nobunaga, because Nobunaga was the regent of the shogunate, holding a position equivalent to that of the shogun himself.

If you don't kowtow to Nobunaga, he can openly and justifiably punish you.

"Please wait a moment, esteemed messengers. A banquet has been prepared." Seeing the situation take a sudden turn for the worse, Toriya Mitsuyoshi immediately stepped forward.

This indicated that the discussion should stop today; Kitabatake Tomofusa had clearly no objections. If Shichibei continued to question him, Kitabatake Tomofusa would be in serious trouble. Rather than embarrass himself, it was better to quickly send Shichibei away and let the Kitabatake family discuss the matter internally.

"Lord Kiriyama, please think this over carefully." In the Oda army, I was treated coldly by Nobunaga, but outside, I'm an angel.

151. Spreading rumors harms upright people (Zhu Xiucai's Three-Jin Crown)

Takigawa Kazumasu really wanted to ask Shichibei where he got all this information from. Don't underestimate these details; a quick Google search in later generations would tell you. In the present day, it's incredibly valuable.

A person who can master historical allusions could make a living in Japan in 2024, let alone in today's Japan.

Having guessed that he would ask this question, Shichibei could only pretend to be mysterious, since most historical records were passed down through copying these days. Japan's printing industry was not very advanced at the time, and even if printing was done, almost no historical records were printed.

Seeing Shichibei's appearance, Takigawa Kazumasu immediately concluded that Shichibei had some kind of opportunity in Kyoto or at Kannonji Temple. Shichibei hadn't hidden his studies in arts like waka poetry and tea ceremony. He had even openly asked the abbot Sawahiko Sōon for the *Kokin Wakashū* (Collection of Ancient and Modern Wakashū), and Sawahiko Sōon had even instructed Shichibei to go home and memorize and copy it.

Now that he's in Kyoto, Shichibei, though knowing little due to his long-term official duties in southern Omi, has heard quite a few things: some lower-ranking nobles are attempting to form marriage alliances with senior retainers of the Oda clan.

If even Matsunaga Hisahide was able to marry the daughter of a court noble, why can't the senior retainers of the new ruler, Nobunaga's family, do the same? It is foreseeable that the future governors of various countries will definitely emerge from among Oda's senior retainers.

In the past, nobles looked down on those barbaric country bumpkin warriors, but now, if they could marry their daughters to the Guardian Family, you can imagine how happy they would be.

If even daughters can be used for marriage, then naturally, various family heirlooms and skills can also be "traded." It all depends on what the senior retainers of the Oda clan need.

There's no reason why Shimazu Yoshihisa could receive the teachings of both ancient and modern times, while Shichibei, who was in a more advantageous position, couldn't.

Passing on such a skill from ancient times to the present is not difficult, let alone copying and reading various historical records. If Shichibei is willing, someone will probably immediately act as an intermediary and bring it to Shichibei for copying.

He'd shown off in front of Takigawa Kazumasu again, but he wasn't particularly happy about it. Shichibei and Takigawa Kazumasu had come on an errand. Nobunaga's temper was a bit hard to fathom these days, so he had to take it seriously. What if he failed and had to go back?

Nobunaga will give you a big cunt.

So, did Nobunaga want the Kitabatake clan to submit, or did he want them to fight to the bitter end, giving Nobunaga a reason to launch an attack?

When Nobunaga entered Kyoto, aside from gaining control of important ports around Lake Biwa such as Ōtsu and Kusatsu, he didn't specifically demand any territory. The Rokkaku clan was defeated by Nobunaga, so their territory came under the Oda name. However, Nobunaga didn't ask for any territory in the five provinces of the Kinai region, distributing them all to former noble families and retainers of the shogunate.

This is one of the reasons why the old lords at this time all felt that Nobunaga was a Kanrei (regent), someone who held absolute power. Although Nobunaga reorganized many territories, he essentially maintained the old order within the Kinai region.

Even the act of granting the Koga tycoon Wada Koremasa the fief of Akutagawa Castle in Settsu was seen as a reward to Ashikaga Yoshiaki's followers, and almost no one objected.

Even Ashikaga Yoshiaki himself was pleased, because Wada Koremasa had not betrayed Yoshiaki even when he was at his poorest and most desperate, and the two had a very close relationship. Giving Wada Koremasa tens of thousands of koku of land in Settsu and Akutagawa Castle not only praised Wada Koremasa, but also strengthened Ashikaga Yoshiaki's military power and prestige.

So although Nobunaga refused to accept the positions of Kanrei (military commander) or Fushogun (vice-shogun), Yoshiaki and Nobunaga did not break off their relationship due to the goodwill Nobunaga displayed. At most, their honeymoon period had ended, and some minor frictions had begun. Yoshiaki felt that Nobunaga was still operating within the established framework and could be gradually molded into the image of the Muromachi Shogunate.

After marching on Kyoto, Nobunaga, whose reputation and prestige had been greatly enhanced, should now be seeking practical benefits.

The southern Ise region, located deep within his own territory, might be the most lucrative option. His 300,000 koku territory in southern Omi was definitely insufficient to cover Nobunaga's expenses for his trip to Kyoto; adding southern Ise would be a more appropriate solution.

When Nobunaga shared his thoughts with Takigawa Kazumasu, Takigawa Kazumasu also believed that Nobunaga might not really want the Kitabatake clan to serve, but rather hoped to seize southern Ise.

It's unclear who went to Ichijodani to deliver the imperial edict to Asakura Yoshikage. At this point, Nobunaga was likely making a list of those who disobeyed and refused to send anyone to Kyoto to congratulate Yoshiaki and his daimyo. He was probably sending people to ask them one by one, "Are you really unwilling to come? Or are you waiting for me to come and invite you?"

If you obey and send someone to Kyoto to congratulate them, your position on the list will be moved to the back. If you disobey and don't give Nobunaga face, then Nobunaga will happily accept your territory.

Well……

My personal feeling about Shichibei is that Nobunaga's goal was to unify Japan by force. Those who were clear-headed and surrendered with courtesy would naturally be taken in as retainers. Those who were not so bright and resisted the imperial army would definitely become the targets of his unification efforts.

"So what should we do?" Originally, Takigawa Kazumasu should have been the chief envoy, since he was in charge of the Ise branch of the Oda clan.

But now he asked Shichibei, simply because he felt that what Shichibei said made sense and seemed quite plausible.

"I don't think we need to do anything." Shichibei recalled the scene in the palace just now. It seemed that the senior retainers of the Kitabatake clan all felt that they had something to rely on and looked down on Oda, who had risen from humble beginnings to become the regent of the shogunate.

"Do nothing?"

“That’s right! There’s no need to explain the consequences or drawbacks. Just tell them that harboring the Rokkaku clan traitors is a heinous crime.”

"hiss……"

"Now that our lord is the king's army, as long as we have the righteous cause and legitimacy, we can go anywhere."

“I see that Toriyama Ishimi is quite wise; I’m afraid there will be some trouble.” Takigawa Kazumasu was no fool; he naturally saw that there was a clever person in the Kitabatake family.

If their final agreement is to temporarily yield to Nobunaga, then Nobunaga will have no reason to attack the Kitabatake clan.

"Your son-in-law..." Shichibei was referring to Gen Minamoto no Jōshūgen, who had already left the monastic life and should now be called Takikawa Yūri.

He comes from a family of carpenters, and the current head of the carpenter family, Kizuki Tomomasa, is the younger brother of Kitabatake Tomonori. I don't believe he doesn't have some connections within the Kitabatake family.

Please send someone back to the Kiriyama Palace to spread some rumors. The simplest example is that even his own younger brother, Mokuzoku Tomomasa, has defected to Nobunaga; surely someone in the Kitabatake clan also wants to join Nobunaga.

Is that very likely?

Don't name names and accuse anyone of colluding with Oda Nobunaga. If you do, the rumor becomes less credible and easier to expose. The main focus is on guessing the accusations.

Under such circumstances, everyone was speculating, and it was speculated whether Toriya Mitsuyoshi, who had advised Kitabatake Tomofusa to submit to Nobunaga, had finally revealed himself.

Whether a subject is loyal or not is actually not important. What matters is whether the ruler believes in your loyalty. If the ruler does not believe in your loyalty, he will kill you no matter how loyal you are.

When the time comes and Toriya Mitsuyoshi or Fujikata Asanari understand the situation, will they still be able to continue advocating temporary submission to the shogunate and going to Kyoto to pay homage to Nobunaga?