Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

If it doesn't work, we'll just have to force our way through.

This is different from the Azai Nagamasa incident, which at least somewhat infringed upon Nobunaga's authority. But this matter is a direct slap in the face to the Oda clan. The Miyoshi Triumvirate's special operation to kill Oda clan merchants is tantamount to defecating on Nobunaga's neck.

Not long after, the young servant came out and led Shichibei inside.

Nobunaga had already changed into his white silk pajamas for bedtime. He wouldn't have gotten up if Shichibei hadn't said there was something extremely urgent to report. Seeing Shichibei, along with Ito Sojuro, he was somewhat puzzled.

Having just become the bride's husband, what problems already need to be submitted for imperial judgment? That Shichibei is utterly useless. While I was pondering this, Shichibei immediately recounted the attack on the Itō-ya fleet, in which hundreds were killed.

Nobunaga, who had initially appeared calm and thoughtful, suddenly flew into a rage. How dare someone attack Oda's merchants like this! Sold into slavery and waiting for their owners to redeem them was at least in accordance with the rules of Japan's Sengoku period. But to kill hundreds of people like this was truly a fight to the death with Nobunaga.

"Who are these traitors!"

"I've heard it's Iwanari who's in charge of tax collection," Ito Sojuro replied immediately.

"Alright, alright, Iwanari Tomomichi, is it?" Nobunaga was indeed furious, addressing him by his full name.

It makes sense, considering that Iwanari Tomomichi was originally the lord of Katsuryuji Castle in Yamashiro, and he gave up his entire territory of tens of thousands of koku. Furthermore, due to his battles with Shibata Katsuie, Hanawa Naomasa, and others, he lost at least fifty renowned samurai.

Now that their strength has been greatly diminished, they can indeed be considered extremely ruthless. As a result, their hostility towards Nobunaga is bound to be enormous. And because of this hatred, upon seeing Oda's fleet of merchants, they ultimately engaged in a chaotic massacre.

Not only did he plunder ships and goods, but he also attempted to avenge Nobunaga's capture of his Katsuryuji Castle. It's no wonder he disregarded the rules of indiscriminate hunting and capture during the chaotic Sengoku period; even Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo only arrested people and allowed ransoms. His outright killing demonstrates the depth of his hatred.

"Please, my lord, uphold justice for the people of Tsushima," Shichibei hurriedly advised. Even though advancing into Awa was unrealistic at the moment, this gesture had to be made.

"That's for sure!" Nobunaga certainly understood this as well.

The Oda clan's naval forces were insufficient; they didn't even possess a single large Atakebune. It wasn't until Niwa Nagahide emerged and began to consider advancing into western Japan that they organized the construction of large Atakebune.

Furthermore, Shima is now within the Kitabatake clan's sphere of influence. After being driven out by Kitabatake Tokunori, Kuki Yoshitaka is wandering around Kumano and other places, seeking to revive his clan. However, he has already made connections with Takigawa Kazumasu. If he becomes a guide in two years and leads Oda back to Shima, he might be able to regain control of the navy.

"Shichibei, provide 1,000 kiwa (a unit of rice) as compensation," Nobunaga then instructed Shichibei.

"As ordered."

Nobunaga knew about the incident, and he was indeed very angry, but he couldn't immediately send troops to kill Iwanari Tomomichi. Besides promising revenge, he also offered some condolences to the families of the victims as a gesture of goodwill.

After leaving the residence, Shichibei settled Ito Sojuro and the others at the Gifu branch. The branch manager, So Kotaro, asked what had happened, why they were climbing the castle and knocking on the palace so late at night.

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 berating Iwanari Tomomichi, he also arranged for Ito and the others to rest; So Kotaro was quite a man of character. However, he did trust Nobunaga quite a bit, telling Ito and the others that Nobunaga was a man of his word.

If someone says they'll kill their whole family, then they'll kill their whole family.

Since Nobunaga has already promised to raise an army to avenge everyone, he will definitely cut off Iwanari Tomomichi's head and send it to Tsushima Town to pay tribute to the murdered people of Tsushima.

That's true. If you're going to be a daimyo, you have to be prepared for this. If you don't even dare to take revenge, you'll never have the face to show your face in Owari and Mino again.

After only one night's rest, the castle bells rang, summoning the generals to the castle walls. Nobunaga also informed his senior retainers of the attack on Oda's merchants by the Miyoshi Triumvirate. Previously, Nobunaga's plan was to strike at Asakura Yoshikage or Kitabatake Tomofusa, who were not subservient to the emperor; now, perhaps he had to change his approach.

The Miyoshi Triumphs have gone too far; if you don't kill them, they'll surely bite you back. Besides, judging from their actions, it's clear they're planning a counterattack. In that case, the Oda clan might need to adjust their main offensive strategy.

For now, let's ignore Asakura Yoshikage and Kitabatake Tomofa, and instead attack Shikoku Island to eliminate the remnants of the Miyoshi Triumvirate and completely thwart their ambitions for the Kinai region.

After all, Asakura Yoshikage and Kitabatake Tomofusa only failed to come to pay their respects and offer congratulations. Although this was also disrespectful to Nobunaga, it was far less serious than directly intercepting and killing Oda's subordinates.

Sitting in the middle, Shichibei pondered inwardly, wondering if this matter could cause a change in the development of the Oda clan.

155. When you get old, you can only be absorbed into another entity.

Whether or not the Oda clan's fate remained unknown, a great upheaval was reported from Suruga. The Takeda army had breached the Imagawa fortress, and the tiger, confined for his entire life within the Kaishin Mountains, had escaped his iron coffin and seen the sea he had always dreamed of.

Needless to say, Nobunaga immediately questioned the young soccer player, Imagawa Ujizane, about his situation, but none of his men knew the answer. After all, Suruga was in chaos, with the Takeda, Imagawa, Hojo, and Tokugawa factions locked in a bloody battle, and betrayals and conspiracies rife everywhere. Even former hereditary retainers of the Imagawa clan, or samurai from the Takeda clan responsible for attacks, would have little knowledge of 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 tyrannical and domineering will eventually perish, like dust rising in the wind.

Dancing aside, the real whereabouts of the Imagawa clan still needed to be ascertained. Hiromasa Tada and Shichibei were ordered to immediately send men to investigate. Shichibei had two acquaintances in the Takeda clan, so they quickly went to inquire.

If Ujima was indeed beheaded, then all would be over. If he wasn't beheaded, we must find out whether he fled to the Hojo or Echigo.

This was easier than avenging Boss Ito; Shichibei simply sent men to Tōtōmi. Kawamura-ya already had a branch at Okazaki Castle in Mikawa, so manpower could be quickly selected. A few men inquired at Kakegawa Castle in Tōtōmi, and the information was confirmed.

Instead of seeking refuge with his father-in-law, Hojo Ujiyasu, Imagawa Ujizane chose to trust his hereditary retainer, Asahina Yasutomo, and went to Kakegawa Castle in Tōtōmi Province to continue his defense, hoping to stage a comeback.

Just like the Rokkaku father and son who fled to the Koka Mountains, staying in their homeland at least still had an influence on the local gentry and clans, and still held some appeal. If they were to flee abroad, not only would their reputation plummet, but even 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 even summoned the young warrior, Kyoko, whom he had been training, he told him that a samurai who fled before fighting to the last moment was dishonoring the honor of the samurai family. He should be like Imagawa Ujizane, fighting to the very end and never deserting halfway.

Yes, your son did not flee.

"Shichibei, are there any craftsmen on Tsushima who oversee the construction of large ships?" Nobunaga patted Kyokumaru's head and turned to ask Shichibei.

"Yes, we have craftsmen who can make large tatami boats." Having suffered a severe blow, Itoya's most valuable asset now is probably this group of shipwrights and boatmen.

"You will immediately take over these craftsmen and begin building the Sekisen and Kobayashi ships," Nobunaga ordered without hesitation.

"But these are..." These are all Itoya's properties. Although Shichibei isn't a good person either, taking advantage of someone in distress, especially someone you know, is something you can't do.

"Can't we just buy it with money? Sojuro is too old." Nobunaga had confirmed with Ito Sojuro several times a few days ago about the Miyoshi gang's attack on Oda's ships.

Around that time, it was confirmed that Ito Sojuro had been terrified by the Miyoshi Triumvirate and had lost the will to continue expanding the clan's territory. In the Oda clan, what does it mean if you lose the will to strive for advancement?

Self-explanatory!

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

Ironically, this style of doing things is exactly like Nobunaga's. Those who can no longer contribute to the development of the Oda clan deserve only retirement. It's fortunate he landed safely; at least Nobunaga still thinks he can give Ito Sojuro some money so he can retire to his hometown.

The future? It's really hard to say what the future holds.

"I will bring someone to see you in a few days. He will tell you in detail the number of ships you need." Nobunaga had made his decision, and Shichibei would not offer any further advice.

"Understood!" Shichibei had no choice but to comply.

As for the money, it can all be paid from the annual tribute rice sold by Nobunaga. It was agreed beforehand that half of the annual tribute rice price would be paid in advance, and the other half would be deposited in the Kawamura-ya store for easy allocation of military supplies.

Then Shichibei sat down in front of Ito Sojuro. After hearing Nobunaga's order, Ito Sojuro didn't break down or say anything about stubbornly resisting. As the head of the Tsushima merchants for two generations of Oda Nobuhide and Oda Nobunaga, Ito Sojuro had long been prepared for this.

They use you to the fullest when you're useful, and kick you aside when you're no longer useful. Isn't that how powerful feudal lords treat Yu Shangren?

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.

Furthermore, it was Shichibei who was selling it. Putting everything else aside, Shichibei was also a small merchant by origin, and he knew the difficulties faced by merchants like them. No, he should say he knew the difficulties faced by these officials and merchants.

So-called "official-businessmen" are, in the end, merely appendages of officials. The money they earn and the wealth they accumulate never truly belong to the businessmen themselves.

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 the employees of Itō-ya, the upstream and downstream business, the shop assets, and the craftsmen's skills, everything was transferred to Shichibei. At the same time, Shichibei assumed the huge debts he owed for goods.

The conditions are quite favorable; Sojuro Ito will at least be able to retire peacefully. Everyone at Ito-ya will also have a good job and won't suddenly become unemployed ronin.

After the documents were signed and the land deed was transferred, Ito Sojuro summoned his son to Shichibei. He had his son kowtow deeply to Shichibei, who accepted it without hesitation. This was just like those scenes in plays, where someone entrusts their wife and children to another.

The father retired, and taking advantage of his remaining connections, or rather, influence, he entrusted his son to a powerful figure. Perhaps this would allow his family to make a comeback, or at the very least, ensure they could make a living.

No problem, that's how it should be.

Shichibei also attended the ceremony for the succession of the Ito family name and the transfer of the family headship, and gave the new head of the family, Ito Sojuro, a haircut.

Future tycoons like Kounike and Mitsui often inherited the same title across generations. It was less a name and more an honorary title representing the leader of the entire merchant family.

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.

In modern times, Ito Sojuro brought over two hundred yamen staff and more than one hundred shipwrights to join Kawamuraya. They lacked the ability to read the stars, understand navigation routes, and steer coastal navigators.

It's no wonder that Itoya went bankrupt. It's pitiful. Their most important business, the ship-making business, was completely wiped out because they lost most of the ship prows.

It will be very difficult to reorganize the business and revive Itoya.

Following the rules of business mergers, Ito Sojuro became the owner of Kawamuraya. If he truly succeeds, he can accumulate capital through annual dividends, train his own staff, rebuild his network, and establish prestige. Twenty years later, he might very well become a successful businessman.

If he fails to deliver, then the Ito-ya name will come to an end. He is essentially the last generation of Ito Sojuro; when his son comes out into the world again, he'll probably have to change the "Ito" in his name to something else.

Kawamura Nine Riders, now changed to Kawamura Ten Riders.

Inase Yoshinari and Ito Sojuro were very, very familiar with each other. Inase had spent seven years as a child laborer at Ito-ya and practically grew up alongside Ito Sojuro. The two were childhood friends, and now that Ito-ya had fallen on hard times and been acquired by Kawamura-ya, it was an unavoidable situation.

The two brothers hugged and comforted each other for a moment, but then they had to get back to work. After taking stock of all the assets, Shichibei gathered all the shipwrights for a roll call and re-entered them into the register.

After registering, Takigawa Kazumasu, accompanied by the man Nobunaga had designated, rushed to Kawamura-ya. He arrived precisely on time, knowing that Shichibei's annexation of Itō-ya would take some time.

Kuki Yoshitaka.

Yes, as expected, it was Kuki Yoshitaka. The Kuki family's territory in Shima was annexed by Kitabatake Tomokyo, and now he has come to join Nobunaga with the aim of reviving his family.

Originally, Nobunaga's attitude towards him was just so-so. However, due to Iwanari Tomomichi's massacre of Oda family merchant ships, Nobunaga realized that in addition to the Chita navy of his brother-in-law Saji family, he also needed to build a direct navy that was completely under his command.

Sooner or later, we'll have to cross the sea to attack the four kingdoms, and in the future, we'll have to attack Kyushu. We'll need a navy, and a powerful one at that. The few men and ships of the Chita navy alone will definitely not be able to handle it.

Before coming, Takigawa Kazumasu must have introduced Shichibei to Kuki Yoshitaka, knowing that Shichibei was already a high-ranking samurai with a stipend of 5,000 kan. The key point is that he is currently the sworn brother of Nobunaga in both Noo and O provinces, and is Nobunaga's top official in charge of industry and commerce, showing him exceptional favor.

He couldn't compare to those senior members whose stipends were already in the tens of thousands of kan, but he was Nobunaga's personal confidant, Shichibei. This favor, this confidant, was what mattered most in the feudal era.

Naturally, Kuki Yoshitaka kowtowed to Shichibei very smoothly. Before he finished, Shichibei told him that he didn't need to do so, as he was just working hard for Nobunaga.

Look at the Ito family. They worked their butts off for almost thirty years, and then one day sales stopped, so they immediately shut down. They handed over their entire business to someone else, not even allowing the employees to stay; they all had to be transferred.

Just like in the mid-to-late Azuchi-Momoyama period, when a feudal lord's possessions were confiscated, his middle and high-ranking hereditary officials might also be exiled along with him. The rest of his assets, from castles to ordinary foot soldiers, were all handed over to the lord who came to receive them.

Both Hideyoshi and the future Ieyasu demanded that the daimyo they received be able to immediately organize an army to fulfill the necessary feudal military obligations.

It's very cold-hearted; it's about the equality of rights and obligations.

Ask him, surely Kuki Yoshitaka didn't come to Nobunaga alone? If so, Nobunaga definitely wouldn't have valued him so much. After all, a simple naval commander could have been asked directly by the Saji family; there was no need to look outside.

Of course not. When Kuki Yoshitaka escaped from Shimahagi Castle, he had only a few hundred remaining soldiers. He also gathered a group of scattered soldiers and bandits to survive by robbing and looting ships in Kumano Beach.

Now we are joining forces with Nobunaga, firstly to rely on him to reclaim our old territories, and secondly because we can no longer support so many people and hope to gain his support.

A few small amounts of money don't matter; the key is the online army.

The once-renowned Kumano navy, renowned throughout the seas, is now reduced to a handful of men. But even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse, and Kuki Yoshitaka declared that as long as there were enough ships and provisions, he could recruit even a thousand men for Nobunaga.

Modern Japanese naval warships are primarily powered by oars, with sails as a secondary source of power. Regular ships and small boats are purely oar-powered. Oarsmen are easy to find; anyone with strength can be trained on board for a couple of months until they can row with combined effort. Those who engage in boarding combat are the real pirates.

On the other side of the world, in the Mediterranean Sea, the Barbary pirates of North Africa captured white slaves to row their boats. From that point onward, a hundred or two hundred years later, a white French woman in a Tunisian slave market was worth only ten or twenty livres.