Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

To impersonate someone, you first need to be capable yourself, and secondly, you need to acknowledge that you are capable; both are indispensable.

Ieyasu pacified Mikawa Province, and since the person impersonating him was merely a member of the Tokugawa clan, the Imperial Court accepted the 300 kan (a unit of currency) without question. How did Yusa Nobukyo suddenly become Hatakeyama? Hatakeyama was a family of three Kanrei (a high-ranking military family), considered top-tier high-ranking samurai nobles in the Muromachi Shogunate.

It's impossible for him to claim the title of successor on his own.

Unless Ashikaga Yoshiaki or Oda Nobunaga express their approval, and then submit a memorial to the imperial court, the transfer from Fujiwara no Ujihidetoshi to the Minamoto clan will not be possible.

"My lord!" Matsunaga Hisahide said, and Shichibei immediately understood the implication.

Assuming Matsunaga Hisahide was instigated by Yusa Nobutaka, then who instigated Yusa Nobutaka? There aren't many people who would agree to let him inherit the Hatakeyama family.

It's either Yoshiaki and Nobunaga, or the Imperial Court, unless we include the Awa Kubo controlled by the Miyoshi Triumvirate and the Kuratani Kubo controlled by Asakura Yoshikage.

Ashikaga Yoshihide, the current head of the Awa Kubo clan, is still living off a stipend of 10,000 kan a year at the Risseiji Temple in Mino, essentially a parasite. Nobunaga supports him both as a backup for Ashikaga Yoshiaki and to prevent any further trouble from the Awa Kubo clan.

Kuratani Kubo? Sigh, that's ancient history. Their family and the Ashikaga main family's blood ties have long since faded; the era when both families shared a father was over a hundred years ago.

When the Miyoshi Triumvirate supported Ashikaga Yoshihide, some people said that Yoshihide's bloodline was not pure enough. Now, if Asakura Yoshikage were to support Ashikaga Tsugutomo, he could only rely on the power of history and time.

"He's really an impatient person..." Nobunaga had his own guess. Now all that was missing was a witness from Yusa who had converted to Christianity.

Once Yuza Shinkyo is arrested, the entire chain of evidence will be complete, detailed, and irrefutable. The only question is, where did that bastard Yuza Shinkyo escape to?

Yuza's faith naturally led him to join the Sanyo Sanjinzu (Three Good Men).

On one hand, Nobunaga issued an arrest warrant to Yusa Shinkyo, and on the other hand, he ordered Matsunaga Hisahide to atone for his crimes and to crush and eliminate the Tsutsui family as soon as possible in order to suppress the Yamato. After that, he led his troops to follow Nobunaga to conquer the disloyal.

"My lord, the Oda clan's conspiracy is becoming increasingly clear." Shichibei felt it was time to strengthen control over Ashikaga Yoshiaki; at this point, the Oda clan could not afford any further disruption.

"I know what I'm doing." Nobunaga's expression remained unchanged, but his tone was somewhat cold.

"Gifu really can't do without you, otherwise this 20,000 koku of dan would have been transferred to you." Shichibei, having received the reminder, was about to leave when Nobunaga suddenly said this.

"I am truly incapable of fighting, so I will bestow the title upon Saemon." Shichibei looked up and saw Sasa Narimasa guarding the gate for Nobunaga.

"Oh? Yozaemon?" Nobunaga glanced at Sasa Narimasa standing at the door.

It was obvious that Sassa Narimasa's hand, which was holding the spear, trembled slightly. He was still a member of the Moi-shu, and had not yet acquired a large territory or formed a substantial samurai retainer group. Although being a military officer in the Attendant's Secretariat was a good job, as he was constantly in front of his superiors and wielded considerable power, only by being sent out to gain real experience and knowledge could he possibly achieve merit and become the lord of a country or a castle.

"Exactly." Nobunaga certainly admired Sassa Narimasa, so it wouldn't hurt for Shichibei to step aside.

"Alright, you may leave." Nobunaga did not make a decision immediately.

As Shichibei reached the gates of the shogunate, Sasa Narimasa gave him a clearly emotional look. Regardless of whether the matter succeeded or not, Sasa Narimasa would still owe Shichibei a debt of gratitude.

To be honest, Shichibei had absolutely no desire for this kind of tacit agreement that offered no additional economic benefits. What he wanted were territories near Ōmachi towns, with their endless potential for development. Or, regions renowned for their local products, where Shichibei could organize large-scale handicraft production.

Why not use ordinary agricultural areas? It seems impossible to mobilize more troops that way. But where does Shichibei find the ability to conquer the world? Just understanding people's hearts is incredibly difficult.

Trying to outwit and outmaneuver those scoundrels in Kyoto would cost countless brain cells. And some ambitious individuals might be lured in by these empty shells, becoming their foes.

Working honestly and diligently, and eventually becoming a wealthy merchant in a rural village whose anger could shock all the feudal lords in the world, is quite appealing.

If they were to show more sincerity, they could exchange this Danxia Manor for Sakai Kita Manor as a reward for Shichibei; that would be more like it.

The most urgent task right now is to manage the Ikuno Silver Mine properly. Nobunaga is deeply mired in war and desperately needs a lot of money. Given his personality, he'll spend whatever he has, so Shichibei must ensure he gets enough. Only by providing a constant supply can he maintain his favor.

Using one's looks to please others is not a long-term strategy, but if one has sufficient ability, then it's like having a golden rice bowl.

Nobunaga handed over the mess at Takino Castle to Sakuma Nobumori, and by this time, the 5,000 reinforcements from Gifu Castle had arrived. Upon learning that everything was alright, everyone was relieved. But Nobunaga was far from relieved. He immediately ordered Niwa Nagahide to incite the Miyoshi Triumvirate to see if there was any way to bribe any of the Miyoshi generals to bring Yusa Nobutoshi to him.

Judging from the current classifications, Niwa Nagahide seems to be the general in charge of the Settsu and Izumi areas, so it's normal for him to be assigned this mission. Anyway, the mission objectives have already been issued; Nobunaga is just waiting to see the results.

Hosokawa Yoshimoto, the head of the Hosokawa Kanrei clan who was previously controlled by the Miyoshi Triumvirate, returned to Ashikaga Yoshiaki's side as a gesture of "sincerity" in the peace negotiations between Nobunaga and the Miyoshi Triumvirate. He was given the character "Akira" and renamed Hosokawa Akimoto. This would be a good opportunity for him to go with Niwa Nagahide to win over the generals of the Miyoshi Triumvirate.

By the way, Nobunaga's adopted daughter is currently being held hostage by the Miyoshi Triumvirate. However, this adopted daughter is Matsunaga Hisahide's daughter. Nobunaga probably had some reservations before, but now... haha.

Furthermore, Miyoshi Yasunaga, whom both sides could generally agree on as a "loyal and kind elder," came under the command of Miyoshi Yoshitsugu. After all, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu was the legitimate and publicly established head of the Miyoshi clan, recognized by the shogunate as the acting head of the Miyoshi family. It was not unreasonable for Miyoshi Yasunaga, as a senior retainer of the family, to be chosen as the intermediary.

This shows that although the Miyoshi Triumphs continued to fight persistently, they never completely shook Nobunaga's rule.

All sorts of forces that were originally united around the Miyoshi Triumvirate began to find ways to slip away. Whether it was Hosokawa Akimoto or Miyoshi Yasunaga, although they were still nominally friendly with the Miyoshi Triumvirate, they had actually found their own ways out.

Historically, Hosokawa Akimoto not only revived the Hosokawa Kanrei family but also obtained a fief of 50,000 koku in two districts. Miyoshi Yasunaga even received permission to freely acquire the entire Awa province and adopted Oda Nobutaka.

I told you, these scoundrels in the capital region, although their fighting skills are really mediocre, many of them have good judgment and unique insights and judgments about the current situation.

Those who can survive in chaotic times are no ordinary people.

Shichibei had nothing left to do in Takino Castle and Kyoto; political struggles were Nobunaga's business. Shichibei prepared to lead his cavalry back to Gifu for the New Year. Just before that, Niwa Nagahide came looking for him.

Nothing more than borrowing money.

To lure an enemy general, one must either exert pressure or offer incentives. Since Nobunaga currently has no power to leverage, and his main army is in Gifu, the only option left is to use incentives.

"Borrow money? My interest rates are high." Upon hearing that it was about borrowing money, Shichibei blurted out this instinctively.

If they're all doing microloans, how could the interest rates not be high? Private lending was very active in Japan's Sengoku period, and the Muromachi Shogunate granted Kyoto's Uchidokura (a type of treasury) a monopoly on business loans. Large temples and shrines often leveraged their substantial capital and large clientele to engage in lending activities.

"I'm not worried, I'm just worried about not having enough money." Niwa Nagahide seemed very carefree, not caring about interest at all.

"Oh..." Shichibei stopped in his tracks. So you don't care about interest, huh?

"This is official business!"

With just one sentence from Niwa Nagahide, Shichibei understood. These days, Shichibei wasn't the only one reporting extravagant expenses to Nobunaga; clearly, Niwa Nagahide had his hands and feet smeared with dirt as well.

Spending three to five thousand kan to pacify a general on the side of the Miyoshi Triumvirate is all it takes to successfully subdue him. He can then claim reimbursement from Nobunaga for everything. Nobunaga only cares about the result; he'll accept any expenses incurred during the process as long as they aren't excessive.

Nobunaga accepted it, so what was there to fear about interest?

Spend three thousand, get five thousand reported; spend five thousand, get eight thousand reported; spend eight thousand, get twelve thousand reported—it all depends on how bold you are. They say if a cook doesn't steal, the harvest won't be good. If someone handles such a huge project and doesn't even touch the oil, who's going to fight for Nobunaga?

"How much?" Shichibei, who already knew the answer, simply smiled at Niwa Nagahide.

"Three thousand first, cash only." Niwa Nagahide probably already had someone in mind, so he was in a hurry for cash.

"Let's go!" Shichibei mounted his horse and took Niwa Nagahide to the Kyoto branch.

The branch naturally had cash on hand; a mere three thousand kan was nothing to Shichibei, who would borrow it without batting an eye. The loan agreement was drawn up, and Niwa Nagahide signed it. Whether it was gold, silver, or cash, the three thousand kan was available immediately.

Niwa Nagahide, who repeatedly praised Shichibei's abilities, didn't hold back, demanding half in silver and half in money. The silver was probably meant to bribe the general, while the money was to pave the way.

Collateral? No collateral.

All thanks to Niwa Nagahide's old face, just like our cheap father-in-law Oda Nobuhiro, we'll borrow first and talk later. We'll discuss it again after the annual tribute rice is collected from our territory next year. If we can't repay the debt, we'll pay the interest first. We're all from the same Owari family, and Shichibei won't go through the trouble of compounding interest with them.

Watching Niwa Nagahide's retainers carrying money from the cash register, the head of the Kyoto branch, Munekotaro, asked Shichibei, "Why are you starting to lend money to the important retainers of the Oda clan?"

Lending money to Nobunaga was the price Nobunaga paid for delegating all power related to commerce and handicrafts to Shichibei. As for officials and merchants, they had to act as their lord's wallets when necessary.

So, how about lending money to high-ranking officials?

Market penetration into lower-tier cities.

Hahaha, it's not surprising that Shichibei, who originally only served a single client, is now expanding his market and lending to other medium-sized clients with financial strength.

Now that our capital is more abundant, it's pointless for us to keep the money in our own hands. It's better to lend it out to these second-tier clients with some financial strength. Anyway, Niwa Nagahide has tens of thousands of kan of territory to manage, so we're not worried about him defaulting on his debts.

If history hadn't changed, he would have become a powerful daimyo with 1.2 million koku of rice. He could have easily repaid 30,000 kan, let alone 3,000.

In the past two years, Oda's retainers have been engaged in numerous wars, with heavy military service and enormous expenses. Even Niwa Nagahide, who was good at managing finances, has been driven into poverty and has to start taking out loans to work, so the other samurai must be in no better shape.

They have the knowledge and skills to earn a salary, and as long as crops are growing in their fields, they have the ability to pay interest. If we lend them money, it saves them the trouble of going to others. We all come from Owari Province; why let such a lucrative opportunity flow into someone else's field?

It's all money no matter who you borrow from, and Shichibei's interest rate is even lower than outside.

Moreover, this line of work is actually a good business that maintains cash flow and increases profit margins, provided that there are few bad debts. But how could Shichibei possibly have bad debts when he lends money to his colleagues? After all, we have to let Nobunaga spend our money freely.

Chapter 222 A Swarm of People Coming to Open the Gates

Everyone knew perfectly well that Shichibei was Oda Nobunaga's moneybags. They were both Nobunaga's retainers, but while the others fought for Nobunaga in armor and swords, Shichibei fought for Nobunaga using his abacus skills; the skills they sold were different.

Since it's all about goods and Nobunaga anyway, how could there be any difference in their literary or martial skills? Of course, being able to make money and spend it on Nobunaga is also a skill.

As long as you understand, you're not afraid of them defaulting on their debts.

Of course, this only applies to high-ranking samurai with salaries of several thousand or tens of thousands of kan. Those with salaries of only a few dozen kan or a hundred or so koku still face risks. After all, their sunk costs are not very high, and they could probably earn a similar living by becoming a daimyo. They might just decide to quit and run away.

Therefore, we should proceed with business in an orderly manner and not expand too much at once. As for those disciples and lower-level disciples, let them borrow money from the granaries or temples.

If all else fails, they can always borrow from their lord. In the Edo period, it was common for feudal lords to borrow money from the shogun, and for samurai to receive advances on their stipends from their lords.

Aside from the matter of Niwa Nagahide, Shichibei had no other important business and was finally able to return to Gifu. This trip was really inexplicable; thankfully it hadn't snowed yet, otherwise it would have been a real ordeal.

Nobunaga seems to be preparing to handle a batch of lawsuits in Kyoto to avoid the hassle of sending them to Gifu later. Only after Yoshiaki signs and Nobunaga stamps the document will the shogunate's official letter be considered legitimate. Especially during such turbulent times, it's crucial to clearly demonstrate Oda Nobunaga's status as a powerful samurai within the shogunate. He will likely retire to Gifu once he has finished dealing with the lawsuits and the matter of the Yusa Shinkyo.

The Jiangzhou troops, hastily assembled, returned with Shichibei; assembling so many troops without a battle was pointless. Nobunaga also needed to give them some reward money; suddenly pulling people out like this, without giving a couple away, might cause resentment among some.

As usual, the government office in Jiangnan, Usayama Castle, was dissolved at this time. Mori Yoshinari was quite happy to learn that Nobunaga was unharmed and that Sakuma Nobumori was also alive and kicking. He was truly Nobunaga's good friend, always worried that the Oda clan might be in trouble.

However, he didn't borrow money from Shichibei, probably because the news hadn't spread yet.

Or perhaps he wasn't as thick-skinned as Niwa Nagahide. Niwa Nagahide considered himself to have some standing in the Oda clan and some connections with Shichibei, which is why he felt comfortable speaking up.

"What is the situation in the Kinai region?" As soon as Shichibei arrived in Gifu, Oda Kyokumaru and Lady Nohime summoned him for questioning.

Before he could answer, Shichibei noticed Kawajiri Hidetaka sitting to Oda Mystic Maru's left. "Great," he thought, "Kawajiri Hidetaka has indeed become Oda Mystic Maru's tutor. If history were different, Kawajiri Hidetaka would definitely be the chief retainer of the Oda clan."

Although Kai Province's territory is somewhat small, incomparable to the other vassals with a combined koku of rice, the close relationship established so far cannot be measured in koku.

"After his defeat at Yusa Kawachi, he fled to the Settsu-Nakajima region and joined the Miyoshi bandits. Otherwise, he is fine." Shichibei glanced at Kawajiri Hidetaka.

"It's good that nothing's wrong, it's good that nothing's wrong." Oda Myojin and Lady Nohime said in unison. They were definitely hoping that Nobunaga would be fine and continue his carefree life in Gifu.

"There is also good news: the princess who married Hatakeyama Kingo is pregnant." Shichibei only learned this after seeing Hatakeyama Akitaka at Takino Castle.

When Hatakeyama Akitaka reported the good news to Nobunaga, it meant that a son had been born and would definitely be made the legitimate heir. At that time, the Hatakeyama family, one of the three Kanrei families, would also be considered a relative of the Oda family.

However, this reminded Shichibei of that bright and cheerful girl who said she was familiar with the young general and asked Shichibei if he wanted to know the young general's name.

That youthful beauty, tsk...

He should punish himself by going home and copying "Do not do anything improper" a hundred times! How could he have designs on someone else's wife? This is no joke. A few words of verbal sparring are one thing, but to actually cheat on someone is truly despicable.

"I wonder if it's a boy or a girl." Oda Mystic Maru was quite happy; he was only ten years old and was already going to be a maternal uncle.

If it's a boy, he'll most likely be a key figure in his future rule of Japan. Born into a prestigious family and related by blood, if he's intelligent or has fighting skills, he'll definitely be a core member of the second generation.

"It must be the legitimate son!" Shichibei naturally said, going along with what sounded good.

"How did Lord Tange handle it?" Seeing Oda Kyokumaru talking about such trivial matters, Kawajiri Hidetaka chimed in.

"Five thousand koku will be granted to Kuki Shima-no-kami, and the remainder will be temporarily stored in the shogunate and placed under the care of Hatakeyama Kingo." Shichibei omitted the fact that Nobunaga wanted to grant him the title and that he had recommended Sassa Narimasa; it was better not to spread this information.

“Kuki Shima-no-kami…hmm…” Oda Mysterious Maru began to ponder his father’s intentions. This was something he, as the young lord, should consider. Not bad, he could be trained.

After waiting a while longer inside the city and exchanging pleasantries, the matter was finally concluded. Oda Kyokumaru even went so far as to escort Shichibei all the way to the gate. Even if he was the young lord, taking Oda Nobunaga as the standard, he was still a subject. The Oda family had a history of brotherly love and filial piety; even without the highest position, they were still, in effect, subjects of the same court.