Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Ryūō, who already had connections with the Takeda clan, had no other choice. Furthermore, Takeda Shingen had already achieved peace between the Kai and the Minister of State, obtained the imperial edict from Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and thus had a legitimate reason to march on Kyoto.

If we don't join the Takeda, when will we ever get another chance?

Assuming Takeda Shingen wanted to go to war with Oda Nobunaga, there were only two routes: the Tokaido and the Nakasendo. The Tokaido was easier to traverse, but it was blocked by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The Nakasendo was more difficult, but it was only fifty kilometers from Gifu Castle.

To facilitate the advance of tens of thousands of troops, a veteran general like Takeda Shingen would certainly choose the Tokaido route. However, the Nakasendo route could not be completely abandoned, and a subordinate general would be dispatched to attack.

When Tokugawa Ieyasu fought the Battle of Sekigahara, he also sent Hidetada along the Nakasendo Road. Ultimately, Hidetada, leading the main Tokugawa force of 30,000 men, claimed to have "lost his way" on the Nakasendo Road, causing him to miss his appointed time. However, many later generations believe that Tokugawa Ieyasu deliberately caused Hidetada to miss his appointed time to protect the main Tokugawa force.

In this way, even if the Tokugawa clan lost the Battle of Sekigahara, their main force would remain unscathed. As for those who died, they were all capable generals of the Toyotomi clan, so their deaths were a good thing.

Returning to Ryūshō, if Takeda Shingen wanted to send a lieutenant along the Chūzan Road, was there any better choice than Ryūshō?

It's impossible for it to happen again.

Even Akiyama Nobutomo, who conquered Iwamura Castle, only secured his position as lord of Iwamura Castle by marrying the widow of Toyama Kagetoshi and by agreeing not to kill Toyama Kagetoshi's heir, Nobunaga's fifth son, Bomaru.

But what if Ryūshō fights back? Ryūshō is the guardian of Mino, and it's only natural that the Iwamura Toyama family would submit to Ryūshō. Is there anything wrong with the people of the country submitting to the guardian?

To be fair, Takeda Shingen was overjoyed to learn that Ryūō had brought several hundred men to join him. He even left Yumura Onsen and returned to Tsutsuzaki-no-kan to personally welcome Ryūō and his party.

While it wasn't really about bestowing official titles or promising future rewards, Shingen at least provided food for Ryūō's group of several hundred people. Furthermore, Shingen gifted Ryūō a considerable amount of wealth, allowing him to recruit ronin and expand his forces.

It's hard to say when we'll be able to retake Meinong, but if we send Longxing to lead the vanguard in attacking Meinong, we'll need a certain number of troops.

Seeing Shingen's enthusiasm, Ryūō was pleased. Putting aside everything else, the Takeda clan was a genuine top-tier daimyo with a staggering 1.2 million koku of rice. Mobilizing 40,000 to 50,000 men would be a piece of cake.

Of course, this refers to fighting near home, a battle that could be completed within a month. The principle that the closer to home, the greater the mobilization capacity remains unchanged. For example, the defense of Changzhi City could muster 8,000 men because it was right at their doorstep; they could mobilize any available man.

However, if Shingen were to launch a distant expedition to Kyoto, the number of troops he could mobilize would likely be around 35,000. After all, northern Shinano needed to be defended, and he also had to consider the economic costs and secure adequate military supplies.

With 35,000 men marching on Kyoto, Nobunaga would have plenty of time to have a good time.

Moreover, it is well known that the soldiers are resilient and hard-working. As the saying goes, "bad people come from poor and remote places." Although Echigo is not poor, its natural environment is harsh, and those who survive are all strong and healthy.

In short, Ryūshō and Shingen have now reached a perfect agreement and officially entered their honeymoon period, becoming inseparable. The hundreds of retainers and followers of the Saitō clan have also found a good foothold again and are gradually recovering.

"Hmm..." After reading the secret report, Shichibei folded it up and stuffed it inside.

"Where's Sanbei?" After greeting his men and women, Shichibei got up and left to find Noda Sanbei.

Not long after, Noda Sanbei arrived, and the two sat down in a secret room. There was something he needed to do. Anyway, this wasn't the first time this kid had done this kind of work. Ever since he became the owner of Kawamuraya and obtained one of the thousand plants, Noda Sanbei had completely taken care of Kawamuraya's affairs.

They bribed several lower-ranking samurai of the Saito family.

While those who followed Saito Tatsuoki through thick and thin, from Inabayama to Kiyosu, to Nagashima, and to Kofu, should be relatively loyal, even people have their limits. It all comes down to how deep the hoe is dug and how diligently it's wielded.

When Kiyosu Castle fell, most of the families of these Saito samurai were captured alive by Oda's army. Few were executed; the Mino shukai remained an integral part of the core Mino group of the Oda clan, and thus held certain value in the Oda's efforts to consolidate power.

Therefore, most of the women in Oda's army ended up in forced marriages with lower-ranking samurai who had no families. They also usually brought along children. Nobunaga did not intend to sell these women into slavery or force them into mines or brothels.

Humans have emotions and desires. Since Kawamura-ya has already established himself in Tsutsuzaki-kan, let's take things slowly and see if Saito Takeshi is a bit weak or homesick. Send someone to make contact with them and offer to help them get their wives, daughters, and families out.

If that's not enough, then use the silver bullet tactic.

Ten strings of cash aren't enough for a hundred, and a hundred aren't enough for five hundred. We can use money to win people over to our side.

Winning over a few lower-ranking samurai from the Saito family, without expecting them to betray them or assassinate Long Xing if necessary, might be too difficult, given their unwavering loyalty to Long Xing.

It should be fine to send a message or two, like Longxing is going to march on Yancun City. After all, in war, once troops are mobilized, everyone knows who's going to fight.

As long as the message can be delivered, the investment will be worthwhile and even profitable.

After listening to Shichibei's explanation and request, Noda Sanbei understood. He felt even more at ease after Shichibei told him not to worry about the money and that he could throw in even a thousand kan (a unit of currency).

A thousand strings of cash to smash one person? That's enough to bury that person alive and still have some left over.

What kind of iron-willed man would remain unmoved by a thousand strings of cash? Besides, we still need to help him rescue his family.

"Get it done immediately, the sooner the better," Shichibei ordered.

"I understand," Noda Sanbei replied immediately.

He stood up and walked outside, opened the barrier door, and knocked on both sides. Naturally, no one was eavesdropping outside. This place was the secret room where Matsui Yukan taught Shichibei and Nobunaga the tea ceremony back then. Although it was still large, it was considered a secluded corner in Kawamura's house.

Nobunaga held several tea parties in Kyoto, juggling fighting and tea parties, keeping himself very busy. Shichibei, on the other hand, didn't have any tea parties to hold in Gifu, but he did attend a few.

Perhaps we should convert our home into a tea room, something narrow and small, perfect for secret plots.

In this day and age, tea parties, especially those among the samurai families, are a reflection of the era where important matters are discussed in small, secret meetings. If there's something that needs to be secretly discussed, a tea party is held, with three or five people crammed into a tiny room. There's no fear of being eavesdropped on, and they can "discuss things loudly."

Let's cover it up, it'll be convenient to use later.

Chapter 244 You're not worthy to replicate Nobunaga!

Where's Matsui Yukan, that old man? Come and build me a tea room.

When Oda Nobunaga went to Kyoto to fight, he usually brought Murai Sadakatsu and Takei Yuan with him. Murai was in charge of the imperial court, and Takei was in charge of temples and shrines. If he needed to do something else temporarily, he would call in other people.

For example, when it came to repairing the mansion, as mentioned earlier, Takigawa Kazumasu and Shimada Hidemitsu, who weren't busy, were called up. If it was about negotiating with a distant daimyo and needed to hold a proper tea party, Matsui Tomokazu would most likely be called up.

These old men or monks all had specific roles around Nobunaga; they weren't just doing things haphazardly and indiscriminately.

Someone was sent to Matsui Yukan's residence to inquire, and it was confirmed that the monk was indeed waiting in Gifu.

Come, the tea ceremony we are having now still emphasizes tranquility and elegance. Some, like Sen no Sōe, even insist on picking flowers on the day of the ceremony and carving their own bamboo or wooden tea spoon. This is unlike the more vulgar and luxurious, yet more widespread, tea ceremony that Hideyoshi later adopted.

Therefore, building a tea room doesn't cost much. You can even find a five- or eight-square-meter plot of land in your own courtyard and assemble one on-site.

This thing is completely disassembled. Later, a replica of the Golden Tea Room in Japan was to be sent out for exhibition, so it was disassembled, transported, and reassembled. Anyway, it only has a few parts, so it's very convenient.

Since they had nothing to do at home anyway, Matsui Yukan enthusiastically came to build a tea room for Shichibei. The two strolled around the Kawamura family's garden several times before choosing a location.

"Master, an order has arrived from Luoyang. The young master requests your presence on the city wall."

"Hmm?" What's up with Oda Nobunaga?

The news of Matsunaga Hisahide's defection has already been relayed back to Gifu through Kawamura-ya's branch in the Kinai region. As for other matters, Mori Yoshinari's deployment to Tamonyama Castle and Iwanari Tomomichi's entry into Kizu Castle are also known to be of interest.

"The servants inside the castle are waiting." Oh dear, Oda Nobutada is in a hurry, not even giving us time to prepare.

"Understood." Helpless, Shichibei could only apologize to Matsui Yuukan, saying that he couldn't finish it today, but he would come again tomorrow.

He rushed into the castle and saw that the Oda brothers, Nobutada and Nobumasa, were already seated. Kawajiri Hidetaka even nodded slightly to Shichibei. It was a case of "when the cat's away, the mice will play."

In Gifu, where there are no great generals, merchants take the lead.

Currently, within Gifu Castle, Shichibei has the greatest mobilization capacity. If trouble arises, who else can you turn to if not Shichibei? Receiving Nobunaga's urgent letter from Kawajiri Hidetaka, it wasn't anything earth-shattering; it was simply that Rokkaku Yoshikata, or rather Rokkaku Tsuyoshi, couldn't resist the urge to rebel again.

Logically speaking, since Asakura Yoshikage had already suffered a major defeat, his raising an army now was simply courting death.

But while we think this way, others may not. Due to the sudden defection of Miyoshi Yoshitsugu and Matsunaga Hisahide to the anti-Nobunaga alliance, and the capture of Kitakawachi by Yusa Nobunaga, Settsu experienced continuous turmoil.

Therefore, Nobunaga's situation in the Kinai region, especially in the Yamashiro area, was very bad. Rokkaku Yoshikata, who knew very well how Nobunaga had won a great victory at Anegawa, received some assistance. In addition to the few hundred people who still followed him, he also gathered a few hundred more, making a total of about 1,300 men. He set up a fortress in Yasugawa, south of the Yangtze River, in an attempt to cut off Nobunaga's retreat.

You, Nobunaga, were able to cut off Asakura Yoshikage's retreat and achieve a resounding victory. Can't I, Rokkaku Yoshikata, replicate that tactic?

Copying is possible, but Nobunaga wasn't bogged down by those scoundrels in the Kinai region. If Nobunaga were to turn back and retreat from Kyoto now, he would face a fierce pursuit from numerous enemy forces, and thus, he would undoubtedly die.

For now, Nobunaga is merely stationed in Kyoto, remotely controlling the war situation across the Kinai region, while simultaneously suppressing the restless Ashikaga Yoshiaki. Once he has won over all the retainers of the shogunate, he will return to Gifu.

Didn't we deploy Akechi Mitsuhide in Sakamoto? If something happens in Kyoto, we can react immediately.

All I can say is that Rokkaku Yoshikata was practically courting death. The main point is that his son was serving as a retainer of Ashikaga Yoshiaki and was protecting him within the shogunate.

So why did you call me here now?

I request that you, Lord Kawamura Shichibei Nagayoshi, lead 800 to 1000 men to defeat Rokkaku Yoshikata, preferably by killing him outright to prevent any further trouble. If you cannot kill him, you must at least capture him and send him to Kyoto; you cannot leave him in Jiangnan any longer.

Even if they remained in Jiangnan, the Rokkaku father and son would never give up. Given the slightest opportunity, they would certainly think of raising an army to revive the Sasaki Rokkaku clan and reclaim their throne as the rulers of Jiangnan.

I go?

I'm going to get it.

Aren't you afraid that I'll lose my team and directly destabilize the entire Jiangnan region?

It's not that I'm making excuses, but you should find someone else who can help you.

Clearly, those present had anticipated this, after all, wasn't there Kawajiri Hidetaka, a veteran of countless battles, sitting inside? The two children didn't understand, but Kawajiri Hidetaka did. The last time Shichibei participated in the battle was because Sakuma Nobumori was there; as the commander-in-chief, he was actually in charge of commanding the operation.

Sakuma Nobumori and Mori Yoshinari are currently mired in the quagmire of Yamato, and are on guard against the Tsutsui and Matsunaga clans. Oda Nobuhiro is also busy defending Kiyosu Castle against the Nagashima Ikko-ikki, so he can't leave.

So Nobunaga called in reinforcements for Shichibei, summoning Kuchiki Motonatsuna, one of the Takashima Seven Factions, and his son, Abe Sadayoshi and Abe Sadakata, senior retainers of Azai Nagamasa. These two would each bring several hundred men to bolster their forces; otherwise, why would only Shichibei bring eight hundred?

Putting everything else aside, didn't Nobunaga have any idea what Shichibei was like?

Shichibei and his eight hundred men were essentially acting as a "leader," conveying to the others that the Oda clan wasn't lacking in soldiers; they had soldiers wherever they could. As long as Kawamura's army went into battle, Shichibei wouldn't need to actually fight. Kuchiki Motonatsuna and Abe Sadayuki, seeing this, would be more than willing to work hard to kill Rokkaku Yoshikata.

These two men are all too familiar with the scene of Nobunaga slaying six thousand enemies at Anegawa a few months ago; it's still vivid in their minds. As long as the Oda clan doesn't show any signs of weakness, their efforts will absolutely exceed your imagination.

Ow...

Got it. We're just going to be Oda Nobunaga's puppet. A wooden and clay statue will do. The main thing is to borrow the Oda family's name; nothing else matters.

In addition, Nobunaga's main force, led by Sassa Narimasa, brought 100 of Nobunaga's followers to bolster their strength. They were not here to supervise the army, but mainly to serve as Shichibei's chief of staff and to actually command the troops.

You've already made all the arrangements, so why are you asking me what to do? Sigh, let's get to work then. Is Oda Nobumasa coming along? As Nobunaga's son, although his rank isn't high, in the eyes of the local powerful clans, he's Nobunaga's prized son.

Of course I'm going! I'm even bringing fifty people with me.

Let's go then. If we only need eight hundred men, we won't even need to mobilize the troops; a simple call from outside Gifu Castle will suffice. But what about Namie Sadaharu and the others? They were originally retainers of the Rokkaku clan; are they really going to fight Rokkaku now?

When asked, Nagawa Sadaharu and the others replied that they had "served the Emperor's grace" and that since the Emperor's grace had been exhausted, their service would cease. They were now Shichibei's guest generals; having received Shichibei's money, they were temporarily obliged to serve him.

The only requirement was that they not get their hands dirty with the blood of Rokkaku Yoshikata and Rokkaku Yoshiharu. After all, they were their former lords. Fighting each other was an unavoidable reality during the Warring States period, but killing their former lords with their own hands was against morality.

That was quite practical. Shichibei sighed to himself for a moment, then told everyone to pack up and set off.

No logistics are needed; they can just move into Nagako-ji Temple. Didn't Nakagawa Shigemasa replace Shibata Katsuie as the new resident? It'll probably only be a two-day battle, a matter of making a few rice balls.

In the end, Shichibei didn't even bring any infantry, only a cavalry force. In just over half a day, more than 600 men arrived at Chōkō-ji Temple. They brought along a few dozen grooms, postmen, and servants from Yokoyama and Chōkō-ji Temple, so the total number of men was easily over 700, though they claimed to be 800.

Rokkaku Yoshikata deployed his troops at Myōkō-ji Temple on the east side of the Nosu River, intending to intercept Oda Nobunaga along the river and cut off his retreat. Shichibei then ordered his troops to deploy at An'yō-ji Temple at the foot of Kageyama on the west side of the Hino River. It wasn't particularly dangerous; it was just a village battle, and all that was needed was to get there.

Within two days, generals such as Kuchiki Motonatsuna, Abe Sadayoshi, and Sasa Narimasa arrived at the Anyoji main camp. Unsurprisingly, they appointed Oda Nobumasa as commander-in-chief, Shichibei as deputy commander, and Sasa Narimasa as military commissioner, and began planning their attack on the Rokkaku army.

Oda Nobumasa and Shichibei remained silent, leaving all the arrangements to Sassa Narimasa. A commander who stands firm and unmoved during battle is truly composed and calm.

The two armies were separated by four or five villages. The Hunan Plain is flat, densely populated, and has many villages. However, once the army arrived, the people retreated into the mountains or went boating on the lake. Even those who remained were mostly elderly and could be largely ignored.

According to Sasa Narimasa's plan, his army now has over two thousand cavalry, well-trained and elite. At dawn, they will launch a major offensive. Kuchiki and Abi's troops will attack the left and right flanks, while Sasa Narimasa will personally lead the front. He anticipates that the ragtag army, arriving in disarray, will lack significant fighting strength and the battle can be resolved within half a day.

That's it?

I can do that too.

However, Shichibei couldn't personally lead a charge like Sassa Narimasa to tear open the Rokkaku army's defenses. The Kawamura family also lacked such a fierce general.