Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

"I will come to visit again after I have informed my lord." Shichibei could not make such a promise to Ashikaga Yoshihide without authorization.

Even if Yi Rong doesn't attend in person, but only sends a representative, this is still an important political trend. This matter is of great importance and must be handled with caution.

"Waiting for good news." Ashikaga Yoshie had been through this before, so he was much calmer this time.

"At most four days, we will definitely report to the Imperial Palace." This matter cannot be delayed. The Imperial Court will not postpone the Daijosai just to wait for Ashikaga Yoshihide's representative.

From Gifu to Kyoto, a round trip by fast horse takes only three days, and the roads in Jiangnan are still relatively smooth. Rokkaku Yoshikata has been taken prisoner, and Enryaku-ji Temple on Mount Hiei has been completely destroyed. Only in Koga County might there still be some mountain people who are not subservient to the emperor. The plains along the Lake Biwa line have been largely pacified after several campaigns.

After leaving Risseiji Temple, Shichibei returned to Kawamuraya and wrote a letter, which he then sent to Kyoto by the Hikatsu gang. No one knows what Nobunaga is busy with in Kyoto; with so many things to do, when will it ever end?

Nobunaga was, of course, busy with important matters. Taking advantage of the lull before he fell out with Ashikaga Yoshiaki, he issued a decree to the Kono clan, the governor of Iyo Province, urging them to launch an attack on Sanuki Province to weaken the power of Shinohara Nagafusa and prevent him from having the resources to send troops to the Kinai region.

Furthermore, Kobayakawa Takakage of the Mori clan also seems intent on attacking the Kagawa clan of Sanuki (to avenge Shinohara Nagafusa's previous attack on Awaya Narikata in Bingo Province), a move Nobunaga approves of. Nobunaga replied to Kobayakawa Takakage, stating that he would even agree to grant him the title of Sanuki Governor if he could conquer Sanuki and eliminate the Kagawa clan.

In short, they were sending people everywhere to target Shinohara Nagafusa, making sure that Shinohara Nagafusa's main focus was tied up in Shikoku and that he couldn't actually send troops to fight in the Kinai region.

However, what Nobunaga did not know was that Shinohara Nagafusa's frequent conscription of Awa people to fight in the Kinai region, which yielded little benefit, had already caused dissatisfaction among the Awa people.

Many people secretly began to advise Shinohara Nagafusa's nominal lord, Miyoshi Nagaharu, that Shinohara Nagafusa and Miyoshi Nagaharu's mother, the most beautiful young general in the western country, were having an affair and indulging in debauchery in broad daylight.

Actually, this kind of thing wasn't unusual in Japan's Sengoku period. Miyoshi Nagaharu wouldn't have harbored any hatred towards Shinohara Nagafusa because of this. Ryuzoji Takanobu even married his mother to Nabeshima Naoshige's father; it was all to stabilize his family and gain support, which is completely understandable.

To take a closer look, didn't Endo Moritane, the lord of Kamihachiman Castle in Mino County, marry his mother to Nagai Michitoshi in order to maintain stability in the family?

Seeing that Miyoshi Nagaharu didn't seem to care, the people of Awa Province began to sow discord among him, vying for greater power within the province. Shinohara Nagafusa, true to his cleverness and known as the wise strategist of Awa, upon hearing these rumors, immediately shaved his head and went into seclusion, returning to his fiefdom of Sakura Castle.

Thus, this attempt to sow discord failed once again. Miyoshi Nagaharu was satisfied with Shinohara Nagafusa's knowing when to advance and retreat, and the two sides continued to maintain harmony.

However, there must be a "however".

If everything had to be logically consistent, it would be like a third-rate online novel; life and reality never follow logic. Shinohara Nagafusa, who abdicated in Kamisakura Castle, either got carried away with playing around with someone else's mother or drank too much, and actually made a blunder.

If I die, that little bastard Miyoshi Nagaharu definitely won't be able to hold onto Awa for five years!

Hey, Sanhao Changzhi is at the age where young people should be showing their talents. His rebellious phase is probably over, but hearing this kind of talk will definitely make him very unhappy.

If one had to pinpoint the logic behind this, it would be that after Miyoshi Nagaharu finished the Battle of Noda-Fukushima Castle, he returned to Awa. There wasn't much entertainment back then, so after a few days of rest, Miyoshi Nagaharu held a falconry hunt.

His falcon caught a wild duck, but perhaps because the duck was too big and Miyoshi Nagaharu's falcon wasn't strong enough, the two birds fought and fell. They landed in front of the house of the Awa samurai Yuri Gonnosuke, whose son, Wakamatsu, was terrified and picked up a stick, killing both the falcon and the duck with a single blow.

The Miyoshi samurai who had tracked them down tied Wakamatsu up and handed him over to Miyoshi Nagaharu for punishment. Logically speaking, in this kind of situation, you could just compensate Miyoshi Nagaharu with a falcon, or at worst, put him in solitary confinement or something.

But for some unknown reason, Miyoshi Nagaharu ordered that Wakamatsu be torn apart by five oxen (a form of torture). The news spread throughout Awa, and almost everyone felt that Miyoshi Nagaharu was far too cruel. Wakamatsu was a troubled child. The child was frightened, and the torture was brutal.

In the end, Shinohara Nagafusa's words reached the ears of Miyoshi Nagaharu, as well as his brother Hosokawa Saneyuki.

The political structure of Awa Province is like a series of overlapping houses. The governor of Awa is Hosokawa Saneyuki, but he is essentially a figurehead. The deputy governor of Awa is Miyoshi Nagaharu, but he is similarly a figurehead. The entire administration of Awa Province is controlled by Shinohara Nagafusa, the head of the Miyoshi family in Awa Province, with each layer of power being largely ineffective—a very typical Japanese approach.

Hosokawa Masayuki's father, Hosokawa Mochitaka, was poisoned to death by Miyoshi Yoshikata, the father of Miyoshi Nagaharu. He also took Masayuki's mother, Shikoku Junior General, and gave birth to Nagaharu. You can see how complicated the relationships are.

Hosokawa Saneyuki, who had long harbored resentment towards the Miyoshi family of Hatsu Province, began to instigate Miyoshi Nagaharu to kill Shinohara Nagafusa. The two were half-brothers, and Nagaharu gradually began to trust Hosokawa Saneyuki.

Aside from the matter of the Miyoshi family and Shinohara Nagafusa in Hatsunobu, Nobunaga was also busy communicating with the envoy sent by Ryuzoji Takanobu. Why? He hoped that Ryuzoji and the Mori clan would hurry up and poke at Ōtomo's ass.

In this way, Ōtomo would not have time to interfere in the national affairs of Tosa and Iyo, allowing the Kono clan of Iyo to devote their energy to attacking Sanuki and restraining the military power of the Miyoshi clan in Hōshū.

It's all interconnected, one thing after another. Even in such a small territory, they have to play the game of befriending distant states while attacking nearby ones, forming alliances and counter-alliances.

However, Ashikaga Yoshihide's desire to attend the Daijosai was indeed a significant matter. Nobunaga's reply came very quickly, containing only one clause: that Ashikaga Yoshihide was permitted to attend the Daijosai in person, if Yoshihide himself wished.

Good heavens, Shichibei, upon receiving the reply, truly sensed Nobunaga's intention to oppose Yoshiaki. This was no longer concealed; historically, Nobunaga would likely have issued the "Seventeen Articles of Dissent" to Yoshiaki around this time, completely severing ties with him.

"Alright, we're just minor figures, caught in the middle, simply following orders." Nobunaga's reply was relayed in its entirety to Ashikaga Yoshihide. Yoshihide, calm and composed, immediately announced his intention to hold the fort in Luoyang.

As a high-ranking official, he had 10,000 kan of money for retirement. By the way, although he claimed to be retiring, Ashikaga Yoshihide was actually only in his thirties. With that money, he supported two or three hundred retainers and attendants, but taking such a small number of people with him was not in keeping with the prestige of a high-ranking official.

Therefore, Ashikaga Yoshihide very bluntly asked Shichibei to lend him all of Kawamura's daggers and horses to bolster his reputation.

May I?

After a moment's hesitation, Shichibei confirmed that Nobunaga's reply truly intended to elevate Yoshihide's status, and thus agreed. He promised to send Kawamura's cavalry, dressed in full regalia, to Kyoto to attend the Daijosai (Great Thanksgiving Festival).

With Shichibei's consent, Yoshiei smiled and nodded, then immediately stood up and ordered his servants to pack their belongings and prepare to depart.

Shichibei could only gather the guest generals, who had just returned from the battlefield of Nosu River a few days ago, and tell them that he was escorting the former shogun, Ashikaga Yoshihide, to Kyoto to participate in the Daijosai. From Namae Sadaharu down, hundreds of people all showed joy.

Oh right!

It wasn't that these people didn't want to find new employers; it was that they couldn't. In a vast country like Japan, the number of daimyo and feudal lords capable of taking them in and providing them with commensurate positions could be counted on two hands. Therefore, Namie Sadaharu and his men had no choice but to obediently serve under Shichibei, looking for new employers as guest generals.

If Ashikaga Yoshihide were to be reinstated as Shogun of the Muromachi Shogunate, the Yamashiro estate would belong to him. Yoshihide would also have a large amount of toll revenue from the seven gates of Kyoto, as well as commercial contributions from businesses such as warehouses, sake shops, and oil mills in Kyoto.

With this money and land, they could easily support the hundreds of horsemen led by Nianjiang Dingchun.

If one could become a servant of the shogunate, not only would one's status and family prestige be greatly enhanced, but one could also become a high-ranking official in Kyoto, making one stand out from the crowd when going out.

Haha, Shichibei didn't try to dampen their spirits either.

The last time Ashikaga Yoshiaki successfully stormed Kyoto and reclaimed the manor in Yamashiro, it was because Oda Nobunaga intentionally ceded the throne. Now, if Yoshihide were to succeed him, he would certainly be confined to the Nijō Palace. Let alone directly controlling the manor lands and the army, he probably wouldn't even be able to meet with foreign daimyo.

You bunch of yakubura-ma do you think you can become servants of the shogunate? Wishful thinking.

Yi Rong might not even be as comfortable in Kyoto as he is now. He earns 10,000 kan a year, which is more than enough for food, drink, and entertainment; he can spend it all wherever he wants. But once he's in Kyoto, his expenses will be many times greater, plus the cost of repairs to the Forbidden City. He'll probably suffer financially while having to put on a show of wealth.

With a smirk to himself and an impassive expression, Shichibei finished giving instructions to Namiie Sadaharu and watched as they willingly escorted Ashikaga Yoshihide on his way to Kyoto.

We ourselves can't be idle either, let's start dealing with the hundreds of thousands of koku of autumn grain in the Nobi region this year. Nobunaga and many senior retainers are not here, so now Shichibei is really in charge of both income and finances, and he's handling both sets of accounts.

Large quantities of tribute rice were gathered at Tsushima, and then shipped from Tsushima to places like Anotsu and Sakai. Because Yamada Miyasu's Fukushima family was killed by Nobunaga, Ise Bay was calm and there was no need for Kuki Yoshitaka to escort them.

With Ataka Nobuyasu's flag flying over Osaka Bay, there was no fear of being robbed or plundered. The returning ships sailed daily to Sakai, bringing back a large sum of money for Shichibei.

Speaking of this, Shichibei also helped a group of people in Kita-Ise who were nominally still under the jurisdiction of Nagashima Ganshoji Temple to deal with the annual tribute rice.

As expected, with Nobunaga's pressure eased slightly, this group was already outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds. The Oki brothers didn't come; instead, they sent their younger brother, saying that Kawamura-ya was honest and trustworthy, and they hoped to cooperate with Kawamura-ya.

Chapter 248 The end of the year is tough, but we still have to get through it.

Oki Kaneyuki's younger brother, Oki Sakube, came to Tsushima, and Shichibei was also in Tsushima because of his position as the head of the annual tribute. What a coincidence! If they were in Gifu, they wouldn't have run into each other.

Seeing that Shichibei was all plump, Oki Sakube was amused, saying that Shichibei was living a very comfortable life and had even gained weight.

Sigh, is this fat? This is clearly stress-induced weight gain.

How are you two brothers doing? You've gone back to being village chiefs of three or five villages again. Aren't you happy? That's all the ambition you've got, tsk tsk tsk.

How could he not be happy about restoring his old territory? But when Ōki Sōbu talked about it, he still sighed deeply. Because he had a little secret with Shichibei, he didn't hide it from Shichibei.

The Nagashima Ganshoji Temple provided them with food, money, and weapons during their time as wanderers, for which they were very grateful. One thing at a time, converting to Jodo Shinshu (the True Sect) is not out of the question. Even leading the people of their territory to convert to Jodo Shinshu is negotiable.

I'll just serve the Nagashima Ganshoji Temple like this from now on, and maybe I'll just make do for the rest of my life.

However, in addition to recruiting these wealthy Chinese as disciples and believers of Jodo Shinshu, the Changdao Ganshoji Temple also wants to establish grassroots Jodo Shinshu organizations in their territory to "invite" or "lecture".

This greatly infringed upon the interests of these lords, causing them extreme dissatisfaction and even leading to several small-scale conflicts.

During the Warring States period, even the most powerful feudal lords and daimyo often only controlled up to the level of village chiefs. The power of the samurai family extended to the countryside, but not to the villages themselves. Villages had hidden fields, hidden cattle, horses, and able-bodied men; these actual figures were unknown to the daimyo or their appointed officials, except for the village chief himself.

However, once Ganshoji Temple establishes grassroots Jodo Shinshu organizations to "lecture" in various villages and hamlets throughout northern Ise, all the information about these grassroots organizations will be made public to Ganshoji Temple, leaving the lords with absolutely no room for maneuver.

Isn't this blatantly taking the lives of the lords?

The reason why the Ikko-ikki (Kuomintang) had such high mobilization power was naturally related to his establishment of Party branches in farmers' homes. In feudal times, such strong grassroots control was practically invincible.

They were truly invincible, which naturally made almost all the feudal lords in Japan wary of the spread of Jodo Shinshu within their territories. Nobunaga even served as the commander of three armies in a row, relentlessly attacking for a full ten years, determined to remove Jodo Shinshu as a thorn in their side.

The current goal of the Nagashima Ganshoji Temple is to replicate the successful example of the Kaga Earthly Buddhist Kingdom and rebuild it in northern Ise and Nagashima. The land has already been conquered, and the lords have all joined the Jodo Shinshu sect. The next step is to establish branches in farmers' homes.

Anxious!

Almost all the lords of northern Ise, including Ōki Kaneyoshi, were anxious; they were not about to give up. They were currently resisting the various actions of the Ganshōji Temple, and their reasons were quite valid: Oda Nobunaga was not currently engaged in any battles, but had plenty of troops to attack northern Ise.

If a sudden, comprehensive local grassroots organization building campaign arouses dissatisfaction among non-Jodo Shinshu believers and causes local unrest, how can they resist Oda Nobunaga?

Genshoji Shoichi was still shaken by the last time he was besieged by Sakuma Nobumori inside Nagashima Castle. Having clashed with the Oda clan several times, he had a good understanding of the Oda army's fighting strength. If Nobunaga were to launch a full-scale attack, Nagashima would truly be in a precarious position.

As a result, the two sides are now in a stalemate. If Nobunaga doesn't come to attack, these local lords probably won't be able to hold out against Ganshoji for long.

Once the construction of the temple, where everyone in the area was invited to speak independently, was completed, it would be difficult for Nobunaga to invade Nagashima again.

After listening to Oki Sōbu's explanation, Shichibei suddenly understood why Oda Nobunaga suffered two major defeats in his campaigns against Nagashima, and why, after his eventual victory, he ordered the massacre of 20,000 men and women.

It's estimated that by then, the Nagashima Ganshoji Temple had already completed the construction of some local grassroots organizations, exerted considerable control over the area, and essentially completed religious indoctrination. Even after capturing Nagashima Castle, Nobunaga was unable to rule the region.

Ultimately, Nobunaga chose the method of "preserving the land and eliminating the people," directly slaughtering all 20,000 men and women near Nagashima, thus physically eradicating the influence of Jodo Shinshu in the entire northern Ise region.

If everyone is released into the wild, one or two might not make a difference and won't cause much of a stir. But if tens of thousands of people are released, and Ishiyama Honganji sends two officials next year, it will immediately spark another massive Ikko-ikki uprising.

Perhaps the ruthless behavior is just an outward appearance, and the real reason is that one is forced to do so.

"So what does Oribe plan to do?" Ōki Kaneyuki called himself Oribe, which is why Shichibei addressed him that way.

"We can only take it one step at a time." Ōki Sōbu was no exceptional talent, and besides sighing, he was at a loss for what to do.

The Da Mu family are just village chiefs of three or five villages. They respect you because you are a Chinese lord, but they look down on you because you are nothing.

“That’s true…” Shichibei looked at Oki Sakube with great interest, and even clicked his tongue in amazement.

"Kawamura-dono?" Oki Sōbu's political acumen is practically zero; he's far less as shrewd as his brother, who navigated the turbulent times with such wit.

"I'll write you a letter; take it back to Oribe." Shichibei thought to himself that there was no point in talking to such a mortal, and it wouldn't be safe to say more. He'd rather get on good terms with his brother.

“Okay!” Upon hearing that it was just a small matter, Oki Sakube quickly agreed.

Shichibei demanded full payment for the rice his family sold on Tsushima, and not only that, but he also wanted two extra large gold coins. Shichibei secretly slipped one to Oki Sakube, saying, "Come back to me for this business next time."

Although Shichibei's hints were neither understood nor clear to Oki Sakube, the implications of the two large gold coins were perfectly clear to him. He was overjoyed as soon as he pocketed them. He declared that in the entire Norio-Ise Bay, there was no more trustworthy merchant than Kawamura-ya, and that business should naturally be done with Kawamura-ya.

Very good, I like what you said.

The two large gold coins were clearly not spent for nothing. Only four days later, while Shichibei was still dealing with the annual tribute rice being transported from Mino and Kana, Oki Kaneyoshi's reply arrived.

I knew it; Oki Kaneyuki does have some brains, better than his brother. He immediately understood Shichibei's implication, but he couldn't make any promises to Shichibei.

Even if Shichibei pleaded with Nobunaga on his behalf and guaranteed the safety of his former territory, he might not be able to provide Nobunaga with any assistance. Because in the battles of Honganji Temple, the monk soldiers fought as the core of the operation, often in coordination with the arquebusiers of the Saiga clan. Their advances and retreats were independent, and Honganji Temple would also send officials to command the battle.

These local lords of northern Ise were positioned on the left and right flanks. Since they wouldn't act alongside the main force of the Ganshoji clan, even if they defected, they wouldn't cause significant unrest.

Sigh, smart people just think too much.

Who told you to turn against us? Who knows what might happen when the door opens?

Don't rush things, hold off for now. We can contact each other privately when it comes to what needs to be done. For now, you should just resist the grassroots construction of Yuanzheng Temple. Since everyone is against it, we might as well make a scene and cause some internal strife.

If there's internal strife in northern Ise, Nobunaga will have time to kill Asakura Yoshikage. Asakura Yoshikage has been licking his wounds at Ichijodani Castle for half a year now; I wonder how he's faring with the enormous loss of six thousand men.

There's no need for frequent contact between the two sides; too much contact is ultimately detrimental. Even Yuanzheng Temple is setting up branches in farmers' homes. Frequent correspondence easily arouses suspicion; only exchange messages when there's something truly important.