Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Nobunaga also secretly sold various gifts that others had contributed to him or given to him. For example, on one occasion, Nobunaga received more than fifty falcons. Apart from giving them away as rewards, he had Shichibei secretly dispose of the rest.

These things are difficult to handle; they're all valuable items, worth a fortune, not counting the furry ones. One wrong move and they could die, and that would mean a huge loss of money.

Hey, there's a falconer named Honda Masanobu in Mikawa. Who's at this spot?

I don't remember, forget it. Let's get back to the matter of Tsushima. After forcibly severing the connection between northern Ise and Nagashima, Nobunaga began his next move. He prepared to mobilize troops from Owari and Mino to cut off one of Nagashima's flanks. In other words, as Oda Nobuhiro said, "Whatever spies we have prepared can be used."

If you take down Kita-Ise, which can provide Nagashima with all sorts of resources and troops, then Nagashima will truly be nothing but a pile of bones in a tomb. No matter how magnificent the castle or how high the morale, without food, it's all for nothing.

It's impossible for Buddha to conjure rice and weapons out of thin air for Ganshoji Temple. If Buddha really had that ability, Nobunaga would definitely be a follower of Jodo Shinshu by now.

As for your question about why Ishiyama Honganji Temple isn't coming to the rescue? Why isn't it coming to the rescue?

Help! The monk Kennyo of Ishiyama Honganji Temple has dispatched the Kawanabe Saemon-no-daifu. The Kawanabe clan, which originally included the Enyama, Yagi, and Terauchi clans, organized the Ikko-ikki in Omi Province and fought against Nobunaga. Later, they were defeated by the Oda army, who captured over six hundred men.

Furthermore, with the road to Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple cut off, Saemon Hidemasa from the Kawabata side led approximately 1,200 cavalrymen into northern Ise and stationed them at Shimo-ji Temple in Kuwana District, serving as an external support for Nagashima Gansho-ji Temple and establishing a pincer movement.

As for Ishiyama-Osaka Castle itself? They still hired the Saiga and Kishu gentry, managing to get them to participate in support and combat. Although the Jodo Shinshu forces in Hokuriku and Nagashima were considered "in-ke" or "ichi-shu" of the Honganji Temple, that is, the first-generation members of samurai families, the relationship between the Kaga-Kanazawa and Nagashima branches and the Ishiyama-Osaka Honganji Temple was actually within three generations of blood ties.

They live far apart and are not blood relatives. As for their relationship, you all should have your own understanding.

They even sent reinforcements and provided money, which is actually quite generous. In Japan's Sengoku period, an era of mutual betrayal and treachery, Ishiyama Honganji Temple had done quite a few favors for Nagashima Ganshoji Temple.

"Boss." Shichibei was sitting in the Tsushima River Village shop, calculating how much to pay the navy under Kazushige Saji, when someone lifted the curtain and came in.

"Sanbei." You can tell who it is just by the voice. Sanbei is one of our good lackeys, and he's quite capable.

"There was a reply." Noda Sanbei went to Kai to deliver a safe delivery kit to Midori, and that trip took quite a while. Nobunaga had already beaten up all the people of northern Ise Province.

Upon hearing there was a reply, Shichibei immediately opened it to read. Midori's reply was still a long, rambling mess. Anyway, it was free for Kawamura-ya's own people to deliver messages; it was all done by the Flying Kick gang employed by the shop. If it were a telegram in some other era, given Midori's writing ability, who knows how much money it would have cost.

First, she mentioned that the wheat in Jumo County was ripe, and the freshly milled wheat flour was delicious for making knife-cut noodles. Her mother-in-law even taught her how to make knife-cut noodles, saying that since she was pregnant with Yamagata Masaharu's child, she needed to eat more to replenish her strength and energy so that she could give birth to a legitimate son for the Yamagata family.

Sigh, if it weren't for the desire to get some information out of her, Shichibei really wouldn't have bothered reading his sister's reply word by word.

After finishing the knife-cut noodles, she mentioned that the mountains of Kai were not hot, and there were grapes to eat. However, most of them were wild grapes, small and sour, but she had been craving sour food lately, so her husband, Masamitsu Yamagata, sent someone to bring back a lot of grapes.

It's said that these are wild grapes picked at the border of Okumi River, and it takes a whole day and night to get them to Kai.

Okumikawa!

That's great. Although my sister is a chatterbox, it wasn't for nothing that I looked after her; we've obtained some very important military intelligence. As the eldest son of the Yamagata family, Yamagata Masamitsu will definitely be leading the army alongside Yamagata Masakage.

In other words, Yamagata Masakage is very likely currently located near Oku-Mikawa. Mikawa Province was never unified by Tokugawa Ieyasu until Oda Nobunaga's death.

Mizuno Nobumoto, the lord of Kariya Castle, had long served Nobunaga, while the people of Okumikawa, including the Okudaira clan, wavered between the Takeda and Tokugawa factions.

If the Takeda army were to reach Okumikawa, they could easily establish a foothold there and obtain a certain amount of supplies. They might even receive troop support.

Especially now that Takeda Shingen is still alive, the Tiger of Kai's reputation still holds some sway in the eastern provinces, and many locals in Oku-Mikawa are willing to follow Takeda Shingen into battle.

Is it just that Yamagata Masakage travels along the Sanhe line?

"I don't quite understand, but this is important information." Shichibei offered a few words of comfort to Noda Sanbei and then asked him what he and Midori had talked about. Noda Sanbei thought for a moment and gave a general account, which was in the same direction as Okumikawa that Midori had mentioned in her letter.

The Oku-Mikawa region is actually quite large. Nagashino Setarahara is one of the most famous locations in the history of Japan's Sengoku period. This place is now the site of Shinjo City in Aichi Prefecture. If you look at a map, you can see that Nagashino Castle, which is located within the Oku-Mikawa region, is next to Toyokawa. The land behind it can be said to be the territory of the Takeda clan.

In other words, roughly one-third of the eastern and northern parts of Mikawa Province were under the control of the Takeda clan. However, this area consisted mostly of mountains and valleys with low elevations, which is why it didn't have a significant impact.

If one were to draw a map of Tokugawa Ieyasu's territory based on the power divisions at that time, one would find that Ieyasu's domain was pitifully small; Mikawa was only about half of his territory, and Totomi was not even a complete part of it. Although he was called the governor of two provinces, his territory was so small it was almost heartbreaking.

Of course, the Takeda clan's rule over Okumikawa was merely that of a "dual-vassal state." To be fair, the current heir to Iwamura Castle, Oda Nobunaga's son, Bōmaru, was still a retainer of Takeda Shingen. Since the Iwamura Toyama clan was also a dual-vassal state, Takeda Shingen had the right to demand their military participation.

He hurriedly ran to inform Nobunaga, who was gathering the Mino troops. Because he estimated that the Tokaido was the main route for Takeda Shingen's attack on the Oda clan, Nobunaga did not plan to send Mizuno Nobumoto, Hayashi Hidesada, Hirate Hirohide, and others, but instead called for the Mino Triumvirate and other Mino soldiers.

If a war were to break out, Owari Province would have sufficient troops. They could find a fortified castle, fortify it, and hold out until Nobunaga's army arrived. It would only take a few days to hold out, and Nobunaga would be able to reach the front lines within those days.

In just a short while, the Mino troops who had slowly made their way to Tsushima had exceeded eight thousand men. Adding to this the five thousand of Nobunaga's main force and the five thousand of Oda Nobuhiro's forces already stationed on Tsushima, they now had the resources to invade northern Ise.

Nobunaga still felt it wasn't enough, but instead of sending Shichibei out again, he transferred another 3,000 of his regular troops from Gifu Castle. The Mino forces were also still being recruited. The Maruge, Ichihashi, Sato, and Endo families all had to come; Nobunaga was determined to completely reclaim northern Ise in this wave.

"My lord."

He spoke loudly, stopping Nobunaga. Nobunaga turned around and saw it was Shichibei. Nobunaga asked Shichibei what was wrong. He replied that Shichibei was busy and that if it wasn't a big deal, he shouldn't report it and should decide for himself.

This is a major event, no matter how small. The whereabouts of Yamagata Masakage, a senior general and member of the Takeda clan's inner circle, have been clearly ascertained. He is a general capable of mobilizing and commanding over five thousand men; even within the Oda clan, few possess such mobilization power.

Seeing that Shichibei seemed to have something important to do, Nobunaga waved his hand, dismissing the two right-hand scribes who were taking notes. Once everyone was clear, Shichibei then reported to Nobunaga about Midori's letter and what Noda Sanbei had found out.

Upon hearing this, Nobunaga also began to carefully read Midori's reply, word by word. When he saw Shichibei circling the words "Oku-Mikawa," Nobunaga read the entire text several times over.

“Oku-Mikawa…” Nobunaga handed the letter back to Shichibei, lost in thought.

After Ieyasu moved to Hamamatsu Castle, the Tokugawa clan inevitably saw the emergence of the Mikawa faction, led by Nobuyasu, and the Totomi faction, led by Ieyasu. Historically, the close retainers of Ieyasu and Hidetada eventually formed two factions, fighting each other and causing countless deaths.

Okubo Nagayasu's entire family was executed, and Okubo Tadahina's misstep led to the direct reduction of his domain's power. Later, Honda Masazumi was convicted of treason due to the Utsunomiya fishing incident, resulting in the reduction of his domain's power and the confiscation of his property.

In fact, the same was true between Hidetada and the third generation of Iemitsu. Hidetada sent Aoyama Tadatoshi, a senior retainer to Iemitsu, to be punished and stripped of his domain as soon as Iemitsu gained some power and Hidetada abdicated.

It is said that Tokugawa Iemitsu pointed his finger at him and berated him, saying that Aoyama Tadatoshi had no manners as a subject and had offended him many times, to the point of clinging to Tokugawa Iemitsu's thigh.

Whether true or not, Aoyama Tadatoshi was stripped of his entire 55,000 koku and repeatedly exiled, moving back and forth between various places of exile and seclusion. Perhaps Tokugawa Iemitsu also learned from the Song Dynasty's methods of torturing political enemies to death, constantly reassigning them. However, Aoyama Tadatoshi was very resilient; although he was driven around by Iemitsu, he still lived for twenty years after the reduction of the feudal domains.

Now, Tokugawa Nobuyasu is defending Okazaki, and Ieyasu is defending Hamamatsu, effectively splitting the Tokugawa retainers into two groups. If Yamagata Masakage attacks Okazaki and Takeda Shingen attacks Hamamatsu, and if Takeda Shingen successfully defeats Ieyasu, the Mikawa lords will certainly waver, and under Yamagata Masakage's threat, they might even ally with the Takeda clan.

This is not surprising at all; it was just a normal part of life during Japan's Sengoku period.

What's so bad about a son selling his father? A son even betrays his father!

"Please make your decision." Shichibei was content with just getting the intelligence in place; how to fight was Nobunaga's business.

Nobunaga's grasp of military opportunity was among the best in Japan's Sengoku period. In the early stages, he repeatedly won against stronger opponents; in the mid-period, he skillfully maneuvered between encirclement and suppression, combining this with powerful military offensives to break through enemy lines multiple times. And in the later stages? He no longer needed to personally lead the troops; he had already established an overwhelming dominance over all of Japan.

"I understand." Nobunaga probably needed to think about it some more.

"Your subject takes his leave." Shichibei didn't have any good ideas on this matter. Shingen wouldn't give up attacking Oda unless he clashed head-on with Takeda.

"Yes." Nobunaga simply nodded.

It's common knowledge that Nobunaga can muster 50,000 men. Now, Nobunaga must immediately take over northern Ise. After that, he only needs to send Kuki Yoshitaka and Saji Kazunari's navy to besiege Nagashima. The traitor who is defending Nagashima will no longer need a siege of tens of thousands of troops.

We must act quickly, and annihilate northern Ise before Takeda Shingen begins his advance. That way, when the Takeda army returns, Nobunaga will have 50,000 troops firmly in his grasp.

With 50,000 men, what is Nobunaga afraid of?

Shingen's entire empire was mobilized, and only on a non-expedition could he muster around 50,000 men. Now, on an expedition to the Tokaido, 30,000 would be the most he could muster. He would also have to send troops to Mikawa, most likely resulting in 25,000 men facing off against Nobunaga's 50,000.

With such a large numerical advantage, and Nobunaga's main force also having two thousand arquebuses, he surely has a chance against these mountain monkeys of Kai.

Chapter 264 New Promises in Tsuruga

Even though it was summer and not a suitable time to wage war, Nobunaga still mobilized 30,000 men to attack northern Ise in order to save time and eliminate the land threat posed by Nagashima Ganshoji before Takeda Shingen could launch his attack.

This is the second campaign against Nagashima, with a clear objective: to restore northern Ise and launch a full-scale siege of Nagashima.

In fact, the people of northern Ise Province had already been mobilized. Didn't they previously organize a naval assault to transport food and weapons into Nagashima Castle to assist in its defense? Now, it's simply a more comprehensive mobilization to meet Nobunaga's 30,000-strong army.

The magistrate Shimoma Yoritan became the commander-in-chief and took actual command. Kawana Saemon, along with some monks and Saiga troops, formed the left wing, while Shimoma Yoritanari commanded the Ikko-ikki troops to form the right wing.

Although the strategy of establishing branches in farmers' homes was not fully implemented due to resistance from the people of northern Ise, at least some of the smaller vassal states couldn't resist, which allowed Ganshoji to succeed. Once it was successful, with religious indoctrination, massive mobilization, and core vassal warriors, the number of Ikko-ikki uprisings that would erupt would be enormous.

Even though it was just in Kita-Ise, he still managed to muster an army of 30,000 men. If in history only Takigawa Kazumasu of Kita-Ise had been able to muster more than 30,000 men, they could have easily crushed Hideyoshi's kidneys during the Battle of Shizugatake.

As soon as Nobunaga entered Kuwana District, the Ikko-ikki (Kuyokui) troops came to greet him. The feudal army, indoctrinated by religion, did indeed have a morale boost. More importantly, besides their sheer numbers, they had absorbed people from northern Ise Province and also possessed the support of the Saiga arquebusiers, resulting in a back-and-forth battle.

The Ikki (Ikki) had several hundred arquebuses of their own, plus several hundred arquebuses from the Saiga (Saiga) forces, providing them with support for both offense and defense. Moreover, many of the believers who chanted Amitabha Buddha's name were fearless and charged into battle at the cost of their lives.

They even forced back the Mino Triumvirate, the vanguard of Oda's army, and pointed at Nobunaga's main force, attempting to rush to Nobunaga's side to capture his generals and flag.

Stalemate.

Good, a stalemate is good. Shichibei, who was sitting in one of the front rows of the Nobunaga main camp shogunate, finally had his chance to shine. Although Shichibei was not good at fighting, he had made preparations beforehand.

Oda Nobuhiro, who presided over the military council, directly named Shichibei, asking if he could successfully persuade him to defect on the eve of battle, thus disrupting the enemy's formation. If he was willing to defect, his territory would be secure, and his gold would be plentiful. He might even be able to increase his rank by 10,000 or 20,000 koku.

Of course, Ōki Kaneyoshi has long been dissatisfied with Ganshōji's plan to establish a "kō" (teaching hall) within his territory. All that's lacking now is an opportunity and a promise.

So what exactly are the conditions offered?

Nobunaga, seated in the center, followed his brother's advice and received an additional 10,000 koku of rice as a reward, plus 1,500 kan. This was a very high price; if it weren't for the need for a swift victory, Nobunaga could have easily continued his campaign against the Ikko-ikki. But now, there was no other option; pacifying northern Ise was the priority.

The letter was written on the spot, with Nobunaga signing it, and Nobuhiro and Shichibei also signing it as guarantors. It was folded, sealed in an envelope, and delivered to Ōki Kaneyoshi that very night by the Human Path.

The next morning, Ōki Sōbu appeared at Nobunaga's main camp, serving both as a hostage and a messenger. His plan was that if Nobunaga's main force fired large arquebuses at Ōki Kaneyoshi's position in Shimoma Raitai, Ōki would defect. Nobunaga would then be asked to launch a fierce attack on Shimoma Raitai's front to coordinate the battle.

Simple or not? When it comes to real warfare, strategies become incredibly straightforward. There's no need for any fancy maneuvering; they just go straight for the kill. Success or failure hinges entirely on that single burst of fire.

Surprisingly, Nobunaga approved of the suggestion from Ōki Sōbu, and even asked Ōki Kaneyoshi what he used to do and why he was so low-key and unknown.

He even turned to his mother, Nambu Tadaki, and asked, "When Ise invaded back then, I didn't hear you mention a powerful clan called Ōki."

Sigh, everyone says that Ōki Ken'yō is just a powerful clan from a few villages, about the same level as the Nambu Tadami family. Besides, they ran away so fast, they were gone before I even got a chance to introduce them.

To lead troops into battle again.

This battle was very much in the style of Japan's Sengoku period. First, the two armies clashed fiercely, their forces evenly matched. As the battle intensified, Nobunaga's arquebusier, Sasa Narimasa, led his troops to bombard Shimoma Yoridan's main force with large arquebuses. The thunderous roar of the arquebuses momentarily drowned out the nearby sounds of battle, instantly killing several Ikko-ikki members charging at the front.

Upon hearing the sound of the cannon, Ōki Kaneyoshi displayed his characteristic Sengoku spirit, declaring on the spot that Lord Nobunaga was the true lord. "A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on, and a good minister chooses a good lord to serve. Now, Genshōji Shōji is weak and ignorant of military affairs. If we continue to serve him, we will die without a burial place. It would be better to turn around and serve Lord Nobunaga."

After shouting the order, he led his brothers and fellow villagers, along with a few minor noble families he had already discussed with, in a rebellion. They were willing to rebel because they had personally witnessed Nobunaga's document regarding the security of his territory and the additional 10,000 koku. They thought that even if this rebellion failed, they could simply follow Ōki Kaneyoshi; 10,000 koku would be enough to settle their entire families.

Oki Kaneyoshi, whose force numbered only seven or eight hundred, betrayed the cause and launched a direct attack on Shimoma Raita's main force. Shimoma Raita was terrified, and news of his impending death spread throughout the camp. The Ikko-ikki, who had been able to hold their own against the Oda army at the front, suddenly wavered. After all, they had never met the Buddha, but they had met the magistrate Shimoma Raita.

Lai Dan, the Buddha's preacher in the human world, is dead. What about the Buddha? Why doesn't the Buddha come to his rescue?

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Oda's army also launched a major offensive, especially the two generals Takigawa Kazumasu and Nagano Nobukatsu, who were the most valiant. In the ensuing fierce battle, they immediately crushed the wavering Ikko-ikki forces in front of them.

As expected, the subsequent battle unfolded as follows: first, the magistrate of the Kawa region, Hidemasa Saemon, was defeated by a samurai from the Mino tribe named Kazusaizaki, who was eager for merit. Shichibei even paused to observe further upon hearing this name.

However, this was quickly put to rest, as Oda's army attacked from both flanks, with all the generals eager to take Shimoma Yoritan's head. This Shimoma Yoritan was not merely a magistrate of Hongan-ji Temple, but a high-ranking monk who had received imperial approval, wore purple robes, held a monk's seal, and was granted the title of a third-ranking monk.

In Japan, he's considered among the elite; killing one of him is more valuable than killing dozens of people from Sichuan.

Unfortunately, he didn't live such a long life for nothing. Even Ōki Kaneyoshi failed to capture Shimoma Raitan, let alone the other Oda generals who pursued him.

The 30,000-strong rebellion collapsed completely, vanishing without a trace.

They won, a very decisive victory, unlike the Pyrrhic victories of the past where they faced retaliation from the Ko-ikki and even lost Hayashi Michimasa. This was a swift and satisfying win for the Oda clan.

Hayashi Michimasa is currently resting and recuperating in his hometown of Owari, and he's perfectly fine, which is good news for the Oda clan.

All that remained was to pursue and kill the Ikko-ikki along the streets. Nobunaga ordered Kuki Yoshitaka and Saji Kazunari not to hinder the Ikko-ikki from fleeing to Nagashima. Without food supplies from northern Ise, the more people on Nagashima, the faster the famine would arrive. There might still be some food stored, and there were also rice paddies and villages on the island.

Therefore, a clever plan to quickly weaken Long Island is to drive people onto the island. Kill as few as possible, let them go to Long Island, and feed them the offerings of the God of Wisdom at the Temple of Origin.

Besides Oki Kaneyoshi, some local lords were willing to surrender to Oda and abandon their Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land) faith. Nobunaga only assigned Takigawa Kazumasu to handle these surrendered individuals. After all, the local lords who had fled with Takigawa Kazumasu also needed to be reinstated, and northern Ise was only a small area; careful consideration was needed to weigh the options.

The important point is that Ōki Kaneyoshi was given 10,000 koku of new knowledge. At this moment, Ōki Kaneyoshi kowtowed to Nobunaga, and Nobunaga carefully examined this traitor.