Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Delicious meat is best admired from afar.

"Hmph, send someone back to tell your brother-in-law. If he can raise an army in Shimo-Owari, the lord will appoint him as the Shimo-Owari Protector and Imperial Attendant, with a stipend of 20,000 kan." Since there was no secret letter, there was no need to show it to Takeda Shingen. Yamagata Masakage, as the head of the Takeda Imperial Attendant's scribes, had already discussed this matter with Takeda Shingen.

"Huh?" Yamagata Masamitsu was still completely bewildered. It turned out that Takeda Shingen really wanted to give his brother-in-law half of Owari Province.

That was a territory of 300,000 koku, along with Tsushima, a famous town on the sea route, a timber distribution center along the Kiso River, and a ceramics logistics center on the Chita Peninsula. Every year, it could provide Nobunaga with tens of thousands of taels of silver for transport, and the tribute of arrows and beams was also very considerable.

"The most important thing is to get the right people!" Yamagata Masakage was certainly willing to teach his son, and he spoke earnestly.

This is somewhat similar to the conversation about Gamo Ujisato. People were privately discussing who would gain power after Hideyoshi's death. Someone said Gamo Ujisato was likely to succeed because he was very generous to his subordinates. He would give ninety percent of what he possessed to his retainers. Therefore, his retainers were willing to fight to the death for him to conquer the country, since ninety percent of what they gained would be theirs.

However, Gamo Ujisato died too young. Otherwise, with his wealth of 920,000 koku, it's hard to say what would have happened if he had used it to stab Tokugawa Ieyasu in the back.

"Get people? People are the city, people are the walls, people are the moat..." Yamagata Masamitsu muttered to himself.

"Haha, you still need to practice." Seeing that his son could at least understand the general meaning, Yamagata Masakage left the military tent to find Shingen.

Shingen naturally approved of Yamagata Masakage's "counter-plan," and even added a clause that Shichibei would be appointed as the chief magistrate of the country or the deputy magistrate of the country in the future, in any case, there would definitely be a position for Shichibei in the new shogunate.

Very well, this news was thus delivered back to Shichibei in a rather dramatic fashion. This put Shichibei in a difficult position, as Takeda Shingen wasn't exactly stingy; he was willing to offer a price. For example, when Obata Norishige and his son Obata Nobusada came to him for refuge, he immediately gave them 5,000 kan of land to support the Obata Red Guard. Later, he even added more land to Kozuke, showing considerable generosity.

But Shichibei knew very well that Takeda Shingen's forces were insufficient to break through the defenses of Okazaki Castle and its branch castles. If he couldn't get into Owari, then everything he said was just empty talk.

Nobunaga still held considerable prestige in Owari. Saito Tatsuoki's defection in Kiyosu meant he lacked the support of the local gentry. Firstly, these gentry were seasoned veterans of the Sengoku period's ruthless warfare and knew Tatsuoki had only a few guns and couldn't achieve anything significant. Secondly, Nobunaga was still alive and well, and had immediately dispatched Hayashi Michimasa and Ikeda Tsuneoki to besiege the castle; everyone was certain Nobunaga would win.

Takeda Shingen's reputation is indeed stronger than that of Ryūshō, just like Imagawa Yoshimoto back then. But with Imagawa Yoshimoto's example, the people of Owari have learned from him.

"Don't release the hawk until you see the rabbit; don't surrender until you see Takeda."

Relying on Shichibei to rebel in Owari? Nobunaga's hundreds of elite samurai sent to Shichibei would have to talk to him first, they said, holding long spears and arquebuses.

Alright, let's report this to Nobunaga. Nobunaga can't be found right now. When asked, he said he was urging Ikeda Tsuneoki to dismantle the bridges over several small rivers and use the proceeds to build palisades along the riverbanks.

Once they were alone, he caught up with Nobunaga and told him what had happened. Nobunaga was slightly taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, a very unrestrained laugh. It was the most exaggerated laugh he had had in recent days, and perhaps the only one.

"Shingen is getting anxious!"

Nobunaga left behind only this sentence, then swung his horse whip, striking his horse's belly, and galloped back to Okazaki Castle, leaving Shichibei standing there eating dust.

"You're in such a hurry?" Shichibei knew that Shingen was nearing the end of his life, but he was still alive at the moment.

Cancer is a rather mysterious thing sometimes. There are often news stories about mothers who have cancer but, to avoid worrying their daughters who are taking the college entrance exam, stubbornly endure it even though they are clearly dying. They just can't die until their daughters finish the exam and find their own mothers lying in their hospital beds, passing away peacefully.

Perhaps Shingen's illness was quite severe, but he stubbornly clung to life, determined to march into Kyoto. He might even plant his Takeda Ridge on the Seta Bridge.

How long has the war even started? It's probably only just begun to snow in Kai, and it hasn't even rained much in the Tokaido region. It's quite strange, really, because whether it's for this world or the original history, Shingen chose to march on Kyoto this year just when it was a dry winter season in the Tokaido.

Given Japan's consistently rainy maritime climate, well, if it doesn't rain, the castle can't hold water when attacking Futamata Castle. If it doesn't rain, the Kai army can quickly maneuver and surround it.

If Oda Nobunaga was lucky his whole life, Takeda Shingen was also quite lucky this time. The weather along the way was always perfect for fighting, neither too hot nor too cold, as if it were designed to suit Shingen perfectly.

However, it was good that Nobunaga didn't take it to heart; Shichibei felt relieved after saying that. They returned to the main camp inside the castle. Because the army's supplies had been completely lost at Mikatagahara, they were now lacking everything except for the survivors and weapons for survival. Thousands of arquebuses were left behind at Mikatagahara, and all the gunpowder was gone.

Fortunately, Nobunaga had been waging war for years and had been stockpiling these things, so gunpowder and the like were relatively easy to procure. Firearms, however, were much more difficult to obtain; their production was limited. Even with increased production in Kunitomo Village, Hino Town, and Sakai Town, firing gun barrels was a highly skilled task that wasn't easy to master.

Ito Sojuro rushed over from the Tsushima main store and delivered fifty arquebuses to Shichibei. Without a word, they were immediately taken by Nobunaga's pagemen. Nobunaga's pagemen were those who always followed him into battle; they were not simply servants. It was one thing for them to take the arquebuses, but then Maeda Toshiie and Nonomura Masanari also came to request more.

Do I look like a musket?

Besides chopping people and asking for things, what else can you do?

After being glared at by Shichibei, Maeda Toshiie instinctively wanted to retort, but Nonomura Masashige quickly stopped him. At this moment, which samurai in Owari didn't owe Shichibei a debt of gratitude? His life was saved by Shichibei's desperate defense; why would you argue with him? If you can't get it today, come back tomorrow.

To be honest, Maeda Toshiie was quite the opportunist. As soon as Nonomura Masashige pulled him, he immediately bowed his head and apologized to Shichibei, saying that he had been rash and asking Kawamura-dono not to take it to heart.

Shichibei himself hadn't thought that far ahead, nor did he feel that his status had improved much. Right now, he was just thinking about getting rid of all these people who came to him asking for this and that.

"Master."

Shichibei, who was frowning and wondering where he could get more supplies and money, heard someone calling him from outside the hall. He assumed it was another clerk from one of the branch stores bringing some military supplies.

"Sit down." Shichibei didn't even look up, flipping through the distribution account, wondering where he could squeeze out a few dozen more arquebuses.

Although Maeda Toshiie didn't kiss him, he should at least have been given two cigarettes; it would be unreasonable not to give him any at all.

and many more!

"Fujijuro!" Shichibei realized the voice was wrong; it wasn't one of his chieftains or his old comrades. He looked up abruptly.

This guy was originally called Shinnojo, but he changed his name after moving to a different family, and now he's called Fujijuro. Historically, he was eventually renamed Ōkubo Jubei-no-Kami-no-Kami or Ōkubo Iwami-no-Kami-no-Kami. The Japanese do change their names a bit too frequently.

"Greetings, Master." Tsuchiya Nagasu stood up again and bowed to Shichibei.

"You're in Tajima. How's Tajima?" Shichibei quickly stood up and sat down next to Tsuchiya Nagayasu.

"We have fulfilled our mission and have now delivered 1,500 kan of silver to the front lines! Another 2,000 kan have been handed over to the Inase Banju of the Gifu Main Store. Here is the receipt." Tsuchiya Nagayasu said with a smile, very calmly.

"Hahahaha, good, good, really good, good, good..." Shichibei patted Tsuchiya Nagayasu on the shoulder, his joy overflowing and impossible to contain.

Everything lost due to the defeat at Mikatagahara was no longer a loss after Tsuchiya Nagasuan appeared. All that was left was money; pure silver is money wherever it is.

With money, you can have everything from weapons and armor to gunpowder and arrows. Even the morale of the army will be boosted and elevated again by the arrival of money.

"Let's go, come with me to see the lord immediately." Shichibei said without hesitation.

Nobunaga, who had seemingly returned from who-knows-where, was feeding his beloved horse, Reige, soybeans. This fine steed, standing 1.4 meters tall at the shoulder, was considered a prized horse in Japan, and its diet was far better than that of an average farmer. As Nobunaga fed the horse, he gently stroked Reige's neck, showing them affection.

If we lose again next time, we'll have to ride this old companion to escape again.

“My lord, this is Tsuchiya Tojuro, but he is the Governor of Shusuke Ginzan.”

"How much!" Nobunaga jumped almost two meters across the ground, appearing suddenly in front of Tsuchiya Nagaoya.

“Three thousand five hundred strings of silver.” Tsuchiya Nagaoshi said, slightly nervous, but still managed to utter the number.

"Hahaha, today I have won, and Shingen has lost!" Nobunaga was even more excited than Shichibei, placing his hands on Tsuchiya Nagayasu's shoulders and patting him repeatedly.

Stop hitting him, stop hitting him! Keep hitting him! Tsuchiya Nagaan wasn't that tall to begin with, and you've made him two centimeters shorter.

Almost simultaneously, joyous and enthusiastic cheers erupted throughout Okazaki Castle and its surroundings, both north and south of the Sugo River. Almost every soldier learned immediately that Lord Gifu-dono Nobunaga would reward each of them with fifty taels of silver.

To put it simply, it's roughly equivalent to five Yuan Shikai silver dollars.

The 20,000 soldiers in the Okazaki camp, even those from the Tokugawa clan, received 50 taels of silver each. This was the kindness of Lord Gifu Nobunaga, inspiring you all to fight to the death for him and wage a protracted war.

Although most of the soldiers in Okazaki's camp did not actually participate in the Battle of Mikatagahara, the shadow of defeat still lingered. After all, the sheer number of wounded and the heavy losses were evident to everyone.

Even though Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu remained resilient and possessed a strong fighting spirit, the morale of the soldiers below had indeed dipped somewhat. But now, with the gleaming silver coins being handed out to each individual, those long, hundred-yen silver coins were cut in two right before their eyes, becoming the property of each of them.

With this money, I could go home and get married.

The surging cheers even reached the ears of the Takeda army's centipede troop and the Monomi clan several kilometers away. The Monomi were utterly bewildered by the sudden outburst of cheers from the Oda army. Unable to enter the Oda camp to investigate, they could only rush back to Yoshida Castle and Takeda's main camp to report to Takeda Shingen.

Upon hearing this, Takeda Shingen was both doubtful and puzzled. What good news could possibly warrant such a huge cheer from the Oda and Tokugawa armies?

Even if a great victory is achieved elsewhere, what does it have to do with the battle lines of Okazaki and Yoshida?

Having already reunited with the main force, Yamagata Masakage, the chief clerk of the Takeda army, suddenly said, "Could it be that he has taken over the authority to reward all the armies?"

Hey, that's really clever. No wonder you're the chief retainer of the Takeda clan.

One sentence opened up Takeda Shingen's mind. Indeed, only by rewarding all the troops on a large scale would the entire army cheer like this.

For no apparent reason, Takeda Shingen felt a surge of unease. The inability to break through the Okazaki castle complex was frustrating enough, but now he was burdened by the thought that Oda Nobunaga not only outnumbered him by a great deal of manpower but also had far more money. Furthermore, his allies on his own side were utterly incompetent, merely standing by and watching from the sidelines.

It's as if I, Takeda Shingen, am getting nothing out of it, while these incompetent teammates are getting no benefit whatsoever.

It's just that Takeda Shingen had experienced many big scenes and was able to calm himself down. If it were some other young person, they would have been so angry that they would have had a stroke on the spot.

Even so, Takeda Shingen felt his blood surging and his chest tighten, making it hard to breathe. Fortunately, only a few senior retainers and Takeda Yoshiyori were present; there was no one else around.

Everyone was inevitably worried. Before heading to Kyoto, Takeda Shingen had been recuperating at the hot springs in Kai for more than half a year. Later, Ashikaga Yoshiaki declared that he would betray Nobunaga first to attract some of his troops. He was almost ready before he came out of the hot springs to lead his troops to Kyoto.

In its current state, how can we possibly hold out until we successfully enter Luoyang?

Chapter 281 A Demonic Wind Blows in the Turtle Pond

The money was a reward from Lord Nobunaga of Gifu, but everyone present knew perfectly well where it came from. It couldn't have just appeared out of thin air; it was earned by Shichibei, who was already sitting upright opposite the chief retainer Hayashi Hidesada, with a seating order even higher than Ikeda Tsuneoki.

The 20,000 soldiers below were all paid a total of 1,000 kan of silver. The hundred or so mid- to high-ranking samurai (more than 100 foot soldiers) were paid by the kan. The lowest-ranking foot soldier was paid 1 kan of silver, ten 100-yen silver coins, which were placed firmly on a tray in front of him.

One string of silver weighs four kilograms, which is tiring to carry in your hands. Moreover, some people receive ten or twenty strings of silver, making it even more impossible to carry. Carrying dozens of kilograms of silver? That's a joke.

Nobunaga was truly generous; Tsuchiya Nagayasu brought 1,500 kan of silver, which he distributed entirely to the samurai and foot soldiers without keeping a single coin for himself. Such generosity was typical of Nobunaga.

If we're talking about people, Nobunaga was even more popular.

The morale of the Oda-Tokugawa allied forces was greatly boosted, and some even volunteered to fight, saying they wanted to clash with the Takeda army again and show them that the men of Owari were not cowards.

But Nobunaga wasn't in a hurry anymore, since Hamamatsu had already been lost. Originally, he wanted to save Hamamatsu and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was Nobunaga's commander of the Tokaido army—everyone knew that. If Ieyasu's forces were destroyed, Nobunaga's territory in Owari would have to face the enemy directly, and it wouldn't be able to serve as a stable rear area.

Therefore, Nobunaga must save Hamamatsu Castle!

Hamamatsu Castle and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the army commander, were previously bound together. Now, however, Tokugawa Ieyasu is alive and well, advising Nobunaga, sitting right beside him—a truly unique situation. Ieyasu is alive, the Okazaki troops are unharmed, and their two main commanders, Sakai Tadatsugu and Ishikawa Kazumasa, are both capable fighters.

Totomi, a mere territory, was conquered several years ago. Since the people's hearts are not with it, losing it is no big deal. As long as Tokugawa's core samurai group is intact and Tokugawa Ieyasu is alive, it's essentially a loss. The dead lower-ranking foot soldiers can simply be replaced with money.

This just arrived with several thousand kan of silver. Nobunaga is spending money to recruit foot soldiers for Tokugawa Ieyasu; that's how extravagant he is.

If you save people but lose land, you can gain both; if you save land but lose people, you will lose both.

In Japan, a country roughly the size of an island, if you have several hundred core, elite samurai, you are bound to achieve great things. After the Mikawa Ikko-ikki uprising, Ieyasu had several hundred core, trusted samurai who were completely loyal to him; after that, the only question was the size of his empire.

In any case, Nobunaga had already realized that Takeda Shingen was in a hurry, and that it was almost impossible for him to break through the Okazaki branch castle complex in a short time. On the Gifu side, although Saito Tatsuoki was very aggressive, he was also blocked at Kanayama Castle by Sakuma Nobumori and could not move.

Nobunaga is in no hurry; he remains calm and composed.

Sakuma Nobumori's 5,000 men constitute a fully-fledged fighting force. Defending the castle requires at least 30,000 to 50,000 men. Circumventing the castle, Sakuma Nobumori also has the strength to strike from behind.

Ryūō, Akiyama Nobuyuki, and Kiso Yoshimasa were really in for a world of trouble. Because it had started snowing on the Nakasendo Road, they hadn't even broken through Kinzan Castle yet, and they were truly stuck, unable to advance or retreat.

Sakuma Nobumori, who has been a constant rearguard for many years and is known as "the retreating Sakuma," will definitely make a move when they withdraw their troops.

More importantly, in addition to the 5,000 armored soldiers and the 2,000 Saito Restoration Army, there were also 5,000 troops comprised of monks from temples and shrines such as Anyoji and Senjoji, as well as local gentry. These men were betting on Nobunaga's crushing defeat at Mikatagahara and that Ryūō could reclaim Inabayama Castle, and thus they came to bolster his forces.

Once they disperse and retreat back to Iwamura Castle, these people will inevitably disintegrate. It will be impossible to gather such a force again next time.

Now, I, Oda Nobunaga, am going to have some fun with you, Takeda Shingen.

However, while Oda Nobunaga and Shichibei could see the situation clearly, many others could not. They only knew that the allied forces of Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu had suffered a major defeat at Mikatagahara, with the Noo samurai group losing hundreds of men.

Hundreds of renowned warriors died; if this happened to a minor daimyo, the country would have been destroyed. It was only because Nobunaga was so powerful and consolidated his elite forces that he avoided serious damage.

Kitabatake Tomonori, who was under surveillance and residing in Mitsugaya (Ōdai-machi, Taki-gun, Mie Prefecture), was indeed somewhat tempted. He was certainly unwilling to have his family's business taken away by Oda Nobunaga, and moreover, he considered the Kitabatake clan to be a prestigious family in the country, while the Oda family was merely the descendants of Shinto priests.

You think you're worthy? You dog.

However, Kitabatake Tomonori wasn't a fool; he wouldn't start a fight himself. If he did, Nobunaga would have an excuse to kill him.