Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki's most valuable asset was his title; without it, he was utterly worthless. But now, circumstances were against him, and if he didn't resign as shogun, Nobunaga wouldn't mind continuing the siege of Makishima Castle.

While Makishima Castle, situated within a large lake, boasts an almost impenetrable defensive position, it is equally difficult to attack. No ships can leave the castle, and the lake is now entirely occupied by the Katada troops organized by Akechi Mitsuhide.

I won't fight you, I'll just let you starve to death.

If Ashikaga Yoshiaki could starve to death, that would actually be perfect. No one would need to bear the infamy of murdering the shogun; it would be the shogun himself who starved to death in protest.

What does that have to do with me? Even if I told him to leave, he wouldn't. This general is truly "righteous," holding fast to his shogunate until the very last moment. He deserves posthumous honors. Let's posthumously grant him the title of Grand Minister of State, and do it now.

In fact, Yoshiaki was still not giving up, so he sent people to summon Asakura Yoshikage, Honganji Kennyo, Miyoshi Futsugu, Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, and Ikeda Tomomasa. He summoned everyone he could, but at this point, these good-for-nothings realized that they had already missed their best opportunity.

Once the first army retreated, Nobunaga was able to extricate himself. Without the main force to lead the charge, these mediocre soldiers were no match for Nobunaga individually.

Seven days later, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, in utter despair, finally announced the surrender of Makishima Castle. All the territories surrounding Makishima Castle were stripped away, including the local lord, Makijima Akimitsu, who was also expelled. Makishima Castle was granted to Hanawa Naomasa.

Furthermore, Yamaoka Kagetomo, the governor of Yamashiro appointed by Ashikaga Yoshiaki, was driven away by Akechi Mitsuhide, so Hanawa Naomasa became the de facto governor of Yamashiro and presided over the entire Yamashiro province.

Of the nearly one thousand people in the castle, only about one hundred decided to follow Ashikaga Yoshiaki to Miyoshi Yoshitsugu's castle in Wakae, Kawachi. The remaining few hundred either joined Akechi Mitsuhide or Hanawa Naomasa. Not a single one was willing to become a full-fledged ronin.

Obviously, they would only realize how good it is to have food to eat after starving in the city for a few days.

After sending Ashikaga Yoshiaki away, Nobunaga rushed to Kyoto. While everyone thought that Nobunaga would reinstate Ashikaga Yoshihide as shogun, Nobunaga never mentioned it. He simply settled Ashikaga Yoshihide in Kyoto and did not even provide him with much public support, continuing to support him with the same 10,000 kan of cash.

Then Nobunaga himself submitted a memorial to the imperial court, stating that the era name Genki was inauspicious and needed to be changed.

Not only was the imperial court shocked, but even the retainers of the Oda clan felt that this was truly an epoch-making move. Before the imperial court could even say whether it approved or not, Oda Nobunaga presented a huge sum of money—one hundred gold coins and two thousand kan of coins—to mark the change of era.

Thus, the imperial court, which had initially been somewhat hesitant, ultimately gained the upper hand by supporting Nobunaga. Konoe Sakihisa, who had been previously exiled by Ashikaga Yoshiaki, was restored to his former rank and returned to Kyoto to personally oversee the matter.

From then on, Konoe Sakihisa changed his stance from opposing Yoshiaki and Nobunaga's regime to opposing Yoshiaki but supporting Nobunaga.

With him, the former Kanpaku, in charge, the court changed the era name very quickly, and the era name was changed to "Tenshō" without any surprises.

That year, which was the fourth year of the Yuan Gui era, was revised to the first year of the Tian Zheng era.

The mere act of changing the era name greatly expanded and strengthened Oda Nobunaga's authority in the Kinai region. What originally required the shogun to submit a petition for the change of era name was now carried out by Nobunaga, the "ruler of the realm."

In effect, Nobunaga had replaced former Shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki as the owner of the entire Tenka Kōgyō (Kingdom of the Realm), and began to build a new Tenka Kōgyō belonging to the Oda clan.

Chapter 288 Adoption and Marriage of a Virtuous Woman

Unfortunately, Shichibei didn't follow Nobunaga to storm Makishima Castle and drive Ashikaga Yoshiaki around like a rat, with nowhere to hide.

It was agreed that Takeda Shingen would adopt Oda Boruto. Nobunaga was quite concerned about this matter and wanted Shingen to do it publicly and in a grand manner, so that the whole of eastern Japan would know about it.

For this reason, Nobunaga was even willing to pay for the adoption ceremony himself.

Thinking back to how harmonious things were before, when Uesugi Kagetora was sent to Kasugayama Castle to become Uesugi Kenshin's adopted son, it was nothing more than simply presenting petitions and tachi to places like Kashima Shrine and Kamakura Hachiman Shrine.

Now, Nobunaga not only required Takeda Shingen to present petitions to Suwa Shrine and Fuji Shrine, but also to hold ceremonies. It is said that some of the practices of later Japanese yakuza, such as the appointment of young leaders or the brotherhood ceremony, were inherited from this adoption ceremony.

But that's a story for later. Right now, Shichibei has led several hundred Ryūbura cavalrymen to "escort" Bōmaru into Kofu. Shingen has stopped pretending; he's already had his pulse checked by the doctor sent by Nobunaga, so why should he pretend anymore? He's going straight to Yumura Onsen to recuperate.

The adoption ceremony was specially presided over by Takeda Shōyōken Nobukatsu, the head of the Takeda clan's first line of descent. In order to save face for his son, Nobunaga not only funded the ceremony but also gave Bōmaru a large sum of money.

One hundred gold coins, one hundred silver coins, one thousand strings of cash, twenty katana swords, thirty horses, and two hundred bolts of silk. In addition, there were writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, chests, and cabinets—everything imaginable, everything needed. The point was to give Boumaru a strong backbone, so he could walk sideways in the Takeda clan.

This year, Bomaru is already nine years old (by Chinese reckoning), but he has come of age early. However, he is still being cared for by his great-aunt, former foster mother, and also Nobunaga's aunt, Lady Iwamura.

His name for his coming-of-age ceremony was also decided long ago: Takeda Nobufusa, commonly known as Genzaburo.

Furthermore, following Takeda Shingen's orders, Takeda Nobukazu's youngest daughter was directly betrothed to Takeda Nobufusa. Nobukazu was even more prolific than Shingen, having five sons who became monks. Many of his daughters also married into the Takeda clan; Nishina Morinobu was one of Nobukazu's daughters.

After swearing an oath to heaven and the gods, and presenting a petition and a tachi (a type of long sword), the ceremony was held grandly at the Tsutsuzaki Mansion. Shichibei, as Nobunaga's lord, and Nobukazu, as Shingen's lord, exchanged oaths and tokens, which were actually small swords. The tachi was presented twice, once at the Bodhi Temple of the Takeda clan and once before the so-called Shieldless Armor.

After running around and busying myself for more than half a month, I finally got the whole process done. Oda Bomaru has now become Takeda Genzaburo Nobufusa, and in terms of patriarchal relations and social recognition, he is now Takeda Shingen's biological son.

When Bōmaru first joined the Tsugumi Iwamura Toyama family, he was accompanied by six pageboys. Now Nobunaga has sent twelve more retainers to serve as attendants to Takeda Nobufusa. After all, he is already nine years old, and when he turns thirteen or fourteen, he will be ready for his first battle.

He probably can't do it alone. If he brings a few more people and joins the initial battle, the chances of taking down the enemy general's head will be greater, and the initial battle will be more impressive.

If he hadn't become Takeda Shingen's adopted son, Oda Bomaru probably would never have received this treatment in his life. He would most likely have changed his surname to Tsuda and become an ordinary retainer of Nobutada.

The Oda clan's ancestral ability to reproduce was remarkable; though many died, they were quick to regenerate. If the Oda clan truly gained control of the country, it's unlikely they would elevate all their members; they would most likely follow the Tokugawa example. Their closest allies would be the Tokugawa clan, and the rest would have to go to Matsudaira, receiving 20,000 or 30,000 koku of rice, becoming pawns and spies planted by the shogunate.

Before leaving, Shichibei mentioned visiting Takeda Shingen at Yumura Onsen. Shingen sent someone to tell him it was unnecessary, as he needed to rest and recuperate.

understand.

Anyway, you're still breathing, you're not dead, right? Good luck, just keep going for one more day. As long as Takeda Shingen is alive, not a single person in Kainobu Shun'en will dare to rebel. After all, everyone saw him beat Nobunaga to the ground; just that reputation alone is enough to ensure the country remains peaceful for three years.

Three years later? Three years later, Nobunaga will bring his luxurious group of handsome men with thick tails to hunt down the Takeda clan.

Oh, and there's one more thing. Takeda Shingen was really a straightforward man. When the battle started, Kawamura-ya's shops and stables in Konobu were confiscated and requisitioned by the Takeda army, along with the horses and provisions. They only released the people.

Now that Kōno and Yō have agreed, these confiscated properties and lands will be returned to Kawamura-ya. However, since the horses have already been conscripted and the food supplies have run out, let's pretend nothing happened.

Okay?

Am I not good enough?

He's both open and shameless, which in some ways is quite similar to Takeda Shingen's own style. When he's upright and honest, he's quite decent; when he's scheming, he's utterly wicked.

Before leaving, the Takeda clan sent someone to ask Shichibei if he would buy horses this year. Since the Takeda clan was definitely not going to fight this year, all the horses produced this year could be sold to Shichibei.

buy!

Why not buy it? I heard that Nobunaga has already sent Ashikaga Yoshiaki to heaven, and the entire Yamashiro Province has become Nobunaga's de facto territory. In that case, Oda Post Stations can be set up openly in various places within the shogun's territory.

The other three branches of the Oda clan also lost several hundred horses and pack animals, so this is a good opportunity to replenish them. How much is it? Send someone with me to Gifu Castle to collect the money. Whether it's gold or silver, it's fine.

That must be Yonekura Nobutsugu, an old acquaintance. Yamagata Masakage, Atobe Katsusuke, and Takeda Nobukatsu, who were in charge of the national government, issued an official document to Yonekura Nobutsugu, sending him to Gifu to collect the several thousand kan of horse money.

He also sent a letter to Oda Nobunaga and to Takeda Matsuhime, who had married into the Takeda clan in Gifu. Judging from the tone, the Takeda family seemed quite keen to maintain the marriage between Oda Nobutada and Takeda Matsuhime.

Fighting is fighting, but marriage alliances are marriage alliances.

World War I was essentially a war between cousins, a bunch of nearly identical cousins ​​driving their gray livestock around killing each other.

Millions of grey-horse animals died, does that affect the relationship between these cousins? Of course not. The Tsar even proposed exile to Britain, but it never happened. The German Emperor also lived peacefully in the Netherlands, quite poor, but still received preferential treatment.

With his hair tied up and wearing a crown, Takeda Nobufusa, like an adult, saw Shichibei off from Tsutsuzaki Castle. He also asked Shichibei to tell Oda Nobunaga that he would certainly not disappoint his father's expectations.

Expectations? What are your dad's expectations for you?

Ow...

It's possible he was trying to win over the retainers of the Takeda clan, hoping to find any traitors who might defect. Nobunaga was frighteningly calm and shrewd when things were going badly, his maneuvering and subtle tactics were masterful. But once things were going well, he became arrogant, ultimately leading to his death at Honnoji Temple.

Okay, I'll definitely pass it on for you.

Another family that came to see Shichibei off was Yamagata Masamitsu and his wife. His wife is none other than Shichibei's younger sister, Midori, and she's already holding a little boy. Congratulations! The Yamagata family now has a legitimate son. So, after Yamagata Masakage and Yamagata Masamitsu became the "leaky sieve," their 23,000 kan fortune will now have a male heir.

As your uncle, Shichibei doesn't have much to give you, so I'll just give you two hundred silver coins. Grow up well, since your father and grandfather are likely to die soon.

It's better to be a sieve than a wine glass. At least a sieve can be buried back in Kai, but a wine glass will just sit there for people to admire and play with every day.

When Nobunaga returned to Gifu, he had already dealt with Ashikaga Yoshiaki and even changed the era name. He then began the work of restoring and expanding his army. Previously, Shichibei had only helped him reorganize the organization, but the subsequent replenishment of personnel had not been carried out.

Of the foot soldiers who died in the battle of Mikatagahara, Nobunaga recruited several thousand from the Kinai region, and recently recruited several hundred more, but still didn't have enough. Recruiting is continuing at this moment.

As you all know, Nobunaga's legion commanders were able to expand and build up their armies in a short period of time only with the help and support he provided.

The same applies to Shichibei; some were paid tens of thousands of koku of rice, while others were paid only two or three hundred koku. Their salaries were paid by Nobunaga, with Shichibei receiving only an extra service allowance.

But things changed after they seized Ashikaga Yoshiaki's territory in Yamashiro Province. All of Hanawa Naomasa's subordinates were placed in various manor territories in Yamashiro Province. Although they were still subordinates, their salaries were effectively paid by Yamashiro Province and Hanawa Naomasa.

Like Maeda Toshiie, whose salary was originally paid by Nobunaga and whose territory was located in Arako Castle in Owari Province, after becoming a retainer of Shibata Katsuie, he was directly transferred to Fuchu in Echizen Province with a fief of 33,300 koku. His territory in Owari Province was returned to Nobunaga, and Shibata Katsuie was also responsible for the additional funds needed for military campaigns.

However, he was still nominally in power, because the territory in the manor was granted to him by Nobunaga.

Nobunaga's army organization plan really resembled a head office with branch offices. Shibata Katsuie was the general manager of Hokuriku, and although Maeda Toshiie's salary was transferred to Hokuriku, his personnel was still under Nobunaga's control and he could remove him at any time.

At this point, however, it all comes down to the personal charisma of the legion commanders. Hideyoshi, after Nobunaga's death, quickly made the Yukichi clan his vassals. Katsuie's process of making the Yukichi clan his vassals, however, was much slower, a clear indication that Katsuie's political abilities were inferior to Hideyoshi's.

Returning to Nobunaga's side, not only did the foot soldiers and kabuki who died in the Battle of Mikatagahara need to be replaced, but the two thousand men originally intended to subsidize Naomasa Hanawa also had to be converted into combat power.

He truly believes that money is only money when it's spent; he doesn't keep a single penny for himself, he just spends it all. Right now, with the war of annexation raging, Nobunaga is willing to accept any Tom, Dick, or Harry who comes to join him.

As long as you have the ability to survive, you will be a superior person in the future.

With Yonekura Nobutsugu in tow, Shichibei presented Nobunaga with the letters from Takeda Shingen to Nobunaga, as well as the letter from Shingen to Matsuhime. Nobunaga simply smiled after reading the letters. At the door, Shichibei heard Shibata Nagakatsu say that after Dr. Kusai examined Shingen, he returned and told Nobunaga that Shingen's illness had reached his bone marrow.

It's hopeless!

Not only did he have Shichibei's secret report, but he also received a personal diagnosis from the doctor. Nobunaga was now completely unconcerned. He was in excellent health, able to run, jump, eat, and sleep well, and he was ready to start having children as soon as he got home. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he was expecting seven or eight more sons and daughters.

In the movie "Kingdom of Heaven," Saladin saw Baldwin IV leading his army towards him. Although his own army was clearly superior, he refused to fight. It wasn't that he couldn't defeat Baldwin IV; it was that he realized Baldwin IV was on his last legs.

A formidable opponent is about to die; rather than suffering heavy losses to defeat him, it's better to wait.

Sure enough, Baldwin IV died within two days. Then Guy came along, but Saladin swiftly defeated him.

"Marry the daughter of Xiaoyaoxuan?" Nobunaga put the letter aside and asked for details.

"Indeed, the daughter of Xiaoyaoxuan, the head of the Takeda Goichi sect." The wedding was personally officiated by Shichibei.

Although it's just a playful wedding between a nine-year-old boy and a ten-year-old girl, it has indeed taken place. It's a political marriage, after all, regardless of age or love.

"Hmph..." Nobunaga didn't answer, but just smiled and sent someone to invite Oda Nobutada and Takeda Matsuhime.

Shingen's letter was handed to Takeda Matsuhime, who gestured for Oda Nobutada to read it as well. The couple had a good relationship, and the letter contained nothing outrageous. It simply stated Shingen's hope that Matsuhime would quickly bear a legitimate son for the Oda family to maintain a good relationship with Nobutada, and so on.

"How is Father?" Princess Matsuhime rarely showed her face in Gifu Castle, and Shichibei, who frequently came and went, rarely saw her.

"The Grand Steward is currently resting and recuperating at the Tangcun Hot Spring Resort." You can't exactly say your father is about to die, can you?

"Hmm." After hearing this, Takeda Matsuhime didn't ask any more questions.

If he can still recover, it means he's alive, so that's good. At worst, I can write another letter in private. I'll have Yonekura Nobutsugu take it back to Kai and give it to Takeda Shingen.

"At the end of summer, I will march to Echizen. Be prepared." Having said all that, Nobunaga added one more instruction.

Besides being Nobunaga's biggest source of income, Shichibei was also the logistics captain. Nobunaga and Shichibei had previously secretly conspired to have Azai Nagamasa and Hideyoshi attack Echizen, but Ashikaga Yoshiaki betrayed them. As a result, the Koshu troops had no choice but to lead their troops to participate in the siege of Makishima Castle.

Now that Nobunaga has made his move, he'll definitely turn Asakura Yoshikage into a drinking vessel. His current efforts to recruit soldiers at Gifu Castle are also aimed at restoring and perfecting the strength of Nobunaga's main force.

If Nobunaga were to personally lead the attack, the great achievement of destroying the Asakura clan of Echizen would belong to Nobunaga himself. Azai Nagamasa would then have no reason to be arrogant. If he were to be granted a fief of 490,000 koku in the eight districts of Echizen, that would be an enormous reward, and Azai Nagamasa might accept it.

"Understood!" Shichibei quickly replied.

"Well, we can still rest until the end of summer, so Shichibei has nothing to complain about. Under Nobunaga, you can't afford to lie down. Lying down is a 'crime' under Nobunaga. You can kill or set fires and get away with it, but lying down and doing nothing is not allowed."

Chapter 289 It's a pity there's no copper-zinc mine.

The Kawamura family's business is a shop in the front and a home in the back, so going back to the shop is like going home, and going home is like going to the shop. There's no need to look at any accounts or anything like that. It's not a holiday or festival, so we don't do the accounting first. We sit down, rest for a day, and then discuss it.

Oh dear, there are over a dozen children in the house now, so it's impossible to have any peace and quiet. There's no way to rest. These days, it's so difficult to soundproof wooden houses; the crying is almost constant.