Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Akashi Yukio, the father of Akashi Sōbu-tō, one of the Seven Generals of Osaka in the future history, is a former senior retainer of Urakami Munekage. After defecting, he is now searching for Urakami Munekage everywhere and is very diligent in doing so.

Whether they can't find it or don't want to find it, we don't know.

Anyway, under this pretext, the Mori army swaggered into Harima Province, as did the Ukita army. Tens of thousands of troops were arrayed in Harima Province, a truly frightening sight.

A wealthy merchant said that Akamatsu Masanori, the lord of Harima's Kazuki Castle and a member of the Shichijo Akamatsu clan, was already considering siding with the Mori clan. It was said that he had already sent envoys to visit Kobayakawa Takakage and Hoida Motokiyo, who were in charge of the Sanyo Province.

If Akamatsu Masanori were to side with the Mori clan, then the five districts of western Harima might very well side with them. This is because his great-grandfather was Akamatsu Masanori, who revived the Akamatsu clan after the Kakitsu Rebellion, and his grandfather was Akamatsu Yoshimura, who quelled the chaos in Harima Province. Although by his generation he was no longer a direct descendant, his reputation still stood.

The Akamatsu family, from its defeat to its resurgence, has a great reputation in Harima, and any move they make could affect the entire region.

Oh, in my previous life, I played the game "Taiko Risshiden 5," and the only plot point was Akamatsu Yoshisuke leading the Akamatsu clan to surrender to the Oda clan. Once he surrendered, the protagonist, Hideyoshi, could get Kuroda Kanbei for free and become the lord of Himeji Castle.

As for this Akamatsu Masanori, I've never heard of him at all. The Tatsuno Akamatsu family is far more famous than this so-called Shichijo Akamatsu family.

Furthermore, the current head of the Akamatsu clan's main branch is Akamatsu Norifusa, Akamatsu Yoshisuke's son, which makes no sense. Akamatsu Yoshisuke had already gone into seclusion at this time, and his whereabouts are unknown.

Okay, at least I've finally learned some of the details.

By the way, just a side note: Akamatsu Masahide, who nominally subdued Oda Nobunaga's Akamatsu clan in Tatsuno, was poisoned and killed by Urakami Munekage several years ago, and Tatsuno Castle was seized by Urakami Munekage. Theoretically, the current lord of the castle is Akamatsu Masahide's second son, Yasaburo (later Saimura Masahiro), but the child is only a little over ten years old, and the family business is managed by the chief retainer Hirai Sadatoshi. For now, they are following Urakami Munekage, but it is unknown whether they will switch sides.

The banquet ended, and so did the intelligence exchange.

A few days ago, Nobunaga asked Shichibei whether he should take in the Amago Restoration Army. How should he answer? Nobunaga had obviously already considered this, and in recent days he had been constantly summoning the Oda clan's army commanders to understand their thoughts.

In his previous plan, Nobunaga hoped that the Mori clan would join him in a fierce attack on Kyushu, with Hideyoshi as the governor of Chikuzen and Mitsuhide as the governor of Hyuga, thus dividing and occupying Kyushu. The Mori clan would likely gain the coveted former territory of the Ōuchi clan in Buzen Province, while Nobunaga would not relinquish Chikuzen due to the presence of Hakata Port.

As a result, the Mori clan, unable to penetrate Kyushu and bogged down the Otomo clan in the Moji area without achieving a major breakthrough, turned their attention eastward.

This shift in allegiance led to conflict and friction with the Oda clan.

According to the Mori clan, they were fully prepared to take this opportunity to bring Nishi-Harima under their control. Even the Ukita clan would be subjugated and made vassals of the daimyo, rather than becoming two separate lords.

It's unrealistic to say that without Ashikaga Yoshiaki's involvement, the Mori and Oda clans would have to fight again. While a powerful force like the Mori would ultimately not be tolerated by the new regime, it would still be quite unexpected for them to turn against each other at this point.

How should I reply to Nobunaga?

Shichibei hesitated. Nobunaga's greatest enemy had now shifted to the Takeda clan. After annihilating the Nagashima Ikko-ikki and dealing a heavy blow to the Hokuriku Ikko-ikki, they had even begun constructing a large-scale fortification around the Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple. The influence of the Jodo Shinshu sect on Nobunaga was now limited to only a small area.

After all, Nobunaga believed in the strategy of eliminating the Jodo Shinshu sect physically. Once a person is dead, even the most powerful Amitabha Buddha is useless. Since Amitabha Buddha couldn't personally come and deliver a fatal blow to Nobunaga, the believers had to do it.

However, if the Mori clan sided with the anti-Nobunaga side, then the Mori would obviously pose a greater threat to the Kinai region. Nobunaga's main focus would then shift to the Seto Inland Sea in western Japan. It should be noted that at this time, the Takeda clan had not yet experienced the Battle of Nagashino-Shitarahara.

The elite armored and military force accumulated over decades since the time of Takeda Nobutora is still under the control of Takeda Yoshiyori. Thanks to the acquisition of new confidants in Tōtōmi Province, he is able to temporarily maintain control over his retainers. The three branches of the Yama clan in Oku-Mikachi, due to Nobunaga's defeat in the Battle of Mikatagahara, still choose to serve two provinces and have not explicitly sided with the anti-Takeda side.

The Takeda clan, capable of mobilizing 50,000 to 60,000 men for defense, was the kind of clan that Nobunaga had declared would attack as soon as the ceasefire agreement ended. If they were to add the Mori clan to the mix, even the current Nobunaga would be in serious trouble.

This was probably the main reason why Nobunaga sent envoys again to Yoshida-Koriyama Castle to communicate with Mori Terumoto. Being attacked from both sides is a major taboo in military strategy, and Nobunaga was unwilling to fight two powerful daimyo with a combined rank of one million koku at the same time.

But the Nizari Restoration Army...

Taking them in at Takeda Castle in Tajima might anger the Mori clan. The Amago and Mori are now mortal enemies. A territory of less than 20,000 koku isn't important; the real issue is escalating tensions with the Mori.

"The Mori family's entry into Banshu is actually a test." Ashikaga Princess, who had been listening to the messages from the wealthy merchants of Sakai and was changing Shichibei's pajamas, gave her thoughts after hearing Shichibei's mutterings.

"Do you think the Lord would be trying to avoid breaking the alliance with the Mori because he is preparing to attack Koshu?" Shichibei immediately retorted.

"That's exactly right." That's what Ashikaga Princess thought.

Yes, the Ashikaga family is a master of political intrigue. Ashikaga Takauji was a classic human succubus, extremely adept at understanding people's hearts and manipulating situations.

"So you think that if you make concessions in Bozhou, the Maori will only take advantage of you."

“With each passing day and month of encroachment, Bozhou will sooner or later fall to the Maori.”

"Tsk."

Ashikaga Princess's words were not without merit. Perhaps it was precisely because of the existence of the Takeda clan, and the fact that the Takeda clan was currently at its peak, with its famous retainers and generals all still alive and kicking, that Mori felt Nobunaga would not, and dared not, make the decision to fully commit to dealing with him.

Therefore, the priority should be to conquer the disputed territory of Harima and digest it as much as possible. Even if Nobunaga eventually wants to deal with the Mori clan, he will have to consider whether or not he can take them over.

If that's the case, then Oda Nobunaga really would have to take in the Amago Restoration Army. Whether he actually needs to or not is another matter, but at least he needs to show the Mori clan that the Oda clan isn't going to back down.

We are not afraid to fight on two fronts. We should not try to test the Oda clan's bottom line by skirting the edges or engaging in friction.

At worst, we can just attack on one side and defend on the other. First, attack the Takeda clan and try to eliminate most of their fighting force in open battle. Once we've killed about ten thousand of their soldiers, their elite troops will be wiped out, and the Takeda clan's death knell will sound.

By then, they'll have plenty of time to slap both Takeda and Mori simultaneously. They'll even have the resources to deal with those troublesome minor factions on the fringes; they can fight tigers and flies alike.

Yes, Shichibei decided to respond to Nobunaga along these lines. If they could avoid war with the Mori clan, they would. But they needed to make their stance clear and let the Mori clan understand that the Oda clan was not to be underestimated.

Do not attempt to challenge the Oda clan's bottom line. The Ukita clan must immediately declare its status as a vassal state, in preparation for the former province to serve as the dividing line between the two major powers in the Sanyo region.

As for Urakami Munekage and the like, Oda Nobunaga could have easily captured them and handed them over to Mori Terumoto to be executed. However, the Amago Restoration Army had now submitted to Oda and were now vassals of the Oda clan, so they could no longer be handed over to the Mori clan for disposal (this is a hypothetical scenario).

Chapter 345 Niko is fortunate to have gained favor

Now that we have a reply, we must hurry and inform Nobunaga. At this moment, Nobunaga is sitting in Kyoto, remotely directing all the legion commanders to go to Kyoto, and everyone must state their opinions.

Although Nobunaga acted somewhat domineeringly in certain ways, he still cared about the attitude of the Owari military group when it came to matters that determined the overall strategy. Unifying the opinions of the entire family, or making his own opinion the mainstream, was an important task in maintaining the unity and stability of the entire clan.

In Nobunaga's Ambition: Sotenroku, there is a special negotiation option called "Designated Succession." If you can persuade your legion commanders and castle lords to accept your designated successor, then after the protagonist dies, the legion commanders and castle lords will not rebel.

In Chinese, "点名" means to specify or designate. In Kabukicho, Japan, you can go to any bar offering hostesses or male escorts and "specify" your choice. Some places charge extra for this service, while others require reservations; it depends on the establishment's pricing.

There are even maid cafes where you can specifically request a maid. A bowl of omelet rice costs 5,000 yen, so the request fee is obviously included.

Forget about that. A more relevant example would be Hideyoshi in history, who, before his death, twice demanded that the feudal lords swear allegiance to him. This could be considered a way of unifying opinions within his household, except that he was so old that it was obvious he couldn't achieve that.

Nobunaga is now in his prime, though over forty, he is still vigorous and has a long life ahead of him. So he came forward specifically to ask the legion commanders for their thoughts, and once a decision is made, it will be something everyone must abide by.

Riding to Kyoto, I happened to see Azai Nagamasa's entourage heading towards Nobunaga's Right General's residence in Kamikyo. I went up to greet them. Azai Nagamasa had previously sent Endo Naotsune with several hundred men to support Shichibei, so this was a favor in itself, and I had to express my gratitude.

In the future, if you ever need my help, just ask.

Upon seeing Shichibei, Asai Nagamasa quickly ordered his guards and attendants to make way, and the two rode side by side. Even though he had already learned from his subordinates that Ikuno Ginzan had been saved, Asai Nagamasa still asked with concern.

I also offered my congratulations on Shichibei's forces killing Akai Naomasa. Sigh, putting aside the fact that it was Todo Takatora's doing, Akai Naomasa clearly committed seppuku himself. If you really have to say who killed him, it was Akechi Hidemitsu who blocked the road and fired the arquebus. But in the end, his head ended up in Todo Takatora's hands; that kid had some luck.

After discussing this matter, upon further inquiry, it turned out that Asai Nagamasa had indeed been summoned by Nobunaga specifically to inquire about the current situation.

Historically, Ashikaga Yoshiaki was initially driven out of Kyoto and Yamashiro, wandering around Wakae Castle trying to recruit men. The Mori clan completely ignored him, offering no military supplies whatsoever. However, they eventually took the initiative to welcome Ashikaga Yoshiaki to Tomoya, clearly for strategic reasons.

In this dimension, due to a secret meeting between Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Kennyo Shonin, Ashikaga Yoshiaki did not hesitate to betray the Mori clan envoys Ankokuji Ekei and Hoida Motochika, who were serving as guarantors, and fled to Kōkokuji Temple in Kishu.

This led Shichibei to believe that the Mori clan would never trust Ashikaga Yoshiaki again. But now that he thinks about it, if the Mori clan really fought the Oda clan, in order to gain a legitimate reason, they might actually have reluctantly invited Ashikaga Yoshiaki to the Tomono.

If the Mori clan continues to do this, he'll soon have two million koku of rice, and he'll inevitably develop ambitions to conquer the entire country. Expecting him to willingly submit is wishful thinking.

No, if we consider Ukita Naoie as a vassal daimyo of the Mori clan, then the Mori clan already possesses over two million koku of rice. Considering the mobilization capacity of the impoverished and remote western provinces, and referring to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mobilization orders during his invasion of Korea, the Mori clan could theoretically be a daimyo capable of mobilizing 100,000 men.

Of course, the number he mobilized included a large number of peasant soldiers; the Oda clan's 120,000 men were mostly engaged in non-professional work. The remaining non-professionals were also undergoing non-professional work.

In the Battle of Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu, the Mori clan had more than 50,000 reinforcements, and the castle's garrison, led by Shimizu Muneharu, numbered 5,000. Hideyoshi, along with the Ukita army, had a force of just over 30,000.

Battle reports can be deceiving, but the front lines do not.

Hideyoshi's 30,000 men had an advantage over the Mori clan's at least 50,000.

We were too naive. Terumoto Mori is extremely ambitious, but his abilities don't match his ambitions. It's really impossible to predict what he'll do.

They chatted all the way until they arrived at Nobunaga's Right General's residence, where they were announced and allowed to enter. Nobunaga was in the middle of assigning tasks to his eldest son, Nobutaka, and his eldest nephew, Nobusuke, so Shichibei and Azai Nagamasa had to wait.

However, they didn't have to wait long before Nobunaga instructed the two to go inside first. Once inside, they learned that Nobutaka had completely transformed into Miyoshi Nobutaka and had recognized Miyoshi Yasunaga as his father. Furthermore, he had made a deal with Miyoshi Yasunaga to transfer Nobutaka's two districts in northern Ise to Miyoshi Yasunaga's son, Miyoshi Yasutoshi.

Thus, Miyoshi Yasutoshi became Nobutaka's guide in Awa, assisting him on his journey to land and, incidentally, kill Miyoshi Nagaharu. Furthermore, Kawachi Takaya Castle was to be granted to Miyoshi Yasuharu, allowing him to fully possess a territory on Honshu Island.

After agreeing to all the conditions, Miyoshi Nobutaka, Kagawa Nobusumi, and their successor Niwa Nagahide prepared to lead 15,000 troops to attack Awa with Nobunaga's sponsorship. The Ataka Nobuyasukai of Awaji provided maritime protection, while the Sakai-cho Association provided the vessels needed for the voyage.

I originally thought this matter would take longer to prepare, but it is clear that Nobunaga has decided to launch it immediately.

This is probably related to the Mori clan's entry into Harima. Ashikaga Yoshiaki might still use Awa as a springboard to escape to the Mori or Otomo clans in Kyushu. Once Awa is also taken down, and the sea route is completely blocked, no matter how Yoshiaki tries to escape, he won't be able to escape Nobunaga's grasp.

The fact that the Mori clan could not obtain a legitimate reason to wage war against the Oda clan, and that the Mori clan, of humble origins and who were originally the leaders of the Kokujin uprising, hesitated for a few months, was a good thing for Nobunaga.

If either Mori or Takeda are dealt with, the Oda clan will have nothing to worry about.

After assigning the tasks, Nobutaka and Nobusumi first bowed to Nobunaga, then turned and bowed to Shichibei and Azai Nagamasa before leaving. Shichibei quickly returned the bow before sitting down in front of Nobunaga.

"How is the situation in California?" It wasn't easy for Asai Nagamasa to come all this way, so Nobunaga gave Shichibei a look and then greeted Nagamasa first.

"We have recovered from the previous defeat, but the family of Dr. Bessouki Ukon of the Daishoji Temple in California is too small to take care of everything." Asai Nagamasa was, after all, his brother-in-law, so he could speak his mind.

Betsuki Ukon no Taibu was actually Suda Hiromasa. He also received the new surname Betsuki from the Imperial Court and held the official position of Ukon Shokan. The Oda clan at that time was quite lenient with their officials; Shichibei was also Ukyo Akira.

“Hmm…” Nobunaga paused upon hearing this.

Hiromasa Sugata was promoted from a minor lord with a salary of several thousand kan to a lord with a salary of 80,000 koku in one fell swoop, without any transition or generous bestowal of favors, unlike Nobunaga who personally assigned him foot soldiers and small retainers (historically, Nobunaga also assigned people to Nobutada during the same period). It was indeed quite difficult for him to reach Daishoji Castle in Kaga Enuma District on his own.

However, that's just the kind of person Nobunaga is. He bestowed his favor upon you, and the rest is up to you. A weakling like you has no chance of survival; even with past great achievements, you can't just lie low now.

"Your Majesty will do your utmost to assist when necessary, but even just burying the remains of the Jodo Shinshu believers has taken up most of our manpower." Asai Nagamasa was truly a clever man; on the one hand, he actively expressed his willingness to help, while on the other hand, he complained about his predicament.

In the Echizen-Fuchu Plain alone, there were 30,000 corpses to be disposed of. The same was true in Kutōgawa, Kitashōdate, and Sabae. At least 70,000 to 80,000 people died in this wave in Echizen and Kaga, and possibly more. A large number of corpses were abandoned in the wilderness, and all of them had to be dealt with by the newly arrived Azai Nagamasa.

Even if we were to dig those massive pits that could hold hundreds of people at once, we'd need to dig hundreds of them to be enough. After burying everyone, we'd still have to restore the countryside, rebuild Beizhuang City, and regulate military service—there were countless things to do.

"Alright." Nobunaga raised his hand, signaling Azai Nagamasa to stop talking; he knew what was going on.

"Shichibei, what about you?" Nobunaga was probably still thinking about how to strengthen the military forces in the Hokuriku region, so he asked Shichibei to do something different.

"While I am in Sakai, I have heard that Akamatsu Daizo Masafumi of Nishi-Harima has begun to lean towards the Mori clan." Since Shichibei has received the news, he will certainly report it.

"What!" Sure enough, Nobunaga immediately became displeased upon hearing this.

With Akamatsu Masanori's surrender, the powerful clans of the five districts of Nishi-Harima would surely follow suit and submit to the Mori. The Mori would then have a firm foothold in Nishi-Harima, and given the fait accompli, they would not be willing to relinquish their power.

Shimada Hidemitsu and Matsui Tomokazu probably haven't arrived at Yoshida-Koriyama Castle yet to discuss the facts and reason with Mori Terumoto. If Akamatsu Masanori belongs to the Mori clan, it's truly troublesome.

"Go and contact Yamana Kingo immediately, and find the remaining members of Amago's faction as soon as possible." Nobunaga felt that time was of the essence and could only get these things done as quickly as possible.

"Twenty thousand koku of Takeda Castle?" Shichibei needed to confirm whether the twenty thousand koku of Takeda Castle should be granted to the Amago Restoration Army.

The local Ōtagaki clan was transferred to Konosumi Yamashiro Castle; under normal circumstances, such a transfer would probably have been impossible. However, with the recent killing of Akai Naomasa, the transfer became relatively easier. This is typical of Japan's Sengoku period: fear of power but not of virtue.

“That’s right!” Nobunaga nodded emphatically, reiterating his statement.

The main issue is that at this time, Yamanaka Shikanosuke is fighting at Wakasakura Castle in Inaba, and the war zone is difficult to access. I wonder if there are any other people involved. How old is Amago Katsuhisa again? The remnants of the Shingu faction took him with them when he was just a child, I think.

By the way, Nasano Nihonsuke, who went to Takeda Castle to visit Oda Nobunaga, is part of the same group as the Amago Restoration Army. He should know something. Even if he doesn't directly contact Yamanaka Yukijin, he should at least contact Tachihara Hisatsuna.

Actually, Shichibei should hurry up at this point.

Because Yoshikawa Motoharu was leading over 20,000 troops to attack Wakaoki Castle, Kamei Tsunetori, who was in the rear of Amago Re-establishment's army, failed to come to the rescue and retreated to Tajima Shibu Castle.

Miura of Mimasaka and Tadashi of Tajima both attempted to rescue Yamanaka Shikanosuke, but their forces were too small and they were blocked by Yoshikawa Motoharu's large army.

However, Yamanaka Shikanosuke was indeed quite capable, defending the Sakuragi Castle like an iron barrel, leaving Yoshikawa Motoharu unable to do anything about it for the time being. So Yoshikawa Motoharu changed course and attacked Shibu Castle, intending to first cut off the retreat route of Amago Re-establishment's army, leaving Yamanaka Shikanosuke isolated and helpless, and then launch a supply attack.