Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Especially since such a child was sent to the eastern part of Japan. Who knows, if they later defeated Takeda Yoshiyori, Takeda might send the child to someone like Hojo Ujimasa or Uesugi Kenshin, which would be another troublesome matter.

As for the current campaign against Kishu? Forget it, Nobunaga has no time to discuss it for now.

As per the Saiga party's previous conditions, the Saiga party outwardly submitted, agreeing not to cede territory, pay reparations, or take hostages. However, they agreed to open the Takako-toge pass, allowing the Oda army to build fortifications and control the main route into Kii Province.

Oda Nobuharu was left behind by Nobunaga as the lord of Sano Fortress, ordered to remain and defend it. Since the peace treaty was strongly advocated by Sakuma Nobumori, Sakuma Nobumori was tasked with building a fortress in Sano.

The other generals broke camp and set off back to their respective territories. After half a year of fighting, the soldiers had gained nothing, achieved no merit, and received no rewards. Many complained bitterly, blaming the war as unfair.

Chapter 351 Takeda Raises the Flag, Mori Waves

Nobunaga himself did not return to Gifu, nor did he go to the Azuchi construction site; instead, he stayed in Kyoto, which was nearby. Shichibei, on the other hand, returned to Gifu, as his entire family lived there, and he needed to go back for the New Year.

Logically, Shichibei should return to his home garrison in Tsuruga, like the other legion commanders, and live with his family in his respective castle. However, since Shichibei's business focus and main business funds are not in Tsuruga, there is naturally no need for him to go.

I've been living in Gifu for the past two years, and after two more years I'll have to move to Azuchi.

To be fair, Shichibei's feudal vassal relationship with Oda Nobunaga was quite strong. Because of the monopoly granted by Nobunaga, Shichibei had to constantly move around with Nobunaga. The Kawamura retainers and Kawamura-ya main store also had to relocate constantly with Nobunaga.

I don't know whether to say it's good or bad.

The New Year's Day of Tensho 4 (1576) arrived just in time, and Shichibei returned to Gifu almost at the last minute. The area around Gifu Castle was already filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year. Every house had bamboo door frames, and the shouts of people making rice cakes echoed from the streets to the alleys. Children in new clothes rode their bamboo horses, laughing and running past their doors.

Upon returning to Gifu Castle, Oda Nobutada immediately sent for Shichibei to inquire about the details of the Kii campaign. He had spent the last six months in Gifu reorganizing the army he had acquired from his father, while also recruiting new soldiers. Noo was now on the front lines resisting the Takeda clan, and he couldn't afford any mistakes.

Shichibei was actually not in Kishu most of the time, but since none of the other important retainers had returned to Gifu, Oda Nobutada had no choice but to look for Shichibei.

After explaining the situation in detail, Oda Nobutada fell silent upon hearing that the Saiga party had suffered no losses and the Oda army had not gained an inch of land.

The capture of Ashikaga Yoshiaki should be considered a victory. However, no spoils of war were obtained, and the soldiers received nothing, not even the small reward for their indiscriminate capture. There must be some resentment among them.

The key point is that there were more than 50,000 people, exhausted, fighting a real battle in the wild for half a year. Such high-intensity outdoor life really requires three to five months of rest to recover.

This means that in the first half of this year, the Oda army could only maintain a defensive posture in the Kinai region, unable to launch an offensive. If the Takeda army were to attack, it would depend on Oda Nobutada himself, as well as Tokugawa Ieyasu's efforts.

"The rocky mountain hasn't been cleared yet, and Kai is bound to cause trouble again. The New Year won't be peaceful." Kawajiri Hidetaka saw things clearly and said what Oda Nobutada wanted to say.

"Ishiyama has already built a siege, and it will be breached sooner or later." Shichibei had looked at the long siege of Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple, and it was in relatively good condition.

Naomasa Arihana mobilized the Yamashiro troops, along with the remaining men of Nobunaga's main force, to help with the fortification. Had it not been for the siege of Ishiyama Castle, Nobunaga would not have been able to participate in the Kii Campaign with only two thousand men.

Moreover, judging from Hanawa Naomasa's idea, he wanted to completely block Honganji's access to food and ammunition supplies from the outside. I wonder if he has captured Kizu Fortress yet. If he controls Kizugawaguchi, it will be like strangling Kennyo Shonin by the neck.

With Nobunaga's several thousand men providing reinforcements, Shichibei felt that nothing too serious should happen at Ishiyama. Even if they were to suffer a defeat, it would be a manageable one. For example, failing to capture Kizu Fortress and losing a few hundred or a thousand men.

Soldiers and cannon fodder were easy to recruit; just raise a recruitment flag, and people would flock to them. In Japan's Warring States period, human life was the least valuable thing; once someone died, they were gone. Wives remarrying, sons changing their surnames, houses being renamed—these were all readily available procedures.

"The three-year peace treaty with Takeda is coming to an end, and the war continues." Oda Nobutada had no feelings for Takeda, but he and Takeda Matsuhime were a loving and respectful couple, which was quite contradictory.

"Urgent report!" Before Oda Nobutada could finish speaking, the servants outside suddenly pulled open the barrier.

"What report?"

"Takeda Shinano no Kami claims to have been ordered by Ashikaga Chitose-maru to summon all the feudal lords of the land to serve the emperor!" The servant outside the door delivered a report that was as urgent as could be.

"Ha..." Just as expected, Shichibei and the other two understood.

After Ashikaga Yoshiaki was captured, he said that he had sent his second son to Sunpu. Now that news of Yoshiaki's capture has spread throughout the land, it is easy to understand why the Takeda clan would step forward and take the lead in the nationwide anti-Nobunaga alliance.

After the battle between Takeda Shingen and the Oda-Tokugawa alliance, Nobunaga had already made up his mind to destroy the Takeda clan. He couldn't tolerate such a powerful lord as the Takeda clan, who was like a snoring merrily beside his bed.

Even when Takeda Yoshiyori arranged for his son to marry Nobunaga's daughter, Nobunaga directly refused. He wasn't pretending at all; he was determined to fight, and he wouldn't be at ease until he wiped out the Takeda clan.

It is understandable that Takeda Yoshiyori would now establish the Rikuri Chitose-maru, using it as a banner to rally anti-Nobunaga forces across the land; this was only natural.

"Has the matter been reported to Father?" Oda Nobutada asked the visitor, composing himself.

"It has already sped towards Luoyang."

"I wonder if this will bring peace between Kou and Kou..." Shichibei paused, then turned around to express his concern.

If Takeda Yoshiyori had sent Ashikaga Chitose-maru to Kasugayama Castle, and had already basically conquered Echizen and Uesugi Kenshin, would he have accepted this great gift and then started marching into the Kinai region via the Hokuriku Road?

It is certainly possible that if this opportunity is used to achieve peace between Kai and Echigo, then Takeda Yoshiyori will have no more worries about his rear, and both the powerful enemies, the Hojo and Uesugi, will be appeased.

"No way." Hidetaka Kawajiri said, somewhat uncertainly.

The Takeda and Uesugi have been fighting for so many years, and for Uesugi, Oku-Shinano is the bulwark of Echigo-Kishino County. Without capturing Oku-Shinano, Kasugayama Castle will never be at peace.

"The truth is hard to predict." Shichibei didn't dare to speak too definitively.

Uesugi Kenshin had already realized he couldn't survive in Kanto, and he couldn't conquer Shinano and Kai. His final choice was only towards Echigo and Echizen; he couldn't very well go to Ōshu. Ōshu was a desolate wasteland, even more barbaric than Shikoku. Unless he truly had nowhere else to go, he would never have considered venturing into Ōshu.

Once Uesugi Kenshin decides to change his main attack direction, the already weak alliance between Uesugi and Oda will immediately collapse.

Furthermore, Uesugi Kenshin is currently able to gain the righteous cause of Ashikaga Chitose-maru and attack Oda Nobunaga, the rebel who usurped the Muromachi Shogunate.

"Let's leave it at that for now and wait for Father's decision." There's been a lot of news today, and Oda Nobutada needs time to think it over. He told Shichibei to stop here.

I understand. Shichibei retreated to his castle to go home for the New Year. Fortunately, there are taller people to hold up the sky when it falls. Even if Takeda turns against us now, it's Tokugawa Ieyasu and Morinaga who will be worried. They won't be able to reach Tsuruga, which is under Shichibei's control.

Along with the news of Ashikaga Yoshiaki's capture, news also spread throughout the land that his son, Ashikaga Chitose-maru, had been enthroned by the Takeda clan. For example, Mori Terumoto received a letter bearing both Ashikaga Yoshiaki's signature and Takeda Yoshiyori's signature.

What he was thinking was that the Oda clan was becoming increasingly powerful, and unless the Mori clan completely submitted to Oda, they would eventually be discarded like a used tool.

At present, Oda Nobunaga has taken in the Amago Re-establishment Army and brought Ukita Nagaie into adulthood, clearly indicating his intention to compete with the Mori clan for interests in western Japan. In addition, Hashiba Hideyoshi has been appointed as the governor of Chikuzen, which is located in Hakatazu. Nobunaga will definitely bring him under the protection of the Oda clan.

It's clear from every angle that the Oda clan could only accept the former sphere of influence of the Mori clan. Any further expansion by the Mori clan was absolutely unacceptable.

If we don't rebel now, when will we?

Should we wait until Oda Nobunaga has completely subdued the feudal lords and conquered all of Shikoku and Kyushu, so that he can attack the Mori clan from both sides, before rebelling? That would be nothing short of suicide.

Currently, much of the Oda clan's military force is tied up with the Miyoshi Rebellion in Shikoku, the Ishiyama Honganji Rebellion, the Kaga Ikko-ikki, and the Konobu Takeda Rebellion. The forces deployed to western Japan are very weak, but with the incident involving the Mayama clan, it is even necessary to mobilize the servants under the command of the wealthy merchant Kawamura Nagayoshi to participate in the battle and provide relief.

The Oda army is bogged down in battles on all sides. They've heard that their previous attack on Kii Province with 100,000 troops ended in near failure, with heavy losses. The generals' forces are exhausted and on the verge of collapse. There is no better opportunity to rise up than now; this chance must not be missed, for it will not come again.

That's what it means...

Yoshikawa Motoharu, Kobayakawa Takakage, Hoida Motochika, Shishido Takaie, and others, who had returned from the front lines, were seriously analyzing the current situation as the de facto shareholders of the Mori family.

In fact, after Kobayakawa Takakage advanced his troops into the five districts of western Harima, he knew that he had already crossed Oda Nobunaga's bottom line. Nobunaga then sent Shimada Hidemitsu and Matsui Tomokazu to Yoshida-Koriyama Castle to question the Mori clan about why they had not informed the Oda clan before advancing into Harima, thus bringing this conflict to the forefront.

The Mori clan naturally wanted Harima to be divided in two: the five districts of western Harima to the Mori, and the eight districts of eastern Harima to the Oda. Looking towards the Kinai region from Harima, it seemed so close.

Standing in Beizhong overlooking the capital region, it would take at least five or seven days to run there.

To put it bluntly, Mori needed to expand to satisfy the greed of the various forces that had joined the Kokujin Grand Alliance. How much expansion did the Mori clan's direct territories actually achieve through bloodshed and fighting? The territory they built step by step by sending sons, seizing power, and subjugating the Kokujin was completely different from the unified territory they conquered.

The fact that they could directly oppose Oda Nobunaga inevitably made the Mori clan hesitate. The Miyoshi clan was once so powerful, but now they are basically dead. The Asakura clan was equally powerful, but they have all become wine cups. The Jodo Shinshu Ikkyu-ikki, which has troubled the Kinai region for almost a century, is now barely clinging to life.

Mori Terumoto couldn't make up his mind to really turn against Nobunaga.

Kobayakawa Takakage, on the other hand, had a clearer mind. This secret letter was sent by the Takeda clan. They were powerful and capable of fighting, so he asked Takeda Yoshiyori to send troops first.

If the Takeda clan took the lead, and Takeda Shingen was able to defeat the Oda-Tokugawa alliance at Mikatagahara, then Takeda Yoshiyori could defeat Nobunaga again somewhere else.

We should ask the Takeda clan to send troops to tie down Oda Nobunaga's army of 50,000 to 80,000 men, and ideally, to fight a decisive battle and kill 80,000 to 10,000 of Nobunaga's troops. Then the Mori clan will have an opportunity to make a move.

They could even launch a swift attack on Kyoto while the Oda and Takeda clans were both weakened, and seize the spoils of victory. Although the Mori clan didn't have an Ashikaga member under their control, there were still quite a few Ashikaga members in those days. For example, there was Ashikaga Teruji in the Satake clan, Ashikaga Iekuni in the Satomi clan, and Ashikaga Yoshisuke in the Miyoshi clan, and so on.

When the Asakura family was completely wiped out, the Kuratani Kubo, who had originally stayed in Echizen, also managed to escape and went to the Noto Hatakeyama family. This could be considered part of the Ashikaga clan, and they could invite him over.

Supporting Ashikaga Chitose-maru is one thing, but having an Ashikaga clan member in one's own hands is another.

However we argue, we need the Takeda clan to make a move first, and then we'll observe. If they succeed, we'll join in; if not, we'll continue to observe and let other forces take turns depleting the Oda clan's military strength and resources.

Furthermore, even though Mori isn't going to participate, we can use others as scouts. While Akai of Tanba is dead, Naito and Utsu are still alive; let's bring them in.

Akamatsu of Harima is nearing death, but he's not quite dead yet. Give him some money and provisions and see if he can hold on. Araki Murashige of Settsu has been resisting Nobunaga for some time, but he's gradually losing ground. We can't let him die. We need to support him with some troops and send some money to Arioka Castle.

The invasion by the Iyo Kono clan should be paused to allow them to catch their breath. Sanuki's Togawa Moriyasu is said to be quite valiant, currently resisting Kagawa Nobusumi's attack; he should also be given some money.

Anyway, we'll treat everyone equally. As long as someone can cause trouble for the Oda clan, we Mori will lend a hand. But we won't get involved ourselves; let them go first.

Of course, Mori wasn't just standing by. He needed to build fortifications and stockpile money and supplies on the Harima front, preparing for war with the Oda clan. Or rather, not necessarily war, but if the Oda clan suffered another major defeat in their battle against the Takeda clan, Mori could use the reserves he had accumulated in Harima to quickly march on Kyoto and establish his power.

This vast world has been ruled by the Ashikaga clan, the Oda clan, and even the Ōuchi clan for a few days. Why can't my Ōe Mori clan rule it?

The achievements of Lord Oe might just be carried forward and expanded by our generation.

"Let me help you take a bath first." As soon as Shichibei returned home, the young general immediately came to undress him.

The mere mention of bathing sent a shiver down Shichibei's spine. If he stayed at the temple day and night, even the toughest man would lose three pounds. Fortunately, everyone knew Shichibei had just retreated from the battlefield of the Kishu Campaign; his unsteady gait, dark circles under his eyes, and weary appearance were all perfectly normal.

"Want to shower together?" Shichibei swallowed hard and asked instinctively.

"It's the New Year, and you're acting so unserious. The children are still here." The young general thought Shichibei had been cooped up on the battlefield for too long and rolled his eyes at him.

"Yes, yes, I misspoke." It's so nice to have a big group of kids.

Hugs on the left, kisses on the right—the children are truly my precious treasures, saving me from a disaster. Holding my eldest son, we took a bath together, and then I overheard Oichi, who was scrubbing my back, chatting about trivial matters concerning Gifu Castle.

Princess Tokuhime, who had married into the Tokugawa family in Okazaki, wrote back to complain that the young lord of the Tokugawa clan was a rude and disrespectful fellow.

Chapter 352 Don't meddle in other people's family affairs

Ok?

Who told you this? How could they spread such a thing? Shichibei put down his eldest son and turned to ask Princess Ichi. Princess Ichi noticed Shichibei's suspicion and said directly that Princess Tokuhime had written back to tell Lady Nohime. Lady Nohime was living in the residence of Nobumori in Sakuma below the castle, and she would move there after Azuchi was completed.

"Don't spread such things around in the future," Shichibei could only instruct.

"Yes, yes, yes," Princess Ichihime replied immediately.

Compared to other women, she had experienced far more. First, she married Saito Tatsuoki, who had now defected to the Takeda clan. Then she was betrothed to Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, but the engagement was barely finalized before Yoshitsugu rebelled, leaving her an orphan.

Now that Shichibei has said this, there must be some messy stuff going on here. Although she didn't understand what it was, at least she knew to keep quiet.

"Does anyone else know?" Princess Ichi helped Shichibei wipe his back, and Shichibei helped the big boy wipe his crotch and buttocks.

"Everyone knows it's not exactly a secret."

"Hiss..." Upon hearing this, Shichibei paused in his hand as he wiped his son's bottom.

Although the historical accounts of the murders of Tokugawa Nobuyasu and Tsukiyama-dono are varied, Oda Nobunaga certainly knew about it and was likely involved. Besides the murders of Nobuyasu and his mother, Mizuno Nobumoto was also ordered to commit seppuku and had his possessions confiscated.

There are many theories about the murder of Nobuyasu and his mother, including Nobunaga giving the order, Ieyasu giving the order, and Ieyasu being the mastermind who asked Nobunaga to give the order. However, it is clear that Nobunaga ordered Mizuno Nobumoto to commit seppuku.

At that time, there should have been a faction in Mikawa plotting against Tokugawa Ieyasu. Whether they sided with the Takeda is uncertain, but their opposition to Ieyasu was certain. Moreover, it had definitely gained momentum, to the point that Ieyasu and Nobunaga acted simultaneously, swiftly eliminating those who might have been involved in the conspiracy.

Princess Tokuhime recently wrote back saying that Tokugawa Nobuyasu was rude and disrespectful, which probably meant she genuinely thought her husband was uncultured. Given his rural upbringing in Mikawa, this was understandable. Tokugawa Nobuyasu himself was robust, simple, and unpretentious, with a carefree and easygoing style, completely different from the cautious and meticulous Ieyasu.

Nobunaga quite liked these young samurai who weren't particularly clever but were very brave. After all, it's difficult for a timid and cowardly person to become a brave and fearless one. It's much harder than training a brave samurai into a qualified commander.

But if we say that Tokugawa Nobuyasu was rude and disrespectful now, it might become evidence against him in the future.

After the Tokugawa clan gained control of the country, they extensively embellished and rewrote the history of the Sengoku period. The most typical examples are the death of Nobuyasu and the Battle of Anegawa. In the Battle of Anegawa, the Tokugawa army was so valiant that they first broke through Asakura, then Asai, and bravely rescued Nobunaga, while the more than 20,000 people from Mino and Owari seemed to be just spectators.