Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

The matter was settled and could not be changed. Oyamada Nobushige then asked Yonekura Nobutsugu to report to Nobunaga that the attack on the castle should not be carried out the next morning, as he needed time to attack Takeda Yoshiyori.

If there are still no results after noon, we'll see then.

Alright, Nobutsugu Yonekura asked Nobushige Oyamada to write a pledge, and then took him down from the castle that very night. Akimitsu Makijima stayed in the castle to act as a reassurance.

When Nobunaga heard the offer of five thousand taels, he agreed without batting an eye. Since it wasn't his money, he ordered Yonekura Nobutsugu to send men back to Kofu that very night to ask Shichibei for the five thousand taels.

Nobunaga needs to see the five thousand taels of gold before noon tomorrow so that he can take the head of Takeda Yoshiyori from Yamada Nobushige.

"Five thousand taels? Do I look like I'm worth five thousand taels?" Shichibei had just returned to Tsutsuzaki House from Huilin Temple and had barely lain down when he heard outside that a servant of his lord was requesting an audience.

Of course, these were just words in Shichibei's own mind; he wouldn't dare to say them openly in front of Nobunaga's attendants.

Five thousand taels of gold would weigh over a hundred catties. This is because in Japan, one tael of gold is approximately 9-13 grams, and the weight varied depending on the period.

A hundred-odd pounds of gold isn't actually that much. But to ask for so much all at once, especially in Kai, Nobunaga really knows how to make things difficult for people.

But what could Shichibei do? He could only take out all the gold he had brought with him to meet Nobunaga's demands. 373. Unable to break through the siege, he was ultimately captured.

However, Shichibei couldn't really argue with paying 5,000 taels to save Takeda Yoshiyori's life. Kiso Yoshimasa was the first to defect, even anticipating the loss of his eldest son, so naturally he would pay 5,000 taels to buy a horse's bones. Oyamada Nobushige's betrayal and regicide also warranted 5,000 taels, which was quite reasonable to some extent.

The guards, riding swiftly, arrived at the gates of Iwadono Castle at midday, escorting five thousand taels of gold. The sounds of battle had long since died down within the castle walls. However, the gates remained closed, and the head of Takeda Yoshiyori was nowhere to be seen.

"Um, is it all cleaned up?" Nobunaga patted the rattan box filled with five thousand taels of gold, showing no sign of heartache whatsoever.

"It has already been sent to Gifu and handed over to Takei Hoin for disposal." Shichibei, of course, knew that Nobunaga was referring to Kaikawa Shōki. If Nobunaga could spare the Imperial Advisor, he certainly wouldn't.

Nobunaga was arrogant, eccentric, and prone to frivolity—but those were all during his most successful periods. If Takeda Yoshiyori hadn't died, he wouldn't have been able to frivolize himself.

Yeah, if Takeda Yoshiyori were killed today, Nobunaga would definitely get cocky. Takeda Shingen gave him a good beating and made him calm down for three years. Now, no one can beat Oda Nobunaga up and make him calm down anymore.

Even Uesugi Kenshin couldn't do it; after destroying the Takeda clan, the Oda clan could mobilize tens of thousands more men. With just those tens of thousands, they could completely control the situation.

This would have allowed him to control and even destroy the Uesugi clan. Oda Nobunaga himself wouldn't have needed to intervene; he could have remotely controlled everything from Azuchi.

"Hmph, these monks don't chant their scriptures properly and interfere in military and political affairs. They'll have to be dealt with sooner or later." Nobunaga revealed a strange smile. Kaikawa Shokichi was probably going to suffer a lot this time.

"Yes, yes, monks should just chant sutras properly." Shichibei and Nobunaga were quite in agreement on cracking down on religious forces.

If you cooperate with me in deceiving and fooling the people, then you are a legitimate religion, and we can all exploit the people together. If you don't cooperate with me, yet you jump out and point fingers? Then you'll have to go see Amitabha Buddha.

"Alright, stay here and help me check on Takeda Shinano-no-kami." Nobunaga turned and sat down. Shichibei then greeted the other generals, who were all waiting for the fire to start inside Iwadono Castle.

The result was that, logically speaking, Oyamada Nobushige had two thousand men while Takeda Yoshiyori only had five hundred. After fighting for so long, the battle should have been decided long ago.

Everyone found it quite strange and craned their necks to look towards Yan Dian Mountain. Then they witnessed an unbelievable scene: dozens of...

A red-armored warrior opened the city gate, escorted a group of people, and ran towards the rocky path on the other side of the mountain.

"This is bad!" Hideyoshi was the first to jump out. Although he didn't know exactly what was wrong, he was very clear that something was wrong.

"Quickly, quick, arquebusiers!" Xinzhong also stood up. This morning, they only said they wouldn't attack the city, but they hadn't said they would lift the siege.

At the foot of the mountain, there were still many bamboo bundles and wooden shields, behind which were Oda clan's arquebusiers. Seeing someone suddenly running downhill, they didn't care who it was, they'd kill them first. Even Nobunaga stood up and looked towards Mount Iwadono. What the hell was going on? They were supposed to be going to kill Takeda Yoshiyori, so how come someone broke down the gate and escaped? "Ah!" Then Shichibei suddenly noticed that Mutou Genjiro, who was kneeling next to Nobunaga, let out a soft gasp.

"Genjiro, is that your uncle, Sanada Hyōbu-suke!" Shichibei's mind raced instantly, and he blurted out the question.

"Yes... no, no, I don't know..." Genjiro Muto shook his head hurriedly, but seeing his expression, Shichibei immediately understood.

The "crayfish" above is definitely Sanada Masaki. And the one who was protected by Sanada Masaki and fought his way out is 100% Takeda Yoshiyuki.

Lai, there can't be anyone else.

"They must not be let go." Nobunaga realized this as well and immediately ordered his generals to kill them all.

All the attendants on either side leaped into the air. Who wouldn't want the great achievement of killing Takeda Yoshiyori? Even someone like Hideyoshi or Kazumasu would want it.

Actually, Shichibei was somewhat tempted, but he hadn't brought anyone with him. Todo Takatora wasn't there, Watanabe Kanbei wasn't there, and even his good brother-in-law, Hara Nagayori, wasn't there. With his skinny arms and legs, Shichibei wouldn't dare try to extort Sanada Masaaki.

The group on the hillside was fighting with increasing ferocity; breaking out of the city was practically half the battle won. Once they rounded the sheer, mirror-like cliff, they could head north to the Chichibu Mountains. Once inside the mountains, capturing them again would be virtually impossible.

After a short journey through the mountains, one could find refuge within the territory of the Hojo clan. Given the powerful claim of a powerful exile like Takeda Yoshiyori, Hojo Ujimasa was highly likely to accept him.

By this time, the Oda army's military projection capabilities had reached their limit. The provisions for their advance into Kai were carried in by farmers and soldiers from Mino and Owari, each carrying a bundle of rice. It was simply impossible for them to advance further into Kanto, or even to besiege Odawara.

"Huh?" Shichibei was feeling annoyed when he saw the Namae Sadaharu brothers.

Oh right, the six Nagae brothers were borrowed by Nobunaga to serve as his bodyguards and archers. Nobunaga's own two thousand guards were taken to Sunpu by Fukutomi Hidekatsu to support Takeda Nobufusa.

Before we could even say hello, we saw the six brothers of Nami River abandon their horses and still running incredibly fast. If they killed Takeda Yoshiyori, his brains would fetch at least three thousand taels of gold.

"Wait, wait..." Shichibei hurriedly greeted Namazue Sadaharu, but Namazue Sadaharu didn't even turn his head, leaving his youngest brother behind.

"Your Highness?" The young man was eager to try, and was a little anxious when he was stopped.

"Try to keep them alive; they're more valuable when they're alive." That was all Shichibei could say.

Oda Nobunaga most likely wouldn't humiliate Takeda Yoshiyori, but the feeling of seeing Takeda Yoshiyori's head and seeing him beheaded in front of him would be completely different. Given Nobunaga's personality, he would probably prefer to see Takeda Yoshiyori beheaded in front of him and then have his head displayed at the crossroads of Kai Province.

"Understood!" The young man stopped for a total of three steps, then turned around and...

He leaped and ran out.

Whether at the foot of the mountain, on the edge of the cliff, or on the Katsura River, Oda's army was instantly everywhere. More than 20,000 men besieged the city; if not completely impenetrable, they could at least surround it to a great extent.

Even Nobunaga was silent at this moment, jumped onto his horse and galloped forward. Shichibei, on the other hand, found an oxcart that transported iron cannonballs and stared at it intently.

Sanada Masaki led fifty riders into western Kozuke, where they encountered a Takeda messenger seeking reinforcements from the Hojo clan. He then entered the castle to assist Takeda Yoshiyori in his battle. Those who could still come to protect him at this hour were truly loyal.

Early this morning, Oyamada Nobushige suddenly launched an attack, killing about a hundred guards protecting Takeda Yoshiyori, and was preparing to capture and kill him. Thanks to the desperate efforts of his men, Takeda Yoshiyori managed to escape. Then he ran into Sanada Masaki, who had come to his rescue after hearing the commotion. With few people left to rely on, Takeda Yoshiyori had no choice but to trust them.

To be fair, Sanada Masaki was incredibly fierce. He fought his way through the enemy lines and, along with Takeda Yoshiyori, stormed out of the castle. The castle was quite cramped, and although Oyamada Nobushige had two thousand men, he could only send dozens at a time to face the enemy.

The result was exactly what Shichibei and the others had just witnessed: although they killed many Takeda samurai, they failed to capture Takeda Yoshiyori.

What a piece of junk!

The cannons roared in rapid succession, and bowstrings clattered erratically. The samurai of Oda's army were eager to earn merit. Especially now, right before Oda Nobunaga's eyes, a reward of 20,000 koku of rice would be offered up, just a hundred meters away. Who wouldn't be driven mad?

The Sanada samurai were hit one after another, and the hatamoto guarding Takeda Yoshiyori also fell to the ground. Half of the hundred or so men were quickly wiped out. Moreover, the Oyamada army inside Iwadono Castle also chased after them, attempting to capture Takeda Yoshiyori.

The scene descended into chaos, filled with smoke and shouts of battle; soon, even the figures became indistinguishable. Fortunately, Shichibei wasn't particularly interested in this achievement, and seeing that he couldn't understand it at all, he sat back down on the haystack.

Back at the shogunate, everyone had followed Nobunaga out, so Shichibei simply started a fire. He'd been woken up late last night by someone demanding five thousand ryo. He'd gotten up early this morning and spent most of the day delivering the money; if he hadn't been so excited, he would have been yawning long ago.

Let's make some tea. There's no coffee either; that's what the battlefield demands.

It shouldn't be too restrictive.

The water boiled, and from Nobunaga's luggage, or rather, his little prop box in the Japanese context, he took out tea leaves. Before he could even brew any, he suddenly saw Nobunaga lift the curtain and walk in.

I didn't steal anything from you!

Shichibei casually placed the tea bag on the table, showing no sign of stealing. Nobunaga, unconcerned, sat down nonchalantly and gestured for Shichibei to continue brewing, asking if the water had cooled down since he'd been watching so long.

It's at the perfect temperature, making it easy to eat.

The tea was poured, and Nobunaga picked it up. Several samurai escorted Takeda Yoshiyori, whose shoulder armor had been cut off, into the shogunate. Logically, the two were father-in-law and son-in-law; their meeting under these circumstances was quite unfortunate.

Takeda Yoshiyori didn't start cursing. He was piled on top of each other and tied up several times before being captured alive. In total, five people captured him alive, which is why several of them came in together to present him to Nobunaga.

Nobunaga kept his word and immediately declared that the five of them would each receive 20,000 koku, and that they could choose whichever place they wanted.

Son, they immediately issued pledges of gratitude to them. The five warriors were extremely grateful, one of them even tripped and fell on the mountain path.

He was bruised and his face was swollen. He was talking incoherently and just kept kowtowing to Nobunaga.

A person with a salary of 4,000 koku would be considered one of the best among the Ōmi-hatamoto (a high-ranking official in the Edo period). They could even be appointed to important positions such as the Nishimaru garrison commander or be sent to lucrative posts such as the Nagasaki magistrate.

Having dealt with the matter, Nobunaga noticed his half-finished tea and gestured for Mori Ranmaru to pass it to Takeda Yoshiyori. Takeda Yoshiyori accepted the tea without ceremony, saying, "Isn't there any good sake?"

Sake? Of course there was sake, Nobunaga immediately called for it. He forced Takeda Katsuyori to drink several mouthfuls, which helped him catch his breath. Takeda Yoshiyori stared at Nobunaga for a moment, then began to speak.

“Since Genzaburo is my father’s adopted son, please allow him to inherit the Takeda family name.”

"We'll discuss this later." Nobunaga hadn't decided yet whether or not to allow the Takeda clan to continue.

While Takeda Nobufusa was indeed Takeda Shingen's son, in those days, after being adopted out, one could return to the main family; it was simply a matter of following the proper procedures. The key point is that Takeda Nobufusa had already considered the potential inheritance of Takeda family names such as Yasuda Nobukiyo, Katsuyama Nobusada, and Anayama Katsuchiyo.

All the Cheng people were killed.

Nishina Morinobu was executed in Shinano, and Takeda Yoshiyori was about to be executed as well. Yoshiyori's son committed suicide at Sekisui-ji Temple. After this massacre, once Nobufusa returned to the Oda clan, the direct bloodline of the Kai Genji would be completely severed.

"Hmph..." Seeing that Nobunaga wouldn't allow it, Takeda Yoshiyori understood Nobunaga's hatred for Takeda and said no more.

If they hate someone so much that they don't even want their family name to exist, what more is there to say? The Takeda family is destined to perish. They will hide themselves and change their form, not allowing them to exist at all.

In fact, Takeda Nobufusa's principal wife was the daughter of Takeda Nobukazu. Their son could also be considered a descendant of the Kai Genji clan. But what's the point of not using the Takeda name in their family register?

The conversation between the father-in-law and son-in-law ended awkwardly.

Sensing the air growing colder, Shichibei quickly called to Mori Ranmaru and Muto Genjiro, who were kneeling behind him, "Don't kneel anymore, come with me quickly. They might want to have a private conversation, and we don't need to get in the way."

Lifting the curtain, Shichibei saw people being bound and beheaded outside. Understandably, those who survived usually sought ransom from their samurai families, while the wounded or already dead were beheaded.

Head down.

As they were walking, they saw Muto Genjiro tug at Shichibei. Following the direction he was pointing, they saw Sanada Masaki being beheaded. Shichibei quickly called out, "Wait!" and upon seeing that it was Lord Chikata, immediately stopped.

Looking again, Sanada Masaki had been shot in the right leg and stabbed in the left abdomen; his injuries were somewhere between serious and minor. Without help, he was likely to die. With help, there was a chance of survival.

“His head is worth ten kan. Go to Kawamura-ya to collect it.” Shichibei smeared the blood on his clothes and wrote on the samurai short hakama that Sanada Masateru had captured that he owed him ten kan and a piece of cloth.

"Yes, yes, Kawamura-dono is very kind..." The samurai Shichibei didn't recognize his name, so he was probably from the Mino clan and not someone he knew very well.

There were quacks in the Shichibei Corps, and Shichibei, with a "nothing to lose" attitude, called for help. He'd try anything, and if they couldn't, he wouldn't blame them. He'd consider it all for the sake of the future "Number One Warrior of Sanada in Japan"—Sanada Yukimura's reputation was certainly worth ten kan plus a piece of cloth.

In addition, more than twenty samurai led by Sanada Masaki were also captured alive. Shichibei, being a good Samaritan, went all the way and gave them all away.

He was redeemed and put to serve Sanada Masaki.

Now they are all spoils of war for the Oda clan samurai, and as long as Nobunaga doesn't specifically order their execution, they can be freely sold and disposed of.

Having gone this far, Genjiro Muto had nothing more to say. Several Sanada samurai clearly recognized him; seeing him holding a katana for Nobunaga, they silently nodded twice.

At least the Sanada family name was preserved. As long as the family name was preserved, everything else could be ignored. In any case, their separation to follow Takeda Yoshiyori was just a precaution.

Shichibei, seeing that there were still over a hundred Takeda samurai for sale, simply bought them all. Yamagata Masamitsu would need manpower to govern after his term, and countless Takeda soldiers had died in Kamo. These guards of Takeda Yoshiyori would certainly come in handy.

Chapter 373 Seven Hundred Armored Soldiers Enter My Home

Not entirely unexpectedly, Oda Nobunaga ordered Takeda Yoshiyori to be taken out of the camp and beheaded. Note that it was beheading. His younger brother, Nishina Morinobu, committed seppuku, but Nobunaga was beheaded. (4)

The Takeda clan's breach of alliance and abandonment of treaties posed a significant threat to Nobunaga. Nobunaga also needed an outlet for his resentment towards the Takeda clan.

Having killed Takeda Yoshiyori, most of the anger had been vented. As for the ordinary Takeda samurai, not many were left; most had died in the battles of Mino and Kamo. The remaining soldiers of Shinano province were all assigned to Oda Nobuhiro as his comrades.

The strength of the people of Kai Province will not be discussed for the time being.