Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

It would be best if Nobunaga heard this, understood it, and decided to act separately from Nobutada in the future, instead of gathering together so often. If they must gather together, it would be best if they brought along 8,000 to 10,000 men.

Anyway, as long as Nobunaga was alive, that was a golden brand, and everyone feared and respected him. As long as Nobutada was alive, people might grumble a bit in their hearts, but on the surface, they would still show him the respect he deserved.

They're all dead?

That happened after they were all dead.

Let's take care of ourselves first. Shichibei doesn't have a single strong member of his own clan who can serve as a deputy commander. This time, we've sent the main army to Harima, and the commanders of each reserve unit are readily available. But when it comes to actually going out into battle, we still need to entrust someone with unified command, and that can only be Hashiba Hidenaga.

If the various reserve units are scattered and fighting piecemeal with only three to five hundred men each, wouldn't that be pure suicide? Even if the Mori army has 100,000 peasant soldiers, that's still 100,000. Fighting alone is pure suicide.

During the dinner that evening, Shichibei had already spoken frankly with Hidenaga. He entrusted Shichibei with the responsibility of leading the troops, hoping that Hidenaga would do a good job and understand Shichibei's good intentions.

In the next few days, I need to have a clear discussion and communicate with the reserve commanders of the Kawamura clan's various units. If Hidenaga wants them to fight normally, then they must obey orders and follow commands. After all, Nobunaga wants to establish a foothold in Harima, and the Kawamura army going there would be pointless.

Damn, no one could withstand being hit by Nobunaga's paddle.

If Hideyoshi or Hidenaga orders them to deliver the goods or jump into the pit, then they can be accused of outwardly complying but inwardly disobeying. Let's not be so rigid; we need to be more flexible.

Intelligent people like Takatora Todo and Shigeharu Takenaka, as well as Chinese like Yutada Ogawa and Shigetsuna Aochi, immediately understood when Shichibei gave them a slight hint.

But what does Masaki Sanada mean by "spirited and lively"?

Don't understand? If you don't understand, then just follow Todo Takatora. When Todo Takatora charges, you charge too; when Todo Takatora stops, you stop too. You're basically guaranteed to be successful.

Having rested for three months and whose arrow wounds had mostly healed, Sanada Masaki nodded to Todo Takatora, indicating that he understood. After all, Todo Takatora was a direct retainer of Shichibei, while Sanada Masaki was still considered a guest general, so it was acceptable for him to follow the orders of a direct retainer.

As for the other three, when Shichibei went to call him, Ii's sister-in-law was still breastfeeding.

That's great. Sometimes I wish I could be a child again, and drink milk or something.

He shook his head and told Saegusa Morinao, "Young man, you're still young. You're the only male left in the Saegusa family who has reached adulthood; don't be so reckless." Historically, Ii Naomasa was known for his bravery...

Quickly, go after Shimazu Yoshihiro with a few captains, and you'll get shot by Shimazu Toyohisa. Some things are better left to your subordinates; what's the point of a general like you chasing after a fugitive?

This made Sange no Morinaka very uneasy. Was Shichibei going to be my stepfather?

Ii Naotora is theoretically Saegusa Morinao's stepmother, and if a stepmother remarries, then she is indeed a stepfather. However…

"Fine, after sending Shichibei away," Saegusa Morinaka said quite frankly to Ii Naotora, "Our lord might have taken a liking to you. What should we do?"

What could be done? Ii Naotora, who was breastfeeding her child, pondered for a moment and said frankly that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it was a good thing for both the Ii and Saegusa families.

If she becomes Shichibei's concubine and is brought into the family openly and legitimately, then the future prosperity of the Ii and Mie families will at least be guaranteed.

Considering Shichibei's prestige at Gifu Castle and his status within the Oda clan, becoming his concubine wouldn't be difficult. There are probably plenty of women outside who would love to be his concubine, but none of them have the connections.

"But our lord has never said it outright." Sange no Mori was still a young man after all, and there were some things he didn't understand.

“After all, I am a widow who has remarried, so my status is different.” Ii Naotora had seen it all before.

She was able to remarry Saegusa Moritomo because of her status as a daughter of the Ii family, which gave her influence and made her a valuable asset in the region. Now that Saegusa Moritomo is dead and Ii-ya has fallen into Tokugawa Ieyasu's hands, she no longer possesses any significant value in winning over the people. Perhaps only her current beauty is what Shichibei-no-Kami covets her.

Since that's the case, why not secretly send it to Shichibei's bedside? Once she gives Shichibei another child, their status will be confirmed. At that time, Saegusa Morinaka and the little boy from the Ii family will be considered to have found a powerful backer.

“This...this... …” Saegusa Morinao had indeed never experienced it; he could understand, but not entirely.

"In times of chaos, there are some things one has no choice but to do." Naotora Ii understood this perfectly; in this day and age, it's not shameful to find a strong person to rely on.

Of course, there's no need to go to the Kawamura's house now. She's pregnant, and if she goes in now, the outcome is uncertain. It would be much easier to go to the Kawamura's house after the baby is born and she's had some time to recover.

Chapter 379 Pharmacist Xiaoxi Asks for an Introduction

At Gifu Castle, everyone was treating each other to drinks and baths every day. Besides, the destruction of the Takeda clan was supposed to be a grand celebration. Even Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had moved back to Hamamatsu Castle, was invited by Nobunaga, and there were all sorts of activities, including falconry, sumo wrestling, and Noh theater.

After nearly a month of commotion, everyone finally finished celebrating and went home.

According to Shichibei's understanding, it wasn't that they had made enough of a fuss, but rather that the annual tribute rice had already been harvested, and these lords and city lords needed to return to their duties and focus on their biggest income of the year.

Shichibei didn't need to go to Tsuruga, mainly because Tsuruga only had a territory of 20,000 koku, and at most, it could collect 10,000 koku of rice as annual tribute, which, after discounting, was only 5,000 kan. A mere 5,000 kan really wasn't worth Shichibei, a big boss, making a special trip for.

Moreover, many of the fiefs had already been granted to retainers under Shichibei, with direct stipends amounting to only a few koku. That small amount could be easily collected by Ishigami Tsuguyoshi, the acting governor of Tsuruga Port; it would amount to at most two or three thousand kan.

Nobunaga returned to Kyoto on horseback, having already purged almost all the idle and unproductive people in Nobi and Oo provinces who were not content with agriculture. Nobunaga wanted to...

To replenish his own forces, he could only recruit from the Kinai region. The Kinai region was densely populated, with many travelers. Within a year, he could definitely rebuild Nobunaga's main force to a level of 20,000 to 30,000.

Hideyoshi is leaving too. He has to go back to Nagahama Castle for a major relocation, moving all his retainers from Nagahama to Himeji like potted plants. It's just a change of pots, after all; who knows, he might have to move them to Chikuzen later.

Speaking of Hideyoshi, Shichibei has a story to tell. Having somehow learned that Hideyoshi was going to Harima to take up his post and expand the Sanyo Road, several big bosses from Sakai came to Gifu to pay their respects to Shichibei.

The leader was naturally Takeno Munekata, who did not continue to run the "Leather House" business like his father. After receiving 50,000 kan in cash and assets from his brother-in-law Imai Munehisa, he began to live off rent, seemingly preparing to develop into a master tea master.

After all, his father, Takeno Jōō, was renowned, practically a leader among tea masters. This kind of succession system was quite common in Japan, with successors of the first and second generations. Moreover, Takeno Sōwa saw in Shichibei the benefits of wielding power within the samurai family.

He truly had no interest in earning those tens of thousands of kan anymore, and instead focused on getting closer to Shichibei, working tirelessly for him in Sakai. He had practically become...

He became Shichibei's representative in Sakaimachi, and seemed quite willing to be his underling. To put it bluntly, he was a lackey.

Lackeys are indeed necessary.

For serious, large-scale business, hire Tsuda Munekichi. But for trivial, miscellaneous matters, it's unnecessary to bother him. He's the big boss of Tennoji-ya, and he's very busy too.

The people who could make Takeno Munekazu make a special trip were no ordinary people; they were two big bosses in Sakai-cho. One was Hibiya Ryoke of Hibiya, and the other was Konishi Ryusuke (Konishi Risuke) of the pharmacy.

The two big bosses hoped to meet the newly appointed daimyo Hashiba Hideyoshi, the lord of Harima Province with a land area of ​​420,000 koku, through Shichibei's introduction.

Takeno Munekazu also told Shichibei about their purpose. Being a lackey has its advantages; they found out beforehand. There were two things. One was to use this opportunity to penetrate the market in the Sanyo region. Merchant groups in Onomichi, Akama-gase, and Murozu in the Sanyo region controlled various commercial privileges in the area by taking advantage of shipping in the Seto Inland Sea and their good relationship with the Mishima Navy.

As one of the Sakai-kai allies, Konishi Ryuzo is eager to break into the Sanyodo market and further increase his wealth.

Another matter was the hope of leveraging the military power of the Oda clan.

Oda Nobunaga, through his efforts, introduced Christian doctrines to the Sanyo region. He even reserved land for a Christian church at Azuchi Castle and permitted Christianity to spread within the Kinai region. Such a friendly daimyo held a tolerant attitude towards the spread of Christianity.

However, the Mori family in the Sanyo region didn't take it very seriously and weren't particularly concerned. Back then, Yamaguchi-dori also had a Christian church and mission sites, which were completely burned down by the Mori army.

Now that they finally had another opportunity to preach in the Sanyo region, Hihiya Ryoki and Konishi Ryusuke were overjoyed. These two were among the most enthusiastic supporters of Christian missionary work in the Kinai region.

Those who died in battle, such as Wada Koremasa, and Takayama Shigetomo in history, were both devout Christians.

It was precisely because of the economic support and political protection of these people that Christianity was able to spread on a large scale in the Kinai region and further reach Oda Nobunaga.

Of course, while Takayama Shigetomo in this world is religious, he idolizes Oda Nobunaga even more. Therefore, he is merely assisting in missionary work and is not fanatical.

Having lost the support of such a powerful daimyo, Konishi Ryōsō and Hibiya Ryōkei were eager to find a new breakthrough. The church in the Kinai region had already gained considerable influence.

Effort can be made gradually.

The church had no influence in Shanyang Road.

Driven by both economic factors and religious fervor, the two naturally rushed to Gifu to ask Shichibei for help.

Since Kawamura-ya was also listed among the Sakai guild leaders, and Shichibei himself was the Sakai daikan (a high-ranking official in the area), they had to go through Shichibei's channels if they wanted to make further contact with Oda Nobunaga or the lords of the Oda clan.

When doing business, it's best not to skip the middleman.

Upon hearing this, Shichibei wasn't surprised. As Lü Buwei aptly put it, merchants are like farmers: ten times the profit, a hundred times the profit, and countless times the profit from investing in kings and nobles. The pharmacy wasn't among the top-tier merchants in Sakaimachi; to advance further, it needed to attach itself to power. Hideyoshi's current campaign in Harima was a perfect opportunity.

Whether or not we dare to invest, and whether or not we are capable of investing, depends entirely on the judgment of our big bosses.

Speaking of which, before Hideyoshi left, he had spoken with Shichibei. After he went to Harima, he planned to renovate Himeji Castle and win over the local gentry. He promised to have Hidenaga return to secure the looting, and out of respect for his brother, he would give him an extra 20,000 kilos.

It seems that there's no need for Shichibei to lend him money anymore; two readily available rich guys have come to him.

Hideyoshi's campaigns in the western provinces cost tens of thousands of kan (a unit of currency). The most typical and famous example is the naval attack on Bichu-Takamatsu Castle. Simply hiring local farmers to build dams cost as much as 8,000 kan. Similarly, bribing ship owners in Bichu and Bingo provinces to prevent them from transporting grain to Takamatsu Castle incurred enormous expenses.

Later estimates suggest that Hideyoshi spent over 30,000 kan (a unit of currency) on the attack on Takamatsu Castle alone. The vast majority of this money was borrowed, not from Hideyoshi's own funds after the recent suppression of the Miki Bessho Rebellion.

After all, we are Nobunaga's personal loan shark, and we also handle the business of these colleagues. Nobunaga has been spending money recklessly lately, and our business is also in a period of heavy capital investment. It would be good to let Hideyoshi take advantage of Konishi Ryōsō and Hibiya Ryōke's connections.

The two men also presented Shichibei with a hanging scroll depicting hibiscus and peonies. According to them, it was a Song Dynasty painting. Shichibei didn't know which Song Dynasty it was from or who painted it. He simply thanked them and said he would personally introduce them when Hideyoshi and his retainers moved to Azuchi.

Overjoyed by Shichibei's promise, the two repeatedly expressed their willingness to fulfill any requests His Highness Kawamura-ya might have.

If it can be done, we will definitely find a way to do it well.

After waiting in Gifu for several days, news came that Hideyoshi had broken camp and set off, handing over Nagahama Castle to Hori Hidemasa, the castle governor sent by Nobunaga. This was the same Hori Hidemasa who was known in history as "Meijin Kyutaro".

He had made a pact with his cousin Hori Naomasa that they would both serve Oda Nobunaga, and whoever stepped forward first would become the other's retainer.

As Nobunaga's close aide, Hori Hidemasa rose to prominence relatively late. However, it was still quite respectable; being appointed as the magistrate of Nagahama Castle in Kohoku at this point at least showed that Nobunaga already had the magnanimity to be a lord of a castle.

Returning to Hideyoshi, because of his agreement with Shichibei, he informed Shichibei of his marching route and schedule after setting off. Since Shichibei also had to leave Gifu for the Kinai region, he took Hihiya Ryoke and Konishi Ryūsuke with him on a special trip to visit Hideyoshi.

Hideyoshi did not leave alone. As mentioned earlier, Hachisuka Koroku was promoted from Mino and granted a fief of 53,000 koku in Harima Ryuno.

Just from the sixth grade, who came from the Mino Hachisuka party, Ushiko Village, and other areas...

More than five hundred people were pulled out, along with their families, totaling no fewer than two thousand. The entire force exceeded twenty thousand, and many Chinese from Jiangbei were also pulled out.

Let's go, historically they've already embarked on the fast track of life.

By the way, when Shichibei led the two to pay their respects to Hideyoshi, a page named Ishida Sakichi appeared beside Hideyoshi.

"First published on 705u.com - Book Club"

It makes perfect sense. Not only did Ishida Sakichi pledge allegiance to Hideyoshi, but his father, Ishida Masatsugu, and his brother, Ishida Masazumi, also chose to serve Hideyoshi after he became the lord of Nagahama Castle in Kohoku. This man was also promoted by Hideyoshi from his old territory in Kohoku and taken with him to Harima to take up his post.

Perhaps the Ishida father and son are still feeling conflicted, leaving their familiar hometown of Kohoku for the completely unfamiliar Harima. Moreover, Ishida Masatsugu's salary is very low, only a meager 300 koku.

To embark on a journey to a distant land for 300 koku of rice, it can only be said that the Ishida family at this time was truly a small and insignificant household.

However, none of this concerned Shichibei. Shichibei's only role was to introduce Konishi Ryūsō and Hibiya Ryōke to Hideyoshi. What happened next was up to Hideyoshi to negotiate with them. How much gold he could extract from them depended entirely on Hideyoshi's resources.

thing.

Shichibei assembled his troops at the foot of Azuchi Castle, theoretically capable of mobilizing 9,000 cavalry. However, Shichibei ultimately didn't send all of them, only 6,000 men to Hideyoshi, which was quite a concession.

Although he had given instructions beforehand, when the time came, Shichibei still gathered all his generals before him, prepared a meal, and gave them another set of instructions.

Fan.

He also solemnly introduced Hidenaga to them, Shichibei's good brother-in-law. Regardless of whether they knew each other before, they were getting to know each other again now. They would have to work together, or rather, fight together for a year.

The group first bowed to Shichibei, then turned and bowed to Hashiba Hidenaga. This signified their acceptance of Hidenaga as their leader for the next year, and their acceptance of his assignments.

Privately, Shichibei also gave Hidenaga 5,000 kan. Maintaining the relationship solely through family and friendship isn't impossible, but who knows what unforeseen circumstances might arise? Anyway, we're not short of money; we'll give it when it's due.

Not long after his death, Hidenaga received a fief of 105,000 koku in seven districts of Tajima and two districts of Harima. He became a leading and powerful vassal in the Hashiba army and began to build his own...

The retainers. The current situation is still unknown, but giving my good brother-in-law some money is like starting capital; he'll surely remember Shichibei's kindness in the future.

Two of the future three chief retainers of Hidenaga, Hada Rokuzo and Ogawa Shimonoseki, had already pledged allegiance to him, since Hidenaga had been granted a high-ranking position in Harima with a stipend of 10,000 koku. As for Yokohama Ichian, he had entered service after Hidenaga was granted the title of Yamato, but his current whereabouts were unknown.

Seeing that Shichibei had given him a 5,000 kan note, which he could withdraw whether he went to Kyoto or Sakai, Hidenaga held Shichibei's hand, gripping it tighter than a woman's.

Alright, alright, with the looks of you two brothers, even a woman like Shichibei wouldn't be interested.