Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Only to maintain rapid communication in the Sanyang Road area.

In total, the Mori clan probably only had a few hundred ships that could reach Osaka Bay. No wonder they temporarily set up a maritime checkpoint in the Seto Inland Sea to intercept ships and requisition military supplies.

They probably sensed a major battle was imminent and, just in case, brought a group of civilian ships into the fleet. If they weren't needed, those would be ordinary grain ships and troop transports. If they were needed, then during the Battle of Dan-no-ura in the Genpei War, the Taira army still had a large number of Tang-style large ships. Large ships, with their superior elevation, had an advantage, at least in boarding maneuvers.

Alright, let's start preparing.

Nobunaga didn't forget Hideyoshi either, warning him to be wary of the Mori army launching a surprise attack from the sea. He was told not to just focus on attacking the rebellious Harima nobility, but also to consider his own rear.

On the other side, the Mori clan, under the leadership of Kobayakawa Takakage, undeniably possessed a certain strategic foresight. He carefully assessed the situation and even halved Yoshikawa Motoharu's forces before engaging in battle.

Twenty-three volumes

After that, a comprehensive plan was launched.

We absolutely must provide support to Ishiyama Honganji Temple, since their fighting strength is quite formidable and their numbers are decent enough to hold back Oda's army.

However, if Ukita Naoie were to be driven head-on to attack Hashiba Hideyoshi, Naoie might not go all out. The best approach would be to first establish some kind of advantage in the situation.

Thus, Naoie Ukita would go all out. Takakage Kobayakawa and Motochika Hoida would personally lead their troops to launch a full-scale attack from behind.

How to gain the upper hand? Kobayakawa Takakage planned to send 5,000 cavalrymen, led by Nomi Munekatsu, to land at Murotsu in Harima Province, to outflank Hashiba Hideyoshi and leave him in a predicament.

Subsequently, with the Murakami and Nomi navies as the main forces, the naval siege of Osaka was broken. Simultaneously, indoctrination work was launched among the local people of the Kinai region, attempting to incite unrest within the region. Once victory was achieved at Osaka Bay, troops would immediately be dispatched to seize Awaji Island, severing the connection between Honshu and Shikoku. The local people of Sanuki, Iyo, and Awa would be incited to resist the Oda army's invasion.

All sides launched their attacks, and flames of war were everywhere.

Ideally, Oda Nobunaga would be overwhelmed and unable to focus on multiple fronts, making it difficult for him to pinpoint the main direction of the Mori clan's attack, resulting in his forces being scattered like pepper. Meanwhile, the Mori side could concentrate the majority of its forces that could be gathered in a short period of time to gain an advantage in Harima.

Using Harima to subdue Ukita Naoie and the local lords of the Sanyo region, he launched a full-scale attack on Kyoto. While not necessarily replicating Oda Nobunaga's model, at least the model of his predecessor, Ōuchi Yoshioki, could be explored.

At that time, Kobayakawa Takakage would certainly be a suitable candidate for the position of Kanrei-dai (Deputy Governor of the Shogunate)!

Since the plan is so well-thought-out, let's get to work quickly. We asked Murakami Takeyoshi to lead over 500 ships from the Mishima Murakami navy and over 100 ships from the Kobayakawa navy, totaling 730 ships. Following behind were many requisitioned merchant ships, fully loaded with military rations and various weapons.

Because he was to become the governor of the Kinai region, Kobayakawa Takakage exercised strict discipline over his generals and troops. Murakami Takeyoshi was also going to be doing business in the Seto Inland Sea, so even though hundreds or thousands of merchants and boatmen were under their control, they were merely following the troops under strict military orders.

Even Kobayakawa Takakage painted pictures of these merchants and boatmen.

"Cake, now we've requisitioned your ships and taken your rice, but don't be hasty. After a new general is enthroned, you will all surely receive a share of the benefits within this region."

The several wealthy merchants from Hakata, Kyushu, on the ship, led by Kamiya Sōzan, were merely subservient. They had originally been on their way to a meeting in Sakai, but unexpectedly, the meeting was cut short, and they were robbed en route.

However, merchants have their ways. When passing through the numerous small islands scattered throughout the Seto Inland Sea, Kamiya Munezan bribed a Murakami pirate to release a small boat, allowing a skilled boatman to escape. The army moved slowly, while this boatman, with his exceptional skill and daring, sped towards Sakai Town overnight.

Chapter 391 Nine Ghosts' Arrogance and Well Tower

"After His Highness the Grand Minister of the Interior is appointed, what is the typical procedure for his promotion?" "According to seniority, he should be further promoted to Minister of the Right." Princess Ashikaga remained lying down, not turning her face.

"After the Minister of the Right, can he be directly promoted to Minister of State?" Shichibei happened to see Nobunaga running over, and since he had nothing else to do at night, he asked Ashikaga-hime, who was more familiar with the situation of the court nobles in Kyoto.

"That won't do; you still need to be assigned a rank." In Japan, official appointments and ranks are separate, at least for now. There's no rule that assigning someone a certain rank automatically determines their rank.

Rank.

“That makes sense…” Shichibei thought about it and agreed. Those above the third rank were all “immortals” and had many rules.

"Please get some rest. Aren't you going to serve the Regent's Palace tomorrow?" Princess Ashikaga blew out the candle.

The smoke from the candles was still curling when there was a loud knock on the gate, indicating an urgent matter. Shichibei responded and threw back the quilt, while Ashikaga Princess relit the candles and rose to drape a robe over Shichibei.

"I'm sorry." The voice sounded like a servant from the house.

"A person claiming to be from the owner of the Hakata Kamiya restaurant has come with an urgent message, carrying the letter you delivered to the owner."

"What! Shinya?" Shichibei quickly put on his clothes and went outside.

Ashikaga Princess, having also dressed, held a candlestick beside Shichibei to illuminate his path. Soon they arrived at the front hall, where a short, wiry young man, radiating heat, appeared before Shichibei.

"Where's the letter?" Two family members handed over the letter that Shichibei had written to Kamiya Sōzan. Examining it carefully against the lamplight, it was indeed Shichibei's own handwriting. This person must be a trusted confidant sent by Kamiya Sōzan.

"Did something happen to the owner of the Shin-ya restaurant on the way?"

"My fleet has been hijacked by the Murakami navy and is now heading towards Osaka!" the young man quickly replied.

"Osaka! The Murakami Navy is heading to Ishiyama Osaka Naniwa-zu?" Shichibei immediately realized that historically, the Mori Army also had a naval force that rushed to the aid of Kenryo.

"Yes, there are about seven or eight hundred warships, and several hundred other ships of various sizes, all loaded with military provisions and weapons."

Generally, there are buildings open.

"Bring me a bottle of sake, and do you have any rice balls?" Shichibei turned to ask Ashikaga Princess.

There was plenty of wine at home, and a large bottle was handed to the young man. Before the rice balls even arrived, the young man gulped down several. Shichibei quickly asked for another bottle, and in no time at all, the young man devoured six rice balls and two bottles of wine.

"Come with me, we're going to pay our respects to the Regent now." Seeing that he had finished eating, Shichibei led over his horse and gestured for him to follow.

Nobunaga was even busier than Shichibei. He had probably just finished exercising with his page and was having his back scrubbed. Upon hearing that it was Shichibei, he didn't try to hide it and let Shichibei come straight into the bathhouse. He was wearing only a loincloth, and two pagemen poured water on him and wiped his body at the same time.

After listening to the young man sent by Kamiya Sōzan, Nobunaga only asked one question: According to your estimate, how long will it take for the Murakami Navy to reach Kizugawa?

At the latest, by noon the day after tomorrow.

Judging by the time, it's already past 10 PM, and today is almost over. There's still one day left tomorrow and half a day left the day after; there's simply not enough time to mobilize the defensive forces.

what.

After staring at the young man for a moment, Nobunaga suddenly stood up, and the two servants hurriedly draped an undergarment over him, not caring about wiping it off. He immediately summoned Kuki Yoshitaka in Sakaimachi and spent a large sum of money to send men to Awaji Island overnight, ordering Ataka Nobuyasu to mobilize ships to come to his aid.

As for Kazunari Saji, he's too far away, and the Chita navy is too late to come to his aid. They can only rely on the Shima navy, whose ships are currently in Osaka Bay, and the Ataka navy on Awaji Island.

In addition, send someone to invite Sakuma Nobumori to fully reinforce the fortifications in the direction of Ishiyama Honganji Kizu Fortress and Rogan Fortress. Under no circumstances should the Mori army be allowed to transport personnel ashore, make contact with Kizu Fortress, or even send supplies there.

With Nobunaga around, the Oda clan's military machine was running at a very fast pace. Not long after, Kuki Yoshitaka arrived at Nobunaga's temporary residence first. After paying his respects to Nobunaga, he began to chat with the young boatman.

Try to find out as much as possible how many ships the Maori navy has, what kind of ships they are, how much weaponry they have, and whether they are equipped with a large number of arquebuses and fire arrows, etc.

After Kuki Yoshitaka had figured it out, Nobunaga had already changed his undergarments twice, wiping away the remaining water from his body, and was holding...

Qingkailou

He sat at the head of the table and inquired about how the naval battle would proceed.

There was nothing they could do; Nobunaga and Shichibei were completely clueless when it came to naval warfare.

Whether in this era or in the future, those involved in naval operations are technically skilled personnel. The Japanese Navy launches 100,000 to 200,000 tons of ships every year, but it's always been ships waiting for people, not people waiting for ships. Back in World War II, the Japanese Navy was a privileged class; naval soldiers ate the same food as army officers on board, who were quite content and didn't think the navy was so discriminatory.

When it comes to naval warfare, you either know it or you don't. Nobunaga and Shichibei had no other options besides listening to Kuki Yoshitaka.

Kuki Yoshitaka was very confident after learning that the Mori navy mainly used oars and sails for sailing and small boats for high-speed maneuverability.

After aligning themselves with Oda Nobunaga, the Shima Navy prospered, gaining control not only of Ise Bay, but also of Kumano Beach and even Enshu Beach.

As a result, Kuki Yoshitaka's income continued to rise. The Shima navy originally had the capability to build Atakebune (a type of ship), otherwise, the small-time fugitives...

Famous quotes and songs have started a thread.

Hamakage Takashi couldn't possibly take the Atakebune to defect to Takeda Shingen. Now, Kuki Yoshitaka has gone even further, building the Ito-sen (well-towered ship).

On Ōseki-bune or Atake-bune ships, tall towers were built, and arquebusiers or archers were stationed on them. When the two sides engaged in battle, the height difference was used to pick off the enemy's bow and helmsman.

Without a bow and a helmsman, even the most elite navy and the most powerful warships can only spin in circles and cannot play any role.

The key point is that Kuki Yoshitaka didn't just have one large ship; he had eight. These could serve as the main force of the Shima navy, allowing them to advance towards the Mori navy.

Using their superior position to attack the weaker enemy, and their superior strength to overpower the weaker one, the Shima navy would easily defeat the Mori navy. Moreover, Atake Nobuyasu's Awaji navy would soon arrive to join the battle, bringing at least a hundred warships. As the naval power that had dominated the Awaji Strait since the Miyoshi and Nagayoshi eras, the Atake clan's fighting strength was undeniable.

Shichibei was somewhat worried. The Mori clan was bringing seven or eight hundred ships. Kuki Yoshitaka only had about two hundred ships in battle, and even with Ataka Nobuyasu's hundred or so, that was only a little over three hundred ships. That was only half the size of the Mori navy. Was it wise to meet them in such a situation?

Kuki Yoshitaka laughed heartily, declaring that his Ito-bō-ship could take on ten or twenty of the Mori navy's small boats. He not only reassured Shichibei, but also said he would personally lead the battle, ensuring the Mori navy wouldn't get a single step near the Hongan-ji Temple.

"If you can defeat the Mori navy, I will grant you a county in Seki Province!" Nobunaga was a little carried away by Kuki Yoshitaka's confidence and chose to believe him.

"I will not fail in my mission!" Kuki Yoshitaka kowtowed to the ground and loudly agreed.

What else could Shichibei say? He could only choose to believe it. However, perhaps because Shichibei expressed doubt, Nobunaga didn't sleep or rest, and immediately said he would go to see the eight-story ship with the well tower that Kuki Yoshitaka had mentioned.

If they were truly formidable, then Nobunaga would focus on commanding Sakuma Nobumori and his forces on land to launch a fierce attack on Kizu Fortress, preventing the Mori army from joining forces with the Ikko-ikki.

This was a minor matter, and Kuki Yoshitaka, clearly confident in his Ishigaki-ship, immediately agreed. Before leaving, Nobunaga noticed the young man who had brought the news, touched him gently, and realized he had just finished washing...

A building with opening

He took a bath, but had nothing on his body. He then instructed Shichibei to reward the young man with ten taels of gold.

"Yes, yes," Shichibei nodded hurriedly, instructing the young man to go back with the Kawamura-ya shop assistant and collect a reward of ten taels of gold. Whether he would then return to Hakata by land or wait for Kamiya Munezan in Sakaimachi was entirely up to him. In any case, if he stayed at the Kawamura-ya, they would provide him with food and lodging.

After sending the young man away, Shichibei and Nobunaga's party arrived at the port of Sakai. It was still dark, and the port was patrolled by Sakai's hired gunmen. Seeing Nobunaga riding by, they loudly asked who he was, doing their duty. After Shichibei stepped forward and identified himself, the gunmen quickly raised large lanterns to guide Nobunaga.

Under the dim light, Shichibei and Nobunaga could see the ship's tower, which was at least seven or eight meters high. It was essentially a two-story hut built on the ship's deck, with a battle platform set up on the roof for the arquebusiers and archers to fire.

No wonder Kuki Yoshitaka is so confident...

Shichibei had initially been a little worried, seeing that the ship was at least forty meters long and the well tower was high. Aside from the fact that relying solely on oars for propulsion was unsustainable, it did seem rather...

It should already be a grand ship with a magnificent opening ceremony.

However, the well-built ships had oars, and most of the Maori navy on the opposite side also relied on oars for propulsion. The Japanese navy's warships, not to be laughable, were simply perfectly suited to Japan's national needs and demonstrated a high level of tact.

That's good. Since Kuki Yoshitaka is being so impressive, Shichibei can rest assured.

Judging from the original plane, his strength was slightly lacking because he didn't control such a large body of water. He failed to build those eight large well-tower ships, and thus lost to the Mori navy, whose strength was as great as an ant biting an elephant, at the mouth of the Kizu River.

Despite not having slept all night, Nobunaga was in high spirits. Since he was already there, he decided to board the ship and take a look. During Hideyoshi's conquest of Korea, he had managed to build the massive Nippon Maru. One wonders if Nobunaga shared this idea, as he would later have to cross the sea to conquer Kyushu.

Well, although it's highly unlikely he'll need to personally go, he'll still need to make an inspection at the end.

By the time Nobunaga had leisurely strolled around the well-built ship, admiring everything and then disembarking and riding back to his residence, it was almost dawn. The messenger who had gone to inform Sakuma Nobumori also returned, with Sakuma Nobueshi accompanying him.

Why didn't Nobumori come? Because he had also discovered something. He noticed that the Ikko-ikki followers of Honganji were reinforcing their forces at Kizu Fortress and Rogishi Fortress, and had deployed many small boats. Although he didn't know exactly what they were up to, it was highly likely that they would launch another counter-encirclement operation.

Therefore, Nobumori could not easily leave the siege camp, lest a sudden incident occur, the commander be absent, and the various units fall into chaos and lose communication. Sending his son, Nobuyoshi, would be just as effective; if there was any military intelligence, he could speak with Nobuyoshi.

Upon hearing that Honganji Temple had also begun to strengthen the defenses of Kizu Fortress, Nobunaga became even more certain that the intelligence sent by Kamiya Sōzan was accurate. He didn't give any specific instructions to Sakuma Nobue, but after wandering around for a while, he decided to go to the main camp of Tennoji Fortress with Sakuma Nobue.

Although Nobunaga didn't particularly enjoy micromanagement, his habit of rushing to the most intense battle zones was clearly still intact.

To be fair, Nobunaga was quite remarkable on the battlefield.

It's hard to describe what this state of mind is like, but Nobunaga on the battlefield is much, much more perceptive than Nobunaga in normal times.

He gave Shichibei a few brief instructions: if any further messages arrived, deliver them to him immediately by fast horse. He also instructed Kuki Yoshitaka to fulfill any of his needs to the best of his ability, lest Shima's navy go to battle on an empty stomach. This included anything from sake and fish to beans.

Whether it's corruption or anything else, it's all on his account.

I understand, I understand. You need to be well-fed to have the energy to row. These sailors from Shima and Ise have been besieging Osaka Bay for quite some time now. Although another group rotates in, they're always on the move for months at a time, so fatigue and lethargy are inevitable. There aren't many good ways to boost morale these days, except for rewarding them with money and food.

Xiang Yu even slaughtered an ox to feast his soldiers, ordering them to defeat Liu Bang's army the next day. Xin Qiji also wrote about this: "Eight hundred li of roasted meat shared among my troops, fifty strings of music echoing beyond the border." Those eight hundred li refer to an ox, and a steed capable of running eight hundred li at that.