Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

It would be better to use them all to launch a human assault on the city, replace all the old retainers, and then help him build a new group of retainers. Keeping those traitors around is really pointless.

However, Shichibei didn't dare say this aloud. Since Nobunaga had already made his decision, Shichibei chose to listen to him. In terms of warfare, Nobunaga was definitely much better than Shichibei.

We already saw Saiga Castle when we attacked it earlier. There's a plateau on Mount Myōmi called "Senjiki," so Saiga Castle was built there. Besides the main castle, Saiga, there are also branch castles like Miroku-ji Temple and Myōken-dō Temple. It has a strong religious character, and its names are related to gods and Buddhas.

Saiga Castle was at best a flat mountain castle. After seeing Miki Castle, Shichibei looked down on it. As the de facto estate of Saiga Estate, this piece of land with tens of thousands of koku of land on the south bank of the Kii River belonged to Suzuki Satau and his son Suzuki Shigehide.

After Oda's army crossed the treacherous mountains and entered Kii Province, Tsuchibashi no Morishige did not hesitate to kowtow to Nobunaga. He had previously approved of the Saiga clan's surrender and subsequent rebellion, but this time, the intense internal conflict clearly outweighed his determination to resist the foreign ruler.

After all, Izumi no Shibo Kaigen had already obtained Nobunaga's promise of the territory's security.

If they were to "block" (meaning to secure the Tsuchibashi family's safety), then according to the customary law of the Sengoku period in Japan, they would have to be rewarded with something for their defection.

Just like when Numama Echigo Nyudo joined Shichibei, what he gained was the recognition of Oda Nobunaga, the ruler of the land, and his adoption into the prestigious Izumi Shugodai Matsuura clan.

If they now pledge allegiance to Oda Nobunaga, they will most likely receive additional territory after the war. Even if it's not the case that the tens of thousands of koku of Saiga Estate belong to the Tsuchibashi family, receiving five thousand or ten thousand koku would be quite reasonable.

If the Oda clan conquers Saiga and pacifies Kishu, then they will need to immediately send a large army from Kishu to contribute their efforts to the cause of unifying Japan.

Besides sending his retainers into Kishu, the Tsuchibashi clan, with their readily available and organized army, was the main force that Nobunaga recruited and used.

To be fair, the Saiga party is indeed exhausted.

The memories of the last campaign against Kishu are still vivid. The Saiga party soldiers, or rather, these villagers who refused to submit to the emperor's rule and believed in the Jodo Shinshu sect, appeared like ghosts, attacking and killing Oda's army everywhere. They also built fortifications in the mountains, obstructing transportation and threatening supply lines. Even the Kii River was filled with rebellious trees, doing everything in their power to prevent the Oda clan from entering.

Basically, the Saiga troops used every method they could find. Moreover, they were united in purpose, with able-bodied men defending the city walls and the fortresses, while the elderly and weak retreated into the mountains and forests, engaging Oda's army in a protracted struggle for more than half a year.

The Oda army was utterly humiliated, exhausted, and demoralized. There was even a scene of conflict between Oda Nobunaga and Sakuma Nobumori, with Sakuma advocating for appeasement. Ultimately, the Saiga party surrendered but then rebelled again, and Nobumori was severely reprimanded by Nobunaga.

It's still fresh in my memory, so very fresh.

When Shichibei saw them arguing back then, he broke out in a cold sweat. Thinking about it now, he felt that Nobunaga was a bit too impulsive and reckless at the time.

But the Saiga lords now, especially those who have lost the leadership of the Tsuchibashi clan, have shrunk considerably. The Kurimura clan, which was originally neutral, has directly sided with Oda, surrendering Kurimura Castle as Nobunaga's temporary headquarters.

The mountain people, who had been rising and falling in waves, mostly fell silent. With many able-bodied men dying in battle, the forces that the Suzuki family could mobilize became increasingly scarce.

There aren't even enough people left to plant the skewered Mogi trees all over the Kii River!

Having previously launched an attack on the Tsuchibashi clan, he suddenly heard of Nobunaga's arrival.

When the troops advanced, they retreated in panic into Saiga, and morale plummeted. How could you tell that morale was low within the castle? It's simple: the empty moats outside the castle weren't filled with bamboo spikes.

They hadn't even done the most basic city defense work properly, and Oda Nobunaga pushed them to the city gate. It would be a miracle if the morale of the army wasn't in turmoil.

Having become very familiar with Saiga Castle, Nobunaga immediately ordered Shichibei to take down the surrounding branch castles. As for the task of leading the assault, Tsuchibashi no Kamishige and Oda Nobuharu were chosen to go first.

Adjustment? Adjust what? Kill the entire Suzuki family.

Tsuchibashi Morishige also had to pledge his allegiance, knowing that he wouldn't gain Nobunaga's approval without the deaths of several men. If they could breach the castle gates, then they would have succeeded.

As for Oda Nobuharu, Nobunaga had previously stationed him at Sano Fortress, likely with the intention of transferring him to Kii Province. However, plans often go awry; before Sano Fortress was even completed, the Saiga forces launched a surprise attack.

Now, he's attacking the castle alongside Tsuchibashi no Morishige, and they'll likely become colleagues in the future. Speaking of which, Oda Nobuharu's relationship with Nobunaga wasn't particularly close; he came from the Oda Fujiemon family, one of the three Kiyosu magistrates. His father was Oda Hiroki, and his grandfather was Oda Tsunehiro, meaning he and Nobunaga's family were only related hundreds of years ago.

As the lord of Odai Castle in Owari Province, he was considered a veteran retainer within the Oda clan. Nobunaga certainly hoped to support a few of these more distant clans as well.

In the later Edo Shogunate, the Three Ministers were appointed, and those with the Tokugawa surname were permitted to use it. In addition to the Three Ministers, there were also the Matsudaira clan, a group of close relatives. Closer branches preserved the bloodline, while distant branches assisted in the rule.

Since they are all from the same clan and their blood ties are quite distant, there is no risk of them vying for the throne, so they can naturally be entrusted with important responsibilities.

Oda Nobunaga knew that this was probably the most important opportunity for him to gain a foothold in Kii Province, so he participated in the siege with great effort, personally watching the Saiga troops' arquebuses rush down the castle walls.

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Compared to the fierce siege of Saiga Castle, Shichibei's side had it a little easier.

"The sound of those cannons was truly terrifying." Though he said it was terrifying, Kuwayama Shigeharu was quite relaxed, sitting next to Shichibei watching Kawamura Gun and the Ikko-shu's ragtag soldiers fight each other.

When it comes to fighting, it's always the young and strong men like Watanabe Kanbei and Todo Takatora who go. Goto Mototsugu is temporarily acting as an envoy between Nobunaga and Shichibei; otherwise, he would definitely be charging forward with a gun. The rest of the old guard just sit next to Shichibei, chatting and joking around.

"With our lord in the army, every merit will be rewarded." With Nobunaga around, who wouldn't give their all?

“Yes.” Sangshan Chongqing understood perfectly well.

"We'll just do our duty." Since it's highly likely that the land of Jizhou has nothing to do with us, Shichibei doesn't plan to put in any effort.

Whoever benefits should contribute their efforts; rights and obligations should be aligned.

Oda Nobunaga might become the lord of a castle with a fief of 50,000 koku, Tsuchibashi no Kamishige would receive an additional 10,000 koku, and even Toyama Jiroshiro in Kishiwada might be granted a district. Only Shichibei was treated like a beast of burden by Nobunaga, and was hastily brought into battle after only paying two military expenses.

“That’s not necessarily true.” On the other side, Ota Gyuichi, who was recording Nobunaga’s military orders and the list of soldiers to be sent out for the Kishu campaign, suddenly stopped writing.

"uh-huh? "

"Is the right to rule the seven counties of Kishu no longer in your hands?" Ota Gyuichi smiled.

The affair between Shichibei and Lady Takaya could no longer be kept secret among the middle and high-ranking retainers, as Lady Takaya had officially begun to "issue orders" within the castle tower of Kishiwada Castle. Lady Takaya was also taking care of Shichibei's daily life within the castle.

She wasn't officially recognized as a concubine, but everyone knew perfectly well that the Seven Soldiers...

Wei and Lady Takaya have become completely involved.

In fact, Shichibei was Toyama Jiroshiro's adoptive father. Given Toyama Jiroshiro's age, Shichibei could have managed his territory for at least ten years.

Although it's just temporary administration, there are many benefits. For example, income from the territory, mobilized troops and labor, and expanded influence.

"Blindness, well... never mind..." Shichibei didn't need to keep bringing this up every day, since in a sense, it was "stealing".

Even if we don't talk about it openly, Shichibei still has some sense of shame.

"Hahaha..." The retainers and servants inside the tent laughed. They understood this perfectly well.

"Speaking of which, there are many in Kishu who do not submit to the emperor's rule. The Saiga Suzuki clan is one example, and they have not been subdued even if we go south to Mount Koya, not to mention Sagimori Gobo and Konagawa-ji." We can laugh about the crotch incident and move on to the important matter.

(Fenhe Temple was the head temple of the Fenhe Guanyin sect in later generations, but it is now an important temple of the Tiantai sect.)

Nobunaga's main purpose in coming here was to renew his promise to provide continuous support to Ishiyama.

Honganji Temple was overthrown by the Saiga Party, which resisted the unification of Japan. Nobunaga, for the time being, prepared to maintain "peaceful" relations with other smaller factions.

As long as they don't jump, then leave them alone and let them continue to be local tyrants in Jizhou's villages.

Based on this premise, assuming Nobunaga conquers Saiga Castle and then returns to Kyoto, Kii Province will remain largely fragmented, while Shichibei will have the righteous right to seize control of all of Kii.

Given Shichibei's position within the Oda regime, if there were no other battles, he could easily petition to send troops to Ki Province. According to Oda regime custom, territory was generally granted to whoever conquered it. Therefore, Ki Province could potentially become entirely Shichibei's direct or partial fiefdom.

Of course, this is the best-case scenario. It is also possible that Nobunaga would decide to press his advantage and directly order the surrender of Kii.

"Hmm..." What he said was true, but...

If Shichibei possessed vast wealth, territory, and an army, Nobunaga himself probably wouldn't care, as he felt he could manage it. Nobutada, however, was a different story.

Every emperor brings a new court. Shichibei only had money and the status of a senior retainer. His army of about ten thousand men was one of Nobutada's legacies.

If someone possesses a territory of over a million koku and wealth unparalleled in Japan, that's not an inheritance; it's an old, undead traitor who becomes a rebel.

This is not based on Shichibei's own attitude, but only on the reality of the situation.

433. Commit seppuku and dismember the entire household register.

Oh dear, could this be considered a form of encouragement to ascend the throne? Probably, but it's the kind without malice. After all, they just want Shichibei to be more powerful and have more territory, so they can benefit from it.

Shichibei and his men were treated with "favor and service," and they received all the due rewards and honors they were entitled to. They performed well under Shichibei's command and had opportunities for advancement. The rewards for their meritorious service and the promotions for those who took important heads were all well-deserved.

Looking at the world, in terms of treatment alone, he is among the top tier in Japan, second only to Oda Nobunaga himself.

But Nobunaga was different. He was both generous and incredibly wealthy. He had land to reward his followers and was also willing to bestow rewards upon his warriors. Warriors willing to serve him were as numerous as fish crossing a river. Everyone was there for promotion and wealth—this description is truly apt.

"My lord."

As everyone was chatting and laughing, Goto Mototsugu came running back from Nobunaga's main camp. Good for him; the young man's backside didn't hurt, and he ran incredibly fast. These days, there's nothing shameful about it; what's wrong with maintaining a close relationship with Nobunaga? It's the way of the people.

"What are the orders?" Shichibei gestured for everyone to be quiet, and then...

Fujimoto Jiji relayed the order.

"Prepare five hundred bundles of bamboo for fire attack." Nobunaga did indeed give this order.

The bamboo bundles mentioned here are not the kind used to block bullets. Shichibei used them before; they required soaking straw in oil, preferably letting it air dry, then binding the oil-soaked straw with bamboo and lighting it. The bundles were then used to prop up the enemy castle gates and walls, causing fires in the wooden structures.

It's somewhat like the anti-tank bombs used by individual soldiers in World War II, with a long handle attached to the back of the bomb and several iron nails placed in front. The idea was for someone like the "Three Warriors of the Bomb" to charge at tanks and armored vehicles with the long handle, and to successfully pierce the vehicle.

This type of burning bamboo bundle is rarely used in other regions; it can only be said that different regions have their own unique developments in warfare.

Of all people to mess with, the Suzuki father and son had to provoke Nobunaga. Nobunaga was determined to tear their house down completely. Not only would they have to shave their heads, but their house would also be burned down.

When is it needed?

"Noon tomorrow at the latest."

"understood."

Everyone get moving; there probably won't be time to let the oil-soaked straw dry in the shade, but...

It's not a big deal. The Japanese are capable of making improvements; they can fill it with gunpowder. (The exact proportions are unknown, but in most cases it will only ignite deflagrate, not explode.)

The goal is simply to burn down the enemy city; how it's burned and how badly it's burned are beyond our control. Nobunaga, being a seasoned soldier, could accept either a good or bad outcome.

Bamboo is readily available, as the Saiga clan specializes in arquebuses and has prepared a large quantity. Even if there's a shortage, they can simply cut bamboo upstream along the Kii River. Rice straw is even easier; they can buy it from nearby farmers or obtain it directly from the Izumi Shokbo. Only oil might be insufficient, but it can be obtained from Negoro-ji Temple.

Japanese temples are essentially estates, small, self-sustaining production organizations. Each temple, large or small, has its own town in front of the gate or inside the temple, where both handicrafts and agriculture flourish. Behind closed doors, everyone is a local tyrant.

The farmland grows hemp and sesame. There are several types of hemp, but the main product is hemp fiber, used for weaving cloth. A byproduct is hemp seeds, which can be pressed for oil and used as lamp oil. As for sesame, it's purely a source of edible oil. People grow sesame for that fragrant oil.

The temple naturally has sesame oil and fragrant oil, and in considerable quantities.

Because temples in Japan also have lamps lit. In the neighboring temple, there was a wealthy man who donated a thousand catties of lamp oil. In the Journey to the West, there's an episode where a great philanthropist donated incense oil to a temple, and then a demon came to collect it, eventually kidnapping Tang Sanzang instead.

While we're chatting and laughing here, things are going to be terrible inside Saiga Castle. Nobunaga's determination and speed of action this time are even greater than before.

Even Sakuma Nobue, who wasn't originally on the transfer list, made a special trip over. His father, Sakuma Nobumori, had made a mistake during the Kii Campaign, and he wanted to make amends.

Historically, Nobunaga criticized Nobumori for being complacent and resting on his laurels. However, it's undeniable that Nobumori worked diligently for the past forty years. As a samurai from a respectable family, he was at least above average.

After Tsuchibashi Morishige broke down the gate, paid his blood tax, and pledged allegiance, it was up to Sakuma Nobuege and Hachiya Yoritaka to continue their upward climb. Nobunaga was very pleased to see Sakuma Nobuege working so hard; if Nobuege could maintain this level of effort, it would be ideal for his father to abdicate and hand over the Sakuma family to Nobuege.

Since Nobuyoshi was young and capable of carrying a gun, he considered it an inheritance to Oda Nobutada.

Under the fierce attack of Hachiya Yoritaka and Sakuma Nobue, the ramparts of Saiga Castle were broken one after another, and the Suzuki father and son and others could only retreat into the citadel.

However, after retreating into the main keep, the previously relatively dispersed firepower became extremely concentrated. Thousands of arquebuses fired down from Mount Myoken. Although it was just a small earthen slope of about a hundred meters, the slope was not steep, making it easy to launch a feint attack. But for a main keep the size of a mere thousand tatami mats, the sheer density of firepower from a thousand arquebuses was simply unbelievable.

A single tatami mat is only 2.5 square meters, and the main compound is 2,500 square meters—it's really tiny. We can't take it all in one go.

That's why Nobunaga ordered Shichibei to prepare a large number of bundles of flammable bamboo, regardless of whether they could burn down the buildings, to throw and smash them everywhere around the castle. Even if they didn't catch fire, they would still produce thick smoke that would choke the soldiers inside the castle.

Moreover, the thick black fog also served to obscure the attacking Oda army below the castle. Nobunaga's determination was so great that he would absolutely not give up until he had captured Saiga Castle.

The next day, Shichibei arrived with six hundred bundles of bamboo. The siege was underway, and the sound of cannons from Mount Myoken was like a popcorn machine exploding in a modern world. The cannons on the city walls were formidable, but those below were no less so.