Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

With a deafening roar, the entire venue erupted in an instant. Not in terms of sound, but in terms of sheer mental turmoil.

Oda Nobuhiro was certainly the number one figure, and a seasoned veteran, but was he capable of leading the war against Hojo and Uesugi?

"Shin-Kuro, Jiro-Saburo, you two are not under my brother's command, but please work together with one heart." Nobunaga ignored the "commotion" below and directly gave his orders.

Asai Nagamasa of Kitasho and Tokugawa Ieyasu of Hamamatsu both had relatively "pure" territories and armies. They were both former vassals of feudal lords and thus possessed considerable independence. Of course, in front of Oda Nobunaga, they were only fit to lead Nobunaga's horse.

Nobunaga's current intentions are clear: although he won't send them to the orioles...

Tian Xinguang acted as his deputy, but in effect appointed the two of them as his vice-generals to assist Xinguang's offensive.

To bolster Nobuhiro's forces, 8,000 cavalrymen from Kita-tomi Nobuo were also granted to him. Nobuhiro was Nobunaga's elder brother, the head of the Oda clan, and a senior retainer; he could easily suppress Nobuo.

To be honest, in terms of status and position, Nobuhiro was indeed qualified to serve as the Supreme Commander. Hashiba Hidenaga served as the Supreme Commander in place of Hideyoshi, both because of his ability and because of their bloodline.

You ask Nobunaga why he did this?

Nobunaga was actually quite hesitant because Nobutada had expressed his dislike for Sakuma Nobumori. Nobunaga needed Sakuma Nobumori's powerful and combat-ready army to suppress the Honganji Temple, and he couldn't afford to weaken Nobumori while the country was still unsettled, just to allow Nobutada to smoothly succeed to the throne.

In order to counter Nobumori, strengthening a force that was definitely loyal and confidant became inevitable. Among these options, the best choice was indeed Oda Nobuhiro.

Among the short, there is no one more suitable than Oda Nobuhiro.

Xin Guang's army now numbers at least 25,000.

With his position in the center, he could cooperate with Azai Nagamasa to the north to fight the Uesugi, and with Tokugawa Ieyasu to the south to fight the Hojo. If commanded properly, he might very well be able to establish merit in the eastern provinces.

449. The three naval forces were rebuilt.

It can only be said that the "drastic change" happened too quickly, and everyone is still finding it hard to accept. But what can they do if they don't accept it? The two major army commanders on the eastern front, Asai Nagamasa and Tokugawa Ieyasu, have already expressed their agreement. Can others, who are not on this side, simply refuse?

Furthermore, none of Uesugi Kagekatsu, Toyama Yoshiharu, or Murakami Kunikiyo have come to Nobunaga for help. This means Nobunaga has no allies to guide him into Echigo, a situation particularly inconvenient given the strong local power base there.

Historically, Uesugi Kagekatsu's unfair rewards and punishments triggered the Niibata Rebellion. Even a local like Kagekatsu found it difficult to make any progress in northern Echigo, let alone the Oda army that had invaded from outside.

Furthermore, when Uesugi transferred his fief to Yonezawa, he took all six thousand retainers he could muster with him. As a result, during the Battle of Sekigahara, upon returning to Echigo, he still managed to incite many local warlords.

Echigo perfectly embodies the state of affairs where the more feudal and isolated a place is, the more united its people are, and the more hostile they are to any outside intruders.

If they truly wanted to rule Echigo, they either had to implement a policy of transferring fiefdoms, forcing the Uesugi clan to remove all six thousand of their retainers, or they had to take drastic measures and completely shave them off.

Only by killing thousands of people can one gain a foothold.

It's very difficult to attack someone who is caught off guard and unprepared.

By the way, did you mention earlier that the imperial envoy was going to posthumously honor Uesugi Kenshin? Were any Oda clan retainers accompanying them? Were they going to Kasugayama or Echigo?

To be honest, due to the successive battles in the Hokuriku region and the current chaos of the princes vying for the throne, the whereabouts of Uesugi Kenshin's remains are still unknown.

Unfortunately, everyone's minds were in turmoil because of the news that Oda Nobuhiro had been appointed commander-in-chief of the eastern front, and they couldn't discuss anything else for the time being.

The meeting adjourned.

Seeing that everyone was truly distracted, Nobunaga adjourned the meeting, saying they would discuss it again the next afternoon and everyone should go home and rest. As soon as the meeting ended, everyone had their own thoughts. This time was different from the last; this time it was an announcement of appointments, and since the appointments had been made, there was no way to change them. People couldn't stop whispering among themselves.

Anyone could see that the Oda clan had created a far more powerful army, one whose strength even surpassed that of the Sakuma faction of the Kinki army. Furthermore, its commander-in-chief was Oda Nobuhiro, a leading figure of the Oda clan.

Impeccable, and with ample qualifications.

Regardless of whether you think Xin Guang is capable or not, he was at least capable of leading thousands or tens of thousands of people in the past. Even if he wasn't a star, he was at least a well-known figure.

When Nobutada passed by Shichibei, he simply smiled and nodded. Mitsuhide did the same; after all, he was in charge of the Settsu and Tanba lines. Azai Nagamasa was avoiding people and would likely run away as soon as the crowd dispersed. Tokugawa Ieyasu, always smiling and with a kind and honest appearance, simply stood at the door, joking with Shichibei.

Despite the claim that Mikawa was impoverished, when he later attacked Odawara, Shichibei had to help him procure military supplies from Tsushima in Owari and Yasuzu in Ise to support his campaign against the Kanto region.

No problem, no problem. If we're going to besiege Odawara, Oda Nobutada will most likely have to go into battle. Nobunaga will definitely lend Shichibei to Nobutada to ensure the army's logistics.

The other day in bed, Ii Naotora was absolutely right. Nobutada is already a qualified successor; all that's missing is to sacrifice a powerful feudal lord to solidify his prestige. If they were to immediately besiege Odawara Castle, Nobuhiro would definitely invite Nobutada to deliver the final blow.

After the two finished speaking, Shichibei noticed that someone behind them seemed to be admiring the garden.

Nobumori Sakuma of the temple waved to him. Shichibei stopped and did not leave immediately.

"Shichibei, your adoptive father is now shouldering a great responsibility."

"After all, he is the lord's elder brother, so it is only right that he serves the public."

“It’s a good thing for me.” Nobumori Sakuma said this unexpectedly.

"Hiss..." A single sentence reminded Shichibei.

While Shichibei might not be considered particularly clever, his long association with these people had given him a degree of political acumen. It was no secret that Sakuma Nobumori was now too powerful to control; at least Shichibei knew that.

It's simply impossible for someone like Sakuma Nobumori, whose personal strength exceeds 1.2 million koku, to live like a dog, trembling with fear and acting timidly.

He needed to project an air of arrogance and authority befitting his status, but this arrogance in front of Xinzhong was seen as abusing his seniority. To put it kindly, it was abusing his age. To put it bluntly, it was disloyalty to his master.

Since the Emperor has bestowed his favor upon you, Nobumori, you should unconditionally obey my orders and serve me as my servant, as my subject.

A ruler is a ruler, and a subject is a subject.

Those who rely on their age and seniority are not ministers, but thieves who are old but never die.

"Haha, you're still young, do your best." Sakuma Nobumori saw that Shichibei understood, so he didn't say anything more.

"This..." Shichibei wanted to say something, but before he could, Sakuma Nobumori left the scene.

In a secret family discussion, Sakuma Nobumori was persuaded by his son Nobue to give the credit for conquering Ishiyama Osaka Castle to Nobutada in exchange for his understanding.

Nobumori wasn't stupid; it's just that when you reach that position, some things transcend ordinary emotional thinking. Yue Fei even threatened Chen Gou twice by saying he would quit. Did he not know the Northern Expedition was crucial? Of course he did. But there were some things he wanted to discuss with Chen Gou; power is a constantly evolving dynamic balance of power.

The Oda family was a large family, and the Sakuma family also grew in size, but under the Oda family's umbrella, it was considered a small family.

Now things are much easier. With another behemoth added to the Oda clan, Nobumori's situation has become more relaxed. In the eyes of Oda Nobunaga and Nobutada, the era of one clan's absolute power has been broken, and the balance among their retainers has been restored.

What needs to be done now is basically to "taint himself." By tainting himself slightly, he can use old age and senility as an excuse to pass the baton of the family business to Xinrong.

Nobue was anything but lazy. When Nobunaga was suddenly dispatched to Saiga, Nobue personally led two thousand men to assist him. He even launched a human assault on Saiga Castle. Nobunaga felt no ill will towards such samurai who were willing to risk their lives.

Historically, Nobumori was never forgiven in his entire life, but Nobuyoshi was quickly pardoned from his status as a banished official and became a hatamoto no Makaishu under Oda Nobutada.

He entered the second generation of the Oda regime's core political circle and became a key member of the Nobutada group. If things went smoothly, reaching a million koku was unlikely, but earning 100,000 koku would be a piece of cake.

There is a high probability that he will have the opportunity to become a senior official, a high-ranking official in the new shogunate, and the leader of the Oda clan's hereditary retainers.

As long as the Sakuma family's business is successfully passed on to Nobue, the Sakuma family will be firmly established. With the Oda family's expansion and development, the future is still long.

Just considering this "self-defilement," figuring out exactly how to handle it is quite complicated.

That's the matter. When Qin general Wang Jian went to war against Chu, he kept asking for money, land, and rewards, in order to ensure that the King of Qin would not suspect him.

Greed and lust are indeed the simplest methods, yes, that's what Sakuma Nobumori thought.

When Shichibei returned to the Kawamura residence, a large group of servants and attendants of the wealthy lords were sitting by the wall at the entrance. Upon seeing Shichibei's return, they all came forward to pay their respects. Shichibei had Ishigami Tsuguyoshi intercept the wealthy lords in Tsuruga, so they first sent their servants over to inquire what had happened. They also arranged a time to visit Shichibei.

Everyone knows that Shichibei himself is quite busy, so it's essential to make an appointment in advance.

Nothing major. We're about to launch a campaign against Echigo. I'd like you all to plan a supply depot for Oda's army at each port, so that we can store supplies and advance our troops later.

So that's what happened. The family members and servants of these merchants returning from the north all showed their masters' letters, asking Shichibei to reply briefly, specifying the date, and that their masters would come to pay their respects on time.

It was a trivial matter, so Shichibei sat on the veranda and directly issued a notice to the big business owners of the northward-bound merchants.

The servants and family members then stood smiling in the courtyard, acting like merchants.

Only then can one understand how important unimpeded logistics and transportation are. Of course, they wouldn't say that now; the merchants were simply thinking how wonderful it would be if all the customs offices in the country could be abolished, allowing them to trade freely throughout the country.

Nobunaga issued orders to abolish checkpoints, and in fact, he abolished a large number of them, and also lifted restrictions and bans on holding markets. Many of these policies benefited commercial development, far better than those of the greedy lords in the countryside.

Nobunaga at least knew that chickens lay eggs, and eggs hatch into chickens, and the supply of eggs is endless. But those bumpkins in the countryside only know how to kill chickens to get the eggs, and have no intention of breeding them.

Halfway through signing the documents, he saw his family leading in Morimura Haru's younger brother, Morimura Yoshi. Shichibei immediately sped up; Morimura Yoshi's arrival must be related to the Awa Navy.

It's quite troublesome for Apo to come over; he wouldn't come unless it's something important.

After dismissing the families and servants of the merchants returning from the north, Morimura Yoshitsu then came to pay his respects to Shichibei. He stated directly that the Awa Navy was now fully constructed and could be deployed to Kishiwada Castle for defense.

it is good!

good good!

It was quite a piece of good news; tens of thousands of strings of Yongle Tongbao coins were thrown in, and with a splash, they flew out. It was like throwing money into water; now that the splash was real, everyone was happy.

Come, come immediately! There's the Ataka navy, currently conducting joint training exercises in the harbor below Kishiwada Castle. The two naval forces can line up together and let Oda Nobunaga see them. Ultimately, Oda Nobunaga will be responsible for reimbursing these expenses; he desperately needs a large navy, and Shichibei is merely executing the order.

Morimura Yoshiya didn't dare to stop for a moment. Since he was going to put on a show for Oda Nobunaga, he had to do it well. He had spent so much of Nobunaga's money; if he didn't put on a proper show, he would definitely get a beating from Nobunaga.

We must report this to Oda Nobunaga immediately, because Nobunaga has already ordered Sakuma Nobumori to restart the construction of the encirclement around Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple. Encirclement on land is easy, but encirclement on water is difficult.

Even though Kuki Yoshitaka is still the main force surrounding Hongan-ji by water, we can't let him down. Even a good brother-in-law like Azai Nagamasa got kicked twice by Nobunaga and fell to the ground. If we drag him down, it won't just be a matter of being kicked twice.

Nobunaga, upon receiving the letter, was indeed very enthusiastic about it; the entire Kinai region was ruined by the presence of Ishiyama Hongan-ji Temple, a real nuisance. Without Hongan-ji, things would be very...

Even if the powerful figures were tempted by the Mori, they wouldn't dare to rebel. After all, without a secure landing point in the Kinai region, the Mori simply couldn't project military power into it.

To reiterate, if Honganji Temple falls, the entire Kinai region will become a major rear area, allowing for the release of at least 50,000 to 60,000 troops. Regardless of which direction they are deployed, this will create a significant advantage and allow for a rapid turnaround.

Nobunaga immediately ordered Shichibei to go to Kishiwada to assemble the Awa and Ataka navies and meticulously register the service records of their crews. Kuki Yoshitaka was a powerful figure who had come to pledge allegiance to Nobunaga, while the Awa and Ataka navies were already direct retainers of Nobunaga. Kuki Yoshitaka still possessed a degree of independence, while the other two navies were purely retainers of the Oda clan; if Nobunaga ordered them to go east, they had to go east.

Fortunately, there were still two weeks left before the agreed time with the big bosses from Tsuruga who were heading north. The bosses from Tsuchizaki Minato had not yet delivered rice to Tsuruga. This gap period could be used to observe the online trolls.

The two naval forces assembled by Shichibei consisted of three hundred ships of various sizes, ranging from Atakebune to small sampans that could only carry four or five people. Judging by the sheer number, they certainly had a formidable presence.

Ataka Kiyoyasu is currently settled in Sakai Minami-sho, while Morimura Haru and the others are settled in Izumi-Hine District. Since they have settled territories, it is reasonable for them to register military service accounts.

The two naval units had little reason to resist the samurai who were sent by Shichibei to board and record the journey. They proactively reported the actual number of oarsmen and boatmen mobilized, as well as the quantity of bows, arrows, and arquebuses they were equipped with.

Concerned about this matter, Nobunaga arrived at the port of Kishida Castle in a whirlwind the day after Shichibei registered for military service as a sailor. Looking at the navy that had been reorganized in the castle, he seemed quite pleased with himself.

However, he was thoroughly fooled by Kuki Yoshitaka's eight large ships with towers last time. He originally thought he could easily destroy the attacking Mori navy, but he ended up making a huge fool of himself. Kuki Yoshitaka was almost killed by the Mori navy, all the large ships with towers were burned to the ground, and the Shima Kuki navy suffered countless losses.

Therefore, Nobunaga was far less enthusiastic this time than before, only inquiring about the quantity of arquebuses and arrows prepared for the two naval forces. The Mori clan knew how to use tamaki (Japanese firecrackers), and there were only two ways to avoid being harmed by them.

One method was to ensure that the person throwing the burning jade died before it was thrown, while the other was to ensure that even if the burning jade was thrown, it wouldn't set the boat ablaze.

The Awa and Ataka naval forces were responsible for the former, while Kuki Yoshitaka was responsible for the latter. After all, Kuki Yoshitaka received the most subsidies, and his territory was also the largest.

"My lord, the Shima Kuki clan reports that the ironclad ships are complete." Just as Nobunaga was patting the ship's railing, testing the joint naval exercises of the two fleets, his attendant...

They shouted from the dock.

"It's done!" Nobunaga slammed his hand on the railing even harder.

"We will arrive in Sakai within five days." The attendant led a samurai named Kuki, who was there to deliver the message, onto the ship.

450. Besiege Osaka again, seeking certain victory.

And you know what? When the ironclad ship entered the harbor of Wada, its enormous size drew gasps of amazement from everyone in the harbor. Even Kiyoyasu Ataka and Haru Morimura, who owned the Ataka-ship, nodded slightly in respect.