Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

He greeted them and leaped past Shichibei's ranks, running forward. There was another important matter to clarify on his way to Azuchi Castle. Because the chief retainer, Sakuma, had been released, the retainers Nobunaga had entrusted with...

The order needs to be rearranged.

This isn't entirely based on age or how early one joined Nobunaga. Historically, the one ultimately chosen as the head of the family was Shibata Katsuie. In terms of joining Nobunaga earlier, could he have done so earlier than Niwa Nagahide?

The senior retainers who were currently not engaged in battle all came to congratulate Nobunaga on his relocation. At the same time, they were also trying their best to find out their ranking among Nobunaga's retainers.

"Hyuga no Kami seems determined to win." Saegusa no Kami followed Shichibei to Azuchi.

"In terms of merit, the governor of Hyuga and the governor of Chikuzen are equally matched." Shichibei wasn't quite sure how Nobunaga would choose, but we certainly couldn't write it down.

Of course, if Nobunaga were to die today, Nobutada would bring in the easygoing Shichibei to appease him and maintain order in the household.

With everyone refusing to yield, Kawamura Nagayoshi, the most honest and kind-hearted man in Owari, became the inevitable choice.

"That's true." Saegusa Morinao was quite clear about this point.

Hideyoshi pacified Harima Province, conquered Inaba Province, and won over the people.

He has conquered half of Hōki Province, including Nanjō Munekatsu, and the two provinces of Bizen and Mimasaka, including Ukita Naoie. Now he has also forced the surrender of Takamatsu Castle in Bitchu Province, which is a great achievement.

However, Mitsuhide Akechi's contribution was also considerable. He assisted in the capture of Arioka Castle, the domain of Araki Murashige, the ruler of half of Settsu Province, participated in the final assault on Ishiyama Osaka Castle, and was in fact the first to enter Ishiyama Gobo.

Afterwards, he pacified Tanba and Tango provinces, although there were some setbacks along the way. However, the territory that Mitsuhide mainly or with his help secured for the Oda clan was no less than 800,000 koku, and his achievements were truly on par with Hideyoshi's.

"Alright, alright, let's climb the city walls as quickly as possible." There's absolutely no way Shichibei will be promoted to a higher rank right now.

Upon reaching the castle, he handed the horses to his attendants. A very small number of high-ranking retainers, including Shichibei, and one or two attendants, followed by Nobunaga's page, ascended the castle. Nobunaga was truly a shrewd businessman; he actually opened up the areas of Azuchi Castle, except for the castle tower, allowing the townspeople and travelers to visit, although each person had to pay an entrance fee of ten to several tens of sen (historical fact).

As a result, the castle was teeming with tourists, with people everywhere admiring the magnificent castle tower. It wasn't until outside the castle tower that the situation became somewhat controlled, but there were still some willing to pay a second fee to stand outside the castle tower and marvel at how powerful and wealthy Nobunaga truly was.

Some people even know Shichibei.

These must have been merchants from the nearby Biwako commercial towns, such as Nagahama, Otsu, and Sakamoto. Dozens of towns and villages, large and small, sprang up around the golden trade route of Biwako. However, they were theoretically all under the jurisdiction of Shichibei, the chief administrator of the merchant population and commercial towns.

However, just like the decentralization of power in previous dynasties, ordinary commercial lawsuits and issues simply didn't reach Shichibei. Noo was given to Ito Sojuro, Omi to Inase Yoshinari, Kyoto to Sou Kotaro, Sakai to Takeno Munekazu, and Tsuruga to Ishigami Tsuguyoshi.

Basically, commercial affairs within each district were handled by these junior officials. If Shichibei were still in town, it would be fine; one could appeal to him. But if Shichibei went to war with Nobunaga, there would be no way to appeal.

As for your claim that you filed a lawsuit with Oda Nobunaga, Nobunaga simply refused to accept it and sent it back to Kagawa Sakyosuke, who then handled the case.

That's just how things were in the feudal era; there's no point in embellishing it. The Ōkinagata Shichibei was just one person, with only two eyes and two hands; even if he used all his strength to handle the lawsuits, he couldn't manage them all. Besides, he also had to serve Nobunaga in the central government—there was nothing he could do.

The attendants guarding the castle tower let the lords and provincial governors in. Shichibei, putting aside his reverie, greeted the generals before and behind him. Nobunaga, on the other hand...

Instead of waving to everyone from the balcony of the castle tower, he showed off the magnificent paintings on the shogi gate, the exquisitely decorated ornaments, and the spacious reception room.

As Nobunaga's prized toy, it's quite normal for him to show off his Azuchi Castle.

Men who love cars show off their cars, men who fish show off their fish, and even otaku wear their own anime costumes. Men, it's not about age.

Nobunaga himself introduced it, so everyone naturally showed their appreciation. The castle tower was already lavishly decorated, so they praised it. Moreover, one layer featured Western and southern barbarian decorations, while another layer featured Japanese Buddhist decorations, layered upon each other, showing Nobunaga's truly eclectic tastes.

Mitsuhide Akechi, who entered the city first, used his wife Hiroko's connections to find Nobunaga's concubine, Otsumaki. This Otsumaki was Hiroko's younger sister, and theoretically, Nobunaga and Mitsuhide were brothers-in-law.

Tsumagi-dono was one of Nobunaga's more than ten named concubines. Because she was a concubine he acquired after Nobunaga conquered Mino, she was not yet thirty years old at the time and possessed a mature charm.

The only regret is that she and Nobunaga have not yet had children. But now, this shortcoming is about to be made up for, because Tsumagi-dono is pregnant. It is precisely because she is six months pregnant that Hiroko, as her older sister, can visit her openly.

If she could give birth to a son for Nobunaga, Tsumagi-dono would gain even more of Nobunaga's favor. Speaking of which, Nobunaga, who was originally extremely prolific, has gradually stopped having children in the last two years.

His condition is truly incomparable to Tokugawa Ieyasu's, and Mori Motonari even had a child in his seventies. Compared to these people, having only Tsumagi-dono become pregnant in the last two years is really "bad".

As Nobunaga's most favored bedmate, Tsumagi-dono can more or less whisper sweet nothings in Nobunaga's ear.

Mitsuhide personally came to visit Tsumagi-dono to inquire about Nobunaga's readjustment of the chief retainers. Everyone knew what was going on; Oda Nobuhiro, as Nobunaga's elder brother and the head of the Oda clan's main branch, held a special position and would not participate in the competition.

Just like Itagaki Nobukata was the head of the scribes under Takeda Shingen, while Takeda Nobushige was merely a scribe among the Takeda family. Being from the same lineage and the head of the scribes meant wielding immense power.

Those next in line qualified to compete for this position are Akechi Mitsuhide, Hashiba Hideyoshi, and Azai Nagamasa. Among them, Azai Nagamasa's independence...

It hasn't been completely erased; it's basically obsolete.

Unfortunately, the brief meeting with Kimono no Konno did not yield any results.

Because of her pregnancy and the fact that Nobunaga had recently become too weak to even move, Tsumagi-dono frankly admitted that she hadn't slept with Nobunaga for several months, let alone whispered sweet nothings in his ear. Nobunaga's affection for her, however, hadn't diminished, after all, she was carrying one of Nobunaga's beloved sons or daughters.

Not only did they send her Kyoto goods regularly, but they also repeatedly sent people to deliver food, snacks, and fruits to her. They met many times, but it was always just sitting for a while, chatting for half an hour, touching her little hand, and never even kissing her before patting her bottom and leaving.

If we're talking about pampering, then it's genuine pampering. And if we haven't slept together, then it's been a really long time since we shared a pillow.

It seemed his sister-in-law couldn't be of any help, so Mitsuhide could only leave with Hiroko. Of course, he also gave Tsumagi-dono quite a few gifts; she was one of Mitsuhide's closest confidantes to Nobunaga, and Mitsuhide had to appease her.

Actually, if Shichibei had a younger sister, she would be quite willing to be Nobunaga's concubine. Lady Nohime is infertile and is indeed quite old. It's true that Nobunaga and she had a good relationship, but it's also true that his heart isn't with her now.

Nobunaga was a man, and a successful one at that. As long as he had the energy, he would definitely be thinking about having many children. Using women or pageboys to please Nobunaga was actually a fairly convenient shortcut.

Hideyoshi, who was still in Bichu at the time, could not leave the front lines himself, so he could only ask someone to return to Azuchi to express his congratulations to Nobunaga.

Meanwhile, Hideyoshi also sent people to find the birth mother of his adopted son, Ujimaru. This concubine of Nobunaga was also the birth mother of Takayama Shigetomo's principal wife. Although she was nearly forty years old and no longer served Nobunaga, she still had her own residence in Azuchi Castle as a concubine who had given birth to a son and a daughter for Nobunaga.

Nobunaga was not a stingy person; if you made a contribution, his rewards would come very quickly.

Moreover, this concubine is still raising Yujimaru. Soon Hideyoshi should return to hold a coming-of-age ceremony for Yujimaru and then take him to the front lines to conquer the western provinces or Kyushu.

Everything in the Hashiba household belonged to Hashiba Otsujimaru, which is why Nobunaga valued the mother and son even more. Their food, clothing, and daily necessities were no less than those of any favored concubine.

Hideyoshi dispatched the pair of Hashiba Hidenaga and Kuroda Kanbei to offer their congratulations to Nobunaga. Mitsuhide sat in Tsumabuki-dono's residence, the two...

He then sat in the residence of Tsujimaru's birth mother.

Unfortunately, the two did not obtain any useful information.

Although Hideyoshi was only forty-two or forty-three years old at the time, and he still wanted to rule for another ten or twenty years, he was confident that the country would remain under the control of the Oori family because he had chosen Otsumaru as his heir.

Once Utsumaru comes of age, Nobunaga will inevitably focus on grooming him to become the commander of the Hashiba Army. Hideyoshi will inevitably have to retire and become a hermit.

However, if Hideyoshi became Nobunaga's chief retainer, then for the sake of stability within the household, he would not be replaced in the short term. Instead, Hideyoshi would be ousted and replaced by Ujimaru.

After Sakuma Nobumori was exiled, his household was in turmoil, and the entire retainer group was in quite a state of "discomfort".

Neither side received an answer from Nobunaga's bedside, so they could only return to Azuchi Castle to congratulate him on his relocation. Whether Nobunaga discovered it or not is unknown, but Shichibei did make some discoveries.

Normally, Nobunaga would sit in the center, on the main seat. To emphasize the importance of the main seat, an extra tatami mat was added, with cushions placed on top. Behind Nobunaga were his page boys, and to his side were the other page boys.

The placement of the pen is the mark of an old family.

The remaining retainers sat in rows on either side, according to their rank and status. The order was clear at a glance, ensuring there would be no mistake.

Today, however, things were different. Nobunaga himself was seated in the main seat, which was fine, and the position of the chief retainer to his side was also empty. But the other retainers were seated in the outer hall, not in the one directly in front of Nobunaga.

Nobunaga himself and his page were in one room, while the room in the middle, which should have been the seat of the chief retainer, was empty. Everyone else sat in the outer room.

There was a slight commotion, but everyone quickly realized that the seating arrangement was being rearranged. So for now, everyone was scattered around the area, waiting to be seated once the seating was arranged.

Each suppressed their emotions and waited quietly for Nobunaga's announcement.

First, congratulations. Putting everything else aside, congratulations to Nobunaga on his move to Azuchi Castle are unavoidable. Not only must you kowtow to Nobunaga, but you also have to offer a relocation gift; there's no need to offer a sword. This saves Shichibei from trying to buy up Nobunaga's collections again; you can just give him money directly, which Nobunaga can spend later.

After kowtowing and presenting the betrothal gifts, Nobunaga gave a brief explanation.

With just two sentences, his junior servant, Mori Ranmaru, walked from the side and back to the front of the stage, holding a list, and publicly presented it to the crowd.

484. The head of the pen family is always Hideyoshi.

All eyes turned to Mori Ranmaru, or more precisely, to the document in his hand. The document undoubtedly contained the ranking of Nobunaga's senior retainers.

The entire room went cold, including Shichibei.

"The elder of the family of Yuzhu of the right mansion, the Marquis of Yushen, Yu Chai built in front of the Hideyoshi Palace!"

With a sudden "boom," a commotion broke out throughout the castle tower. Starting as a wealthy farmer in Owari and a servant of Nobunaga, Hideyoshi had worked diligently for over twenty years, eventually rising to the position of chief retainer, second only to the Oda clan leader.

In terms of military achievements alone, Hideyoshi's military exploits were among the best in the Mori clan. He expanded Nobunaga's territory to a million koku, almost single-handedly crushing half of the Mori family's power.

But when it comes to background, Hideyoshi was only slightly better off than Zhu Yuanzhang, who started with just a bowl of rice. They even shared the same fate of losing their fathers at a young age and never having had a good life.

His appointment as Oda Nobunaga's chief retainer was truly an example of recruiting talent without regard to convention. If Nobunaga and Hideyoshi had simply died of old age without any unforeseen events, they would have been Japan's "Fish and Water Lords."

My subject will surely be remembered in Japanese history.

As for the subsequent order, people weren't as interested. The Oda clan wasn't a feudal lord clan with a system of senior retainers deliberating. The chief retainer, as the representative of the retainers, had the right to co-sign documents and the right to serve as the military commissioner, all of which were important powers.

Other senior retainers could theoretically also countersign for Nobunaga, but this was usually done expediently in urgent situations. Shichibei did countersign a few times temporarily, but those were exceptions; normally, it was the chief retainer who needed to write the document who would countersign.

Serving as one of the other chief retainers was merely a way of demonstrating participation in the core of the Oda clan's political power. Since all the chief retainers were either army commanders or castle lords stationed in the field, Nobunaga might not even be able to convene a full military council, let alone participate in the decision-making process regarding the overall direction of the Oda clan at the "Imperial Conference."

Just one step can make all the difference.

The subsequent order was revised to Niwa Nagahide, Akechi Mitsuhide, Takigawa Kazumasu, Asai Nagamasa, Kawamura Nagayoshi, and Murai Sadakatsu, still seven senior retainers. Sakuma Nobumori was exiled, and Asai Nagamasa was added.

Shichibei was originally ranked fifth, but now he's ranked sixth. But there's not much to say about that; the first-ranked Hashiba Hideyoshi is the chief retainer and military commissioner, which is the most important position when the country is still unsettled.

We are merely chief retainers and Ōchikata, only slightly better than Murai Sadakatsu's chief retainer and Kyoto Shojidai. Murai Sadakatsu is almost sixty. If he were to be promoted, he would likely be granted a fief of 50,000 or 100,000 koku in western provinces when he can no longer perform his duties, and would pass on the position of Kyoto Shojidai to his son or someone else capable of negotiating with the court nobles.

Historically, in 1552 (the ninth year of the Tensho era), Murai Sadakatsu was indeed unable to continue his duties and passed the headship of his clan to his eldest son, Murai Sadashige, who simultaneously assumed the position of Kyoto Magistrate. Murai Sadakatsu himself became a monk, taking the name "Shunchoken," and served Nobunaga in a position similar to that of a Gotsushū (a type of court monk).

Nobunaga trusted Murai Sadakatsu quite a bit and couldn't bear to let him return to his domain to retire. In the end, he didn't get to rest at all and died in battle alongside Oda Nobutada at Myokaku-ji Temple.

In short, it's a mixed bag of fortunes, with some people happy and others sad.

Our Xiaoqi doesn't feel much about it. The political situation is "stable" now, and it's not the time to need a peacemaker. So, the person Nobunaga trusts the most, has the greatest merit, and is most capable of expanding Nobunaga's territory will definitely be chosen.

If Hideyoshi is chosen, what will Mitsuhide think?

Forget it, that's not something we should be thinking about right now. With the reshuffling of the chief retainers, Oda Nobutada, who was originally sitting in the lower seat with everyone else, moved to the side of Nobunaga's subordinates, leaving Hideyoshi's position as the chief retainer temporarily vacant.

Of the remaining six elders, Takigawa Kazumasu's position in Kanto was also vacant, leaving five who sat in the newly opened second room. This distinguished them from the daimyo who remained in the outermost room.

The second major event is about to be announced: Oda Nobutada will be appointed as the commander-in-chief, and all armies will be dispatched to attack the Mori clan!

The goal is to completely eliminate or subdue the Mori clan before the eighth year of Tensho (1579). After that, all forces will be reorganized, and within one or two years, they will be able to sweep across the entire Kyushu.

The specific arrangements and deployments are as follows: Hideyoshi's main force of 30,000 cavalry will attack Bishu, Shikoku, Miyoshi, Kagawa and Chosoka's 30,000 cavalry will advance by water, Akechi Mitsuhide's 30,000 cavalry will attack San'in, and Oda Nobutada's 30,000 cavalry will be the main force in the central army to attack Yoshida-Koriyama Castle.

Asai Nagamasa, who was temporarily taking a break, was to be transferred to Azuchi or Kyoto as a backup. If Nobutada defeated the Mori clan in a short time, he would return to his original post.

Kawamura Shichibei Nagayoshi served as the magistrate of the small cargo convoy, ensuring the logistical support of Oda Nobutada's main force from both land and water routes. The others each had their own small cargo convoys, but Shichibei was responsible for coordinating supplies when necessary to prevent any logistical shortages among the convoys.

The Mori clan is in the western part of the country, at least connected by land, so one could easily travel over mountains to meet them. Kyushu is different; it's directly connected to Honshu Island.

Separated by the Guanmen Strait.

Mobilizing 120,000 troops at once, with approximately 50,000 as reserves, already constituted a force capable of annihilating a nation. This shouldn't be underestimated; at that time, Japan's mobilization capacity was indeed among the best on Earth.

There is much debate about their combat effectiveness. But the ability to deploy such a large number of troops to areas where combat is needed, and even across the sea to the Korean Peninsula, puts them among the world's top-tier armies at that time.

Consider this a rehearsal, of course, this rehearsal is for the attack on Kyushu Island.