Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

—He instructed that all subsequent matters, large and small, should be put aside for now, as Kishu pointed out that land surveying was the real and necessary task. Shichibei's land survey didn't need to be particularly impressive; 370,000 to 480,000 was acceptable, 420,000 to 430,000 would be even better, but anything around 400,000 was fine.

In addition, Shichibei mobilized 3,000 cavalry, as well as more than 4,000 cavalrymen who were ordered to relocate and be transferred to Kii Province, all of whom were stationed at Wakayama Castle.

It was pointed out that if the prosecutors continued to cause trouble, then they were no ordinary mobs, and a strong crackdown was necessary.

The 50,000 koku that Oda Nobuharu was initially granted was already surveyed and was considered "developed land." Those that hadn't been surveyed were "undeveloped land." By first securing the 50,000 koku of already managed territory around Wakayama, he would have a foothold to exert influence locally. After that, Shichibei wouldn't need to teach him anything else.

We just got back from Iga Province. How did Iga Province pacify...

It was arranged? Everyone knew perfectly well; they were all very familiar with it.

"I vaguely remember that there are still a few men in the Suzuki family of the Saiga party, right?" Todo Takatora was going to take over the temple and shrine affairs money from the shrine, which was a rather difficult task.

Taking someone's money is like killing their parents; people live for fame and fortune. Tsuchibashi Morishige's second son, Izumi Shigeobu, is registered at Negoroji Temple, so he can't be used in this matter. That leaves the Suzuki family as the only option.

"Keep the matter in for now, as the lord has given instructions." Shichibei thought that Todo Takatora was going to ask Jodo Shinshu's Sagimori Gobo for the temple's official expenses.

"Your subject understands." Inside the Rikimori Palace, the Venerable Kennyo and his staunch followers were in seclusion. Regardless of whether the surrounding area contained 10,000 koku or 20,000 koku, they would not touch it for the time being.

Other temples and shrines, even the Tendai sect's Funaga-ji, bowed to Nobunaga; they were easy to discipline. Only the Sagimori Gobō family was somewhat "troublesome," but they still had many outside supporters and followers. The Shimazu family in Satsuma, Kyushu, had many followers of the Jodo Shinshu sect. Ijuin Tadatsugu, who was historically purged, was also a follower of this sect.

If things really escalate, who knows what kind of mess it will get into? So, there's no need to act impulsively.

"So you're looking for Suzuki Magoichi?" The last time I saw Suzuki Shigehide was when Nobunaga attacked the gate of Kongō-bō-ji Temple on Mount Kōya.

Was that kid there when he fought Mitsuhide? There's been so much going on lately, Shichibei has almost forgotten. Anyway, the two didn't see each other when he fought Mitsuhide.

"Nonsense, asking for money for official business, haha." What's there to hide from Tōdō Takatora?

"Alright, I'll send you a letter." Why? Because Suzuki Shigehide was a temple and shrine priest within the domain of Toyama Jiroshiro, and he wasn't under Shichibei's jurisdiction.

In theory, he was a subject of Jiroshiro Toyama. Shichibei was only temporarily acting as Jiroshiro Toyama's assistant and thus managed all the affairs within the Toyama territory.

"That's good then." With that, Tōdō Takatora had nothing more to say.

"My lord, a messenger from the Right Minister of Azuchi has arrived." Saegusa Morinaka walked briskly to the front hall corridor and announced the news to those inside.

"Toryou, you can all go. Don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either." Shichibei concluded with a final statement: suppress the situation if possible, and as long as we can keep it under control, then the world will be at peace.

"Understood." Todo Takatora and the other three withdrew, while Saegusa Morinaka rose and entered, bringing out Nobunaga's official document.

It wasn't a military order, so there was no rush. No trusted attendants or maids were sent to deliver the message, so the level of secrecy was very low. No wonder Saegusa Morinaka just waited outside the corridor until Shichibei had finished dealing with his official business before presenting it to him.

Upon unfolding the document, it was discovered that Nobunaga had sent someone to inquire whether Shichibei's forces included any samurai from northern Ise. Because Takigawa Kazumasu had taken all of Kozuke, according to the agreement, Kazumasu would be granted an additional 400,000 koku of Kozuke province, and in return, Kazumasu's five districts of northern Ise would be surrendered to Nobunaga.

Originally from Kita-Ise, and quite familiar with Shichibei, Nanbu Tadamichi, who served as Nobunaga's chief envoy, died in Kyoto. Otherwise, he might have been directly appointed as a deputy governor and sent to Kita-Ise.

Of the samurai in northern Ise, half were slaughtered by Nobunaga, and the other half fled to various places. Those who joined the Miyoshi, the Kita-tomi, and others whose whereabouts are unknown are now almost all dead. Those who remained are either wealthy landowners who continue to serve as village chiefs, or they followed Takigawa Kazumasu to Ueno and became powerful figures.

This has resulted in Nobunaga currently lacking any decent samurai who could serve as acting governors in northern Ise. That's why I'm writing this to ask if anyone can...

He could be temporarily transferred to Nobunaga's command for a few days.

Of the approximately 600,000 koku of land in Ise, 300,000 koku in the southern region belonged to Kita-Tomi Nobuo, 50,000 koku in the central region belonged to Miyoshi Yasutoshi, and another 30,000 koku belonged to Nagano Nobukatsu. Thus, about 200,000 koku of land in the northern region was left vacant and needed to be managed.

"Oh dear, I'm a step too late." Shichibei had just sent Mori Jirozae to Kishu.

Nobunaga probably didn't want to borrow the samurai from the southern region. The northern Tomie clan had invaded the northern region many times, attempting to unify Ise Province, and the two sides were sworn enemies.

"By the way, although the messenger has returned to Azuchi, I have learned something." Saegusa Morinao approached Shichibei's bedside.

"Hmm?" Shichibei put down the document and leaned in to listen.

"Prime Minister Kita-Tominori has achieved a great victory at Kuragano-Tonegawa, and the Right Minister has ordered him to go to Azuchi to receive his reward."

"Lieutenant General Kitafumi?" Huh? Shichibei didn't understand for a moment.

If we're talking about who made the greatest contribution, it was Yoshikichi Yoshikawa's defection on the battlefield. Just like Kobayakawa Hideaki in the Battle of Sekigahara, whether it's the old or new version of the story, the trigger for the battle lies with Kobayakawa Hideaki, and Kobayakawa's army played a huge role in the battle.

Therefore, Kobayakawa Hideaki was immediately promoted to the rank of Bizen Mimasaka No. 52.

He earned 10,000 koku, becoming one of the few daimyo in the land whose stipend exceeded 500,000 koku.

The fact that Yura Kunishige defected on the eve of battle and received a high salary of 120,000 koku is clear evidence of this.

Although Kita Tomio participated in the war, it is said that he merely followed Takikawa Masushige in the attack. What great merit did he achieve that warranted a reward in Azuchi?

521. Truly admirable for humbly accepting instruction.

Before Mori Jiroza could be brought back from Kii Province and Wakayama, two more messages arrived from the Kawamura-ya post station. First, Tsutsui Junkei was both shocked and frightened. Moreover, because he had taken over Tanba Kameyama Castle, where Mitsuhide's main castle was located, he had incurred the hostility of Mitsuhide's former retainers, causing unrest on all sides. Exhausted by the need to suppress the unrest, he finally fell ill.

Secondly, Kita-tomi Nobukatsu, who had disbanded his army and returned to Ōkawachi Castle in southern Ise, entered Azuchi Castle with only two hundred retainers. Nobunaga publicly praised Nobukatsu, saying that Nobukatsu had not disgraced the Ogi clan.

Tsutsui Junkei deserved to die; it's good that he died. Who else would die if not him? I heard his son is still young. With his death, the 100,000 koku territory of Tanba Kameyama Castle will inevitably descend into chaos sooner or later.

Once things get chaotic, hmph.

I gave you the territory, but you're useless, brother. Well, don't blame me for being ruthless then. Blame this world, it's a dog-eat-dog world.

As for Nobukatsu, Shichibei was hesitant to speculate, as Nobukatsu's abilities were truly mediocre, even poor. Even though, according to the patriarchal system of succession, primogeniture or the eldest son of the legitimate heir was the only option, now that the eldest son, Oda Nobutada, was dead, it was indeed Nobukatsu Kita-tomi's turn. Nobukatsu…

Oh, maintaining the status quo is also a difficult task; it's not something that can be done easily.

In retrospect, Tokugawa Hidetada performed quite well as the second shogun. However, during Ieyasu's reign, he was considered less brave than his elder brother, Yuki Hideyasu, and less popular than Matsudaira Tadayoshi in his interpersonal skills. Of course, both of them predeceased Hidetada, or even Ieyasu, and died young, but this did not prevent them from having good reputations during their lifetimes.

Even someone like Tokugawa Hidetada could be considered to have inherited the throne, consolidated the family business, and brought peace to the land.

What is Kita-Tomo Nobuo's reputation right now? Shichibei really didn't want to talk about him. Even though he hadn't made any major mistakes in the past two years because of his uncle Oda Nobuhiro's restraint, his actual military achievements were only the recent victory in the Battle of Kuragano-Tonegawa, which was far less than his brothers who had pacified one or two provinces.

Forget it, we can't handle this. Let's take Mori Jiro to Azuchi. Nobunaga is on loan from northern Ise, and he's a samurai with a rank of 2,000 koku or higher. This is a serious matter.

Construction at Azuchi Castle proceeded very quickly, with numerous townhouses being rebuilt and many mansions belonging to the feudal lords also being constructed. Surprisingly, after killing the entire families of Azai Nagamasa and Akechi Mitsuhide, Nobunaga's expression improved somewhat.

Obviously, people can't keep their anger bottled up inside, or they'll become depressed in the long run.

If you have a grudge, you should settle it on the spot. If not, you should at least vent your anger. Look at Nobunaga, he vented it all out. Although people gradually show signs of aging, at least his spirit is good. Looking at him, if life is fifty years, he might live to be fifty-two or fifty-three.

After briefly inquiring about Mori Jiroza's connections, Nobunaga appointed him as an assistant to Harada Nobumasa, temporarily serving as his deputy, and sent him to Nagashima Castle in northern Ise to manage the 200,000 koku of land in northern Ise.

By the way, not long after Sakuma Nobumori was pardoned, Hanawa Naomasa was also pardoned. He was allowed to continue his activities, which, to put it bluntly, meant assisting his adopted son, Harada Nobumasa.

With his adoptive father, Hanawa Naomasa, and the local Mori Jiroza, Harada Nobumasa should have no problem governing northern Ise. Perhaps if he manages it well, the 200,000 koku will fall into his hands.

This can be seen as a revival of the Harada family, giving them the foundation to once again assume the role of army commander. Of course, whether they can actually assume the role depends on how the situation develops and Nobunaga's own needs.

After arranging the appointment of a deputy governor in northern Ise, Nobunaga dismissed everyone except Shichibei.

"I'm going to Rakukyo. You'll stay in Azuchi for a few days." Nobunaga very directly told Shichibei to stay.

"What are your orders, my lord?"

"You know Lieutenant General Ōkōchi, keep an eye on him for me." Nobunaga's words confused Shichibei. What kind of trouble could Kita-tomi Nobuo possibly cause in Azuchi?

They didn't need to defend the city or attack the enemy; they were just here to receive a reward and express their gratitude. Why would Shichibei need to keep an eye on them in Azuchi? Besides, Shichibei wasn't Kita-Tomi Nobuo's right-hand man. How could Shichibei possibly control such a large person?

"I plan to have him handle the lawsuit in Azuchi." Nobunaga's words immediately stunned Shichibei.

"This……"

Before us, Oda Nobutada, Azai Nagamasa, and Akechi Mitsuhide have all passed away. The territories that had been properly managed under their rule have all changed hands. Furthermore, due to the deaths of many landowners and military personnel in battle, land ownership has become severely chaotic and unclear.

Since most of the new territories were not under the unified control of a single country, meaning that an entire territory belonged to one person, a large number of land rights lawsuits bypassed the national governor and came before Oda Nobunaga.

Originally, this matter was handled by the temple and shrine magistrate Takei Yuan and the samurai magistrate Sakuma Nobumori, but of course, the ultimate decision-making power was in the hands of Nobunaga. As you may recall, after Suzuki Shigehide's entire family was removed from the register of household registration, their territory was confiscated, but they were still priests of Fujishiro Shrine, so his case was taken all the way to Takei Yuan and Oda Nobunaga.

Now that Takei Yuan has died in battle, Sakuma Nobumori has lost power and is retired, and Hashiba Hideyoshi, who is serving as the Samurai Magistrate, is in the western provinces, the lawsuit will need to be adjudicated by Nobunaga himself. This responsibility can only be passed on when a new Temple and Shrine Magistrate is appointed, or when Hideyoshi ends his campaigns and returns to the central government to take up his post.

Nobunaga is going to Kyoto on official business tomorrow, but the lawsuits will not stop; they will continue to arrive in Azuchi like snowflakes, to be dealt with by Nobunaga.

Chaos is a ladder to advancement, and also a good opportunity to make a fortune. I heard the master of the house died in battle, and someone rushed in that night, drowned the man's child in the well, and abducted his wife to sell her to a neighboring country. Naturally, the land ended up in the hands of certain people, without any victims yet.

In any case, Nobunaga, including his generals, only conducted land surveys. It didn't matter who claimed the land, as long as they handed over the annual tribute of rice and the payment for the service fee, that was the end of it.

If you cause trouble and commit murder and massacres at the lower levels, that's a problem of your grassroots governance. But at the level of the feudal lords and powerful officials, as long as enough people come to fight and the annual tribute of rice is plentiful, everything is fine.

"You'd better help me out more." Nobunaga didn't allow Shichibei to refuse, as Shichibei was the only one he could easily order around right now.

Hideyoshi was in the western provinces, Takigawa had pacified Kozuke, and Nagahide had settled Echizen. Of the seven chief retainers, only four remained, three were away, and Shichibei was the closest. Given Kita-Tomi nobukatsu's personality, only Nobunaga and Nobutada could keep him in check, and below them, only the former Seven Elders of Oda could speak for him.

If Shichibei isn't allowed to watch, it's completely impossible for anyone else to do so.

“Your Highness, he…” Nobuo might not listen to what Shichibei said.

"If this is an overreach, send someone to Kyoto immediately." Nobunaga left no room for refusal, seemingly genuinely intending to have Kita-tomi Nobuo properly handle the samurai family's land rights lawsuit.

"Oh dear." That's a better way to put it than to just give Xinxiong a big shovel; then he might listen to you for three to five days.

Let Shichibei Hikaru tell him to stop being reckless, or I'll call his parents. Let's see if he listens.

listen!

It's unbelievable that Shichibei was sitting right next to Kita-Tomi Nobuo. Logically, Shichibei's political status in the Oda regime was higher than Kita-Tomi Nobuo's, so it was natural that he would sit next to him.

Unless Kita no Nobuo establishes himself as the heir!

When the first lawsuit involving a samurai family was filed, it was simply a matter of property inheritance. The original owner was dead, whether killed in battle or beheaded as a criminal, and now someone was claiming the property.

One was a cousin claiming to be a descendant of his grandfather's brother, and the other was a member of his sister's husband's family. What they were fighting over was nothing more than a paddy field with an annual output value of seventy strings of cash, which was enough to arm a mounted warrior.

Nobukatsu, along with his chief retainer Oda Tadahiro, suggested handing the matter over to his grandfather's relatives. Nobukatsu, however, had no objection, stating that he was there to learn and asked Kawamura, the governor, to make the decision.

Really?

Shichibei immediately asked both parties, "The property of 70 kanmon requires one fully armored samurai, one horse, one troop carrier, and one flag bearer. Who can provide that?"

Whether you borrow, rob, or steal, it doesn't matter. Oda Nobunaga only needed to see a mounted warrior with his groom and servant...

Anyone who comes to join the battle can do so.

Both sides immediately expressed their approval of this military service, and even eagerly agreed to it. They reasoned that it was normal military service and there were no issues with it.

Alright, Shichibei, please continue. Oda Nobunaga's trip to Kyoto was for the reconstruction of the Nijō Palace. The Nijō Palace had been attacked and burned by Akechi Mitsuhide, and was almost completely destroyed.

Lord Nobunaga's right lord required "banyaku," which were conscripted soldiers who took turns guarding Oda Nobunaga's side. Nobunaga has now learned his lesson and now commands at least five thousand men.

He wouldn't leave his house if there were fewer than 5,000 people around, and finally he got rid of his habit of running around aimlessly with 200 servants and attendants.

Sigh, Xinzhong has been giving out winter vacations his whole life.

Which of the two individuals could serve three months in Kyoto for Nobunaga, paying full military service? It would be unpaid, without any reward, and they would have to cover their own daily expenses and food.

That's why it's called "foreign service"—it's a service, which carries the connotation of feudal obligation, requiring you to serve it without pay.

"Well?" Before Shichibei could finish speaking, both sides showed a hint of hesitation. Feudal obligations were true, but going out to war was an activity with a high probability of reward. In the world of warriors accustomed to battle...

In the eyes of soldiers, wars that are not so intense are simply spring outings and autumn outings.

Not only can they plunder enemy territory on a large scale, but they can also receive rewards for meritorious service, and even increase their knowledge and conduct. Spoils of war and rewards are the source of courage to go into battle.