Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

I simply wrote a list of eleven daughters. Three were already married, so I ignored them. Of the remaining eight, the older ones were indeed over ten and menstruating, making them eligible for marriage. The youngest was only a little over a year old; even if we were to arrange a marriage for her, it would be too early.

Many could already guess the disdainful look Nobunaga would give when he received the reply. Sowing seeds but not reaping fruit is bound to earn one's contempt.

"I heard it's in preparation for the Western Front." Saegusa Morinao saw Shichibei writing down entries and then revealed what he had found out.

"To Lieutenant General Ōkōchi?" Huh? Shichibei paused, his pen still holding the pen.

Historically, Hideyoshi ordered Toyotomi Hidetsugu to pacify the Oshu region. The powerful and influential people of Oshu and Ushu provinces bestowed many concubines upon Hidetsugu. The most typical example is Koma-hime, the daughter of Mogami Yoshimitsu. Mogami Yoshimitsu originally intended to marry into the second generation of the Toyotomi family, but Hideyoshi killed her outright; the little girl was only fifteen years old.

Originally, the feudal lords of Oshu and Ushu could all become supporters of the Toyotomi regime and side with Toyotomi. But Hideyoshi's indiscriminate killing of them brought that downfall.

However, the failure of Hidetsugu's approach to winning over the Mōri clan did not preclude its feasibility. Since the western provinces were essentially controlled by the Mōri family and were to be severely weakened later, marrying a Mōri daughter was not within Nobunaga's considerations.

Then we have to change our approach: throw money around—no, throw daughters around. There are many powerful clans in the Western Lands, and the Mori clan hasn't completely wiped them out.

Yoshimi, Ogasawara, Sugi, Amano, Naito, Kazutoshi, Masuda, Yamauchi, Ichikawa—each of them was a powerful figure with a salary of over 10,000 koku. So many powerful figures gathered together and formed the Mori clan.

Once the Mori clan is subdued, these powerful local lords will generally not follow the Mori clan back to Aki Province. They will remain where they are, either as independent daimyo or as powerful daimyo, and Ishigaka's status there will not be low.

Unless they follow the example of the Hosokawa father and son who killed their son-in-law, Isshiki Yoshisada, and his entire family, or the Kuroda father and son who killed their father-in-law, Shiroi Utsunomiya, and his entire family, doing such things would really damage their reputation, and they wouldn't do it easily.

Based on this premise, Nobunaga decided to prepare at least two [items/items] for Oda Nobukatsu.

Ten, or even thirty, girls from the core samurai groups of Owari. And they had to be of high enough status that even the adopted daughters of the Western heroes would accept them.

Adopted daughters are also judged by their lineage. Internally, some people know the origins of Shichibei's many daughters. To the outside world? Most people simply assume they are daughters of Shichibei and a group of widows. As long as they are Shichibei's daughters, that's all that matters; who cares about widows?

Sanada Nobuyuki was overjoyed to marry Honda Tadakatsu's daughter, who was supposedly Tokugawa Ieyasu's adopted daughter. What was there to be unhappy about—marrying the daughter of one of Tokugawa's Four Heavenly Kings?

Now the Oda clan only has four retainers left, so in a sense, Shichibei is one of the "Four Heavenly Kings of Oda." Marrying Shichibei's daughter and Nobukatsu's adopted daughter, those powerful figures in western Japan can only secretly rejoice.

"The Right Minister also sent a letter to Prime Minister Kaizu, Attendant Kitasho, and Attendant Ukebashi." Saegusa Morinaka's secretarial skills are quite impressive; his adopted son wasn't raised in vain.

After thinking for a moment, Shichibei wrote a note instructing Saegusa Morinaka to collect 1,000 kan. Don't be afraid to spend money; even secretaries need money for social interactions. Give gifts on holidays and birthdays; reciprocity strengthens relationships.

"This is too much..." Nobunaga is really going all out, is he trying to build up an entire clan?

They even plundered the daughters of high-ranking officials.

Oda Nobuhiro's eldest daughter was adopted by Nobunaga and married to Niwa Nagahide. He seemed to have two or three other unmarried daughters, but I don't remember exactly how many Shichibei.

Niwa Nagahide is very capable; he already has nine daughters. Aside from those betrothed to powerful vassals like Awaya Katsuhisa, there should be five or six left. Nobunaga needs to secure them quickly. Otherwise, Nagahide will have to use his daughters to stabilize Echizen Province, marrying them off to powerful vassals who have migrated with him.

The last one, Takigawa Kazumasu, whose biological son, and future eldest son Takigawa Kazutada, is only eleven years old this year and is not capable of inheriting the family business. If he cannot come of age before Takigawa Kazumasu's death and establish meritorious service to win over the people, the family business will be passed on to Takigawa Masashige, in order to ensure the continuation of the Takigawa family line.

Despite having sons late in life, Takikawa Kazumasu was quite fertile, having five sons and four daughters. Because his children were born late, none of them married.

Let's count: Shichibei has eight, Oda Nobuhiro has three, Niwa Nagahide has five, and Takigawa Kazumasu has four, making a total of twenty.

This is really a good deal for Oda Nobukatsu. He can gather thirty noblewomen from the Oda clan later. It will be difficult, but not too difficult.

"To be a good person for the world and spread the seeds of the world..." But Morinaka Saegusa felt that this was just commonplace. What was it to risk a few daughters in order to maintain peace in the world?

In this way, the powerful figures of the western provinces would inevitably support Oda Nobukatsu as the next ruler of the new regime. Nobukatsu would then gain additional support outside of Oda's hereditary retainers.

Having an extra card in your hand not only allows you to play more calmly, but also provides an additional force to enhance stability during the transition between the first and second generations.

You asked what will happen to Kyushu, Kanto, and Oshu after this wave of attacks in the western regions used up all the Oda nobility?

Oda Nobukatsu is barely able to maintain his position right now, so how can he possibly think about things that far ahead? Let's first bring the western provinces under Oda Nobukatsu's wing, and then we can discuss other things.

There's always a way out. By then, the retainers we promote will be considered important retainers of the Oda clan, and we can plunder them again.

As for the high-ranking officials having no daughters to use? Let them adopt the daughters of their own retainers and marry them off to powerful figures within their territories, thus strengthening ties between the two sides.

There are many ways to do this; if all else fails, marry a local woman.

The daughters of feudal lords can be concubines. What's there to be afraid of? Just work hard and cultivate the land. If you can't bear children for the people of the world, then you truly deserve to die.

"You're full of rhymes, you think..." Shichibei finished writing the entries, handed them to Saegusa Morinao, and said, "Take the entries and 1,000 kan and go."

There aren't any graduate school entrance exams available right now. If there were, I'd send you to study for a "master's degree" at the last minute. You're always making jokes at home; I'm practically your father, after all.

"Hehe, I'll go right away." Saegusa Morinao had been following Shichibei for a while and knew that Shichibei wasn't angry, so he naturally grinned.

At this moment, Oda Nobunaga in Kyoto was calculating the "human resources" he could mobilize. He needed to prepare thirty daughters for Oda Nobukatsu. Besides himself and his two daughters, how many could he possibly gather from the powerful retainers of his own clan?

It's true what they say, you only realize how few people you have when you need them most. He treats his retainers like cattle, ordering them around faster than spinning tops. They're either at war or on their way to war. Even when there's no war, they're at home suppressing local rebellions and managing civil administration.

Alright, the eldest son of the 55-year-old senior retainer Takigawa Kazumasu is only eleven years old, let alone his other children. Oda Nobuhiro and Kawamura Nagayoshi are similar; the oldest children of these senior retainers are generally over ten years old.

Shiyang Temple is located at the foot of Cuilu Mountain in Luohu District, Shenzhen. Backed by Cuilu Mountain and facing the Shenzhen River, it is named after Shiyang (stone sheep). It was renamed Shiyang Temple after Xiao Yingshi passed the imperial examination and was named after a well that never dried up.

527. Turning left and right signifies marriage.

Nobunaga arrived at Kishida Castle with 3,000 cavalry guards. The arrival of such a high-ranking leader naturally indicated important business. The large amount of military rations and rice stockpiled for Oda Nobutada last year needed to be reorganized and inventoried. Any shortages were to be replenished.

The stations and port towns originally set up along the northern coast of the Seto Inland Sea also needed to be redeployed to ensure the smooth flow of transport ships. These were all things that had been done before, but now that Nobuo needed to pave the way for him, Nobunaga had to personally oversee the process.

Kishiwada Castle was built to accommodate 20,000 people, so there were many longhouses inside to house Nobunaga's guards. Shichibei immediately vacated his residence and retreated to the Hatakeyama residence below the castle.

Anyway, Hatakeyama Nobutaka went off to hang out with Oda Nobuo, so he's all alone at home. It'll be more lively if Shichibei moves in.

"Jiro Shiro and the Lieutenant General get along very well?" Shichibei was a little skeptical when he heard Lady Takaya's words.

"I never expected this either." Lady Takaya had heard a bit about Nobukatsu's bad temper, but now Nobukatsu was effectively the heir apparent and was going on a campaign against the Mori.

The obvious achievement, Hatakeyama Nobutaka followed Nobuo to make a name for himself.

If they could pick it up, why would Lady Takaya refuse? With 100,000 soldiers guarding the area, the probability of something going wrong, while not exactly zero, was negligible.

"Oh dear, life is truly unpredictable." Shichibei lay down as usual, looking at Lady Takaya, whose pregnancy was becoming increasingly apparent.

Despite being constantly subjected to their exaggerated praise, at least some fruit has been produced, and Shichibei is still interested in appreciating it.

"With Lieutenant General Ōkōchi now in office, it would be a good thing for Jirō-Shirō to follow him."

"Of course it's a good thing!" Shichibei didn't answer, but a rather authoritative voice came in.

Oh my, Oda Nobunaga is so old, how come he still walks so fast? His footsteps and voice entered the room at the same time.

Shichibei sat up with a jolt, while Lady Takaya hurriedly prepared to get up and leave. Nobunaga, striding into the room, ignored Lady Takaya's belly and let her leave.

"If my lord has something to attend to, just summon him directly." Shichibei quickly bowed and saluted.

"It's alright, it just so happens that Miyoshi Iwao has come to pay his respects." Nobunaga didn't need any cushions and sat down directly.

Hanoi is now divided into three parts, including the southern part of Cao Uc Fortress.

Miyoshi Yasunaga never moved. However, Miyoshi Yasunaga was indeed very old; historically, he was expected to pass away in a few years.

He was in his late sixties, approaching seventy. During the Nijo Incident, Yamato's Tsutsui Junkei led tens of thousands of troops in a fierce attack on Takaya Castle. After this major upheaval, Miyoshi Yasunaga requested to retire from public life from Nobunaga.

Miyoshi Yasunaga's territory was 50,000 koku of land at Kawachi Takaya Castle, and his son Miyoshi Yasutoshi's territory was 50,000 koku of land in northern Ise and Kobe. Once he retired, Miyoshi Yasutoshi would inherit his territory, making him a great lord with 100,000 koku of land.

"Miyoshi Shōgan has proposed to retire?" Shichibei had heard rumors before, and now Miyoshi Shōgan must have taken advantage of Nobunaga's inspection tour of Kishiwada and Sakai to bring it up directly.

"It has been approved." Nobunaga nodded, after all, there was still Miyoshi Yasutoshi who could fight for Yasutoaga.

The territory will be granted to you. As long as you can ensure that no large-scale uprisings occur, small peasant revolts are fine. And as long as you can meet Nobunaga's military service requirements, that will be enough.

Historically, Miyoshi Yasutoshi died (in battle) earlier than Miyoshi Yasunaga. The Miyoshi family no longer had a general who could hold their own, and ultimately it completely declined (not counting the few hatamoto).

"A merger of jurisdictions? Or something else?" Just out of curiosity.

Since the 200,000 koku of Kita-Ise was vacated, Takigawa Kazumasu was granted a fief of over 400,000 koku in Kozuke Province. Originally, it was said to be granted to Harada Nobumasa, but now it seems there's a change in plans.

"There is a person, Ito Rokurogoro." Nobunaga said a name that Shichibei found completely inexplicable.

Ito has long been under Shichibei's command and is settled in Kii Province. Now another Ito has suddenly appeared. Who is he?

"That Ito from Mukozuchi."

"Ito Yoshisuke? Ito Yuhei?" Now that's how it is, Shichibei knows him, but how did he end up with Nobunaga?

"More than twenty riders, including Ito Yuhei, came to join us."

"Does the lord intend to temporarily settle him in Hanoi?" Shichibei understood immediately.

The Battle of Mimikawa is over, the Ito clan has collapsed, and their main castle, Satohara Castle, has been lost. Many of their retainers have fled to the Ōtomo clan in Bungo Province. However, the Ōtomo clan's patriarch, Ōtomo Yoshitomo, has taken a liking to Ito Yuhei's wife, Torahime (daughter of Ito Yoshimasa), and rumors are circulating that he intends to steal her away.

So the Ito father and son went directly to Iyo, and upon arriving there, they visited Kagawa Nobuzumi. Nobuzumi said, "Regarding your family's situation, begging me is useless."

Yes. We had to ask my uncle, Lord Nobunaga, so the Ito family came to the Kinai region.

Because Ito Yoshisuke was already approaching seventy and was indeed quite old, Ito Yoshisuke's men came to see Nobunaga and asked Nobunaga to help him regain control of the former territory of Hyuga Province.

Nobunaga readily accepted the ready-made legitimacy and guide to southern Kyushu. At present, Ito Yuhei became a large retainer supported by Nobunaga, just like other impoverished noble families who had joined Nobunaga's ranks.

However, usually, such large-scale vassals are given money directly. When Nobunaga took in Ikeda Katsumasa, he paid him 4,000 kan annually, plus rice subsidies. Why does it seem like now they're going to settle him on land?

"From now on, either you or Fujikichiro will need a few vanguard soldiers," Nobunaga said without pretense.

The matter at hand is quite clear: the Mori have already surrendered, and all that remains is to go through the formalities. After pacifying the Mori, within a year or two, the general who was transferred to the western provinces will be reassigned, and then a large army will be prepared to launch an expedition to Kyushu.

Although the Ōtomo, Shimazu, and Ryūzōji had all previously had connections with the Oda clan, and the Shimazu and Ōtomo had even worked for Oda Nobunaga and bought official positions, they were still independent lords and had not yet submitted to Oda Nobunaga.

So what if it's the general, the emperor, or even the Grand Chancellor of the distant capital? I won't obey your orders, what can you do to me?

With the emperor far away and the mountains high, the powerful lords of Kyushu might not truly be willing to become Nobunaga's retainers. Their limit would likely be to outwardly acknowledge Oda Nobunaga as one of the people of the realm. Getting them to pay annual tribute and perform military service without resorting to war was out of the question.

“It is indeed necessary to temporarily settle the Ito family in Kawachi.” Since Nobunaga had said so, Shichibei naturally agreed.

"You can go and destroy Takaya Castle." Nobunaga had indeed come with orders, not just to inform him.

"clear."

"It would be wonderful if this baby was a girl." Shichibei nodded in agreement, and Nobunaga said this seemingly casually.

"what?"

"Haha, why don't you give that one in Kyoto a proper title?" It was rare for Nobunaga to gossip like that.

"She herself has no demands, only the desire to raise the Ii clan's heirs." Shichibei, of course, knew that Nobunaga was referring to Ii's sister-in-law, who was simply finding a powerful stepfather for the two Ii boys.

"Oh..." Nobunaga responded.

"My lord?" Shichibei peeked out and asked tentatively, "You wouldn't happen to have taken a fancy to my sister-in-law, Ii, would you?"

"You really are... how come you only have eleven women? I have twelve." Unexpectedly, Nobunaga suddenly changed the subject and directly mocked Shichibei for being incompetent.

Nobunaga genuinely had twelve daughters, while Shichibei, through a combination of adoptions and her own children, only had eleven. This certainly gave Nobunaga a reason to mock her; it wasn't that she lacked the resources or the ability to raise them, but her success rate was simply low. After fathering two sons with the young lord, Shichibei's rate of fathering children was truly appalling.

They all found good sisters-in-law who had given birth before and had a smooth delivery, so why are they so unhelpful?

"Ha..." Shichibei was speechless, utterly dumbfounded.

This is the kind of talk where you don't insult someone by pointing out their weaknesses, or laugh at someone's misfortune without doing so. However, Shichibei could understand; for a lord, concern for the succession of his subordinates was a very important part of political life in Japan's Sengoku period.