Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

"How old is your legitimate son?"

"Born in the second year of Genki (1571), he is exactly ten years old this year, and the 'wearing hakama' ceremony will be held soon." Koshichibei is already considered a little adult.

The so-called "wearing hakama" refers to changing from a child's clothing to normal men's clothing. Basically, this is understood to mean that the ceremony is usually held around the age of eight or nine. It was supposed to be held last year, but Shichibei was taken on an expedition to Aki, so it was postponed.

During the Edo period, samurai often had their sons wear hakama (traditional Japanese dress) at the age of seven and undergo coming-of-age ceremonies at thirteen or fifteen, in order to get them out of the house and earn money as early as possible. This custom was passed down to later generations, where the age was sometimes even lowered to seven or five.

The most typical example is Prince Hisahito Akishino, who was born in 2006, yet he held the "Hakama no Gyo" (Hakama no Gyo) in 2011 (Heisei 23).

What are you doing wearing long hakama for a five-year-old?

"How about marrying my daughter?" Nobunaga was surprised to hear that she was ten years old, exactly as he had asked earlier, and immediately agreed to the marriage.

"I am extremely apprehensive!" Yes, yes, absolutely yes, what's wrong with marrying Oda Nobunaga's daughter? Shichibei had actually been waiting for this day for a long time.

Why are Maeda Toshinaga and Niwa Nagashige able to have daughters of Oda Nobunaga, but we can't? According to the "Kansei Revision Genealogy," all of Nobunaga's early daughters married sons of important retainers or regional lords. After Nobunaga's death, the Oda clan rapidly declined...

After the Oda family's daughter fell from grace and no one wanted to cling to their coattails, she became worthless at lightning speed.

In the end, incredibly, all of these favors were given to noble families, including Nijo Akizuna, Marikoji Mitsufusa, and Tokudaiji Sanefuyu, among others. Even more outrageous was that she was married off as a concubine to Hideyoshi, who was nearly sixty years old.

"Let Sanke adopt him first, then I'll marry him to your family." Nobunaga finally revealed his final idea.

"It's entirely up to you, my lord." Could Shichibei possibly refuse? Nobunaga's intention to pave the way for Nobukatsu is now very clear.

Maeda Toshinaga immediately held his coming-of-age ceremony, after which he was to marry Nobunaga's daughter. This time, the arrangement was changed; his daughter was first adopted by his older brother, Nobukatsu, and then betrothed to Maeda Toshinaga as Nobukatsu's daughter.

Niwa Nagashige and Koshichibei were the same age, so they couldn't escape this set of smooth little combos either.

"Alright, alright, it's settled then." Nobunaga rambled on for a while, talking about Ito Yuhei and the fall of Takaya Castle, and finally achieved his goal.

In the treacherous Sengoku period of Japan, no matter how close the relationship, it was not reliable. Relatively speaking, marriage was the best and most optimal choice.

It just feels like Nobunaga is using one daughter to prepare to kidnap all eight of Shichibei's remaining daughters. Isn't that a bit too efficient? He really won't do a losing deal.

After the agreement was made, Nobunaga stood up, dusted himself off, and left without a trace. He left Shichibei to handle all the messy affairs, including sending someone to hand over the land to Miyoshi Yasunaga, dismantling Takaya Castle, and then properly delivering the land survey documents to Ito Yuhei.

Ito Yuhei's time in Kawachi Province was merely a temporary arrangement. He was given a piece of land and the opportunity to recruit a thousand or so men. Later, he would serve as the vanguard of the main army, paving the way for Oda's army to enter Kyushu.

"My lord, my lord." After Nobunaga left, Saegusa Morinaka peeked in.

"What do you want now?" Shichibei was in a real bind.

Whether being bound to Oda Nobukatsu's war machine for no reason is a blessing or a curse remains to be seen. Nobunaga's determination to pave the way for Nobukatsu is so strong; I really don't know what to do.

"There is a letter from Bessho Harima no Kami, and the person who brought the letter." Saegusa no Kami-nao didn't know what Shichibei wanted, but he sensed something was off in her tone, so he immediately got to the point.

What's wrong with Bessho Nagaharu? Surely there's something wrong with the construction of Akashi Castle? But what's the meaning of the messenger who came with a letter?

"Please take a look." Saegusa Morinaka took out the letter and showed it to Shichibei.

Upon opening the letter, it wasn't anything serious. It said that a samurai named Son Kuro had offended Hideyoshi and had originally intended to serve him through an introduction. However, considering his status as Hideyoshi's confidant, he introduced the samurai to Shichibei instead.

It's a very common thing to write recommendation letters for others, hoping to find a job through connections.

"Bring him in." What could Shichibei possibly think of Sun Kuro in this letter?

Since it's out of respect for Bessho Nagaharu, a token reward of three to five hundred koku is sufficient. Whether he can actually accomplish anything after that depends on his abilities. If he can defeat an enemy general on the battlefield or achieve the feat of being the first to scale a cliff, Shichibei won't be stingy with rewards.

A moment later, Saegusa Morinao led in a samurai who looked to be around twenty years old. Judging by the muscles in his legs and arms, he was clearly a trained fighter. As for his appearance? He was unremarkable—just a dark-skinned man with a shaved head that hadn't been cut in a long time, now covered in short hair.

"Did the governor of Bessho Harima give any instructions before you came?" Shichibei was just going through the motions.

"You want me to devote myself entirely to public service."

"Haha, very well, since that's the case, our family will support you with two hundred koku of official rank and two hundred men." Shichibei took out paper and pen and had Sun Jiulang write down his name, place of origin, and family.

Then I saw him write down Hiratsuka Sonkuro's name on the paper.

528. The Great Showdown Between the Two Heroes of Kyushu

Oh, it's you.

Shichibei remained calm and instructed Saegusa Morinaka to lead the man away and find him a place to stay. Hiratsuka Tamehiro couldn't have come alone to seek refuge with Shichibei; he must have a wife, children, and servants. Let's settle him down first, then we can discuss other matters.

"Sun Jiulang, if you have any difficulties, just ask Kan Jieyou. As for your official duties, you'll be temporarily assigned to my Makai Corps." Shichibei called to Lady Takaya, who had come out again, and gave Hiratsuka Tamehiro two kan of cash.

When someone flees, they can't take their bedding and cooking utensils with them; they still need some start-up capital. Support and salaries are only issued after the annual tribute rice is harvested in the fall—this is the common practice.

"Understood." Hiratsuka Tamehiro was already very satisfied with being hired, so he had no complaints whatsoever.

"Give Sun Jiulang another junior servant." Shichibei beckoned to Sange Morinaka.

The junior servants were military servants, who could be grooms or those who carried the armor of samurai when they went into battle. They might even be just attendants of archers, because for a long expedition, an archer needed to prepare one hundred or two hundred arrows, and only junior servants could carry so many arrows into battle.

Their origins were extremely diverse, ranging from those assigned from prisoners of war to many recruited from landless peasants willing to do the work in rural areas, and even those who went directly into enemy territory to "capture children" for themselves. Occasionally, there were also cases of younger cousins ​​serving the eldest son of the main family, and so on.

"I will never forget the Emperor's grace."

"That's fine then." Shichibei didn't seem particularly enthusiastic.

"Oh, by the way, send someone to Miyoshi Shogan to ask and arrange a date." Before sending the two away, Shichibei gave another instruction to Sange no Morinaka.

The cash, weighing seven or eight pounds, was strung on Hiratsuka Tamehiro's arm and didn't feel particularly heavy. He simply greeted Saegusa Morinaga, since he would temporarily serve Shichibei as a Umawari, and Saegusa Morinaga happened to be the one who served as the head of the squires in peacetime and the Umawari general in wartime.

You're younger than me, so how come you're already a head servant?

When asked this, Saegusa Morinao turned his head to look at Hiratsuka Tamehiro. He wasn't embarrassed at all, and said directly that his foster mother was now serving Shichibei. Ryuzoji Takanobu even married his mother to Nabeshima Kiyofusa, which would strengthen his relationship with his lord, so what was there to be embarrassed about?

After receiving the answer, Hiratsuka Tamehiro simply nodded, and the head servant...

This kind of job should definitely be given to the closest person. Intelligence is secondary; loyalty is the most essential.

What if he keeps loitering around the lord all day, plotting something? It's definitely best to use a cheap son like Sanegori Morinaka.

Ignoring their casual conversation, Shichibei immediately wrote a letter to Azuchi, explaining to the young shogun Nobunaga's intention to bestow a marriage upon him. He also hinted that Nobunaga should inquire with the Niwa and Maeda families whether Nobunaga also had plans to first adopt his daughter to Nobukatsu. Although he had already guessed it, confirmation was necessary.

He then summoned Ota Gyuichi to prepare for the subsequent work on the ruins of Takaya Castle. Ota Gyuichi had also retired to a secondary role, focusing on writing in his diary. His son, Ota Gyuji, had been transferred to Kishu, and was no longer in Kishiwada at this time.

The next day, he met with Miyoshi Yasunaga, who had come to pay his respects to Nobunaga. The old man was indeed as old as a matchstick, and it would be difficult to expect him to carry a gun for Nobunaga again.

"I suppose Xiaoyan and the lord have already reached an agreement," Shichibei said bluntly.

"Yes, these old bones can no longer serve the lord." Miyoshi Yasunaga was retiring normally, so he naturally had no resentment or dissatisfaction.

A lifetime of hard work, I earned 50,000 shi of grain myself, and my son earned 50,000 shi of grain; and I lived in peace.

Landing was already a good ending for a samurai. After that, they could either serve as Nobunaga's retainers or retire to Miyoshi Yasutoshi's territory.

"You must be aware of the order regarding the ruined city of Gaowu."

"Of course, how could I not know?"

"In that case, I will send Ota Matasuke to take over. After that, I will need to place the Ito family in charge." Simple and smooth, this kind of handover for retirement is easy to do.

"Then I will return to the high house and pack my luggage." Miyoshi Yasunaga didn't waste any words; he had clearly received reassurance from Nobunaga.

Nobunaga granted him 5,000 koku of rice for retirement, in the northern region. An additional 45,000 koku was awarded to Miyoshi Yasutoshi, bringing his total to 95,000 koku. Miyoshi Yasutoshi had thus risen to the ranks of the lords and possessed the strength to serve as a flank commander.

"By the way, has Lieutenant General Katsuyuki ever come to visit?" Shichibei wasn't just asking out of curiosity, he wasn't suddenly reminded of it.

Currently, Miyoshi Nobutaka's legal father is Miyoshi Yasunaga. If Nobutaka wants to rejoin the Oda main family, he must first establish his son as the head of the Miyoshi clan. Since Miyoshi Nobutaka doesn't have many followers, the only possible successor for the child is Miyoshi Yasunaga. Therefore, the seventh...

Hei had this question.

"Hmm?" Miyoshi Yasunaga was puzzled by Shichibei's question.

There was absolutely no affection between Yasunaga and Nobutaka; it was purely a deal between them. In exchange for Yasunaga and Miyoshi Yasutoshi, Nobutaka transferred the Kobe Castle in Kita-Ise to them.

But since he was still his father by patriarchal lineage, Nobutaka would still send some gifts to Miyoshi Yasunaga on special occasions like festivals and birthdays. Since they were both under the Oda clan's protection, Nobutaka naturally wanted to win over these readily available allies.

It's just that Oda Nobutada wasn't as close to him before.

"It's nothing, it's nothing..." It seemed that Nobutaka had no intention of returning to the main family, so Shichibei quickly waved his hand.

"Fortunately, I'm too old to get involved in such matters." Miyoshi Yasunaga clearly knew the intention behind Shichibei's question, and simply smiled.

He genuinely witnessed the Miyoshi clan, under the leadership of Miyoshi Nagayoshi, launch a counterattack on the mainland, overthrow Hosokawa Harumoto, and become the ruler of the land, possessing the glory of more than ten provinces. Of course, he also experienced the disintegration of the Miyoshi clan, and its current decline and disappearance.

The more you see, the more you naturally understand.

"Oh dear, what are you saying? With your years of experience, you're sure to have a place in the Lord's elite guards." Shichibei, seeing that the other man had seen through him, remained calm and spoke without hesitation.

"Hahaha, when you get old, you should go home and tend to the tea ceremony and calligraphy, and not get involved in these things." Miyoshi Yasunaga really chose a good time to retire now, so it is almost impossible for him to be caught up in the storm.

"Alright, please go ahead." Shichibei didn't argue, but simply stood up and saw Miyoshi Yasunaga out.

Nobunaga went to Surimachi to hold a tea party and inspect the warehouses and the returning ships. Shichibei, along with Ota Gyuichi and others, went to Takaya Castle. The relocation within the castle had already begun, with most of the retainers going to Kitase to serve Miyoshi Yasutoshi. A small number of veteran retainers stayed behind to continue serving Miyoshi Yasunaga until his death.

There were advantages to overseeing the demolition and abandonment of the castle, as it gave him control over the town. Shichibei didn't hold back at all, directly relocating hundreds of families and residents of the castle town to Kishiwada.

Whether they are artisans or small business owners, they are all valuable talents. Others would love to recruit them but can't. Shichibei has repeatedly led the destruction and demolition of castles, and has settled townspeople from various places who were coerced into coming to Kishiwada Castle.

Since most of the abandoned cities were destroyed when the original lords died, the townspeople...

With no former masters to follow, they were forced to flee under Shichibei's influence. Now, Miyoshi Yasunaga was declaring "freedom to come and go," meaning the townspeople had no choice but to "freely" follow Shichibei back to Kishiwada.

Because of Shichibei's good reputation in the business world, the townspeople didn't need to be reasoned with or persuaded; they simply moved to Kishiwada at Kawamuraya's call.

Miyoshi Yasunaga first sent his belongings to Kobe Castle, and then went to Kyoto or Surimachi to thank Nobunaga. After receiving the land survey register, the demolition of the castle was handed over to Ota Gyuichi, while Shichibei returned to Kishiwada Castle to receive Ito Yuhei.

They were once a powerful daimyo, wielding considerable influence in Hyuga Province. At their peak, the Ito clan boasted a territory known as the "Forty-Eight Castles of Ito," with a staggering 180,000 koku of rice. Now, however, they have fallen on hard times, with only twenty or thirty retainers coming to serve Nobunaga.

But even a dead tiger cannot stand still. Ito Yuhei himself was renowned for his bravery, and after meeting with Shichibei, he indicated that his retainers, such as Yamada Munemasa, were still in Bungo and could be summoned immediately with a letter. At that time, two or three hundred core retainers would be registered, and a thousand or eight hundred foot soldiers and junior soldiers would be recruited, all to serve Lord Nobunaga with all their might.

He seems to be someone willing to strive. There are many successful examples like him in the history of Japan's Sengoku period, but few were able to fight their way back to their homeland.

Very rare, so rare that it can be described as extremely rare.

Throughout the entire Edo period, only Tachibana Muneshige returned to his former territory of Chikugo-Yanagawa. And during the Azuchi-Momoyama period, only Ito Yuhei, who was driven away for more than ten years, miraculously returned to the Obi Domain.

Historically, Ito Yuhei received a fief of 500 koku in Danan District, Kawachi, and began his renewed struggle. This time, he fared better, receiving a fief of 20,000 koku. It's clear that Nobunaga's urgency for the Kyushu conquest has become apparent, and he hopes Ito Yuhei can quickly regain his fighting strength.

"There is one more thing I hope the King's Palace will grant." Ito Yuhei adopted a humble posture, knowing that Shichibei was an important figure in the Oda clan.

"Go ahead and tell me."

"Before coming here, I heard from Kagawa's attendant that I could borrow money from the Kyoto Palace..." It's true that even a hero can be brought down by a single penny. If Ito Yuhei wants to seize the opportunity, he must do his best to rebuild a vanguard of a thousand men.

With a territory of 20,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), it's impossible to scrape together enough armor and provisions to equip a thousand men, even if you scrambled the ground until it smoked. The only way to quickly recruit sufficient personnel and adequately arm them is through small-scale lending.

"No problem, it's a small matter. But if you regain your old position later, the tribute rice this year..." It's just a loan, normal business.

However, Shichibei also had an additional condition: once the former Hyuga territory was reclaimed, the annual tribute rice of the Ito family would have to be supplied and sold exclusively by Kawamura-ya.

"I'll leave everything to Kawamura-ya." Ito Yuhei immediately agreed to the small condition without the slightest hesitation.

"Let's go open the register." Shichibei took Ito Yuhei's hand and walked outside.