Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

The moat was the city wall, and the surrounding walls were the city ramparts—everyone knew that. Now that it had fallen into Oda Nobunaga's hands, there was no hope of getting away with it. Oda Nobunaga had been a swordsman for over thirty years, and countless people had died by his blade; his eyes were truly as sharp as thunder.

"Kingo has made a great contribution by acting as a middleman this time." Oda Nobuo patted his good younger brother Hatakeyama Nobutaka, who was more than ten years younger than him, on the shoulder and praised him highly.

"No, no, it was just a small achievement." Nobutaka Hatakeyama's face was beaming with the joy of success; he had indeed brought about a success.

If we're talking about merit, it's certainly true, because he constantly instilled in Mori Terumoto the idea that Oda Nobukatsu, originally adopted by Kitabatake, had no right to inherit the family business. Within the Oda clan, there was virtually no emotional connection between the hereditary retainers and their families.

Therefore, we now need to find external support among the outer vassal states. One could even say that Mao...

It was all thanks to Toshimoto's insistence on doing what Oda Nobuo's father-in-law did that he was the one who instigated it.

As for the Hatakeyama family, a once-powerful clan, their military prowess was truly mediocre. What about Shiba Yoshigane? What about Hosokawa Akimoto? They were both utterly incompetent. Only Mori Hideyori was somewhat respectable, capable of donning armor and charging into battle alongside Nobunaga.

But while they're not good at fighting, they're practically born with a natural talent for scheming, plotting, stirring up trouble, and forming marriage alliances.

Nobutaka Hatakeyama truly lives up to his father Akitaka Hatakeyama's reputation as the eldest son; he's inherited all the Hatake family's cleverness. He's constantly making empty promises to Terumoto Mori, essentially portraying him as Nobuo's father-in-law, a high-ranking official like a Kanrei (chief regent), and someone who will participate in the operation of the new shogunate.

Let them keep bragging, it doesn't matter how much they brag, it's all in the future. Right now, the most important thing is to get the city gates open and the Mori clan to surrender.

With the gates of Koriyama Castle now open, many things have come to light. The merits of Hatakeyama Nobutaka have indeed reached the ears of Oda Nobuo, Hashiba Hideyoshi, and Kawamura Nagayoshi. Even Shichibei has to admit that the boy has really put in a lot of effort for his brother Nobuo.

It seems they're really going to help his brother Xinxiong with his great undertaking.

"Lord Kyoto, to whom do you think this 130,000 koku of Choshu belongs?" Oda Nobuo asked Shichibei, patting his younger brother Hatakeyama Nobutaka's arm.

"Huh?" Shichibei was in the middle of his own thoughts when he was asked this question, and he was slightly surprised.

Then he immediately realized that Hatakeyama Nobutaka originally held 63,000 koku of Iwamuro Castle in Kii Province. Now that he had made a great contribution by persuading Mori Terumoto to open the castle, he would naturally be granted an additional title.

Nagato is the only country.

Logically speaking, this should be reasonable, but...

There's no "but" to it. This western region is now used by Nobunaga to establish Nobukatsu's authority and power. Who gets granted it, or who doesn't, depends on Nobunaga's mind.

Nobunaga's earlier agreement to throw Hatakeyama Nobutaka into Koriyama Castle was clearly an implicit consent to granting him a fortune. What's being discussed now is simply a formal confirmation afterward.

"It's entirely up to General Miyako to decide." What could Shichibei say? The land that your old Origami family earned, your old Origami family can handle it yourselves.

"Haha, good, good, good." Oda Nobuo slapped his thigh and laughed.

Well, Shichibei understood what Nobukatsu was laughing about. It was simply that by remaining silent and tacitly agreeing, he was essentially supporting Oda Nobukatsu's decision. A half-hearted opposition was no opposition at all. That's the reality of politics; power is there, and if you don't resolutely defend it, it will naturally be taken away.

Hideyoshi on the other side scratched his head and remained silent. As for Chosokabe Nobuchika and Kagawa Nobusumi, they turned their gazes elsewhere, as they had no say in the matter.

Moreover, the achievements of this battle can be described as follows: first, persuading the enemy to open the gates of Koriyama Castle; second, defeating Ōta Motonsuna; and third, capturing Kōyama Castle. The first achievement is attributed to Hatakeyama Nobutaka and Hayashi Hidesada, the second is temporarily attributed to Oda Nobukatsu's personal command, and the third to Hashiba Hideyoshi.

If you haven't done anything, you shouldn't even dare to speak loudly.

"What about Fangzhou? How will the Imperial General be dealt with?" Since Shichibei had already agreed, he might as well ask for clarification.

The complete territories surrendered by the Mori clan consisted of Izumo, Nagato, and Suo provinces, half of Hōki province, the entire Kiju district in Buzen, and Niimi-shō, which borders Izumo to the north. Iyo consisted of several islands still under the rule of Kono Michinao or Murakami Takeyoshi, all of which were very fragmented territories.

Now that Kono Michinao, Murakami Takeyoshi, and others have surrendered, it's no surprise that they'll be able to surrender on the fragmented islands of Iyo as well.

So now the biggest piece of the pie is Suo. There's still land to be divided in Bitchu. Besides Hoida Motochika, who is stationed there, Hanafusa Masanari, who was originally stationed in Takamatsu Castle, has been moved back to Bizen. Apart from placing Miyabe Tsugujun there, Hideyoshi still has at least tens of thousands of koku of land vacant.

That's all for later; let's ask Zhou Fang first.

“I intend to take over the position of Lord Ikeda Minbu, the lord of Tottori Castle in Inner Province, and take control of Yamaguchi in Ho Province.” Oda Nobuo said it offhand.

"Ikeda Minbu?" Shichibei was slightly taken aback when he realized it was Ikeda Katsumasa.

Because Ikeda Katsumasa and Oda Nobuo had no prior relationship, but Ikeda Katsumasa's transfer from 85,000 koku in Inaba to 150,000 koku in Suoh was indeed a promotion.

Speaking of which, Katsumasa Ikeda started his career at Ikeda Castle in Settsu Province, and it seems he's getting further and further away from his hometown with each endeavor. At this rate, he might just end up making his way all the way to Kyushu!

“His son, Ikeda Hachiro Saburo, has come of age, and I have a good match to give him.” Then Oda Nobuo explained the reason.

Ikeda Naomasa has come of age and is getting married, a situation that Oda Nobuo loves most, so naturally he'll lend a hand. Bessho Nagaharu of the eastern region is already married, as are Hashiba Hidenaga of the Mahanokuni and Harima districts. Hachisuka Masakatsu's son, Iemasa, of the western region's Tatsuno is already twenty-three and has long been engaged to the daughter of the Ikoma family.

Yes, it's the Ikoma family, the same family as Ikoma Yoshino. It was Hideyoshi who helped them get things sorted out.

"Then Inobu..." Oh dear, it's really one thing after another. After Suoh planted people, Inobu became vacant.

"Calm down." Oda Nobuo really put on airs, his every move exuding the aura of someone who had already decided to become the ruler of a country and a city.

So, Ikeda Naomasa's legal wife? Sure enough, it's Shichibei's daughter. Before they could even finish a few words, the Kawamura family's daughter had already been married to the lords of Izumo and Suo provinces.

Should we say they are blessed or unlucky, as they are about to be married off to a poor, remote mountain village? Of course, being the wife of a daimyo isn't so bad; at least they're guaranteed a life of luxury.

Seeing that Ikeda Katsumasa wasn't in the shogunate, and since Oda Nobukatsu wasn't going to say anything anyway, Shichibei got up to look for Ikeda Katsumasa. Ikeda Katsumasa hadn't received the news that he was going to be transferred to Suoh and was currently grooming his horse.

Even though there's no fighting, but I'm still on the battlefield, I have to find something to do. After riding my horse, I can brush its mane and kill some time during the boring battlefield.

"Congratulations, congratulations." The retainers of the Ikeda family already knew Shichibei and didn't stop him at all.

"Shichibei? What's there to be happy about?" Ikeda Katsumasa thought to himself that he hadn't made any contributions in this battle; he had just gone out with the army as usual.

"The Grand General intends to transfer you to Fangzhou with a fief of 150,000 koku." Shichibei estimated that the news would arrive soon. This wouldn't be considered a leak; it was an open secret within the shogunate.

"Ha!" Ikeda Katsumasa, who was brushing the horse, stopped in his tracks and gasped in surprise.

Unlike the unexpected joy of a windfall, he joined Nobunaga's forces as a major retainer, and Nobunaga promised to restore the Ikeda clan's fortune of 100,000 koku. However, he wasn't told exactly where the 100,000 koku would come from. Later, he was settled in Inaba province with 85,000 koku, which he was already quite content with. He never imagined that he could go even further now.

You mean go back to Settsu? He's basically given up. By now, everyone can see that Nobunaga intends to make all of the five Kinai regions his direct domain, even sending Takayama Shigetomo to Owari. What merit does Ikeda Katsumasa have?

"Not only that, my daughter will also be betrothed to Hachiro Saburo." Shichibei pointed to Ikeda Naomasa, who was drawing water, so they were father-in-law and son-in-law.

540. The great victory in Vietnam forced Echigo into a corner.

Although he already knew that Shichibei's daughter was to be married off as Nobuo's adopted daughter, Ikeda Naomasa was no fool to bow down now that Shichibei was standing right in front of him.

"But, but with my transfer to Fangzhou, I'll inevitably have to go to Kyushu, right?" Ikeda Katsumasa and Shichibei have been friends for over ten years. They used to be brothers and are now in-laws. There's no need for a congratulatory remark, but he did ask about the transfer.

"That's for sure, they'll probably go into battle next autumn," Shichibei replied truthfully.

In any case, the first to land won't be the Ikeda army; it will almost certainly be the 20,000 men from the three Mori families. However, as one of the Western Provinces' forces, the Ikeda army will definitely participate in the battle. There's no need to ask; the commander-in-chief will undoubtedly be Oda Nobuo. If another 10,000 or 20,000 men arrive from Kinai, it will basically be another army of around 100,000, splitting into two or three groups to land on the island.

"So I'll have to move my butt?" Katsumasa Ikeda patted the horse's rump.

"Judging from the current situation, with Akizuki surrendering and Ito coming to submit, at least two of the three major clans—Ryuzoji, Ōtomo, and Shimazu—will be defeated. This would allow us to move Kobayakawa to govern one province and Himeji to govern another, thus controlling Kyushu from north to south." Shichibei pondered for a moment.

Nobunaga has probably already adjusted his strategy.

By transferring Kobayakawa Nobuhira to southern Kyushu and Hashiba Hideyoshi to northern Kyushu, having two major domains would be sufficient to keep an eye on the warlords of Kyushu. Once Kyushu is at peace, we can focus all our efforts on conquering Kanto and Echigo.

"Not moving me?" Katsumasa Ikeda thought about it and agreed.

He's already moved all the way from Settsu to Suo, where else could he go? If he moves any further, he'll have to go to Hizen. It would be good enough if he could be restored to his position as daimyo and receive 150,000 koku.

"I definitely won't move you again." Shichibei was quite certain about this.

Oda Nobukatsu elevates the Ikeda family from Inaba Tottori, bestowing titles upon them and forging marriage alliances. He uses the Ikeda family to keep an eye on the Mori clan while simultaneously strengthening pro-Oda influence in western Japan. The plan is complete and unlikely to be changed easily.

"Good news! Good news!" The two men heard at the same time that a messenger was rushing towards Oda Nobuo's main camp and shogunate.

Where did the good news come from? Shichibei stopped chatting with Ikeda Katsumasa and hurriedly ran to the main camp. When he arrived at the main camp, he heard that Kitasho's retainer, Korezumi-dono, had made great progress and achieved a great victory.

Upon further inquiry, it was learned that Niwa Nagahide had spent lavishly to win over Masuyama.

The lord of the castle, Jinboji Zhang, and the lord of Moriyama Castle, Jinbo, lived there for a long time. The pigs advanced suddenly and broke through the Sheshui River.

Despite the sudden collapse of the front lines, Kawada Nagachika did not panic or collapse. Instead, he immediately mobilized his troops and requested reinforcements from Shiina Kagenao, the lord of Uozu Castle, and Yamamotoji Sadanaga in Echigo Province. The troops fought their way forward and converged at Shiri-darisaka, west of Toyama Castle. With the natural barrier of the Jinzu River at their backs, they prepared for a decisive battle.

With over 30,000 cavalry from Echizen, Kaga, Noto, Hideyoshi, and Echijun, Niwa Nagahide led the vanguard, with Maeda Toshiie and his son Maeda Toshinaga as the vanguard, Jinbo Ujijo and Uchijima Ujiri as the second division, Toda Katsunari and Mizoguchi Hidekatsu as the third division, and Hatakeyama Yoshiharu as the scout. Raising their battle flags, they launched a fierce attack.

Led by Kawada Nagachika, the thirteen generals of Etchu swore an oath of brotherhood, swearing a blood oath. Terashima Nagayuki, Tatenuma Yasushige, Abe Masayoshi, Ishiguchi Hiromune, Wakabayashi Ienaga, and Kameda Nagayoshi were among them.

Uesugi Kagetora kept his promise and dispatched 4,500 cavalry, including Yamamotoji Sadanaga, Uesugi Kagemitsu, and Kawada Shigechika, to reinforce Toyama Castle in Etchu Province. They also set up a defensive line on the Matsumoto mountain bank west of Toyama to resist the Oda army.

Uozu Castle lord Shiina Kagenao also led 3,500 cavalry, arrayed at Hagiwara-zaka, forming a pincer movement with Kawada Nagachika. The three forces exceeded...

Fourteen thousand men, though less than half the size of Oda's army, were brave and courageous, and in the first two days of the battle, they were beginning to gain the upper hand.

The valiant Uesugi general Sakahira Kamaeaki, wielding an arquebus, charged into the Oda army with his servant. After the arquebus fired, he switched to a long spear and killed twelve men with his own hands. The soldiers cheered and launched a fierce attack, scattering several Oda army formations.

Despite having a significant numerical advantage, Niwa Nagahide was astonished to see his army defeated by the weaker Uesugi clan. He immediately offered a reward: whoever could break through and enter Kawata Nagachika's camp first would be credited with a major victory, disrupting the Uesugi clan's main force.

On the spot, the security guard was blocked in Yue Zhonglibo County!

This is a large prefecture with a population of no less than 100,000 shi (a unit of grain measure). After all, stirring up the enemy formation and creating chaos in the enemy camp requires at least several hundred people. Unless you are a modern-day Xiang Yu, capable of killing hundreds of people by hand and surrounding five thousand cavalry with only twenty-eight riders.

Naturally, those who could actually fight were all burly samurai with considerable strength. Or, to put it another way, feudal lords like Maeda Toshiie and Sassa Narimasa.

Maeda Toshinaga, who had by then come of age and married Oda Nobunaga's adopted daughter, Eikihime, immediately mustered two hundred elite soldiers upon hearing the news. He also mobilized the valiant warriors his father had accumulated over the years: Okumura Sukejuro, Maeda Yojuro, Shinohara Kanroku, Murai Chohachiro, and Takahata Mago.

Juro, Tomita, Rokuro, and the others were taken along.

The two sides clashed repeatedly on the slope from dawn till dusk, until the outnumbered Uesugi army finally found a gap. Maeda Toshinaga seized the opportunity and charged in, killing six or seven out of ten of his two hundred cavalrymen, leaving them covered in blood. Finally, they broke through the vanguard of Kawada Nagachika, creating a breach in the middle of the Uesugi army.

The Oda army, sweeping across the mountains, cheered and beat drums as they descended. Shimojo Tadachika could not withstand the onslaught and retreated. As Kawada Nagachika's younger brother, he had been wounded by two arrows and had done his best.

The army collapsed like a house of cards!

The Uesugi army was routed across the Jinzu River, with countless drownings and a massive number of prisoners. Even Yamamoto-ji Sadanaga, the Uesugi general who came to aid Kawada Nagachika, was captured by the Oda army. It wasn't that the Uesugi army didn't try; it was simply that the disparity in troop strength was enormous. Each Uesugi soldier was fighting two against one, yet still couldn't overcome the odds.

Niwa Nagahide pressed his advantage, encircling Toyama Castle. The castle's garrison was reduced to only 3,600 cavalry, while the besieging force numbered over 30,000. The thirteen generals of Echigo were determined to fight to the death for the castle. Both sides fought desperately for every zigzag and every gate. After two and a half days of fierce fighting, all the castle's soldiers, from Kawada Nagachika down, perished, and Toyama Castle fell.

In the final moments of the battle, the thirteen generals of Echigo and the defenders of Toyama Castle fought side by side.

They cut open their abdomens, then set the castle tower ablaze with gunpowder and saltpeter. The heads and remains of several people were so severed that they were unrecognizable.

In the field battles and sieges, the Oda army suffered over six thousand casualties, a loss that shocked the Oda clan's generals in the Hokuriku region. After capturing Toyama Castle, due to weather conditions and heavy losses, the Oda army halted its advance at the Jinzu River and did not proceed to Uozu Castle.

As agreed, Maeda Toshiie and his son Maeda Toshinaga were promoted from Kaga, and the father and son were granted the same stipend, each receiving 100,000 koku, and settled in Toyama Castle. Maeda Toshiie received Fufushi District, Maeda Toshinaga received Tonami District, and the 100,000 koku of Yamashiro, the governor of Imizu District, was transferred to Sassa Narimasa.

The original Fuchu Triumvirate, and later one of the Kaga Triumvirate, Fuwa Mitsuharu, passed away in the middle of this year. His son, Fuwa Naomitsu, was recognized and allowed to inherit his fiefdom of 66,600 koku. However, precisely because of this, to avoid the instability of his fiefdom, the Fuwa family did not follow this round of enfeoffment and could only remain in Kaga.

Kaga suddenly had about 150,000 koku of land available. Nobunaga immediately gave Niwa Nagashige 50,000 koku of land to Komatsu in Kaga, Mizoguchi Hidekatsu 50,000 koku to Kanazawa, and Toda Katsutaka 50,000 koku to Matsutomi. Niwa Nagahide's army was further strengthened.

The territories originally belonging to Echizen Mizoguchi and Toda were temporarily entrusted to Niwa Nagahide for administration, pending Nobunaga's decision to appoint new daimyo or vassal states later.

Arrived.

"The pressure from Hokuriku on Echigo has increased significantly." Shichibei couldn't help but sigh after hearing this, realizing that Niwa Nagahide was indeed capable.

At the beginning of the year, Oda Nobuhiro organized a large-scale battle, defeating the Uesugi-Hojo alliance led by Hojo Takahiro at the Battle of Kannagawa and Kuragano. Now, Niwa Nagahide has defeated the Uesugi Etsū Area Army at Shiri-darisaka, capturing most of Etsū.

The Uesugi clan's strength has been severely damaged. They lost 200,000 koku in Higashi-Ueno and over 200,000 koku in Etchu. Uesugi Kagetora also lost direct access to the powerful ally, Hojo Ujimasa.

They're just barely clinging to life.

"That's absolutely true." Hideyoshi stood across the street, listening carefully as the messenger finished speaking.

“We need to step up our efforts too!” Oda Nobuo said dismissively. He had discussed this matter with his father, Oda Nobunaga, before he came.

If Nobutada were still alive, things would proceed step by step without any problems. But now that Nobukatsu has taken the helm, Nobunaga has made adjustments. The recent defeat of the Mori clan has already given Nobukatsu some prestige. Next year, after conquering Kyushu and stabilizing the region, Nobukatsu will be appointed commander-in-chief, with Nobuhiro as his deputy, to launch the Battle of Odawara.