Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

She is currently married to Tomie Yasutoshi and is working as a diner for Niwa Nagahide at Kitanosho in Echizen.

Therefore, the one who received Hideyoshi's special favor became the beloved Ōfuji-dono. When the two talked about this at night, Ōfuji-dono did not act like a little girl, crying and complaining. She only hoped that Hideyoshi would raise Ukita Hachirō as his own son.

Why can't we agree to this request? Japan has a tradition of adopting children, and besides, the eldest son of the Hashiba family has already been chosen, so there's no problem with adopting Ukita Hachiro.

If you raise the price all at once, Hideyoshi definitely won't agree. But if you use a salami-slicing tactic, cutting it down little by little, Hideyoshi is more likely to agree.

The promise to let Hideyoshi raise Ou Kita Hachiro properly was a cliché that had been made long ago, and Hideyoshi simply assumed that Ou Kita was worried about his son. It was just normal mother-son affection, and he did want to train another one with Ou Kita, but he hadn't heard any news about it for a year.

After it was over, the Great Hall implied that all of you stinky men were unreliable, and that poor Hachiro was pitiful...

Then Hideyoshi casually suggested that he adopt Hashiba Hidenaga's daughter as his own and marry her off to...

Ukita Hachiro finalized the marriage.

Oofuji, who had been eyeing Hideyoshi's only remaining daughter, was secretly delighted. If he could marry Hashiba Hidenaga's daughter, it would be equivalent to gaining the support of the strongest member of the Hashiba family.

Then Daigo-dono's body went limp, and he collapsed onto Hideyoshi again.

Don't underestimate Hideyoshi just because of his low success rate; he was incredibly capable. Think about it—those who ultimately achieve great things possess extraordinary energy. When Nobunaga was young, he ran like a whirlwind, his stamina unbelievable. Shichibei chasing after him simply couldn't catch up.

After thoroughly enjoying himself at the Imperial Palace, Hideyoshi turned and relayed his and Hashiba Hidekatsu's opinions to Nobunaga. They insisted on bringing Hashiba Hidekatsu along; as Nobunaga's son, Hidekatsu's words carried significantly more weight than Hideyoshi's.

As for Lady Daigo, she was currently acting as the mistress of Himeji Castle. Since she was Hideyoshi's publicly acknowledged concubine, everyone accepted her status. In Japan, there's a clear distinction between a formally married wife and a casually discarded one; there's a significant difference between a wife and concubine with a title and a maid without one.

Of course, this was with Hideyoshi's tacit approval. The West Maru, built against Mount Hime, was the main maru, where Hideyoshi and Lord Ōkata resided. Separated by the Second Maru...

The East Third Maru was inhabited by Hashiba Hidekatsu and his wife, who was also the daughter of Hideyoshi and Nene.

The father and son stood separately, east and west. Although there was no actual conflict, they remained separated to avoid any discord. In this way, the Ōfūden could operate conveniently and freely in most parts of Himeji Castle.

Including learning about her ex-husband...

"Look, this is the reply from the Grand Chancellor." Shichibei took out Oda Nobunaga's reply and gave it to Ashikaga Princess.

"Five thousand koku?" Ashikaga Princess originally thought that she should have at least ten or twenty thousand koku to maintain her status as a daimyo and prevent her family from falling into ruin. What was a mere five thousand koku?

"I'll talk to the Grand Chancellor again, and ten thousand koku is certainly possible." Shichibei was also "harmed" by the pillow talk, and looking at Ashikaga Princess's gradually swelling belly, he had to consider her feelings.

"Sigh..." Ashikaga Princess, with the Ashikaga surname, must have some thoughts.

"That's quite a lot." Shichibei could roughly guess the reason, but he wasn't sure.

"As you know, the Hirashima family of Hatsu Province has also fallen into decline." Ashikaga Princess said with some sorrow.

Once the pillar of all samurai families and the head of the Minamoto clan, he is now reduced to a mere shadow of his former self. Both the Koga Kubo and the Oyumi Kubo are now puppets, one affiliated with the Hojo clan and the other with the Satomi clan. The Satomi family, because they control the Oyumi Kubo, even proclaims themselves the Vice-Shogun of Kanto at the Kashima Shrine.

The Kuratani Kubo of Echizen still had members of his clan, but they had faded into obscurity. Ashikaga Yoshihide died in battle, leaving behind a group of children. Ashikaga Yoshiaki and his two sons all became monks, forming the Ashikaga family of Awa-hirashima, and maintaining the status of daimyo at Hirashima-sho.

This Hirashima Estate is quite large, located in the area of ​​the Abanagawa River. Its appellation is 3,000 kan, and its inner treasury is said to exceed 30,000 koku.

Historically, Chosokabe Motochika, being a local tyrant from Tosa, was quite supportive of the Hirashima Ashikaga clan and secured the Hirashima estate. However, after being enfeoffed into the Hachisuka clan, he disregarded this and confiscated the estate, only granting it one hundred koku of rice.

The situation is better now. After failing to secure the right to be the eldest son of the Oda clan, Miyoshi Nobutaka returned to Awa Katsuzui Castle and began governing the Awa Higashisanuki region within his domain.

Check the land!

After the land survey, a comprehensive review of the former powerful families within the territory of one and a half provinces was conducted. The Ashikaga family of Hirashima suffered a severe blow, with Miyoshi Nobutaka reducing their land holdings from 3,000 kan to 3,000 koku.

During this period, a legal battle ensued, with Ashikaga Yoshisuke of Hirashima writing to Oda Nobunaga, hoping to seek justice. However, as we mentioned when Nobuo Hideyoshi invaded Bingo, it was common for local lords to surrender two-thirds or even more of their land in order to preserve their families after their surrender.

Otherwise, when a country is conquered, the newly enfeoffed vassals will not have enough territory to house their retainers and retain a certain degree of direct control.

The reason is that the daimyo of the old era often only possessed 20%-30% of their territory directly. If you conquered a daimyo, the territory you gained would only be a few sheep, so what's the point?

As a remnant of the old era, you either fight to the death—if you win, everything is yours, and your family is safe. If you lose? You die and your reputation is extinguished; you can only blame your own incompetence.

Ashikaga Yoshisuke neither resisted nor welcomed the imperial army, considering himself the younger brother of the former Grand Master Ashikaga Yoshihide, and thus chose to remain neutral. Previously, before Yoshihide's death, he was still a legitimate Grand Master, a guest of Oda Nobunaga and Nobutada. Furthermore, Nobunaga did not yet have a Grand Chancellor. Therefore...

You can just brush it off.

Now that Ashikaga Yoshihide is dead and Nobunaga is serving as Grand Chancellor, what need is there for Ashikaga Yoshisuke to exist?

In other words, Miyoshi Shinko was kind-hearted and left Ashikaga Gisuke three thousand koku of rice. If someone less kind-hearted were to take his place, the change would be made, leaving him only one hundred koku.

Nobunaga and Hideyoshi's final judgment was that Miyoshi Nobutaka's actions were appropriate; this was a common practice in Japan's Sengoku period. How could they fill the pockets of the newly rising powers if they didn't eliminate and exploit the old guard?

"There's nothing I can do to help." What can Shichibei do about Awa's situation? He can't do anything about it.

Miyoshi Nobutaka was strong-willed and stubborn, and he only listened to Oda Nobunaga. He would at most let our words go in one ear and then turn away.

"Please help me this time." Ashikaga Princess and Shichibei were both veteran players and knew exactly what Shichibei was susceptible to.

Daigo-dono needed to guide Hideyoshi step by step, while Ashikaga-hime used the method of pleading with Shichibei. After all, Shichibei couldn't bear to see such a pitiful sight. If he were truly a decisive and ruthless person, he could easily kill both Ashikaga-hime with a single stroke.

Love and affection are nothing to them; women are just playthings to them.

It's easy to say, but not so easy to do. Zhu Yuanzhang next door was definitely a decisive and ruthless man. Even when Empress Ma sat on his dragon throne, he could still ask with a smile if the hard bench was uncomfortable to sit on.

"Alright, alright, I'll send him another letter." Shichibei really couldn't win against the nagging, so this was the only option.

"My lord!" Just as he was writing the letter in front of Ashikaga Princess, Sanada Masaki, another of Shichibei's attendants, called out from outside the corridor.

Saegusa Morinaka is staying in Kyoto to continue contacting Nobunaga's "secretaries." The Kyushu Campaign is about to begin, and a trustworthy person needs to remain in Kyoto to keep abreast of all kinds of news.

"What is it?" Shichibei asked without putting down his pen.

"Lord Tokugawa, the retainer of Hamamatsu, has arrived in Kyoto," Sanada Masaki announced loudly.

"Huh?" What's Tokugawa Ieyasu doing here?

"It is said that it was to inform the Prime Minister that Lady Oichi is pregnant." Sanada Masaaki's answer surprised Shichibei slightly. It wasn't that Lady Oichi's pregnancy was anything unusual, but rather that Tokugawa Ieyasu wouldn't make a special trip to Kyoto for such a matter.

555. Hojo's request is utterly laughable.

Tokugawa Ieyasu's visit wasn't solely to inform Oda Nobunaga of Lady Oichi's pregnancy. While that news was also important—the birth of a Tokugawa son with Oda blood would make the Tokugawa clan a direct descendant of the Oda—Tokugawa Ieyasu had a crucial message to deliver to Nobunaga, having rushed all the way from Hamamatsu.

Hojo Ujimasa intends to negotiate peace with Oda Nobunaga!

After the fall of Kakegawa Castle, Imagawa Ujizane retreated to Odawara Castle and lived a secluded life with his wife, Hayakawa-dono. However, because Tokugawa Ieyasu did not kill him, the two maintained a channel of communication. With Ujizane's permission, Asahina Yasukatsu, a hereditary retainer of the Imagawa clan, served Tokugawa Ieyasu.

It was because of this communication channel that Hojo Ujimasa was able to contact Tokugawa Ieyasu and, through Ieyasu, express his desire to negotiate peace with the Oda clan.

Originally, due to his brotherly alliance with Uesugi Kagetora of Echigo, Hojo Ujimasa held a proactive stance, determined to fight the Oda clan to the bitter end. However, in the previous major battle at Kuragano-Kinrukawa, the Hojo-Uesugi allied forces suffered a complete defeat.

If that were the case, it wouldn't be so bad. The Hojo clan is large and powerful; losing a few thousand men wouldn't necessarily mean they would be wiped out immediately. Last year, when Oda Nobuhiro, Takigawa Kazumasu, Yamagata Masamitsu, and others came to Kyoto to pay their respects to Nobunaga, the Grand Chancellor, they also mentioned this matter.

Seeing that he could not gain any advantage from the Oda clan, Hojo Ujimasa prepared to attack the anti-Hojo forces in Hitachi, Shimosa, and Shimotsuke, especially Satake Yoshishige and others.

Dealing with Oda might be a bit beyond his capabilities. But dealing with his old rivals, the troublemakers of the Kanto region, was still a piece of cake for Hojo Ujimasa.

Just then, Ashina Moriuji passed away, and Ashina Moritaka succeeded him, causing turmoil within the Ashina family. Satake Yoshishige hurriedly dispatched troops to Ōshū, and subsequently, in the Battle of Mishiroda, he decisively defeated Tamura Kiyoaki, sweeping across the entire southern part of Ōshū.

Hojo Ujimasa then sent troops to Koizumi Castle in Ueno, intending to enter Shimotsuke through Koizumi Castle, defeat Sano Munetsuna, and then eliminate Utsunomiya Kunitsuna, an important ally of Satake Yoshishige.

Don't wonder why Hojo Ujimasa wanted to attack Koizumi Castle in Ueno. It's because the border of Ueno is very unusual. It's like a bar that suddenly and abruptly cuts into the border between Musashi, Shimotsuke, and Shimosa.

This is related to the Tone River and Hitachi River waterways, which I won't go into too much detail about, but it's a prominent area. It was a place that Takikawa Kazumasu couldn't easily control. The local Akai clan had also already disappeared.

fall.

Having successfully occupied Koizumi Castle, Hojo Ujimasa launched a massive attack on Shimotsuke at the beginning of this year, after the spring planting season. Known as the "Shimotsuke Utsunomiya Campaign," his army numbered over 50,000 cavalry, their formidable force causing great unease among the people of Shimotsuke. Meanwhile, Minagawa Hiroteru, Ohsei Yoshio, and others secretly colluded with Hojo Ujimasa.

Up to this point, everything was normal, a typical occurrence in the Warring States period, and nothing seemed amiss. The variable arose with Sano Munetsuna, who was historically one of the most notorious figures in the Kanto region, constantly switching sides between the Hojo and Uesugi factions. Karasawa Castle, in particular, was a notoriously difficult castle to conquer, one that even Uesugi Kenshin couldn't capture despite his fierce attacks.

Hojo Ujimasa did not plan a fierce attack this time. His idea was that as long as Sano Munetsuna surrendered, not only would the territory of Karasawa Castle be secured, but he could also gain new territory in Shimotsuke.

Both sides had reached an agreement, and Sano Munetsuna was preparing to leave the castle to meet with Hojo Ujimasa, where they would form an alliance. Afterward, they would jointly send troops to attack Utsunomiya Kunitsuna and seize all of his territory.

Halfway there, Sano Munetsuna suddenly heard that Hojo Ujimasa was plotting to use his younger brother Hojo Ujitada to succeed the Sano clan and seize Karasawa Castle.

Upon hearing the news, Sano Munetsuna was greatly alarmed and immediately turned his horse around and fled back to the city.

They beat drums to rally their troops and defend the city to the death. At the same time, they sent letters of appeal to Shimotsu no Kuniyoshi and Satake Yoshishige, who was traveling in and out of southern Oshu.

What followed was just like any other day in the Sengoku period. The 50,000-strong Hojo army, which had been prepared to attack Shimotsuke, was stopped at the gates of Karasawa Castle, which had only a little over a thousand men. Relying on his 50,000 cavalry, Hojo Ujimasa also planned to give the people of Shimotsuke a show of force, hoping to make them betray Utsunomiya Kunitsuna.

Immediately afterwards, they were forced to halt their troops outside the city and were unable to capture it after a prolonged siege.

Upon learning of Hojo Ujimasa's large-scale military campaign, the generals of eastern Kanto and southern Oshu rushed to Sano Munetsuna's aid. Even Satake Yoshishige quickly withdrew his troops south after forming an alliance with Ashina Moritaka.

Koyama Hidetsuna, Yuki Harutomo, and others from Shimosa also responded to the call for help and led their troops to the scene. Utsunomiya Kunitsuna even personally led the troops to Koyama Castle in Shimosa to assemble the generals.

When Satake Yoshishige arrived, everyone unanimously elected him as the commander-in-chief to rush to the aid of Karasawa Castle.

Of course, Hojo Ujimasa was neither deaf nor blind; he had been informed by someone while still in exile, and he immediately learned that the generals were coming to his aid. So he left Hojo Ujiteru and five thousand cavalry to guard Karasawa Castle, and led the remaining forty thousand men to the Numajiri region between Koizumi Castle and Koyama Castle.

The Hojo army had 43,000 cavalry, and the generals of the eastern Kanto and southern Oshu had 25,000 cavalry. After the battle, Hojo Ujimasa immediately decided to build a castle.

There's no need to laugh at Hojo Ujimasa for his father, Hojo Ujiyasu, saying things like "the soup gets poured on your food twice" and "the Hojo clan is doomed." Hojo Ujimasa was quite astute. He could see that his army, having been engaged in battle for a long time and besieged at Karasawa Castle, was experiencing a decline in morale and wavering in its fighting spirit.

However, his superior force of 43,000 cavalry was real and looked quite intimidating. The Kanto people, who had been plagued by the Hojo clan for three generations, were actually somewhat fearful.

All that is needed is to build a temporary fortified castle to keep the Kanto generals outside Karasawa Castle. With the Hojo army's advantage, Karasawa Castle will eventually surrender when it cannot expect any reinforcements.

Once Sano Munetsuna of Karasawa Castle surrenders, the generals of the Kanto region will inevitably collapse and retreat. At that time, we can seize Shimotsuke without a fight, and even invade Hitachi Province.

Satake Yoshishige, who was opposite him, saw the Hojo army begin to build their fortified camp and immediately understood Hojo Ujimasa's intentions. He clearly realized that the Hojo army's fortified camp must not be allowed to be completed.

"Oni Makabe" makes a grand entrance!

Wielding a large, shattered gold club, Makabe Ujiki led the vanguard of the Satake army, with only 450 men, and bravely charged into the fray, directly confronting the Hojo army that was protecting the fortified castle.

Inspired by this, the generals of the Kanto region all sent out their troops, and the two armies clashed, resulting in a great defeat for the Hojo clan!

In one fell swoop, Hojo Ujimasa lost 5,300 men, severely damaging the Hojo army. Meanwhile, various generals in the Kanto region rose up and attacked all the forces in Kazusa and Kita Musashi that were allied with Hojo. Satake Yoshishige also immediately returned to attack Oda Ujiharu, the Kanto phoenix who had only recovered his strength with the help of Hojo.

Having suffered such a crushing defeat, Hojo Ujimasa knew his prestige was crumbling and that he would soon become Oda Nobunaga's target for execution. Therefore, he made a crucial decision: to negotiate peace with the Oda clan.

With limited means, Hojo Ujimasa retired from public life, relinquishing his position as head of the family to Hojo Ujinao. Hojo Ujinao then married Oda Nobunaga's daughter. After the marriage was finalized, Hojo Ujimasa, as a member of the Imperial Guard, personally served Nobunaga as the Grand Chancellor.

Regarding the Hojo clan's territories, they requested that the three provinces of Izu, Sagami, and Musashi be retained. As for the other territories, since they were all peripheral "Sakukura-shu" (a term referring to the people who control the Sakukura clan), they could be allowed to regain their independence and become vassals of the Oda clan.

For example, the Chiba clan of Shimosa, the Oda clan of Hitachi, and the Masaki clan of Kazusa.

These were all released, and they no longer had a clear vassal relationship with the Hojo family.

If Shichibei heard this condition, he would definitely be laughing. The Oda clan currently only has a direct domain of two million koku in the Kinai region. Would Nobunaga be at ease without securing a direct domain of three million koku?

How do we get that extra million koku? We'll definitely have to clear out some of the territories around the Kinai region, install Nobunaga's personal guards and establish a Tenryo (a type of territory).

Just like Harima, Hideyoshi moved him away, and Bessho Nagaharu will eventually have to be moved away too. Shichibei was moved away from Izumi, and those Shichibei's allies in Kii Province will have to be moved away as well.

The Hojo clan's surrender, which was planned out piece by piece, was a completely insincere surrender.

The Mori clan's surrender was truly sincere; they ceded three complete territories—Suoh, Nagato, and Izumo—along with a considerable amount of other lands. What did the Hojo clan cede this time? Nothing at all.

Furthermore, Nobunaga would absolutely not allow the Hojo clan to retain control of the natural barrier of Izu as a bulwark for Kanto's independence. Izu Province would definitely be handed over to hereditary retainers from Owari, serving as the key to monitoring Kanto.