Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

Forget it, let's prepare for both possibilities. Immediately send someone to Usuki Castle in Bungo to ask Oda Nobukatsu if it's permissible to act expediently in Satsuma. Also, send someone to Satsuma to find out about the situation at Izumi Castle.

"My lord, a man claiming to be the governor of the Three Rivers of Deep Water requests an audience." Before the group could finish their discussion, a servant ran up to them.

"What use is a defeated general reporting this?" Todo Takatora was wiping his knife, having just severed a few heads.

Upon hearing the name Fukami Mikawa-no-kami, one immediately recognizes Fukami Nagatomo, a general of the enemy Sagara clan. Just two hours ago, his son was beheaded by Kawamura Naokichi. Capturing him at this hour and executing him outright is the best course of action. Shichibei's entry into Higo Province was intended for beheading; killing them all would be the cleanest solution.

“He took the initiative to come and see me…” The servant guessed that Tōdō Takatora was wrong.

"What? Came here on his own initiative?" Shichibei was a little surprised. What was wrong with Fukami Nagatoshi's thought process? Coming here at this time was just asking to be beheaded.

"I can meet with him first, and then we can discuss other matters." Seeing that Shichibei was slightly surprised, Kai Muneun took the initiative to take on the matter.

If Fukami Nagatomo is just spouting nonsense, then there's no need for Shichibei to lift a finger; Kai Muneun would just chop him down. If there's something truly serious, then Kai Muneun could handle the initial contact and then relay it to Shichibei. It would then be Shichibei's decision whether or not to meet with Fukami Nagatomo.

It should be noted that Kai Muneun and Sagara Yoshiyo were sworn brothers who had exchanged vows and sworn oaths to all the gods and Buddhas, and he was quite familiar with the Sagara family's situation. His presence would indeed be appropriate.

"That's fine." Shichibei is currently waiting for Shimazu Yoshihiro's report and doesn't have time to worry about Fukami Nagatomo.

Shichibei then went to summon Aso Koretomo to inquire about the pursuit of Shimazu Yoshihiro. Kai Muneun, on the other hand, met with Fukami Nagatomo to find out why he had come.

At this moment, Asuwei is deeply grateful and strongly urges him to leave the city to fight.

Although Todo Takatora and Kai Chikahide did not kill any famous generals or ministers, they left the castle early and defeated the Higo provincial forces. The key point is that Ōsato Korechika followed Todo Takatora in killing Shimazu Toshihisa. How could Todo Takatora and his men possibly defeat Shimazu Toshihisa alone?

Therefore, Aso Yui came to visit Shichibei openly and honestly. Shichibei comforted him gently and greatly appreciated Osato Yuichika's assistance. As previously agreed, the head of Shimazu Yoshihiro Toshihisa would be worth 10,000 koku of rice plus 100 gold coins.

The 10,000 koku of the head from the dead was undoubtedly later bestowed upon Todo Takatora. Todo Takatora refused the remaining 100 large gold coins, which were then given to Ōsato Yuichika. Ōsato Yuichika was a retainer of the Aso clan, and Shichibei couldn't easily grant them any territory.

Shichibei allowed Aso Koretoshi to specify the location of the 8,000-koku shrine's head, saying he could have it assigned to him on the spot. Having at least secured his shrine head, Aso Koretoshi quickly bowed to Shichibei and pointed to the 8,000-koku shrine near Nango-dani, listing the place names.

Why didn't they take Aso Valley? Because Takamori Korenao had already secured 3,000 koku of land. Although Takamori Korenao and his son Koreki had died in battle, they still had a biological daughter and a retinue of retainers, who could easily recruit sons-in-law and adopted children. Shichibei couldn't seize the territory of such a loyal and valiant samurai; that would corrupt the hearts of the people.

As for Kai Chikahide, who accompanied Kawamura Naokichi with a slightly obsequious smile? No problem, Iwao will be settled with 5,000 koku. In addition, Kai Muneun's Mifune Castle will be demolished later, and he will be given 2,000 koku as retirement allowance.

The Kai family also deserves credit, firstly for surrendering the castle, and secondly for participating in the battle. However, Iwao Castle must also be demolished. Shichibei will not allow these mountain castles to exist; they are the root of separatist conflicts and chaos, and he cannot be at ease until they are demolished.

In the end, the Aso family, which once controlled more than 100,000 koku, only managed to retain 18,000 koku in three separate households; all the others were eliminated.

Aso Koretomo of Kenshida Castle, Nagano Korehisa of Nango Castle, and Mitsunaga Sōfu of Tsumori Castle all retreated from their castles and returned to the Aso family. They went to assist Aso Koretomo in serving as priests, since temples and shrines at that time all needed "lay disciples." After all, temples and shrines had territories, so they needed people to collect annual tributes.

At Mount Koya, there are even dedicated monks who persuade believers to make donations to Kongō-ji Temple on Mount Koya. To put it simply, they travel all over Japan begging for alms and urging devotees to contribute to the temple.

Shichibei was deeply gratified to see Aso Korechika write the petition and then have his trusted retainers deliver the order to each of these people to open the city gates. Although Aso Korechika wasn't a particularly clever man, he knelt down honestly this time, without resorting to any major tricks.

Everyone's happy now. From now on, let's do a good job as Chief Aso.

Given the Aso family's status, attaining the rank of a junior third-level priest wouldn't be difficult. They'd be high-ranking figures, so there's nothing to regret.

After a series of meetings, correspondence, and discussions, Shimazu Yoshihiro's head still hadn't arrived. Shichibei knew that Shimazu Yoshihiro had probably really escaped, and they had managed to cut off four or five fake heads to impersonate him.

After identification, none of them were Yoshihiro Shimazu himself. At this time, Yoshihiro Shimazu was nearing fifty, quite old, yet still fighting on the front lines; one could only say he was in excellent physical condition. With such good health, his escape was a testament to his ability.

However, with him escaping, Shichibei would have to pursue him to Yashiro Castle, even if he didn't go to Izumi Castle. Yashiro and Ashikawa counties were under the jurisdiction of Higo Province, and Shichibei couldn't possibly abandon them.

The Sanega and Shiga armies, which had been resting at their main camp and had not moved, were to gather 1,200 men and head straight for Yatsushiro Castle. If Shimazu Yoshihiro was not inside the castle and the morale was low, then they would immediately seize the castle. If Shimazu Yoshihiro had entered the castle? Then they would immediately block the castle gates and wait for Shichibei to come and kill him.

Kawamura Naokichi, still brimming with fighting spirit, and Shiga Chikaji, now invigorated, immediately obeyed the order and marched south. Shichibei then divided his troops in two, one part going to capture the castles of the southern Higo generals. They were in Iida...

The city suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Yama-Kikurahara, with many soldiers and even some killed in action, making it easy to capture the city.

According to Shichibei's orders, anyone willing to surrender the castle readily would be spared and allowed to take their personal belongings. Those unwilling to surrender would be attacked along with the Aso-kai army, who were advancing in coordination with the main force. The few remaining soldiers inside the castle were no match for Kawamura's army.

Furthermore, Shimazu Yoshihiro's invasion included taking hostages of the generals who had rebelled in southern Higo. These hostages, who hadn't been transported to Yatsushiro Castle in time and were still at Kuma-sho Fortress, were now all at Shichibei's mercy. They were simply bound and brought to their respective castles; those willing to surrender were released, while those unwilling were beheaded. Having reached Higo, why fear further bloodshed?

The other group prepared for battle, rested for a day, and then followed in the footsteps of Kawamura Naokichi and Shiga Chikaji, heading south to attack Yatsushiro Castle.

Mifune Castle will not be demolished for the time being; it will be guarded by Todo Takatora, who has already rendered great service by taking the head of Shimazu Toshihisa, and will command the remaining half of the army. Shichibei himself will also set off tomorrow, heading straight for Yatsushiro.

With so many things to worry about, Shichibei probably won't get more than two hours of sleep tonight.

"Subdue?" After hearing Fukami Nagatomo's explanation, Kai Muneun could only shake his head helplessly, because this idea was simply unreliable.

What were they thinking? Of course, they wanted to preserve the Sagara clan's 20,000 koku of land, which, to put it bluntly, meant retaining their territory in Kuma District of Higo Province so that the Sagara clan could continue to exist.

Frankly speaking, they were attacking Kawamura's army just three hours ago, and now they're coming to express their willingness to surrender. Anyone who sees this will feel that they have no sincerity whatsoever, and there is absolutely no need to accept their surrender.

The Sagara army had already suffered heavy losses, with hundreds of soldiers killed in battle. Adding to this the hundreds of elite troops lost in Sagara Yoshiyo's earlier defeat, the so-called Sagara army was now nothing but rotten potatoes and broken bird eggs—nobody wanted them anymore.

After listening to Fukami Nagatomo's account of Kai Muneun's fate, he advised Fukami Nagatomo to quickly retreat to Hitoyoshi Castle and surrender to Kawamura Nagayoshi with his child. Although their territory would be confiscated, at least their lives would be saved. At this moment, harboring any unrealistic thoughts would be nothing short of suicide.

"Waaaaah..." Shen Shui Changzhi actually started crying, and the crying grew louder and louder, until it was heartbreaking.

Even Shichibei, who was returning from Aso, heard the crying and went backstage to see who was crying like that.

Upon seeing Kai Muneyuki and then the weeping samurai opposite him, Shichibei knew he had made a mistake. This weeping samurai must be Fukami.

Changzhi, ah.

Nearly fifty years old, Nagatomo Fukami was in tears. Upon seeing Shichibei, he immediately crawled to Shichibei's feet without hesitation. After all, he saw Kai Muneun rise to greet him; the only person who could command such respect was either Kawamura Nagayoshi or a high-ranking general in Kawamura's army.

"Heaven have mercy! I, Sagara, have been struggling and resisting the royal army, which was not my intention. But my country is weak and my lord is young, so I have to compromise and preserve our peace." Fortunately, Nagatoshi Fukami at least didn't pull at Shichibei's trouser leg.

"Things have come to this, there's no need to say anything more." Shichibei didn't want to hear any more; he had seen far worse scenes before.

"When a poor bird enters one's bosom, even a benevolent person will feel pity." Shen Shui Changzhi stopped crying and only pleaded.

"Oh dear." He did look a little pitiful, but Shichibei still had a lot of new territories to settle his subordinates in.

If you're pitiful, I'll spare your life. If he's pitiful, I'll spare his life too. Higo has a total of 500,000 koku of grain; how many people can that spare? If you spare one, you can't spare another.

"I'm willing to stand up for the army and invade Satsuma." Seeing Shichibei waving his hand impatiently, Nagatomo Fukami knew he had to make a fuss and show his effectiveness.

"Oh!" Shichibei, who was already waving his hand, stopped.

Show your usefulness, don't pretend. Crying and complaining is useless; Shichibei won't care. But if you have any skills that Shichibei can use, then we can talk.

"The Satsumagawa clan of the Iriiin clan is the head of the Shibuya clan. They have always been oppressed by the Shimazu and have never been satisfied with it." Fukami Nagatomo wiped away his tears and snot and began to speak.

The Shibuya clan was actually quite large, encompassing many families such as the Kidouin, Togo, Irakiin, and Tsuruta clans. Among them, the Kidouin clan, which was originally the leader, once joined forces with powerful clans such as the Hishikari and Gamo clans to compete with the Shimazu Tadayoshi and his son, Takahisa.

However, all three families were eventually defeated and brought to ruin by Shimazu Tadayoshi and Takahisa. The Kidain clan was even defeated to the point that all the fathers, sons, and brothers died, leaving only a few small members who voluntarily became vassals of the Irikiin clan.

Irakiin Shigetsugu also repeatedly fought against Shimazu Tadayoshi and Takahisa, a struggle that lasted for twenty years. Ultimately, unable to withstand the pressure, he surrendered and relinquished most of his territory. When news reached Irakiin Shigetoyo, rumors circulated that he was plotting a rebellion. By this time, the Shimazu had unified Satsuma, Ōsumi, and Hyuga provinces, and were in constant movement between Hizen and Higo provinces. Terrified, Shigetoyo abandoned his territories and prepared to flee.

Of course, he didn't run away in the end; Shimazu Yoshihisa arranged a 75-town burial for him.

To treat that land as a humiliation was practically the same as insulting it.

Nagatomo Fukami was willing to enter Satsuma alone to persuade Shigetoyo Iriiin to rise up and join the Kawamura army.

"Indeed!" If they could really get the Shibuya faction into a frenzy and create a surge of uprisings in Satsuma, then Shichibei would be willing to give the Sagara family 10,000 to 20,000 koku.

"If it doesn't work out, we'll try to find another way." Deepwater Changzhi was going all out and made a pledge.

“Alright!” Shichibei immediately extended his hand and made a high five with Nagatomo Fukami.

If he can persuade the Sendai-Shibuya faction south of Satsuma Izumi Castle to rise up, then the Sagara clan can live in peace. If he cannot persuade them, then all is lost; they should simply surrender.

Our Seventh Master isn't entirely unreasonable. Just for his role in stirring up trouble in Satsuma, he'll earn a great deal of credit with Oda Nobukatsu. Perhaps the Shimazu brothers, Yoshihisa and Iehisa, upon hearing the news of the chaos in Satsuma, will withdraw their troops from the Hyuga front and flee.

573. Yoshihisa withdrew his troops and abandoned the city.

After leaving Aso, Kai, Kai, and others to Todo Takatora and instructing him to be wary of the Kumabe, Otsuyama, and Akahoshi clans of Kitahigo, Shichibei led his troops south to Yashiro Castle.

Besides calming the Aso territory, Tōdō Takatora also needs to keep an eye on Hokuhi, which is quite a task. But given his abilities, it shouldn't be too difficult, and he can handle it with ease.

Meanwhile, the Oda army's main force on the Bungo-Hyuga side had also made some progress. Under the fierce attack of the vanguard, led by Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ito Yuhei, the Hyuga prefectural castle (Matsuo Castle, later Nobeoka Castle of the Nobeoka Domain), defended by 2,300 men, was captured. A thousand cavalrymen, including the castle lord Tsuchimochi's trusted men, were killed in the attack.

The Shimazu clan adopted a strategy of stationing one or two thousand troops within a fortified castle to gradually delay the Oda army's attack. This served to both deplete the Oda army's supplies and wear down their morale.

With such a large army, the daily rations required by Oda's troops were astronomical. Moreover, being bogged down at the castle for a long time without success would tire even the elite troops.

To be fair, the Shimazu army's idea did have some merit. At least, the small county town, taken into account from beginning to end, delayed the Oda army's advance.

Twenty days later, the Tokugawa vanguard was exhausted before the castle was finally captured. The Tokugawa army suffered four or five hundred casualties in the battle, and three or four hundred of the troops under Otomo Sōrin who had come with them also died.

But Kekichi was Kekichi; the most important northern branch city of Hyuga, Gosegawa Prefecture, fell into the hands of Oda's army. Oda Nobukatsu, who had previously needed to observe from the rear, could finally enter Hyuga province openly, demonstrating the formidable power of the Oda army and shaking the hearts of the Hyuga's powerful clans.

Now, the Oda army's main camp is located in the prefectural town, and five pontoon bridges have been built across the Gosei River. The vanguard has been dispatched to occupy Mount Atago. They are now facing off against the Shimazu army, which occupies Mount Karamatsu, Mount Omi, and the back gate of Mount Hirai.

This place is only a little over ten kilometers away from Erchuan, where the Battle of Erchuan took place. It's true that throughout history, major battles have always revolved around those strategic passes, important passes, and famous towns.

"Monogawa Castle is surrounded by two mountains in front and backed by the Izumi River, making it a truly strategic location," Ito Yuhei explained to the group, describing the terrain inside and outside Monogawa Castle.

Once they break through Kadokawa Castle, they can advance straight to Taka Castle. Taka Castle is the gateway to Hirano Satohara, the largest hill in Hyuga. If Taka Castle falls, Oda's army can then consider marching on Ōsumi.

"Urgent report!" Ito Yuhei's explanation was only halfway through when a loud shout suddenly came from outside the shogunate.

Accompanying him was Ōtomo Yoshitomo, who had been fleeing in a panic among the Higo and Bungo mountains, barely managing to escape. It took him three days to finally escape and find the location of Oda's main camp.

"Why has the Imperial Guard come to Muko Province if the Imperial Guard is not in Higo?" The magistrate of the Jin Province, Hashiba Hideyoshi, was a little confused. Even if it was a big deal, it shouldn't be necessary for Ōtomo Yoshitomo to come and deliver the message in person. Wouldn't it be better to let an ordinary envoy handle this?

Moreover, judging from Ōtomo Yoshitomo's appearance, he seems to have suffered a defeat.

"Our army was ambushed by the Shimazu at Mifune Castle and Iidayama. The local people led by Aso rebelled, and our troops collapsed and were routed." Ōtomo Yoshitomo pretended to be heartbroken and recounted the Battle of Iidayama in a mix of truth and fiction.

"What! What happened to Kawamura Kyōjō-daifu?!" Oda Nobuo was shocked upon hearing the news. If Kawamura Nagayoshi had died in Higo, who would inherit the huge Kawamura-ya?

Shichibei, the purse that even his father Nobunaga was reluctant to part with, was something Oda Nobukatsu had long planned to inherit; he couldn't let it go to waste in the mountains of Higo.

"The King's Palace is surrounded and its fate is unknown." Of course, Ōtomo Yoshitaka didn't know, since he had escaped.

"Ah!" Not only Oda Nobuo, but even generals like Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu were so shocked that they stood up.

If Kawamura Nagayoshi were to be lost, the battle would be incredibly ugly. The Oda clan now has four chief retainers, who could be called the "Four Heavenly Kings of Oda." If Shichibei were to die in battle, Nobunaga would lose a huge amount of face.

I should have known better than to send Shichibei to Higo as commander. I should have sent Kagawa Nobusumi, or even the Chosokabe Motochika and his son, Nobuchika. Even if they hadn't won, they wouldn't have suffered such a crushing defeat.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear..." Oda Nobuo unconsciously stomped his feet. How was he going to explain this to his father, Oda Nobunaga?

"Great news! Great news! A great victory at Iidayama! Shimazu Matarokuro has been killed in battle!" Before Oda Nobuo could finish his sigh, another joyful shout came from outside the shogunate's main tent.

"Huh?" The Oda generals in the shogunate's main tent were now completely bewildered.

They just talked about a major defeat, and now they've won a great victory. What on earth happened?

The envoy from Kawamura's army was also led into the tent. Although he had been running for two whole days, he was still excited and thrilled. Once inside, he was overjoyed.

He conveyed the good news of Shichibei's victory to Oda Nobuo and others.

This included the surrender of Aso, the decline of most of the troops in Nanhigo Province, the death of Shimazu Toshihisa, and whether Shimazu Yoshitora could be granted the position of governor of Satsuma, and how to persuade him to raise an army in Satsuma. A long list of things was discussed.

"Seize this man who abandoned his army and commander!"

No sooner had the envoy finished speaking than Hashiba Hideyoshi realized what was happening. Tokugawa Ieyasu had also realized it, but as the first general to act, he couldn't give the order. Oda Nobukatsu, however, seemed somewhat puzzled, but at least he didn't object, clearly believing that Hideyoshi's actions must have a reason.

"Injustice! Injustice!" Ōtomo Yoshitaka was still shouting when Hashiba Shinjō, because Ōtomo Sōrin was still present, didn't dare to come up and slap him twice.