Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

We won't mention the Hyuga province, because of the battles at the prefectural city and the Takagi city.

Thanks to his achievements and Oda Nobunaga's promise, a reward of 50,000 koku was awarded to Ito Yubō of Satohara Castle, Obi Castle, and other places, allowing him to restore his former territory and revive the Hyuga Ito clan.

Ito Yuhei was so moved that he cried loudly. After fighting for years and returning to his old territory, how could he not cry? It was truly a dream come true. If he didn't already have a wife and no son, he would definitely want to recognize Oda Nobuo as his father.

Check the land!

The Oda clan's army dispersed and entered the former Shimazu territories, directly suppressing the local populations and promoting the implementation of the Kawabari land survey.

Except for the Ito Suhei family, who were allowed to inspect their lands, all other territories were subject to land inspections, even those held by Shimazu Tadatsumi, who inherited the main family of the Shimazu clan.

The former retainers of the Shimazu clan, who dared not speak out against their anger, watched as more than two thousand died in the siege of Takajo Castle and more than three thousand died in the battle, totaling six thousand heads. They could not truly be angry.

If we also include the Battle of Iidayama, the Shimazu suffered over 7,500 deaths during the resistance. That was a devastating blow, not even counting the wounded, the disabled, or those who were already loyal to Ito in the Hyuga clan.

Go ahead and cause trouble if you dare.

It would be better if things got out of hand, as it would make it easier for Oda Nobuo to shave his head again.

With the Kyushu campaign having progressed to this point, there was really no suspense left. When news of Shimazu Yoshihisa's surrender reached Higo Mifune Castle, Todo Takatora had already pacified powerful local lords such as Kumabe, Akahoshi, and Otsuyama. Ryuzoji Ieharu of Yanagawa Castle in Chikugo wanted to organize them to support Saga Castle, but they refused.

Without Ryuzoji Ieharu as their leader, the only outcome would be defeating them one by one. The only group yet to be defeated is the so-called Amakusa Rebellion. The Amakusa Five refuse to surrender, and Todo Takatora is already urging his troops to prepare to march into Amakusa and shave their heads.

Of the fifty-two families that were once prosperous, forty-six have fallen into decline.

Meanwhile, Hizen Saga Castle, surrounded by the Miyoshi Nobutaka, Mori and other families, lost all its external support. Ōmura, Arima, Yasutomi and Shimabara all surrendered. Including the Matsuura and Hata families, Hizen was left with only Saga Castle.

Finally, Ryuzoji Ieharu surrendered the castle at the urging of Akizuki Tanemi. The news of the surrender of Shimazu and the opening of Yanagawa Castle was sent into the castle. Ryuzoji Takanobu, who had been under siege for only a month, finally chose to surrender.

Strip it all off, leaving nothing behind.

As mentioned earlier, the Ryūzōji family, whose lineage had been completely wiped out, had lost the foundation upon which they stood as daimyo. Even if they were stripped of all power, they would have no retired samurai groups to organize the people and the army for them if they wanted to launch a rebellion later.

Therefore, Ryūzōji Takanobu and his sons (Egami Iesuke, Gotō Iesuke, etc.) were all sent to Kyoto, which can be considered as removing a thorn in Hideyoshi's side. As for Nabeshima Naoshige and his family, they resisted the imperial army and held out until the last moment. They were die-hards and their 40,000 koku of rice were confiscated.

They're all packed up and will be sent straight to Kyoto. We'll see if Oda Nobunaga is willing to recruit them as his own vassals. If not, they'll simply have to retire and be placed under the care of some daimyo.

Those nobles who chose to surrender only after besieging Kamisoka Castle either handed over two-thirds of their territory or were forced to leave—that was the rule. Therefore, aside from the territory of Matsuura Shigenori and Hata Chika, who had surrendered earlier and whose territory remained intact, Hizen was essentially wiped out. Miyoshi Nobutaka truly worked hard for Hideyoshi.

As a result, land surveys were conducted throughout Kyushu, with most areas undergoing surveys in the Wawabari region. Because Oda Nobunaga obtained a relatively reliable land survey record of Kyushu from Ōtomo Sōrin, the land surveys were carried out with unprecedented intensity.

When talking about Ōtomo Sōrin, one cannot help but mention Ōtomo Yoshitō.

Oda Nobukatsu, who had retreated to the Bungo Prefecture and was in charge of the Kyushu land survey, sent a fast ship to Oda Nobunaga to report on the situation of Ōtomo Yoshitomo abandoning his army and commander.

When Shichibei appeared before Oda Nobuo, the truth became clear. Ōtomo Yoshitomo was a complete waste, utterly a pig, a dog, and pure scum.

However, Shiga Chikaji's outstanding performance in the war and his loyalty to the Otomo clan were highly praised by Oda Nobukatsu and others.

Oda Nobukatsu even offered Shiga Chikatsugu a fief of 70,000 koku. As a result, Shiga Chikatsugu knelt before Oda Nobukatsu, pleading repeatedly that he would rather not take a single koku of the 70,000 koku, and only asked Nobukatsu to forgive Ōtomo Yoshitaka's mistakes.

Seeing him like this, not only Oda Nobuo, but even Hashiba Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu said that such a loyal and righteous hero, unparalleled throughout history, is truly rare.

Finally, taking into account the orders sent back by Nobunaga's fast ship and the suggestions of the generals present, Ōtomo Yoshitō was ordered to go to Kyoto to become a monk, and his son Ōtomo Shiōhōshūmaru became the head of the Ōtomo clan. Ōtomo Sōrin became the meidai (regent), effectively leading the Ōtomo family.

The generals Takahashi and Tachibana, who had retreated from Chisen, originally followed the agreement...

He received approximately 60,000 koku of retirement funds from Ōtomo Sōrin in Usuki, Bungo Province. Ōtomo Sōrin had an agreement with Oda Nobunaga to offer a share of Kyushu land in exchange for 100,000 koku. Shiga Chikatsugu's family was originally offered 70,000 koku by Nobukatsu, but he refused, so he settled for his old territory of 35,000 koku.

The three parts were merged to form a new Ōtomo family with a total of 195,000 koku. The Tachibana, Takahashi, and Shiga families became the Ōtomo family's powerful daimyo, and Ōtomo Shiohōshimaru was honored as their leader.

This was already the most moderate solution, and the retainers of the Ōtomo family had nothing to say. Ōtomo Sōrin and Shiga Chikatsugu, in order to continue the Ōtomo family name, also expressed their approval.

The first month of the tenth year of the Tianzheng era.

Everyone spent the New Year in Kyushu, including Oda Nobukatsu, but Nobukatsu was very happy. He received tributes and praise from the lords of Kyushu, and he only needed to wait for the Kawabari land survey to be completed before he could completely divide Kyushu and return to the Kinai region.

Due to the changes in Ōtomo's fortunes, Nobukatsu hinted to Chōsokabe Nobuchika that the 300,000 koku of Bungo could not be fulfilled. Aside from meetings with Iyo Tosa officials in Bungo or Hyuga, Chōsokabe Nobuchika rejected the proposal to transfer his fief to Buzen.

Oda Nobukatsu then inquired of Kagawa Nobusumi whether he was willing to transfer approximately 400,000 koku of land to the provinces of Buzen and Bungo. Kagawa Nobusumi readily agreed.

I was somewhat tempted, but this matter still required Oda Nobunaga's approval. So everything was temporarily put on hold and not carried out immediately.

The transfers of Kobayakawa Takakage to Chikugo Province, Hashiba Hideyoshi to Hizen Province, and Kawamura Nagayoshi to Higo Province were not carried out immediately. Even the edict to abolish the castles was not issued.

Since the land survey was not yet completed, the person in charge of it was Hori Hidemasa, Nobunaga's magnate under Makai. He was both capable and had the manpower; if he didn't survey the land, who would?

He's destined to offend the entire nation, so the fewer people in charge, the better. If he does it all by himself, it will naturally be slower.

In addition, the local authorities also caused minor disturbances in many places, such as the Higo-Amekusa uprising, the Buzen-Shiroi-Utsunomiya uprising, and the Osumi-Hishikari-Umekita uprising...

Before any uprising could even begin, the Oda army, numbering over 150,000, was able to suppress the rebellion in Kyushu. The uprising had barely begun and hadn't even managed to gather three to five thousand men when it was met with a fierce attack from the Oda army stationed there.

Just like the townspeople of Meihoku Province in Ōsumi and the castle town of Buzen, who had only gathered three or four thousand people, they were met with a crushing defeat. Not only did they die, but their entire families were also wiped out.

Especially the Osumi Umekita uprising, and the die-hard Shimazu faction in Osumi.

More than 6,000 men were massacred by the combined forces of Ito Yuhei, Shimazu Tadatsumi, Goto Mototsugu, Hori Hidemasa, and others.

In the entire Osumi region, anyone who had spoken ill of Oda was killed without a second thought. In just two days, Osumi was transformed into the very shape of Oda Nobunaga.

In February, the Kyushu land survey, which lasted for two and a half months, finally came to an end, with the total amount of rice exceeding three million koku, far more than the previously estimated two million koku.

We really need to crack down hard; otherwise, we wouldn't know that Kyushu has such great potential.

After the Kyushu land survey of three million koku was completed, Oda Nobukatsu, who had suppressed several uprisings, finally issued the order he had long anticipated.

One Country, One City Order!

This is not the same country as that one; more accurately, it should be "one domain, one castle rule." A powerful daimyo is allowed to have a castle, or at least a garrison. However, pure retainers like Irakiin Shigetaka, with a rank of 30,000 koku, are not allowed to own a castle and can only serve their lord within the daimyo's main castle as retainers.

Needless to say, Shichibei would definitely support this decision. Referring to historical choices, Kumamoto Castle was selected as the main castle, and preparations were made to rebuild it.

For Kumamoto Castle.

The land survey report for Higo Province has also been released, showing a total of 510,000 koku excluding Kuma District and 570,000 koku including Kuma District.

578. He was appointed as the deputy general of all armies.

Shichibei vaguely remembered that historically, Kato Kiyomasa had 520,000 koku, while the Hosokawa family had 540,000 koku. The figures fluctuated, probably due to the fact that Higo Amakusa District was assigned to the Arima clan of the Hizen Hinoe Domain. As for Kuma District, that belonged to the Sagara clan of the Hitoyoshi Domain in history, and it was also an independent domain.

Excluding Kuma District, the population is now over 510,000, so it's roughly 570,000. After the land survey in Kawabari, Kuma District, it would have been 50,000 koku. Historically, it seems to have been 22,000 koku. Why would Shichibei remember such a small domain among the 300 domains of Edo?

This is not surprising, because it was the only domain in the entire Edo period where the ruler and his subjects shared the same salary.

The lord of the domain, Sagara Yorifusa, and his chief retainer, Inudou Yoriyoshi, each received 8,000 koku, while all other retainers received the remaining 6,000 koku. The small Hitoyoshi domain was a formidable force in the Edo period, a veritable dragon among men.

Now, the descendants of Nagatomo Fukami, who have been tirelessly working to ensure the survival of the Sagara family, have been completely wiped out by Inudou Yoriyoshi, with more than 260 members, young and old, all killed.

Tsk tsk tsk, this domain's story is definitely worth discussing.

However, due to historical changes, Kuma County was now under the jurisdiction of the Nabari Kenji.

The amount of 50,000 koku is quite different from the 20,000 koku that Shenshui Changzhi himself reported.

Shichibei promised that if Fukami Nagatomo persuaded the Shibuya faction, led by Iriiin Shigetoyo, to rise up, he would secure a fief of 20,000 koku for Hitoyoshi of Kuma County. He said, "Even if it's 29999, I'll accept it. How can I accept it if it becomes 50,000?"

Anyway, Nagatomo Fukami wasn't embarrassed. He took out a red-inked document signed by Shichibei and asked Shichibei to honor it. The Shibuya faction really did rise up, a fact confirmed by Oda Nobukatsu, who then rewarded the head of the Sagara clan, Sagara Tadafune, with twenty-five large gold coins.

However, because Higo had agreed to grant Shichibei a fiefdom, Oda Nobukatsu remained silent on the topic of peaceful conduct. In such a matter, Oda Nobukatsu was unlikely to act foolishly.

Alright, after much thought, Shichibei decided to keep his promise and make Kuma County it was.

The only change was that Shichibei believed the Sagara family wouldn't willingly be subjugated as vassals, and that they couldn't even hold onto Hitoyoshi Castle, leaving them no choice but to relocate to Kumamoto Castle. Therefore, he asked Fukami Nagatomo if he was willing to leave his former territory in Kuma District and serve under Kumamoto Castle. Fukami Nagatomo, aware of Kyushu's policy of one castle per province, pondered for a moment before requesting to travel to Kyoto's Azuma to pay homage to Oda Nobunaga before making a decision.

Shichibei should just obediently accept the 515,000 koku of Higo.

Alright, Kuma County, you can deal with it yourselves. Oda Nobunaga is a generous man; even if he loses that 50,000 koku, he'll find something else to make up for it for Shichibei.

"Oh dear, I never expected that Chikuzen would have 520,000 koku." Hideyoshi scratched his head, completely taken aback.

Before coming, Nobunaga promised Hideyoshi that in addition to 120,000 koku of Akizuki rice, he would give him 500,000 koku of land in Chikuzen and Hizen to settle the Hashiba family.

Beforehand, Nobunaga had also persuaded Matsuura Shigenobu and Hata Chika to surrender. These two had a territory of 120,000 koku in Matsuura District, Hizen Province, and Nobunaga had already settled them, just like Akizuki Tanemi.

These two men betrayed their lord during the Battle of Dazaifu, attacking Ryuzoji Takanobu and thus offering a token of their loyalty. Naturally, it was only natural for them to remain in their territories, as is common practice during the Warring States period.

"I heard that Hizen also has 520,000 koku." Shichibei and Hideyoshi were both in the Bungo Palace at the time. Nobukatsu had just issued the decree of one castle per province, and they had to come and obey the order.

"Indeed." Hideyoshi felt quite annoyed because all the promises made beforehand now had to be overturned and re-established.

Hideyoshi had 500,000 troops, and Shichibei had 500,000 troops; these are approximate figures.

Five hundred thousand. The land in Kyushu suddenly reached three million koku, which is no longer the more than two million koku of territory that was previously allocated according to the Kyushu land allocation account. It's impossible to completely compare and implement it.

Shichibei fared a little better, but Higo found 570,000. Hideyoshi's Hizen and Chikuzen provinces combined totaled 1,050,000. How could Hideyoshi possibly be granted that all at once?

"What happened to Akizuki's family?" Shichibei had just seen Akizuki Tanemi running to pay her respects to Oda Nobuo.

"150,000 koku of rice will be allocated to the five districts of Chikuzen, including Uesaka, Shizuka, Yosu, Kama, and Honami." Hideyoshi knew this.

“They really didn’t lose out.” Upon hearing this, Shichibei knew that Akizuki Tanemi had ultimately failed to obtain the territory of Chikugo.

"150,000 koku is enough to make him happy." Hideyoshi thought so too, and the first person he settled in Chikuzen was Akizuki Tanemi.

When Akizuki Fumitane was alive, he didn't even have the territory of five counties; three counties were barely enough. Now that he can secure five counties, he'll be satisfied even if he doesn't get the territory of Chikugo.

"Then what will you do?"

"Me? I still have 370,000 men left in Chikuzen, of which 20,000 are settled in Chikushijiro. I'll probably settle another 150,000 from Hizen." Hideyoshi is the governor of Chikuzen.

They're definitely eyeing Chikuzen-Dazaifu and Hakata.

"It seems that the country won't be divided up anytime soon." Shichibei could only sigh, still dealing with the mess in Kuma County.

“The land of Kyushu is far away. You and I were originally from Owari. Twenty years ago, could we have imagined that we would be enfeoffed in Kyushu?” Hideyoshi was quite open-minded. He traveled from Owari to Mino, from Mino to Kohoku, from Kohoku to Harima, and from Harima to Chikuzen.

He really did travel all over western Japan, and it was impossible for him to stay in his hometown of Nakamura in Owari Province; it wouldn't really matter where he was. Moreover, given the situation in Japan at that time, it was highly likely that once he reached Chikuzen, he wouldn't be transferred to another fiefdom.

"Where is the main castle planned to be located?" Shichibei asked with a hint of curiosity.

“Hakata, of course.” Hideyoshi also understood the usefulness of commerce and trade to the feudal lords.

"Has the lord given his approval?" Hakata was originally intended to be set up as a commercial town directly under Nobunaga's control.

“Easy. Hakata is sandwiched between the Ishido River and the Naka River. I built Hakata Castle to the west of the Naka River, which will be on the left and right, dividing Hakata Bay equally.” Not long ago, Hideyoshi sent Konishi Yukinaga to explore Hakata Bay.

His architectural plans, and the historical influence of the Kuroda clan of Fukuoka on Hakata...

The development was remarkably similar. Historically, Fukuoka and Hakata stood facing each other across the Naka River and Nakasu. Later, the two municipalities merged and adopted the name Fukuoka City, but Hakata Ward was retained.

"That's good." Hakata estimated that it could still maintain its semi-independent so-called Hakata Castle Town autonomy, but it would inevitably have a portion of its commercial profits taken away by Hideyoshi's Hakata Castle Town.

Money can never be fully earned. Shichibei, who was in charge of Ōtsu, didn't object to Hideyoshi's construction and expansion of Nagahama. It's just about making money; let's not ruin the harmony.

Shipping and trade around Lake Biwa are negotiable, and trade between Hakata and the southern barbarians, Ming Dynasty, and Korea is naturally negotiable as well.

After Japan's unification, overseas trade required a red seal certificate. Foreign merchant ships entering the country also needed licenses and registration plates. Want to smuggle? No problem, just don't get caught.