Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

They really taught Longxing how to run.

Enraged, Nobunaga snapped his riding whip and kicked off the head of one of the Saito samurai.

Just as he was still angry, he noticed someone lurking suspiciously near the main camp. The person didn't look like a samurai, but was carrying a beautifully decorated katana, which was quite convincing.

The merchant who had sneaked in pointed at the man, and Nobunaga ordered him to be driven away.

That man was none other than Kotaro So. When he saw Nobunaga pointing at him, he assumed Nobunaga was calling him. Because he was too excited, he didn't notice the fire on Nobunaga's face and was even running over to kowtow with a grin.

Nobunaga was enraged by his grinning face and kicked him over. Caught off guard, Kotaro was like a ball, kicked from the mountaintop to the mountainside by Nobunaga, rolling several times.

However, the katana that originally hung at his waist was now lying on the ground. It was truly a precious sword that was completely unbecoming of Kotaro So's status. Saito Toshiharu, who was standing next to Nobunaga, had originally intended to come over and offer some advice, but upon seeing the sword, he exclaimed in surprise.

This is my brother's sword!

Within the framework of Japanese ethics, Nobunaga was Saito Toshiharu's older brother, and Isshiki Yoshitatsu was also his older brother. This remark immediately struck a chord with Nobunaga, who subconsciously replied with a similar statement.

"How come I didn't know this was mine?" A sword is a samurai's second life, and Nobunaga knew his sword like the back of his hand.

"No, no, no, it was Ishiki Kyōjō Daifu first." In Nobunaga's eyes, Yoshitatsu was a great traitor, but since he was already dead, a neutral official title could be used.

"Huh?" Nobunaga was taken aback, glancing at the sword and then at Kotaro, whom he had kicked away.

"Quickly, quickly bring that person, that one, that one up here." Nobunaga obviously didn't recognize Kotaro, so he could only give orders haphazardly.

Saito Toshiharu guessed what was going on and immediately jumped down to help Kotaro So, with the other servants following behind.

Meanwhile, Kotaro So, who had rolled at least twenty or thirty meters, was now half-conscious, curled up on the ground like a dead shrimp, completely motionless. Luckily, there weren't any rocks along the way; he was simply dizzy from spinning.

As soon as Kotaro Sō was put down after being taken back to the main camp of the shogunate, he began to ramble on and on.

"I'm here for a meeting, what are you, what are you doing..." In his haste, Saito Toshiharu grabbed Nobunaga's reed and the water he was drinking and gave him a full-body shower.

Luckily it's almost May now; if I had gotten soaked in the dead of winter, I would have definitely caught a cold.

"What's your name? Whose house are you from?" Like many extremely energetic leaders, Nobunaga could remember the names and departments of all his subordinates whom he saw frequently.

He could name every single regular soldier under his command, including his retainers, pageboys, and foot soldiers. Of course, he couldn't know the names of the servants and household servants who were drawn from the regular soldiers due to the nobles' obligation to expand their armies.

"I am Kawamura Shichibei, from the Nagayoshi family, and I am here with Kotaro Sō as my assistant." Kotaro Sō finally came to his senses.

"Where did you get this sword?" Nobunaga nodded slightly, then went straight to the point and asked about the origin of the katana.

"Ah! That's right! This sword!" Kotaro finally remembered why he had come to the main camp; he had come to find Shichibei.

Because he pulled off a heist on the Kiso River, staging a raid on a bandit, which could also be described as robbery and counter-robbery, and captured a "treasure".

"His Highness is asking you a question!" Saito Toshiharu saw that Kotaro's words were incoherent and meant that he was going to pour another bucket of water on him.

"It's right down the mountain, right down the mountain!" Upon hearing this, Kotaro got up and ran.

Nobunaga was only half a second slower than him and immediately caught up. The two of them dashed down the mountain like lightning, leaving everyone else behind. Kotaro seemed quite pleased, as if he was discovering for the first time that someone could actually keep up with him. In the end, the two of them were practically running hand in hand.

When Nobunaga arrived at the chaotic mule and horse pen at the foot of the mountain, he saw the person he most wanted to see.

Saito Tatsuoki!

Also included were Nagai Michitoshi, Hineno Hironari, Hineno Moriyuki, and Takeshichiro, who had a leg injury.

Upon seeing the person, Nobunaga became remarkably calm and composed. He flung Kotaro's hand away and ordered Kotaro to untie Tatsuoki's bound hands.

Other samurai, don't tie yourselves up anymore, sit up. Do you have any stools? If not, let's sit on the haystack and chat, my dear nephew.

When Ryūō saw his good uncle-in-law Nobunaga, he didn't hurl insults or give him a cold shoulder. Instead, he asked Nobunaga if he had any food, and preferably another jug ​​of sake.

"Would you like some dried persimmons?" Nobunaga was unusually gentle. He even took a bag off his waist, which contained several dried persimmons.

It's not about snacks or anything like that, because in Japan, dried persimmons are, in a sense, one of the portable military rations. High in calories, portable, and easy to obtain, they almost perfectly meet all the requirements of military rations. All you need to do is pick the persimmons in the fall, peel them, hang them up, and dry them in the sun.

Persimmon trees are widely planted in Japan these days, and there are even wild persimmon trees growing in the mountains. You can pick the persimmons, dry them, and make dried persimmons.

At this point, Ryūshū had no time for formalities and snatched his uncle's bag of persimmons. He took out the persimmons and distributed them to his retainers. Nobunaga, on the other hand, was asking for sake. Where was the sake?

Yes, yes, Kotaro immediately brought over a large sake barrel with a capacity of over ten liters. Unfortunately, there were no sake bottles or saucers, but there was a gourd ladle for feeding horses.

The men didn't mind, broke open the barrel, and started drinking haphazardly from the ladle. In just a few sips, half a barrel of wine was gone.

"How is it?" Nobunaga had been watching them eat and drink, and only now did he continue to ask.

"We lost, that's all." Ryuko sat calmly opposite Nobunaga, his tone very even.

"And you?" Nobunaga asked a few of the die-hards who had fled with Ryūshō.

"..." The others didn't answer. Nagai Michitoshi turned his head away, and Hineno Hiroshi glared at him angrily.

"The castle has already fallen." Nobunaga pointed to Inabayama Castle, which was a little further away, where a few wisps of smoke still lingered.

These are the foot soldiers' residences that were set on fire during the siege. The fire has just been extinguished. Mori Yoshinari and Kinoshita Hideyoshi are gathering the defeated soldiers in the castle, cleaning up the corpses, and waiting for Nobunaga to enter the castle for inspection.

"The city's defenses are weak, so it's not difficult to take it down." Ryuki didn't turn to look at Inabayama. Nobunaga had already said it was true, so there was no need to lie to him.

"Yes, we'll take it in one fell swoop." Only then did Nobunaga boast.

In reality, it was a pincer attack from the north and south that led to the fall of Inabayama. As the main castle of the Saito clan of Mino, which had been managed by three generations, it shouldn't have fallen so easily.

Just as the two were talking, Saito Toshiharu, Sasa Narimasa and others finally found Nobunaga's side and saw Tatsuoki, who was facing Nobunaga and talking to him freely.

Another servant who had gone to find Shichibei also dragged him over. They saw Kotaro holding a ladle, standing next to Nobunaga, unsure whether to leave or stay. He dared not stand taller than Nobunaga, yet felt unworthy to sit; he was incredibly awkward.

"What's going on here?" Shichibei asked the man who had come from Tsushima, asking who Nobunaga was talking to.

"We encountered a robber on the way, but Kotaro didn't take it seriously and used his oar to knock the man into the water. One of the men inside claimed to be the Imperial Envoy and the Grand Counselor of the Ministry of Justice." The waiter thought for a moment and downplayed his intention to take down the warrior hunters.

After all, doing it is one thing, saying it is another.

86. A newcomer amazed the entire audience.

To cut or not to cut?

This was a major problem, and only the Emperor could decide. Ryūō and his group of five were taken to Zuiryu-ji Temple for safekeeping, while Nobunaga returned to his headquarters to ponder the matter alone.

Of course, before thinking it over, the military order was issued. The people from the former Saito Tatsuoki and his retainers' territories east of the Hangase River were conscripted to come to Inabayama Castle to build the "Rokugaki".

It's a large-scale, long enclosure made of bamboo and wood, basically a fence. It's just named after deer antlers. Sometimes it's also called a "pig fence," using the image of a wild boar's tusks to describe the fence.

Influenced by the attacks on Inabayama Castle by Kinoshita Hideyoshi via a mountain path and Saito Tatsuoki's raid on the main camp from within the castle walls, Nobunaga believed that Inabayama Castle's defenses still had weaknesses.

Building another large-scale city wall or earthen rampart would be extremely costly. However, building the Deer Enclosure was much cheaper, and the local officials and farmers who came to serve could bring their own supplies, so Nobunaga paid almost nothing.

As for the money for the villagers west of the Hangase River, which exceeded 15,000 kan, it had already been promised to the three men of Nishimino. Therefore, the local people could only be conscripted from the area east of the Hangase River.

Nobunaga didn't assign this task to Shichibei, but instead entrusted it to Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi, having taken the back roads, would certainly know best where the loopholes were, so it was reasonable for him to be in charge of building the long perimeter wall.

"Your Highness must reward me with 500 kan this time." Kotaro So completely forgot about the kick Nobunaga had given him, and instead dreamed of the wonderful life he would have after becoming rich with 500 kan.

"A thousand strings of cash." Since it's all just a dream anyway, why not dream bigger?

Longxing's head is the greatest achievement of this battle, and in principle, it should be given to Zhixing's territory. Now, if it were converted into money, it would be worth far more than a thousand kan (a unit of currency), possibly even more. Besides, it was a buy-one-get-four-free deal, and they even gave away four Saito Samurai generals.

“A thousand kan, tsk…” It wasn’t that So Kotaro hadn’t seen a thousand kan in cash before, but he had never even owned a hundred kan.

"You continue..." Shichibei made a gesture that Japanese people often use, inviting Kotaro to lie down on the haystack and dream.

We've already found out how Saito Tatsuoki was captured. He went out of the city to launch a surprise attack, but he fell into Nobunaga's trap and was surrounded. His servants fought desperately to help him break through the encirclement and reach the riverbank.

They found a small wooden boat, barely big enough to fit five people. Hibino Shimono-no-kami said, "I'll take the others to continue looking for a boat; you guys run ahead."

What followed was a matter of fate for Kotaro So. After traveling by water for several hours, Ryūkō and his men saw Kotaro So transporting goods from Tsushima. In one fell swoop, all five of them were tied up and brought before Nobunaga.

Japan has a population of over ten million, and this unprecedented fortune has fallen into the hands of Kotaro So.

Even buying lottery tickets in Japan doesn't guarantee his incredible luck.

Now that Inabayama Castle has fallen and Saito Tatsuoki has been arrested, the logistical work can be considered finished. Shichibei let Kotaro dream, and notified the workers to start packing up. There was no need to transport military supplies and provisions from Komakiyama anymore, and there was no need to continue transporting sake, medicine, cloth, straw hats, and gunpowder from Tsushima.

Everyone, prepare to disband and go home. Nobunaga generally doesn't provide food for the journey. If you run fast, you might be able to get from Inabayama to Okazaki in a day and a half. You won't starve to death in a day and a half without food.

Just like Ishikawa Ienari, who had rushed to join the battle after two days, but didn't even reach the castle gates before the battle ended. Nobunaga rewarded him with a thousand kilos of rice and sent him home. Meanwhile, Tokugawa Ieyasu was still at Yoshida Castle mobilizing the Higashi-Mikawa forces, all his efforts in vain.

The three members of the Shinono gang also went home to collect taxes, earning 15,000 kan. Meanwhile, the peasant soldiers mobilized by the Oda clan disbanded after receiving a day's worth of rice and salt.

Historically, after the Battle of Dodo, Nobunaga dismissed his peasant soldiers and retainers and sent them home, leaving him with only 700 men. He was then ambushed by Ryūō and Nagai Michitoshi with 3,000 men, and only managed to escape after a desperate fight.

After all, the peasant soldiers were going on expeditions abroad, and their food, clothing, and other necessities all depended on Nobunaga's supply. Moreover, going on expeditions abroad would exempt them from the current year's general labor service or other corvée labor. Every extra day that was delayed would cause Nobunaga's expenses to increase dramatically.

It's no wonder that he announced the disbandment of the peasant soldiers and reinforcements before even considering whether or not to cut off Longxing.

The surplus military funds were being transported back to Komakiyama, and Sakuma Nobumori came to return the thirty horses belonging to Kawamuraya. He also settled the bill for Shichibei, paying whatever the horses cost; after all, they were close retainers, and accounts had to be clear.

Now that Sakuma Nobumori had arrived, Shichibei asked him whether Nobunaga was going to kill Tatsuobu or not. Surely he wasn't going to, since the two excellent spectators—the Mikawa and the Saino—had both gone home.

If such a powerful and intimidating performance as killing Long Xing were not witnessed by a sufficiently strong audience, wouldn't it be a waste?

Yokotatsu was once the lord of Mino and a retainer of the Muromachi Shogunate. A chicken of that caliber is not one that can be easily caught and killed.

Sakuma Nobumori smiled without saying a word. Is this something you or I should be asking about?

He had the servant pay the bill, then left with an enigmatic smile.

Another riddle teller!

Kill him if you want, don't kill him if you don't want to. We can't just wait for Lady Nohime to come from Komaki Mountain to plead for him. It's not impossible, though. Yoshitatsu killed his father and rebelled, so he should be beheaded immediately. Ryūō merely inherited his father's business, and although the business was tainted by "original sin," Ryūō didn't kill his father or rebel.

In fact, Shichibei was wrong. Tatsuoki was currently making a decision. Nobunaga promised that if Tatsuoki was willing to surrender and recruit the direct retainers and samurai of the Saito clan of Mino for three generations, preserving the "high-quality" retainers of the Saito clan of several hundred men, they would join Nobunaga and serve as his vanguard.

Nobunaga could then grant Tatsuoki a territory of 15,000 kan, which would allow him to settle his retainers and rebuild his army.

However, this territory is definitely not in Mino anymore, not even Inuyama, which is near Mino. I have to go to Kiyosu Castle, Nobunaga's stronghold, which is surrounded by Nobunaga's die-hard supporters.

Furthermore, to demonstrate his sincerity, Nobunaga could choose an adopted daughter from his own clan and marry her to Tatsuoki, making her his principal wife. Their children would then be allowed to use the Oda surname and become members of the Oda clan.

The conditions were those, and in fact, they were quite generous. After all, the Oda clan's power had expanded too rapidly, and Nobunaga still hoped to absorb and utilize the retainers accumulated by the three generations of the Mino Saito clan as quickly as possible.

As we've discussed, samurai promoted from foot soldiers, common soldiers, or even townspeople and farmers are adequate as foot soldier squad leaders. But for leading troops into battle and governing, it's still necessary to have samurai who have served for two or three generations, with a strong family tradition of learning, literacy, or high martial arts skills.

Samurai are not a common thing. Although there are many ronin these days, how many of them are truly skilled (in killing) and intelligent (educated)?

In the movie "Seven Samurai," there's a scene where they recruit samurai, and Shimada Katsushiro stands by the door attacking the samurai who enter. Some can be spotted from outside, some can immediately counterattack without being knocked down, and some are knocked to the ground with a single blow.

The skill level of ronin is truly uneven. Some, like Kikuchiyo, usually just participate in battles as a ronin or a henchman, but accidentally stole a family tree and pretended to be a fourteen-year-old child.

To put it bluntly, Nobunaga was after others.

Ryūō was truly torn between whether to submit and what to do. He had lost his castle and his army, and in reality, he had no leverage to negotiate with Nobunaga. The only thing Nobunaga valued was his title as head of the Saitō clan of Mino Province, a title that would likely unite most of the Saitō clan's samurai retainers under his command.

Hiroshi Hine, who had previously glared at Nobunaga, strongly advised Tatsuoka to first surrender to Nobunaga and preserve his core retainers. "As long as the core retainers are alive, there's always hope." He reasoned that as long as the core retainers remained, they would have the resources to rise up and overthrow Nobunaga.