Owari Yumeki Golden Day.

"I thought you came to report the progress to His Highness." Yamauchi Kazutoyo smiled. If they really succeeded in going to Kyoto, Shichibei would definitely not come alone.

It would take thousands of horses and hundreds of retainers and servants to assemble the logistics team for the army heading to Luoyang. They would also have to conscript laborers from their own territories to hitch up carts and travel together.

"Aren't you an ashigaru too? How could you not know if there's a real battle?" Shichibei patted his butt, finding the weapon rack uncomfortable to sit on.

“But I think it will be soon. Those two who just went in are going to Ichijo Valley.” Yamauchi Kazutoyo said as he saw Shichibei get up.

"From Ichijōdani?"

These words piqued Shichibei's interest slightly, but only slightly. Since Nobunaga's uprising involved an army exceeding 60,000, it must have occurred after the summer or autumn harvest.

For no other reason than that these two times are harvest season. Last year, when we attacked Ise, we waited until the autumn harvest was over and the annual tribute rice was stored before we started our campaign. The army of over 40,000 was said to be 60,000; it was impressive, but they really ate rice.

Last year's military rations were all used to conquer Ise, and this year's rice hasn't arrived yet. It's highly likely that the troops won't be dispatched until August or September of the lunar calendar, even after the summer harvest.

Soldiers carry guns and fight for that bowl of rice. If you offer them wheat porridge, they'll smash the pot. Poor food makes them lose their will to fight.

“Perhaps it was Ichijou-dani who agreed,” Yamauchi Kazutoyo said without hesitation.

Whether Ashikaga Yoshiaki should release him is one thing, but whether his "guardian," Asakura Yoshikage, should release him is another. After all, Ashikaga Yoshiaki is a highly valuable asset, and he might not be willing to let him go so easily.

According to the later Yuezhou Military Records, Asakura Yoshikage countersigned Ashikaga Yoshiaki's documents at this time. Many people believe that Asakura Yoshikage held the position of "Kanreidedai" during this period, possessing some power and authority to govern on behalf of Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

It's not exactly useful, but since it's close to the capital region, there are actually quite a few people who heed this invitation.

However, things didn't go as planned. Oda Echizen-no-kami was inside reporting to Nobunaga. For some reason, from last year to this year, one bad thing after another had happened to Echizen.

First, Sugiura Gento, the leader of the Kaga Ikko-ikki, launched an attack on Echizen. This was a recurring issue, as the two sides had been fighting for many years. The Kaga Ikko-ikki were eager to defeat the Asakura clan and gain access to the Kinai region.

"Let's fight!" Asakura had already ordered his generals, including Asakura Kagekage, Yamazaki Yoshiie, Uozumi Kagekazu, and Horie Kagetada, to lead troops to meet the enemy. Asakura Yoshikage himself did not go into battle, and soon after, news spread that Horie Kagetada was plotting a rebellion.

At the beginning of this year, taking advantage of the heavy snow, Horie Kagetada actually besieged the castle and raised the banner of rebellion. There was no other way but to join forces with the Ōno clan and begin a siege in the dead of winter.

Even more outrageous, the Takeda family in Wakasa was embroiled in internal strife, making it difficult for Takeda Motoaki to remain in Wakasa. As a result, the Tsuruga branch of the Asakura clan, namely the Tsuruga Asakura family from which Asakura Sōteki originated, sent troops to Ohama.

The two main forces of the Asakura family are both out there fighting.

At this point, the Asakura clan didn't have much capital left to venture into Kyoto. However, as a powerful daimyo with 750,000 koku of rice and control over the northern trade routes, they were still wealthy. Recruiting around 10,000 foot soldiers, ronin, and miscellaneous troops wasn't entirely impossible.

Then Asakura Yoshikage personally served as the commander-in-chief, and Ashikaga Yoshiaki served as the general commander. They summoned allied forces along the way, and by the time they reached the vicinity of Kyoto, they would have at least 30,000 men, enough to confront the Miyoshi Triumvirate.

Strangely enough, Asakura Yoshikage's eldest son, Okimaru, died suddenly.

Yes, Asakura Yoshikage was thirty-six years old and had only one underage son. After the child's death, Asakura Yoshikage suffered a mental breakdown. He's been isolating himself at home every day. Although he hasn't said anything incoherent, he's completely neglecting state affairs lately.

And so the Asakura clan was paralyzed. With two external armies fighting each other, the central command was completely shut down and doing nothing. Even if they wanted to march on Kyoto, it would be impossible.

Upon hearing this news, Nobunaga practically clapped his hands in relief, overjoyed. It's true what they say about success: you need more than just ability; you also need a bit of luck. Not too much, just luck at crucial moments.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki was equally excited after confirming that Nobunaga was planning to march on Kyoto. However, he was currently in Ichijodani and would need some time to escape.

This time, Nobunaga's messenger will return first to inform him of the situation in Echizen. Once things are ready, he will send Wada Koremasa and Akechi Mitsuhide to Gifu to prepare the way.

"We've agreed, but we won't start fighting now. There's no way we can feed so many people right now." Shichibei mounted his horse, ready to leave.

"Hey!" The servant from the residence ran out and was overjoyed to see that Shichibei was still at the door. He immediately waved to Shichibei.

119. Hideyoshi in his dream needs a persuader

Ah, it's nothing serious. Even without Shichibei, we can handle it. Just now, Oda Echizen-no-kami, a member of Nobunaga's inner circle, returned and explained to Nobunaga that Yoshiaki really wanted to come to Gifu.

To facilitate Yoshiaki's escape, Nobunaga ordered someone to buy thirty riding horses from Kawamuraya and send them to Ichijodani in Echizen Province, so that Yoshiaki could escape overnight.

As long as Yoshiaki escapes, Asakura Yoshikage won't risk public condemnation by killing the remaining shogunate officials, officials, and foot soldiers to vent his anger.

Doing something like that only brings infamy and serves no purpose whatsoever. Any sane person wouldn't do it. As for those who are mentally unstable and just want to vent their anger?

You all died a worthy death for the shogunate.

They will certainly bestow a great reward and express their praise.

Needless to say, Nobunaga would definitely bring out their descendants or brothers and recruit them all, as part of his current campaign to become shogun of Kyoto and to show the whole of Japan the fact that he was now serving as emperor and expelling foreigners.

Just like the Ako Domain's Chushōzura incident, the forty-six men were ultimately sentenced to seppuku, but their descendants and families were recruited by various domain daimyo with high salaries. The daimyo were proud to have such loyal and brave samurai retainers, using them as a symbol of their "wise ruler and virtuous retainers".

Death is the easiest thing to use for propaganda, because once someone dies, there are no variables. No matter how you spread the story, it can always be made plausible, since the dead can't verify it.

Alright, go and fetch the horses for Nobunaga. It's just thirty horses, nothing serious. When Hosokawa Fujitaka and Akechi Mitsuhide came to Gifu last time, I did see that their horses were quite weak.

Nobunaga gave them two horses so they could return to Ichijodani. Shichibei muttered to himself, "If they keep riding those horses, it wouldn't be surprising if they died on the way."

With this matter settled, Shichibei won't be returning to Tsushima today. He'll send a messenger back to Tsushima to deliver the message. Perfect timing to treat Yamauchi Kazutoyo, who's off duty tonight, to a drink—it's what we agreed on last time.

In reality, after the horses of the Takeda clan were delivered to Tsushima and their inventory settled, most of the warhorses and riding horses would be driven to Gifu for sale. Even without sending someone to notify them, Tsushima would send people over within the next two or three days. Right now, it's just an urgent order with a political mission.

This is a trivial matter; there's certainly no need to go back to the residence to hear Nobunaga's instructions. Shichibei and Yamauchi Kazutoyo dusted themselves off, mounted their horses, and headed to the Kawamuraya Gifu branch.

By the way, halfway there, Shichibei asked Yamauchi Kazutoyo to invite Kuwayama Shigekatsu over.

I mentioned last time that I wanted to meet this person, understand the situation, and ask Nobunaga for someone capable of handling the matter. There can never be too many properly educated samurai who have trained in spear and archery.

During the Edo period, it seemed like samurai were everywhere, with tens of thousands of them becoming dissolute after a change of domain—something that wouldn't happen in modern times. In the Edo period, even the foot soldiers (ashigaru) within the regular foot soldiers were counted as samurai, so their numbers naturally increased dramatically.

In "The Samurai's Family Account Book," the ancestors of the Inoyama family were foot soldiers who carried spears for Maeda Toshiie, the so-called "foot soldiers." They didn't even have a title and were always the lowest-ranking samurai who received stipends from the Maeda family.

After obtaining the seventy-stone stipend, he immediately became a true superior person, and was even promoted to serve the lord of a domain, receiving a stipend of eight taels of gold every year.

Wait a minute, is it possible that the ancestors of the Inoyama family were farmers from a village in Owari? There's a possibility of that, and of course, they could also have been farmers from Kanazawa.

It's unlikely that this person can be found. Maeda Toshiie hadn't been dispatched to other areas yet and didn't have his own standing foot soldiers. So, the ancestor of the Inoyama family who became a foot soldier was at this time a nameless farmer known in the village as Ōrō or KOIchirō.

Shaking his head to dispel his wandering thoughts, Kazutoyo Yamauchi appeared quite formally with Shigekatsu Kuwayama at Kawamuraya. He was an old acquaintance; he had bought his first warhorse there. Inside the shop, he touched and examined everything, acting as if he were no stranger, even asking the staff how business was.

Luckily, the guy was knowledgeable and experienced. If he hadn't recognized him, he would have thought that some leader was on an inspection tour just by looking at his "style".

By the time Shichibei came out to welcome him, Yamauchi Kazutoyo had already kowtowed seven or eight times. But one couldn't blame him; his capable wife, Chiyo, was probably only ten years old at the time. Yamauchi Kazutoyo was likely twelve or thirteen years older than Chiyo, with some variation. These days, everyone was an unknown, poor samurai, so it was normal that early records were scarce.

He had no husband at home, only a few servants, including two old men the same age as his father. Anyone in his position would be reluctant to stay at home; going out and flattering the horses was better than sitting idly at home.

The three sat down and introduced themselves. Then a waiter brought over some food and drinks. The food was really just a few small dishes. Since there were no outsiders, they roasted last year's dried sweetfish by the fire pit until they were fragrant and crispy, perfect as a snack.

Both Yamauchi Kazutoyo and Kuwayama Shigekatsu were legitimate samurai with stipends, so they wouldn't be short of food. The fact that they came to Shichibei's door showed that Shichibei had something to ask him.

Ask away.

While lost in thought, Shichibei had also organized his thoughts, trying to figure out what to ask the other person. Then he slapped his forehead and thought, "I'm worth 2,500 kan, and you're only worth 50 kan, do I really need to organize my thoughts to ask you?"

When Oda Nobunaga questioned Shichibei, he never needed to be tactful or probing; he could speak his mind directly. He never explicitly told Shichibei to go to his death, which would have required some subtlety. In normal conversation, he spoke freely. It wasn't so much that Nobunaga was being genuinely straightforward, but rather that the difference in their social standing was significant; someone of Shichibei's stature didn't require Nobunaga's subtlety.

Similarly, why is Shichibei being so evasive? Just ask directly.

"Do you know why Hikojiro has fallen into a low-ranking position?"

"Huh?" Kuwayama Shigekatsu didn't answer, but Yamauchi Kazutoyo chuckled first. However, he immediately shut up and turned to check Kuwayama Shigekatsu's expression.

If you immediately ask someone why they're doing so poorly, they might just lose their temper.

"It's simply because he has neither martial arts skills nor political talent." Kuwayama Shigekatsu was not angry, but he swallowed the bitter wine.

"Even fireflies have a glimmer of light, let alone humans?" Shichibei wasn't trying to look down on people; he just wanted to get to know them through casual conversation.

"Does flickering light count?" Unexpectedly, Shigekatsu Kuwayama countered with a question to Shichibei.

"Haha, it counts, of course it counts." Shichibei just wanted to have a frank conversation with him.

"Then I am a firefly, sometimes bright, sometimes dark."

"Why?"

"It shines when it's useful, and remains hidden when it's useless."

How can it be useful?

"It is useful when sitting down and chatting with Kawamura-dono."

"Hahahaha..." Shichibei clapped his hands and laughed. This guy is really interesting.

He couldn't possibly say that his only skill was chatting idly with others. If that were truly his only ability, it wouldn't be surprising if he still had fifty foot soldiers at the age of forty-four. Especially during Oda Nobunaga's period of rapid growth and expansion, he wouldn't even be able to get started.

Some might say, "This person is good at chatting, but don't daimyo all have their own 'godoshu' (official retainers)?" Yes, they do, but to become a daimyo's godoshu, you need to have status or fame.

Hideyoshi's inner circle consisted of people like Yamana Toyokuni, Hosokawa Akimoto, Shiba Yoshigami, Akamatsu Norifusa, Rokkaku Yoshikata, and Oda Nobukatsu. To be honest, Oda Nobukatsu's presence alone put the others to shame; each of them came from a prestigious family with centuries of history.

Chatting with them served two purposes: firstly, it allowed Hideyoshi to show off his status, and secondly, these people had experienced many events and knew a lot, so they could chime in on anything.

Chatting with Sangshan Shigekatsu, I learned he wasn't from a prestigious family; in fact, outside his own prefecture, nobody would recognize him. What kind of scenes had he experienced? What kind of scenes could fifty heads have witnessed? Besides, he was a light-footed archer; he fought from behind bamboo bundles, firing arrows.

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh." Shigekatsu Kuwayama remained quite calm.

Oda Nobunaga is definitely a mayor now, right? Shichibei, as a senior retainer of Oda's inner circle, is certainly not a member of the city committee standing committee, but he's definitely a member of the city committee. Kuwayama Shigekatsu is just a low-level civil servant, yet he not only jokes around with the city committee members but also acts naturally and generously. That's quite interesting.

"Come on, have a drink." Shichibei thought this guy was somewhat of a charmer, and he was indeed a good conversation starter to pass the time.

The two men raised their glasses to each other. Kuwayama Shigekatsu wasn't one to tell jokes or stories, but he was certainly good at responding to Shichibei's remarks. His attitude wasn't obsequious, nor did it show any humility; it was as if he had come specifically to chat.

Time flew by as they chatted, mainly because the conversation was natural and enjoyable. After sending two men with lanterns to escort the two home, Shichibei hesitated.

Nobunaga's quota for capable men is limited. Once Nobunaga conquers Omi Province, a large number of Omi people will join his ranks, and many of them will become famous in the future. Will they regret taking Kuwayama Shigekatsu now?

No way, this person is really quite interesting.

Although he's neither particularly brave nor skilled in civil administration, it would be great if he were a restaurant owner. He'd be perfect for catering to wealthy and influential guests.

As for opening a stable, it seemed pointless. Shichibei was still thinking about this even after he lay in bed. As he thought about it, he had a dream in which Nobunaga invaded Kyoto, and he was sent to Sakai to collect 20,000 kan of arrow tax with Hideyoshi.

The Sakai followers supported the Miyoshi Triumvirate and refused to surrender. The two even threatened them with the presence of Nobunaga's tens of thousands of troops, but they still refused to submit.

Firstly, Sakai itself had several thousand elite soldiers, and tens of thousands of townspeople, boatmen, and sailors who could be mobilized. Secondly, the Miyoshi Triumvirate had only retreated, not been defeated, and still had 20,000 soldiers.

At that moment, Hideyoshi muttered to Shichibei, "If only there were a persuader. He could reason with them and appeal to their emotions to convince the Sakai clan."

120. Recommend one person from each end.

Let's keep him. Even a light the size of a firefly's bottom is still light. There are no useless people in the world; it's all about how you use them. Who knows, there might actually be a day when we need him?

Shichibei, who got up very early, still had a vivid memory of his dream. Sometimes, a dream can be so clear in the morning that it's completely forgotten by the afternoon. He should take advantage of the fact that he remembers it now and get on with it.

The horses that Tsushima was waiting for had all arrived. If they hadn't asked Nobunaga for them, they could have just sold him thirty horses. But now that they wanted to ask Nobunaga, Shichibei would have to offer him the "Kai Kuro" horse that Yamagata Masakage had given him.

If they take our horses, they'll be indebted to us. It'll be easier for Shichibei to demand our men when we invade Omi later.

Nobunaga had absolutely no habit of sleeping in; he would get up early and practice his spear skills. After practicing, he would eat breakfast before sitting in the palace to conduct his official business. So there was no need to go too early; leaving the shop at nine o'clock for the Toradaya Residence would most likely make him one of the first to arrive.

As expected, the first group was waiting to be received.