Owari Yumeki Golden Day

Anyway, after thanking Shichibei profusely, Atobe Katsusuke ran back to Kai with the imperial envoy. Such great news had to be made known to Takeda Shingen and Takeda Yoshiyori as soon as possible.

Originally, Atobe Katsutoge said he wanted to pay his respects to Nobunaga before leaving, but Nobunaga said hello and said that it was enough to pay his respects. In fact, it was Tokugawa Ieyasu who rushed to Kyoto because he heard that he could also get a Yakatagari. He was so excited that he came to Kyoto in person to pay his respects.

The Tokugawa family is nothing but a bunch of idiots. They're just from the Mikawa area, and the name "Tokugawa" is pure cliché. Even now, Ieyasu's given name is Tokugawa, and Nobuyasu's is Matsudaira.

Tokugawa Ieyasu may not have really figured out which family to attach himself to in the end and who to claim as his ancestor.

But not having a clear idea of ​​who his ancestors were didn't stop Ieyasu from thinking he was the governor of two countries and could seek a political advancement. Being honored with the title "Goyagata-sama" was like eating ice watermelon in the dog days of summer for Ieyasu, a man of humble origins. It was simply refreshing.

You may not believe it, but Kitabatake Gukuni is here too! (Historical Fact)

Kitabatake Nobuo was too young, so although he had theoretically become the head of the Kitabatake clan, the actual government affairs were managed by the surrendered Kitabatake clan members and people like Takigawa Kazumasu, Mokuzo Tomomasa, and Nagano Nobuhashi.

After being beaten by Nobunaga, Kitabatake Tomonori also realized that times had changed, so in order to maintain friendly relations with the Oda family and raise his family's status among the samurai, he also came to Kyoto and tried to seek a house name.

With all these people coming here, how do you think Nobunaga had time to say goodbye to Atobe Katsusuke?

There was another acquaintance who took advantage of Shichibei's stay in Kyoto and tried to use Shichibei's connections again, his name was Yamana Yufeng.

Hadn't Tsuda Muneki told Shichibei some time ago that Yamana Sukefusa was willing to offer Nobunaga a thousand kan of silver in exchange for the return of his domain to Tajima? At the time, both Tsuda Muneki and Nobunaga suggested that they could wait and see if Yamana Sukefusa could extract the Ikuno Silver Mine before allowing him to return to his domain.

After enduring for so many days, Yamana Yufeng was older and felt that he was getting old. He really couldn't afford to stay in Sakaimachi any longer. He was ready to give in and prepare to pack up the Ikuno Silver Mine, including the miners, technicians, and various craftsmen recruited on the silver mine, and send them to Oda Nobunaga in order to ask for forgiveness.

In order to secure a meeting with Nobunaga, Yamana Yoshinari sent gifts to Kyoto that nearly filled up the main room of Myokaku-ji Temple. Even in later documents, his gifts were described as piling up like a mountain, second only to those of one person. [Note 1]

Urakami Munekage.

At the request of Ukita Naoie, Nobunaga sent 2,000 men to Hanawa Naomasa, who led Akamatsu Masahide, Bessho Yasuharu and others to beat up Urakami Munekage.

Oh my god, Urakami Munekage was beaten so badly that he was almost dead. Ukita Naoie was planning to launch a big attack and take advantage of Urakami Munekage's beating to completely defeat the Urakami family.

So, Urakami Munekage finally lowered his noble head and ran to Kyoto to beg Nobunaga and Yoshiaki to forgive him, to forgive him for his arrogant refusal to offer a ten-kan sword.

People are so mean.

Things that could be solved with ten strings of coins in the past cannot be done now without three to five thousand strings of coins, or even more.

When Nobunaga saw the gifts they brought, he sent people to take those he could use himself back to Gifu and gave them to Lady Nohime for safekeeping. For those he didn't like or had no place to use, he called Shichibei to estimate their price, which he would consider as repayment for the interest on the 50,000 kan he borrowed last year.

"Oh my, what do I need these gifts from you for?" Shichibei groaned. Finally, he had no choice but to accept them with tears in his eyes and prepare to take them to Sakaimachi to see if there was any big fool willing to take these gifts.

Anyway, Shichibei himself can't use them. No matter how beautiful the carvings on those large screens, large incense burners, or even large washbasins are, can they allow Shichibei to last even one more second?

No.

If not, then there is no point.

He went to Sakaimachi to sell some scraps, and happened to take Yamana Yoshinori with him to Kyoto. Nobunaga accepted so many gifts from him, and knowing that his ambition had been dispelled, he was naturally happy to see him.

Oh, speaking of this, I forgot about Atobe Katsuji. I wonder if they've managed to find a minor official to manage the gold mine, which I asked them to do earlier.

Considering that Atobe Katsusuke is the head of the royal family, he probably has no idea about this matter. It is better to write a letter to Yonekura Nobutsugu to urge him when I have time.

Yamana Yoshinori, who was so old that his temples were gray, was finally able to meet Nobunaga, the king of the world, under the guidance of Shichibei. He kept apologizing to Nobunaga and asked for his permission.

Nobunaga must have been secretly happy when an old aristocratic lord ranked among the 21 Muromachi districts kowtowed to him.

After he finished bowing, he magnanimously said that he would allow Yamana Youfeng to keep the Yakata name and return it to Tajima Province. After that, he left without mentioning the Ikuno Ginzan.

The matter of the silver mine will definitely be left to Shichibei and Yamana Yoshifusa. Nobunaga is very busy now and has to prepare for the war against the Asakura family soon. Being able to meet Yamana Yoshifusa is already giving face to Ikuno Ginzan.

After leaving Myokaku-ji Temple, Shichibei quickly helped Yamana Yufeng onto his horse. The old man wiped his sweat vigorously, but he didn't faint or anything. After wiping his sweat, he looked at Shichibei steadily and said, "From now on, Ikuno Silver Mine will be handed over to Kawamura-dono."

Shichibei, who had been prepared to use both kindness and force to seize the Ikuno Silver Mine, had a lot to say but couldn't say it out loud, and in the end he could only stand there.

"what?"

[Note 1]: 隼朊簟禜chlorine户榷曰曰姡Box BangLと Ashikaga Yoshiteru? Yoshiaki』Pingrensha, 2020.

189. The separation of soldiers and farmers began to appear

Yamana Youfeng, you are so sensible.

How else could one describe Yamana Yoshinori? He simply wanted to return to Konosumi Castle in Izushi County, Tajima. To do so, he not only presented Nobunaga with a gift of several thousand kan, but also lost the Ikuno Silver Mine.

In a sense, Yamana Yufeng was a very courageous man. Of course, this might also be related to the fact that he was already in his sixties, had lost all his ambition, and only wanted to be buried in his hometown of Tajima.

All right, that saves Shichibei from further nagging. Then, we'll send someone to escort Yamana Yufeng back to Japan, and then we can take over the Ikuno Silver Mine. It's just that Okubo Nagayasu isn't here yet, so it's urgent.

Urgent, urgent.

No, I have to write to Kai now to urge Yonekura Nobutsugu. He's just a minor official managing the gold mine. The Takeda clan has countless samurai who manage the gold mine, so many powerful figures. They wouldn't hide Shichibei for a little-known person, would they?

After writing the letter, Shichibei ordered Kawamuraya's flying kick to deliver the letter to Tsutsujizaki-kan as quickly as possible. Not only did he have to deliver the letter, but he also had to tell Yonekura Nobutsugu that no matter whether he found the letter or not, he should reply first.

Even if he didn't find that person, Shichibei would have gotten an answer. Now there was no reply, no news, like a stone sinking into the ocean, which was extremely frustrating.

Since Nobunaga himself was in Kyoto and had given Qibing a lot of expensive junk to deal with, Qibing couldn't return to Gifu immediately. He could only try to deal with the junk first, and Qibing was also bad.

Using these scraps to pay off debts to the wealthy merchants of Sakaimachi, Nobunaga was fully mobilizing cannons and gunpowder. This kind of operation should be well understood by the old men working in engineering in later generations.

A big boss buys a luxury car to deduct taxes for his company. After driving it for two years, he only offers an 80% or even 90% discount on the original price, using it to pay off debts owed to a subcontractor. He doesn't have the money, but he has a car.

The subcontractor was about to reach the New Year, and he really needed money to make ends meet, so he reluctantly took over the car and sold it at a discount, getting some cash out to share with the debt collectors.

It would be fine if it was just a normal luxury car, but the bad guys used flooded cars and cars that had been in major accidents as collateral, and they used the price of a normal car as collateral. It was so bad that it was bleeding.

If you think about it this way, our Shichibei was very conscientious in just using the large carved white copper washbasin to pawn for the money for the iron cannon.

Just as he was about to enter Myokaku-ji Temple to greet Nobunaga, he saw Tokugawa Ieyasu cheerfully exiting the temple. Ieyasu was incredibly courteous, otherwise everyone would have praised him as an honest man. Even after Hideyoshi's death, many still believed he was an honest man, that his rebellion was merely a bid to seize power from the civil faction, and that Hideyori still held the world.

Seeing Shichibei coming in, Ieyasu didn't show off his status as a "Goyakata" and took the initiative to greet Shichibei. Shichibei and Ieyasu had no grudges, so he naturally stopped to chat with him for a few words.

Upon inquiry, Ieyasu was reportedly there for a tea party with Nobunaga. Ieyasu's own name, Tokugawa, and identity as a member of the Minamoto clan were already recognized by the imperial court, and he was currently serving as the governor of Mikawa. Now that he had broken through the Totomi region, he naturally sought a higher position.

I'm already a royal family, so can't I be a doctor in Jingzhao or the commander of the left military guard?

After all, he was a close friend of Nobunaga's. Nobunaga invited Kuga Harumichi over, and the few of them sat down for a tea party. It was called a tea party, but it was nothing more than a way to smooth things over for Ieyasu. After all, the position of Kyozhao Daifu was already an official position held by the most outstanding members of the samurai family. When Ieyasu saw that Nobunaga would not take the position of Kanrei, he did not accept the imperial appointment.

Now that Nobunaga was ready to strike out on his own, Ieyasu was eager to take over. Kuga Harumichi was the second son of the previous Grand Minister of State, Konoe Naomichi, and the adopted son of the Right Minister, Kuga Michimitsu. He held a high position. Furthermore, he frequently associated with the samurai, making him a relatively savvy court noble.

By the way, I'd like to mention that Kuga Harumichi's grandson, Kuga Kuniyasu, inherited the Iwakura family.

Yes, it’s the Iwakura family of Iwakura Tomomi.

After chatting, Shichibei watched Tokugawa Ieyasu leave. When Ieyasu reached the door, he turned back and waved to Shichibei. This gesture was really good, he is such a nice guy.

Nobunaga, who was in Myokaku-ji Temple, learned that Shichibei had come to report on the deployment of the teppo, so he naturally found time to come and see him. Another war was about to begin, and teppo was a weapon that must be mastered, the more the better.

Nobunaga was taking a short nap after a tea party. His behavior was rather casual, which was also due to the fact that Shichibei was his retainer. Previously, Nobunaga even wore a loincloth in front of Shichibei, showing that he didn't consider Shichibei an outsider. Of course, Shichibei was now his nephew-in-law.

After learning that Shichibei could command at least 350 cannons every month, Nobunaga still felt it was not enough, so he asked Shichibei to find a way to get some more, the more the better.

As for the money? As the saying goes, there's always a way to get there. Isn't the Ikuno Silver Mine right here? The silver mine was also pledged to Shichibei, and the profits would be split directly between Nobunaga and Shichibei.

If you say he is generous, he is really generous. If you say he spends money, he really spends money.

According to the previous plan, Nobunaga asked Shichibei to transport part of the gunpowder, tinder, and lead ingots to Kunitomo Village, and give the rest to Tokugawa Ieyasu. This time, Nobunaga wanted to fight a different kind of battle.

What did this mean? He stopped mobilizing peasants for military service on a large scale. Leveraging the land surveys he had already conducted and the resulting territorial limits, Nobunaga decided not to recruit even local lords. Instead, he ordered those who could arm themselves to either pay a fee to serve or have someone stationed permanently at Gifu Castle.

Of course, it is not for nothing that he stays here permanently. This young man is supported by Nobunaga. He will also receive appropriate subsidies when he goes to war and rewards for his meritorious service. After hearing this, many people probably already have an idea.

Separation of soldiers and farmers!

However, this thing is not yet complete. When the Oda army fought against the Kitabatake clan last year, all the generals saw what a mess it was. Except that everyone knew that Nobunaga was fighting to settle his son, so his motivation was greatly reduced.

Another reason was the sudden mobilization of a massive army of 75,000 men, a mixed bag of men and horses, filled with a large number of weak peasant soldiers. Seeing so many of their comrades, most of whom were already willing to work without putting in any effort, these people became even more presumptuous, as the law did not hold them responsible for the masses.

Everyone is giving up and lying down. Nobunaga, are you going to kill only me?

So, Nobunaga, having learned his lesson, decided not to recruit peasant soldiers for future wars. Either these landowners would pay the rent and stay home as landowners, or he would select one person specifically to serve in Gifu for a long period of time.

There are choices, but not many.

Historically, Nobunaga mobilized over 70,000 men to attack Kitabatake Ōkōchi Castle. But just six months later, he could only muster 30,000 men to attack Asakura. This 30,000-man force also included the troops of Ikeda Katsumasa, Matsunaga Hisahide, Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Akechi Mitsuhide. Even hundreds of cavalrymen from the imperial court, such as Hino Terusuke and Askai Masatoshi, were mobilized to round out the 30,000-man force.

One of the main reasons was that Nobunaga found that simply recruiting people was of little use and wasted food and supplies. Soldiers are more valuable than quantity, so a standing army was still necessary.

So even though Shibata Katsuie, Sakuma Nobumori, Kinoshita Hideyoshi, and Niwa Nagahide all fought in the end, Nobunaga only mobilized a force far inferior to that of the Battle of Ohkouchi.

Retainers like Hideyoshi had previously been able to muster a force of 3,500 men. This time, they chose to forgo the Tsubouchi and Hosuka factions, only bringing brave warriors and foot soldiers. The remaining able-bodied men were left to farm. At most, they could not muster more than 500 men. It wasn't that they lacked the money; they had the money, but simply couldn't afford such a large force at once.

If Hideyoshi really had 3,500 men during the Kanegasaki retreat, he would have been the only one to cover the rear. After all, with 3,500 men stuck in place in the dark, even a 20,000-man Asakura army would have taken two hours to cut them down.

"Wouldn't the number of people be too small to form an army so suddenly?" Shichibei knew about this matter in advance, but Nobunaga acted arbitrarily and did not clearly discuss it with his retainers.

As the family business grew, the retainers also had their own thoughts. When it came to major matters that determined the future direction of the Oda family, Nobunaga certainly had times when he acted arbitrarily.

"Asakura has at most 30,000 men and horses, and their numbers are uneven. Our army still has the advantage." Nobunaga never discussed this with Shichibei, because Shichibei was the one who fought the battle.

It was only because Nobi's pro-government faction was directly responsible for military logistics that they knew about it in advance.

"That's true..." That was a good point, and Shichibei had no excuse to refute it.

Asakura was able to muster an army of 30,000 men, at least half of them peasant soldiers, but Nobunaga assembled only professional soldiers. For example, the 12,000 men gathered at Gifu Castle were all professional soldiers whose sole purpose was to fight, eat Nobunaga's rice, and receive his salary.

These people don't have to do anything else but practice martial arts at home every day and take turns guarding Nobunaga and Gifu Castle. When the battle really comes, they all rush forward roaring.

"You have to bring a few hundred people with you." If Shichibei hadn't asked, Nobunaga wouldn't have thought of it for a while.

Although Shichibei only had 5,000 plus 1,200 territory, he now had over 2,000 loyal followers. Apart from the purely commercial boatmen, he also employed a large number of samurai foot soldiers.

Some were working on horse farms, others on post stations. With a single whistle, it was easy to mobilize a standing army of 500 men. Originally, Nobunaga's granting of commercial privileges to Shichibei was sufficient, but he also granted him territory.

The purpose was that Shichibei could lead a small pack caravan by himself and, when necessary, join in the defense of Oda's main camp. There was no need to bring in Niwa Nagahide's troops, who had historically provided logistics support for Nobunaga, to defend the small pack caravan.

"I understand." Even if Nobunaga didn't mention it, Shichibei would have led hundreds of people into battle.

To attack Asakura would mean entering enemy territory. Without a 500-man escort, how could Shichibei feel at ease? Even without an attack from the Asakura army, the armed peasants of Echizen's territory could easily attack a small pack train.

Even during the Warring States Period, farmers were known for their martial virtues when necessary. They were incredibly brave when hunting for the dead, and they were also incredibly brave when robbing stray pack animals.

"Okay, go ahead and get busy." After Nobunaga finished his nap, the young men around him came forward to help him change his clothes.

For tea parties, plain and elegant attire was required. Later, when meeting guests, he would dress more formally and elegantly. Nobunaga would change his clothes several times a day.

"My minister retire."

190. I know someone is hoarding salt

When he walked out, he saw that it was actually Hosokawa Fujitaka who came in. Hosokawa Fujitaka was a model of how to be a good person. As the only example of someone who miraculously survived from a high-ranking family in the Muromachi shogunate to a high-ranking family in the Edo shogunate, and even became the Prime Minister in the later era, his family must have some hardworking genes.

Not to mention greeting Shichibei, he would have greeted the hundred foot soldiers who were guarding Nobunaga's gate.

A casual question revealed that he had no secret errand to visit Nobunaga, but had come to deliver a royal edict. Now, all royal edicts from the shogunate had to be signed by Nobunaga before they could take effect, and the edict before him was condemning Asakura Yoshikage.

Because Asakura Yoshikage did not come to Kyoto to congratulate Ashikaga Yoshiaki on his ascension to the throne, nor did he fulfill his duty as a subject and contribute money and labor to the construction of Nijo Palace.

In the feudal era, this would be considered an ironclad rebellious intention.

So now Oda Nobunaga had to follow the orders of the Ashikaga Shogun to attack Asakura Yoshikage. Using the Shogun as a hostage to control disobedience was a good idea. If they said they wanted to attack you, they could use the pretext of justice to start a war.

Serious business, serious business, please get on with it. Shichibei didn't delay, and after a few words, he asked Hosokawa Fujitaka to report to Nobunaga immediately. This imperial edict must have been negotiated and prepared long ago, and now it's finally been written and issued. It looks like it will be distributed throughout the country within the month.

Regardless of whether the two sides were unhappy or not, they were still cooperating on the surface at this time. Nobunaga came to Kyoto immediately after the New Year to "pay a visit" to Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and also meant to perform the etiquette of a subject and wish Ashikaga Yoshiaki a happy New Year.

Historically, after the Battle of Sekigahara, many feudal lords had to travel back and forth between Toyotomi and Tokugawa to wish each side a happy new year. This was because power had not yet been clearly transferred to the Tokugawa family, leaving many feeling unsure what to do.

Presenting a sword for the New Year is a small matter, but making this gesture is actually a maintenance or recognition of the entire framework order.

In the end, Lady Yodo even built a large room with a thousand tatami mats to entertain the so-called princes and ministers. Upon hearing this news, Tokugawa Ieyasu was amused and said that Lady Yodo did not understand the situation clearly.

By the way, I would like to ask why Shichibei did not live with Nobunaga in Myokaku-ji Temple or Honno-ji Temple.

Thanks to Nobunaga's influence, Shichibei had already secured land in Kyoto and been allowed to build a branch of Kawamuraya. With the branch located in front of the shop and the family behind, Shichibei essentially had his own residence in Kyoto. Therefore, when visiting Kyoto, he no longer needed to stay at a temple or the official residence of a familiar court official or samurai.

It’s not that I’m worried or anything, but the main reason is that no matter how good a place is, it’s not as good as my own doghouse.

After returning to the store, So Kotaro, who was guarding the Kyoto and Sakaimachi branches, and Kuwayama Shigekatsu, who followed Shichibei to Kyoto, asked Shichibei if he had agreed with Nobunaga on the teppo.

It’s settled. Nobunaga thinks it’s too little, so let’s try harder.

The more capable you are, the more you will accomplish. Nobunaga's KPI will never be low. Not only do you have to pull a cannon into the battlefield, you also have to pull hundreds of samurai foot soldiers into the battlefield.

Recruiting people was actually easy, after all, Shichibei supported the samurai, who were also responsible for guarding the post stations and registering and checking people. In the past, they had been on many expeditions, and their military service had never been missed.

So when will we go out?

Hosokawa Fujitaka had already issued the imperial edict declaring Asakura Yoshikage to be rebellious, so it was probably coming soon. What a pity, "People say that the flowers in Luoyang are in full bloom, but I have not arrived in spring." The Kyoto before me is also called Luoyang. When spring is about to bloom and the flowers are in full bloom, I have to go out and kill people.

Perhaps in the past few days, Nobunaga has even granted the name of Yakata to the distant Daihoji Yoshiuji in Oshu, which is quite impressive. Basically, everyone who can come has come, and those who can't come won't come even if they are invited. Just like Asakura Yoshikage, will he come? Definitely not.

On the other hand, Takeda Shingen not only got a house name but also bought a given name for his son. He made one trip and accomplished two things, which was really pleasant.