Owari Yumeki Golden Day

As soon as he raised his hand, Shichibei grabbed it and pulled out the fuse.

Unfortunately, the fuse had long since gone out, probably soaked in dew. No big deal, just cut off the wet end and light the dry part.

Anyway, there were no Saito soldiers on the other side, so there was no rush to light them. There were dozens of large fires inside and outside the city, and a few of them still had some residual light. They could be lit with a simple probe, so it wouldn't be a big problem.

Because Shichibei hadn't done much work, having only watched over the entire night, he woke up earlier. The working members of the Hosuka Party didn't gradually wake up until around 2 or 3 p.m.

Kinoshita Koichiro, who had gotten up earlier than them, brought a few of Kawamura-ya's employees to boil water for tea. A handful of matcha powder was sprinkled into the hot water, and that was enough to give it a flavor.

As for the rice, the leftovers from last night were now piled on the base of the "stilt house." This base was where Fujikichiro would later build his rice storage. It had to be kept dry, as grains were most vulnerable to moisture, which could cause them to sprout. Even if they didn't sprout, mold and mildew were a serious problem, and both needed to be prevented.

“It’s already happened…”

Looking at the revitalized Hachisuka and Tsubouchi factions beneath the turrets, Shichibei sighed, "Maybe the construction of Sumata Castle has finally been successful. I wonder if I could actually experience and participate in such a turning point in history."

Before I could utter a sigh, I saw from the distance that several samurai emerged from the north bank of the Nagara River. Following them came the scattered foot soldiers and young men. They were in a disorganized mess, not even carrying any banners, as they raced towards me.

There is an enemy!

Shichibei immediately lit the match, loaded the gun, and fired at a mounted Saito warrior on the north bank. He missed, aiming for the chest, but the lead bullet flew slightly above the man's head.

The people who were awakened by the sound of the cannon, some climbed onto the wooden oars, some climbed onto the dog boats [Note 1], and looked towards the north bank of the Nagara River.

[Note 1]: These are the wooden steps behind the wall. Some Japanese foot soldiers were very short, and the shooting holes could not be high or low, so a step was set up behind the wall to ensure that the short soldiers could also shoot at the enemy from multiple angles behind the shooting holes.

51. Owari no Kami Nobunaga arrives

Saito Tatsuoki couldn't comprehend how a fortress could be built overnight. No matter how he imagined it, he couldn't accept such a reality. Yet, Sunomata Castle appeared before his eyes, so clearly and dignified that he had to believe it.

Actually, it didn't happen overnight. It took about thirty hours until the last door panel was erected and the iron cannon oar was straightened.

Not only was Saito Tatsuoki incapable of accepting this, but neither could his generals. Nagai Michitoshi thought to himself that he had fought thirty years of awful battles, from the Ashikaga Kanrei to the Toki Shugo. He had fought every one of them. He had been in and out of the Kiso River seven times, slaughtering countless enemies, but he had never seen anything like this.

Hineno Hiroshi and Hibino Shimono did the same thing, breathing heavily while looking at the rising Sunomata Castle.

How about another water attack?

That would have taken two days, right? Oda Nobunaga would have reached Sunomata two days later. And whether the artificially blocked water could have destroyed the already built Sunomata Castle was still unclear.

The sound of a cannon shot interrupted the Saito clan's thoughts. There were still cannon ashigaru inside Sunomata Castle. What could they do? The castle was defended by a hundred or two hundred men, armed with cannons and longbows, and it would be difficult to take it down today.

Calculating this, it's already 3:30 p.m., with sunset at 5:30. Reorganize the troops, reorganize the ranks, then cut bamboo, or if there's no bamboo at all, cut the shafts of the spears and tie them together to make long ladders. Holding bamboo bundles or shields, march in formation. Getting to battle by 5 a.m. is a big deal.

Everyone, can you get through Sunomata in half an hour?

Do you want to go, or should I?

Regardless, we have to attack now, whether we want to or not. The Oda army only arrived yesterday morning to build the castle, and they've been working all night and into today, so they're absolutely exhausted. We must seize Sunomata Castle while the Oda army is still struggling. Once Oda Nobunaga and his Owari standing army enter the castle, everything will be over.

Honestly, Saito Tatsuoki was quite decisive. He immediately pointed at the brothers Hineno Hironori and Morinori and ordered them to organize their forces, not attack the city yet, but to move the horse fences outside the city to clear the way for the subsequent attack.

It's just a horse-proof fence, so you can move it or burn it down. It's not a siege, and it doesn't require much skill. Just a little courage is enough.

Hineno Hiroshi didn't hesitate and agreed immediately, but his troops hadn't arrived yet. He needed at least three to five hundred men, some armed with bows and cannons to attack the city walls, and some to destroy the horse fences surrounding the city.

After waiting for a while and catching his breath, Hineno Hiroshi led his troops to attack Sumata.

At the same time, Saito Tatsuoki immediately ordered his attendants to deliver a message to the Mino Trio. The moment of life and death had arrived; mobilize three thousand men to Sunomata immediately.

Only by defeating Sunomata could they continue to dominate Western Mino and become local tyrants. If they could not defeat Sunomata, they would be reduced to the hands of Oda Nobunaga.

This autumn, when Oda Nobunaga has money and food, he will definitely attack Mino and try to seize Inabayama Castle. The first place to bear the brunt of the attack will be Ogaki Castle in Niino, which is your Ujiie Bokuzen.

These words are harsh, but they are indeed the reality. In the past, no matter how much internal strife there was in Mino, at least the meat was rotten in the pot of the Mino nobles themselves. Now that Oda Nobunaga has invaded, if everyone loses, they will only become fish on the chopping board of the Oda family.

Two orders were given, and a third followed.

Regardless of whether it is useful or not, we still have to send people to build a dam upstream of the Nagara River. We will not give up until we have flooded it once.

With the three orders issued, the Saito army, which had been sparsely dispersed all the way from Inabayama Castle, finally formed a complete force. The troops mobilized were all the Saito family's regular troops and the troops of Longxing's main supporters. Desertions were almost nonexistent. It was simply a matter of speed; they would all arrive sooner or later.

By the time everyone was almost there, Hiroshi Hineno was ready. He didn't need to send any archers. Those archers were shaking from running, so expecting them to draw their bows and release arrows was a bit too much. This was when the iron cannon became very useful. Although carrying a several-pound firewood stick was tiring, it was still better than drawing a bow.

Loading the ammunition is effortless, just fire it.

Dozens of arquebusiers, shielded by shields and bamboo bundles, arrived at the north bank of the Nagara River and began firing at Sunomata Castle, suppressing its firepower and facilitating the transport and destruction of the horse fences by Saito's troops below.

So brave!

Hosuka Koroku, who had already woken up, rubbed his aching back and asked where his teppo was. Seeing the teppo in Shichibei's hand, he quickly climbed onto the Himi-yaru, loaded the gunpowder, and fired in one go.

The lead bullet struck a Saito soldier carrying a horse fence, sending him sprawling to the ground. After all, the bullet hadn't hit his head, only his arm. He wouldn't die immediately, and he might even be able to recover and dig out the lead bullet and survive for several days.

However, the lead bullets of the era were made by women in samurai families, melting and dripping lead themselves. Unlike later bullets, they were not as strong. If they entered the human body, they would even shatter. And if the lead fragments were not handled properly, they would likely remain in the body, causing lead poisoning and ultimately death.

Of course, this was a worst-case scenario; the cannon's accuracy was limited. If the Saito soldiers hadn't been just outside the city wall, more than ten or twenty meters away, Hosuga Koroku might not have been able to hit them.

The sound of cannons also woke up Fujikichiro. More than ten cannon soldiers from the Hachisuka and Tsubouchi parties stepped out of the crowd, either climbing onto the Himi-turret or standing directly on the dog-walk, and began shooting at the Saito soldiers who were carrying horse fences outside the city.

Shichibei was also busy. There was only room for three people on the oars: Shichibei on the right, Hachisuka Koroku in the middle, and Fujikichiro on the left. The two held the shield, firmly protecting Hachisuka Koroku as he loaded the oars.

The Saito army below the city were no fools. Seeing a sharpshooter on the turret, they immediately dispatched five or six iron cannons and fired at the turret. When the lead bullets hit the shield, Shichibei felt a huge tremor in his arms and his body involuntarily wanted to fall backwards.

It was Fujikichiro who shouted at him to hold steady, alerting Shichibei. If Shichibei had let go, or given way, Hosuga Koroku, who was reloading, would have faced the enemy's cannon with his flesh and blood.

After hearing his shout, Shichibei actually felt his mind clear up a lot. Although it wasn't his first time on the battlefield, it was his first time facing direct combat. Another cannon shot passed by his ear, exciting the little hairs on Shichibei's ears to stand up.

With a soft snort, Hosuga Koroku turned and smiled at Shichibei. With five or six lead bullets in his mouth, he could only hum. But his eyes were resolute, a resoluteness that dared to face the battle head-on. This was the veteran, accustomed to life and death on the battlefield, able to face it all with equanimity.

As soon as he was ready, Shichibei and Fujikichiro turned around at the same time, moving the shield to the side and rear. Hosuka Koroku was quick-eyed and quick-handed, and shot at a Saito samurai wearing a hood.

As the gunshot rang out, the two men turned back and placed their shields in front of Xiaoliu. The shields slammed together, causing some pain in Shichibei's arm. But Shichibei and Tokichiro didn't care at this point. They just continued to concentrate and watched Xiaoliu reload.

Many members of the Hosuka and Tsubouchi factions in the city had slept for six or seven hours, which was enough for them. Seeing that there was little firepower on the city, they picked up their Maruki bows, stood on the dog-walks, and shot at the Saito army soldiers outside the city.

It doesn't matter whether you can hit the target or not; the key is the density of firepower.

Even some of the women of the Hosuka Party were as brave as any men, carrying arrows or delivering them to the soldiers, all standing behind the walls. In those days, people were battling the heavens and the earth, constantly struggling to stay alive.

In fact, they are more willing to live and die than ordinary people in the 21st century.

Maeno Nagayasu and Kinoshita Koichirō were also busy, loudly summoning warriors, armed with long and short spears, opening the city gates, and dozens of them gathered together. They shouted wildly and rushed forward as if to charge at the Saito iron artillery troops on the other side.

The Saito Teppo troops were immediately shocked and their morale was in chaos. In addition, after a long and fruitless battle, the Saito army, which had already lost several people, finally "retreated" at the shouting of Hineno Hironari.

Taking advantage of their retreat, Maeno Nagayasu called more people out of the city to put the horse-proof fences that had been pushed down and moved away back to their original places, and transported new horse-proof fences from the city to fill the damaged gaps.

As long as the intensity of the battle does not increase, the city will have enough resources to continuously repair the damaged fortifications and ensure that the enemy cannot attack the city walls directly.

The messy Saito army retreated, but Saito Ryuoki was still on his horse, waving his whip in the air.

"Nanabe, how do you feel?" Fujiyoshiro spat out a mouthful of blood and still smiled at Nanabe.

"You were shot?" Shichibei threw down his shield and looked around at Fujikichiro.

Only then did he notice a bloody streak on his right arm. It must have been grazed by the lead bullet, which didn't penetrate Fujikichiro's body. As long as it didn't penetrate, there wouldn't be a big problem.

"It's a small matter." Fujikichiro also dropped his shield and lowered the Himi-oar with one hand.

He found an arrow, placed the tip over the fire, and repeatedly roasted it until both sides were red hot. Then he thrust it directly into his injured arm. Shichibei, watching from the side, broke out in a sweat. This must have been painful. If it happened to him, he would probably die from the pain.

Looking at Fujikichiro's forehead, he was also sweating and his teeth were clenched. It was obvious that it was not so easy.

"Have a drink, have a drink quickly." Shichibei quickly raised a bottle of wine. There were no painkillers these days, so this was the only thing he could think of.

"Hmm..." Fujikichiro hummed randomly, threw the arrow on the ground, and started drinking.

Before the two could exchange any further words, the Saito army on the other side launched a second attack. This time, the Saito soldiers cut off the shafts of their spears and tied up ladders, clearly preparing to attack the city.

The wall was only two and a half meters high, and there was only one wall. If Shichibei were Saito Ryuoki, he would definitely give it a try. How could he give up without trying once?

A taiko drum was brought out from the Saito army on the north bank, and Saito Ryuoki personally beat the drum to encourage the troops to fight bravely and not to tarnish the reputation of their family that had dominated Mino for decades.

Clearly, those carrying the long ladders to attack the city were hatamoto and ashigaru, nurtured by the care and kindness of two generations of Ryuxing father and son, fed with Yongle Tongbao coins. With a unified cry, the troops charged from the north bank toward Sunomata Castle. Behind them, Ryuxing's drums roared like thunder, so fierce and impassioned that even the seven guards within the city felt the ground shake.

It was unknown what kind of reward Long Xing had promised, but dozens of sword-wielding foot soldiers did not avoid the arrows and cannons from the city walls. They roared in battle, broke through the horse fences, and climbed up the city walls.

The generals of the Hosuka and Tsubouchi factions, spears in hand, mounted their horses and slashed left and right, engaging the Saitoh troops. The Saitoh troops, despite their impressive presence, were, after all, standing troops, superior to the Kawabe no Yuzu in battle formation. In a battle where every sword drew blood and every spear pierced flesh, their patience was superior to the Kawabe no Yuzu's.

"It was I, Nishimura Kanjie Yu Zhonggui, who was the first to ascend the city!"

A Saito samurai, wielding a katana, swung his spears aside, then, stepping on wooden planks and ladders, led the charge into Sunamata Castle. Once the breach was opened, four or five Saito foot soldiers charged in.

The morale of Saito's army was greatly boosted, drums beat continuously on the north bank, and the second line of infantry formed up and prepared to break into Sunomata Castle.

Seeing someone charging in, Fujikichiro picked up a spear, called his attendants and family members to come, shouted, and fired a volley of spears without even announcing his name.

Nishimura Kanjie Yuduan was a skilled fighter, skilled in leaping and jumping, and could spot the city gate from outside. He had no desire to fight, nor to take heads, but simply rushed towards the gate, determined to open it for the following Saito army.

How could he let him do that so easily? In the blink of an eye, Fujikichiro fired a volley of shots, and Xiaoyilang immediately led his men to block the gap in the long ladder that several people had jumped in.

"Beat the drum!" Xiao Yilang, holding a knife, didn't care whether he was his brother-in-law or not, and roared at Shichibei.

"Ahhh..." Shichibei, who was still standing there, quickly responded and picked up the drumstick on the haystack.

Seeing the small drum on the wooden frame, it began to beat. Normally, the drum should not be watched by someone with limited strength like Shichibei, but in this situation, anyone with great strength would have to poke Saitobei on the wall.

Hearing the sound of their own drums gradually rising, all the gangs and people tried their best to muster up their courage to fight again. Fujiyoshiro finally defeated Nishimura Kankaiyu with his life, but two of his men, Ielai, fell beside him.

The sky gradually darkened, but the Saito army's offensive continued unabated. After all, they had already broken through the city defenses once. Perhaps with one more effort, they might be able to break through Sumata.

The shouts and cries of killing pierced through the last ray of setting sun. As the sun set, in the last ray of light, the long sound of a conch shell was heard.

Then, dozens of horsemen, carrying papaya-patterned banners and broadswords at their waists, appeared on the south bank of the Nagara River. Then came groups of long-armed foot soldiers, then bow-wielding foot soldiers, teppo foot soldiers, and rising foot soldiers.

As soon as the soldiers arrived, they started fighting. Dozens of Ma Kai soldiers came charging on the water, shouting that Owari no Kami Nobunaga had arrived.

52. I was rewarded together with Hideyoshi

Shichibei dropped his drumstick and bounded over to hug Koichirō, looking like a middle school girl from a Japanese anime. They didn't look the same, but they were tall.

Not long after, Fujiyoshiro also came over, and the three dwarfs hugged each other, like three cloves of garlic, which was pretty good.

It was pitch dark, and it was impossible to mobilize a large army for battle. Dozens of Oda clan flag bearers lit torches and guarded the north bank, with a guard every three steps and a sentry every five steps, forming a wall.

The gates of Sunomata Castle slowly opened. Nobunaga sat atop his horse, his slender figure dancing with a relaxed gait, occasionally humping his hips and lifting Nobunaga slightly on the horse. Bonfires were lit on both sides, and the simple walls still held a certain novelty in Nobunaga's eyes. How could it be so fast?

He wasn't the only one who thought so. The Oda clan warriors who had come with Nobunaga to Sunomata to provide assistance were equally astonished. Even Niwa Nagahide and Sakuma Nobumori, experts in fortification, found it hard to imagine.

Seeing Nobunaga, Fujikichiro, Shichibei and others immediately knelt down and saluted. Fujikichiro, in particular, had fulfilled his mission and built a castle for Nobunaga that could accommodate hundreds of foot soldiers.

"Fujikichiro, you did a great job!" Nobunaga was indeed generous with rewards and praise for his subordinates who were willing to work hard and get things done.

"I don't dare to take credit for it." Fujiyoshiro lowered his head even lower, as if he had returned to the time when he was leading Nobunaga's horse.

"What do you want? Whether it's money or things, just tell me." Nobunaga was obviously very happy.

Shibata Katsuie and Sakuma Nobumori had failed twice before, spending thousands of kan. Fujikichiro built the city without asking for a cent, so naturally he deserved a huge reward.

"This is Koroku from the Hosuka party, and this is Shoemon from the Tsubouchi party." Fujiyoshiro stood up and pulled Koroku from Hosuka and Nagayasu from Maeno in front of Nobunaga.

Let them both kneel down and pay their respects to Nobunaga immediately. As the Kawanamishu of the Kiso River, whether they can transform themselves into Nobunaga's retainers depends on this.

"uh-huh."

"They are willing to lead horses for you, my lord!" Fujiyoshiro's words were quite subtle. To put it bluntly, the two branches of Kawanami were willing to surrender to the Oda family and asked Nobunaga to accept them.

Under normal circumstances, if Nobunaga had marched into Mino, he would have severely suppressed and massacred the Kawanami clan, such as the Hachisuka and Tsubouchi clans, who refused to obey orders and pay taxes to their lords. However, since Fujikichiro had spoken on their behalf, Nobunaga certainly couldn't afford to give Fujikichiro a hard time.

"Hachisaka Koroku, Tsubouchi Masaemon, right? How much did you receive? Forget it, Kyuemon." Nobunaga tapped the foreheads of Hosuka Koroku and Maeno Nagayasu with his whip and got a clear look at the two men.

Sugaya Nagaya immediately ran up from behind, took out a pen and paper, and wrote on the haystack: "The Hosuka clan's cattle son has fifty villages and five hundred kan of land for security." Nobunaga glanced at the content and signed his name without a word.

Fifty villages were registered in Nobunaga's military service account, but only had five hundred kan. Is that reasonable?

It's outrageous, but that's Enrong.

Since only 500 kan of tax was required, the military service was only to be based on 500 kan. Key to this is that Nobunaga also recognized the Hosuka clan's exemption from all public service within their territory, leaving it to the Hosuka clan to decide at their discretion. In other words, he recognized the Hosuka clan's semi-independent status while simultaneously accepting Nobunaga's protection.

The same was true for the Tsubouchi Clan; their scope of support was vast, but their financial resources were low. Hosuga Koroku and Maeno Nagayasu were naturally grateful. They were merely small factions struggling during the chaotic Warring States period, and now, with such favorable terms, they could only feel moved to be able to take refuge under Nobunaga's wing.

"My Lord Nobunaga!" The two men quickly changed their address and repeatedly expressed their submission to Nobunaga.

"Fujikichiro, in recognition of Sumota's contribution to building the castle, I appoint you as the governor of Sumota Castle, attendant to the general, and in charge of the various factions in western Mino." Nobunaga tapped Fujikichiro's forehead with his whip again and spoke very quickly.

"Chengzhi!" Although he had expected it, Fujiyoshiro was still extremely excited.

It may be necessary to explain here that under the daimyo of the Japanese Warring States period, there was actually no clear distribution of status among the samurai generals, hatamoto generals, and ashigaru generals.

The Ashigaru general commanded the Ashigaru, the Hatamoto general commanded the Hatamoto, and the Samurai general commanded the Jisamurai and the military service. The reason why the Samurai general was considered superior was because the composition of the troops under the Samurai general was different.

He was more extensive, obtaining troops from the territories directly under the daimyo. The land servants of each village and the people who had sufficient military service were all under the command of the samurai general in times of war and organized into battle groups.

To facilitate command, the daimyo would naturally designate those within a certain area who shared a common accent and were familiar with each other. Based on this, the samurai general would serve as the daimyo's representative in the area, most likely serving as a county governor, county governor, or castle governor.