Owari Yumeki Golden Day

So what did Nobunaga see in Shichibei?

After being tested by Ito, Shichibei was somewhat bewildered. He hadn't demonstrated any remarkable abilities, nor did he possess a powerful group of retainers worthy of Nobunaga's enlistment. So why had Nobunaga sent Shichibei to form a group of retainers?

This is exactly what happens when you've been a minister for a long time. You've always been speculating about the thoughts of your superiors, without ever considering your attitude towards your subordinates.

Nobunaga had no shortage of brave and murderous generals, even Shibata Katsuie was hidden away by him for several years. Maeda Toshiie was known as the "Spear of the Left" and was a very powerful warrior. Nobunaga told him to leave without any mercy.

Others like Mori Yoshinari, Sasa Narimasa, and Sakai Masanari were all brave and strong warriors, all willing to fight for Nobunaga. Warriors willing to be bound by loyalty, granted knowledge and action, and won over were always numerous during the Warring States Period.

In this case, the selection criteria will be further refined from simply being brave and able to kill people to whether this person is in accordance with my will, that is, my will, Oda Nobunaga. (Acting in sync with me)

This was the case with Kinoshita Hideyoshi, whose martial arts skills were mediocre and he could hardly be called a pig samurai. However, he took Nobunaga's cause as his own responsibility and completely revolved around Nobunaga.

So Nobunaga's requirements became more specific, evolving to include not only being able to follow my lead and firmly execute my plan, but also having a deep-seated belief in my success. They wanted someone who would serve and work for me, Oda Nobunaga, with a vibrant and energetic attitude and a constantly striving spirit (thinking in tune with me).

As it happens, Shichibei not only firmly believes that Nobunaga can succeed, but is also (for the time being, without a good employer) willing to devote himself wholeheartedly to Nobunaga's infinite cause, leaving no energy behind, and giving it his all.

The two men discussed this for a while, but came to no conclusion. Boss Ito patted Shichibei on the shoulder and suggested that the two families keep in touch more often and not become estranged. As for the Tsushima-machi yakuza issue, since Nobunaga had informed them in advance, it might not be a big deal. If Shichibei were to take it again in the future, it would definitely be offensive.

In the future, this matter should be discussed with Mr. Ito in advance. Mr. Ito is the leader of the Tsushima water transport industry, and all Tsushima merchants need him. As long as the monopoly granted by Nobunaga is still there, he will not care about anything else.

As for the arrow money, Ito, the boss, came forward to collect it. Shichibei, galloping before Nobunaga, would be grateful if he could help pass on the message and speak for him.

Oh?

Needless to say, Shichibei's tone was full of twists and turns. Boss Ito wasn't pretending either. He was already a businessman, so there was no room for improvement. Unless he brought the Ito family and his men, armed with cannons and spears, to Sunomata to face off against Saito Ryuoki.

With military merit, he could be promoted to the rank of samurai general of the Oda clan. However, not everyone dared to fight in war. Rather than force it, it was better to maintain his current wealth.

For example, Shichibei didn't dare to go to the battlefield, and went to fight other families in the wild. Last time, it was Saito Tatsuoki who was blind and insisted on attacking the city when it was almost dark, so he was forced to participate.

After a little thought, Shichibei felt that this could be done.

Of course, a leader would want his secretary to keep his mouth shut, but Shichibei wasn't a secretary, just someone who could have a few words in front of Nobunaga. So, there was no question of whether the leader was taboo or not. All Ito wanted was to maintain his monopoly on the shipping industry.

If we let him monopolize the market now, there will not be any major changes in the business order of the Tsushima people.

What if Shichibei, with Nobunaga's support, annexed the entire Tsushima clan? He would bring all the merchants, retainers, associates, and apprentices of the Tsushima clan under the umbrella of the Kawamura family?

If you want to become big, you need people. Instead of targeting samurai and ronin, it's better to target the Tsushima people. As long as the situation develops fast enough, this day may come.

Five hundred and seventy kan were delivered to Shichibei's hands, without even requiring his subordinates to come and collect them one by one. This time, the money was collected at an unprecedented speed.

He instructed several servants of equal strength to add the 30 kan of Shichibei's money and send the 600 kan of copper coins to Komakiyama. Shichibei's duties for the season were now over, and the collection of the annual tribute would be done after the autumn harvest.

In Owari, the annual tribute was collected in the form of money and rice, and summer wheat was not needed. Summer wheat was only used by Matsudaira Ieyasu as a stepping stone for his lifelong frugality. I wonder if Matsudaira Ieyasu has already started to eat barley rice with 70% rice and 30% wheat.

So the official business ends here and I can take a holiday.

Well, within a day of the holiday, the few retainers who had taken their money to Mount Komaki sent someone back to inform Shichibei. Nobunaga was planning a major battle, one involving 30,000 to 50,000 men, so he hired Shichibei with 300 pack horses to accompany the army north to fight.

This year's military service was completed last year when Shibata Katsuie was building the castle, so this year everyone is hired as mercenaries, and will be paid double the price for horses when going to the battlefield. Assemble quickly.

Oh no, there was nothing Nobunaga could do about it, Shichibei was also a hard worker. But this time was different from the previous expeditions, Shichibei didn't need to bring all the shop assistants with him, he just needed to bring the twenty servants sent by Nobunaga and their servants, and organize more than thirty shop assistants, and a packhorse team could be organized.

Nobunaga was serious this time, gathering over 16,000 men, ready to crush Ryusei to death. Horses pulled carts, oxen carried provisions, and the entire procession of carts and small pack animals stretched for a kilometer.

In the past, Murai Sadakatsu and Sugaya Nagayari had been in charge of the small carts, but this time Murai Sadakatsu accompanied Nobunaga as his right-hand man, while Sugaya Nagayari was to go to the Kiso River to build three floating bridges. So, Nobunaga unhesitatingly handed the small carts to Shichibei, along with 200 oxen and 700 to 800 mobilized civilians known as small firemen.

Okay, okay, that's how Nobunaga is. Since he has decided to use you, he will use you to the best of his ability. Although the supporting reward measures are generally in place, the KPI is also very strict.

Freight transportation was Shichibei's specialty, so he was not in a hurry. Moreover, along the road to Zhongnan, there were post stations, wells and warehouses built by himself, which was not a waste at all.

Although it was a bit of a rush to be a temporary porter, I was able to arrange things properly and avoid making mistakes.

Following Nobunaga jogging all the way, little did he know that Nobunaga was not targeting forces that might be easily shaken, such as Ogaki Castle and the Nishimino Three, but was heading for the small triangle alliance in Nakano.

These three families, Nagai Michitoshi of Kanjo Castle, Sato Tadayoshi of Kajita Castle, and Kishi Nobushu of Dodo Castle, were the pillars of the Saito clan in Nakanosuke. Nagai Michitoshi, in particular, was Ryusuke's great-uncle and a loyal and devoted ally. Unless these three groups were defeated, Ryusuke would have no chance of a comeback.

How to fight? Shichibei asked Kinoshita Hideyoshi, who had brought 800 men to join the battle, in a low voice. Hideyoshi was very secretive and only said, "Just watch."

Turning back to look at Sakuma Nobumori, Nobumori waved at Shichibei and asked him what he had seen. Shichibei saw nothing. How could these three cities be taken so easily?

In fact, it was not difficult. Sato Tadanori's retainer Umemura Yoshizawa crossed the Kiso River at night to surrender to Nobunaga and was willing to hand over Kajita Castle, the middle of the three cities, to Nobunaga. Nobunaga was very happy and immediately expressed his intention to reward Sato Tadanori with 4,389 kan.

The words resonated like thunder in everyone's ears. Four thousand four hundred kan—truly a stratospheric reward. Where did Nobunaga get so much money?

Nobunaga was no fool, and he was actually promising Sato Tadanori that if the war was won, Sato Tadanori would be allowed to collect the retaliation from the three counties of Mino Mugi, Kamo, and Gujo.

That is, a portion of the total value of the land in the three counties was collected at one time as a temporary tax on each piece of land. This kind of money was an extremely violent tax levied by the victors on the losers' territories in order to prevent the land from being confiscated.

This amount of money is really huge, so much that it makes people unable to open their eyes. But it is also very difficult to get it. Looking at the location, you can tell that these three counties are the three core counties of Zhongnan ruled by the Saito family. Unless you kill Long Xing, you will not get this money.

61. The boss laughed at my absurd strategy

When Umemura Ryoze heard the number 4,400 kan, his eyes were filled with surprise and disbelief. But after realizing that the money was the counterfeit money of the three counties, he finally showed a look of hesitation.

If you definitely want it, it is hard to say when the money can be put into place.

The point is that even if Nobunaga took control of Mino in the future, Sato Tadashi could successfully collect the money under the pressure of Nobunaga's sword. He would have basically completely broken with the local powerful families in the three counties and would have no choice but to follow Nobunaga to the end, regardless of life or death.

Nobunaga could of course guess what Umemura Ryoze was thinking, and he didn't force Umemura to agree immediately, but only asked him to go back and report to Sato Tadanori. His promise was valid for a long time, as long as Sato Tadanori turned his back on the enemy and surrendered with courtesy.

After taking control of Minong, he would definitely need a few local tyrants to help him rule. It didn't matter who he chose, he would definitely choose the one who jumped out first and joined him.

Now Shichibei understood that Nobunaga had been colluding with Sato Tadayoshi for a long time, which was why he chose to go to Inuyama to attack Nakano.

I'll go to Sumata for you to attack Seino. Ogaki Castle is a strong fortress. Historically, when Ishida Mitsunari fought at the Battle of Sekigahara, Ogaki Castle was the rallying point. However, the castle was not large enough to accommodate the entire army.

As for Tono? There was no need to fight Tono, as Nobunaga's uncle, Toyama Keito, had already taken the lead in joining Nobunaga.

"As for a battle, it's better to avoid it if possible. Spending money on negotiation is better than losing lives." Sakuma Nobumori said this sincerely, asking Shichibei if he understood now.

"Thank you for your advice." Shichibei nodded of course.

In this chaotic age, morality, justice, and integrity are all things that can be discarded at will. As Judge Sasaki said, integrity is a taboo on the battlefield.

Everyone has a price that suits him. If Sato Tadanori could receive 4,400 kan on the spot, he would probably sell Saito Ryuoki today.

He hesitated only because Nobunaga wanted to tie him to the Oda army's chariot and force him to become a villain in Mino. But Shichibei was certain that Sato Tadanori's hesitation would only last a day or two in the face of such a large sum of money. He was already about to betray Ryusei, so what if he offended all the powerful families in the three counties for this money?

"But four thousand four hundred kan is really a lot..." Sakuma Nobumori sighed.

"It's almost a sky-high price." That's right, I have never seen such a large amount of money in my life.

"Okay, go and do your own thing." Waving to Shichibei, Nobumori Sakuma left on his own.

Now that they had crossed the Kiso River and entered Nakanō, they had entered enemy territory. As Nobunaga's retainer, Sakuma Nobumori was now required to inspect all the camps and fill gaps for Nobunaga, in order to prevent a surprise attack or raid by Ryusei.

What can I do? I'm responsible for bringing Nobunaga's military supplies and weapons over here, that's all. Speaking of which, to protect the logistics from surprise attacks, the military supplies and weapons are now stored in Inuyama Castle. The lord of Inuyama Castle has been replaced by Nobunaga's brother, Ikeda Terumasa. A retreat like this needs to be guarded by a brother who feeds you.

Nobunaga and Ikeda Terumasa had a good relationship, but Terumasa's abilities seemed to be slightly lacking. During Nobunaga's lifetime, he failed to independently ascend to the rank of military commander, climbing even slower than Takigawa Ikmasu.

It should be noted that after Nobunaga conquered Mino, he almost immediately went to Kyoto, and in a short period of time, his territory expanded to over 2 million koku. At this time, Ikeda Terumasa was already the 10,000 kan daimyo of Inuyama and a prominent figure in the Oda clan.

However, his development was very slow after that. It was not until the Koshu Campaign that he was granted 120,000 koku of land in Osaka, Amagasaki, and Hyogo as the governor of Settsu and Kinai. After supporting Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi increased his land in Mino by 130,000 koku.

Xiaomu Changjiang used all his strength to kill everyone and died.

This person's position in the Oda Group is probably that he is loyal but lacks ability, but he is a role that Nobunaga can trust to take care of his hometown and support.

"It's great to have money..." Seeing Nobumori leaving, Hideyoshi came over.

"You also want to fight such a rich war?" Shichibei could guess what Hideyoshi was thinking.

"Who wouldn't want to?" Hideyoshi also admitted it frankly. If he had 4,400 kan, he might have persuaded Ujiie Bokuzen to bring Ogaki Castle to surrender to Nobunaga.

Everyone has a price tag. For loved ones, friends, and brothers, just add money.

"What a pity, I don't have any money." Shichibei is just a public figure, and his family is just like that.

"You will have it." Hideyoshi's answer surprised Shichibei.

I don't think so, what do you think? Turning to look at Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi was still bald, but his eyes were quite pure, and quite encouraging.

"Lend your auspicious words."

"One day I will become the master of a country and a city. Then you will be my business leader, and I will hand over all the business rights and towns to you to run." Hideyoshi actually painted a pie in the sky for Shichibei.

"Okay, okay, you're a general with 500 guan (approximately 500 guan), and I'm a county magistrate with 260 guan (approximately 200 guan). What the hell are we talking about here as the master of a country or a city? You're living in a dream, brother."

"Does your brother drink so much during the day?" Shichibei turned away from Hideyoshi and asked Hidenaga who was following behind Hideyoshi.

"Hehe, I didn't drink, didn't drink..." Xiuchang saw his brother-in-law, bowed his head and greeted him, while explaining for his brother.

"I thought I drank three bottles, hahaha." Let's go, Nobunaga began to arrange the attack on Dodo, Seki and Kajita, and we have to be careful.

(It's quite strange. Looking at the national county map from 1828 (the 11th year of the Edo period), Mino Province still had Seki Castle and Kajita Village. But after the castle was abandoned, not even a settlement remained at Dodo Castle. Looking at the national county map from 1828 (the 11th year of the Edo period), Seki had become Seki-machi, and Kajita Village had further declined into a sub-village group within the village. Perhaps the rumors about Nobunaga burning Dodo Castle and causing mass casualties were true.)

Military affairs were important. Speaking of this, Hideyoshi stopped pretending and making empty promises, and immediately set off to sort out camp affairs. Shichibei was a little freer, so he just followed Nobunaga's main camp and waited for instructions.

Several of Nobunaga's foot soldiers led their own foot soldiers, along with the younger generals, who protected Nobunaga in the center. These troops formed Nobunaga's standing army, and Nobunaga was responsible for providing their armaments. When it came time to fight, they had to be armored, and Nobunaga also helped transport and equip their bows, arrows, and cannons.

Specifically, Shichibei distributed the weapons from the Komakiyama Castle arsenal to these foot soldiers according to Nobunaga's distribution.

They were all future figures of some note, including Mori Hideyori, son of the former Owari shugo Sasaki Yoshitsugu, and Kanemori Nagachika. Once Nobunaga conquered Mino and formed a larger group of hatamoto Akame-shu, they would all be promoted to the ranks of the Akame-shu for their meritorious service.

Everyone was quite polite when they saw Shichibei coming to deliver the weapons and rice. This wasn't the kind of politeness you show when you've just met someone, but the kind of politeness that comes from flattering someone because you know they'll be useful to their superiors.

They all worked for Nobunaga and were accomplices in the same group, so of course this would happen.

Shichibei, a small-time trader, was quite sensitive to these emotions, but he didn't find it strange. People revolve around power and wealth, and wealth revolves around power. Ultimately, everyone revolves around power.

In this case, Shichibei, who stood on the edge of power, could certainly gain a lot of goodwill. Those who appeared in Shichibei's world were now all good people, and each one was very friendly.

When Nobunaga returned to his main camp, the military meeting of his senior officials should have been over, and Nobunaga was pondering over the map.

The three castles of Seki, Kajita, and Dodo are approximately 25 cho (2500 meters) apart, forming an equilateral triangle. Attacking any one castle may lead to the other two castles coming to the rescue.

Even though Nobunaga had 15,000 to 16,000 men, if all three cities were surrounded and on guard, each city could only support around 5,000 men. Right now, Long Xing's main force hadn't appeared yet, and if 5,000 men were suddenly attacked by Long Xing, chaos would ensue.

If Sato Tadanobu surrenders, it will be easier to defeat him, but we must also be prepared for him not to surrender.

"Nanabe? Have the cannons of each team been distributed?" Nobunaga raised his head and saw that it was Nanabe, then continued to look down at the map and think hard.

"The distribution has been completed. Lead bullets, matchlocks and gunpowder have also been distributed according to three-day rations." Shichibei knelt on one knee to report to Nobunaga.

"The Tsushima arrow money was collected very quickly last time." Nobunaga praised casually, probably wanting Shichibei to leave.

"I am terrified." The seven soldiers stuck out their buttocks and prepared to leave.

"You sit down." Nobunaga did not let Qibingwei go, and asked Qibingwei to sit at the end.

There was no other way, so Shichibei could only sit down. The shogunate was quite quiet, with only the sound of Nobunaga's knuckles tapping on the wooden boards. After a few knocks, Nobunaga pushed the map aside and looked at Shichibei.

"What are you thinking?"

"Ah?" Shichibei was just sitting and waiting, not thinking about anything else.

"I know you don't know much about military affairs, but there is no one around now, so you can tell me." Nobunaga was probably tired, so he wanted to hear a joke.

"If the Kajida clan can communicate with us, then I think we should not let him be executed immediately." There was no other way, Shichibei could only tell his own joke to Nobunaga.

Once Sato Tadanori was informed, Nobunaga immediately accepted the plan and agreed with him that the Oda army would pretend to attack the city and he would lure the father and son, Kishi Nobufusa and Kishi Nobufusa, two of Mino's most formidable generals, as well as Nagai Michitoshi, a staunch supporter of Ryūshū.

It would be fine to trick the enemy into coming in person or to trick their troops into coming. When they arrived in Kajita, Nobunaga would attack, and Sato Tadanori would also attack, thus pincer attacking these two forces in the Nakano region that supported Ryuxing the most.

As long as these two troops can be completely wiped out, the defensive capabilities of Guancheng and Tangdongcheng will be greatly reduced, and it is even possible that they will lose their defensive capabilities directly.

Of course, this plan has a huge loophole, that is, what if Saito Ryuki is lured here?

Nagai Michitori Kagishi Nobushu could mobilize at most 2,000 men (some would have to stay behind to guard the castle). Nobunaga had 15,000 to 16,000 men, plus the Kajita clan, so they could easily defeat the reinforcements and capture them in one battle.

But what if he were to lure in the 5,000 or 6,000 men of Ryūshō's main force, plus the 4,000 or 5,000 men of the Nishiminō Triad? Not only would he not be able to completely defeat the Saito army, he might also lose the battle, leaving Nobunaga with a broken heart for a hundred days.

"Go on." Nobunaga listened to Shichibei's muttering without making any clear statement, just listening quietly.

"So we need to divide the troops, 10,000 people will go to Xinong and 6,000 people will stay in Zhongnong." Everyone can talk about military strategy on paper.

If 10,000 men were sent to attack Ogaki Castle, the Nishimino trio would be completely unable to deploy troops. Long Xing's main force would also hesitate, deciding whether to rescue Ogaki Castle or Kajita Castle.

In order to create a time difference and bet that Nagai Michitoshi and Kishi Nobushu were truly loyal and willing to risk their lives for the Saito family, they sent troops to rescue Kajita Castle first.

By then, 6,000 people plus more than 1,000 people from the Jitian clan will be able to defeat more than 2,000 reinforcements. If we lose, Nobunaga, you will have to kill yourself.

This bet was also quite convincing. Because the Nishimino Trio and Ryusei had basically formed an awkward relationship of obeying orders but not orders, if Ogaki Castle was attacked by Nobunaga, would Ujiie Bokuzen surrender?

Logically speaking, Ujiie Bokuzen should not surrender. The reason has been mentioned above. The three Nishimino people are semi-independent people in the Saito family. They will not get better treatment if they surrender to Nobunaga.

Realistically speaking, Nagai Michitoshi and Kishi Nobushu were both die-hard supporters, but the Nishi Mino trio might not be. If Nobunaga himself appeared at the gates of Ogaki Castle, and the main attack was directed towards Ogaki, then Ryūsei would most likely run to save Ogaki, leaving Kajita to defend.

At that time, Nagai Michitoshi and Kishi Nobushu would definitely send troops to rescue Kajita Castle based on the principle of "the lips and teeth are cold".

I have finished expressing my opinion.

Nobunaga held up his whip and kept banging on the table. After a while, he started laughing. Alas, as expected, this PPT was not done well, and the boss started laughing at me in front of my colleagues.