Owari Yumeki Golden Day

Hey, brother, at least give me a lantern. It's so dark, it's not even spring yet, and the wind is so strong. There's not even a light. I'm really afraid I'll fall to my death in the moat halfway.

"I'll find you a lantern." Nobunaga, who had already walked to the door, suddenly turned around and said something, perhaps because what Shichibei was thinking was discovered.

"Yes." Shichibei quickly patted his butt and stood up.

There was a young man guarding the door. When the two men came out, they immediately responded. Nobunaga asked for a lantern, and the young man got up and ran outside. Not long after, he ran back from outside, holding a bamboo lantern in his hand.

Nobunaga took it and took a look. The candle inside was freshly lit and was enough for Shichibei to walk to the city. Then he handed it to Shichibei.

"Let's go." Nobunaga seemed to want to follow Shichibei to the city gate.

There was no other way, Shichibei quickly took two steps, passing Nobunaga by half his body, and had to bend down a little to light the way for Nobunaga's feet.

"You made candles for those mountain monkeys in Kai, but we in Owari don't have any special products to develop?" Nobunaga said this out of the blue.

Do you still hold grudges?

"Of course there is, but I don't have the money." When talking about this, Shichibei can talk about it without hesitation.

Take the simplest example, the oil-paper umbrella. Mino produces mulberry paper, and the upper reaches of the Kiso River have suitable bamboo and wood. What was lacking was simply an opportunity for development.

Umbrellas naturally have a market, and it's not small. Oil-paper umbrellas can be made anywhere, but Minong is unique in that it combines paper, bamboo, and tung oil, making them a truly unique product.

Owari is located in Ise Bay. The simplest way to do this is to recycle the shellfish we catch every year. Don't throw them away. Choose the ones that are the right shape and size and grind them into Go pieces.

Maybe some people think this thing is too troublesome. How many people buy it throughout the year?

Hey, trouble means more labor, and therefore higher added value. These days, there's no poor Go player. As a handicraft, isn't high added value and a high premium desirable?

Just like those Japanese tea sets, are they really worth hundreds or thousands of kan? Not necessarily. It's because the tea ceremony became popular among samurai, giving tea sets a sufficient social class premium.

Those who cannot afford Go will never buy it in their lifetime. Those who can afford Go will accept a higher price.

A little more expensive, that's a profit, right? Besides, the materials used are locally available in Owari, so there's no chance of being strangled by other countries.

"Really, really..." Shichibei said casually. They had just reached the city gate, but Nobunaga was still sighing there.

"I'll take my leave." Seeing that the young man who followed him was carrying a lantern, Shichibei could go home with peace of mind.

"Come again tomorrow night!" Nobunaga clapped his hands and gave orders to Shichibei.

Including the foot soldiers and foot soldiers guarding the city gate, as well as the young men holding lanterns, they all heard Nobunaga's instructions very clearly. They all looked at Shichibei, this, this, this...

They all saw Shichibei being summoned to the castle after dark, and they also knew that Shichibei and Nobunaga had been alone for a long time. Especially Xiao Xing, who was guarding the door and heard the sound of the tatami mats moving.

No way, no way, no way...

81. Investigate local specialties

Nobunaga and Shichibei didn't think anything of it. After all, Tokugawa Nobuyasu was there during the day, and Nobunaga had to meet his good son-in-law. Only after dinner in the evening did he have some time to discuss the important matters of the "Oyakata" with Shichibei.

For Nobunaga, having a close relative who could greatly reduce his ruling costs and increase his military efficiency was truly a matter of paramount importance. If we haven't finished discussing this tonight, we'll definitely continue tomorrow.

Shichibei was even more direct, anticipating that Nobunaga was asking about the future development of Kawamuraya. Since both of them had already begun to manage the annual tribute rice, how to raise funds was the most urgent matter.

No money? If you don't have money, what's the point of hanging around here?

Therefore, the two of them parted very easily at the city gate, without noticing the subtle psychological changes of the gatekeepers and others, and they went to bed without saying anything.

That same day, Shichibei had to mobilize seventy pack horses for Tokugawa Nobuyasu, who was still enjoying the hospitality of his kind father-in-law and wouldn't leave Komaki Castle for the next few days. So Shichibei had Yoshinari Inase make a special trip to Mikawa, as this business was indeed quite important.

As it is an order from the Lord of Sanhe, it is okay to pay more attention to it.

It is likely that the stable will be moved to Okazaki Castle and Yoshida Castle in the future. Now, by establishing a friendly relationship with the Tokugawa family and starting to deal with them, it can be regarded as making preparations for the future.

There is certainly no problem in relying on Nobunaga's invisible hand to forcibly layout and monopolize the market, but it is also right for us to cultivate the market ourselves and build good relations between government and business.

It's unknown how many horses Takeda Shingen will be able to sell this year. The Takeda clan is plotting an attack on the Imagawa clan, and they'll likely need all the money they can get. Many powerful clans in Suruga, including hereditary retainers of the Imagawa clan, were defeated by Kai's silver bullet offensive.

With such a large amount of money being spent, how could Shingen afford it without making some extra money?

War is indeed about money.

With this thought in mind, Shichibei immediately ordered a servant to go to Oku-Mikawa to find Nobutsugu Yonekura. He had to make some preparations in advance. This year, Nobunaga would be attacking Inabayama Castle, and the military force he would mobilize would undoubtedly be far greater than ever before. Haruhiko hoped the Takeda clan would sell him a few more horses. Money wasn't a problem; horses were a popular commodity during the Warring States Period.

Takeda Shingen wouldn't care about pack horses or riding horses; they'd surely be everywhere on Koshin's pastures and in the mountains. It would be great if we could get a few more war horses; they're not only popular, but also one of the best gifts these days, especially among the samurai. Perhaps in a few months, when Shichibei builds a horse stallion in Okazaki, he'll have to give Ieyasu a warhorse.

The servant left as ordered, and someone also delivered the price of the horse that Oda Nobunaga paid to his good son-in-law Nobuyasu.

The Takeda clan's current price for pack horses was a constant two kan, five hundred mon, while the price for riding horses varied from three to six kan, depending mainly on shoulder height. After all, longer legs meant faster runners, and a more majestic riding horse was easier to ride. War horses were each priced individually, a price mutually agreed upon by both parties.

Last year, Shichibei made over a thousand kan (approximately 1,000 kan) from this horse trade alone. Owari doesn't produce horses, so monopolizing the business is a real bonus, making easy money.

After finishing these two things during the day, Qibingwei looked at the time and rushed to the city alone at night.

I've touched dozens of horses today, and they smelled bad, so Shichibei took a bath before coming here and changed into clean clothes. It's New Year's, isn't it? You should always have new clothes.

The two foot soldiers guarding the gate couldn't help swallowing their saliva when they saw Shichibei washed himself clean and changed into fresh clothes before going up to the city wall.

Silently, he squeezed his buttocks together and opened the small gate to let Qibingwei in. I won't say what he was thinking in his heart, but at least on the surface, it was a compliment.

It's not the first time that Shichibei has been flattered, and some people even offered bribes to him. Naturally, we wouldn't think it was inappropriate, as we were going to meet Nobunaga.

The sword-carrying guards at the Qianqing Gate escorted the Grand Councilor to the Qianlong Emperor's audience, and were much more respectful than the two foot soldiers. Of course, when the cap was removed, the expression would change.

into town.

At least Shichibei's butt saw the two foot soldiers bending down and bowing, and only raised their heads when their butts disappeared.

"Sit, sit, sit." Seeing that it was Shichibei who came in, Nobunaga was waving his broken fan again, entertaining himself and looking quite happy.

Perhaps if he had the opportunity to entertain Ashikaga Yoshiaki, Nobunaga would hold a folding fan and dance in women's clothing in front of the new shogun of the Muromachi shogunate.

I hope we don't miss this unique opportunity. I only regret that Shichibei was born a few years too late. If I could participate in the Battle of Okehazama, I would be able to see the cross-dressing Nobunaga.

There are not many people in the world who are qualified to ask Nobunaga to dance in women's clothing.

"My lord, you have such a refined taste." Qibingwei sat in the corner very obediently and saw a young man holding a small hand drum.

They must have just finished a song and are taking a break now.

"Do you know Dengaku?" Nobunaga probably learned some literature and art when he was a child, and there is too little entertainment these days, so he needs to cultivate some literary and artistic interests and hobbies for himself.

Just like Asakura Yoshikage mentioned earlier, he was a versatile and artistic talent who had dabbled in a variety of subjects and performed them with considerable skill. He was even proficient in the Ogasawara-ryu archery technique and was able to perform on stage.

Perhaps if Asakura Yoshikage had not become a great name but a cultural figure, leaving behind some tea sets, calligraphy, paintings, and poetry, he would have been even more famous in later generations of Japan.

Ask Japanese high school students, and few will know anything about Asakura Yoshikage based solely on their history textbooks. But if Asakura Yoshikage's family treasures were exhibited daily at the Tokyo Museum, at least students could get a glimpse of them during spring and autumn outings.

There are few Japanese students who don’t know the Kinkakuji Temple, right?

"When I was young, I was herding and washing horses." When Shichibei was young, he was only fit to pick up horse manure. How could he have the spare money to learn literature and art?

"You need to learn some literary arts." Nobunaga was tired of dancing, so he sat down with a plop, picked up something and took a sip.

Nobunaga's suggestion was sound, as samurai tea ceremony culture flourished during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. While rulers certainly needed to hype up cultural symbols to enhance their value and use them in samurai interactions, more importantly, the rural bumpkins were becoming aristocrats, and they needed to improve their appearance.

No matter what era, the most particular about etiquette are always the so-called "new rich." Look at the most typical old rich, student Puyi, who is sewing his own clothes.

Forget it, my Qing Dynasty is dead.jpg

Painting, calligraphy, and poetry were already practiced by a group of people during the Higashiyama Cultural Period of the Muromachi shogunate. Back then, tea ceremony was not valuable, and paintings that captured grand scenes or focused on the subtle details of flowers and birds were highly sought after.

Following the example of the superiors, being rewarded with a famous painting is more valuable than getting a manor.

Isn't it very similar? Takigawa Ieyasu did not want the huge territory of Ueno as a reward, but wanted the pearly eggplants that Nobunaga treasured.

They all have some tricks, but it must be said that the tea ceremony will indeed become popular among samurai in the future. If you want to socialize in the future, it would be good to learn the tea ceremony.

The pottery kilns on the Chita Peninsula will soon begin mass-producing tea vases, flower pots, and other ceramics. This tradition likely originated with the tea ceremony promoted by powerful military families like Nobunaga.

In addition to various tea sets, the tea ceremony also requires a "flower vase," which is a small vase with a plum blossom or lily of the valley in it. Its main function is to create a quiet and fragrant atmosphere, with everyone enjoying a flower and a cup of tea, creating a high-end atmosphere.

Of course, Hideyoshi later held the Kitano Grand Tea Ceremony, which formed a more magnificent and lively style of "tea ceremony", which is another matter. The tea ceremony also has schools and different styles.

"Tea ceremony or something like that?" Now that's what we're talking about.

"What?" Nobunaga had no interest in the records of tea ceremony at the moment and was still a country bumpkin.

"Just like the chess pieces we talked about yesterday, Chita's pottery kiln should also create tea utensils." Shichibei just talked a lot.

The Chita Peninsula was the territory of Nobunaga's brother-in-law, Saji Nobukata. Relying on the Saji navy, Saji Nobukata blocked the passage between Ise Bay and Suruga Bay. Once the Kansen ships stopped, which of the returning ships dared not pay the toll?

Now Nobunaga has not yet obtained the support of the Kuki navy. The only naval force under his command is the Saji navy, so he must make great efforts to win it over.

Saji Nobukata was a pure Ichimonshu within the Oda clan. His son, currently registered in the Oda clan's branch account, is called Oda Kumagorō. While this was also one of Nobunaga's tactics to expand Ichimonshu, it's undeniable that the Oda clan was actively trying to win over Saji.

In this case, if Shichibei wants to intervene in the production and management of pottery kilns on the Chita Peninsula, it is not something he can do by just talking.

At least Nobunaga had to nod his head, and he had to explain things clearly and reach an agreement with Nobukata Saji, so that Tokoname ware could become famous in the future and become an important production base for tea ceremony utensils.

"Doesn't their family make shochu bottles and water jars?" Nobunaga thought for a moment, recalling the products of the pottery kilns.

In fact, Tokoname ware had everything at that time, and ceramics had to rely on water transportation to be sent to other places. However, since Owari and the nearby Mikawa River were connected, it didn't matter. It could be carried by manpower and delivered to various places in Owari and Mikawa in one day.

Therefore, ceramics in both countries were extremely cheap, and even poor farmers had plenty of water jars, bowls, and rice jars. Even if they were broken, most people wouldn't mind, and would buy them for a small fortune.

Even those ceramics that were deformed during firing were directly smashed and discarded. If someone was willing to take them away, it would save the kiln owners the trouble of disposing of them.

"If you can make a sake bottle, can't you make a teapot and a tea bowl?" Shichibei thought that Nobunaga's brain was not very smart today and he was even confused while singing.

"Oh, right, right, right..." Nobunaga came back to his senses in the blink of an eye, clapping his hands repeatedly with the folding fan.

“If we can start brewing in advance and ask famous tea experts to comment on it, we may become famous soon.” Shichibei continued.

In fact, it would have been better to wait two years for Nobunaga to conquer Kyoto. Once he became the most powerful figure in Kyoto, his preferences would be what everyone else should like. Understanding and studying the preferences of leaders is a principle that has remained constant throughout history.

At that time, there will be no need for comments from Tsuda Soki or Sen Soi. Nobunaga can just say that he thinks Tokoname ware is better. Let's see if Sen Soi will follow suit and flatter him, and let's see if Imai Sohisa will take advantage of the situation.

By then, all of these people will have to spend hundreds or even thousands of kan to buy Tokoname ware tea bowls, teapots, and vases.

It’s just that Nobunaga has not yet risen and is still a country bumpkin, so he still needs these famous tea connoisseurs to taste his tea carefully.

"Hmm..." Nobunaga took a moment to comprehend what Shichibei meant.

The only problem was that the pottery kilns in Chita were all owned by someone else. If Nobunaga could only earn a small amount of money from the kiln owners, then all the effort would be completely unworthy. The big profits would ultimately end up in the pockets of Saji Nobukata.

At the moment, Nobunaga did not have the status and strong military force to overshadow the Saji family, and he even had to rely on Saji Nobunaga for the navy.

"If the lord finds this inappropriate, he should arrange for proper personnel to investigate village by village, learn about the local products and crafts, and seek out products that can be developed. Reward skilled farmers and townspeople and give them official titles."

"You're right." Nobunaga immediately agreed.

Although it is really too advanced to say that the power of the masses is infinite, there is no problem in making good use of the people's power and discovering wealth from the people.

How much money can you get from the people if you try your best? Besides, the people nowadays have so much martial virtue. If you extort too much, all the generals, all the gods and shrines will be destroyed.

Everyone was using their weapons, swords, and clubs to speak. Who didn't have two weapons? Qi Tongwei had a sniper rifle; look how anxious Secretary Sha was. The peasants had cannons; let's see if the deputies who went to the countryside dared to kill them. That night, they were definitely shot.

Rather than exploiting farmers, it is better to engage in handicrafts. Not to mention now, even until the Edo period, Japan was still a pure importing country, with nothing here and nothing there.

Even the printing capacity was insufficient and the quality was poor, so they had to import Chinese books from the neighboring Ming Dynasty. If you didn't have something in Japan, then importing it would be fine. But if Japan did have it, they had to continue importing it, because they couldn't meet market demand.

However, Shichibei couldn't handle this alone, as he came from a family of imperial merchants. If he just asked, everyone would know what he was up to. Someone else had to be sent to inquire and find out. This way, they wouldn't attract undue attention and would be able to organize the team to start the work later.

Nobunaga, who had been thinking of asking Shichibei to go, accepted the advice and immediately said that he would arrange for someone else to do the job. Now Shichibei started saving money and preparing to take charge of the annual tribute rice.

No problem, it's just 5,000 kan. We're not the same as we were before, so if we work hard, we can definitely squeeze out that much money. Once we sell Mira in Sakai, we'll see the money coming in immediately.

82. Half and Half Trick

Tokugawa Nobuyasu, who lived in Komakiyama Castle, was not blind. He and Gomi Hiraiwa Shinkichi saw it clearly. These seven soldiers visited Nobunaga in the middle of the night many times, and the two of them held talks for a long time.

Did Nobunaga rely on this to select talents?

Impossible, absolutely impossible. If that's the case, then who can't select talent? It's just that I don't know what Shichibei and Nobunaga talked about at night, which is a pity.

In the past few days, Tokugawa Nobuyasu socialized with many samurai of the Oda family, met important officials such as Niwa Nagahide and Shibata Katsuie, and went hunting with generals of the Umakai clan such as Maeda Toshiie and Sassa Narimasa.

I don't think they have any special qualities. They are just normal warriors, either brave or smart, but they definitely don't show any extraordinary qualities.

In fact, this is what Tokugawa Nobuyasu did not understand. Not to mention the small country of Japan, just talk about the neighboring Daiming. There have been many cases in history where the talents of a county or even a township are enough to rule the entire empire.

It can even be said that this was the case in most dynasties. If we force a connection, even Zhao Kuangyin, who was crowned emperor, relied on the talents of a single street to unify the country.

Just tell me, do these military generals, including Zhao Pu and others, live in several districts in Kaifeng?

As for the Peixian Men's Group and the Huaixi Men's Group, they are both examples of talents from a single county conquering the world.

Can even the Jinyang Wugong Group and the Six Garrisons Xianbei Military Group be described so simply?

As for talent, the saying goes that gold will always shine, but that's bullshit. If you just cover it with a dirty rag, the gold will never shine again.

Only when you reach a platform where you can perform can gold have a chance to shine. A cowherd, a minor county official, a dog butcher, or even a poor beggar living in 2024 is 100% doomed to eternal damnation.