Owari Yumeki Golden Day

However, after Hideyoshi conquered the world, these envoys sent by Nobunaga were quickly recruited and turned into his retainers, which caused many misunderstandings.

Therefore, many later generations say that Oda Nobunaga was both the chairman and general manager, and that his subordinates were all professional managers, driven around by Nobunaga and constantly relocated. In fact, this description is quite vivid. After all, as a manager, apart from a small number of direct subordinates, the rest of the core team members were sent by the chairman.

Since the chairman is not dead, these people will of course follow his orders.

Back in the present day, neither Niwa Nagahide nor Hayashi Hidetada possessed the strength to command an army of more than a thousand men. The aforementioned Sakuma Nobumori was similarly incapable, commanding only 500 samurai, but any more than that would be questionable.

In this case, Nobunaga would have to lead the troops himself.

After hearing that Nobunaga would definitely lead the troops personally, Yamauchi Kazutoyo seemed to have received some great encouragement and was beaming with joy.

Wait, Shichibei suddenly thought of another possibility. Yamanouchi Kazutoyo, besides wanting to surrender to Nobunaga and gain merit for the Oda clan during the Inuyama campaign, might also want to regain his former territory.

Could he first surrender to Nobunaga, and then, after Nobunaga launched his attack on Inuyama, switch sides in the middle of the battle? This is a bit of a stretch; a ronin like him wouldn't have that much power. So, is it possible for him to attack Oda Nobunaga in the middle of the battle and kill him?

At this time, Nobunaga often took only three or five retainers with him to roam around the battlefield, understanding the terrain and enemy deployments. This was no longer a secret, and could even be considered the most normal thing.

While still in the start-up phase, I was like a young lady, hiding in the back and giving orders. That was just a joke.

When one's financial resources are limited, it is best not to lose a single battle. One should personally control the entire battlefield, and even charge to the front line in person when necessary, to ensure a complete strategy.

What if Nobunaga led his troops to the outskirts of Inuyama Castle, inspected the ronin's position, and then Yamanouchi Kazutoyo jumped up and stabbed him?

18. Xiaozhu Youxiong, the head of the chores

I have to report you!

Shichibei subconsciously felt this way, but then he thought, "It's up to you to kill him or not. If Oda Nobunaga is so easy to kill, then let him die. He wouldn't make a difference if he were killed by someone else."

Anyway, we didn't know about any assassination plan, we just met by chance and chatted. If we are held accountable, dozens of people in this wine house will be held accountable.

Closing his eyes, Shichibei pretended to be oblivious and chatted idly with Yamauchi Ichifeng. The two of them had finally eaten their fill and were now mindful of their samurai decorum. Luckily, they hadn't followed the example of the Eight Banners of the Qing dynasty next door, wiping their mouths with pigskin, or the hatamoto of Edo, who would go for a walk hungry with a toothpick in their mouth.

Since we'd never met before, a chat about current events would be fine. Friendships between previous generations were a matter of the previous generation, and had nothing to do with this one. Shichibei simply said he had to rush back to Tsushima overnight, and that was all he was going to do for the day. He asked the restaurant to prepare twenty bamboo leaf rice balls, and then he got up.

As for the rice balls, they were given to the servants and the recruited farmers. Shichibei would not care about the lives of his men just because he was full himself.

Yamauchi Ichifeng had also received the information he wanted to know. Seeing that Shichibei was about to leave, he quickly stood up and saw him off. He even expressed his gratitude and said that he would definitely help him if he needed him in the future.

What a joke! By the time you become successful, I'll be at least 40. Life is always uncertain these days. If I go to Kanezaki to transport grain, I won't be able to escape. I'll definitely be beheaded by the Asakura army as a military achievement. I'll see if I can live to that age.

When we got to the intersection, we saw two servants who had stopped a group of seven or eight people and were talking non-stop. They were simply trying to persuade them to join them in planting alfalfa and bargaining for prices.

Don't think that tenants don't have the right to bargain. Those without bargaining rights are simply poor peasants, with nothing but their lives. Other peasants who have many capable male members in their families can bargain, those who have a complete set of cattle harnesses at home can bargain, and even those who have wives and children who can be used to pay off debts can bargain.

It is one thing for the vast landlord class to oppress the peasants, but tenant farmers, as tools of production, can create wealth, and create wealth continuously.

It is one thing to suck the marrow out of someone's bones, but it is another to give them a chance to survive.

Japan itself has a proverb: an empty stomach only leads to complaints, but a hungry stomach makes people work hard.

If we suppress them too much, we will all perish together. The peasants were clearly gathered together, haggling over how to divide the harvest, how to perform the labor service, and whether or not to provide them with straw huts...

Finally, three households agreed, and Shichibei finally appeared. Two servants hurriedly called the three of them up to greet Shichibei, but he simply waved his hand, feigning a difficult, stern demeanor. After confirming the three households' terms with the servants, he unloaded the twenty rice balls from his bundle.

You guys can share it, and then we’ll be on our way after we finish eating.

There was no scrambling, everyone got one, and in the end, there were still two left. Shichibei didn't take any, but mounted his horse and set off. Following behind were adults carrying bags and children carrying baskets. Clothes, bedding, pots, pans, and other household possessions. As tattered as they were, no one was willing to just leave their belongings behind.

Unfortunately, they lacked oxen, mules, or horses for farming, which was probably why these three families were willing to follow them to Tsushima. With cattle and horses, they could quickly carry out agricultural production, but they would likely be intercepted midway. Only these already impoverished farmers were willing to go to the sandbar and plant alfalfa and barnyard grass for Shichibei.

Before leaving, a samurai rushed out from the castle. Shichibei had already brought five hundred bundles of alfalfa to Sakuma Nobumori. Nobumori, upon hearing this, praised Shichibei for his kindness and even sent him a small dachi. It was worth two or three hundred coins, so that was enough; it was just a courtesy.

When I opened it, I saw the inscription "Muramasa" on it. Oh, that means it's more than 200 coins, the price must be doubled.

Although Muramasa swords are not very valuable these days, the presence of a sword inscription is equivalent to brand assurance. Ise Muramasa swords and guns are branded weapons marketed in Tōkaidō.

But he gave us a small sword, so we'll have to send them alfalfa every year. Well, Nobumori can still carry Nobunaga's spear for a dozen more years, so let's just give it to him for now. We'll talk about it someday when Nobumori is exiled.

The rice paddies along the road were full of farmers harvesting rice. Agriculture in Japan is still quite extensive, with farmers essentially using bamboo to prop up elevated racks along the edge of the fields, and hanging the rice in bundles on top to dry. Once the rice is roughly dried, it's then sent for threshing.

Oh, I don't think I've seen any farmers in Owari using those wooden "winches" used for threshing. In my previous life, I saw a blogger named Lu Lei make one on Bilibili. It wasn't that difficult. But we're not here to improve productivity in Japan. If no one invents it, then no one will. Shichibei isn't a farmer anyway.

This really sounds like the words of an old guard who has no ambition to make progress.

Returning to Tsushima, it was almost dark, and Shichibei first settled the three farmers in the storeroom behind the stable. They would be sleeping in a straw hut anyway, so sleeping on horse feed wasn't a big deal; it just provided shelter from the wind and rain.

Just as he was about to close the door, Shichibei saw Xiaozhu coming back. He was here to reconcile the accounts, as usual. Shichibei was thinking of saying, "Just check with me; it's nothing difficult." Xiaozhu, however, was peeking around, and only when Ai emerged from the horse feed storage room at the back did he let out a delighted cry.

No, that's really not right. Shichibei is really sure this time.

After seeing Ai, Xiaozhu was naturally very happy and started to check the accounts. Shichibei pretended to be calm and fed the horse water, but in fact he was playing Overheard.

I listened here and there, and didn't think there was anything wrong with what they were talking about. But thinking back to my previous life, when I chatted with a pretty little girl, we only talked about random, boring and meaningless things, and I might not have said anything in two hours.

The main purpose is to chat, I feel happy when I can chat with my sister. I am young, so I don’t need to worry about so many things.

tsk...

After checking the accounts, Xiaozhu told Ai mysteriously that something great had happened in his family recently. Ai replied, "Oh, really?"

Wow, my sister is a “fishing type”.

Xiaozhu was also a young virgin, and after being teased by Ai, he spilled the beans. It turned out that his brother had been promoted from a fellow foot soldier to the head of Nobunaga's menial work.

Although the so-called errand boy was only responsible for washing and leading Nobunaga's horses and doing some miscellaneous chores, this job allowed him to stay in front of Nobunaga for a long time.

Always stay in front of the leader, no matter whether you have made any contribution or not, at least the leader will remember your hard work. If you have made any contribution, you will be promoted quickly.

So what's your brother's name?

19. Sure enough, it’s not the Kinoshita family

Shichibei's first reaction was whether it was possible that your brother's name was Kinoshita Tokichiro, because Kinoshita Tokichiro once served as the head of Oda Nobunaga's menial work.

In fact, Shichibei was also ignorant. At this time, Kinoshita Tokichirō had already served as the leader of Nobunaga's 100-man foot soldier group. Although he was not a famous minister or general, he had at least entered the category of middle-level samurai.

Besides, Xiaozhu in front of him is only fifteen years old. At this age, it doesn't match at all.

As expected, Kotake's brother is called Sukeemon. How should I put it? It's a very ordinary name that can't arouse any associations in Shichibei.

So your family doesn't have a surname? Yes, no one does. But according to Xiaozhu, his brother is now a serious warrior, so if nothing unexpected happens, he will have a surname for himself.

According to Japanese naming habits, their village is called Inase Village, so his brother should be named Inase Sukeemon.

Very good, a name Shichibei had never heard of. It was absolutely impossible for him to be a future daimyo, and whether he was a daimyo or not was unknown.

Or there is another possibility that Nobunaga became a barbecue vendor in Honnoji Temple, so not even the family name was passed down.

"Alright," Shichibei turned back to feeding the horses, letting Kotake and Ai chat over there. "There's no point in trying to stop them. With our family's situation, I'm afraid we won't be able to marry into a wealthy family with a million koku. We can only look for a lesser-known daimyo among the common people, like Fukushima Masanori? Kato Kiyomasa? Mizoguchi Hidekatsu? Or Hori Hidemasa?"

You can't dream of getting rich overnight.

With the end of the autumn harvest, the final battle between Komaki Castle and Inuyama Castle for the entire Owari officially began.

As expected, Nobunaga sent another letter to Tsushima Town, requesting the Tsushima people to raise arrows, saltpeter, lead ingots, swords, guns, mules and horses for Nobunaga.

The letter issued by Hotta Uma soon appeared in Shichibei's hands. Nobunaga would hire all the usable horses of the Kawamura family according to the current horse price to assist the Tsushima people in transporting supplies to Komakiyama.

Perhaps the main reason why my cheap father was only given a very meager military service was that whenever the Oda army went to war, the Kawamura family had to be conscripted and was completely unable to take care of other ordinary business.

This loss is compensated by lower military service.

Probably. Because the second crop of alfalfa on the sandbar is about to be harvested, Shichibei is a little worried. He's asking the remaining family members on Tsushima to pay attention and start harvesting and storing as soon as possible. This crop's yield is bound to be lower than the previous one, so don't rush to sell it. Wait until Shichibei observes the battlefield on Komakiyama for a few days before discussing it.

The war might last a long time, and Nobunaga needs horse feed urgently, so he can sell it for more money.

It is absolutely not a coincidence. When Shichibei, the commander-in-chief, led the military supplies of the Tsushima clan to Komakiyama, the boss Ito sent Kotake out. His main job was to carry three iron cannons sold in Kishu.

A humble monk like him truly did the hard work of running errands. Iron cannons were still considered valuable commodities, so it was perfectly normal to assign someone to carry them on their backs. The price of a single iron cannon far exceeded the various people sold at the Naoetsu job market.

When they reached the foot of Komakiyama Castle, Nobunaga had indeed already mustered his troops. They stretched across the mountains and plains, stretching as far as the eye could see. Counting from Nobunaga down to the grooms, there must have been four or five thousand men.

The camping tents surrounding the castle town of Komakiyama Castle are clustered together and are the troops brought by the various lords, slightly separated from the foot soldiers and small surnames directly under Nobunaga.

In addition, the aforementioned ronin were also employed by Nobunaga this time, with at least 300 of them being assigned to different positions. For example, Kinoshita Tokichirō and his brother Kinoshita Koichirō were reinforced with over 30 foot soldiers and ronin, along with five horses.

This was clearly written on the document when Shichibei saw Murai Sadakatsu transferring military equipment from the castle. This time, I really got a clear look at the future Yamato Grand Minister Kinoshita Koichirō. He's quite good, just a little taller than me.

The only thing that Shichibei didn't expect was that Kotake called Kinoshita Koichiro "Brother Koichiro" very affectionately.

Later, I asked, and found out that Kotake's family and Kinoshita Koichirō's lived in the village next door. They were just separated by a small ditch. Furthermore, both Kotake's father and Koichirō's father had served as foot soldiers for Oda Nobuhide.

Otherwise, his brother would not have been able to serve as Nobunaga's errand boy. He was not from Owari, Oda, or the lower four counties, and he was not even qualified to warm Oda Nobunaga's straw sandals.

So you know Kinoshita Koichirō...

This can be regarded as an interlude, because after Kinoshita Koichirō received the more than 30 soldiers and five horses assigned by Nobunaga to his brother, he was ordered to lead a force of about 300 people to cross the Kiso River to the north bank to block the reinforcements of Mino Saito Tatsuoki.

As long as Oda Nobumasa was defeated, Nobunaga would not be able to fully attack Mino. Although Saito Tatsuoki was a "young lord", he was definitely not a fool. The principle of "lips and teeth are cold" was clear to him, and he would definitely send troops to rescue Oda Nobumasa.

Inuyama Castle was on the south bank of the Kiso River, and the Mino soldiers had to cross the river to provide support. Kinoshita Tokichirō was ordered to stop the Mino army and prevent them from crossing the river.

If Mino really sent several thousand men, Kinoshita Tokichiro's 300 or so men would definitely not be enough, but at least they could serve as a warning and buy time for Nobunaga to divide his forces.

However, in the Inuyama Guide, no anecdotes about the historical Kinoshita Tokichirō appear.

It turned out that he was sent to fight reinforcements, but the Mino soldiers probably did not arrive, so he did not gain any military merits and no records were left.

By the way, why did Kinoshita Tokichirō have 300 men under his command? He, several of his early retainers, the thirty or so soldiers Nobunaga had sent as reinforcements, plus the 100 foot soldiers originally assigned to him, making a total of about 150 men. The other 150 men were horsemen, young men, flag bearers, small porters, etc.

Because he was delivering supplies to the Tsushima clan with Murai Sadakatsu, Shichibei didn't leave to see what Kinoshita Tokichirō looked like. It wasn't a big deal; they'd meet sooner or later.

"Nanabe, you will follow Kyuuemon into the army, do you understand?" After counting and putting away all kinds of supplies, Sadakatsu Murai assigned Nanabe to an acquaintance.

"I understand." The packhorse that had put down the lead ingots and saltpeter now pulled up food and arrows.

Lead ingots and saltpeter should have been prepared at the foot of Komakiyama Castle before being delivered to Nobunaga's direct arquebusiers. I wonder what happened to those Christian townspeople who came to the castle last month, and whether they were able to fire their arquebusiers.

20. Watching the Battle of Inuyama Castle

In the previous few months, Nobunaga had successively conquered the various branches of Inuyama Castle, whether through negotiation or assault. Inuyama was now an isolated castle, with Oda Nobumasa fighting a desperate battle.

Komakiyama is only a dozen kilometers from Inuyama Castle, so it wouldn't take much time to walk. It was only because Nobunaga mobilized an army of several thousand men that Shichibei and Kato Nobunaga from neighboring Atsuta were needed. If they had marched out in the morning and returned to the castle in the evening, there would have been no need for horse training.

Let's set up camp. Inuyama Castle is a flat mountain castle, or to put it more bluntly, the outer city was built on flat ground, and the inner city and the palace were built on a hill with an altitude of about 40 meters.

Without a castle tower, Oda Nobumasa was relatively poor, that's all.

At that time, the palace was only two stories high, overlooking the land on both sides of the Kiso River. Due to its proximity to the river, the castle was actually surrounded by "precipices" on both sides, making it quite difficult to attack in a sense.

Construction began during the time of Nobuyasu, Nobumasa's father. The outer maru, nestled at the foot of the hill, featured not only a water moat but also a steeply sloped earthen rampart. The main maru even had a stone wall for enhanced defense.

The outer gate at the foot of the hill was equipped with a folding gate and four turrets. In terms of siege, it was probably Nobunaga's first fortified castle since his debut.

how to spell?

If you ask Shichibei, he doesn't know either. Anyway, we weren't eligible to attend Oda Nobunaga's military council. Many people didn't attend, like Shibata Katsuie. Because Shibata was still in the cold by Nobunaga, and with so much manpower available, there was no hope for him to return.

Ikeda Terumasa and Sakuma Nobumori, currently the most prominent members of the Oda clan, led the military meeting. Mori Yoshinari was also present, and it was unclear whether Attack No. 3 Zuo would be the first to attack the city.

Oda Nobumasa in the city naturally would not sit and wait for death. He quickly lowered a bamboo basket from the cliff, sent the people out of the city, and asked for help from Saito Tatsuoki in Mino.

Interception was a must, but Saito Tatsuoki was no fool. He would have mobilized the army as soon as Nobunaga sent his troops. However, he was slower than Nobunaga in mobilizing troops. Nobunaga had a large number of troops under his direct command, and only needed the cooperation of some of his retainers and lords to send troops.

The Saito clan in Mino was different, as the power of the local lords was quite strong, especially his father Isshiki Yoshitatsu who had used the power of the local lords to kill Saito Dosan. This allowed the local lords in Mino to further expand their power, making it difficult to get rid of them.

Now that Longxing wants to send troops, he has to notify the people one by one and gather them at Inabayama Castle. It may take at least a week, and this is still an ideal situation.

Can Xinqing hold on?

Shichibei, who was watching almost as a bystander, was very calm. There was no need for us to climb the city wall like ants, and there was no need for us to attack the city gate. We just had to watch the show from the back.

That night, unwilling to accept defeat, Oda Nobumasa launched a surprise attack from the city. However, Nobunaga was well prepared and showed no mercy, engaging in a chaotic battle with Nobumasa, who was fired upon. The attack failed, and Nobumasa lost thirty or forty elite soldiers.

There were only a few hundred people left in the city, and now they lost thirty or forty elite soldiers. It was no doubt a serious blow.

After walking around the city several times, Nobunaga immediately ordered the archers and cannon soldiers to provide cover for the ronin, and the ronin took the lead in attacking the city gates and turrets.

At this point, Shichibei finally had something to do. He would unpack the rice tape he had brought with him, fill it with dirt or grass, and then tie bamboo around the tape to form a bamboo bundle. This bundle would serve as a shield and be given to the ashigaru going out in front.

It was only natural for logistics personnel to do this; no one would be allowed to eat for free on the battlefield. Even Xiaozhu, who had delivered the iron cannon to Mr. Ito, had been packed up and taken into the army by Nobunaga. Now he was holding a bundle of bamboo and chopping it with a small axe.

There was no guarantee that he would be his brother-in-law in the future, so Shichibei showed some compassion and asked Xiaozhu to tie the bamboos properly while he went to split the bamboo petals.

Sugaya Nagaya, the leader of Shichibei and the other koraku, stood with his arms crossed, gazing at the battlefield. Although he was a magistrate, a magistrate was also a samurai, and it was difficult to get promoted without military merit.

"Nanabe, are you done?"

"Okay, okay, that's it." The bamboo bundle is a consumable item, used on site, that's it.

"Look!" Xiao Zhu, who was holding a bundle of bamboo and handing it to the younger person who came to carry it, pointed at the battlefield and shouted.