Owari Yumeki Golden Day

I've already harvested the second crop of alfalfa, and I was originally planning to keep it and sell some to Nobunaga. Now, I'm going to take it to Komakiyama Castle and sell as much as I can. Winter is coming, and the samurai down there will definitely need to stock up on fodder for their war horses. Once I sell the alfalfa, I'll have enough money to buy horses.

Our own straw huts and storage buildings along the shore are now completely packed, leaving no room for more dry materials. Things are moving so fast that all our original plans have been overturned. We have to start all over again, or rather, put them aside for now and wait until after the New Year.

The only good news is that the two acres of safflower on the sandbar have already been planted. Whether they succeed or not will be determined next spring. If they do, Shichibei will take out a loan to build dikes for several hundred acres, then properly cultivate the soil and build ridges, and make a killing.

"Nanabe? Nanabe. Nanabe, you seldom come to the city to serve." Niwa Nagahide sat in front of Nanabe and looked at the man in front of him very seriously.

"Yes, I am not from a family of military descent." Shichibei came to Komakiyama again.

Besides bringing in the second crop of alfalfa to sell, he also had to assist Niwa Nagahide. Nobunaga's next attack was towards Mino, so the most important task at hand was to repair the streets and bridges from Komakiyama to Mino.

Previously, Shichibei had estimated that Nobunaga would take advantage of the victory to attack Mino, but Nobunaga not only held back, but also immediately withdrew his troops, mobilized the people in the territory who were idle in winter, and started a general conscription.

"What's the difference between martial arts and non-martial arts these days..." Niwa Nagahide just smiled and didn't care about the so-called samurai identity.

Indeed, these days, shrines have their own zhixing, temples have their own zhixing, merchants have their own zhixing, nobles have their own zhixing, even retired and famous old men have pensions, and beautiful widows at home have their own dressing supplies. If a war really breaks out, will all these people be dragged into it?

Some of the female members of the family would need three to five thousand stones of dressing materials. You can't just let them produce a team of nun soldiers like in a game, with some special skills for you to use.

War certainly requires a total mobilization of the entire nation, but it's not a matter of life and death, where everyone is exhausted and their lives are at stake. Who would drag all these people onto the battlefield? Wasn't the Dotonbori in Osaka excavated by Yasui Doton, a transport merchant in Osaka? Only when the Toyotomi family was at their wit's end did they call in their men to fight the Tokugawa clan together.

The broad definition of samurai is so vague, it's no wonder that Niwa Nagahide doesn't care.

"Then I need to be responsible?" Shichibei came to serve his duty, but Nobunaga said a few words and showed off before leaving, leaving a bump on Shichibei's forehead.

There's no other way. I can only ask Niwa Nagahide specifically. You are Nobunaga's adopted son-in-law, and I will listen to your orders.

"Set up a post station every mile and store enough fodder for fifty horses to eat for five days." Shichibei probably doesn't know how to build roads, so Niwa Nagahide lets Shichibei do his old job.

"It's a small thing."

"How much horse grass did you bring from Tsushima? Is it enough to supplement the horse's fodder?"

"If you need anything from the Imperial Household, I will definitely prepare it for you." As long as Nobunaga gives you money, I will give you all the dry food I have reserved for my own horses.

"Let's go." Niwa Nagahide tapped his folding fan, took Shichibei with him, and started walking towards the city.

Things cannot be accomplished in a day or two, so Shichibei and several other people who came with him to carry out the mission temporarily stayed at Niwa Nagahide's house to help him prepare the post road.

Nobunaga's main attack direction against Mino was in the Nakano area, intending to break the connection between Seino and Tono by attacking Nakano, and then divide and disintegrate them, weakening Saito Tatsuoki's strength.

Mino was also a prosperous agricultural province. During the Toki clan's time, it was a powerful vassal state capable of swaying world affairs. Compared to Owari, Mino was no less powerful. Had a powerful and well-organized daimyo arrived, it's doubtful Nobunaga would have dared to attack Mino.

It is because Mino is now ruled by a young ruler, with a weak ruler and strong ministers, that Nobunaga decided to focus his attack on Mino. If you say Nobunaga is confident now and thinks he can unify Japan, that's pure joking and a bit presumptuous.

Let's wait until he conquers Mino Province before considering unifying Kinai. Right now, the main goal is to conquer Mino. The street we need to prepare is the one from Owari to Mino.

To be more precise, or to be more arbitrary, it is mainly the streets and bridges leading to the Nakano Sumota area.

Well, the place where the legendary Sunomata Ichijo Castle is located.

By this time, Nobunaga had already established a foothold in Nakano, on the north bank of the Kiso River. After defeating the Imagawa army at Okehazama, Nobunaga turned his attention to Mino. If Oda Nobumasa had not rebelled against Nobunaga, he would have likely reached Inabayama Castle by now.

As long as Nobunaga controlled Sunomata, Ogaki Castle in Nishino would face Nobunaga's offensive. Furthermore, Nobunaga's control would extend to the Nagara River (Sumonata River), providing the Oda domain, originally on the front line, with ample cover on the north bank of the Kiso River, allowing them to camp and fight, providing Nobunaga with food and manpower.

Seeing Nobunaga's majestic power, the lord of Ogaki Castle, Ujiie Bokuzen, would probably be greatly shaken.

Okay, that’s all for later. How to build a pontoon bridge on the Kiso River? How to keep the pontoon bridge under the premise that Saito’s army may appear at any time on the north bank, and how to set up post stations and fortresses?

When Shichibei heard this, he closed his eyes. "This is your business, samurai. I'm here to build a stable. Why are you asking me? If I had the ability to kill people on the battlefield and do civil administration, building cities and fortifications, what would I need you, Niwa Nagahide, for?"

It is me who should marry Oda Nobunaga's adopted daughter. In the future, it will be your turn to be the daimyo of the Niwa family with a million koku in Wakasa.

"Nanabe? Nanabe?" No one knew what Niwa Nagahide was thinking. If it were someone else, they would just ignore it if they saw that Nanabe didn't answer.

But he was different, as if he had to ask Shichibei for an answer. Even if Shichibei closed his eyes and pretended to be dead?

"There are established procedures for preparations, and you'll understand how to win over the Kiso River's Kawanami clan and the Hosuga clan. With the Kawanami clan's approval, boats and crews familiar with the waters will be readily available. The floating bridge can be completed in a day or two at most."

"What about the fortress and post station on the north bank?" Niwa Nagahide nodded slightly.

"Hire the Anata clan of Jiangzhou or the Feita clan of Nizhou to construct the palisade, and hire the people of Niwa County to dig the trench. Working simultaneously, it will be completed in three to five days at most."

The so-called Xue Taizhong and Fei Taizhong are both modern construction groups. They can be thought of as a guild organization with a long history. Xue Taizhong excels in stonework, while Fei Taizhong excels in carpentry. Being skilled is one thing, but in fact, they could easily take over the construction of an entire city.

Hire these skilled construction workers, tell them how big a fort to build, and they will calculate the required materials and labor in a short time. Then they can prepare it themselves, or the employer can prepare it according to the requirements, and they will provide the labor.

On-site construction followed a well-established and orderly process. Farmers from Owari Niwa County were conscripted to dig a three-meter-wide, two-meter-deep trench. Water was diverted when available, and sharpened bamboo poles were inserted when water was unavailable. Open spaces of 100 to 200 tsubo (approximately 200 tsubo) were set aside in the center, depending on the area's needs.

If we work together, it will only take three to five days to build a simple fort, which can also be equipped with horse sheds, granaries, wells and arrow towers.

"Don't you consider the issue of guards?" Niwa Nagahide asked immediately.

"Inabayama Castle is about five and a half miles away from Inuyama. It will take the army at least half a day to march quickly." Shichibei found a branch by the road.

Five and a half miles a day is about 21 kilometers. If a soldier in full armor runs 21 kilometers, assuming he has enough energy left for fighting in other places, would it be considered fast to complete the distance in five hours?

Considering the widespread malnutrition among Japanese people these days, this time needs to be extended. In other words, to ensure that the soldiers have sufficient physical strength to fight by the time they reach the north bank of the Kiso River, if I were Saito Tatsuoki, I would divide this journey into two parts.

On the first day, they covered most of the distance, rested halfway, and set out early the next day, covering about three to five kilometers before arriving at the site and attacking the city being built.

That is to say, it takes two days and one night to launch an attack.

By this calculation, it would have taken three to five hours for someone to discover the Oda fortifications and quickly notify Saito Tatsuoki. Saito Tatsuoki was incredibly decisive and wasted no time, immediately mobilizing the Saito clan's foot soldiers without waiting for support from the local lords, which would have taken at least half a day.

Why? Because you want to steam the rice balls fresh, right? The ashigaru's armor and weapons are stored in the castle's armory and need to be distributed and worn. Bows and cannons need to be counted and assigned, and the quantities of arrows, gunpowder, and projectiles also need to be calculated.

Most of the soldiers were night blind and could not march that night. In other words, the Saito army needed one day and one night to prepare.

Adding the two together, under the most perfect conditions, it would take the Saito army three days and two nights to reach the north bank of the Kiso River, and they could only bring a few hundred regular ashigaru, not a large army attack.

With this much time, can't you, Niwa Nagahide, even build a fort of 100 or 200 pings?

I still say that, you don't have this ability, Nobunaga should really marry his adopted daughter to me.

Niwa Nagahide watched Shichibei list out items one by one on the ground, analyzing them in detail and making a thorough plan, and realized that Shichibei was really a person who was very good at calculations and planning.

Before this, he received orders from Nobunaga, who casually suggested that he examine the abilities of the horse-master Shichibei. After annexing the Inuyama Oda clan, he would immediately need to attack Nakanoh.

Nobunaga needed the exceptionally brave and powerful Pig Warrior, but he also needed people to handle a series of civil affairs such as land surveys, castle construction, and tax collection. The Oda family's retainers were very weak, so promoting talents from the four counties of Owari, Oda, and Shimo became a top priority.

The hereditary retainer Kawamura Shichibei Nagakichi, mentioned as a suitable candidate, was a perfect match. With his 60 kan of shogunate, Shichibei could support seven or eight families. As long as Shichibei looked presentable, along with the retainers and shop assistants of the Kawamura family, he could establish the framework for governing a county.

There is no need to learn calculation and writing, and you can start working on the same day.

"I heard that your father participated in the battle at Azuki-zaka?" Niwa Nagahide came back to his senses and confirmed again.

"Ah, he was seriously injured. God won't give him long enough." Shichibei's adoptive father had been dead for nine years. Why mention him again?

"He is truly the descendant of a loyal retainer." Niwa Nagahide praised repeatedly. A hereditary retainer and a descendant of a loyal retainer, he is simply perfect.

"All for the sake of serving the emperor!" Nobuhide's cultivation, personal performance.

23. The highest level of the horse transmission system

According to Shichibei's understanding, the road from Owari to Nakano should have a post station every li, or about four kilometers. Each post station should be staffed by at least five horses and have buildings that can shelter two to three hundred people from the rain and cold during the journey.

Building horse pens and stables is the specialty of Shichibei and several other families. They know exactly how long and wide the stable should be, and how much space a horse should have to move around.

In addition to alfalfa, horses also needed to be fed barnyard grass or beans, bran, and salt. While alfalfa was fine for normal meals, when delivering urgent messages and requiring a day or two of frantic running, the horses needed to be fed at night. Without it, the horses would lose weight, develop malaria, and eventually lose their power, forcing them to be slaughtered for meat.

Most importantly, post stations were located near rivers or near accessible wells. Horses kept free-range, eating fresh grass, might consume less water. However, if they were constantly on guard duty or ridden into battle, even 50 liters a day would be considered a minimum.

Therefore, the post station had to be near a river or a well. Without water, horses, like people, would die. And horses might die faster than people.

There is a saying that if horses were not of great military significance to humans, and were left to survive in the wild, all wild horses would become extinct in a few thousand years.

So precious.

Furthermore, Japanese horses are not shod. In wartime or when riding, horseshoes are often used, which are essentially slip-on sandals woven from cattail or rice straw. These slip-on sandals are a necessity that consumes quickly, and even post stations must have them on hand. A horse's shoe might wear out after just two or three runs, requiring immediate replacement.

Alas, horse hooves are also very precious. If the layer of cuticle is worn out, or if some small stones are embedded in them, the horse may stumble.

If a horse's hoof is broken, it is effectively useless. Not only is it difficult to heal, but even if it is healed, the horse will suffer psychological trauma and will be afraid to run fast.

In the end, they were sent to the evil non-human beings and killed and eaten.

"Does the Imperial Palace have a stable source of horses?" After saying so much, Shichibei was thirsty, but the post station would not work without horses.

"Not yet, but there will be one soon." Niwa Nagahide asked, and Shichibei answered seriously. But when Shichibei asked, Niwa Nagahide was very perfunctory.

"The resources for the military and the country, the taxes and transport, what they are used for and what they are needed for must be carefully examined." Okay, if you don't want to tell me, then forget it. Anyway, I have to fulfill my duty of giving advice.

Shichibei was a retainer of Oda Nobunaga, so he had to fulfill his duties as a retainer. Death was out of the question, but if his remonstration was successful, his duties would be fulfilled.

"Have you also read "History of Song Dynasty"? " Niwa Nagahide and Shichibei finished their tour and started walking back.

"It's not a complete chapter. I only glanced at a few of them." Shichibei didn't dare to brag.

I did read the complete "Annals of the Years Since Jianyan" and "Chronicles of the History of the Song Dynasty," but I was young at the time and didn't seek to fully understand what I read, so I just skimmed through them. Later, when I read "History of the Southern Ming Dynasty," I read it in some detail, and while I was reading, my blood pressure got so high that I almost fainted.

What's the point of reading history? Either you want to rebel or you want to jump off a building.

"Tsk tsk tsk, really..." Niwa Nagahide stopped talking after that, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

The two of them rode on horseback, their speed at best being only eight kilometers per hour. Almost a day had passed in their round trip. When they returned to Niwa Nagahide's house, his servants had already prepared food and wine.

I wasn't in the mood for alcohol; I'd rather have a bowl of miso soup. Niwa Nagahide, however, was in high spirits, asking about Shichibei's family. He was surprised to learn that Shichibei had five younger sisters, none of whom were betrothed.

Your dad is pretty good at kung fu.

Indeed, Shichibei was convinced of this, as he had two younger sisters who died young. This meant his adopted father had created eight children, which was quite impressive, even in this day and age.

If Shichibei knew about Niwa Nagahide's achievements, he probably wouldn't brag about his cheap father. Niwa Nagahide fathered fourteen children in his fifty years. He'd essentially been working hard his entire adult life. In his final years, he battled not only cholecystitis but also possible lymphoma. If you consider the timing, he'd be carrying a child year after year.

That's all in the past. Even though he's 28 now, he doesn't actually have any children. Nobunaga's adopted daughter married him last year. He's only just started building up his 14 victories.

People like Niwa Nagajo and Niwa Nagamasa still have a chance to survive.

After dinner, Shichibei prepared to go back to his room and lie down on the bed. He must be tired after running around all day. He had to get up early the next day, so he soaked his feet and wiped his face before going to bed.

But Niwa Nagahide refused to let Shichibei leave, and actually ordered someone to light the lamps. Not oil lamps, but candles, and several of them. With eight or ten sen per candle, the cost of a short chat between the two of them could easily have been equivalent to two or three days' wages for a laborer.

Seeing this scene, Shichibei had no choice but to sit down. Niwa Nagahide did not rush to talk about things, but first brought a cup of tea and asked Shichibei to rinse his mouth.

Ok?

When you treat others with courtesy, you must ask for something.

What was he asking for? He wanted Shichibei to share his thoughts on the Minami-Omi Rokkaku clan's horse-transmitting system, as well as the supporting road network and post station setup.

Nobunaga's primary goal was to facilitate his advance toward Mino, and he began preparing the road from Owari to Nakano. To ensure the rapid transmission of military intelligence, he also planned to establish post stations along this route. His primary purpose was military, with little regard for civilian benefits.

In contrast, the already well-developed horse-transmitting system in Minami-Omi not only greatly promoted the flow of personnel and materials in Hunan, but more importantly, it also strengthened the Rokkaku clan's rule over the local area.

Otherwise, he could have set a historical precedent and pioneered the policy of concentrated residence of retainers in Hunan. His two policies complement each other. Other daimyo could not withdraw all samurai from the local areas because they did not have sufficient grassroots administration, public security, military mobilization and other capabilities, and needed the assistance of local samurai.

The Rokkaku family ensures that the government orders from Guanyin Temple City can reach every corner of the territory through a complete and dense road transportation network and a mature horse-delivery system.

Whether it will be executed or not is another matter, but at least everyone in the territory will know what the Rokkaku family wants to do.

This is very important. Why is the credibility of grassroots governments in some countries basically negative, and why they are more concerned about guarding against public opinion than guarding against floods? It is because local governments do not want the people to know the original text, requirements, and rules of the central government's policies.

Without knowing the original text, ordinary people have no idea of ​​the scope of their rights, or whether they are being oppressed or deceived by the government. The government, in turn, holds the final say, declaring right and wrong. Ordinary people lack even the right to question, because they don't know what's right or wrong.

As a result, the upper and lower levels were separated, and the grassroots officials exploited the people and acted recklessly, treating the people like cattle and horses and driving good citizens like pigs and sheep.

If the daimyo wanted to effectively govern the local farmers at the grassroots level, they had to achieve effective communication between the upper and lower levels. To achieve this communication, they had to have a smooth and feasible road network, as well as the manpower and transfer stations to transmit information from the upper level to the lower level.

Someone was needed to meticulously convey Oda Nobunaga's orders from Komaki Castle to Tsushima in Kaito County, Atsuta in Aichi County, and Inuyama in Niwa County...

If the local people knew clearly what Oda Nobunaga wanted and what he wanted to do, the role of the local samurai would inevitably decline greatly, and there would no longer be a need for so many samurai to stay where they were and work for the Oda family.

Only then could all these people be brought to Komakiyama Castle to serve as officials, fulfilling only military obligations and serving Nobunaga's campaigns. This would strip them of their direct control over the land, transforming them from a dual class of landowners and military meritocrats into a pure military merit aristocracy.

It cannot be done alone; it must be done together. And it cannot be accomplished in one or two years. There must be plans and regulations. Be mentally prepared to see results in three to five years, and success in eight to ten years.

It is even possible that Nobunaga's generation will not be able to enjoy this blessing, and only his next generation can enjoy it.

In fact, this is also a more advanced form of so-called territorial unification. The simplest form of unification is like the Echigo Uesugi clan: on the surface, everyone submits to you, and the entire nation obeys you, Uesugi Masatora. But so what? I choose not to obey tomorrow. Rebellions by Nagao Masakage, Ōkuma Asahide, and Honjo Shigenaga continued to rise.

If you are a little more advanced, like the Takeda family of Kai, I will marry you and start exchanging blood with you. Over the next two or three generations, I will gradually turn you into a relative, or even my own son or brother.

If you don't listen to me, I will kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, until your entire family is wiped out. Then I will send my son, brother, or even my bedmate to inherit the family.

If a daimyo possessed sufficient personal charisma and was capable of winning battles, this type of vassal state would be unbeatable. It could even be compared to the Hunan Army, built around local comrades, fathers, sons, and brothers, who united internally and fought to the death externally.

The prerequisite is to win the war, expand the territory, and ensure that everyone has enough to eat, or even eat well. When you are rich, everyone calls you daddy and is as close as can be. But when you are defeated, even brothers have to settle accounts.

I have such a big family business, I can't lose it with you, my godfather, and I can't lose it with you, my godbrother.

As for the advanced form, no one in Japan's Warring States period had yet to establish one. Neither the former shugo (guardian) nor the former provincial governor (provincial governor) who had transformed into a daimyo, nor the newly emerged daimyo who had established themselves through the process of overthrowing their superiors, had any such advanced form of rule.

Everyone is groping in the constant conquest of wars and digestion of territories, and has not yet found an evolutionary form worthy of praise.