Owari Yumeki Golden Day

Okay, okay, really good.

What's wrong with Nobunaga? Didn't he say he was going to arrange a marriage between Shichibei and Nobuhiro's adopted daughter? The Battle of Kyoto is already over, so could he have forgotten? Probably not. Nobunaga's training of the old Owari samurai group was practically a feeding frenzy.

Even Hideyoshi's marriage had traces of his decision-making, so it was impossible for him to forget about Shichibei's marriage. Perhaps he was too busy recently and couldn't be away.

Hideyoshi finally got married when he was over 25. This age was actually very close to the average marriage age for samurai in the Edo period. Those who really married early were either poor people or high-ranking samurai and feudal lords.

The warriors in the middle stage have room to be picky and naturally want to combine forces and find a wife who can help them to move forward or provide some value. Only a good match can be considered.

Of course, there are also many people like Hideyoshi, who started out as a foot soldier and became the head of a hundred foot soldiers at the age of 25, which gave him the possibility of finding a better wife.

The same thing happened to Yamauchi Ichitoyo, who lived a few blocks away. When he only had 45 kan of infantry, how could he possibly marry a good wife? He had to wait until he had 400 kan before he could find a decent wife.

The same goes for Shichibei. At first, he could only find the wife of a minister, but later he could find the daughter of a core samurai of the Oda family. Now he can find the daughter of Oda Nobuhiro, the chief clerk and samurai general of the Oda family.

Rising tides lift all boats; that's the natural order.

Returning to Hideyoshi and Hidenaga's return, thanks to Asai Nagamasa's dedicated fighting, the Oda army swept through Tajima Province in just a month, driving Yamana Takunaga away. Even Kokucho Konosumi Castle, defended by Tajima, didn't hold out for more than a few days, collapsing after only three charges.

The only regret is that Yamana Yufeng was not caught. If he had been caught and handed over to Nobunaga for questioning, Nobunaga would have been very happy. He might even have forgiven him generously without humiliating him, and then sent Yamana Yufeng to Ashikaga Yoshiaki as a royal attendant.

After all, the Yamana family was a prominent family within the Muromachi shogunate, a daimyo family that had once battled Hosokawa. Even though they were defeated now, they were still stronger than the likes of Kyogoku.

By the way, Hideyoshi and Asai Nagamasa both made fortunes from this battle. They made a fortune from the Ikuno Silver Mine. Hideyoshi or Hidenaga didn't tell Shichibei about it, but Hidenaga secretly told his wife about the fortune, and then when his wife Aji came to visit Ayi, she leaked it to Shichibei.

Thousands of strings of silver!

Wow, that's a huge sum of money. One thousand strings of silver, that's four thousand catties of silver. Oh, tsk ...

It is said that Asai Nagamasa also stormed into Ariko Castle and other castles and plundered them, his gains no less than those of Hideyoshi and Hidenaga. In any case, Asai Nagamasa happily led his troops back to Odani and even wrote a passionate letter to Nobunaga to praise his achievements.

By the way, let me ask Nobunaga, when will he be appointed as the guardian of Jiangbei? The battle of Tajima is over, and Nobunaga will have to take down the carrot he dangled in front of this donkey and let him eat it.

Humph, good things come to those who wait.

"You are doing well now." Hideyoshi returned to Gifu and prepared to return to Sunamata Castle after congratulating Nobunaga on the New Year.

Sunomata Castle is now a hinterland within the hinterland. If it weren't for its role in monitoring the direction of Ogaki Castle, it could be completely abandoned. Historically, Hideyoshi quickly moved to Yokoyama Castle in Omi and received 10,000 kan. Sunomata Castle was essentially without a lord and remained vacant for a long time.

"Oh, not as good as you." Hideyoshi accumulated his merits and was promoted to 6,000 kan.

He is so powerful, yet he still pretends to be so shameless in front of us. However, Shichibei was very curious about how Hideyoshi could go from commanding 2,000 samurai to commanding more than 20,000 soldiers. This was such an incredible jump. How did he do it?

"More than 20,000 people, how did you organize them?" Hidenaga poured a glass of wine for Shichibei. The younger brother still gave face to his elder brother-in-law.

"What should I say..." Hideyoshi put down the wine dish and glanced at Hosuka Koroku who was lying on the ground and chewing vinegar kelp.

"What's so difficult about it? Asai Bizen walks one way, Isshiki Tango walks one way, and Hatano Tamba walks one way. The three of them will lead the way, and our main camp's general will follow behind." Xiaoliu said it in a very relaxed manner.

Hideyoshi's main force and part of the army supported by Nobunaga, after joining forces with Asai Nagamasa, took a month's worth of military rations and, without any regard for logistical support, stormed towards Tajima Kosumi Castle.

Along the way, they brought along the Tamba and Tango people. On the one hand, these people gave face to the general Ashikaga Yoshiaki and the new governor Nobunaga. On the other hand, Nobunaga sent several loads of gold to these national heroes as a thank you for sending troops.

The national heroes believed that this was a battle to maintain the old order of the Muromachi shogunate, and there were gifts of gratitude, so they brought their own dry food and went to carry guns for the shogunate.

Before entering Tajima, everyone met and decided on their respective directions and the branch castles they would attack. They agreed to meet at Kosumi Castle and then split up to fight on their own.

Ultimately, Hideyoshi was still leading his main force, along with the few foot soldiers Nobunaga had sent to support him. The rest were merely allies, responding to the orders of the new Kanrei and sending troops to aid him.

The so-called general-in-chief was just a title, unless Nobunaga himself was the general-in-chief. They might have come to see him and kowtowed to him. Hideyoshi was the general-in-chief, just for the sake of honor. He fought well, too, with overwhelming numbers and winning all the battles.

Ow...

Then I can do it too.

Shichibei immediately had this thought: I could be the general. They could agree on how to fight before the battle, and then just command their own men.

It can only be said that the Yamana army is indeed not as elite as it was during the Onin Civilization Rebellion, and Yamana Yufeng is not as powerful as his ancestor Yamana Sozen.

Even with such a flawed army, they couldn't defeat it, and couldn't even lay siege to the city properly. It can only be said that Yamana Yufeng needs more training, he's really too green.

"Xiaoliu!" Hideyoshi observed Shichibei's expression and knew what Shichibei was thinking.

"Yes, yes, you, Kinoshita-dono, are extremely brave, ahahahahahahahaha..." Xiaoliu first made a face, gave Shichibei and Kinoshita Hidenaga several glances, and then burst into laughter.

The room was suddenly filled with a cheerful atmosphere. Fortunately, Hideyoshi hadn't been hung up and beaten by the others. Although everyone laughed happily, it was just for fun. They were all brothers. Back in Sunomata Castle, Shichibei and Hideyoshi had carried the shield for Xiaoliu, protecting him as he killed Kuku.

"You, you..." Hideyoshi dropped the wine dish, pointed at the people who were laughing, and pretended to hit them.

Ningning came in at that moment, helping to add charcoal to the brazier and holding several bottles of wine. With the sister-in-law here, there was no point in laughing. Hideyoshi was also very well-behaved in front of Ningning, immediately putting his hand down and pretending to be a calm and composed man.

"Drinking is allowed, but fighting is not allowed." Ningning was still holding her daughter's hand.

When Hideyoshi saw his daughter, he scooped her up. The daughter, who only saw him for two months a year, was frightened by her own father and burst into tears. Ningning saw this and slapped Hideyoshi on the arm, saying he had frightened the child. Shichibei and the others, watching the young couple display their affection, were practically speechless.

"..." Hideyoshi refused, muttering nonsense and making faces to amuse the child.

After all, he was his own father, and perhaps he was also amused by Hideyoshi's "bald rat" appearance, so the child finally stopped crying and even held his finger in his mouth, watching Hideyoshi amuse himself.

"It's all the smell of alcohol." Ningning blamed Hideyoshi softly and took the child over quietly.

He also asked Hidenaga about Aji's pregnancy. Aji's child was also a child of the Kinoshita family, so it was natural to ask. Hideyoshi was old and still had no children. In two years, Nobunaga saw that it was not good enough and even directly gave his illegitimate son to Hideyoshi and asked Hideyoshi to raise him as his legitimate son.

Ningning had a certain air of being the mistress of the Kinoshita family, and she was also concerned about the succession of the Kinoshita family. Hideyoshi's 6,000 kan fortune could not be continued without a male heir.

How can Xiuchang be sure about this matter? Just let it go.

Everyone chatted idly, a rare moment of leisure. Even Shichibei was busy year-round. He had to follow the troops in battle, and even when they weren't, he still had various errands to attend to. The previous leader, Ashikaga Yoshiei, had even sent someone to tell Shichibei what goods from Kyoto and Tang China he needed, asking him to procure them for him.

The Ogosho-dono had given him an order, so Shichibei could only run errands for him. Sakuma Nobumori withdrew another 5,000 kan, saying he would first buy wood and copper materials to prepare for the construction of the Great Buddha Hall.

It was all a matter of fact. Although Nobunaga's gold store was not managed by Shichibei, the account for Nobunaga's annual tribute rice was with Shichibei. Whenever there was any extra expenditure, someone would come to Shichibei to settle the bill.

Hideyoshi smacked his lips and asked Shichibei if he wanted to exchange his money for copper coins. He had some silver and was hoping to convert it into cash. While silver was good, it wasn't something you needed in your daily life. If you went out to buy fish for four fen, and you handed over a silver cake, the fishmonger wouldn't be able to make change.

You've really made a fortune...

Shichibei, unperturbed, immediately said he could exchange it, even tens of thousands of kan. Tsushima's bank and safes held large sums of cash. Hideyoshi could help exchange it for silver, which Shichibei could store more easily.

He cast two glances at Hidenaga, who understood and said he would go to Kawamura-ya to discuss the matter in detail tomorrow. After all, the silver seized was a lot, all in the shape of cakes.

The ash-blowing method uses a crucible to refine silver, and the silver sinks to the bottom, looking like a silver cake. Anyway, it is weighed and used, and there is no specific silver content or currency standard.

They continued drinking. It was freezing cold, and with no entertainment to do, they could only gather and brag. Shichibei still had some leisure time, roasting rice cakes over the brazier. He placed a wire mesh over the top, grilled small pieces of rice cake until golden brown, and drizzled them with soy sauce. It was actually quite delicious.

The others were staggering from their drinking, but Shichibei was a bit better. He stood up and pushed open the door. The room smelled a bit unpleasant, and as he was about to take a breath, he saw snow falling from the sky.

It snows heavily and the New Year is coming soon.

He muttered this, and suddenly, amidst the roar of the wind and snow, a muffled sound rose. The wind in the valley was so strong that it was difficult to distinguish. Scratching his head, he continued to listen, thinking his brain wasn't working properly because he'd had a couple of extra drinks.

It is the bell that summons important officials to the city!

159. Driving Day and Night to Kyoto

Shichibei shuddered all over and immediately turned around to pat Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi was a senior general and an important official. If Oda Nobunaga summoned him, he had to go to the city to see him immediately.

But Hideyoshi was so drunk that he looked like a rotten dead person. Even after calling him several times, he didn't respond. Ningning also rushed over at this moment. Seeing Hideyoshi like this, she showed some anxiety and pinched Hideyoshi's kidney.

Hideyoshi squinted his eyes in pain and cried out, but he still didn't wake up. Now Shichibei was not polite. Just a moment ago, the cold wind blew, the bells rang urgently, and seven out of ten drunkenness disappeared, and the remaining three out of ten was gone.

After asking Ningning to let him pass, Shichibei swung his fist and hit Hideyoshi twice. The blow immediately made Hideyoshi's face swell up and he finally got up and groaned.

"What's wrong? What's wrong? What's wrong?"

Awakened, Hideyoshi stretched out his hands and clawed wildly, completely unaware of what was happening. Shichibei made a gesture, then slapped him again. Now Hideyoshi's eyes were open. Hearing the bell outside, he jumped up on the spot, wondering where his armor, his katana, and his helmet were.

The war is about to begin, and he has to lead the horse and carry the spear to fight for his beloved Lord Nobunaga.

Wow, I'm reliving the Battle of Okehazama in my dream, right?

"Sister-in-law." Shichibei pointed at Hidenaga and Koroku and the others. These were Hideyoshi's main ministers. If there was a real war in the city, these people would have to go into battle.

So Shichibei asked Ningning to wake up these people as well, so as not to delay Nobunaga's important task. Ningning was also a very generous samurai woman, and she immediately nodded in agreement.

At this moment, two of Hideyoshi's followers who were putting on their clothes came running in from outside. Shichibei asked them to immediately hold Hideyoshi on both sides and run to the Lindenya Residence. They must reach the Lindenya Residence before the bell stopped.

As for Shichibei himself, he didn't hesitate at all. He took the reins from the attendant and mounted his horse. He didn't need any attendants to light the way. Shichibei had been back and forth countless times along this route through the Linden Valley. Even if he walked with his eyes closed, he wouldn't have lost his way.

By the time they arrived at the gates, bonfires had already been lit on both sides. Whether from their beds or from the tables, the Oda clan's important officials were rushing to the gates. They handed their horses to servants or to the gatekeepers, and hurried inside.

Nobunaga was only wearing pajamas at this time, and he didn't feel cold in the middle of winter. He just stood in the corridor listening to the reports of several envoys.

Several envoys came from different places. Some were sent by Ikeda Katsumasa, some by Miyoshi Yoshitsugu, and some by Kyoto. All the information pointed to the Miyoshi trio landing in Settsu and Izumi, and advancing lightly and rapidly towards Kyoto. If nothing unexpected happened, then something unexpected was about to happen.

Its direction is very clear, Ashikaga Yoshiaki!

If it wasn't for the purpose of assassinating the current shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, why would the Miyoshi Three suddenly launch an attack during the New Year when everyone was relaxed and at ease?

The envoy who was reporting at this time was sent by Miyoshi Yoshitsugu. Yoshitsugu said that he had already led 300 soldiers to Kyoto to protect Ashikaga Yoshiaki. He asked Oda Nobunaga to send a large army to Kyoto as soon as possible, saying that the Shogun and Kyoto were in danger.

In the wind and snow, Nobunaga did not look overly anxious, but his clenched fists still showed his anger at the news.

I haven't even come to look for you yet, but you're here to die.

Important Oda clan officials arrived one after another, most of whom had heard the envoy's report. Sakuma Nobumori had insisted that troops must be dispatched to Kyoto immediately. Ashikaga Yoshiaki was the current shogun, and Nobunaga had yet to fully digest and reform the old order. This reputation could not be lost.

Oda Nobuhiro, who took off his own cloak and put it on Nobunaga, immediately expressed a different opinion. A normal march of thousands of troops to Kyoto would take three days. Now that Gifu was swamped by a heavy snowstorm, with the streets covered in snow, it would take at least five days to reach Kyoto.

Five days? The daylilies are cold.

Even if Ashikaga Yoshiaki led the public servants and foot soldiers to retreat to the Shogun Mountain Castle and called on the nearby mountain gate officials to defend the city, there would be at most a thousand people. The number of the three Miyoshi people is unknown, but according to the reports of these envoys, there must be at least 8,000 people.

With ten times the number of troops attacking the city, it is possible that it will take two or three days, but five days?

The point is, it would take almost two days for the envoys to arrive, and by then Ashikaga Yoshiaki might have been surrounded in Shogunyama Castle. He might even have been killed in battle, and the Miyoshi Three would have regained control of Kyoto.

If this bad outcome happened, the remaining Rokkaku clan in southern Omi would surely rise up in force. They would then attack the Oda army rushing to Kyoto for support, and the Miyoshi trio would then deploy near the Seta River, waiting for the Oda army to tire out.

If the Oda army was defeated, the world would immediately be in chaos. Even though the guardians of Kinai were appointed by Nobunaga, if they did not take advantage of the situation, it would be a gesture of respect for Nobunaga.

It’s the truth, absolutely correct.

Nobunaga glanced at his brother. He was not stupid. To put it bluntly, Nobunaga's brilliance was too great. Anyone standing next to Nobunaga and referring to his deeds would seem insignificant.

"Having said that, the Kubo must be saved!" Nobunaga himself was still inclined to save him, and of course Nobuhiro didn't say not to save him.

"How to deploy the troops!" Since Nobunaga wanted to rescue him, Nobuhiro didn't say a word and immediately prepared to mobilize the troops.

"I will lead the Makai and the Xiaoxing people to march out first, and my brother and Gorozu, Sanzu, Gonroku, and Katsuzaburo will organize the troops at the back." Nobunaga flicked his cloak, looking very imposing and his voice was loud.

"Hehe." The important officials of Oda in the courtyard responded one after another.

"Nanabe, how many horses do you have at the foot of Gifu Castle?" The young men around him stood up to help Nobunaga change his clothes and armor. Nobunaga saw Nanabe standing behind the elders of the family.

"Seven hundred." Shichibei was actually prepared and responded very loudly.

"Borrow it for a while." Nobunaga was not polite and took care of everything, taking as much as he wanted.

Inside the city, whistles and drums blared loudly. When the drums had just been beaten to gather the troops, everyone below had already stood up to watch. Now, with the military order, they moved as swiftly as ants.

According to Nobunaga's order, all the horsemen, the lesser-known ones, and the samurai directly under Nobunaga, who could ride horses, were to immediately don armor and go into battle. Counting them, there were probably several hundred of them.

The remaining infantry, led by Oda Nobuhiro and Sakuma Nobumori, followed the cavalry and prepared to march. The peasant soldiers mobilized by the important ministers were no longer needed; only the standing troops at Gifu Castle and their retainers who were immediately available for battle would be needed.

Hayashi Hidetada assisted Oda Qimyoumaru in defending Gifu Castle, while Kunihiro's troops, who were subsequently mobilized, provided support at the castle grounds. Neither the Mino Three nor the Kiyosu Saito Tatsuoki were mobilized.

At this point in the mobilization, all the women from the military families below the city walls rose to wash and steam rice. By the time over a thousand cavalrymen had formed up outside the city walls, two days' worth of rice balls were wrapped in bamboo leaves and distributed.

It was around four in the morning, and although the sky was still dark, it was no longer so difficult to see. The wind and snow had even become lighter, and it wasn't all icy particles.

They were all veterans, so no further instructions were needed. Nobunaga waved to Oda Nobuhiro, Sakuma Nobumori, and the others, and rode off. Oda Qimyoumaru was also surrounded by people at the foot of the castle to see Nobunaga off. How come Nobunaga was so clear about making arrangements for his eldest son before going out to battle?

Forget it, there was no time to dwell on this. Shichibei also grabbed his horse and followed Nobunaga's group. Nobunaga and the other samurai had horses, no doubt about that; many even had two. With the seven hundred pack horses Nobunaga had borrowed from Shichibei, they could easily have ridden two horses and galloped into the capital.

But now the roads are covered with snow and difficult to travel on, so the horsepower consumption will definitely be greater. Shichibei has been prepared and naturally has to keep up.

Another reason was that the staff had all gone home for the Lunar New Year holiday, and the Bantou and his men were also away. To use the horses from the various Minami-Omi stations, Shichibei had to personally appear. Otherwise, the staff at the branch wouldn't have dared to lend all of the thousands of horses to Nobunaga.

Seeing Shichibei and several other families galloping after him, Nobunaga didn't think much of it. He just waved his horse whip and galloped towards Kyoto on the snow.

By the time they reached Ogaki, daybreak had already arrived. Kawamura's stables below the castle immediately brought out two hundred horses and joined the cavalry. They raced forward, one stop at a time, and by the time they reached Sawayama Castle, they had already switched to their third horse. All of them were provided by Kawamura. The earliest horses, exhausted from running, were left at the stables and post stations behind, where Kawamura would take care of them.

At this point, Nobunaga started to feel jealous. It was really a good idea to build a complete post horse system.

But now is not the time to praise Shichibei. The military situation is urgent. If they arrive a moment later, Ashikaga Yoshiaki may be killed by the Miyoshi Three.

By evening, dozens of men had fallen behind, most of them injured from tripping and falling. A broken hoof meant the horse was essentially useless, dragged into a roadside ditch where, naturally, some eda-kun would come and collect it. The warriors would take them to a nearby stable to rest, at least they wouldn't be left to freeze to death in the wild.

The Kawamuraya branch under Kannonji Castle was the largest, housing over a thousand horses. The group led the way, changing horses for the fourth time, and Nobunaga also stopped to eat rice balls to replenish his energy.

After riding for ten hours starting at five in the morning, Shichibei's face was completely stiff. His legs were shaking as he dismounted, but he still had to get up immediately to boil water for Nobunaga and prepare his rice.

Sassa Narimasa, Maeda Toshiie, Kanamori Nagachika, and others fared no better, but this wasn't the first time they'd faced Nobunaga's onslaught. The last time, Nobunaga had set out from Kiyosu Castle at midnight, reached Atsuta Shrine in the early morning, and attacked Imagawa Yoshimoto in the afternoon. Many had to run dozens of kilometers, but now, at least they had horses to ride.

There was matcha powder in the branch, and Shichibei trembled as he poured it into the iron pot. He poured too much, and Maeda Toshiie, who was standing by, saw it but didn't care. He tossed in a dozen frozen rice balls, and once they had mixed it up, several people gathered around the pot with spoons to eat.