Owari Yumeki Golden Day

Asai Nagamasa likely didn't notice anything amiss. Having already been a leader of his own people, becoming Shugodai was truly a dream. He barely cared about the new relationship between him and the shogunate and its governing authorities, which would be forged between him and his subjects.

At least for now, Asai Nagamasa showed no ambition to conquer the world. He did have ambitions for territorial expansion, but he also had a strong desire to maintain stability at home.

Three generations of their family had worked hard to build a family fortune of 300,000 stones. Now was a good time to completely unify the country and transform into a Warring States daimyo.

I wish him success.

He had originally planned to write a reply on the spot, but perhaps because he was too excited, he ultimately didn't. Nagamasa told Shichibei that he didn't need to wait, using the excuse that he had to prepare a thank-you gift.

This was quite normal. After the Date family received appointments from the shogunate during the reigns of Tanemune and Harumune, they appointed local shugodai. These shugodai presented the Date family with gifts such as a pair of eagles or ten gold coins. The Ashina family of Kurokawa, upon receiving appointments from the shogunate, offered a tribute of one thousand sticks of beeswax.

It is unknown when the custom of offering a tachi became a fixed practice. However, by the time of the Edo Shogunate, even on the Hachisaku Day, the feudal lords would offer a tachi to the shogunate. Of course, later on, the practice became more direct, offering cash as a reward.

All right, Shichibei rode back to the battle line in a leisurely manner. Nobunaga asked Nagamasa how he felt, and he was obviously ecstatic. Hearing this, Nobunaga let out a perceptible, "Nothing special" expression.

As expected, it is one thing for Nobunaga to admire Nagamasa, but it is another thing to use Nagamasa like a hawk or dog.

With one thing done, Nobunaga couldn't leave Shichibei idle. He had to prepare to receive the princes and envoys from all over Kyoto. He wanted them to help with the repairs to the Imperial Palace. The imperial instructions had already been sent out, and judging by the last proclamation from the Shogun, at least dozens of them were expected to come.

Shichibei alone might not be able to handle the task. However, there was also Akechi Mitsuhide, and Nobunaga had also loaned Hosokawa Fujitaka and Mibuchi Fujiei, all working. Nobunaga was unlikely to leave Kyoto anytime soon. He would at least have to finalize this matter and begin construction on the Nijo Palace before returning to Gifu.

In the past, His Highness the Kanrei was away from his duties for such a long time that a guardian deputy was appointed, and he was subsequently sidelined by the guardian deputies, thus losing his former authority.

Fortunately, Nobunaga's management style has changed, and he has begun to separate the direct connection between his samurai and the land. Secondly, Gifu and Kyoto are not far away, making travel convenient.

Okay, it's easier to receive the envoy than to go to Sakaimachi to collect the debt.

Then came Mizuno Nobumoto and Tokugawa Ieyasu. At this time, Ieyasu had probably just discovered that Imagawa Ujizane had entered Kakegawa Castle. However, due to the cold winter and snow, it was not conducive to fighting, so he did not yet send all his troops to besiege Kakegawa Castle.

Upon hearing that his good brother Oda Nobunaga was in trouble, he immediately rushed to Kyoto. Not only did he want to learn more about the battle between Oda and the Miyoshi Three, but he also wanted to find out how much the Tokugawa family needed to pay for the "samurai patronage".

If they sincerely wanted to build the city, the contributions would be distributed layer by layer according to their rank. For example, Nobunaga was the most powerful, holding the shogunate's power, so he would receive 30%. The lords and daimyo would each receive 5% or 3%, depending on how much they had contributed. The shugodai and other powerful clans would each receive 2% or 1%.

Although it's just a matter of money, the amount of money paid can be used to confirm one's political status within the new regime. No matter what the matter is, once political status is involved, money becomes the most trivial issue.

Even in later times, there were still reports of county and city standing committee members arguing over seating arrangements. Normally, except for the first three, the rest were arranged on a first-come, first-served basis, but one person felt that since he was the executive vice-chairman, why was the propaganda minister ahead of him? This led to a dispute.

Ieyasu was now considered a daimyo who was half the ruler of a country, and he had begun to care about his seat ranking.

Mizuno Nobumoto, on the other hand, was relatively unconcerned about this matter. Logically, his territory and status shouldn't have made him a candidate for the imperial court. However, during Nobuhide's time, the Mizuno clan had become a crucial ally of Oda in the expansion of Mikawa, giving them a much higher status than the average national leader.

When the power came to Nobunaga, it was impossible to suppress it for a while. Perhaps Nobunaga also had other ideas. For example, if Tokugawa Ieyasu became disobedient, he had a reserve in Mizuno Nobumoto, who could suppress Ieyasu and replace him with an obedient one.

Ieyasu was quite happy when he found out that Mizuno Nobumoto's name was after his own. Mizuno Nobumoto had no comment and just followed Nobunaga's orders.

In a few years, Nobunaga would completely subjugate the Mizuno clan into retainers. He even had the power over their life and death. Suspecting that Mizuno Nobumoto was in cahoots with the Takeda clan, Nobunaga ordered him to commit seppuku. All of his territory was transferred to Sakuma Nobumori, who was then placed under his care.

A temple building was temporarily requisitioned to accommodate the two families on the left and right wings. Tokugawa Ieyasu then asked Shichibei how Nobunaga had managed to have the Miyoshi Three arrive in Kyoto at the same time as the Oda army and launch a violent attack.

Really, the news was all sorts of different things, even involving some supernatural things. Anyway, Ieyasu, who was at the front line in Totomi, had no idea. He couldn't figure out how Nobunaga got to Kyoto.

This matter? I'm familiar with this matter.

Shichibei embellished the entire story without exaggeration, highlighting Nobunaga's foresight in building roads, removing checkpoints, speeding up the flow of goods, and standardizing horse management.

With all the preparations mentioned above, if something really happens, we can start from this city, change horses at each stop but not people, and of course we can drive to Kyoto in one day and one night.

hiss……

Ieyasu hissed and sat there lost in thought. Shichibei simply greeted Hiraiwa Shinkichi, who was sitting next to him. "Where's your little brother? That kid peed in front of me. I really regret not playing for him."

Hiraiwa Shinkichi, however, said in a serious tone, "How could the lord and the young master leave the territory at the same time? I heard that the young master Oda also stayed in Gifu Castle, so my young master must also stay in Okazaki Castle."

Oh, Ieyasu did a really good job on this one. He understood this principle very early on, and even when the Edo period began and the country largely fell under the control of the Tokugawa clan, he and Hidetada lived separately. One in Sunpu, the other in Edo, to prevent any major events from happening without a reputable Tokugawa leader.

That makes sense. So, how's Tokugawa Nobuyasu doing these days? Has he mastered both civil and military skills, making him a wise ruler? After all, chatting with guests is an important part of hospitality.

Speaking of this, Hiraiwa Shinkichi, as the younger brother's tutor, also boasted about his young master, saying that his young master was brave and strong, and was a worthy heir to the Tokugawa family.

Who said Mikawa samurai can't blow the trumpet? They're blowing it right now. Shichibei said "yes, yes, yes" while observing Tokugawa Ieyasu's situation. After a moment's thought, Ieyasu asked Shichibei, "Where did all those horses come from?"

In fact, after the Tokugawa family was transferred to Kanto, they intended to restore the official horse breeding business in Kanto. However, after the efforts of two generations of shoguns, they only managed to restore the official horse breeding farms in Kanto to an annual output of 2,000 horses.

Ultimately, Edo relied on Shinano and Oshu to meet the needs of samurai and various industrial, agricultural, and commercial horse farms. Poor Oshu could provide more than two or three times the number of horses per year as the official horse farms in Kanto.

It is obvious that Ieyasu was not unaware that Arima could run faster, but he was powerless to do it.

At this point, Ieyasu had just conquered two kingdoms and was just beginning to think about a quick, mobile march, when Nobunaga happened to be rushing to Kyoto to provide assistance. With Shichibei present, the person involved, present, he asked this question.

Unfortunately, Nobunaga controlled Otsu, the trading terminal for horses from Oshu to Kinai via the Hokukai trade, which made it possible to mobilize a large number of horses and carry out high-speed maneuvers in a short period of time.

Oshu Horse...

Nobunaga sent someone to invite his brother Mikawa to a feast. After the chat, they went to meet Nobunaga. On the way, Ieyasu asked if, as the Lord of Mikawa, he could offer a pair of deer and a pair of hawks to the imperial court.

If he were an independent daimyo, he could have paid tribute himself. However, his current status was somewhere between independence and dependence, and given Ieyasu's cautious nature, he naturally had to use Shichibei to secretly inquire with Nobunaga.

It’s a small matter. You guys go to the banquet and I’ll ask quietly for you at night.

"Take him to see Yan Jiqing." Nobunaga did not avoid Shichibei when changing clothes again. This time it was even better. He did not even avoid Shichibei when changing his loincloth.

It's really disgusting.

"My lord, will you also report to the court..." This time they were talking about official business, so the Seventh Guard asked normally.

When a vassal presents tribute to a daimyo, shouldn't Nobunaga also express his gratitude? After all, if the leader doesn't express his gratitude, but the subordinates do, it's against the rules.

"Then you take 500 kan with you." Nobunaga must have just finished taking a bath. Shichibei saw two young men kneeling beside the couch, who had also changed their clothes.

"I understand." Five hundred kan was considered a lot. In fact, according to Shichibei's opinion, two hundred would also be enough.

After all, with the court in such a mess, giving 200 would be a great honor. As the head of the inner cabinet of the court, Yamashina Gentsugu was already on good terms with the Oda clan. It was an old friendship, so there was no need to compare.

"As Tong Yanjiqing explained, we are here to repair the roof damaged by the winter snow." Nobunaga put on his pajamas and sat down slowly.

"I see." It's not surprising that there is such a name.

If you visit Kyoto's Nijo Palace in later generations, you'll notice the main gate's roof is made of cypress bark, known as cypress thatch. While this material typically resists rotting for ten or twenty years, the imperial palace lasted for more than two decades. Winter snowmelt and water accumulation could easily cause the roof to leak.

Sending people to Kii to peel the bark of cypress trees to repair the roof, 500 kan was just enough. They said Nobunaga was very familiar with market prices and it was not easy to deceive.

"Anything else?" The young men on both sides had already made the beds.

"I'll take my leave." I'm sorry to disturb your pleasure.

Oh, never mind, it’s the Japanese Warring States Period, right? It’s pretty good, respect, blessings.

Quietly exiting and closing the door, Shichibei heard the rustling of clothes being taken off. "They're all going to be taken off, so why are you still wearing them? Just lie down in bed."

The two young men guarding the gate simply closed their eyes. They had probably seen this kind of scene before, so it was nothing new. It was only Shichibei, a country bumpkin who had never seen anything like it before, who was making such a fuss.

I retreated respectfully. The winter in Kyoto is quite cold, and the wind makes people feel tight all over.

He then took Tokugawa Ieyasu to visit Yamashina Nobutsugu. Nobutsugu was indeed a bit old, but fortunately he was not hard of hearing. He was quite happy to hear that Nobunaga had donated 500 kan to repair the palace roof. He also heard that Mikawa no Kamiden had presented a deer and eagle, and for some reason, he smacked his lips.

Well, old man, you are craving for venison, right?

When someone comes to give money, they must chat for a while and build rapport. Yan Jiqing then asks Shichibei if Nobunaga is planning to send troops to Awa. It's a little unbelievable, but not long ago, Nobunaga asked the court to send Kuga Harumichi to Bungo.

See if we can invite Otomo Yoshitsugu to attack Awa and Sanuki, the two bases of the Miyoshi clan on Shikoku Island, from Iyo, while Nobunaga advances from Izumi and Settsu.

The plan was good, but unfortunately Otomo Yoshitsugu was fighting with Mori Motonari for Moji Castle, and he probably couldn't spare any troops to attack Awa together, even if Nobunaga promised to divide the two countries equally with the Otomo family.

Perhaps the joint attack didn't happen this time, but now chatting with Yan Jiqing, the answer is definitely yes. When Iwanari Tomomichi attacked and killed the merchants on Tsushima, Nobunaga said he would attack Awa and kill Iwanari Tomomichi's entire family.

As they chatted, they suddenly talked about Imagawa Ujizane. Yan Jiqing had also been to Suruga, so he asked Ieyasu how Ujizane was doing.

164. The Imperial Palace was built like a whirlwind

Yan Jiqing's words probably didn't have any special intentions. After all, he had socialized with Imagawa Yoshimoto before, and since he was the son of an old friend, he was just asking about the situation. If the old friend's son died, he could send a few kan to the temple and receive incense and a few verses of scripture.

Furthermore, Tokugawa Ieyasu and Imagawa Ujizane didn't really have any deep hatred, at least not the kind that involved murdering wives and children. In other words, it was just a common scene during the chaotic Japanese Warring States period.

You kill me, I kill you, just for a few pieces of land.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was quite frank, stating that Ujizane had already gone to Kakegawa Castle to seek refuge with Asahina Taitomo. Perhaps he was still trying to return to Suruga, but whether he succeeded was unknown. As for Totomi? Due to the overall drama of Totomi and Ieyasu's consideration of Totomi as his own territory, it was not mentioned.

Being alive is good. Yan Jiqing, who is already old, is used to the chaos of the Warring States Period. When he heard that Imagawa Ujizane was still alive, he turned to the next topic.

We chatted for about half an hour, which was enough.

After spouting off some nonsense like "Your loyalty is known to His Majesty," Yan Jiqing naturally stood up to see him off. It was a truly enjoyable occasion for both host and guest, as Tokugawa Ieyasu showed no sign of shyness in his etiquette, nor did he behave like a rustic samurai from the countryside of Mikawa.

This was one of the reasons why he needed Shichibei to guide him. Shichibei had learned a few things here and there before. He had touched all kinds of things, so he could barely guide the newcomers.

After leaving Yan Jiqing's house, Tokugawa Ieyasu thanked him and asked Shichibei to not take him back to the temple where he was staying. He felt embarrassed for troubling Shichibei for several days. It was nothing, this was what Shichibei did now.

But look at Ieyasu, he is really polite.

When did Ieyasu start being considered a "raccoon cat"? It seems that for a while on the Chinese internet, people interpreted Ieyasu's "raccoon" as a fox, automatically associating it with cunning and scheming.

Actually, when we talk about Ieyasu in Japan, we're really referring to the tanuki (raccoon cat). There's an old Japanese cartoon called "Pom Poko" that explains this. In Japanese culture, the tanuki is an animal that can transform into a human form through training.

Not very harmful, but very changeable.

It should be a fabrication that Ieyasu is a person who says one thing to one person and another thing to another person. He can lie dormant in front of the strong and bully the weak.

That's good. Everyone has two faces these days. Shichibei feels like he has two faces too, the ones he uses for superiors and subordinates are naturally different. If that's the case, Shichibei should also be called "raccoon dog."

that is it.

In the following days, envoys from various feudal lords arrived in Kyoto one after another. Shichibei had originally wanted to see if Ukita Naoie would come, but unfortunately he only sent his younger brother, Ukita Tadie, to Kyoto.

This man was truly scheming and cunning. He killed people like water, carrying out countless plots and assassinations. He disregarded morality and honor, using every possible means to expand his territory. His reputation was truly infamous, the kind that was unbearable to the ears of the people.

This time he came to Kyoto, carrying a thousand strings of cash, and had two requests.

One was to ask Ashikaga Yoshiaki to appoint him as the guardian of Bizen, so that he could be completely independent from his former lord Urakami Munekage and become an independent daimyo.

The second was to ask the shogunate's regent, Oda Nobunaga, to send troops to attack Urakami Munekage, who had rebelled against Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and eliminate this traitor who had rebelled against the shogunate, so that the Ukita family could unify Bizen Province.

This idea must have come about after he saw that after the Mori family recognized the new regime of Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Oda Nobunaga, Nobunaga sent troops to Tajima to attack Yamana Suketoyo.

By the 10th year of Eiroku, Ukita Hideie had already defeated the Bizen lords such as Matsuda Motoki and Kaneko Munetaka, and had also effectively withstood the Bitchu Mimura clan's attacks on Bizen. In fact, he already possessed the prestige and power to become the lord of Bizen, but all he needed was an opportunity.

Then Ashikaga Yoshiaki succeeded to the throne and sent a letter to Urakami Munekage, asking him to come over to congratulate the new shogun and present him with a sword. However, Urakami Munekage ignored the shogunate and became a traitor.

The reason was there, the excuse was clear, so Ukita Tadao gave Ashikaga Yoshiaki a thousand kan and asked Yoshiaki to give the order.

The timing was indeed very good. Nobunaga was still in the stage of further establishing the authority and prestige of the new government. If Ukita Naoie gave him face, then he would give Ukita Naoie face.

Shichibei personally wrote a document for Nobunaga to sign the shogunate's authority and sent it to Ikeda Katsumasa, Bessho Yasuharu, and Akamatsu Masahide. At the same time, he allocated 2,000 men to Hanawa Naomasa, who led the attack on Urakami Munekage.

More than 20,000 people came up, ready to kill Urakami Munekage in one fell swoop, so that the people and nobles in Sanyo Road would know that Oda Nobunaga's new regime was on the rise.

After receiving such a satisfactory answer, Ukita Tadao exclaimed that the Shogun and Kanreidan were wise, and that the shogunate was truly on the verge of revival.

Originally, the matter should have ended there, with Ukita Tadaoki and Hanawa Naomasa simply going to kill Urakami Munekage and that would have been the end of it. Just like when Hideyoshi went to fight Yamana Yufeng the previous year, they would have called it a day, their intentions fulfilled.

By the way, I have to mention that Yamana Yufeng is currently in Sakaimachi, and he will have more scenes to play later.

Shichibei, who led Tadao to meet Nobunaga, suddenly said, "I heard that Izumi no Kami (Naoie) only had one son, so that's fine. Since you want to take up the position of Bizen no Shugoro, why not send Shichibei (Tadaie)'s son to serve as a concubine for His Highness the Kanrei?"

Ok?

Tadashi, ready to throw a tantrum, was stunned for a moment, but he had absolutely no reason to object. This request was perfectly legitimate. Naoie was to become Bizen shugo, and it was customary for the shogunate to send his son to serve as a shogun. The shogunate was originally supposed to be the eldest son of a shugo family, but now it had become an honorary position.

Nobunaga was about to throw up his ass, but when he heard Shichibei asking for a hostage, he sat down again. He thought Shichibei was just going through the motions, the process of a subject being a dog and taking a hostage was really the process of the Japanese Warring States Period.

It was reasonable and logical. Tadaya hesitated for a moment, but finally chose to agree for the sake of Nobunaga's 20,000 reinforcements.

So the matter ended there. Ukita Tadaye promised him that upon his return to Bizen, he would send his legitimate son to Kyoto. Ashikaga Yoshiaki wasn't even present, and it was impossible for a seven or eight-year-old child to serve as a shrine attendant. Nobunaga had taken many hostages, and even the Sengoku Ichimoto of the Gamo family was still sitting on the bench outside Gifu Castle.

It's not that Shichibei has any bad taste or any particular ideas. I just want to see how this young man, who was willing to rebel and change his name even at the cost of wiping out the Ukita family line, grew up.

His father and uncle were the epitome of brotherly love and respect in the Japanese Warring States period. From being a peasant who went hungry three days a month, they rose to become the rulers of both Bizen and Mimasaka. But when it came to him, he wanted to kill Hideie, but when he failed, internal strife ensued, ultimately leading to his own destruction.

Nobunaga casually said, "The hostages have been delivered, you take care of them first," and then turned to meet Takemata Yoshitsugu, the envoy sent by Uesugi Kenshin.

Uesugi Kenshin was very active in the shogunate and also sent a thousand kan without any additional conditions so that Ashikaga Yoshiaki could move into his new home quickly.

Money from the princes was sent in an endless stream, and more than a thousand carpenters and stonemasons were also sent to Kyoto. After receiving the envoys, Shichibei began to take charge of the settlement of these people.

Murai Sadakatsu and Shimada Hidemitsu were appointed by Nobunaga as Grand Commissioners of Construction. Under the dual orders of the shogunate and the Oda clan, over 80,000 laborers were mobilized.

Don’t do anything else for now. First, all the tombstones near Kyoto and southern Omi that have no one worshipping or managing them will be moved to the construction site of the old imperial palace in Kyoto.

So, as for grave mounds, ordinary people shouldn't pursue them. They are the same in every dynasty, country, or continent. Your sons can see them, your grandsons can remember them, but your great-grandsons will never know who you are.

The once-prosperous, now-dilapidated suburbs of major cities in America's Rust Belt are filled with dilapidated churches and cemeteries. In the space of a century, those graves have been neglected. They've become a frequent destination for YouTubers, who often dance among the graves.

It's fine if you're just going to a disco, but if you don't come to pay the management fee or property tax for a certain number of days, the tombstone will be removed and your ashes will be scattered. It's the same everywhere.

Even in Japan, they dug up graves and used the tombstones to build the stone walls of Nijo Palace.

Murai Sadakatsu was responsible for building a three-story castle tower for Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and Shimada Hidemitsu was responsible for digging two long trenches for the palace and building stone walls and city walls.