Owari Yumeki Golden Day

Haha, from now on, I, Kawamura Shichibei, will be the governor of Sakai.

Whether this deputy official is real or not, whether he is advancing or retreating, will depend on how our Shichibei deploys and plans in Sakai Town. Bringing the entire Sakai under Kawamuraya's control is too difficult, after all, the wealthy merchants in the town are involved in a large number of princes, nobles, shrines and temples.

If one wanted to sweep them all into the garbage dump, it would be possible only after Nobunaga had launched a violent attack everywhere and then relied on Hideyoshi to realize what Japan called Tenkashichi and concentrate all the highest power in himself.

The simplest thing is, if Nobunaga had not violently bombarded Ishiyama Honganji Temple, how could Shichibei have brought down those merchants who relied on the power of Honganji Temple to do business in Sakaimachi?

At this time, Honganji was regarded by everyone as a daimyo, a powerful secular power, and possessed unparalleled financial resources.

The Grand Master of Honganji was even more famous than many Japanese daimyo. The organizational structure, disguised as a religion, was even more rigorous than the samurai system of ordinary samurai families.

The religious cloak provides a higher level of spiritual support and a large number of convenient supplementary manpower. As long as his secular power is not eliminated, there will be no peace.

We, Shichibei, don't have the ability to kill him, brother Nobunaga, come on!

Under the guidance of Hidenaga and a shop assistant who had been to Sakaimachi, Shichibei arrived at Tsuda Soki's villa. As a great tea master, Tsuda Soki did not live in a house behind his shop like Shichibei did, nor did he even live in a house in the town, but lived in a villa with a tea room called "thatched urn".

The "thatched hut" is a carrier of a simple and quiet tea ceremony that was gradually developed after Murata Shuko. Only with such a small thatched hut can one experience tranquility in the tea ceremony.

Anyway, we don't understand this stuff, and the tea ceremony still needs to be learned. Besides, this thing is mainly for social needs, not really planning to rely on it to become famous. It's all flattery. Praising Nobunaga's tea-making skills is no more noble than Director Qi crying at his grave.

After knocking on the door, the attendant, who seemed to be uninvited, looked Shichibei and his group up and down. After Shichibei introduced himself as Nobi Okata Kawamuraya Shichibei, the attendant was stunned for a moment, then forgot to welcome Shichibei and his group in and rushed inside, probably to report to Tsuda Soki.

hum...

Honestly, Tsuda Muneki's management of his servants was quite lacking. Judging from the small details, he was probably lacking in certain areas. It's no wonder that Hideyoshi ultimately favored Sen Muneki over veteran merchants and tea masters like Tsuda Muneki and Imai Munehisa.

After being in a circle of its own, perhaps it has been too long and has lost some of its vigilance.

Relying on Nobunaga's brother's influence, Shichibei didn't just stand there outside the doorway, but strode straight into the courtyard. It didn't take long, as the servant wasn't very good at improvisation, but he was quite agile. Soon, Tsuda Muneki and a large group of people rushed to the door, bowing in Shichibei's manner.

Okay, okay, why bother? We're all in the Japanese business world, there's no need to do this. Shichibei wouldn't harbor any resentment over such a minor flaw, so he quickly sat down to discuss matters and complete the task Nobunaga had assigned him.

Tsuda Munekichi was also a tea master with a 3,000-koku salary, but as a merchant, he was very flexible and personally led the way for Shichibei. There was no need to waste any time. After all, he had already knelt before Nobunaga and paid 20,000 kan, so he didn't mind being humble for a moment.

After Shichibei and Hidenaga sat down, and the other servants and servants settled in, they finally had time to talk. Of course, they wouldn't go to his thatched cottage. It was said to be only four square meters. How many people could squeeze in? You can figure it out for yourselves.

It's not a place for meeting guests, it's more for private conversations, exchanges, or doing something mysterious...

"The great master craftsman has a lot of leisure time." Shichibei picked up the tea bowl, and this time he served ordinary tea.

"I have just been entrusted with a task, and I apologize for not coming to meet you in person." Both of them were businessmen before, and they might have been on equal footing.

Now, haha, as Shichibei was appointed by Nobunaga himself, Tsuda Munekichi understood the possible purpose of this trip after a little thought.

"Oh? A guest?" Shichibei was a little curious. What kind of guest needed Tsuda Soji to personally order tea for him?

"It's Yamana Kingo (Uemon-no-kuni)." The answer given by Tsuda Soki was quite strange.

After being driven out by Hideyoshi, Yamana Yoshifusa did indeed flee to Sakaimachi. After all, he was hostile to the Mori clan, and the Mori clan had destroyed the Amago clan. The surrounding forces all joined Hideyoshi in his fight against him, leaving him with nowhere to go. He could only resign and live in the concession.

"Is it possible?" Shichibei gestured.

I've never met this guy before. Now that Shichibei has become somewhat of a figurehead and a respectable figure, I like to see all sorts of people. It's like asking Ukita Tadashi for his son. Since I'm here, I might as well meet him.

He was just an old guardian daimyo who had lost his territory. It was not like he was making friends with foreign ministers or colluding with the enemy.

"Please wait."

Upon hearing this, Tsuda Muneki stood up and personally went to ask Yamana Yufeng if he had met with Shichibei. Currently, Tajima Province and half of Inaba Province were ruled by local tyrants, their people so numerous that they could be called a multi-province state. The Otagaki, Yagi, Kakiya, and other powerful peoples were forming alliances and playing a miniature Warring States game.

After a brief wait, a rather elderly samurai was ushered in. Needless to say, it was the disgraced Tajima guardian, Yamana Yoshinori. Judging by his age, he must have been in his fifties or sixties. He didn't look entirely old, though; he still had a certain air of dignity, masked by a sense of decay.

After sitting down and greeting each other, Yamana Yufeng asked Shichibei what position he held in the Oda clan. As expected, he was very surprised to learn that he was Nobi Oyakata with a salary of 5,000 kan.

How could a mere imperial merchant receive 5,000 strings of cash?

Next door, Tsuda Muneki, one of the three great master craftsmen of the world and a powerful merchant of the Sakaimachi-kai, was only a 3,000-koku official and served as deputy governor of Sakainansho. How could Shichibei have such a fortune?

Nobunaga's favor? Impossible. Yamana Yufeng saw Shichibei's ugly face and knew it was absolutely impossible. This showed that Shichibei was indeed talented and worked hard for Nobunaga, which was why he was valued.

"Don Kawamura came to Sakaimachi, probably because the governor ordered him to do so." Yamana Yufeng was just an old guard who had escaped, so there was nothing wrong with asking.

"Let the King's Palace know that I have been ordered to come and serve as the Sakai Tsunayoshi."

"As expected, Kawamura-dono is quite trusted by the Oda family."

"It all depends on the Lord's promotion."

"Captain, your military luck is truly strong..."

The story of Nobunaga's overnight victory over the Miyoshi Trio had spread throughout Sakaimachi, which may have contributed to Hideyoshi's ease in collecting the money. Yamana Sukefusa, who was in Sakaimachi, must have harbored some lingering thoughts of raising an army, but hearing of Nobunaga's prowess probably frightened him out of his wits.

"My lord is a man of valor and talent, and he has ambitions for the world." Anyway, the conversation was meaningless, and Shichibei was mainly looking at these historical figures, and he had no preparations.

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Yamana Youfeng stopped talking and just sighed.

"His Highness Jinwu is willing to make peace with His Highness Kanrei." Tsuda Munekichi, who was sitting next to him, suddenly said.

"Hmm?" Begging for mercy? Why are you saying that to me? Send someone to Kyoto to kowtow to Nobunaga.

Shichibei blinked. It was really useless to tell him about this. Nobunaga had the final say on matters of diplomacy and military affairs. Shichibei had almost lost his life trying to give any advice.

"I just don't know who is in charge of the palace..." Tsuda Muneki emphasized this point.

"Oh..." I understand.

It was likely that Yamana Yoshinori was unsure whether Nobunaga had truly forgiven the Yamana family. If he hadn't, sending someone there now would not only be useless, but would also risk being humiliated by Nobunaga. For a prominent family like the Yamana family of the previous era, their former prestige had long since faded, leaving only a modicum of dignity.

If Nobunaga slapped me in the face again, I would have to throw away my last bit of worthless pride. So I didn't dare to send anyone to Kyoto, hoping to find a decent person to ask.

"I'm not responsible for this matter." Shichibei turned around and glanced at Hidenaga.

It was Hideyoshi who brought down the Yamana clan. According to the usual practice of the Japanese Warring States period, Hideyoshi would be the so-called Yamana clan leader. If Nobunaga needed to handle matters related to the Yamana clan, he would most likely let Hideyoshi handle it.

Hidenaga shook his head. Although he was always by Hideyoshi's side, he had no idea of ​​his brother's attitude towards the Yamana family. Who could have imagined that this would happen?

"What if you offer a thousand strings of silver?" Yamana Yufeng looked at Shichibei.

167. What if I hand over the silver mountain?

One thousand strings of silver?

What a bold move! Sakaimachi, a large autonomous town, only paid 20,000 kan of silver to Nobunaga. And how many Yongle coins could one thousand kan of silver be exchanged for?

It was probably about 40,000 kan, so during the New Year, when Shichibei learned that Hideyoshi had sent troops to Tajima and plundered 1,000 kan of silver from the Ikuno Silver Mine, he almost said to him with a smile, "I heard that you made a fortune!"

It was during this period in Japan that the world's largest gold and silver mines were gradually being developed. It was said that Japan's annual silver production accounted for half of the world's total.

At other times, one thousand strings of silver would be an unimaginable amount.

However, it would be difficult to buy Nobunaga's forgiveness with this money. As I said, now is the time for Nobunaga to establish his authority, and he needs to be more respectful and have a good face.

Nobunaga would be embarrassed to immediately announce his forgiveness after Yamana Yufeng had just been driven away. Based on this, let alone a thousand kan of silver, even ten thousand kan of silver...

Wait, if it was 10,000 kan of silver, Nobunaga would have accepted it without hesitation. Nobunaga could have endured 40,000 kan of silver, but 400,000 kan of silver, let alone Nobunaga, even a god would have to touch it.

According to Zhao Da next door, a poor man with small eyes could fill his dilapidated house with 100,000 strings of cash. If he came with 400,000 strings of cash, not only the poor man, but even the generals commanding large armies would have to stand up and toast Zhao Da.

"This matter is not something I can decide." How could Shichibei dare to make a decision for Nobunaga?

"Well..." Yamana Yufeng found that Shichibei was truly a "perfect" person.

She would either engage in meaningless gossip with him or beat around the bush. When he came straight to the point, practically asking a direct question, Shichibei would offer a thinly veiled refusal.

Anyway, he just didn't want to be involved. What else could Yamana Yufeng say? There was no point in saying more. Shichibei didn't want to take on a job like this, and the money was secondary.

In that case, Yamana Yufeng stood up and said goodbye. He'd already met the person, so Shichibei just wanted to take a look. After that, he could leave. It didn't matter if he wanted to leave or not.

Tsuda Muneki, standing nearby, had a flicker of emotion in his eyes, and he quickly stood up to see Yamana Yufeng off. Although he was the guardian of Tajima, who had lost his country, he was still a descendant of a prominent family in the country, the current head of the Yamana clan.

You might say the old nobles are worthless, but look at Yamana Yufeng, who has no territory left and is just a name. But if you really want to say they're valuable, if a powerful lord were to come along and support them, and attack Inaba, Tajima, or even Bizen, Bizen, Harima, and other provinces, they would have claims on their territory.

This is the only claim that is valuable.

After sending the people away and returning, Tsuda Muneki forced a smile and asked Shichibei the purpose of his visit. What purpose could it be? Wasn't it just to show up and announce the arrival of Oda Nobunaga's era, and that from now on, the family name of Sakaimachi would be Oda.

Things like weapons underwriting and maritime embargoes were all later. The main point was to announce Nobunaga's rule, and Shichibei, as the deputy governor of Sakai, also needed to find a collaborator in Sakai Town.

The foundation of Shichibei was in Nobi, in the increasingly powerful vassal Nobunaga. It would be unwise to put all of his attention on Sakaimachi. As long as Nobunaga's prestige remained, Shichibei could slowly expand in Sakaimachi.

So just find a partner and start building your reputation in Sakaimachi.

Since Shichibei wasn't so familiar to anyone else, the only person he could be a partner with was Tsuda Muneki. Tsuda Muneki was probably secretly happy, as with Shichibei's connection, he could at least maintain his influence and business power in Sakaimachi during Nobunaga's time.

Even in the next Hideyoshi era, it will most likely be preserved.

"Nanabe, actually..." Now that there were no outsiders around, Tsuda Sokichi relaxed a little.

The main thing is that he can see that Shichibei is not here to ask for punishment, so Tsuda Muneki can take advantage of his seniority and act like a big brother in front of Shichibei.

"What can the master craftsman teach me?" Since there was no one around, Shichibei simply pulled over a small armrest table and leaned against it.

"Actually, the matter about Yamana Kingo..." As a great tea master, Tsuda Muneki was actually also a socialite.

Perhaps "socialite" isn't quite the right word; "broker" is a more accurate term. They primarily act as agents for the powerful; when someone comes to them for help, they have to help. By helping others get things done, their reputation grows, and eventually they can even clear their name as a broker and step into the spotlight.

The reason why Yamana Yufeng came to him was because Tsuda Muneki had recommended Matsui Tomokan to Shichibei, who in turn had introduced him to Nobunaga. Matsui Tomokan was now an official of Nobunaga's, and although he didn't meet with Nobunaga every day, he wasn't a very famous person either.

But there is finally a chance to pass on a message to Nobunaga!

The leader has a general office, and the person you meet every day is the director of the general office. As for the other liaison officers and secretaries, how dare you neglect them?

Even the people on duty in the car team and even the security officers were all the same. Anyone who could hang around in front of the leaders was considered a big shot.

Not to mention that Matsui Tomokan is now Nobunaga's tea master. From time to time, when Nobunaga entertains foreign guests for a tea party, Matsui Tomokan will order tea for the guests.

"Don't mention the matter of Yamana Hall anymore. The lord has his own considerations." Shichibei waved his hand. It was difficult to get a thousand strings of silver.

"I have an idea, I wonder..."

"uh-huh?"

"Help him return to his country, but hand over the Shengye Silver Mine." Tsuda Muneki gave a suggestion that was really worth more than 10,000 kan of silver.

"hiss……"

If Nobunaga could really seize the Ikuno Silver Mine, he would definitely agree to forgive Yamana Sukefusa and even send troops to escort Yamana Sukefusa back to Tajima and reaffirm his position as the guardian of Tajima.

Yamana Yoshitoyo had previously fallen out with the Muromachi shogunate because Ashikaga Yoshiteru, in an attempt to win over Amago Haruhisa, had appointed Haruhisa as the "Onmyoji Taishou," a position that included the Inaba Shugo (guardian of Inaba).

At that time, the guardian of Inaba was Yamana Makotoyo, and the two families split. After Yamana Yufeng eliminated Yamana Makotoyo, he appointed his younger brother Yamana Toyosada as the guardian of Inaba.

He hoped that the shogunate would recognize his younger brother Toyosada as the shugo, but the shogunate instead transferred the position to Amago Haruhisa. As a result of this incident, he broke with the shogunate. Naturally, the shogunate would no longer recognize his position as the shugo of Tajima, and his title of shugo was essentially a self-proclaimed title.

"What do you think of this condition, Kanrei-dono?" Tsuda Muneki saw that Shichibei gasped, and he knew that this condition was impressive.

"No, no, no, I dare not make decisions for my lord." Although Shichibei was surprised, he would never blindly promise anything to others in public.

"How about you go back to Kyoto and try again later?"

"What? Can you really agree to this?" Shichibei felt that Yamana Yufeng was not crazy.

How much silver could the Ikuno Silver Mine produce in a year? It was all presented to Oda Nobunaga. Even if Yamana Yoshinori returned to his country, he would be a pauper.

"But there is a 20% to 30% possibility." Tsuda Soji showed a somewhat complicated expression, which was hard to describe, a mixture of sympathy, pity, confusion, and even disdain.

Glancing outside, Tsuda Munekichi explained that Yamana Yufeng had two sons, both of whom served as Inaba Shugodai after his younger brother, Yamana Toyosada. However, one died suddenly at the age of twenty-one, and the other at eighteen, leaving the Yamana clan without descendants for now.

Seeing that Yamana Yufeng was approaching sixty, it was highly likely that he would not have any more children. The Yamana clan, a prominent family among the most prestigious Japanese samurai families, was on the verge of extinction.

Actually, the saying that Japanese people value family name over blood relationship is a bit problematic. Family name is indeed more important than blood relationship, but if they can choose a son-in-law to inherit the family line, most people still choose to recruit a son-in-law.

When my daughter and I have a son, at least he will have some connection to me.

But Yamana Youfeng didn't even have a daughter, so there was no way he would have a successor. The only way was to look for one outside, to find someone of the same clan or a branch of the family.

It has come to this point, and you are already old. If you were Yamana Yufeng, what would be your best choice?

Stop arguing, stop making a fuss, just settle down, return to my old territory in Tajima Province, and pass on the family name. I might die tomorrow anyway, so what's the point of arguing?

I don't know who will succeed the Yamana clan in the future. I'm tired, exhausted, so forget it, whatever happens. I'll return to my old territory and be buried in Yamana's Bodhi Temple after death. Even if I don't bring shame to my ancestors, I trust the wisdom of future generations to decide their affairs.

"So..." After Tsuda Soji said this, Shichibei felt that it seemed possible.

"You might as well give it a try. Ikuno Silver Mine is a huge fortune." These words were a bit persuasive.

But Shichibei had no knowledge of mining. Although he knew the ash-blowing method, he had only seen it demonstrated by some so-called ancient method on Bilibili. It was completely impossible for Shichibei to actually operate it.

Shichibei had no understanding of the management of the silver mine, the construction of mining tunnels, or the manufacture of pumping machinery. Had Ōkubo Nagayasu already surrendered to the Takeda clan? Or was he still with the Tokugawa clan? Shichibei wasn't sure, and he certainly wasn't going by that name at the moment.

No matter how good wealth is, it is only real if you can grasp it.

"Let's discuss this matter later. Please ask the Grand Master to gather the people of Sakai for me." Shichibei had some thoughts in his mind, but after all, he had seen some storms and waves, so he would not show greed so easily.

The reason for coming to Sakaimachi was to announce Oda Nobunaga's order, nothing else matters for now.