Owari Yumeki Golden Day

With these two large bets and the profits from his own Kawamuraya business, Shichibei now had a capital of over 90,000 kan. Even if Nobunaga entrusted Shichibei with the task of managing 300,000 koku of annual tribute rice, he would be able to manage it with ease.

This matter was only known to the young couple Inase Yoshinari and Ai, who had access to the general ledger. After all, Kawamuraya's head office was in Tsushima, and it could not be concealed.

In addition to the main task of taking charge of the annual tribute rice for the Oda family, Shichibei feels that the side task of integrating the rice industries of Owari and Mino can also be put on the agenda.

If Shichibei still controlled the rice business, then Nobunaga wouldn't need to sign a futures contract with Sakaimachi or the Annozukai if he wanted 40,000 koku of rice. He could simply take the rice from the rice warehouse at 800 coins per koku and give it to Nobunaga.

In the past, Qibingwei did not have enough capital to handle this matter, but now Qibingwei has it, and not only that, he has a lot of it.

With Nobunaga's favor and trust at that time, as long as Shichibei could do the job properly, Nobunaga would definitely be happy to give all the annual tribute rice harvested in his direct territory to Shichibei. Nobunaga was such a person, if he trusted you, he would trust you to the end.

The summer harvest had just begun, and the autumn harvest was still over three months away. Shichibei had plenty of time to build sufficiently large rice granaries in Gifu Castle and Tsushima. Both locations needed to be able to hold 100,000 or even 200,000 koku of rice. If they were too small, they might not be able to handle the overwhelming wealth Nobunaga was sending his way.

Moreover, there was no need to hide this matter. Shichibei's family background was really good, and no one in the Oda family would be jealous of Shichibei being the one to take charge of this matter. In fact, everyone would even think that Shichibei should be the one to do it.

The empire conquered by us old Oda and old Owari must, of course, be shared by us old Oda. They received land, subjects, and salaries, while Shichibei received a commercial monopoly. Perhaps, in their hearts, they felt that Shichibei was being treated unfairly by engaging in menial work.

As for those important officials who are not from the Owari clique?

Not afraid.

"The 40,000 stones have all been delivered." A bantou who came from Sakaimachi asked Shichibei to sign and seal the document.

"Give my regards to Mr. Tsuda, the boss." Shichibei glanced at the rice ticket, confirmed that it was correct, and signed on the spot.

"Of course. I also wish Kawamura-dono a long and prosperous military career." The leader put away the receipt and saluted Shichibei.

"You're welcome." Shichibei sent the man back to the boat.

You see, in the eyes of businessmen, Shichibei is a samurai. And in the eyes of some samurai, Shichibei is a businessman. The line between the two sides is not clear; it all depends on what you do, who you work for, or whether you work for yourself.

Forty thousand stones of grain were delivered to Gifu, and Nobunaga's battle to Kyoto was about to begin.

130. The First Battle of Shangluo

Nobunaga randomly cut open a straw bag, reached in and grabbed a handful of rice, licked two grains into his mouth and chewed them. After confirming that it was normal brown rice, he stuffed the rice back into the bag.

This happened three times, and Nobunaga had to inspect the 40,000 koku of rice several times. It wasn't that he doubted Shichibei, but rather that the saying "Warfare is the most important matter of state" held true. There was nothing wrong with attaching any importance to military affairs.

Only by being fully prepared before a battle can you feel confident.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki also learned of Nobunaga's decision to march to Kyoto and sent messengers to inquire about it daily. Nobunaga was anxious, but he was waiting for Akechi Mitsuhide's return. Mitsuhide had already gone out to recruit local leaders from Yamashiro, Omi, Iga, Yamato, and other regions.

Nobunaga would only truly launch his attack once he was certain there were sufficient guides. Having numerous guides not only increased the strength of the Shangluo army, but also, crucially, the very act of guiding them. Entering unfamiliar territory, Nobunaga was extremely focused on preparing for the enemy's rebellion.

When Ouchi Yoshioki went to Kyoto, he also notified the vassal states along the way to give way, and Nobunaga naturally did not forget. If he wanted to gain a foothold in Kinai, he needed the support of local tyrants. He used a common tactic of recruiting some and attacking others.

"Nanabe, well done." Nobunaga took off his bamboo hat and gave it to Nanabe.

"It's my duty." Shichibei immediately stretched out his hands to hold the hat.

Unexpectedly, Nobunaga placed the conical hat directly on Shichibei's head, preventing him from having to take it. Nobunaga's conical hat wasn't the pointed iron hat worn by foot soldiers, but rather the military hat often seen in Edo-period television dramas. It was relatively flat, intended more for sun and rain protection, and painted for decoration, rather than providing much defensive power.

"Continue to purchase gunpowder!" Nobunaga jumped on his horse and kept giving orders.

"Yes." Shichibei answered while holding the battle hat and bending down with his head down.

Just now, the attendant came to report that Akechi Mitsuhide, who had gone to Kinai to conduct the tactical work, had returned to the castle and was waiting for an audience with Nobunaga at his residence below the castle. So after hurriedly inspecting the 40,000 koku of military rations, Nobunaga rode away without giving any important instructions.

After the acceptance was passed, Shichibei breathed a sigh of relief. Now he just had to wait for the autumn harvest to arrange the annual tribute rice to fulfill the contract he had previously signed with Sakaimachi and the Annotsu-kai.

However, Akechi Mitsuhide has returned, which means that his mediation work has been completed and he should have gained something.

The matter was straightforward. Akechi Mitsuhide went to visit Rokkaku Yoshitaka (Rokkaku Shojin) and Rokkaku Yoshiharu, the father and son who had previously taken in and accepted Ashikaga Yoshiaki. The result was not surprising, as Asai Nagamasa of Kita-Omi had already made it clear that he would support Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and Rokkaku and his son chose to side with the Miyoshi Three.

After the eighth year of Eiroku, the shrewd and capable Asai Nagamasa began to counterattack the Rokkaku clan. Unlike his father Asai Hisamasa, who was almost subservient to the Rokkaku clan during his reign, he gradually gained the upper hand in the attack on Minami-Omi.

Due to the Kannon-ji riot, important officials such as Goto Kentoyo were killed by Rokkaku Yoshiharu, and Rokkaku retainers fled on a large scale. In fact, the Rokkaku clan could no longer defeat the aggressive Asai Nagamasa.

So much so that after the Battle of Kamano, Rokkaku Yoshiken uttered the words "I am more aware of the situation, Asai's horse is a shame".

The general meaning is that it is really shameful to think that I will soon be leading the horse for Asai Nagamasa.

With the Rokkaku clan, already weakened, still maintaining such a resolute resistance, his retainers naturally wouldn't sit idly by. Contrary to Shichibei's assumption that the Gamo clan of Hino Castle would be the first to defect, under the persuasion of Akechi Mitsuhide, Kondo Kenmori, also one of the "Rokkaku Two Fujis," chose to collude with Oda.

After the Kannonji riot, Kondo Kenmori had chosen to flee, leaving Kannonji Castle and returning to his territory in Kurita County. He even raised an army and prepared to go to war with Rokkaku Yoshiharu.

If it weren't for Gamo Sadahide's mediation, Minami-Omi would definitely have fought hard to decide the winner.

Now, with just a little provocation from Akechi Mitsuhide, Kondo Kenmori chose to abandon his dark ways and join the light. As anyone can see from their location, Rokkaku and his son's escape routes to Kyoto or Settsu were blocked by Kondo Kenmori, who controlled half of Kurita County. Having nowhere to flee, Rokkaku and his son could only retreat to the mountains of Koga County and engage in guerrilla warfare against the Oda army.

By the way, Goto Kentoyo’s son Goto Takaharu did not explicitly agree to Akechi Mitsuhide’s request for insider communication, and his attitude was quite ambiguous.

Kanonji Castle was protected by eighteen branch castles, and Goto Takaharu seemed to believe that Kanonji Castle would not fall so quickly. If Nobunaga could not capture it and his troops were stationed at the castle, he could then turn against Rokkaku Yoshiharu and catch him off guard, perhaps selling him to the Oda clan for a good price.

Of course, this is speculation and cannot be confirmed.

Mitsuhide also carried out corresponding work in Yamashiro. Temples such as Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Tofuku-dera Temple in Higashiyama expressed their welcome to Ashikaga Yoshiaki. This Kiyomizu-dera Temple, the future World Heritage site, was a major gateway to the Tendai sect, and its Eleven-Faced Kannon statue was said to be highly effective.

The temples and shrines' demands were nothing more than the stabilization of the temple territory, which was a very normal condition. Before Mitsuhide set out, Nobunaga tacitly agreed and hinted to those temples that were willing to cooperate.

However, apart from temples and shrines, the attitudes of many shogunate servants, go-donos, and estates of the old government distributed in Yamashiro were relatively ambiguous.

Just like Matsui Tomokan, whom we met earlier, their family was a typical example of a split family, serving two masters. Matsui Yasuyuki went to follow Ashikaga Yoshiaki and is now at Riksei-ji Temple in Mino. Matsui Tomokan, on the other hand, is in Sakaimachi, close to Ashikaga Yoshiei. Of course, he had already surrendered to Nobunaga two months ago, effectively severing ties with Ashikaga Yoshiei.

But he changed his stance according to the situation and jumped ship to Ashikaga Yoshiaki's side. Other members of the Fenggong may not be so smart.

There were at least a few hundred former shogunate retainers, but how many of them are recorded in history? Very few. This is not only because a significant number of them followed Mitsuhide and were subsequently killed by Hideyoshi. It also has a lot to do with the fact that these people were clueless, incompetent, and used to a life of luxury and debauchery.

It would be very difficult for them to expect them to make a quick decision and stand on the side of the Oda family and Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

After Mitsuhide's persuasion, these people put forward a condition: a "virtuous decree" to forgive the debts they owed to the wealthy merchants and temples in Kyoto, and only then would they consider cooperating with Nobunaga.

Frankly, this condition was a bit offensive. Nobunaga's first trip to Kyoto was a time when he needed to rally support within Kinai, yet they demanded a decree of virtuous governance. In a sense, they were asking Nobunaga to offend the townspeople and temples of Kyoto in order to curry their favor.

Just give that fucking shit!

When Shichibei was chatting with Inase Sukeemon, the brother of Inase Yoshinari, he learned that Nobunaga was very dissatisfied and cursed "a deer" after hearing Mitsuhide's conditions for Kyoto to be open to the public.

It's understandable; if Shichibei were there, he'd probably have cursed them out too. What a bunch of idiots! They really thought they were so powerful, negotiating terms with Nobunaga, who had an army of 60,000.

They're not as responsive to the changing times as vibrant religious groups. The parasitic bureaucratic organizations under the old regime are truly worthless, completely devoid of any sense of propriety. When Nobunaga disbanded the shogunate, it was Mitsuhide, desperately short of manpower, who called on these scumbags. If it weren't for Mitsuhide, Nobunaga, who already controlled one-third of the empire, would have certainly exiled them.

However, Nobunaga did not vent his anger on Mitsuhide in the end. Mitsuhide was just relaying the news and he did not put forward any conditions to Nobunaga. He also revealed a good news to Nobunaga.

As soon as Nobunaga defeats the Rokkaku family, the imperial court will issue an imperial edict to Nobunaga, adding a legal cover for Nobunaga to go to Kyoto.

Even though this thing is something that only the victor can obtain, it is still better to have it than not to have it. As for the righteous cause, Sima Yi deceived Cao Shuang and entered the city to control the Queen Mother, and then issued an edict in her name.

The key point was that with the imperial decree, the people of Yamashiro were obliged to obey. Their reliance on the old power structure of the Muromachi shogunate and the imperial court made them worthy of Nobunaga's wooing. If they disobeyed even the emperor's decree, Nobunaga could simply execute them.

Anyway, Ashikaga Yoshiaki had over 200 smart people around him, and they had already sided with Nobunaga before he went to Kyoto. Once they had conquered Kyoto, these 200 or so retainers were enough to establish the framework of the shogunate. They wouldn't have to worry about the few retainers who were rotting in Yamashiro Province.

Finally, it was Matsunaga Hisahide of Yamato who expressed a clear attitude of forming friendly relations with the Oda clan.

Mitsuhide and Ashikaga Yoshiaki had already reported this matter, and although Matsunaga Hisamichi was one of the murderers of Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Ashikaga Yoshiaki, in order to reach Kyoto as quickly as possible, won over all the forces he could, and made it clear that he would accept Matsunaga Hisamichi's father as a shogunate official.

Since Matsunaga Hisahide could retain his position as the shogunate's retainer, Nobunaga naturally wouldn't say anything. The final decision on how to deal with Matsunaga Hisamichi would have to wait until he went to Kyoto.

"This Akechi Jubei is very efficient." Shichibei told the truth. In less than a month, Mitsuhide has been running back and forth and working very hard.

"My lord, I appreciate it very much." Inase Sukeemon handed over the wine dish and asked his younger brother Inase Yoshinari to pour the wine.

Inase Yoshinari had come with Murai Sadakatsu to deliver the army's rice rations. Since his younger brother had arrived, his elder brother had to go out of the city to meet him. As Nobunaga's errand boy, Inase Sukeemon could clearly hear Nobunaga's open conversation with Akechi Mitsuhide inside.

Logically, he shouldn't have shared his boss's words. But how many people could truly keep their mouths shut, completely ignoring him? Most likely, none.

Besides, Nobunaga wasn't hiding anything; not only was Akechi Mitsuhide present, but also Yoshiaki's representative, Hosokawa Fujitaka. There were also two young men, so there were quite a few people.

"I understand, I understand..." Shichibei patted Inase Sukemon's shoulder, asked him to chat with his brother, and left.

Without much hesitation or reflection, Nobunaga turned around and ordered the troops to assemble, announcing the departure for Kyoto. The envoys to Mikawa and Hubei rushed out, and the deputies and lords of the various counties were already fully prepared.

When Shinichi Matsudaira of Mikawa Okazaki arrived at Gifu with 3,000 men, Nobunaga ordered the troops to march out. Over 50,000 soldiers marched three or four li (12-16 km) in a long line, with the Inaba corps leading the way.

Ashikaga Yoshiaki also went out to fight, but he did not march with the Oda army. Instead, after receiving an audience with Asai Nagamasa, he settled in Sawayama Castle in Hubei Province and established the so-called Ashikaga army main camp within the castle.

After all, nominally, Nobunaga was the junkanrei who led the expedition, and the general was naturally Ashikaga Yoshiaki. However, Yoshiaki only had 250 shogunate retainers under his command, and Nobunaga only sent one mother-in-law to lead the troops to protect Yoshiaki.

At the same time that Asai Nagamasa was meeting Ashikaga Yoshiaki, he also met Nobunaga. This was their first meeting, and Nobunaga was greatly surprised to see Nagamasa. Although he had long heard that Asai Nagamasa was the so-called "Eagle of Hubei," a man who could charge into battle single-handedly, seeing him in person was still a powerful impression.

Because Asai Nagamasa was a very rare Japanese Warring States tall man of 1.82 meters, dark and fat. When he stood up, he looked like a bear. Even Nobunaga, who was 1.7 meters tall, looked majestic.

Nobunaga liked strong men and said that Aichi had married a good husband. He took Asai Nagamasa to sit down and drink with him, and even took the initiative to toast Nagamasa.

Of course, it wasn't just Nagamasa who was in charge, there were also the 5,000 Odani soldiers who followed behind him. With these 5,000 Omi local lords leading the way, Nobunaga's chances of victory increased by one or two points.

At this time, another 2,000 people from the Mikawa Okazaki clan also rushed to Omi. Nobunaga convened a military meeting, gathered the generals, and asked them about the tactics of attacking the Rokkaku clan.

Upon hearing that Nobunaga was coming to fight, Rokkaku and his sons had already gathered an army of 11,000 men and were laying siege to Kanonji Castle. The main force of the vanguard, Yoshida Izumo, was currently defending Minosaku Castle with 3,000 cavalrymen.

At this point, Nobunaga was still unsure of his ability to quickly defeat the defenses of the sub-fortresses of Kannonji Castle, so he sent envoys to the Rokkaku family, urging them to surrender with courtesy.

The Miyoshi trio also learned of Nobunaga's expedition to Kyoto. Shinohara Nagafusa, a senior member of the Hatasu Miyoshi clan, personally rushed to Kanonji Castle and persuaded Rokkaku and his son to defend Kanonji. He also stated that the Hatasu Miyoshi clan's 20,000-strong army was in Kinai. As long as Rokkaku and Oda could maintain a stalemate and the Oda army could not break through, and the Oda army was exhausted, the Miyoshi army would immediately dispatch.

It's not an army of 10,000 or 20,000, but 50,000.

As long as Rokkaku and his son could hold off the Oda clan at Kannonji for two or three months, the Miyoshi clan would surely send 50,000 men to support Rokkaku. Not only would they be able to defeat Oda Nobunaga, but the Rokkaku clan could also capitalize on the situation and march into northern Omi, eliminating, or at least subduing, Asai Nagamasa.

In this way, not only would the disunity caused by the Kannonji riot be reversed, but the prestige of the Sasaki Rokkaku clan would spread throughout the country. Rokkaku Yoshiharu could then officially assume the position of Kanreidai, effectively participating in shogunate politics and restoring the Rokkaku clan's glory from the era of Rokkaku Sadanari.

It’s no wonder that Shinohara Nagafusa’s words really convinced Rokkaku and his son.

131. I am not convinced and I challenge you to a night battle

Wada Koremasa, a native of Koga province, went into the city again to persuade them. Wada Koremasa had some connections with Rokkaku and his son. Among those who had supported Ashikaga Yoshiteru was Rokkaku Yoshitaka, so they were old acquaintances. Wada Koremasa was in a position to persuade Rokkaku and his son to surrender.

When Oda marched to Kyoto with an army of 100,000 (claimed), the Rokkaku clan mobilized only 11,000 men to resist. Even including the forces in other tributary castles, such as Gamo Kenhide of Hino Castle, who led 1,000 men to defend the main castle, the total number did not exceed 20,000.

How can we resist the 100,000-strong Shangluo army with only 20,000 soldiers?

Unfortunately, Rokkaku and his son had a deep grudge against Asai Nagamasa of Kita-Omi, but they also believed that the Miyoshi family was indeed a powerful force that had dominated Kinai for decades and could come to his rescue. In the end, they escorted Wada Koremasa out of the city, expressing their determination to fight to the end.

Since that was the case, there was nothing more to say. Nobunaga immediately ordered his troops to cross the Aichi River and begin attacking the many branch castles of Kanonji Castle.

"How did this task fall on us?" So Kotaro was a little puzzled.

We were supposed to be pulling the grain, so why were we tasked with building three pontoon bridges across the Aichi River? Unlike in history, where Nobunaga crossed the Aichi River in late September, the river was already dry. But now, in June, the plum rains had just passed, and the Aichi River was flowing freely. If the army wanted to cross, they would have to build pontoon bridges.

It’s not that there is no bridge, it’s a wooden bridge, and it’s not suitable for more than 60,000 people to pass through.

During the Huaihai Campaign, Huang Baitao's 70,000-man army was jammed on the Grand Canal Railway Bridge, unable to cross. He only realized something was amiss when the situation arose. Furthermore, during the two days he waited for the 44th Army to reunite, he hadn't considered building a pontoon bridge across the Grand Canal. And Li Mi, who had fled first, hadn't mentioned the matter at all.

"How about you go and attack the city?" Shichibei was very happy to take on this kind of job.

Just now, I saw Hideyoshi leading 2,300 of the Sunomata army to attack the city. Building a pontoon bridge here is only moderately tiring, but they're carrying guns to charge into Kannonji Castle, that's a life-or-death struggle.

However, Hideyoshi's Hachisuka and Tsubouchi factions were not true samurai, so they were relegated to the third formation. The first formation consisted of several hundred men under Inaba Yoshimichi, who surrounded Wadayama Castle. This was where the Rokkaku clan, having concentrated their forces and determined that the Oda army would be the main force of the attack, led by Tanaka Jibe Daisuke, who commanded 6,000 cavalry.

The Inaba Corps was clearly responsible for feinting. While feinting might sound simple on paper, it actually required a serious and capable army. Countless instances in history of feinting attacks and feigning retreats ultimately leading to a complete rout. Entrusting this mission to Inaba Yoshimichi was a testament to Nobunaga's recognition of the Inaba Corps.

The second group consisted of Shibata Katsuie and Mori Yoshinari, tasked with intercepting the soldiers emerging from Kanonji Castle to reinforce the other castles. Within Kanonji Castle lay the Rokkaku clan's Thousand Horsemen. These Thousand Horsemen were real Thousand Horsemen, hundreds of yabusa warriors skilled in archery and horsemanship.

The Otsubo-ryu style of horsemanship, which would flourish during the Edo period, was taught in Minami-Omi at this time. Rokkaku and his son were both descendants of the Otsubo-ryu style, and they also founded the Sasaki-ryu branch.

The fact that there are hundreds of horse archers in Japan is indeed enough to attract attention and to formulate countermeasures.

The third formation, composed of Takigawa Ikki, Niwa Nagahide, Kinoshita Hideyoshi, and others, stormed Minasaku Castle. Nobunaga's main force was nominally part of this formation, but in reality, Nobunaga remained behind the Aichi River, only dispatching a few of his men to lead the charge.

"Then I won't go." So Kotaro immediately shrank his head. He originally had the opportunity to be selected as Nobunaga's mother's clothing.

But he thought he had no ability to kill, so he gave up and would rather be an official than do anything great. So, if it wasn't him who would build the pontoon bridge?

"Hmph, can we two make it? Let's take a floating bridge." As long as we can take care of those more than 30,000 stones of grain, that would be great.

However, this was also the peak battle of Shichibei's "leadership". Now the number of troops under Shichibei reached 10,000. Except for Nobunaga's main force, no other Oda army had more troops than Shichibei.

But apart from Kawamura's five hundred men, the rest were all conscripted soldiers and porters, as well as soldiers assigned to the Seven Guards by the generals of other divisions to facilitate the collection of military rations and rice.

Apart from the two or three thousand personnel assigned from various teams who were not needed, the remaining seven thousand people were all responsible for the transportation in Shichibei's team.

Nobunaga's direct action to support Shichibei to build a large group of retainers was truly foresighted. If there were no such people as Shichibei, he would have to send a general who could be used in battle back to serve as a small vassal.

Now that he has Shichibei, Nobunaga just becomes a hands-off boss, and doesn't ask for anything other than paying the money.

He was so happy, just cutting people down at the front. We not only had to get food to the front, but we also had to build bridges and roads for them.

Well, putting aside these messy thoughts, Qibingwei called a dozen or so soldiers and ordered them to start laying wooden planks on the new pontoon bridge. The army continued to march towards the Guanyin Temple battlefield. The front line needed guns and cannons, bamboo and wood, and all the needs rushed to Qibingwei.

Fortunately, Shichibei was an old soldier and knew what needed to be prepared for war. Not only did he carry military supplies with him in the army, he was also ordered to stockpile a batch of military supplies in Gifu Castle.

If history had changed, and Nobunaga had truly been unable to break through Kannonji Castle, Shichibei would have been able to provide for the army for over a month. As for two months later? Even a wealthy Nobunaga would have had no choice but to withdraw.

After all, Nobunaga had been fighting for years, so he had some savings, but that was all. Being able to raise 60,000 men to go to Kyoto was already the limit of what his family could afford.