Just as Akechi Mitsuhide was thinking about how to help Oda Nobunaga quickly capture Ishiyama and introduce this surly lord to the fast lane of conquering the Western Kingdom.
Oda Nobunaga of Azuchi Castle was already so proud of the success of the New Year campaign that he held a banquet to celebrate.
Her temperament has always been like this, and she is prone to drifting when things go smoothly. The retainers fear her more than they respect and love her, so naturally no one dares to offend Yan Zhijian.
There was a party all night long, and by the time Oda Nobunaga was enjoying himself to the fullest, the sky was already dimly bright, and it was almost dawn.
Niwa Nagahide, who happened to come to Azuchi Castle to report on work, was pulled to stay up all night, and now he could no longer open his eyes.
She was born in the Wild Children's League and was one of Oda Nobunaga's most trusted confidants. Over the years, she served as the logistics housekeeper and was responsible for wiping the butt of Oda Nobunaga's whimsical ideas.
This time, the Oda family once again engaged in off-season operations, which they were best at, taking advantage of the separation of farmers and soldiers to launch an offensive during the spring plowing season, and simultaneously launched campaigns in two directions towards Kaga Settsu.
Off-season operations against traditional samurai families are very effective, but the cost is huge. Only the Oda family, the most powerful feudal clan in the world with deep pockets, can afford it.
But even so, the flow of military expenditures still overwhelmed Niwa Nagahide.
Just last year, the Oda family and the Shiba family fought a battle involving 200,000 people. Both sides consumed a large amount of food and supplies, and both sides were seriously injured.
At the beginning of this year's spring, Oda Nobunaga was in a hurry to embark on a new journey, as greedy as a glutton that never knew how to be satisfied.
Shiba Yiyin is working hard to provide benefits to everyone and improve the living standards of the Shiba family warriors. It has attracted the envy of samurai all over the world. They all call Shiba territory a beacon land and the chosen territory.
As for Oda Nobunaga, she is using the concentrated power in her hands to squeeze every bit of land, manpower, energy, and potential in Oda's territory, and spur everyone to work hard for her own dominance.
This kind of suffocating pressure is too much for even super bosses like Shibata Katsuie, and the lower classes of the Oda family are even more miserable.
It can be said that the Oda family rose from Shimo-Owari and swept across Kinki in eight years, increasing its territory more than ten times.
Everyone worked hard at the beginning and imagined the future, but at this time, everyone discovered that their efforts did not seem to bring them the happiness they expected.
Most of the benefits were taken away by Oda Nobunaga, the boss. He only had KPIs that he could never finish, and there was huge pressure to get out if he couldn't finish them.
If you work hard this year, your boss will be able to buy a new car and get a new bride next year. This kind of unbalanced investment-return ratio makes it impossible for anyone to be motivated.
Although Oda Nobunaga is still drawing cakes and making chicken blood, most of the old ministers who have followed her for a long time no longer believe in this rhetoric.
The reason why everyone is still working so hard now is not because they yearn for the bright future painted by Oda Nobunaga, but because they are afraid that Oda Nobunaga will deprive them of everything they have.
As the governor with the most concentrated power among the feudal lords in the Warring States Period, Oda Nobunaga used the fate of Lin Xiuzhen and Ando Mamoru to set an example for the retainers, saying that anyone who didn't work hard would get out of the house.
With a surly and overbearing powerful family governor and a group of weak and tired retainers, the Oda family seems to be in full swing and unstoppable, but is it really invincible?
Niwa Nagahide sighed and drank all the sake in his glass.
She had followed Oda Nobunaga for so many years and had true feelings for him. However, in the past few years, Oda Nobunaga had become more and more arbitrary and independent, completely destroying the mutual trust between emperor and ministers in the tradition of the samurai family.
On the one hand, Niwa Nagahide admires Oda Nobunaga's strength and talent. On the other hand, she is also confused. Can the Oda family really dominate the world if it continues like this?
Just when Niwa Nagahide was in a daze, Oda Nobunaga stepped down from the chair, patted her shoulder and asked.
"What is Mi Wuniang thinking about?"
Niwa Nagahide came to his senses, bowed and smiled.
"I went back to the main hall and didn't think about anything. I was just a little tired from staying up late."
Oda Nobunaga laughed loudly.
"How can you look old at such a young age?"
Niwa Nagahide sighed.
"I am over thirty and already an old woman. Naturally, I am not as energetic as a young person."
Oda Nobunaga snorted, she didn't like hearing this.
Every time his close friends mentioned his age, Oda Nobunaga would feel an inexplicable sense of urgency. Everyone in the Wild Boys group was getting older, and so was he.
But why...that guy Shiba Yiyin has always been sixteen years old and has a peerless appearance!
I want to conquer the world, I want to conquer Shiba Yiyin, I want to give birth to his child, and become a man who dominates him.
Oda Nobunaga was unwilling to admit that she was almost thirty years old. In this medieval era when thirty could be called an old woman, she was no longer young.
After forcibly pulling Niwa Nagahide up, Oda Nobunaga said willfully.
"You're not old, I think you don't exercise too much. Come on, go out for a few laps with me, watch the dawn, dispel the alcohol, and refresh yourself."
Although Niwa Nagahide was extremely tired, Oda Nobunaga requested so, so she had no choice but to risk her life to accompany her master, gritted her teeth and followed out with a forced smile.
Oda Nobunaga and Niwa Nagahide walked on the stone path in the courtyard and gradually became quiet.
After a while, she said.
"I know you are working very hard. I also know that many people are saying weird things behind your back and causing you trouble. It is not easy for you to raise the logistics for the New Year campaign."
When Niwa Nagahide saw Oda Nobunaga, who had always been unreliable, suddenly speak thoughtful words, he was immediately flattered and did not dare to say anything.
"It is my duty to serve the palace, and I dare not take credit for it."
Oda Nobunaga sneered.
"I know your loyalty, so you don't have to be too modest. I also know who are the shady people behind their backs, and I have a way to make them be honest.
How could these idiots know that this juncture is the strategic opportunity to make a bold move?
The saint is not in Kinki, Akechi Mitsuhide controls the Fushimi Castle system, and fully cooperates with me, so that I have the opportunity to get rid of constraints and expand as quickly as possible.
Once I miss this point, when the saint comes back to Kinki, I won't be able to do things so casually and conveniently.
We can't always have the Oda family eat alone. The Shiba family can't get anything. This is no cooperation. It's not easy for me to communicate with the saint.
This time during the Settsu strategy, you were able to raise military supplies and Akechi Mitsuhide was successful in diplomatic mediation, which enabled the army to arrive at night, and Araki Village fled to the Western Kingdom in embarrassment.
The Settsu strategy was won without a fight, and you all have made great contributions. I have decided to grant the Wakasa Kingdom to you, and the Tango Kingdom to Akechi Mitsuhide, as a reward for your great contributions."
Niwa Nagahide was stunned, he did not expect Oda Nobunaga to be so decisive and generous.
Wakasa Province is the western extension of Echizen Province and the western end of the Hokuriku Road. Historically, Wakasa and Echizen countries were one.
Although Oda Nobunaga captured Echizen Kingdom, there was a thorn in his throat, and that was Tsuruga County in the west of Echizen Kingdom.
The main branch of the Asakura family has basically died during the Oda family's two conquests of Echizen Province. Only Asakura Kageki of Tsuruga County has Asakura Sodai Yuzawa, who is protected by Shiba Yoshigan.
Tsuruga Port in Tsuruga County is an important link on the Houriku Road trade route, and it is also the main route for Hokuriku Road to enter and exit Kinki.
Although the Oda family had captured 400,000 shi from Echizen Province, the tens of thousands of shi from Tsuruga County were like a fish bone stuck in the throat, making Oda Nobunaga unable to vomit.
But during the honeymoon period of cooperation between the Shiba and Oda families, Oda Nobunaga did not want to touch Asakura Kageki, lest he arouse the anger of Shiba Yoshigan.
Although Wakasa Country is only a small country of over 80,000 koku, it is located on the west side of Tsuruga County.
To the south of Tsuruga County is Hideyoshi Hideyoshi Kitanomi, and to the east is Katsuie Shibata of Echizen Province. If Niwa Nagahide can take over Wakasa Province, it will mean that Tsuruga County is completely isolated and surrounded.
In this way, the threat to Oda Nobunaga from Tsuruga County, which is besieged by Oda's territory, will be minimized.
The guardian of Wakasa Kingdom is the Wakasa Takeda family, which has long since declined. Before Kanazaki retreated, the Wakasa Kingdom samurai family had surrendered to Oda Nobunaga once.
Just because the Asakura Asai family joined forces to attack the Oda family, the bunch of losers in Wakasa country jumped repeatedly and escaped from the control of the Oda family.
Nowadays, the Asakura Asai family has been wiped out, and the Shiba Oda family is also working together. The situation in Kinki is very different.
As long as the samurai family of Wakasa Province is not bad, they will definitely take Oda Nobunaga's request seriously and surrender to the Oda family, so that Oda Nobunaga will not remember the embarrassing retreat of Kanazaki and settle accounts in the future.
As for the Wakasa Takeda family, just give them some territory to support them. It doesn't cost much land anyway. I hope her family will be smarter and take the initiative to give up the guardianship to Niwa Nagahide to avoid killing the whole family.
Seeing that Niwa Nagahide was still hesitating, Oda Nobunaga said strangely.
"What? You think I gave too little? Isn't it enough for the head of a country?"
Niwa Nagahide smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"You know I'm not this kind of person. I was just thinking that Akechi Mitsuhide is a retainer of Shiba. Isn't it appropriate for you to openly reward her like this?
Because Mitsuhide Akechi worked for you, captured Settsu, isolated Ishiyama, and performed many feats, there has been a lot of discussion, especially in the Kinki Shiba region, where there is a lot of doubt.
If you give her the 110,000 koku of Tango Kingdom at this time, wouldn't it mean that she is being roasted on the fire?"
Oda Nobunaga laughed loudly.
"Yes, I just want to add her to roast.
There is a saying in the sky that true gold is not afraid of fire, so I also want to see how sincere Akechi Mitsuhide is to me."
Niwa Nagahide narrowed his eyes.
"You don't believe her?"
Oda Nobunaga shook his head. Even her parents and sisters could betray her. She had never trusted anyone in her life, except for the ill-fated Yoshigan Shiba.
It's just that it's not easy to say this directly in front of Niwa Nagahide, Oda Nobunaga sighed casually.
“Akechi Mitsuhide is thorough in everything he does, and I am very satisfied with what he did.
Everything was taken care of for me, and my old father also took the initiative to leave her at Azuchi Castle. Logically speaking, I should be very relieved that she has done this.
But I don’t know why, but I always want to try her and see her more carefully.”
Akechi Mitsuhide proposed that a mountain cannot tolerate two tigers, unless there is one male and one female, and he drew a blueprint for the future of the Shiba-Oda Convergence for Oda Nobunaga.
To be honest, Oda Nobunaga was very tempted and had the urge to reuse her. But just because this future was so important, Oda Nobunaga became more hesitant and did not dare to completely trust Akechi Mitsuhide.
Oda Nobunaga said.
"Tango Kingdom is different from Wakasa Kingdom. My reward of 110,000 koku from the king is just an empty title. Let's test her reaction.
To capture Tango Kingdom, the Shiba family needs to send troops and occupy it themselves, so what does it have to do with me, how can I criticize it?"
The Oda family has done too many things this year, and they are constantly trying to capture Settsu, Kaga, Wakasa, and Ishiyama. Even if they are as greedy as Oda Nobunaga, they still feel that they are a bit too ugly.
After agreeing to cooperate, it was natural to leave some benefits to the Shiba family. What she gave to the Shiba family was Tango country.
Tango Kingdom is located on the west side of Wakasa Kingdom. It was historically part of Tamba Kingdom and was later divided into two countries. Tamba Kingdom is located in the southern mountainous area and Tango Kingdom is located on the north coast.
The guardian of Tango is one of the three and four positions of the Isshiki family in the shogunate. In its glory days, the Isshiki family used to be the great guardian guarding two counties in the five countries. Managing the shrine was the first of the four positions.
Although the Isshiki family has declined, the reputation of the famous family still exists. Otherwise, Saito Yoshiryu would not have chosen the name Isshiki Miao after he killed his mother and seized the country. Please Ashikaga Yoshiteru admit that his lintel comes from the Isshiki family.
When Ashikaga Yoshiteru was in power, the Isshiki family was still in charge of the shogunate's palace in Kyoto and sent dozens of people to Kyoto to show off their power.
Although the shrine is no longer the military base that dominated the world during the Kamakura shogunate period, and has been reduced to a Kyoto police station, the Kyoto castle town is prosperous in business, and the Isshiki family still reaps a lot of benefits.
Miyoshi went to Luo and killed the general Ashikaga Yoshiteru. The service office, which had the responsibility to protect Kyoto, did nothing. Isshiki fled back to Tango Kingdom in embarrassment and had no shame to mention the management of the service office again.
The Isshiki family was unable to fight against the Miyoshi family, and naturally they were also unable to fight against the saints of the Shiba family. It would be easy for Yoshigan Shiba to take Tango Kingdom.
Oda Nobunaga also gave Yoshigan Shiba face, and Yoshigan Shiba valued the tradition of the samurai family the most. Even though the Isshiki family had declined, it was still a famous shogunate family with one of the three administrators and four positions.
If the Oda family forcibly conquers Tango Kingdom, the face of Yoshigan Shiba, who controls the Kyoto shogunate, will inevitably be disgraced. It is better to let the Shiba family come forward and convince the Isshiki family.
In addition, Oda Nobunaga asked Akechi Mitsuhide to take over the Hatano family, and promised Tango Kingdom behind Tanba Kingdom to Akechi Mitsuhide, which created a problem for Akechi Mitsuhide.
Because Akechi Mitsuhide made arrogant decisions several times, her territory was severely weakened by Shiba Yoshigin, which was only a few thousand koku.
Oda Nobunaga raised his hand and rewarded him with 110,000 stones. The Lord of a country, who is this for?
Even if Yoshigan Shiba agrees to this matter, other forces in the Shiba family will be dissatisfied. If Akechi Mitsuhide wants to gain a foothold in public opinion, he must rely on Oda Nobunaga and move closer to the Oda family.
Akechi Mitsuhide was forced to get close to the Oda family and complete the road map of the merger of the Spo and Oda families. This is why Oda Nobunaga promoted Akechi Mitsuhide.
In addition, Tango Kingdom is behind Tanba Kingdom, which poses another problem for Akechi Mitsuhide.
Being involved in interest-related matters, how would Hatano Hideharu see Akechi Mitsuhide, a diplomat who was supposed to be friendly and neutral? This ideological work is not easy to do.
Oda Nobunaga was also curious about how Akechi Mitsuhide would complete this arduous task and make Hatano Hideharu of Tanba Kingdom bow to him.