Chapter 70
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September early in the year 1569.
Since the completion of the rice harvest and tax collection, Shizuko has been visiting the Ise Bay area more frequently. This is because she is involved in Nobunaga’s port city plan. After carefully studying an accurate map of Japan, Nobunaga decided to build several port cities on the Chita Peninsula and establish a city plan to connect Ise and Owari by sea transportation. The purpose of the plan is to gain enormous profits by quickly transporting products produced in current fishing and aquaculture industries to Kyoto, Sakai, and Mikawa. Maritime transportation is significantly cheaper in terms of cost per weight and distance compared to other means of transportation, making it the ideal method for large-scale and long-distance transportation. Although the transportation time is longer than by land, if you have a precise map of Japan like Nobunaga, you can fully enjoy the benefits of mass transportation by sea.
The Ise Bay area was originally a region with active maritime transportation. Many trades were conducted in places such as Ise Kuwana and Anotsu, which served as relay points for goods between Omi Province and the eastern provinces, as well as Ominato and Toba Tomari, which served as outer ports for Ise Shrine. Especially Ominato, being a famous place where the tribute rice from the Jingu lands spread throughout the Tokaido region was unloaded, it is said to have had a considerable amount of toll income in addition to goods.
Nobunaga’s directly managed port towns were already bustling with various types of ships. With prior permission, they could anchor regardless of whether it was in the Kinai, western provinces, or eastern provinces, and with the payment of a deposit, commercial transactions could also take place in the port towns. Although it is an open port town, there is no increase in crime or friction with local residents, and good public order is maintained.
Merchant ships efficiently transport a large amount of goods. Therefore, the amount of money involved in a single commercial transaction is on a completely different scale from land transportation. Understanding this, Nobunaga believed that ensuring safety and trust in public order were the key to the prosperity of the port towns, and he devoted the full strength of the patrol teams to cracking down on those who disturb social order and preventing crimes. Unlike other public security forces, the patrol teams in the port towns were educated in the six principles of organization, tidiness, cleanliness, cleaning, manners, and discipline. By thoroughly adhering to these principles and diligently maintaining public order day by day, Nobunaga’s port towns succeeded in gaining the trust of merchants in a short period of time.
Among them, Shizuko visited one of the port towns that would become the largest in Owari when completed, accompanied by Saizo.
“How are you, Koto-san?”
As soon as she spotted a woman sitting on a porch in front of a tea house in the pleasure district, Shizuko called out to her. The woman, called Koto, who lazily turned her face towards Shizuko, as if she was sleepy or reluctant, made space for Shizuko to sit when she realized it was her.
“Well, well, Shizuko-sama. What brings you to lowly courtesan like me?”
“I heard there was a fight in the pleasure district a few days ago, so I was wondering what happened afterwards.”
While half-listening to Koto’s story, Shizuko sat in the space she made.
“Fighting is strictly prohibited in the pleasure district. Anyone who fights will be dealt with by the patrol teams according to Oda-sama’s orders. Shopkeeper, two servings of tea and soba mochi, please.”
“I see, that’s good to hear. By the way, do you really like soba mochi that much?”
“…Saizo-sama. Shizuko-sama has her moments of absent-mindedness, doesn’t she?”
“I won’t deny that.”
After saying that, the two of them sighed together. Shizuko, who didn’t understand what was going on, tilted her head in wonder as she watched their reactions.
“In Shizuko-sama’s words, it’s called ‘indulgence’. Since I’m making good business, I’ve attracted a lot of people and money, not just goods, wherever I go.”
“I am merely providing the venue. If your business is thriving, it’s because you and the others have worked hard.”
“…You’re still a strange person. Many people say it’s unthinkable for a courtesan to sit here, but you sit without caring.”
Koto, who was exasperated by Shizuko’s words and actions, put her pipe back in her mouth and discarded her cigarette in the ashtray provided. In the pleasure district, which occupied a corner of the entertainment district, there were three major districts: Ichino-ku, represented by Koto, Ninoku, represented by Saki, and Sanno-ku, represented by Oto. The three of them each had their own territories and monopolized the profits of the pleasure district. The reason why Nobunaga tolerated the monopoly of profits in the pleasure district was in return for their management of courtesans, including sexual services.
Even if the pleasure district was strictly regulated, courtesans would never disappear from the city, no matter how strictly they were regulated. So Nobunaga thought it would be better to incorporate the pleasure district, which would benefit them, into the pleasure district from the beginning and confine the courtesans there. With that in mind, Nobunaga implemented the courtesan ordinance and posted wooden plaques with the ordinance written on them everywhere. Courtesans were obliged to register on the courtesan roster, and operating without registration was prohibited. Registered courtesans were also prohibited from operating outside the pleasure district. Those who violated these rules would be arrested, interrogated, and then expelled from the city with only the clothes on their backs. However, most violators were not interrogated by the patrol teams, but rather received sanctions (lynching) from the powerful figures in the pleasure district for disturbing their territories.
“I am just doing my job.”
Putting her pipe aside, Koto muttered with an indifferent expression.
“It’s true that various spies from different countries have infiltrated this city. According to my investigation, there are the Takeda, Uesugi, Hojo, the alliance of Asai and Tokugawa, and the Honganji and Enryakuji temples. There are many others, but those are the major ones.”
The pleasure district, which was tolerated by Nobunaga for monopolizing profits, had various responsibilities. One of them was to investigate spies from other countries. In addition, they prevented the spread of venereal diseases by punishing unregistered courtesans, and they paid tribute instead of taxes. There were various detailed agreements between them.
“Well, I’m just doing my job.”
Putting her pipe aside, Koto muttered with an indifferent expression.
“I see, that’s good to hear. By the way, do you really like soba mochi that much?”
“…Saizo-sama. Shizuko-sama has her moments of absent-mindedness, doesn’t she?”
“I won’t deny that.”
After saying that, the two of them sighed together. Shizuko, who didn’t understand what was going on, tilted her head in wonder as she watched their reactions.
“Thank you for the meal. I should be going now.”
After exchanging information and chatting, Shizuko bowed to Koto and stood up.
“If anything happens, I’ll contact you.”
Koto waved her hand and watched Shizuko leave. After Shizuko’s back disappeared from view, Koto muttered to herself while packing her tobacco into the pipe.
“She’s still an unpredictable girl.”
August 26th. Oda’s forces, led by Hideyoshi, began the siege of Azaka Castle, where Omiya Nyudo, a senior retainer of the Kitabatake family, was holed up. Mori Yoshinari also participated in the siege of Azaka Castle, and inevitably, Nagayoshi and Keiji also participated in the siege.
Before the siege began, Mori Yoshinari told Nagayoshi, “If you want to be recognized as a decent warrior, show the talent that will convince those around you,” and threw him and Keiji into the ranks of the ashigaru (light foot soldier). Although Mori Yoshinari couldn’t completely abandon his softness towards his child, he had no intention of treating Nagayoshi specially just because he was his son. Nagayoshi, who was slightly surprised, was determined to show his talent to his father.
“Don’t get carried away, Katsuzo (Mori Nagayoshi). Don’t worry about anything. If you mess up, you’ll just die.”
With an excessive enthusiasm, Nagayoshi raised a roar while stomping on the ground. It was so loud that the foot soldiers nearby covered their ears.
“Uooooooo!! Where are the heads of the warriors?!”
Nagayoshi rushed forward fiercely, just as the word “reckless” suited him. He had been training diligently to run efficiently in armor, and he had gradually found himself running at the forefront of the middle army.
As the foot soldiers of Oda and Kitabatake fought each other, Nagayoshi ran through the chaos, relentlessly killing Kitabatake soldiers one after another. When Nagayoshi’s armor became covered in blood, the Kitabatake soldiers finally understood what was happening. But as they caught up, their fighting spirit was completely crushed.
“Oh, they’re demons!”
The enemy soldiers scattered like spiders.
“What disrespectful guys.”
Nagayoshi, holding his morning star, muttered as he adjusted his grip. He ignored the fleeing enemy soldiers and charged into the castle. Inside Azaka Castle, a melee was already underway, with Oda’s forces and Kitabatake’s forces engaging in skirmishes everywhere. The Kitabatake forces were not putting up much of a fight, and their soldiers were losing their lives one after another, overwhelmed by the momentum of Oda’s forces. Nagayoshi ignored the melee between foot soldiers and ran through the castle in search of a warrior worthy of military exploits. However, he did not conveniently encounter any enemy warriors.
While running through the castle, Nagayoshi tested the usability of weapons such as a five-foot spear and a sword that was more like a wakizashi, which was suitable for narrow spaces, against foot soldiers. Among them, he found that the one-meter morning star was easy to use and had good usability. Although it had the disadvantage of being difficult to change the direction of its momentum once swung, it could kill foot soldiers in almost one blow and had the advantage of intimidating enemy soldiers with its menacing appearance. Above all, the morning star had a weighty appearance, allowing him to show off his strength to both friend and foe. It was more than satisfying for him.
“The air is hot. Is this the air of the battlefield… not bad!”
While crushing enemy soldiers who came at him, Nagayoshi ran around the castle, searching for a warrior to gain military exploits. By the time Oda’s victory was almost certain, he finally found an enemy warrior. Judging from the foot soldiers guarding him, Nagayoshi speculated that the enemy warrior was someone of a certain status. With a confident expression, Nagayoshi began analyzing the enemy warrior’s movements as he tried to find a way out.
“…It’s a bit unsatisfying, but if I miss this opportunity, I won’t be able to take a head in my first battle. Alright!”
After psyching himself up, Nagayoshi switched from the morning star to a spear. In case he accidentally crushed the enemy warrior’s face, he wanted to be able to identify who the warrior was.
“What’s wrong! Even if they say the mighty Oda forces, the strength of their soldiers is nothing special!”
Taunting the Oda soldiers, the enemy warrior swung his sword at nearby foot soldiers. The terrified Oda soldiers could only watch as the sword approached them. But the enemy warrior’s sword never reached the Oda soldiers. Nagayoshi’s spear intercepted the enemy warrior’s sword accurately. He then used sheer strength to push the sword back. The enemy warrior, who was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, couldn’t withstand Nagayoshi’s strength and leaned his body backward.
“You must be tired of dealing with just foot soldiers. Come, I’ll be your opponent.”
With a confident expression, Nagayoshi provocatively bent and extended all four fingers of his right hand, except for his thumb, towards the enemy warrior.
“Is this little boy going to use that spear?!”
Provoked by Nagayoshi’s cheap taunt, the enemy warrior pushed aside those around him and swung his sword at Nagayoshi. However, the moment he swung his sword, Nagayoshi’s spear accurately pierced the enemy warrior’s throat.
“I don’t need your cheap provocations. Just leave your head.”
“Guh… gobo…”
The enemy warrior let out an inaudible voice and collapsed. Without even exchanging a single blow, Nagayoshi had decided the outcome in an instant. Everyone from both sides stood dumbfounded, unable to utter a word.
“I will take their heads.”
Unable to understand the situation at hand, Nagayoshi declared to the bewildered soldiers standing still, as if it was only natural.
The formidable Azaka Castle, known as the “Impregnable Castle,” which had withstood the forces of the Muromachi Shogunate of 30,000 soldiers and gained a reputation throughout the country, fell to the fierce attack of the Oda army in a single day.
Oomiya Nyudo Ganninsai, the chief retainer of the Kitabatake family and the lord of Azaka Castle, was captured. Unfortunately, his eldest son, Oomiya Dainojo Kagetsura, who had inflicted a serious injury on Hideyoshi’s thigh, managed to escape. Hideyoshi was furious at being outsmarted by Kagetsura, who had escaped despite his serious injury. He immediately ordered his soldiers to find him, but after giving the order, he sighed heavily, as if he didn’t expect a favorable outcome.
Nagayoshi also sighed heavily as he looked up at the sky. After that, he had taken several heads, but they were all unknown individuals. Nagayoshi had wanted to make a grand debut in his first battle, but he realized that reality was not so sweet.
“We need to find a more efficient way to search.”
“Hey, Katsuzo (Mori Nagayoshi). So, did your first battle go splendidly?”
As Nagayoshi pondered whether he should study castle construction, Keiji suddenly appeared. Normally, Nagayoshi would have asked what he had been doing, but he didn’t have the energy to question Keiji in his current depressed state.
“If my first battle had been a splendid success, I wouldn’t be rotting away in a place like this.”
“Hahaha, that’s a shame. But I think it would be boring if everything went perfectly.”
“I know that, but it annoys me when you say it. By the way, do you know why the soldiers were unusually weak?”
Nagayoshi recalled the events during the siege. The foot soldiers and ashigaru surrendered immediately, unlike the soldiers of the sturdy Azaka Castle. At first, he had thought they were weak and worthless, but considering that the lord of the castle, Oomiya Nyudo, had not responded to the Oda army’s surrender offer and had shown a stance of thorough resistance, the quick surrender of the ashigaru was an abnormal situation.
“It’s simple. The Kitabatake territory was hit by an unprecedented famine. I checked the food storage thoroughly, but there was hardly anything left in the castle. Most likely, the ashigaru and foot soldiers were struggling to find enough to eat.”
“So, they had no reserves at all?”
“I searched the food storage using the ashigaru and interrogated the prisoners, but there is no conclusion other than the fact that the food has run out. It seems that they were facing a shortage of food on top of the famine, which is why the morale of the ashigaru was low.”
“Hmm. So Shizuko is indeed special. When she senses signs of drought or famine, she takes some measures that I don’t quite understand. Even if the harvest decreases due to drought, she always manages to secure a certain amount of harvest.”
“Well, if it weren’t for Shizuchi, I think our military resources would be even scarcer. I heard that she still has some surplus despite mobilizing a large army.”
While the southern Ise region ruled by Kitabatake was suffering from a food shortage due to the famine, the Oda army forcefully seized food supplies in order to fight against the Kitabatake army. The peasants did not care who their ruler was as long as they protected them. This means that if the ruler is understood as someone who would easily abandon them, they would quickly turn against them. Understanding this, Nobunaga employed strategies to win over the hungry people, gaining their trust. With the cooperation of the local people, it was possible to obtain information about the Kitabatake army, intentionally block information, and create chaos in the Kitabatake camp by spreading false information.
Facing the Kitabatake army, whose military resources were beginning to dwindle, the Oda army had sufficient military strength and had even introduced a supply system, albeit in the experimental stage. Weapons and food from Owari and Mino were continuously transported to the camp, and supplies were replenished to the Konida unit once their supplies ran out. Both the Kitabatake army and their allies, the Kobe and Nagano clans, were terrified of Nobunaga. Understanding that he had obtained rice from last year’s taxes and had secured storage for this year’s taxes, Nobunaga had set September as the invasion time for southern Ise.
“This time, the Oda army is just testing things. The second army is part of that.”
“What is that?”
“I don’t know if they anticipated the Kitabatake army’s decision to defend the castle, but this battle is said to rotate 50,000 soldiers every month.”
Initially, Nobunaga had planned to deploy a large army of 100,000 for the invasion of Ise. However, as he considered the strategy for the invasion of Ise, he realized a major problem. How much would the consumption of weapons and food be with such a large army? How much transportation cost would be required? Anticipating that the Kitabatake camp would choose to defend and wait for the year to pass, Nobunaga decided to temporarily withdraw the units that had fought on the front lines and provide them with supplies and rest. By rotating 50,000 soldiers every 30 to 40 days, he believed that he could put psychological pressure on the Kitabatake camp and show other countries that he still had enough military strength. Of course, Nobunaga, who understood that gradually deploying troops was a foolish strategy, calculated whether he could carry out the entire operation with 50,000 soldiers.
“It’s a pressure tactic to make the Kitabatake father and son surrender while defending the castle.”
“Yeah, it’s a plan to surround Kiriyama castle from all sides and urge them to surrender. But even if the Kitabatake father and son are in a disadvantageous position, I think it will take time for them to change their stubborn attitude.”
“Hmph, they will surrender within sixty days.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Considering that, the Kitabatake family can’t help but be called fools. Defending a castle without any reserves has always been a hellish and hopeless situation.”
“They are weak just because they are hungry. That’s what I want to say, but looking at the soldiers of Azaka Castle, it’s unfortunate that they are on the enemy side. But if it were our own soldiers, it would be a headache.”
“The Oda army won’t suffer from food shortages. Moreover, this year, Shizuchi’s policies are expected to bear fruit.”
“Yeah, it was Gifu rice, right? Shizuko said it was a variety that could produce a lot of delicious rice. I think they produced a considerable amount this year, so I’m looking forward to it when we return.”
“Owari rice is also used as gifts, so I don’t know how much will be left.”
While exchanging such trivial banter, the two returned to their camp. After that, the Oda army, with a short break, surrounded Kiriyama castle, where Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu were defending.
August 28th. Nobunaga set up his camp on a mountain to the east of Kiriyama castle, accompanied by Shibata Katsuie, Mori Yoshinari, and Sassa Narimasa. To the west, Hideyoshi, Ujiie Yuzen, and Sakuma Nobumori were stationed, to the north, Saito Shingo and Sakai Ukon were stationed, and to the south, Niwa Nagahide, Ikeda Tsuneoki, and Takigawa Kazumasu were stationed. They built double and triple layers of fences and had Maeda Toshiie guard the outskirts.
A few days after the siege began, Nobunaga decided to launch a strategy to mentally break the Kitabatake father and son by using large amounts of black gunpowder and matchlock guns obtained from Sakai to show them the difference in military strength. He sent multiple letters urging surrender, turning parts of the castle into a beehive-like structure, but even after ten days, they received no response indicating surrender.
On the twelfth day of the siege, September 8th, Nobunaga decided to launch a night attack to break the current situation. However, that day, gray clouds appeared over the mountains of Ise in the early afternoon, and the wind felt unusually warm for autumn. Nobunaga pondered while feeling the warm wind on his skin and then called Mori Yoshinari.
“Yoshinari, do you think it will rain tonight?”
“…I can’t say for sure. But in times like this, it often turns out for the worse.”
“I see.”
Nobunaga considered the risk of rain during the night attack. If it rained, the matchlock guns would be unusable, and the visibility would be poor, causing the distance to be distorted. He understood that this would increase the risk of the night attack failing, so he made a slight change to the instructions for the night attack. If it rained, he changed the order to not carry out the night attack and conserve their forces.
He also considered that the enemy might see the poor visibility caused by the rain as an opportunity, so he instructed the generals to “be cautious of a night attack from the enemy.” This had an effect, and although it rained as expected, the troops were able to prevent the night attack as instructed by Nobunaga. Furthermore, they thoroughly pursued and annihilated the Senge clan, who had attempted the night attack.
Although they had successfully prevented the night attack on Ujiie Yuzen’s camp, Nobunaga received a painful blow because he had cornered the Kitabatake army too much. Takigawa Kazumasu launched an attack from the western Mushi Valley, but they were showered with arrows and bullets from the castle, and thousands of bamboo spears with oil-soaked tips were thrown down. Takigawa Kazumasu’s forces suffered heavy losses and were unable to achieve any results, forcing them to retreat.
“They no longer have any strength left. Let’s launch a wave attack from all sides.”
Believing that the Kitabatake army was on the verge of collapse, Nobunaga decided to launch a wave attack from all sides. It was an unprecedented fierce attack, but whenever the defenders sallied out from the castle, the Oda forces would immediately retreat. The Kitabatake army was unable to move as they wished and only faced increasing physical and mental burdens. Unable to even seek a chance to turn the tide, the Kitabatake camp was in an extremely difficult situation.
“Do not show any mercy. Attack the castle with the intention of killing them all.”
However, Nobunaga did not allow his retainers to show any mercy, no matter how many losses the Kitabatake army suffered. Six days later, on October 3rd, the Kitabatake camp raised the white flag and sent a proposal for peace to Nobunaga.
Upon receiving the proposal for peace, Nobunaga immediately sent an envoy to Kiriyama castle. The conditions were for Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu to leave Kiriyama castle, adopt Chasenmaru (Oda Nobuo) as Gubu’s adopted heir, and marry him to Yukihime (Chiyogomae), the daughter of Kitabatake Gukyo, making Chasenmaru (Oda Nobuo) the successor of the Kitabatake family. They accepted all the other various conditions and agreed to surrender. Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu left Kiriyama castle and retreated.
On October 4th, after Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu left Kiriyama castle, Nobunaga ordered the destruction of the Kitabatake’s subordinate castles, including Tamamaru Castle. Takigawa Kazumasu and others were assigned to hold the castles, and Nobunaga witnessed Chasenmaru (Oda Nobuo) entering Kiriyama castle.
On October 5th, Nobunaga will go to Ujiyamada and visit the Naiku, Geku, and Asamayama of Ise Grand Shrine.
On October 6th, Nobunaga will stay in Kosaku.
On October 8th, Nobunaga will move to Iga Ueno Castle, where he disbanded his army.
On October 9th, Nobunaga will head to Kyoto with the horsemen. However, he was stopped by heavy snow at Chikusa and had to stay overnight.
On October 10th, Nobunaga will stay in Ichihara in Omi Province.
On October 11th, Nobunaga will enter Kyoto and report the pacification of Ise Province to Shogun Yoshiaki. After handling government affairs for about four to five days in Kyoto, Nobunaga will return to Gifu in Mino on the 17th.
Knowing this schedule, Shizuko prepares to welcome Nagayoshi and the others, thinking that they will return on the 10th. However, Keiji and Nagayoshi return home on the 11th, one day later than Shizuko’s expectation. After they finish unpacking, they first take a bath, then have a meal, and finally drink sake before going to sleep. Since their return, the military commanders have been visiting one after another for the purpose of bathing. They enjoy a brief rest until Nobunaga’s visit.
“Why did I end up doing this…?”
Nobunaga, who returned to Gifu on the 17th, finishes his accumulated government affairs and visits Shizuko. Before enjoying the hot springs, he gives Shizuko some instructions. In short, it is to cook meals. In the Sengoku period, there were few people who could become cooks. Especially cooks who could serve meals to military commanders and local lords were extremely rare.
This is because if a local lord falls ill and gets sick, the cook is the first to be suspected, and it is a very unfortunate position where it is difficult to gain honor that will be remembered in history but the responsibility is great. Furthermore, in the Sengoku period, where Buddhist thoughts were deeply rooted, it was considered immoral to have a luxurious meal like Nobunaga. However, he took advantage of this and told his vassals the following.
“The founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha, taught that ‘all lives are equally precious.’ So why do you ignore the words of Buddha and try to distinguish between lives? I think we should be grateful for everything and eat everything, but what do you all think?”
Although he is speaking logically, Nobunaga’s true intention is “Don’t nitpick on what others are eating.” While he doesn’t have a strong attachment to food, he dislikes being unnecessarily dictated by others.
“But I wish they would stop relying on me to make delicious meals…”
It’s pointless to complain, but Shizuko can’t help but sigh. However, she thinks that the meal is a good opportunity to introduce the beauty of glass to Nobunaga, so she thinks positively about the menu. The menu she came up with includes chicken and shimeji mushroom mixed rice, matsutake mushroom soup, maitake and shiitake mushroom tempura, and seasonal steamed vegetables. As a pre-dinner drink, she serves plum wine, and for dessert, she serves chestnut pudding topped with ice cream.
Shizuko owes a lot to Mitsuo when it comes to being able to make ice cream and pudding. At the end of summer, she successfully reproduced gears and cranks in the technology district, so Shizuko thought about developing a centrifuge. However, she thought too deeply and couldn’t come up with a design. Mitsuo appeared out of nowhere and quickly drew up the design, as if he had heard about it from somewhere. Shizuko was worried because the structure was too simple, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy to make when actually manufactured.
Of course, there are various flaws, but the centrifuge met the performance requirements for now. Later, she heard from Ashimitsu that “Mitsuo enjoys carpentry as a hobby,” and she realized why he understood the structure of the centrifuge. Even without a centrifuge, if you leave fresh cream to settle, the fat will naturally separate. Put the fresh cream in a container and shake it up and down, and you can make butter in a short time. However, since neither fresh cream nor butter are essential seasonings in Japanese cuisine, Shizuko didn’t strongly desire them. She just thought it would be convenient to have them.
If you have milk or fresh cream, there are almost no obstacles to making pudding or ice cream. Even without vanilla essence, you can make ice cream and pudding without any major problems. The ingredients for chestnut pudding are boiled chestnuts, milk, sugar, and eggs. For ice cream, all you need is fresh cream, sugar, eggs, and milk.
“Here it is, sorry to keep you waiting.”
Shizuko places a tray with a tumbler glass in front of Nobunaga with a nervous expression.
“Oh… this is a glass that is different from porcelain or pottery. It shines in the sunlight. It has such a fantastic beauty.”
The tumbler glass is a beautiful blue cut glass. The production of glass lenses that can be used for telescopes is the ultimate achievement in glass development. On the other hand, the cut glass was created to silence the anti-Shizuko faction.
The apprentices of the glass craftsmen thought that by producing works that would surpass this beautiful glass, they could silence those who opposed Shizuko. They preferred designs commonly found in Edo kiriko, such as sasa leaf and hemp leaf patterns. This is because Edo kiriko cuts familiar Japanese patterns into glass.
“This is called glass in Nanban. I call it Owari kiriko.”
The blue cut glass made of transparent glass emitted a mysterious brilliance. Nobunaga seemed to be infatuated with it and rolled the empty glass on his hand, enjoying the shine of the glass.
“Oh, my lady. Glass can become sharp like a knife when it breaks, so please be careful not to injure yourself when handling it.”
“Hmm? I see… if anyone still has any complaints about Shizuko, speak up. If you are confident that you can achieve results that surpass this beautiful glass, then do so.”
No one raised their voice in response to Nobunaga’s question.
“Well then, that’s the end of the discussion. Bring in the food!”
After glancing at his vassals, Nobunaga gives the order. The attendants who were waiting outside bring in the food one after another, following Nobunaga’s instructions.
“As expected, Shizuko. You have prepared a great feast.”
The plum wine and chestnut pudding were generally well received. The mushroom and meat mixed rice, in particular, received high praise, and Nobunaga, unusually, asked for seconds three times. Of course, the military commanders also requested seconds, needless to say.
“It’s truly delicious.”
“I could eat this mushroom and meat mixed rice every day.”
“Well, honshimeji mushrooms were a luxury even in my time.”
The historical accuracy is unknown, but fortunately, the mountain that Nobunaga is borrowing is a treasure trove of mushrooms. Of course, there are dangerous poisonous mushrooms, but they are buried deep in a hole and discarded.
Shizuko must be the envy of mushroom lovers. Matsutake mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, honshimeji mushrooms, and even artificially cultivated shiitake mushrooms. Although they are minor, delicious mushrooms can be harvested in season. Furthermore, other people are prohibited from entering the mountains, and if they happen to violate the prohibition, they will be severely punished.
“Take a bath in the hot springs, eat a feast to your heart’s content, and replenish your energy.”
Nobunaga says with a smile as his vassals eat to their hearts’ content.
While everyone enjoys their meal with a joyful smile, there is one person who eats silently. It is Hidenaga. Hidenaga, who incited the anti-Shizuko faction, failed in his plot, but he was never a problem to begin with.
If the anti-Shizuko faction becomes stronger, he can strengthen his influence by mediating between the mainstream faction and the anti-Shizuko faction. If the mainstream faction suppresses the anti-Shizuko faction with force, he can incorporate the anti-Shizuko faction into his own camp. If Shizuko fails and falls from power, he can save her and bring her into his own camp. If Shizuko succeeds and achieves remarkable results, that would be interesting as well. This incident was just a small test for him, and he had no intention of crushing Shizuko.
(That girl surprisingly has a strong will. I didn’t expect her to achieve results before surpassing her age. She’s not just being swayed by others. She has a mindset to attack her enemies mercilessly. I feel like I understand a little why the mainstream faction supports her.)
On the surface, Shizuko is treated well by Nobunaga. However, her weak atmosphere is a disguise, and inside, she has a fighting spirit that is no less than that of a military commander, according to HideNaga’s thoughts.
(You shouldn’t underestimate a woman, as you might get severely burned. I’ll keep an eye on her for a while. However, when the time comes, I will use her power for my brother, not for Oda-sama.)
Ise Province has been pacified, and the path to conquering the country is showing smooth progress. However, they are unaware that the road ahead is full of trials and difficulties. The uneasy atmosphere surrounding the Oda family is gradually spreading and becoming more certain.
As the true arrival of winter approached, the cold became even more piercing. Ashimitsu emerged from the office and residence of the Oushin Shrine, with two beloved swords hanging from his waist and a scarf wrapped around his neck. The scarf had a cute design with a Nordic touch, which seemed unlikely for him to have chosen himself.
Ashimitsu sits down at the base of a tree, while remaining alert to his surroundings. He exudes an atmosphere reminiscent of meditation, but of course, he has no intention of actually meditating.
“Did the shogun send a secret letter to Asai and Asakura?”
(Yes. As you predicted, the Ashikaga Shogun has been sending secret letters to various places.)
As far as the eye can see, there is no one around, but in response to Ashimitsu’s question, an old man’s voice answered. However, Ashimitsu did not change his expression at all, and rather continued the questioning as if it were natural.
“Oda is urging the local daimyo to come to Kyoto, but Asakura is ignoring it.”
(It seems like they are completely ignoring the investigation by their subordinates.)
“Who received the secret letter delivered to Asai? Was it Bizen no Kami, or was it Saheiji no Jo?”
(Lieutenant Saho is already in possession of it.)
“If that’s the case, we should promptly engage in communication with Asakura. Keep a close eye on that area. While Bizen no Kami might not be a concern, there is a high possibility that Saemon no Jo might be fixated on dealing with someone as insignificant as Asakura.”
The Asai family had been engaged in a power struggle with the Rokkaku family for many years. In order to defend against attacks from the Rokkaku family, the Asai family formed an alliance with the prestigious Asakura family in northern Kinki region. It is said that the Asai and Asakura families had a deep mutual trust. However, when we examine some evidence, doubts arise as to whether the Asai and Asakura families were truly equal.
The castle located in Oodzuku in the “Tsume no Shiro” is not a castle of the Asai family, but rather a castle of the Asakura family. All of the castles in the Asai family’s territory, including Kotani Castle, utilize the castle-building techniques of the Asakura family. In the border area between Omi Province, the territory of the Asai family, and Echizen Province, the territory of the Asakura family, the Asai family did not build any castles. In Echizen Ichijodani, the main base of the Asakura family, there are Asai family residences among the retainers of the Asakura family. There are countless strange points, such as the fact that the prohibition order from Asakura Kageyoshi is referred to as “Shitatsu” while the prohibition order from Asai Nagamasa is referred to as “Shitatsu” in the forbidden letter.
It is abnormal that there is no castle near the border with the Asakura clan. Although they were once allies, they later became enemies, and the Azai clan hastily carried out repairs and construction to strengthen the defense of the castle on the border with Mino before the Battle of Anegawa against Nobunaga. They also constructed a “border castle” specifically to defend against the Rokkaku clan, with whom they had a hostile relationship across the Aichi River. However, there is no “border castle” constructed between the Azai clan and the Asakura clan. The attitude of the Azai clan, which does not seem to have a sense of border with the Asakura clan, suggests that the Azai clan is likely a vassal of the Echizen Asakura clan (a local lord subordinate to the shugo daimyo).
(I’m afraid the Asakura family is a prestigious and historic noble family. I can’t help but frown at the evaluation of being called “small fry”.)
“What does it matter if it’s a prestigious and historic family? The Ashikaga clan may have a long-standing reputation, but now they don’t even have the power to protect a single shogun. It is only because of the Oda clan’s wealth and military strength that they are able to survive. That is the reality.”
(…Are you not acting for the Ashikaga clan?)
“Don’t misunderstand, Tobikato. Whether the shogunate perishes or the Ashikaga clan is destroyed, it doesn’t matter to me. Of course, the same goes for the Asai and Asakura clans. However, that girl is concerned about Bizen-no-Kami and Oichi. That’s why I am taking action.”
With eyes that caress like soothing a princess, and gentle hands that touch fragile objects, Kato Tobikaga stroked the scarf. However, feeling madness hidden behind those gentle eyes, he unconsciously shivered down his spine.
“The reason I informed you about Takeda’s assassination is not because of any cheap sentiment like kindness. It’s simply because your abilities will benefit me. That’s all.”
(However, it is a fact that I was saved thanks to you. Despite my short remaining lifespan, I will continue to work for you until the end.)
“Work for me until you die.”
When Ashimitsu heard that, he stood up. There was a bag at the base of the tree that wasn’t there when he sat down, but Ashimitsu ignored it and walked towards the office and residence building. As his back disappeared from sight, Tobikato muttered quietly.
(He never let his guard down. He is thorough… but it can’t be helped. That person has always been betrayed. Yet, that madness ignites my heart and soul. Hmph, perhaps I too have already been consumed by madness.)
As he muttered that, a gentle breeze swayed the trees. When the swaying of the trees subsided, the bag that was at the base of the tree had suddenly disappeared.
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September early in the year 1569.
Since the completion of the rice harvest and tax collection, Shizuko has been visiting the Ise Bay area more frequently. This is because she is involved in Nobunaga’s port city plan. After carefully studying an accurate map of Japan, Nobunaga decided to build several port cities on the Chita Peninsula and establish a city plan to connect Ise and Owari by sea transportation. The purpose of the plan is to gain enormous profits by quickly transporting products produced in current fishing and aquaculture industries to Kyoto, Sakai, and Mikawa. Maritime transportation is significantly cheaper in terms of cost per weight and distance compared to other means of transportation, making it the ideal method for large-scale and long-distance transportation. Although the transportation time is longer than by land, if you have a precise map of Japan like Nobunaga, you can fully enjoy the benefits of mass transportation by sea.
The Ise Bay area was originally a region with active maritime transportation. Many trades were conducted in places such as Ise Kuwana and Anotsu, which served as relay points for goods between Omi Province and the eastern provinces, as well as Ominato and Toba Tomari, which served as outer ports for Ise Shrine. Especially Ominato, being a famous place where the tribute rice from the Jingu lands spread throughout the Tokaido region was unloaded, it is said to have had a considerable amount of toll income in addition to goods.
Nobunaga’s directly managed port towns were already bustling with various types of ships. With prior permission, they could anchor regardless of whether it was in the Kinai, western provinces, or eastern provinces, and with the payment of a deposit, commercial transactions could also take place in the port towns. Although it is an open port town, there is no increase in crime or friction with local residents, and good public order is maintained.
Merchant ships efficiently transport a large amount of goods. Therefore, the amount of money involved in a single commercial transaction is on a completely different scale from land transportation. Understanding this, Nobunaga believed that ensuring safety and trust in public order were the key to the prosperity of the port towns, and he devoted the full strength of the patrol teams to cracking down on those who disturb social order and preventing crimes. Unlike other public security forces, the patrol teams in the port towns were educated in the six principles of organization, tidiness, cleanliness, cleaning, manners, and discipline. By thoroughly adhering to these principles and diligently maintaining public order day by day, Nobunaga’s port towns succeeded in gaining the trust of merchants in a short period of time.
Among them, Shizuko visited one of the port towns that would become the largest in Owari when completed, accompanied by Saizo.
“How are you, Koto-san?”
As soon as she spotted a woman sitting on a porch in front of a tea house in the pleasure district, Shizuko called out to her. The woman, called Koto, who lazily turned her face towards Shizuko, as if she was sleepy or reluctant, made space for Shizuko to sit when she realized it was her.
“Well, well, Shizuko-sama. What brings you to lowly courtesan like me?”
“I heard there was a fight in the pleasure district a few days ago, so I was wondering what happened afterwards.”
While half-listening to Koto’s story, Shizuko sat in the space she made.
“Fighting is strictly prohibited in the pleasure district. Anyone who fights will be dealt with by the patrol teams according to Oda-sama’s orders. Shopkeeper, two servings of tea and soba mochi, please.”
“I see, that’s good to hear. By the way, do you really like soba mochi that much?”
“…Saizo-sama. Shizuko-sama has her moments of absent-mindedness, doesn’t she?”
“I won’t deny that.”
After saying that, the two of them sighed together. Shizuko, who didn’t understand what was going on, tilted her head in wonder as she watched their reactions.
“In Shizuko-sama’s words, it’s called ‘indulgence’. Since I’m making good business, I’ve attracted a lot of people and money, not just goods, wherever I go.”
“I am merely providing the venue. If your business is thriving, it’s because you and the others have worked hard.”
“…You’re still a strange person. Many people say it’s unthinkable for a courtesan to sit here, but you sit without caring.”
Koto, who was exasperated by Shizuko’s words and actions, put her pipe back in her mouth and discarded her cigarette in the ashtray provided. In the pleasure district, which occupied a corner of the entertainment district, there were three major districts: Ichino-ku, represented by Koto, Ninoku, represented by Saki, and Sanno-ku, represented by Oto. The three of them each had their own territories and monopolized the profits of the pleasure district. The reason why Nobunaga tolerated the monopoly of profits in the pleasure district was in return for their management of courtesans, including sexual services.
Even if the pleasure district was strictly regulated, courtesans would never disappear from the city, no matter how strictly they were regulated. So Nobunaga thought it would be better to incorporate the pleasure district, which would benefit them, into the pleasure district from the beginning and confine the courtesans there. With that in mind, Nobunaga implemented the courtesan ordinance and posted wooden plaques with the ordinance written on them everywhere. Courtesans were obliged to register on the courtesan roster, and operating without registration was prohibited. Registered courtesans were also prohibited from operating outside the pleasure district. Those who violated these rules would be arrested, interrogated, and then expelled from the city with only the clothes on their backs. However, most violators were not interrogated by the patrol teams, but rather received sanctions (lynching) from the powerful figures in the pleasure district for disturbing their territories.
“I am just doing my job.”
Putting her pipe aside, Koto muttered with an indifferent expression.
“It’s true that various spies from different countries have infiltrated this city. According to my investigation, there are the Takeda, Uesugi, Hojo, the alliance of Asai and Tokugawa, and the Honganji and Enryakuji temples. There are many others, but those are the major ones.”
The pleasure district, which was tolerated by Nobunaga for monopolizing profits, had various responsibilities. One of them was to investigate spies from other countries. In addition, they prevented the spread of venereal diseases by punishing unregistered courtesans, and they paid tribute instead of taxes. There were various detailed agreements between them.
“Well, I’m just doing my job.”
Putting her pipe aside, Koto muttered with an indifferent expression.
“I see, that’s good to hear. By the way, do you really like soba mochi that much?”
“…Saizo-sama. Shizuko-sama has her moments of absent-mindedness, doesn’t she?”
“I won’t deny that.”
After saying that, the two of them sighed together. Shizuko, who didn’t understand what was going on, tilted her head in wonder as she watched their reactions.
“Thank you for the meal. I should be going now.”
After exchanging information and chatting, Shizuko bowed to Koto and stood up.
“If anything happens, I’ll contact you.”
Koto waved her hand and watched Shizuko leave. After Shizuko’s back disappeared from view, Koto muttered to herself while packing her tobacco into the pipe.
“She’s still an unpredictable girl.”
August 26th. Oda’s forces, led by Hideyoshi, began the siege of Azaka Castle, where Omiya Nyudo, a senior retainer of the Kitabatake family, was holed up. Mori Yoshinari also participated in the siege of Azaka Castle, and inevitably, Nagayoshi and Keiji also participated in the siege.
Before the siege began, Mori Yoshinari told Nagayoshi, “If you want to be recognized as a decent warrior, show the talent that will convince those around you,” and threw him and Keiji into the ranks of the ashigaru (light foot soldier). Although Mori Yoshinari couldn’t completely abandon his softness towards his child, he had no intention of treating Nagayoshi specially just because he was his son. Nagayoshi, who was slightly surprised, was determined to show his talent to his father.
“Don’t get carried away, Katsuzo (Mori Nagayoshi). Don’t worry about anything. If you mess up, you’ll just die.”
With an excessive enthusiasm, Nagayoshi raised a roar while stomping on the ground. It was so loud that the foot soldiers nearby covered their ears.
“Uooooooo!! Where are the heads of the warriors?!”
Nagayoshi rushed forward fiercely, just as the word “reckless” suited him. He had been training diligently to run efficiently in armor, and he had gradually found himself running at the forefront of the middle army.
As the foot soldiers of Oda and Kitabatake fought each other, Nagayoshi ran through the chaos, relentlessly killing Kitabatake soldiers one after another. When Nagayoshi’s armor became covered in blood, the Kitabatake soldiers finally understood what was happening. But as they caught up, their fighting spirit was completely crushed.
“Oh, they’re demons!”
The enemy soldiers scattered like spiders.
“What disrespectful guys.”
Nagayoshi, holding his morning star, muttered as he adjusted his grip. He ignored the fleeing enemy soldiers and charged into the castle. Inside Azaka Castle, a melee was already underway, with Oda’s forces and Kitabatake’s forces engaging in skirmishes everywhere. The Kitabatake forces were not putting up much of a fight, and their soldiers were losing their lives one after another, overwhelmed by the momentum of Oda’s forces. Nagayoshi ignored the melee between foot soldiers and ran through the castle in search of a warrior worthy of military exploits. However, he did not conveniently encounter any enemy warriors.
While running through the castle, Nagayoshi tested the usability of weapons such as a five-foot spear and a sword that was more like a wakizashi, which was suitable for narrow spaces, against foot soldiers. Among them, he found that the one-meter morning star was easy to use and had good usability. Although it had the disadvantage of being difficult to change the direction of its momentum once swung, it could kill foot soldiers in almost one blow and had the advantage of intimidating enemy soldiers with its menacing appearance. Above all, the morning star had a weighty appearance, allowing him to show off his strength to both friend and foe. It was more than satisfying for him.
“The air is hot. Is this the air of the battlefield… not bad!”
While crushing enemy soldiers who came at him, Nagayoshi ran around the castle, searching for a warrior to gain military exploits. By the time Oda’s victory was almost certain, he finally found an enemy warrior. Judging from the foot soldiers guarding him, Nagayoshi speculated that the enemy warrior was someone of a certain status. With a confident expression, Nagayoshi began analyzing the enemy warrior’s movements as he tried to find a way out.
“…It’s a bit unsatisfying, but if I miss this opportunity, I won’t be able to take a head in my first battle. Alright!”
After psyching himself up, Nagayoshi switched from the morning star to a spear. In case he accidentally crushed the enemy warrior’s face, he wanted to be able to identify who the warrior was.
“What’s wrong! Even if they say the mighty Oda forces, the strength of their soldiers is nothing special!”
Taunting the Oda soldiers, the enemy warrior swung his sword at nearby foot soldiers. The terrified Oda soldiers could only watch as the sword approached them. But the enemy warrior’s sword never reached the Oda soldiers. Nagayoshi’s spear intercepted the enemy warrior’s sword accurately. He then used sheer strength to push the sword back. The enemy warrior, who was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, couldn’t withstand Nagayoshi’s strength and leaned his body backward.
“You must be tired of dealing with just foot soldiers. Come, I’ll be your opponent.”
With a confident expression, Nagayoshi provocatively bent and extended all four fingers of his right hand, except for his thumb, towards the enemy warrior.
“Is this little boy going to use that spear?!”
Provoked by Nagayoshi’s cheap taunt, the enemy warrior pushed aside those around him and swung his sword at Nagayoshi. However, the moment he swung his sword, Nagayoshi’s spear accurately pierced the enemy warrior’s throat.
“I don’t need your cheap provocations. Just leave your head.”
“Guh… gobo…”
The enemy warrior let out an inaudible voice and collapsed. Without even exchanging a single blow, Nagayoshi had decided the outcome in an instant. Everyone from both sides stood dumbfounded, unable to utter a word.
“I will take their heads.”
Unable to understand the situation at hand, Nagayoshi declared to the bewildered soldiers standing still, as if it was only natural.
The formidable Azaka Castle, known as the “Impregnable Castle,” which had withstood the forces of the Muromachi Shogunate of 30,000 soldiers and gained a reputation throughout the country, fell to the fierce attack of the Oda army in a single day.
Oomiya Nyudo Ganninsai, the chief retainer of the Kitabatake family and the lord of Azaka Castle, was captured. Unfortunately, his eldest son, Oomiya Dainojo Kagetsura, who had inflicted a serious injury on Hideyoshi’s thigh, managed to escape. Hideyoshi was furious at being outsmarted by Kagetsura, who had escaped despite his serious injury. He immediately ordered his soldiers to find him, but after giving the order, he sighed heavily, as if he didn’t expect a favorable outcome.
Nagayoshi also sighed heavily as he looked up at the sky. After that, he had taken several heads, but they were all unknown individuals. Nagayoshi had wanted to make a grand debut in his first battle, but he realized that reality was not so sweet.
“We need to find a more efficient way to search.”
“Hey, Katsuzo (Mori Nagayoshi). So, did your first battle go splendidly?”
As Nagayoshi pondered whether he should study castle construction, Keiji suddenly appeared. Normally, Nagayoshi would have asked what he had been doing, but he didn’t have the energy to question Keiji in his current depressed state.
“If my first battle had been a splendid success, I wouldn’t be rotting away in a place like this.”
“Hahaha, that’s a shame. But I think it would be boring if everything went perfectly.”
“I know that, but it annoys me when you say it. By the way, do you know why the soldiers were unusually weak?”
Nagayoshi recalled the events during the siege. The foot soldiers and ashigaru surrendered immediately, unlike the soldiers of the sturdy Azaka Castle. At first, he had thought they were weak and worthless, but considering that the lord of the castle, Oomiya Nyudo, had not responded to the Oda army’s surrender offer and had shown a stance of thorough resistance, the quick surrender of the ashigaru was an abnormal situation.
“It’s simple. The Kitabatake territory was hit by an unprecedented famine. I checked the food storage thoroughly, but there was hardly anything left in the castle. Most likely, the ashigaru and foot soldiers were struggling to find enough to eat.”
“So, they had no reserves at all?”
“I searched the food storage using the ashigaru and interrogated the prisoners, but there is no conclusion other than the fact that the food has run out. It seems that they were facing a shortage of food on top of the famine, which is why the morale of the ashigaru was low.”
“Hmm. So Shizuko is indeed special. When she senses signs of drought or famine, she takes some measures that I don’t quite understand. Even if the harvest decreases due to drought, she always manages to secure a certain amount of harvest.”
“Well, if it weren’t for Shizuchi, I think our military resources would be even scarcer. I heard that she still has some surplus despite mobilizing a large army.”
While the southern Ise region ruled by Kitabatake was suffering from a food shortage due to the famine, the Oda army forcefully seized food supplies in order to fight against the Kitabatake army. The peasants did not care who their ruler was as long as they protected them. This means that if the ruler is understood as someone who would easily abandon them, they would quickly turn against them. Understanding this, Nobunaga employed strategies to win over the hungry people, gaining their trust. With the cooperation of the local people, it was possible to obtain information about the Kitabatake army, intentionally block information, and create chaos in the Kitabatake camp by spreading false information.
Facing the Kitabatake army, whose military resources were beginning to dwindle, the Oda army had sufficient military strength and had even introduced a supply system, albeit in the experimental stage. Weapons and food from Owari and Mino were continuously transported to the camp, and supplies were replenished to the Konida unit once their supplies ran out. Both the Kitabatake army and their allies, the Kobe and Nagano clans, were terrified of Nobunaga. Understanding that he had obtained rice from last year’s taxes and had secured storage for this year’s taxes, Nobunaga had set September as the invasion time for southern Ise.
“This time, the Oda army is just testing things. The second army is part of that.”
“What is that?”
“I don’t know if they anticipated the Kitabatake army’s decision to defend the castle, but this battle is said to rotate 50,000 soldiers every month.”
Initially, Nobunaga had planned to deploy a large army of 100,000 for the invasion of Ise. However, as he considered the strategy for the invasion of Ise, he realized a major problem. How much would the consumption of weapons and food be with such a large army? How much transportation cost would be required? Anticipating that the Kitabatake camp would choose to defend and wait for the year to pass, Nobunaga decided to temporarily withdraw the units that had fought on the front lines and provide them with supplies and rest. By rotating 50,000 soldiers every 30 to 40 days, he believed that he could put psychological pressure on the Kitabatake camp and show other countries that he still had enough military strength. Of course, Nobunaga, who understood that gradually deploying troops was a foolish strategy, calculated whether he could carry out the entire operation with 50,000 soldiers.
“It’s a pressure tactic to make the Kitabatake father and son surrender while defending the castle.”
“Yeah, it’s a plan to surround Kiriyama castle from all sides and urge them to surrender. But even if the Kitabatake father and son are in a disadvantageous position, I think it will take time for them to change their stubborn attitude.”
“Hmph, they will surrender within sixty days.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Considering that, the Kitabatake family can’t help but be called fools. Defending a castle without any reserves has always been a hellish and hopeless situation.”
“They are weak just because they are hungry. That’s what I want to say, but looking at the soldiers of Azaka Castle, it’s unfortunate that they are on the enemy side. But if it were our own soldiers, it would be a headache.”
“The Oda army won’t suffer from food shortages. Moreover, this year, Shizuchi’s policies are expected to bear fruit.”
“Yeah, it was Gifu rice, right? Shizuko said it was a variety that could produce a lot of delicious rice. I think they produced a considerable amount this year, so I’m looking forward to it when we return.”
“Owari rice is also used as gifts, so I don’t know how much will be left.”
While exchanging such trivial banter, the two returned to their camp. After that, the Oda army, with a short break, surrounded Kiriyama castle, where Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu were defending.
August 28th. Nobunaga set up his camp on a mountain to the east of Kiriyama castle, accompanied by Shibata Katsuie, Mori Yoshinari, and Sassa Narimasa. To the west, Hideyoshi, Ujiie Yuzen, and Sakuma Nobumori were stationed, to the north, Saito Shingo and Sakai Ukon were stationed, and to the south, Niwa Nagahide, Ikeda Tsuneoki, and Takigawa Kazumasu were stationed. They built double and triple layers of fences and had Maeda Toshiie guard the outskirts.
A few days after the siege began, Nobunaga decided to launch a strategy to mentally break the Kitabatake father and son by using large amounts of black gunpowder and matchlock guns obtained from Sakai to show them the difference in military strength. He sent multiple letters urging surrender, turning parts of the castle into a beehive-like structure, but even after ten days, they received no response indicating surrender.
On the twelfth day of the siege, September 8th, Nobunaga decided to launch a night attack to break the current situation. However, that day, gray clouds appeared over the mountains of Ise in the early afternoon, and the wind felt unusually warm for autumn. Nobunaga pondered while feeling the warm wind on his skin and then called Mori Yoshinari.
“Yoshinari, do you think it will rain tonight?”
“…I can’t say for sure. But in times like this, it often turns out for the worse.”
“I see.”
Nobunaga considered the risk of rain during the night attack. If it rained, the matchlock guns would be unusable, and the visibility would be poor, causing the distance to be distorted. He understood that this would increase the risk of the night attack failing, so he made a slight change to the instructions for the night attack. If it rained, he changed the order to not carry out the night attack and conserve their forces.
He also considered that the enemy might see the poor visibility caused by the rain as an opportunity, so he instructed the generals to “be cautious of a night attack from the enemy.” This had an effect, and although it rained as expected, the troops were able to prevent the night attack as instructed by Nobunaga. Furthermore, they thoroughly pursued and annihilated the Senge clan, who had attempted the night attack.
Although they had successfully prevented the night attack on Ujiie Yuzen’s camp, Nobunaga received a painful blow because he had cornered the Kitabatake army too much. Takigawa Kazumasu launched an attack from the western Mushi Valley, but they were showered with arrows and bullets from the castle, and thousands of bamboo spears with oil-soaked tips were thrown down. Takigawa Kazumasu’s forces suffered heavy losses and were unable to achieve any results, forcing them to retreat.
“They no longer have any strength left. Let’s launch a wave attack from all sides.”
Believing that the Kitabatake army was on the verge of collapse, Nobunaga decided to launch a wave attack from all sides. It was an unprecedented fierce attack, but whenever the defenders sallied out from the castle, the Oda forces would immediately retreat. The Kitabatake army was unable to move as they wished and only faced increasing physical and mental burdens. Unable to even seek a chance to turn the tide, the Kitabatake camp was in an extremely difficult situation.
“Do not show any mercy. Attack the castle with the intention of killing them all.”
However, Nobunaga did not allow his retainers to show any mercy, no matter how many losses the Kitabatake army suffered. Six days later, on October 3rd, the Kitabatake camp raised the white flag and sent a proposal for peace to Nobunaga.
Upon receiving the proposal for peace, Nobunaga immediately sent an envoy to Kiriyama castle. The conditions were for Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu to leave Kiriyama castle, adopt Chasenmaru (Oda Nobuo) as Gubu’s adopted heir, and marry him to Yukihime (Chiyogomae), the daughter of Kitabatake Gukyo, making Chasenmaru (Oda Nobuo) the successor of the Kitabatake family. They accepted all the other various conditions and agreed to surrender. Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu left Kiriyama castle and retreated.
On October 4th, after Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu left Kiriyama castle, Nobunaga ordered the destruction of the Kitabatake’s subordinate castles, including Tamamaru Castle. Takigawa Kazumasu and others were assigned to hold the castles, and Nobunaga witnessed Chasenmaru (Oda Nobuo) entering Kiriyama castle.
On October 5th, Nobunaga will go to Ujiyamada and visit the Naiku, Geku, and Asamayama of Ise Grand Shrine.
On October 6th, Nobunaga will stay in Kosaku.
On October 8th, Nobunaga will move to Iga Ueno Castle, where he disbanded his army.
On October 9th, Nobunaga will head to Kyoto with the horsemen. However, he was stopped by heavy snow at Chikusa and had to stay overnight.
On October 10th, Nobunaga will stay in Ichihara in Omi Province.
On October 11th, Nobunaga will enter Kyoto and report the pacification of Ise Province to Shogun Yoshiaki. After handling government affairs for about four to five days in Kyoto, Nobunaga will return to Gifu in Mino on the 17th.
Knowing this schedule, Shizuko prepares to welcome Nagayoshi and the others, thinking that they will return on the 10th. However, Keiji and Nagayoshi return home on the 11th, one day later than Shizuko’s expectation. After they finish unpacking, they first take a bath, then have a meal, and finally drink sake before going to sleep. Since their return, the military commanders have been visiting one after another for the purpose of bathing. They enjoy a brief rest until Nobunaga’s visit.
“Why did I end up doing this…?”
Nobunaga, who returned to Gifu on the 17th, finishes his accumulated government affairs and visits Shizuko. Before enjoying the hot springs, he gives Shizuko some instructions. In short, it is to cook meals. In the Sengoku period, there were few people who could become cooks. Especially cooks who could serve meals to military commanders and local lords were extremely rare.
This is because if a local lord falls ill and gets sick, the cook is the first to be suspected, and it is a very unfortunate position where it is difficult to gain honor that will be remembered in history but the responsibility is great. Furthermore, in the Sengoku period, where Buddhist thoughts were deeply rooted, it was considered immoral to have a luxurious meal like Nobunaga. However, he took advantage of this and told his vassals the following.
“The founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha, taught that ‘all lives are equally precious.’ So why do you ignore the words of Buddha and try to distinguish between lives? I think we should be grateful for everything and eat everything, but what do you all think?”
Although he is speaking logically, Nobunaga’s true intention is “Don’t nitpick on what others are eating.” While he doesn’t have a strong attachment to food, he dislikes being unnecessarily dictated by others.
“But I wish they would stop relying on me to make delicious meals…”
It’s pointless to complain, but Shizuko can’t help but sigh. However, she thinks that the meal is a good opportunity to introduce the beauty of glass to Nobunaga, so she thinks positively about the menu. The menu she came up with includes chicken and shimeji mushroom mixed rice, matsutake mushroom soup, maitake and shiitake mushroom tempura, and seasonal steamed vegetables. As a pre-dinner drink, she serves plum wine, and for dessert, she serves chestnut pudding topped with ice cream.
Shizuko owes a lot to Mitsuo when it comes to being able to make ice cream and pudding. At the end of summer, she successfully reproduced gears and cranks in the technology district, so Shizuko thought about developing a centrifuge. However, she thought too deeply and couldn’t come up with a design. Mitsuo appeared out of nowhere and quickly drew up the design, as if he had heard about it from somewhere. Shizuko was worried because the structure was too simple, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy to make when actually manufactured.
Of course, there are various flaws, but the centrifuge met the performance requirements for now. Later, she heard from Ashimitsu that “Mitsuo enjoys carpentry as a hobby,” and she realized why he understood the structure of the centrifuge. Even without a centrifuge, if you leave fresh cream to settle, the fat will naturally separate. Put the fresh cream in a container and shake it up and down, and you can make butter in a short time. However, since neither fresh cream nor butter are essential seasonings in Japanese cuisine, Shizuko didn’t strongly desire them. She just thought it would be convenient to have them.
If you have milk or fresh cream, there are almost no obstacles to making pudding or ice cream. Even without vanilla essence, you can make ice cream and pudding without any major problems. The ingredients for chestnut pudding are boiled chestnuts, milk, sugar, and eggs. For ice cream, all you need is fresh cream, sugar, eggs, and milk.
“Here it is, sorry to keep you waiting.”
Shizuko places a tray with a tumbler glass in front of Nobunaga with a nervous expression.
“Oh… this is a glass that is different from porcelain or pottery. It shines in the sunlight. It has such a fantastic beauty.”
The tumbler glass is a beautiful blue cut glass. The production of glass lenses that can be used for telescopes is the ultimate achievement in glass development. On the other hand, the cut glass was created to silence the anti-Shizuko faction.
The apprentices of the glass craftsmen thought that by producing works that would surpass this beautiful glass, they could silence those who opposed Shizuko. They preferred designs commonly found in Edo kiriko, such as sasa leaf and hemp leaf patterns. This is because Edo kiriko cuts familiar Japanese patterns into glass.
“This is called glass in Nanban. I call it Owari kiriko.”
The blue cut glass made of transparent glass emitted a mysterious brilliance. Nobunaga seemed to be infatuated with it and rolled the empty glass on his hand, enjoying the shine of the glass.
“Oh, my lady. Glass can become sharp like a knife when it breaks, so please be careful not to injure yourself when handling it.”
“Hmm? I see… if anyone still has any complaints about Shizuko, speak up. If you are confident that you can achieve results that surpass this beautiful glass, then do so.”
No one raised their voice in response to Nobunaga’s question.
“Well then, that’s the end of the discussion. Bring in the food!”
After glancing at his vassals, Nobunaga gives the order. The attendants who were waiting outside bring in the food one after another, following Nobunaga’s instructions.
“As expected, Shizuko. You have prepared a great feast.”
The plum wine and chestnut pudding were generally well received. The mushroom and meat mixed rice, in particular, received high praise, and Nobunaga, unusually, asked for seconds three times. Of course, the military commanders also requested seconds, needless to say.
“It’s truly delicious.”
“I could eat this mushroom and meat mixed rice every day.”
“Well, honshimeji mushrooms were a luxury even in my time.”
The historical accuracy is unknown, but fortunately, the mountain that Nobunaga is borrowing is a treasure trove of mushrooms. Of course, there are dangerous poisonous mushrooms, but they are buried deep in a hole and discarded.
Shizuko must be the envy of mushroom lovers. Matsutake mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, honshimeji mushrooms, and even artificially cultivated shiitake mushrooms. Although they are minor, delicious mushrooms can be harvested in season. Furthermore, other people are prohibited from entering the mountains, and if they happen to violate the prohibition, they will be severely punished.
“Take a bath in the hot springs, eat a feast to your heart’s content, and replenish your energy.”
Nobunaga says with a smile as his vassals eat to their hearts’ content.
While everyone enjoys their meal with a joyful smile, there is one person who eats silently. It is Hidenaga. Hidenaga, who incited the anti-Shizuko faction, failed in his plot, but he was never a problem to begin with.
If the anti-Shizuko faction becomes stronger, he can strengthen his influence by mediating between the mainstream faction and the anti-Shizuko faction. If the mainstream faction suppresses the anti-Shizuko faction with force, he can incorporate the anti-Shizuko faction into his own camp. If Shizuko fails and falls from power, he can save her and bring her into his own camp. If Shizuko succeeds and achieves remarkable results, that would be interesting as well. This incident was just a small test for him, and he had no intention of crushing Shizuko.
(That girl surprisingly has a strong will. I didn’t expect her to achieve results before surpassing her age. She’s not just being swayed by others. She has a mindset to attack her enemies mercilessly. I feel like I understand a little why the mainstream faction supports her.)
On the surface, Shizuko is treated well by Nobunaga. However, her weak atmosphere is a disguise, and inside, she has a fighting spirit that is no less than that of a military commander, according to HideNaga’s thoughts.
(You shouldn’t underestimate a woman, as you might get severely burned. I’ll keep an eye on her for a while. However, when the time comes, I will use her power for my brother, not for Oda-sama.)
Ise Province has been pacified, and the path to conquering the country is showing smooth progress. However, they are unaware that the road ahead is full of trials and difficulties. The uneasy atmosphere surrounding the Oda family is gradually spreading and becoming more certain.
As the true arrival of winter approached, the cold became even more piercing. Ashimitsu emerged from the office and residence of the Oushin Shrine, with two beloved swords hanging from his waist and a scarf wrapped around his neck. The scarf had a cute design with a Nordic touch, which seemed unlikely for him to have chosen himself.
Ashimitsu sits down at the base of a tree, while remaining alert to his surroundings. He exudes an atmosphere reminiscent of meditation, but of course, he has no intention of actually meditating.
“Did the shogun send a secret letter to Asai and Asakura?”
(Yes. As you predicted, the Ashikaga Shogun has been sending secret letters to various places.)
As far as the eye can see, there is no one around, but in response to Ashimitsu’s question, an old man’s voice answered. However, Ashimitsu did not change his expression at all, and rather continued the questioning as if it were natural.
“Oda is urging the local daimyo to come to Kyoto, but Asakura is ignoring it.”
(It seems like they are completely ignoring the investigation by their subordinates.)
“Who received the secret letter delivered to Asai? Was it Bizen no Kami, or was it Saheiji no Jo?”
(Lieutenant Saho is already in possession of it.)
“If that’s the case, we should promptly engage in communication with Asakura. Keep a close eye on that area. While Bizen no Kami might not be a concern, there is a high possibility that Saemon no Jo might be fixated on dealing with someone as insignificant as Asakura.”
The Asai family had been engaged in a power struggle with the Rokkaku family for many years. In order to defend against attacks from the Rokkaku family, the Asai family formed an alliance with the prestigious Asakura family in northern Kinki region. It is said that the Asai and Asakura families had a deep mutual trust. However, when we examine some evidence, doubts arise as to whether the Asai and Asakura families were truly equal.
The castle located in Oodzuku in the “Tsume no Shiro” is not a castle of the Asai family, but rather a castle of the Asakura family. All of the castles in the Asai family’s territory, including Kotani Castle, utilize the castle-building techniques of the Asakura family. In the border area between Omi Province, the territory of the Asai family, and Echizen Province, the territory of the Asakura family, the Asai family did not build any castles. In Echizen Ichijodani, the main base of the Asakura family, there are Asai family residences among the retainers of the Asakura family. There are countless strange points, such as the fact that the prohibition order from Asakura Kageyoshi is referred to as “Shitatsu” while the prohibition order from Asai Nagamasa is referred to as “Shitatsu” in the forbidden letter.
It is abnormal that there is no castle near the border with the Asakura clan. Although they were once allies, they later became enemies, and the Azai clan hastily carried out repairs and construction to strengthen the defense of the castle on the border with Mino before the Battle of Anegawa against Nobunaga. They also constructed a “border castle” specifically to defend against the Rokkaku clan, with whom they had a hostile relationship across the Aichi River. However, there is no “border castle” constructed between the Azai clan and the Asakura clan. The attitude of the Azai clan, which does not seem to have a sense of border with the Asakura clan, suggests that the Azai clan is likely a vassal of the Echizen Asakura clan (a local lord subordinate to the shugo daimyo).
(I’m afraid the Asakura family is a prestigious and historic noble family. I can’t help but frown at the evaluation of being called “small fry”.)
“What does it matter if it’s a prestigious and historic family? The Ashikaga clan may have a long-standing reputation, but now they don’t even have the power to protect a single shogun. It is only because of the Oda clan’s wealth and military strength that they are able to survive. That is the reality.”
(…Are you not acting for the Ashikaga clan?)
“Don’t misunderstand, Tobikato. Whether the shogunate perishes or the Ashikaga clan is destroyed, it doesn’t matter to me. Of course, the same goes for the Asai and Asakura clans. However, that girl is concerned about Bizen-no-Kami and Oichi. That’s why I am taking action.”
With eyes that caress like soothing a princess, and gentle hands that touch fragile objects, Kato Tobikaga stroked the scarf. However, feeling madness hidden behind those gentle eyes, he unconsciously shivered down his spine.
“The reason I informed you about Takeda’s assassination is not because of any cheap sentiment like kindness. It’s simply because your abilities will benefit me. That’s all.”
(However, it is a fact that I was saved thanks to you. Despite my short remaining lifespan, I will continue to work for you until the end.)
“Work for me until you die.”
When Ashimitsu heard that, he stood up. There was a bag at the base of the tree that wasn’t there when he sat down, but Ashimitsu ignored it and walked towards the office and residence building. As his back disappeared from sight, Tobikato muttered quietly.
(He never let his guard down. He is thorough… but it can’t be helped. That person has always been betrayed. Yet, that madness ignites my heart and soul. Hmph, perhaps I too have already been consumed by madness.)
As he muttered that, a gentle breeze swayed the trees. When the swaying of the trees subsided, the bag that was at the base of the tree had suddenly disappeared.
September early in the year 1569.Since the completion of the rice harvest and tax collection, Shizuko has been visiting the Ise Bay area more frequently. This is because she is involved in Nobunaga's port city plan. After carefully studying an accurate map of Japan, Nobunaga decided to build several port cities on the Chita Peninsula and establish a city plan to connect Ise and Owari by sea transportation. The purpose of the plan is to gain enormous profits by quickly transporting products produced in current fishing and aquaculture industries to Kyoto, Sakai, and Mikawa. Maritime transportation is significantly cheaper in terms of cost per weight and distance compared to other means of transportation, making it the ideal method for large-scale and long-distance transportation. Although the transportation time is longer than by land, if you have a precise map of Japan like Nobunaga, you can fully enjoy the benefits of mass transportation by sea.The Ise Bay area was originally a region with active maritime transportation. Many trades were conducted in places such as Ise Kuwana and Anotsu, which served as relay points for goods between Omi Province and the eastern provinces, as well as Ominato and Toba Tomari, which served as outer ports for Ise Shrine. Especially Ominato, being a famous place where the tribute rice from the Jingu lands spread throughout the Tokaido region was unloaded, it is said to have had a considerable amount of toll income in addition to goods.Nobunaga's directly managed port towns were already bustling with various types of ships. With prior permission, they could anchor regardless of whether it was in the Kinai, western provinces, or eastern provinces, and with the payment of a deposit, commercial transactions could also take place in the port towns. Although it is an open port town, there is no increase in crime or friction with local residents, and good public order is maintained.Merchant ships efficiently transport a large amount of goods. Therefore, the amount of money involved in a single commercial transaction is on a completely different scale from land transportation. Understanding this, Nobunaga believed that ensuring safety and trust in public order were the key to the prosperity of the port towns, and he devoted the full strength of the patrol teams to cracking down on those who disturb social order and preventing crimes. Unlike other public security forces, the patrol teams in the port towns were educated in the six principles of organization, tidiness, cleanliness, cleaning, manners, and discipline. By thoroughly adhering to these principles and diligently maintaining public order day by day, Nobunaga's port towns succeeded in gaining the trust of merchants in a short period of time.Among them, Shizuko visited one of the port towns that would become the largest in Owari when completed, accompanied by Saizo.How are you, Koto-san?As soon as she spotted a woman sitting on a porch in front of a tea house in the pleasure district, Shizuko called out to her. The woman, called Koto, who lazily turned her face towards Shizuko, as if she was sleepy or reluctant, made space for Shizuko to sit when she realized it was her.Well, well, Shizuko-sama. What brings you to lowly courtesan like me?I heard there was a fight in the pleasure district a few days ago, so I was wondering what happened afterwards.While half-listening to Koto's story, Shizuko sat in the space she made.Fighting is strictly prohibited in the pleasure district. Anyone who fights will be dealt with by the patrol teams according to Oda-sama's orders. Shopkeeper, two servings of tea and soba mochi, please.I see, that's good to hear. By the way, do you really like soba mochi that much?Saizo-sama. Shizuko-sama has her moments of absent-mindedness, doesn't she?I won't deny that.After saying that, the two of them sighed together. Shizuko, who didn't understand what was going on, tilted her head in wonder as she watched their reactions.In Shizuko-sama's words, it's called indulgence'. Since I'm making good business, I've attracted a lot of people and money, not just goods, wherever I go.I am merely providing the venue. If your business is thriving, it's because you and the others have worked hard.You're still a strange person. Many people say it's unthinkable for a courtesan to sit here, but you sit without caring.Koto, who was exasperated by Shizuko's words and actions, put her pipe back in her mouth and discarded her cigarette in the ashtray provided. In the pleasure district, which occupied a corner of the entertainment district, there were three major districts: Ichino-ku, represented by Koto, Ninoku, represented by Saki, and Sanno-ku, represented by Oto. The three of them each had their own territories and monopolized the profits of the pleasure district. The reason why Nobunaga tolerated the monopoly of profits in the pleasure district was in return for their management of courtesans, including sexual services.Even if the pleasure district was strictly regulated, courtesans would never disappear from the city, no matter how strictly they were regulated. So Nobunaga thought it would be better to incorporate the pleasure district, which would benefit them, into the pleasure district from the beginning and confine the courtesans there. With that in mind, Nobunaga implemented the courtesan ordinance and posted wooden plaques with the ordinance written on them everywhere. Courtesans were obliged to register on the courtesan roster, and operating without registration was prohibited. Registered courtesans were also prohibited from operating outside the pleasure district. Those who violated these rules would be arrested, interrogated, and then expelled from the city with only the clothes on their backs. However, most violators were not interrogated by the patrol teams, but rather received sanctions lynching from the powerful figures in the pleasure district for disturbing their territories.I am just doing my job.Putting her pipe aside, Koto muttered with an indifferent expression.It's true that various spies from different countries have infiltrated this city. According to my investigation, there are the Takeda, Uesugi, Hojo, the alliance of Asai and Tokugawa, and the Honganji and Enryakuji temples. There are many others, but those are the major ones.The pleasure district, which was tolerated by Nobunaga for monopolizing profits, had various responsibilities. One of them was to investigate spies from other countries. In addition, they prevented the spread of venereal diseases by punishing unregistered courtesans, and they paid tribute instead of taxes. There were various detailed agreements between them.Well, I'm just doing my job.Putting her pipe aside, Koto muttered with an indifferent expression.I see, that's good to hear. By the way, do you really like soba mochi that much?Saizo-sama. Shizuko-sama has her moments of absent-mindedness, doesn't she?I won't deny that.After saying that, the two of them sighed together. Shizuko, who didn't understand what was going on, tilted her head in wonder as she watched their reactions.Thank you for the meal. I should be going now.After exchanging information and chatting, Shizuko bowed to Koto and stood up.If anything happens, I'll contact you.Koto waved her hand and watched Shizuko leave. After Shizuko's back disappeared from view, Koto muttered to herself while packing her tobacco into the pipe.She's still an unpredictable girl.August 26th. Oda's forces, led by Hideyoshi, began the siege of Azaka Castle, where Omiya Nyudo, a senior retainer of the Kitabatake family, was holed up. Mori Yoshinari also participated in the siege of Azaka Castle, and inevitably, Nagayoshi and Keiji also participated in the siege.Before the siege began, Mori Yoshinari told Nagayoshi, If you want to be recognized as a decent warrior, show the talent that will convince those around you, and threw him and Keiji into the ranks of the ashigaru light foot soldier. Although Mori Yoshinari couldn't completely abandon his softness towards his child, he had no intention of treating Nagayoshi specially just because he was his son. Nagayoshi, who was slightly surprised, was determined to show his talent to his father.Don't get carried away, Katsuzo Mori Nagayoshi. Don't worry about anything. If you mess up, you'll just die.With an excessive enthusiasm, Nagayoshi raised a roar while stomping on the ground. It was so loud that the foot soldiers nearby covered their ears.Uooooooo!! Where are the heads of the warriors?!Nagayoshi rushed forward fiercely, just as the word reckless suited him. He had been training diligently to run efficiently in armor, and he had gradually found himself running at the forefront of the middle army.As the foot soldiers of Oda and Kitabatake fought each other, Nagayoshi ran through the chaos, relentlessly killing Kitabatake soldiers one after another. When Nagayoshi's armor became covered in blood, the Kitabatake soldiers finally understood what was happening. But as they caught up, their fighting spirit was completely crushed.Oh, they're demons!The enemy soldiers scattered like spiders.What disrespectful guys.Nagayoshi, holding his morning star, muttered as he adjusted his grip. He ignored the fleeing enemy soldiers and charged into the castle. Inside Azaka Castle, a melee was already underway, with Oda's forces and Kitabatake's forces engaging in skirmishes everywhere. The Kitabatake forces were not putting up much of a fight, and their soldiers were losing their lives one after another, overwhelmed by the momentum of Oda's forces. Nagayoshi ignored the melee between foot soldiers and ran through the castle in search of a warrior worthy of military exploits. However, he did not conveniently encounter any enemy warriors.While running through the castle, Nagayoshi tested the usability of weapons such as a five-foot spear and a sword that was more like a wakizashi, which was suitable for narrow spaces, against foot soldiers. Among them, he found that the one-meter morning star was easy to use and had good usability. Although it had the disadvantage of being difficult to change the direction of its momentum once swung, it could kill foot soldiers in almost one blow and had the advantage of intimidating enemy soldiers with its menacing appearance. Above all, the morning star had a weighty appearance, allowing him to show off his strength to both friend and foe. It was more than satisfying for him.The air is hot. Is this the air of the battlefield not bad!While crushing enemy soldiers who came at him, Nagayoshi ran around the castle, searching for a warrior to gain military exploits. By the time Oda's victory was almost certain, he finally found an enemy warrior. Judging from the foot soldiers guarding him, Nagayoshi speculated that the enemy warrior was someone of a certain status. With a confident expression, Nagayoshi began analyzing the enemy warrior's movements as he tried to find a way out.It's a bit unsatisfying, but if I miss this opportunity, I won't be able to take a head in my first battle. Alright!After psyching himself up, Nagayoshi switched from the morning star to a spear. In case he accidentally crushed the enemy warrior's face, he wanted to be able to identify who the warrior was.What's wrong! Even if they say the mighty Oda forces, the strength of their soldiers is nothing special!Taunting the Oda soldiers, the enemy warrior swung his sword at nearby foot soldiers. The terrified Oda soldiers could only watch as the sword approached them. But the enemy warrior's sword never reached the Oda soldiers. Nagayoshi's spear intercepted the enemy warrior's sword accurately. He then used sheer strength to push the sword back. The enemy warrior, who was taken aback by the unexpected turn of events, couldn't withstand Nagayoshi's strength and leaned his body backward.You must be tired of dealing with just foot soldiers. Come, I'll be your opponent.With a confident expression, Nagayoshi provocatively bent and extended all four fingers of his right hand, except for his thumb, towards the enemy warrior.Is this little boy going to use that spear?!Provoked by Nagayoshi's cheap taunt, the enemy warrior pushed aside those around him and swung his sword at Nagayoshi. However, the moment he swung his sword, Nagayoshi's spear accurately pierced the enemy warrior's throat.I don't need your cheap provocations. Just leave your head.Guh goboThe enemy warrior let out an inaudible voice and collapsed. Without even exchanging a single blow, Nagayoshi had decided the outcome in an instant. Everyone from both sides stood dumbfounded, unable to utter a word.I will take their heads.Unable to understand the situation at hand, Nagayoshi declared to the bewildered soldiers standing still, as if it was only natural.The formidable Azaka Castle, known as the Impregnable Castle, which had withstood the forces of the Muromachi Shogunate of 30,000 soldiers and gained a reputation throughout the country, fell to the fierce attack of the Oda army in a single day.Oomiya Nyudo Ganninsai, the chief retainer of the Kitabatake family and the lord of Azaka Castle, was captured. Unfortunately, his eldest son, Oomiya Dainojo Kagetsura, who had inflicted a serious injury on Hideyoshi's thigh, managed to escape. Hideyoshi was furious at being outsmarted by Kagetsura, who had escaped despite his serious injury. He immediately ordered his soldiers to find him, but after giving the order, he sighed heavily, as if he didn't expect a favorable outcome.Nagayoshi also sighed heavily as he looked up at the sky. After that, he had taken several heads, but they were all unknown individuals. Nagayoshi had wanted to make a grand debut in his first battle, but he realized that reality was not so sweet.We need to find a more efficient way to search.Hey, Katsuzo Mori Nagayoshi. So, did your first battle go splendidly?As Nagayoshi pondered whether he should study castle construction, Keiji suddenly appeared. Normally, Nagayoshi would have asked what he had been doing, but he didn't have the energy to question Keiji in his current depressed state.If my first battle had been a splendid success, I wouldn't be rotting away in a place like this.Hahaha, that's a shame. But I think it would be boring if everything went perfectly.I know that, but it annoys me when you say it. By the way, do you know why the soldiers were unusually weak?Nagayoshi recalled the events during the siege. The foot soldiers and ashigaru surrendered immediately, unlike the soldiers of the sturdy Azaka Castle. At first, he had thought they were weak and worthless, but considering that the lord of the castle, Oomiya Nyudo, had not responded to the Oda army's surrender offer and had shown a stance of thorough resistance, the quick surrender of the ashigaru was an abnormal situation.It's simple. The Kitabatake territory was hit by an unprecedented famine. I checked the food storage thoroughly, but there was hardly anything left in the castle. Most likely, the ashigaru and foot soldiers were struggling to find enough to eat.So, they had no reserves at all?I searched the food storage using the ashigaru and interrogated the prisoners, but there is no conclusion other than the fact that the food has run out. It seems that they were facing a shortage of food on top of the famine, which is why the morale of the ashigaru was low.Hmm. So Shizuko is indeed special. When she senses signs of drought or famine, she takes some measures that I don't quite understand. Even if the harvest decreases due to drought, she always manages to secure a certain amount of harvest.Well, if it weren't for Shizuchi, I think our military resources would be even scarcer. I heard that she still has some surplus despite mobilizing a large army.While the southern Ise region ruled by Kitabatake was suffering from a food shortage due to the famine, the Oda army forcefully seized food supplies in order to fight against the Kitabatake army. The peasants did not care who their ruler was as long as they protected them. This means that if the ruler is understood as someone who would easily abandon them, they would quickly turn against them. Understanding this, Nobunaga employed strategies to win over the hungry people, gaining their trust. With the cooperation of the local people, it was possible to obtain information about the Kitabatake army, intentionally block information, and create chaos in the Kitabatake camp by spreading false information.Facing the Kitabatake army, whose military resources were beginning to dwindle, the Oda army had sufficient military strength and had even introduced a supply system, albeit in the experimental stage. Weapons and food from Owari and Mino were continuously transported to the camp, and supplies were replenished to the Konida unit once their supplies ran out. Both the Kitabatake army and their allies, the Kobe and Nagano clans, were terrified of Nobunaga. Understanding that he had obtained rice from last year's taxes and had secured storage for this year's taxes, Nobunaga had set September as the invasion time for southern Ise.This time, the Oda army is just testing things. The second army is part of that.What is that?I don't know if they anticipated the Kitabatake army's decision to defend the castle, but this battle is said to rotate 50,000 soldiers every month.Initially, Nobunaga had planned to deploy a large army of 100,000 for the invasion of Ise. However, as he considered the strategy for the invasion of Ise, he realized a major problem. How much would the consumption of weapons and food be with such a large army? How much transportation cost would be required? Anticipating that the Kitabatake camp would choose to defend and wait for the year to pass, Nobunaga decided to temporarily withdraw the units that had fought on the front lines and provide them with supplies and rest. By rotating 50,000 soldiers every 30 to 40 days, he believed that he could put psychological pressure on the Kitabatake camp and show other countries that he still had enough military strength. Of course, Nobunaga, who understood that gradually deploying troops was a foolish strategy, calculated whether he could carry out the entire operation with 50,000 soldiers.It's a pressure tactic to make the Kitabatake father and son surrender while defending the castle.Yeah, it's a plan to surround Kiriyama castle from all sides and urge them to surrender. But even if the Kitabatake father and son are in a disadvantageous position, I think it will take time for them to change their stubborn attitude.Hmph, they will surrender within sixty days.Yeah, that's right. Considering that, the Kitabatake family can't help but be called fools. Defending a castle without any reserves has always been a hellish and hopeless situation.They are weak just because they are hungry. That's what I want to say, but looking at the soldiers of Azaka Castle, it's unfortunate that they are on the enemy side. But if it were our own soldiers, it would be a headache.The Oda army won't suffer from food shortages. Moreover, this year, Shizuchi's policies are expected to bear fruit.Yeah, it was Gifu rice, right? Shizuko said it was a variety that could produce a lot of delicious rice. I think they produced a considerable amount this year, so I'm looking forward to it when we return.Owari rice is also used as gifts, so I don't know how much will be left.While exchanging such trivial banter, the two returned to their camp. After that, the Oda army, with a short break, surrounded Kiriyama castle, where Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu were defending.August 28th. Nobunaga set up his camp on a mountain to the east of Kiriyama castle, accompanied by Shibata Katsuie, Mori Yoshinari, and Sassa Narimasa. To the west, Hideyoshi, Ujiie Yuzen, and Sakuma Nobumori were stationed, to the north, Saito Shingo and Sakai Ukon were stationed, and to the south, Niwa Nagahide, Ikeda Tsuneoki, and Takigawa Kazumasu were stationed. They built double and triple layers of fences and had Maeda Toshiie guard the outskirts.A few days after the siege began, Nobunaga decided to launch a strategy to mentally break the Kitabatake father and son by using large amounts of black gunpowder and matchlock guns obtained from Sakai to show them the difference in military strength. He sent multiple letters urging surrender, turning parts of the castle into a beehive-like structure, but even after ten days, they received no response indicating surrender.On the twelfth day of the siege, September 8th, Nobunaga decided to launch a night attack to break the current situation. However, that day, gray clouds appeared over the mountains of Ise in the early afternoon, and the wind felt unusually warm for autumn. Nobunaga pondered while feeling the warm wind on his skin and then called Mori Yoshinari.Yoshinari, do you think it will rain tonight?I can't say for sure. But in times like this, it often turns out for the worse.I see.Nobunaga considered the risk of rain during the night attack. If it rained, the matchlock guns would be unusable, and the visibility would be poor, causing the distance to be distorted. He understood that this would increase the risk of the night attack failing, so he made a slight change to the instructions for the night attack. If it rained, he changed the order to not carry out the night attack and conserve their forces.He also considered that the enemy might see the poor visibility caused by the rain as an opportunity, so he instructed the generals to be cautious of a night attack from the enemy. This had an effect, and although it rained as expected, the troops were able to prevent the night attack as instructed by Nobunaga. Furthermore, they thoroughly pursued and annihilated the Senge clan, who had attempted the night attack.Although they had successfully prevented the night attack on Ujiie Yuzen's camp, Nobunaga received a painful blow because he had cornered the Kitabatake army too much. Takigawa Kazumasu launched an attack from the western Mushi Valley, but they were showered with arrows and bullets from the castle, and thousands of bamboo spears with oil-soaked tips were thrown down. Takigawa Kazumasu's forces suffered heavy losses and were unable to achieve any results, forcing them to retreat.They no longer have any strength left. Let's launch a wave attack from all sides.Believing that the Kitabatake army was on the verge of collapse, Nobunaga decided to launch a wave attack from all sides. It was an unprecedented fierce attack, but whenever the defenders sallied out from the castle, the Oda forces would immediately retreat. The Kitabatake army was unable to move as they wished and only faced increasing physical and mental burdens. Unable to even seek a chance to turn the tide, the Kitabatake camp was in an extremely difficult situation.Do not show any mercy. Attack the castle with the intention of killing them all.However, Nobunaga did not allow his retainers to show any mercy, no matter how many losses the Kitabatake army suffered. Six days later, on October 3rd, the Kitabatake camp raised the white flag and sent a proposal for peace to Nobunaga.Upon receiving the proposal for peace, Nobunaga immediately sent an envoy to Kiriyama castle. The conditions were for Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu to leave Kiriyama castle, adopt Chasenmaru Oda Nobuo as Gubu's adopted heir, and marry him to Yukihime Chiyogomae, the daughter of Kitabatake Gukyo, making Chasenmaru Oda Nobuo the successor of the Kitabatake family. They accepted all the other various conditions and agreed to surrender. Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu left Kiriyama castle and retreated.On October 4th, after Kitabatake Gukyo and Gubu left Kiriyama castle, Nobunaga ordered the destruction of the Kitabatake's subordinate castles, including Tamamaru Castle. Takigawa Kazumasu and others were assigned to hold the castles, and Nobunaga witnessed Chasenmaru Oda Nobuo entering Kiriyama castle.On October 5th, Nobunaga will go to Ujiyamada and visit the Naiku, Geku, and Asamayama of Ise Grand Shrine.On October 6th, Nobunaga will stay in Kosaku.On October 8th, Nobunaga will move to Iga Ueno Castle, where he disbanded his army.On October 9th, Nobunaga will head to Kyoto with the horsemen. However, he was stopped by heavy snow at Chikusa and had to stay overnight.On October 10th, Nobunaga will stay in Ichihara in Omi Province.On October 11th, Nobunaga will enter Kyoto and report the pacification of Ise Province to Shogun Yoshiaki. After handling government affairs for about four to five days in Kyoto, Nobunaga will return to Gifu in Mino on the 17th.Knowing this schedule, Shizuko prepares to welcome Nagayoshi and the others, thinking that they will return on the 10th. However, Keiji and Nagayoshi return home on the 11th, one day later than Shizuko's expectation. After they finish unpacking, they first take a bath, then have a meal, and finally drink sake before going to sleep. Since their return, the military commanders have been visiting one after another for the purpose of bathing. They enjoy a brief rest until Nobunaga's visit.Why did I end up doing this?Nobunaga, who returned to Gifu on the 17th, finishes his accumulated government affairs and visits Shizuko. Before enjoying the hot springs, he gives Shizuko some instructions. In short, it is to cook meals. In the Sengoku period, there were few people who could become cooks. Especially cooks who could serve meals to military commanders and local lords were extremely rare.This is because if a local lord falls ill and gets sick, the cook is the first to be suspected, and it is a very unfortunate position where it is difficult to gain honor that will be remembered in history but the responsibility is great. Furthermore, in the Sengoku period, where Buddhist thoughts were deeply rooted, it was considered immoral to have a luxurious meal like Nobunaga. However, he took advantage of this and told his vassals the following.The founder of Buddhism, Shakyamuni Buddha, taught that all lives are equally precious.' So why do you ignore the words of Buddha and try to distinguish between lives? I think we should be grateful for everything and eat everything, but what do you all think?Although he is speaking logically, Nobunaga's true intention is Don't nitpick on what others are eating. While he doesn't have a strong attachment to food, he dislikes being unnecessarily dictated by others.But I wish they would stop relying on me to make delicious mealsIt's pointless to complain, but Shizuko can't help but sigh. However, she thinks that the meal is a good opportunity to introduce the beauty of glass to Nobunaga, so she thinks positively about the menu. The menu she came up with includes chicken and shimeji mushroom mixed rice, matsutake mushroom soup, maitake and shiitake mushroom tempura, and seasonal steamed vegetables. As a pre-dinner drink, she serves plum wine, and for dessert, she serves chestnut pudding topped with ice cream.Shizuko owes a lot to Mitsuo when it comes to being able to make ice cream and pudding. At the end of summer, she successfully reproduced gears and cranks in the technology district, so Shizuko thought about developing a centrifuge. However, she thought too deeply and couldn't come up with a design. Mitsuo appeared out of nowhere and quickly drew up the design, as if he had heard about it from somewhere. Shizuko was worried because the structure was too simple, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy to make when actually manufactured.Of course, there are various flaws, but the centrifuge met the performance requirements for now. Later, she heard from Ashimitsu that Mitsuo enjoys carpentry as a hobby, and she realized why he understood the structure of the centrifuge. Even without a centrifuge, if you leave fresh cream to settle, the fat will naturally separate. Put the fresh cream in a container and shake it up and down, and you can make butter in a short time. However, since neither fresh cream nor butter are essential seasonings in Japanese cuisine, Shizuko didn't strongly desire them. She just thought it would be convenient to have them.If you have milk or fresh cream, there are almost no obstacles to making pudding or ice cream. Even without vanilla essence, you can make ice cream and pudding without any major problems. The ingredients for chestnut pudding are boiled chestnuts, milk, sugar, and eggs. For ice cream, all you need is fresh cream, sugar, eggs, and milk.Here it is, sorry to keep you waiting.Shizuko places a tray with a tumbler glass in front of Nobunaga with a nervous expression.Oh this is a glass that is different from porcelain or pottery. It shines in the sunlight. It has such a fantastic beauty.The tumbler glass is a beautiful blue cut glass. The production of glass lenses that can be used for telescopes is the ultimate achievement in glass development. On the other hand, the cut glass was created to silence the anti-Shizuko faction.The apprentices of the glass craftsmen thought that by producing works that would surpass this beautiful glass, they could silence those who opposed Shizuko. They preferred designs commonly found in Edo kiriko, such as sasa leaf and hemp leaf patterns. This is because Edo kiriko cuts familiar Japanese patterns into glass.This is called glass in Nanban. I call it Owari kiriko.The blue cut glass made of transparent glass emitted a mysterious brilliance. Nobunaga seemed to be infatuated with it and rolled the empty glass on his hand, enjoying the shine of the glass.Oh, my lady. Glass can become sharp like a knife when it breaks, so please be careful not to injure yourself when handling it.Hmm? I see if anyone still has any complaints about Shizuko, speak up. If you are confident that you can achieve results that surpass this beautiful glass, then do so.No one raised their voice in response to Nobunaga's question.Well then, that's the end of the discussion. Bring in the food!After glancing at his vassals, Nobunaga gives the order. The attendants who were waiting outside bring in the food one after another, following Nobunaga's instructions.As expected, Shizuko. You have prepared a great feast.The plum wine and chestnut pudding were generally well received. The mushroom and meat mixed rice, in particular, received high praise, and Nobunaga, unusually, asked for seconds three times. Of course, the military commanders also requested seconds, needless to say.It's truly delicious.I could eat this mushroom and meat mixed rice every day.Well, honshimeji mushrooms were a luxury even in my time.The historical accuracy is unknown, but fortunately, the mountain that Nobunaga is borrowing is a treasure trove of mushrooms. Of course, there are dangerous poisonous mushrooms, but they are buried deep in a hole and discarded.Shizuko must be the envy of mushroom lovers. Matsutake mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, honshimeji mushrooms, and even artificially cultivated shiitake mushrooms. Although they are minor, delicious mushrooms can be harvested in season. Furthermore, other people are prohibited from entering the mountains, and if they happen to violate the prohibition, they will be severely punished.Take a bath in the hot springs, eat a feast to your heart's content, and replenish your energy.Nobunaga says with a smile as his vassals eat to their hearts' content.While everyone enjoys their meal with a joyful smile, there is one person who eats silently. It is Hidenaga. Hidenaga, who incited the anti-Shizuko faction, failed in his plot, but he was never a problem to begin with.If the anti-Shizuko faction becomes stronger, he can strengthen his influence by mediating between the mainstream faction and the anti-Shizuko faction. If the mainstream faction suppresses the anti-Shizuko faction with force, he can incorporate the anti-Shizuko faction into his own camp. If Shizuko fails and falls from power, he can save her and bring her into his own camp. If Shizuko succeeds and achieves remarkable results, that would be interesting as well. This incident was just a small test for him, and he had no intention of crushing Shizuko.That girl surprisingly has a strong will. I didn't expect her to achieve results before surpassing her age. She's not just being swayed by others. She has a mindset to attack her enemies mercilessly. I feel like I understand a little why the mainstream faction supports her.On the surface, Shizuko is treated well by Nobunaga. However, her weak atmosphere is a disguise, and inside, she has a fighting spirit that is no less than that of a military commander, according to HideNaga's thoughts.You shouldn't underestimate a woman, as you might get severely burned. I'll keep an eye on her for a while. However, when the time comes, I will use her power for my brother, not for Oda-sama.Ise Province has been pacified, and the path to conquering the country is showing smooth progress. However, they are unaware that the road ahead is full of trials and difficulties. The uneasy atmosphere surrounding the Oda family is gradually spreading and becoming more certain.As the true arrival of winter approached, the cold became even more piercing. Ashimitsu emerged from the office and residence of the Oushin Shrine, with two beloved swords hanging from his waist and a scarf wrapped around his neck. The scarf had a cute design with a Nordic touch, which seemed unlikely for him to have chosen himself.Ashimitsu sits down at the base of a tree, while remaining alert to his surroundings. He exudes an atmosphere reminiscent of meditation, but of course, he has no intention of actually meditating.Did the shogun send a secret letter to Asai and Asakura?Yes. As you predicted, the Ashikaga Shogun has been sending secret letters to various places.As far as the eye can see, there is no one around, but in response to Ashimitsu's question, an old man's voice answered. However, Ashimitsu did not change his expression at all, and rather continued the questioning as if it were natural.Oda is urging the local daimyo to come to Kyoto, but Asakura is ignoring it.It seems like they are completely ignoring the investigation by their subordinates.Who received the secret letter delivered to Asai? Was it Bizen no Kami, or was it Saheiji no Jo?Lieutenant Saho is already in possession of it.If that's the case, we should promptly engage in communication with Asakura. Keep a close eye on that area. While Bizen no Kami might not be a concern, there is a high possibility that Saemon no Jo might be fixated on dealing with someone as insignificant as Asakura.The Asai family had been engaged in a power struggle with the Rokkaku family for many years. In order to defend against attacks from the Rokkaku family, the Asai family formed an alliance with the prestigious Asakura family in northern Kinki region. It is said that the Asai and Asakura families had a deep mutual trust. However, when we examine some evidence, doubts arise as to whether the Asai and Asakura families were truly equal.The castle located in Oodzuku in the Tsume no Shiro is not a castle of the Asai family, but rather a castle of the Asakura family. All of the castles in the Asai family's territory, including Kotani Castle, utilize the castle-building techniques of the Asakura family. In the border area between Omi Province, the territory of the Asai family, and Echizen Province, the territory of the Asakura family, the Asai family did not build any castles. In Echizen Ichijodani, the main base of the Asakura family, there are Asai family residences among the retainers of the Asakura family. There are countless strange points, such as the fact that the prohibition order from Asakura Kageyoshi is referred to as Shitatsu while the prohibition order from Asai Nagamasa is referred to as Shitatsu in the forbidden letter.It is abnormal that there is no castle near the border with the Asakura clan. Although they were once allies, they later became enemies, and the Azai clan hastily carried out repairs and construction to strengthen the defense of the castle on the border with Mino before the Battle of Anegawa against Nobunaga. They also constructed a border castle specifically to defend against the Rokkaku clan, with whom they had a hostile relationship across the Aichi River. However, there is no border castle constructed between the Azai clan and the Asakura clan. The attitude of the Azai clan, which does not seem to have a sense of border with the Asakura clan, suggests that the Azai clan is likely a vassal of the Echizen Asakura clan a local lord subordinate to the shugo daimyo.I'm afraid the Asakura family is a prestigious and historic noble family. I can't help but frown at the evaluation of being called small fry.What does it matter if it's a prestigious and historic family? The Ashikaga clan may have a long-standing reputation, but now they don't even have the power to protect a single shogun. It is only because of the Oda clan's wealth and military strength that they are able to survive. That is the reality.Are you not acting for the Ashikaga clan?Don't misunderstand, Tobikato. Whether the shogunate perishes or the Ashikaga clan is destroyed, it doesn't matter to me. Of course, the same goes for the Asai and Asakura clans. However, that girl is concerned about Bizen-no-Kami and Oichi. That's why I am taking action.With eyes that caress like soothing a princess, and gentle hands that touch fragile objects, Kato Tobikaga stroked the scarf. However, feeling madness hidden behind those gentle eyes, he unconsciously shivered down his spine.The reason I informed you about Takeda's assassination is not because of any cheap sentiment like kindness. It's simply because your abilities will benefit me. That's all.However, it is a fact that I was saved thanks to you. Despite my short remaining lifespan, I will continue to work for you until the end.Work for me until you die.When Ashimitsu heard that, he stood up. There was a bag at the base of the tree that wasn't there when he sat down, but Ashimitsu ignored it and walked towards the office and residence building. As his back disappeared from sight, Tobikato muttered quietly.He never let his guard down. He is thorough but it can't be helped. That person has always been betrayed. Yet, that madness ignites my heart and soul. Hmph, perhaps I too have already been consumed by madness.As he muttered that, a gentle breeze swayed the trees. When the swaying of the trees subsided, the bag that was at the base of the tree had suddenly disappeared.
