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Because of this powerful figurehead, almost no one objected to handing over Wakasa Province, a part of the Tenryo Province directly under the Oda clan, to Narita Ujō for temporary administration.

At least until now, Shichibei hasn't heard of any influential person opposing this matter. In fact, many of Oda Nobukatsu's close confidants and associates supported Narita Uchinaga's rise to power. Many people have turned a blind eye to the fact that his territory has been reduced by 85,000 koku.

After that, Shichibei actually used Hatakeyama Nobutaka as a pretext to test everyone's attitude by transferring him to the Tenryō Kawachi Province.

Narita Ujinaga was only temporarily governing Wakasa Province. Once Oda Katsuhoshi came of age and his authority expanded, it was entirely possible to take it back.

Unlike Hatakeyama Nobutaka, he wanted to genuinely acquire the territory and power of Hanoi and become its ruler.

He had already spread the word himself, and while there were many opponents, there were also supporters. Some people did agree with the plan to have Hatakeyama Nobutaka personally return to protect the royal family, after all, the friendship between Nobukatsu and Nobutaka that transcended their age was something that many of Nobukatsu's close associates had witnessed.

At worst, we can just incorporate Nagato into the Heavenly Territory. In that case, the Heavenly Territory won't be much different.

Hatakeyama Nobutaka mistakenly believed that he had used Shichibei to some extent, helping him rise to the position of chief retainer or middle-aged elder. In reality, Shichibei was quite happy to use him as a test subject to see how the feudal lords would react to his de facto "seizure" of the territory.

He used his claim to the position of chief minister to cover up the fact that he was granted the fiefdom of Hanoi.

As long as things continue as they are, Shichibei has further plans. Our brother-in-law, Shibata Nagakatsu, commands 150,000 koku of Tanba Fukuchiyama and previously participated in the Kiso River East-West Battle, where he distinguished himself in battle.

Moreover, as the most standard Owari fudai (hereditary successor), and a former Oda Nobunaga's horse-riding retainer, how about he was transferred to the Oda clan's domain?

The country of Yamato has 400,000 koku.

This was the "gift" that Shichibei prepared for Shibata Nagakatsu, and it was also an important step in testing the feudal lords. If the feudal lords did not object to Hatakeyama Nobutaka's transfer of fiefdom, then Shichibei would boldly grant Shibata Nagakatsu the fiefdom of Yamato.

If the feudal lords vehemently oppose it, then the fiefdom of Shimotsuke, with a stipend of 380,000 koku, will be transferred to him. Either way, there's a reason: Shimotsuke is crucial in blocking the passage of the Oshu feudal lords into Kanto.

Shichibei had already secretly instructed Shibata Nagakatsu on this matter, and Shibata Nagakatsu expressed his understanding, saying that he could accept not being granted a title or honor immediately.

"Now is the time when our lord's power is at its peak, and no one can rival him at present. But if this continues for too long, things will become difficult." Takenaka Shigeharu also had his own thoughts, and they made some sense.

"I've also been thinking about this." Shichibei had certainly considered it.

Having just won a great victory, killing tens of thousands on the battlefield, with Oda Nobushige's head still planted beneath Osaka Castle, Shichibei could generally expect to encounter at least half the resistance he faced in any undertaking, unless he were attempting a usurpation.

It won't take long; within a year or two, some people will inevitably forget the pain once the wound has healed. This is human nature; many people are like this, especially in their daily lives.

"Why is that?" Shigeharu Takenaka thought the reason was very simple.

"Even if my prestige has declined, is there anyone in this world whose might can surpass mine?" Shichibei wasn't boasting; he was telling the truth.

The deaths of Niwa Nagahide, Takigawa Kazumasu, and Hashiba Hideyoshi within a short period of time immediately made Shichibei the de facto head of the family.

The only one who posed a real threat, and whose status was no less than Shichibei's, Tokugawa Ieyasu, was defeated. He has now shaved his head and is nominally a monk, but in reality, he is under house arrest.

Within the Oda regime, who has more seniority, prestige, or power than me?

No.

Not a single one!

Although Sakuma Nobumori is still alive, he is so old that his legs are trembling. Moreover, his son, Sakuma Nobueshige, has rebelled and changed the government, so he has nothing left to say.

There was also Hanawa Naomasa, who left the scene even earlier; he was Harada Nobumasa's adoptive father. After losing most of his core retainers in the Battle of Ishiyama Tennoji, he had long lost his former prestige.

Go ahead and look, who else can be better than Shichibei? It's like four comedians hurling insults at each other and outlasting the other three; that makes you a true veteran artist.

“This…” Takenaka Shigeharu certainly didn’t have the same bold confidence as Shichibei.

"Don't be hasty or impatient." Shichibei thought about many things, from all aspects.

As long as the situation doesn't undergo any drastic changes, we can proceed step by step according to this plan. Although it may take several months, and it might not be fully realized until next spring, its advantage lies in its stability, and it doesn't require any tricks that would leave a bad reputation.

There are still three months left in the fifteenth year of Tensho, enough time for Shichibei to take action.

Hmph, taking advantage of the opportunity to submit a memorial to the imperial court and arrange for Oda Katsuhoshi's coming-of-age ceremony, Shichibei raised the issue of appointing Hatakeyama Nobutaka as a middle-aged man or a senior retainer to the senior retainers, with reasons so justifiable that they were almost beyond question.

When the emperor ascends the throne, he needs the assistance of Nobutaka Hatakeyama, a noble man from a prominent family.

All the senior retainers present were of humble origins. Mori Terumoto was the leader of the local alliance, Kawamura Nagayoshi was a horse groom in the countryside, Maeda Toshiie was a local tyrant, Ataka Kiyoyasu was a pirate, Takigawa Yutoshi was a novice monk, and Hijikata Osamu was a local lord.

Very well. Now, I would like to ask everyone present, including Nagano Nobukatsu, who bears the name of the prestigious Nagano family but is actually of Oda lineage: who will go to the palace to answer questions on behalf of our Master Oda Katsuhoshi and His Majesty the Emperor?

Apart from Hatakeyama Nobutaka, who has both a prestigious status and has inherited the samurai etiquette and traditions of his family, who can guarantee that they will not make any mistakes?

With just one sentence, he silenced all the senior retainers. Clearly, Shichibei had a second part to say: if he made a mistake, he would be kicked out of Osaka.

Chapter 668 Genealogical Agreement Proposed

You all make your decision.

Shichibei remained calm and composed, not finding anything wrong with the matter. Hatakeyama Nobutaka, on the other hand, sat somewhat anxiously to one side, unable to remain composed as he was directly involved.

The other senior retainers remained silent, as they were indeed unfamiliar with court etiquette. Furthermore, Shichibei wasn't fighting alone; he had also enlisted a temporary ally.

After discussing the matter with his retainers, Shichibei privately went to see Narita Uchinaga. Narita Uchinaga was pleased that Shichibei had promised him 250,000 koku of rice. However, he was wary of Shichibei's return to seize power.

Therefore, Shichibei secretly made an agreement with him to handle his case together with that of Hatakeyama Nobutaka.

What does it mean to handle cases together? It means that Hatakeyama Nobutaka will serve as a middle-aged elder statesman, while he will serve as a chief retainer. As long as he can publicly express his support at the meeting of senior retainers, Shichibei will definitely do everything in his power to help him get into the cabinet.

As for your question about why his legal status was only Oda Nobukatsu's Masakado Taisho, yet he was allowed to attend the senior retainers' meeting, it was simply because he had the support of the former Nobukatsu faction and was Oda Katsuhoshi's maternal grandfather.

Now we're giving him a legitimate opportunity to see if he accepts it. If he can resist the urge to accept, Shichibei will truly have to acknowledge him as a hero.

How can someone who can endure what ordinary people cannot not be a hero? He missed this opportunity to rise to power, and it's hard to say whether he'll get another chance to do so in the future.

Narita is 45 years old! Shichibei was already starting to get anxious at 41, how could he not be anxious at 45?

By the way, the person who secretly contacted Shichibei was his cousin, Narita Nagachika. This is the male lead of a certain drama in later years, and Shichibei even had a good chat with this Narita Nagachika.

It was discovered that Narita Nagachika was at least a quick-witted person. Although he wasn't particularly knowledgeable or magnanimous, he was a capable elder of the Narita family. He had already surpassed the minimum standard for a Japanese Sengoku period samurai, and one could even say that he could easily earn five or eight thousand men even if he came to the central government.

Of course, he was also a senior retainer with a 10,000 koku of rice in the Kitasho Domain. The Narita clan had suddenly risen from a level of 30,000 to 50,000 koku in Oshijo to 250,000 koku in Kitasho, Echizen Province. Such a close relative as him had received great recognition. Narita Nagachika, knowing that this was due to Shichibei's kindness, was very friendly to Shichibei.

Keep working hard for your brother; it's better than struggling in the mud with Ishida Mitsunari.

Therefore, when Shichibei proposed appointing Hatakeyama Nobutaka to the top leadership, Narita Ujinaga remained silent, but showed no panic or suspicion. He simply observed the expressions of the others, preparing his words.

The old master certainly wanted to be in a legitimate position, but he was also worried about forming a complete alliance with Shichibei, fearing that he would eventually become Shichibei's vassal. So he was still waiting, waiting for an opportunity to rise to prominence.

Seeing this, Shichibei secretly found it amusing. "With your level of skill, you're not even as good as me. No wonder you were given six months and still managed to fight Mori Terumoto to a standstill, wasting so many of Nobuyuki's former followers' allegiance."

Another senior retainer, Ataka Kiyoyasu, who had effectively allied with Shichibei, behaved much better. Seeing that everyone was still refusing to respond and pushing each other, he finally cleared his throat.

This cough was quite valuable, because he wanted to secure a future for his second son. Previously, Miyoshi Yasutoshi, the lord of the 100,000 koku domain in northern Ise and Kobe, had been ordered to relocate because he was affiliated with the Eastern Army. The current arrangement was to give him 2,000-3,000 koku to serve as Oda Katsufuji's personal stable boy.

Ataka Kiyoyasu's idea was for his second son to be adopted into the Miyoshi family, as the adopted son of Miyoshi Yasutoshi. He didn't need much land; 20,000 koku would be enough.

The Ataka family's own retainers were already insufficient, so if they wanted to install their second son, they had no choice but to take from the existing retainers. After Shichibei agreed, Ataka Kiyoyasu essentially sided with Kawamura.

To be honest, Kiyoyasu Ataka knew he was unlikely to become the Osaka playoff champion, so he set his sights on the top seed early on and worked hard to improve himself while he still had some value.

Both you and your son were granted fiefdoms, and you even helped your second son become a minor feudal lord. What more could you ask for? You have already done your duty to your deceased fathers, Ataka Fuyuyasu and Ataka Nobuyasu.

"The world has changed drastically, and the emperor is young and weak, so he truly needs capable advisors." With just this one sentence, the second son of the Anzai family was given 20,000 koku of grain.

Miyoshi Yasutoshi has already changed his identity. The Anzai family and he are from the same clan, tracing back to their grandfather and great-grandfather, they are brothers. Now that there is an opportunity to revive their fortunes immediately, there is nothing more to say. Shichibei didn't even show up; he just sent someone to give a hint, and the matter was settled.

"That's how it should be!" That was exactly what Shichibei had been waiting for.

“Nagato no Kami is still relatively inexperienced.” Nagano Nobukasa had received 190,000 koku of Sagami Province without exerting any effort the previous time, so he needed to play a more subtle role.

While this statement may seem to question Hatakeyama Nobutaka's age and seniority, under normal circumstances, Hatakeyama Nobutaka would not be qualified to become a middle-aged elder or chief retainer. The point is being made based on the premise that he could become a senior retainer.

“This is not a matter of being young; it is something that even Nagato no Kami has never held, not even the position of temple and shrine commissioner.” Mori Terumoto, who was unusually clever for once, immediately realized the problem with these words.

"In urgent situations, we must act expediently." Narita Ujichō finally spoke; he had to speak now.

Hatakeyama Nobutaka, at least, had a father, Hatakeyama Akitaka, who was Oda Nobunaga's son-in-law, making him a regular hereditary successor. Narita Uchinaga, on the other hand, wasn't even a hereditary successor; he had only served the Oda family for a few years. If seniority was a factor at that time, he was the least senior, having barely even met Oda Nobunaga a few times.

"Acting on the whim? All matters of state are governed by law." To be fair, Mori Terumoto, with a little preparation, at least had some sense of reason.

You talk to me about the law, I talk to you about reason. You talk to me about reason, I talk to you about the national conditions. You talk to me about the national conditions, I talk to you about the law.

While they may lack the daring to burn their boats, they at least have the ability to turn their fortunes around in the world of fame and fortune.

"Then may I ask, what is An-ki's seniority?" Shichibei chimed in, essentially ignoring the facts.

Putting aside Nobutaka Hatakeyama, what are you, Terumoto Mori, really worth?

“I, this, I…” What qualifications does Mori Teruyuki have?

If the Nijō Incident in Kyoto had not occurred, Oda Nobutada would have seized power from the Mōri clan by force, and Mōri Terumoto would have surrendered. Nobunaga would then have handed the reins of power to Nobutada, who would have ruled for another ten or eight years. Mōri Terumoto would have been able to rise to the ranks of a hereditary ruler.

After all, there are still the Kyushu retainers, the Kanto retainers, and the Oshu retainers behind them. The Oda clan's hereditary retainers will definitely expand with the Owari hereditary retainers as the core.

The Tokugawa shogunate even recruited the Sanada clan into the fudai (hereditary successor) system, and the Wakisaka clan, a member of the Sekigahara rebellion, was also included. This was all to strengthen the fudai group and suppress the outlying lords.

Then consider Mori Terumoto, who was a vassal lord during Nobunaga's time. Oda Nobunaga made it very clear that he wanted to find a powerful enough principal wife's family for Oda Nobukatsu to further consolidate Oda Nobukatsu's power.

When Nobuo succeeded to the throne, Terumoto Mori's status remained in a gray area between that of an outdo (outer lord) and a fudai (hereditary successor). It wasn't until he became a successor in the family that he was barely recognized as a fudai.

With his qualifications, he's nothing.

Although Hijikata Okihisa and Takigawa Otoshi were former retainers of Kitabatake, they had followed Nobukatsu for a long time and were his close associates. Once Nobukatsu was established as the crown prince, they became his permanent successors. Moreover, because Takigawa Otoshi was the son-in-law of Takigawa Kazumasu, he was also included in the Owari family's family lineage.

Furthermore, Hatakeyama Nobutaka had previously been appointed as a member of the Oda Nobukatsu (a high-ranking military officer) because of his noble Hatakeyama clan background—a position specifically used to place members of old noble families. Therefore, Hatakeyama Nobutaka had a verifiable resume within the Oda regime. On the other hand, what did Mōri Terumoto do?

How would you compare them?

“Then An-ki is not fit to serve as the head of this household; please resign immediately.” Shichibei said this very calmly and gently, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"How can this be allowed?" Mori Terumoto's composure finally crumbled, revealing clear doubt and opposition.

"Why not?" Shichibei clapped his hands, gesturing for Hatakeyama Nobutaka to join the ranks of senior retainers.

"I propose that the position of Grand Master of the Northern Shozaemon be transferred to the position of Chief Regent, and the position of Governor of the Nagato be transferred to the position of Senior Regent. Who supports this? Who opposes it?" Shichibei announced immediately, not bothering with Mori Terumoto's words.

Taking advantage of the situation, they brought Narita Ujinaga in, since Mori Terumoto had essentially been silenced. The old Nobuo faction was relatively supportive of these two entering the central government, leaving it up to Maeda Toshiie and Nagano Nobukatsu. Nobukatsu was supporting them this time, though his abilities were rather limited, and it was also a way of currying favor with Shichibei.

So what about Maeda Toshiie? He really has to thank Shichibei; if Shichibei hadn't kept him in Osaka, he would have definitely joined the Eastern Army. Then, when the Eastern Army was defeated, he would have had to switch sides.

Shichibei had not consulted with Maeda Toshiie beforehand about this matter, and he did not know what Maeda's attitude and thoughts would be.

"It is inappropriate for a few of us to discuss important matters of state privately. It is only reasonable and appropriate for the decision to be made by the generals of the Owari government since the beginning of the dynasty." Maeda Toshiie actually gave such an attitude.

Since I can't stop anything by myself, let's increase the number of people involved in the decision-making process. Too many people will just lead to endless arguments and disputes, and nothing will get done in the end.

For Oda Katsufumi, accomplishing nothing was actually the best outcome. He was the rightful ruler of the land, and once he grew up, he could carry out his duties as ruler and subject. With the support of the feudal lords, consolidating power over the land would be no difficult task.

It's better than power gradually concentrating in the hands of one person, who eventually usurps the entire Oda regime.

He wasn't just targeting Shichibei; he was also targeting others who wanted to seize power. Although Shichibei seemed to be the biggest threat at the moment, it was hard to say what would happen to the others.

"What!" Shichibei was surprised that Maeda Toshiie wanted to restore the Gokenin (family members) council system of the former shogunate.

No, because there's no way to have a person of high moral character to suppress the various factions and maintain consensus. This system won't last more than a few years; someone will inevitably try to challenge it, attack political enemies, and seize power.