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Those who had recently risen from lowly bannermen (hatmoto) of a few thousand or even ten thousand koku of grain to become representatives of regional lords were particularly outraged, practically hurling insults. Why? Because they had left the central government and become local lords. Meanwhile, the Eastern bandits they had defeated had become bannermen, serving as mid-level officials in the central government.

Is there no law anymore?

Chapter 670 Intending to Issue an Order to Ban Piracy

The heated debate lasted for a full month. It was so wonderful, so perfectly in line with Shichibei's expectations, that no decisions were made at the meeting. Even the proposal to allocate funds to rebuild Azuchi Castle, the castle that should have been the residence of the future heir apparent, was opposed.

The reason given was that both the east and west sides had experienced major earthquakes, followed by large-scale military campaigns. The local populations were exhausted and the resources were depleted, making it impossible to afford large-scale resettlement and labor services.

Even the Owari hereditary lords expressed their de facto opposition to this. After all, building a castle for the crown prince was the duty of all feudal lords. This duty did not discriminate based on whether one was an Owari hereditary lord, a regular hereditary lord, or a foreign lord; everyone in the land was obligated to participate.

Azuchi Castle will cost at least several hundred thousand kan, and then everyone might have to contribute to Osaka Castle's construction. Even the Owari Fuyoshi (a high-ranking official in Owari Province) is against it.

The objections were also valid, as Oda Nobuyuki was only three years old at the time of the New Year. He had a legitimate heir apparent, and the heir apparent needed to be granted a fiefdom at least twenty years from now. Azuchi Castle could be extensively rebuilt in twenty years; setting up a makeshift fortification now was not the right thing to do.

This situation was truly something Maeda Toshiie had never anticipated.

His original idea was to bring in more people to obstruct the council process, making it difficult for anyone or anything that might usurp Oda's power as Grand Chancellor to act easily.

Now that he has shared the power, he has found that even the simplest things, like repairing Azuchi Castle, which used to be a trivial matter that could be approved in just a few words, can no longer be done.

Not only that, but as one case after another failed to pass, the two hundred people who came to the meeting gradually took sides. They began the simplest and purest form of opposition for the sake of opposition.

You and I aren't on the same side, so I'm going to oppose you. I don't care what you say, I'm against you. What you're saying is all bullshit, nyah nyah nyah, I can't hear you.

Maeda Toshiie wanted to take a central role in coordinating and implementing the plan, hoping to gain everyone's approval, but he simply lacked the prestige to do so. Some even secretly called him an "Eastern traitor," a spy infiltrating Osaka to support the Eastern traitors.

The only one who might have the immense prestige and power to persuade everyone was Kawamura Nagayoshi, who was sitting there with a smile, pouring tea for everyone.

When they got tired of arguing, they would drink tea; when they needed to urinate, they would take a break. In short, it was all about drinking tea and urinating. What was once a shrewd and calculating little merchant was now reduced to nothing more than drinking tea and urinating.

Shichibei is now instructing his servants to serve tea and snacks to everyone.

The month-long meeting ended, and the New Year was over. Everyone packed their bags and prepared to go home. Maeda Toshiie even said, "Great! Finally, I can get rid of these people and let small meetings decide on matters that don't need to be discussed in public."

What happened in the end?

As a result, Shichibei was the first to leave Osaka.

Yes, the nationwide genealogy conference has concluded, and the work of the nation's highest decision-making body over the past few years has naturally come to an end. As the main convener of the conference, Shichibei will certainly leave once it's over.

Given Shichibei's current status and prestige, even if someone in Osaka makes a decision, without Shichibei's countersignature or approval, it's nothing but a fart.

"First published on 705u.com - Book Club"

It's neither loud nor smelly, and it's not even annoying to people.

Give me any orders you like. Without Shichibei's signature, do you think we can get out of Osaka's gates? If we can, Kawamura Nagayoshi will change his name to Yoshinobu Nagamura Kawa the next day.

Of course, Shichibei didn't actually return to Kumamoto immediately; instead, he went to Sakai first. Officially, he was there to attend the National Industrial and Commercial Conference, but in reality, he was observing the situation in Osaka.

Previously, at the grand assembly, Shichibei was merely a senior retainer and Ōchikata of the Oda clan. Now, at this assembly, Shichibei is subtly showing signs of becoming halfway to the throne. Wealthy merchants from all over the country are even more attentive to Shichibei, practically fawning over him and trying to elevate him to a higher position.

There are no particularly important matters to discuss at this industrial and commercial conference, as the charter and regulations were already established at an earlier meeting, and now it is simply a matter of implementation.

The first day of the meeting was to learn about the situation of casting Tianzheng Tongbao coins in various places, the circulation of goods, and the maintenance of roads and shipping routes.

In a way, because Nobuo died so young, Japan has not yet issued a so-called "piracy ban order." This means that merchant ships sailing from various parts of Kyushu to Osaka and Sakai still have to pay a certain amount of ship mark fees.

For wealthy merchants, this is undoubtedly an unnecessary increase in costs. With the world unified, there's no need for pirates to maintain shipping lanes. If pirates do appear in someone's territory, Osaka can simply issue a document ordering them to quell the pirates.

Even the pirates of the past were just local warlords and gentry. Now that they're all under the unified control of the Grand Chancellor, are we going to let them continue doing business without any investment?

Each of our official seals is worth four thousand strings of cash; that's a great tribute to the Grand Chancellor.

This was indeed a matter to consider, Shichibei thought to himself. Afterwards, an edict to ban piracy would indeed be issued; the old pirates would either be completely transformed into feudal samurai daimyo, or they would be dealt a heavy blow and wiped out.

Pirates are unlikely to lose their jobs; nautical skills are still scarce these days. At worst, they can go into maritime trade—that's a promising field. Everyone makes a living at sea; how much they earn depends entirely on their abilities.

Upon learning that Shichibei also intended to eradicate Japanese pirates, the wealthy merchants and tycoons were overjoyed. This year's National Industrial and Commercial Conference had been worthwhile; accomplishing this goal was more important than anything else.

Last year, because Shichibei led a large army to Ōgaki, the meeting was canceled, which was a real shame for everyone.

After seeing everyone off for the time being, Shichibei asked Kurushima Michiso if he had left Osaka. Kurushima Michiso was originally one of the Mishima Murakami allied with the Mori clan. However, due to the Mori clan's great defeat in the Second Battle of Kizugawa, he surrendered to the Oda clan in order to unify the Mishima Murakami.

Now, both Inoshima and Nojima Murakami have become vassals of the Mori clan, losing their dominance over the Seto Inland Sea. Of the once glorious and powerful Murakami Navy, only the Inoshima branch remains.

Back then, Michifusa Narashima had served as a retainer of Shichibei, but after Shichibei was removed from Kumamoto, he broke away and became a direct retainer of the Oda clan. It was because of this relationship that he became a hereditary successor of the Oda clan.

He was always expected to attend meetings since Maeda Toshiie usually invited the hereditary leaders. The other day at the meeting, Shichibei vaguely thought he had spotted him.

I was so busy pouring tea that I forgot to count heads while watching the play.

Upon inquiring, it was learned that Kurushima Michifusa was still engaged in diplomatic exchanges in Osaka. He only had a territory of 10,000 koku on Kurushima Island, and that was only to determine his daimyo rank and military service. His few dilapidated islands actually yielded virtually no agricultural income.

There is still some land on Shikoku Island, probably a few thousand koku, where some rice is grown to provide rations for the naval forces that come to the island.

Go and fetch Shichibei immediately; he has something to discuss with Shichibei.

Previously, during the major battle between the Eastern and Western armies, Kurushima Michifusa was definitely on the Western side. However, he did not actually participate in the Battle of Kiso River, but instead remained on guard at Osaka Bay.

Because Kuki Yoshitaka and his son joined the Eastern Army, rebelling alongside the naval forces of Awa and Suruga, and even participating in the naval siege of Hamamatsu. After the war, none of these people changed their ways. Kuki Yoshitaka and his son are currently plotting a comeback at Osaka Castle.

The reason for this was to prevent Kuki Yoshitaka from following the precedent of the Battle of Kizugawa and rushing to the gates of Osaka Castle to set fires and loot. Therefore, Kurushima Michifusa and the remaining small navy of the Mori clan were left in Osaka and Sakai.

He's considered a meritorious individual, and later he could be granted a fief of 30,000 or 50,000 koku. As long as it's by the sea, Shichibei is confident he can persuade him to accept the "Pirate Suppression Order." Then he can be put to work in maritime trade; after all, he did sail to Korea to participate in the war in history.

Later, Koreans even made a movie in which they sent Kurushima Michizusa, who was dressed like Takeda Shingen, into the sea.

Besides Kurushima Michifusa, there were many daimyo with naval forces, and even Shichibei himself had a navy led by Morimura Haru. Others, such as Ike Yoriyuki of the Chosokabe clan, Kabayama Hisataka of the Shimazu clan, and Natsunosuke of the Amago clan, were half pirates and half samurai, and were relatively easy to deal with.

The main groups involved were Yoshitomo Sō, Shigenori Matsuura, Chika Hata, and Jungen Gotō, whose territories were mostly unsuitable for farming. What could you expect to grow on Tsushima or Iki Island? Even the water supply for people and livestock might not be 100% sufficient, let alone agriculture.

People from this place are born to live off the sea; they either engage in maritime trade or piracy, depending on the overall environment.

It's simply a matter of shifting trade with Korea, Ming Dynasty, and Ryukyu. Shichibei needs to inform them all. He needs to explain the situation clearly to them first. Giving orders without investigation, understanding, or practice is pure idiocy.

Soon after, Michifusa Kurushima arrived at Kawamura's residence in Sakai to visit Shichibei. Naturally, Kurushima was dissatisfied with the ship mark fees collected for the purpose of suppressing pirates, or rather, for dividing up sea areas to suppress pirates.

He was about to object on the spot, since this was in private, and he knew that Shichibei would not mistreat his brothers or treat meritorious officials unfairly.

I just helped you send troops to defeat the Eastern bandits, and you're trying to cut off my rear? That's really not very fair.

Unfair? I'll grant you 100,000 koku of grain in Buzen Kogura.

Originally, he was about to argue that he supported a large group of brothers, and that they would be finished once the ship's mark income stopped. He was a pirate, but also a merchant, and naturally, he had a plan in mind.

His actual territory was only a few thousand koku, but now it has been increased to 100,000 koku, so his annual income will naturally increase dramatically. Moreover, being located in Kogura, Buzen, he can continue to maintain maritime trade.

As for the income from ship markers, although it was considered a stable income regardless of drought or flood, it amounted to 100,000 shi of land...

Let me think about it.

Shichibei knew that Kurushima Michifusa was interested, so he didn't urge him and told him to go back and think it over. Anyway, Shichibei still had a few days of meetings in Sakai. After discussing the matter of suppressing pirates with the wealthy merchants, he would start talking about the Northward Trade.

When Shichibei acquired the 50,000 koku of Tsuruga, he appointed Ishigami Tsuguyoshi as the acting governor of Tsuruga to assist him in managing Tsuruga. In addition to general trade, he also strengthened trade with the Jurchens in northeastern China in exchange for Liaodong horses, as well as furs, beeswax, logs, and other goods.

Something has recently happened to this trade route. What happened? The infighting among the Jurchen tribes has entered a new phase.

There was a man named Nurhaci who had already unified most of the Jianzhou Jurchens and boasted a force of 5,000 elite soldiers. Not only that, but he also possessed a shrewd and calculating mind, knowing how to feign weakness while actively seeking official recognition from the Ming court. If nothing unexpected happened, at the latest next year, the Ming court would appoint him as a Vice-Commander-in-Chief and watch him unify the Jianzhou Jurchens.

Whether the Ming court was numb or truly unaware, or whether someone was harboring bandits, is not up for discussion. In any case, merchant ships that traded with the Jurchens returned to report that many Jurchen tribes they traded with had perished.

Nurhaci needed imperial edicts to trade with the Ming Dynasty, but he needed nothing to trade with Japan; he could simply bring in goods and sell them. The Japanese could also provide iron, cloth, grain, gold, and copper, all of which were highly sought-after commodities in Liaodong.

Well, regarding this matter, Shichibei can't be said to be completely helpless. After all, Japan at this time has elite troops who have just survived a century of chaotic warfare, and Japan has the ability to send hundreds of thousands of people to Liaodong and Korea.

But this is, after all, another country's internal affair, and Shichibei really can't interfere.

Anyway, this trade route is becoming a bit difficult to operate. Nurhaci has gradually monopolized the supply of goods. Once he has complete control over the supply, the pricing power of this trade route will no longer be determined by Japan.

After all, Japan was indeed lacking or severely short of Liaodong horses and leather, two major commodities. Shichibei had no solution to this problem, so he could only speak frankly with the merchants returning from the north, asking them to listen, observe, and investigate more, and to report back as soon as they had any information.

By the way, even without the Japanese invasion, the internal conflicts and pressures in Korea would probably have exploded. After all, the Japanese helped the Joseon Dynasty wipe out a large number of the Yangban aristocracy, killing off most of the state's rentier class, which would have allowed the dynasty to continue.

Now that the yangban class of the Joseon Dynasty is thriving, it's quite possible that in another ten or twenty years, they might just be wiped out by internal and external attacks.

It's unknown what kind of country will emerge from this situation. Based on Huang Taiji's line of thinking, the Qing Dynasty at this time completely disregarded the barren land of Korea and was highly unlikely to annex it.

So be it.

Shichibei, continuing his meeting with the wealthy merchants, was completely unaware of the anguish that Maeda Toshiie was experiencing, sitting listlessly in his mansion beneath Osaka Castle. He realized that although he remained a senior retainer of the Oda clan, he was utterly useless. Having shared power, he had neither the prestige nor the influence to reclaim it.

The entire central government seemed paralyzed. The feudal lords and hereditary rulers left, and Kawamura Chokichi also left. Japan really stopped functioning.

You can forget about doing anything. Nobody listens to him, and nothing is authorized or permissible by him alone. It's because Shichibei has dragged the middle-ranking officials of the shogunate into the council of retainers. They're the masters of the country now; who's going to listen to you?

Chapter 671 After extreme chaos comes extreme order

Unlike Maeda Toshiie's anxiety, Mori Terumoto felt more of a secret delight. He realized that the unprincipled system of the Imperial Family Council was the source of chaos, and might even be the cause of the collapse of the Oda clan's regime.

In particular, Mori Terumoto became even more certain when he discovered that the proposal to include the Owari fudai hatamoto group, with a combined 5,000 koku of rice, in the council was actually put forward by Kawamura Nagayoshi.

In Mori Terumoto's vision, Kawamura Nagayoshi had clearly begun preparing to fight against Oda Nobunaga, making preparations to seize power over the country, or even to directly usurp the throne.

Therefore, Kawamura Nagayoshi's plan to paralyze the central government of the Oda regime and render the Oda clan brain dead was an obvious conspiracy. It was Maeda Toshiie and Mori Terumoto who proposed expanding the scope of the council, and Kawamura Nagayoshi, being a loyal retainer, immediately agreed.

However, Kawamura Nagayoshi seized the opportunity to discover the key to the matter and, by taking advantage of the situation, paralyzed all forces that were not aligned with the Kawamura faction in an instant.

Now, whether they are outsiders or hereditary officials, relatives or in-laws, courtiers or feudal lords, none of them can get things done. They either argue from morning till night in Osaka, and then from night till morning again, to no avail. Or they just stand by and watch, helplessly lamenting their incompetence.

good chance!

The Mori clan lost the last battle against the Oda clan for control of the land, but what about this time? The Oda clan is clearly on the verge of collapse from within, and Mori Terumoto, as a relative of the Oda clan, may have a chance to turn the tide and become the new ruler of the land.

As long as he doesn't reveal his ambition to usurp the throne first, given his status as a relative of the Oda clan, he might actually have a good chance of rallying the Oda family's hereditary leaders to attack the rebels.

His idea is really ridiculous. He had this opportunity last year, but he turned it down. Now he actually thinks he'll dare to do it next time. It's laughable, truly laughable.

So we can't stay in Osaka now; we have to paralyze Osaka. Once it's completely paralyzed, then we can step in and clean up the mess.

As for how to determine this optimal timing, one can only say that its application depends entirely on one's own intuition.

No one can say with absolute certainty that it has reached its peak, but since Kawamura Nagayoshi has left, Mori Terumoto has decided to go to Kyoto first to pay a visit to the evergreen courtier, Konoe Sakihisa.

With the patronage of the Emperor and the Imperial Court by Oda Nobunaga and Nobukatsu, the court nobility began to rise again. However, due to Oda Nobunaga's promotion of "union of court and military," those military lords who were enfeoffed with major states were required to hold the positions of retainer and governor, while those holding central government positions were required to hold concurrent posts (such as the positions of junior and senior officials). Therefore, the two groups were indeed merging into a new aristocratic group.

Now that Nobunaga and Nobukatsu are both dead, the Imperial Court, which also has a role to play in the new regime, may play a unique role in the future.

Now things are really messed up. Kawamura Nagayoshi has run away, Mori Terumoto has run away, and Nagano Nobukatsu, Takikawa Otoshi, Hijikata Okuhisa, Ataka Kiyoyasu, Hatakeyama Nobutaka, and Narita Uchinaga have all retreated to the castle to take over their new territories. All that's left in Osaka is Maeda Toshiie, all alone, and a bunch of central government officials who have already tasted the power and are beginning to become paralyzed.

It's rotten, rotten, rotten to the extreme.

After successfully convening this year's National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shichibei saw that the situation in Osaka was completely paralyzed as expected, and he felt relieved. This is exactly the result you wanted.

So Shichibei left Sakai in a grand manner, taking a ship to his territories in Kyushu. Shichibei now commands a staggering 1.07 million koku, and it was indeed necessary for him to tour the area and introduce his new lord to the people.

No one stopped him, and no one dared to stop him; Shichibei traveled smoothly. The feudal lords who stopped at various ports along the way all came to pay their respects and entertain Shichibei and his party with food and drink.