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Bridges in places like the Oi River and Tenryu River, which originally did not have pontoon bridges, and the Seta River and Yahagi River, which did not have formal stone foundations and wooden bridges, were built with the feudal lords and Oda no Taisho each bearing half of the cost.

Before the bridge, there were many ways to cross the river. Now that there is a bridge, there is only one way to cross the river. Local lords can easily recoup their investment by setting up post towns at the bridge, without needing any bridge tolls.

The money from the post town is a steady stream, and besides, there are also subsidies from the central government of the Great Xiang Kingdom.

In any case, Shichibei was using Oda's money to do things that benefited himself. Of course, the large-scale renovation of streets and bridges throughout the country was also beneficial to unification and rule.

Once peace is restored, all customs posts, large and small, in the five capital regions and seven provinces should be completely removed to allow logistics to operate smoothly and realize a truly unified national market. This will promote the unimpeded flow of people and goods, further tapping into and revitalizing the economy.

Returning from the Miyoshi-Yahagi River bridge construction site, Shichibei stayed overnight at Narumi Jinya. Although Sakuma Nobumori was old and his legs trembled, he was still in good spirits and could chat and laugh with Shichibei.

After Sakuma Nobueaka was transferred, he was once again granted 10,000 koku of rice in Ki Province, so the old man had nothing to say. What else could he do but sigh at the vicissitudes of life, how powerful the once mighty had become?

"I heard that Harada Bitchu also passed away recently." Shichibei was quite moved, as Hanawa Naomasa had also passed away a few days ago.

Well, that's it. Of all the old men who've fought their way up since Owari, only Shichibei and Sakuma Nobumori remain. Maeda Toshiie and Sasa Narimasa are still alive, but they're a step behind, in the second tier. Almost all the old brothers in the first tier are gone.

Tokugawa Ieyasu doesn't count!

"His family's reputation is intact, and there's nothing left for him to cherish." Sakuma Nobumori had long since come to terms with it, and he didn't even pretend when Oda Nobunaga came.

Harada Nobumasa had many people pleading for his life. As Nobunaga's eldest son by a concubine, he was naturally pardoned in the end and became a lord with a fief of 10,000 koku.

"So, neither of us has anything left to cherish." Shichibei pounded his leg, already used to Sakuma Nobumori's indifference.

"I am naturally an old man, and I should have gone to see the Great God long ago." The relationship between Sakuma Nobumori and Nobunaga must have been very delicate. Nobumori, who was once the head of the hereditary retainers, had a high salary of over 1.2 million koku, and was the most important person in the family, had his fate strongly tied to Nobunaga for most of his life.

Without Nobunaga, there would be no glory. And Nobunaga's great achievement of unifying Japan also owes a debt to Sakuma Nobumori's tireless service.

Nobumori, nicknamed "Retreating Sakuma," truly fought across three thousand miles, his sword capable of taking on a million soldiers. In the end, he received only a demotion and exile. It just goes to show how difficult the relationship between ruler and subject truly is; those who can be truly "like fish and water" are few and far between.

"And me?" Shichibei was quite relaxed in front of Nobumori, sitting with his legs spread wide.

"You? You also want to openly and honestly meet the Great God of the Heavenly Realm?" Nobumori's tone remained unchanged, but he glanced at Shichibei.

"Haha..." Shichibei could only laugh and not dare to answer.

“See, you already knew all along, yet you still ask me.” Sakuma Nobumori touched his bald head, having long seen through Shichibei’s thoughts.

Since you've already done it, don't expect anyone to offer empty words of comfort or reassurance. You've done it, and not many people have said anything bad about Shichibei, have they?

When Nobunaga was alive, there were just as many people who frantically supported, loved, and worshipped him as there were those who cursed him, feared him, dreaded him, and wished for his immediate death.

He has no patron saint to guide him to heaven, and he has to step on Yama, the King of Hell, to go to hell, yet he lives a life of integrity. What kind of psychological comfort are you seeking here?

"Hmph..." You've put it so definitively that Shichibei was speechless for a moment.

Shichibei didn't conquer the country, yet he effectively held power over it. Of course, this power was nothing like the absolute power of the shogun under an arbitrary regime; it merely reflected Shichibei's subjugation of a portion of the opposition within the government.

Because Shichibei maintained the unity of Japan, everyone asked him to come out of retirement and take charge of central government affairs.

Power based on these conditions cannot be inherited, because Kawamura Nobuyoshi did not have the same prestige as his father. And prestige is something that is almost impossible to inherit across generations.

To give a typical example, Guo Wei was a general who fought alongside Liu Zhiyuan to establish the empire. He later quelled numerous rebellions and launched a counterattack against Emperor Yin of the Later Han Dynasty, making his prestige unparalleled among all military leaders. Although his adopted son, Guo Rong, also served in the army for several years, he did not achieve any great feats.

As soon as Guo Wei died, the Northern Han immediately launched an attack. It should be noted that the Northern Han only had a strength of thirty to forty thousand men, and they were already afraid of Guo Wei when he was alive. Even though Guo Rong had an army of over one hundred thousand, he lacked prestige, yet the Northern Han were not afraid.

Of course, after Guo Rong dealt a heavy blow to the Northern Han at the Battle of Gaoping, his reputation spread far and wide. Even the Khitan reassessed Guo Rong and did not immediately launch a large-scale invasion southward.

Now Shichibei has ascended to the position of Tairo (Grand Elder), his retainers and advisors hold high positions in various major domains, and even Ii Naoyoshi has been granted a fiefdom. Apart from usurping the throne, their power has reached its zenith.

It wasn't just that Shichibei himself had some ambition to maintain and pass on the legacy; the retainers who had been established as feudal lords also hoped to gather around Shichibei to ensure that he would always serve as the chief minister, while they could become the regents and the chief lords.

I'm so worried, what should I do?

"Honor and disgrace, rise and fall are all predetermined; there is no need to be overly demanding." Sakuma Nobumori understood this very well, and his advice was even clearer.

Now that you've established a system, just follow it. As for whether your descendants will succeed or not? That's none of your business. Qin unified the world, yet it perished after only two generations. You, Kawamura Nagayoshi, a mere stable boy, have such unrealistic expectations.

"Although I know it, I find it hard to let go." Shichibei just smiled; who doesn't understand this principle?

Shichibei, of course, knew that no empire lasts forever, and no regime lasts forever. No matter how glorious its peak, it will still die eventually. But every regime is built by people, and people are never satisfied.

Or perhaps they know in their hearts that they should be content, but in real life, they simply can't let go of their attachments.

"Hmph." Seeing that Shichibei understood, what else could Sakuma Nobumori say?

He was already half-buried in the earth, and had long since lost the prestige of being a senior retainer of the Oda clan. Now he was just an old monk. If Shichibei asked him, he was someone important. If Shichibei didn't ask him, he was nothing.

"..." Shichibei didn't answer, but looked at the setting sun outside the low wall of the courtyard, and even more so at the distant Pacific Ocean.

Those who try to cling to power to the extreme will inevitably lose it. Therefore, it's better to cultivate a more fertile ground for the Kawamura family to participate in and gain political power.

It is not only necessary to establish a unified national market in Japan, but also to expand the urban class and bind local lords and zaibatsu together as much as possible to form a community of shared interests.

To solidify this newly established system of feudal lords and hereditary councils, they must continuously improve and renew themselves internally. This will give rise to a new samurai group, distinct from the usual samurai groups, or what could be called a new bourgeois aristocracy.

Obviously, this might conflict with the ideas of the feudal lords and hereditary nobles who sought to solidify their social classes. But historically, not only ordinary samurai, but even the hatamoto and gokenin of the Tokugawa shogunate had instances of selling their family names on the condition of adopting the sons of wealthy merchants.

The Katsumi family rose to the rank of Earl by becoming the adopted son-in-law of a Hatamoto (military governor) and eventually fighting their way up to that rank.

At most, it was just that high-ranking feudal lords were too embarrassed to accept the adopted sons of wealthy merchants as their sons-in-law. This situation probably wouldn't become widespread until after the Meiji Restoration.

Therefore, Shichibei's current goal is to expand and strengthen the powerful merchant class in various regions of Japan, with himself at the helm. Supporting small merchants is out of the question; it doesn't fit the national context and won't quickly drive development. He'll stick to his previous plan: supporting the powerful merchants in various regions who operate businesses in transportation, warehousing, grain, and currency.

Let them grow up under Shichibei's wing first; they will naturally have their place in the future. Who knows, one day the Kawamura family might need a merchant-turned-heir from the Inase Kawamura family, who are in charge of the Kawamura House, to inherit the headship of the family.

The Inasegawa family was established for this purpose. Let me set an example for everyone. My family is already a wealthy merchant's son-in-law or adopted son who has succeeded to the throne.

With the Kawamura family as an example, other feudal lords will face much less resistance when accepting the adopted sons of wealthy merchants in their respective regions.

Yes, the first in line to succeed the four Kawamura families is the Inase Kawamura family.

Following them are Takayagawa Village, Sugagawa Village, and Iikawa Village. This is how the three families are ordered. If a branch of the main lineage runs out of male heirs, the male descendants of Inase Yoshinari are used first.

Having achieved this much, Shichibei has already demonstrated remarkable foresight. As for whether the emerging new political and business class will be eager to expand their influence, that is beyond Shichibei's control.

Let's do whatever we can right now and focus on doing what we can do well.

The next day, Shichibei returned to Tsushima, the land where he had made his fortune. Logically, he should have invested heavily in Tsushima to return home in glory. However, unfortunately, Tsushima was already experiencing siltation problems; within a few decades, Tsushima Port would be completely silted up and unable to function as a harbor.

At that time, the most important port in Ise Bay will become Anotsu or Tsu-cho. The Kizuki father and son were also visionary. After taking over Ise, they abandoned Ōkawachi Castle, moved the main castle directly to Anotsu, and built Tsu Castle.

Upon hearing that Shichibei had arrived at Tsushima, Kobayakawa Nobuhira, who had become the new lord of Owari, rushed over. His adoptive father, Kobayakawa Takakage, had officially abdicated and gone into seclusion. In order to quickly take control of the vast Owari estate of 490,000 koku, making Kobayakawa Nobuhira, who was born of Nobunaga, the lord of Owari was obviously the best solution.

Indeed, this was the case. The local lords of Owari were initially worried about the transfer of Takayama Shigetomo, Nobunaga's son-in-law, and Tsuda Nobuhisa, a member of Nobunaga's clan. However, upon learning that it was Nobunaga's own son, Kobayakawa Nobuhira, who had been transferred, their initial dissatisfaction largely vanished.

It's true that Oda Nobushige was Nobunaga's grandson, but it's also true that Kobayakawa Nobuhira was Nobunaga's son. Compared to outsiders, Kobayakawa Nobuhira is definitely the better choice.

Let's talk.

Back then, Kawamura Nagayoshi and your father also fought hard and gave their all to unify the entire Owari region. Although Shichibei didn't participate in the Battle of Okehazama, he experienced the entire process of building Komakiyama Castle, the Battle of Inuyama, the Mino campaign, and the advance and retreat of northern Ise.

Looking back now, it brings back so many memories.

The other day, when Ota Gyuichi was writing his memoir, "The Chronicle of Nobunaga," he first showed the manuscript to Shichibei. Shichibei then made some revisions using a very subtle and euphemistic style: "I was present during the Mino campaign, I planned the advance into the Kinai region, and I commanded the pacification of Akechi. I was not a powerful minister, but a loyal one."

"Has the Vice Admiral of Owari returned to his hometown? Has he achieved anything?" Shichibei looked at the still-young Kobayakawa Nobuhira and felt that he himself was about the same age when he came to join Nobunaga.

"After arriving in Nagoya, I learned about the hardships that Tendai no Okina had endured in establishing his kingdom in Nagoya." When Kobayakawa Nobuhira arrived in his hometown, the elderly people who were still alive told him about Nobunaga's past.

"Knowing the hardships of starting a business, one must understand the importance of maintaining it." Shichibei naturally nodded, agreeing.

Nobunaga faced numerous setbacks and perilous crises throughout his life. He was even forced to flee alone on horseback at the Battle of Kinoshita Pass in Echizen Province and at Mikatagahara in Tōtōmi Province, but he always managed to survive. It is truly remarkable that his legacy has endured to this day.

"I will never forget it, not even for a moment." Looking at the boundless plain of Nobi, Kobayakawa Shinpei could indeed understand his father's hardships.

"Ha, as people get older, they tend to reminisce about the past. I hope Vice Admiral Owari won't take offense." Shichibei also gazed at the vast plains and ocean beyond Tsushima.

"A peaceful era has arrived, and you have made great contributions." Although Kobayakawa Nobuhira's words were somewhat flattering, they were also the truth.

The world is at peace thanks in part to Shichibei. It is precisely because of Shichibei's efforts that Japan has been able to usher in a golden age of peaceful development.

It could be said that Oda Nobunaga planted the trees, while Kawamura Nagayoshi watered them. As for who would harvest the fruit, that's for posterity to decide.

"Upon careful consideration, the decades that have passed since Owari have indeed been like a dream, dazzling as gold."

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