A tour of Japan's Warring States Period

As soon as Kanemori stepped forward, and the sound of his footsteps had not even faded away, Chief Yamauchi's face immediately fell!

Seeing the look on his uncle's face, Imagawa Yoshiuchi stood up and took the letter from Chief Yamauchi's hand. After just a brief glance, he understood.

Several people went around and read it. What to say about the content of this letter? It was really difficult to comment on its good or bad qualities right away!

Oda Nobunaga believed that Taro Yamauchi's meritorious service and prestige were outstanding, and he did not lose the prestige of his father and ancestors at all. Now that the shogunate is prosperous, in order to ensure the orderly succession of public rituals, it is appropriate to serve as the Yuanfu for Taro Yamauchi.

Yuanfu or not, this is not a very urgent matter. Although Yuanfu means a person's adulthood, for example, Oda Nobunaga was in Yuanfu at the age of twelve. Before that, he had served as the Lord of Naguye Castle and had retainers attached to him.

But Yamauchi Taro’s situation is different! He is a daimyo in his own right, and whether or not he takes the Yuanfu will not change his rightful position as the governor of the Yamauchi clan. He does not need to rely on Yuanfu adults to obtain certain powers that only adults can exercise. This is a reality established by his own bloodline and identity.

Whether Taro Yamauchi is a good person or not is somewhere between acceptable and impossible. But what Nobunaga said next is very interesting.

Nowadays, Yamauchi Taro is in a high position. He is the son of the Ashikaga Shogun and the heir to the Muromachi Shogunate. If you want to serve Taro Yamauchi, you definitely can't let some cat or dog do it. If people like Hosokawa, Masamoto Hosokawa, and Harumoto Hosokawa are still there, they can help Taro Yamauchi. More in line with etiquette.

But now the situation is very different! The imperial teaching book promulgated by Ashikaga Yoshiaki clearly declares that "the etiquette of the world belongs to Nobunaga!" In other words, to a certain extent, Oda Nobunaga's martial arts level is higher than that of Yamauchi Taro.

After all, Oda Nobunaga is in charge of the shogunate, and Yamauchi Taro is the heir to the shogunate. In terms of power, Oda Nobunaga is indeed superior! It’s not easy to argue about identity, how do you compare with one another?

So Nobunaga’s idea is to invite Yamauchi Taro to Luo for the next New Year to wish his father Ashikaga Yoshiaki a happy New Year, and at the same time, Oda Nobunaga will hold a grand Yuanfu ceremony for him!

So far, everything makes sense. There is even a hint of kindness in it. If Yamauchi Taro completes the ceremony, he can exercise certain rights (not power) on behalf of his nominal father Ashikaga Yoshiaki.

For example, when the emperor held a New Year's ceremony in the imperial palace, Taro Yamauchi was qualified to serve as a guard of the Imperial Palace. This was to show the world that Taro Yamauchi was the successor to the official ceremony.

For example, Taro Yamauchi could visit the Five Mountains and Five Temples, Kofukuji Temple in Yamato, etc., and ask each temple or shrine to offer a stay as a gift. This represents Shanmen's surrender and recognition of the Wu family's regime. In the era when the temple community was powerful, this was a powerful aid to the stability of the general's rule.

On the premise that Oda Nobunaga recognizes this shogunate successor, there are indeed many benefits!

At the end of the day, something seems wrong! The letter said carelessly that Oda Nobunaga was very supportive of Taro Yamauchi as the heir to the shogunate and promised to stand on the same front as the Yamauchi family. Any ambitious person who dared to challenge Taro Yamauchi's inheritance rights would be punished by Oda Nobunaga. A long, merciless blow.

very good!

The alliance between Yamauchi and Oda still exists. As a minister of the Muromachi Shogunate, it is really good to help each other!

Luoyang is now under the control of the shogunate, that is, under the control of Oda Nobunaga. A general who cannot enter the capital is a pheasant general after all. So what if it is announced? Who will recognize the general who cannot issue imperial teachings in Luoyang?

If Taro Yamauchi wanted to succeed the general, he also had to enter Luoyang, meet the emperor at the imperial palace, receive the edict, announce it to the world, and successfully inherit Gongyi.

Nobunaga said that I will sincerely escort you to Beijing!

What does this letter mean? Based on the context, it seems that Oda Nobunaga is wooing the Yamauchi family. He not only supports and confirms Taro Yamauchi's inheritance rights with both hands and feet, but is also willing to use arms to guarantee the power of the Yamauchi family.

But he also secretly expressed that now I am the first person under the shogun, and my power has been confirmed by Ashikaga Yoshiaki who is imprisoned in Nijo Imperial Palace. The royal teachings are well known all over the world.

More importantly, Luoyang is in the hands of Oda Nobunaga!

Different people have different understandings. Chief Yamauchi, a stubborn old man who prides himself on his identity as a direct descendant of the Seiwa Genji clan and the direct descendant of the Kawachi Genji clan, is not willing to listen to Oda Nobunaga's suggestion.

If my Taro wants to be a general, then he will be a general. Why do you need your support?

"What does Gifu Tansho mean?" Imagawa Yoshichichi frowned.

"We should pay equal attention to kindness and power!" [Note 1]

"Show kindness and use it with authority!" Uncle Tsunaliang had seen Oda Nobunaga and his methods, so he was not unfamiliar with all of this.

In the final analysis, the power of the Yamauchi family is much lower than that of the Oda family. Meino plus Owari are richer than the Kaido Five Kingdoms. What's more, Oda Nobunaga also used his younger brother and son to control Ise. Jiangnan and mountain cities are also roughly within grasp. They are both rich and fertile lands.

You kid, if you mess with me, I will protect your family's power and wealth. As for any evil thoughts, you weigh your own weight and your own importance. Think about it clearly, can you do it better than me, Oda Nobunaga!

"Everyone, how should I reply?" Although Chief Yamauchi was not satisfied with Oda Nobunaga's attitude, he must know that politicians cannot act with loyalty.

It must be a joke to rely on leniency or bribery in the exchanges between big countries. Oda Nobunaga is now using it for profit and power. It depends on whether the Yamauchi family understands current affairs.

"Since Koheita has just had an interview with the manager of Kasugayama, should we wait for him to come back before deciding? Anyway, it will only take a day or two!" Hosokawa Saime felt that this matter must be consulted by Koheita.

"That's right! Your Highness should also know about this!" Uncle Tsuna Liang said helpfully.

"Where is Mrs. Kohei?" Yamauchi's chief planner turned to ask Hosokawa Kainyu.

"It should be past Kaiji!"

The messenger rode fast alone, and Xiao Pingtai set off later. However, following a team of 800 people and riding in an ox cart, they could only cover half of the distance. It's probably still at Suwaguchi now, and it takes about two to three days to walk to Fuchu.

"Then tell people to entertain Oda's arrival. We'll delay it for a day or two. Maybe the leader of Kasugayama has also told us that for now, it's better to coordinate with them!" Chief Accountant Yamauchi agreed.

"That's it!"

"That's fine!"

…………

[Note 1]: In fact, there should be a more colloquial sentence in Japanese, 饴とwhipで子provideをeducationさせる, which is probably a sentence like this, to teach children to use candy and whip together.