Chapter 1405 Fanning the flames and hoping for more chaos
If you owe a hundred thousand pounds, it's your trouble. If you owe a hundred thousand pounds, the trouble is someone else's. If you owe several million pounds, the borrower will try every means to help you make money, lest you suddenly collapse.
The most powerful thing about Takada Haruno is that she is not only sitting in Sakai Port, but also dividing the cake of the Hokurikudo trade route for all parties. She also owes many, many, many debts to all parties.
If the Hokuriku Trade Road collapses, not only the Shiba family will suffer heavy losses, but also the shareholders who lent money to the Hokuriku Trade Road.
Shareholders are eating the dividends from Hokuriku Doro and are also recovering the interest on the loans. Some people may be willing to bear the price of disappearing dividends, but no one is willing to accept the result of bankruptcy and liquidation with nothing back.
This is the most powerful thing about Takada Haruno. She lures shareholders to keep investing money, and by raising their sunk costs, they become unwilling to give up their investment in the Hokuriku Dou Trade Route.
It turned those land bank lenders who were eager for quick success into a group of long-term value investors who were unable to run away with short-term arbitrage.
This group of trapped shareholders can only prosper and suffer losses along with Hokuriku Dorodo, shouting every day that Hokuriku Dorodo is the eternal god and will always rise.
Akechi Mitsuhide clapped his fingers and helped Matsu Nagahide to count.
"Do you know who is in each of the families I mentioned?
The samurai families of the Kyoto shogunate, the local samurai families of Settsu, the samurai families along the Hokuriku Road, you can think of famous families, local powerful ones, almost everyone has a share.
Not only do sectarian temples such as the Tendai Sect, Shingon Sect, and Yixiang Sect pay dividends through Tukura, but the temple fairs along the Hokuriku Expressway can also take advantage of the logistics network as branch outlets.
Takada Yono has been working in Sakai Port for three years. From top to bottom, from inside to outside, how many people point to the Hokuriku Road trade route for food?
As far as I know, both Miyoshi Yoshitsugu and Miyoshi Yasunaga have an investment in it. I don’t know whether Shinohara Nagafusa and Azaya Nobuyasu have a share.
But I believe in Takada Haruno's ability. The Miyoshi family's Ji warriors cannot be immune to temptation and must have invested a lot. If they cut off the Hokuriku Road trade route, their own interests will be harmed.
As for Oda-dono, she promised me that she would negotiate with the Oda family about the specific share of the Hokuriku Road trade route after Tsuta-dono returns to Konki.
If the Hokuriku Road trade route was destroyed, how could she talk to Tsutado-don?
What the Oda family wants is the benefits of the Hokurikudo trade route, not enmity with the Shiba family, especially in this sensitive period when they are under siege from all sides."
Matsunagahide was silent when he heard this. Both the Oda and Miyoshi families were counting on the Hokuriku Road Trading Road, the hen that lays golden eggs, and no one would kill the goose to obtain the eggs.
From this point of view, the Hokurikudo trade route of the Shiba family is really stable, and the chaos in Sakai Port is unlikely to affect this trade route.
Matsunaga sighed.
"The interests of the Hokuriku Road trade route are so great that even His Majesty Oda is moved by it, but I don't know how much the Oda family wants to share. Should the Shiba family decide, or the Oda family grab it?"
Akechi Mitsuhide has already explained the Hokurikudo trade route very thoroughly. All parties have made too much effort in it, and it is difficult to sort out the entanglements of interests.
At this time, cutting off a large piece of benefit to the Oda family will offend many people. I don’t know who will come forward in the end, let the Shiba family offend people, or the Oda family themselves.
Akechi Mitsuhide smiled and shook his head and said.
"Although I promised His Majesty Oda that when Tsuta-den returns to Koki, we can sit down and discuss the profit sharing of the Hokuriku Road trade route.
But I feel that this matter may be put on hold for a long time.”
Matsunaga didn't understand what Akechi Mitsuhide meant at once. With so many benefits in front of him, how could Oda Nobunaga not take it? Unless...
"Akechi-hime, are you saying that the Oda family will not be able to defend Sakai Port this time?"
Oda Nobunaga wanted to get a share of the Hokurikudo trade route, and his biggest reliance was that the Oda family expelled the Miyoshi family and controlled the Sakai Port Customs Office.
But if the Oda family loses control of Sakai Port, then Oda Nobunaga will indeed have no shame in bargaining with Yoshihiro Shiba. After all, he has no chips in his hand and can't get more than three melons and two dates, so why be embarrassed.
"What Matsunaga-hime said is right. The Miyoshi family is divided internally and will not be the opponent of the Oda family. But the Miyoshi family is not the only opponent of the Oda family.
I have heard a lot of interesting things recently, and it was Honda Masanobu who brought me the news."
A cold light flashed in Matsunaga's eyes, and he remained calm.
Honda Masanobu caused the Matsunaga family to bear the bad reputation of being a slave with three surnames, and Matsunaga's reputation was completely ruined, and he could only become a repetitive villain who was despised by the samurai all over the world.
Although Mitsuhide Akechi was behind all of this, Matsunaga hated this young hero whom he once valued.
But at this time, she asked with a smile.
"I wonder what news Honda Masanobu brought?"
Akechi Mitsuhide glanced at Matsunaga Hide, who quickly returned to normal, and smiled.
"You also know that Honda Masanobu is a follower of the Ichiki religion."
Matsunaga's eyes narrowed and he nodded.
"good."
Back then, Honda Masanobu was favored by Matsunagahide because of her opportunity to serve as envoy to Yodo Castle for Ishiyama Honganji Temple.
Akechi Mitsuhide pointed out her identity as a follower of the Ichijo sect at this time. Could it be that Ishiyama Honganji wanted to intervene in Oda Miyoshi's battle?
Akechi Mitsuhide looked back at Matsunaga's confused eyes, shook his head and said.
“I don’t know whether Ishiyama Honganji Temple will intervene in this war, but General Ashikaga was able to quickly contact all parties and set up a network to surround His Highness Oda. Ishiyama Honganji Temple is indispensable.
If Ichigo Munejin joins the war, His Majesty Oda will not feel comfortable with the appeal of Ishiyama Honganji Temple in Settsu Province.
If the Oda family really loses Sakai Port, they may not be able to get it back for a while, and Shiba Oda's agreement on the Hokurikudo trade route will have to be put aside for the time being."
Akechi Mitsuhide certainly hopes that Ishiyama Honganji will join the camp against Oda Nobunaga, instead of secretly engaging in small connections behind the scenes like now.
This is also the reason why she sent Honda Masanobu to teach Ishiyama Honganji as a follower of the Ichigo sect. However, Ishiyama has always been very restrained, and the flames of this prairie fire have not been ignited.
Akechi Mitsuhide looked at the steam of tea soup in front of him, took a deep breath, and his nose was filled with the fragrance of tea.
This time, the Miyoshi-Oda battle is taking place near Ishiyama. Can Master Mianru still suppress the strong dissatisfaction of Ichigo Munaka with the Oda family and let Ishiyama Honganji Temple continue to stay out of the matter?
Akechi Mitsuhide's heart was full of expectations. If the Ichikoku clan ended, the Oda family's troubles would not only be in Settsu country. The Ikki clan forces in Omi, Ise, and Kaga were all very strong.
Matsunaga frowned. Although she was fooled by Oda Nobunaga, she really didn't want to see Oda Nobunaga fall into a disadvantage.
She has offended too many people, and Yodo City is surrounded by forces that are hostile to her. If the Oda family really fails to recover and is forced to withdraw from the community, life for the Matsunaga family will not be easy.
Matsunaga sighed.
"Forefathers have worked hard to cure it, and it has finally been peaceful for a while in recent years. Now it is causing chaos and devastation.
In the current situation, it seems that only by asking Jinduodian to come forward can all parties cease fighting, all people can breathe, and peace can be achieved in recent times.
Dare I ask Akechi-hime, has it been a year since Tsuda-don went to Kanto? I wonder when he will return to Japan? We and other samurai families are all looking forward to it, and we implore Tsuta-don to take action to relieve the suffering of the people."
Matsunagahide's thoughts are easy to understand. The Oda family is now besieged from all sides and is in a hurry, but the confidence of the two million stone territory is still there.
As long as they can hold their ground, no one inside or outside the country can be the opponent of the Oda family in recent years. What the Oda family needs most now is to get rid of the passive situation of being beaten everywhere and putting out fires everywhere, and to withdraw their fists.
As long as they can slow down, gather their strength to counterattack, and hit with one punch to avoid hundreds of punches coming, the Oda family can seize the initiative.
But to complete this strategic adjustment, there must be someone acceptable to all parties to mediate, and only then can an armistice agreement be reached.
In the previous melee between the parties, the role of mediator was usually played by Ashikaga General. But the current general Ashikaga Yoshiaki is really unable to hold up the wall.
It would be no problem for Ashikaga Yoshiaki to write the Imperial Letter to instigate all parties to join forces to deal with the Oda family. This was the original need of all parties, and they just used the Imperial Letter as an excuse to join forces to overthrow the Oda family.
But for Ashikaga Yoshiaki to calm down the war and ask all parties to shake hands and make peace, I'm afraid no one will look down on this notoriously poor official.
Then the only mediators who can get all parties to sit down and negotiate are the ancestral widow Shuang, the incarnation of the samurai giri, the holder of the royal white flag of Hachiman Tainiang, the elder of the Genji family, and the chosen one Shiba Yoshigan.
Apart from the world-respected Tsudo-don, who is qualified to deal with all the big bosses in the melee?
Akechi Mitsuhide glanced at Matsu Nagahide, shook his head helplessly and said.
"Tsudaden was entrusted by his ancestors to go to Kanto to mediate disputes.
The last time I came back was because Miyoshi went to Luo and his ancestors were killed, so Tsudoden could only give up halfway and rush back from Kanto to take charge of the overall situation.
Because of this, the chaos in Kantō re-emerged, and Tsutado-den had to go to Kantō again to restore the collapsed situation.
At this moment, the peace in Kanto is at a critical moment. It is said that the land of Guanbazhou has been peaceful for nearly a year. If Tsudaden leaves again at this time, the land of Guanbazhou will be in chaos again.
Therefore, Tsutaden is really unable to escape and cannot solve the problem for the shogunate."
Of course Mitsuhide Akechi didn't want Yoshigan Shiba to come back. She would have preferred Oda Nobunaga to form a deadly feud with several recent forces, leaving corpses everywhere.
But she didn't know that Shiba Yiyin was also worried about her, and had decided to return to Jinge after autumn and take charge of Jinji Shiba.
Matsu Nagahide heard Akechi Mitsuhide's rebuttal, his face darkened, and he sighed.
"The people of Guandong are so lucky, and the people of recent times are so innocent."
Akechi Mitsuhide shook his head and said.
"What Matsunaga-hime said is wrong. There are so many samurai families in the shogunate, and they have been generously paid by the shogunate for two hundred years, but when the trouble comes, they will only rely on a man from Tsutama Hall to come forward. This kind of thinking is unacceptable.
We should call on the concubines of the shogunate to share the general's worries, bridge the differences between the recent parties, and exert the influence of the shogunate."
Akechi Mitsuhide knew that the shogunate was currently at a standstill and that Ashikaga Yoshiaki was immobilized by the rules set by Oda Nobunaga, but he opened his eyes and told lies.
Matsunaga said helplessly.
"I heard that the situation at the general's side is very bad. The salary of the Ashikama Huimen has been suspended long ago, and the supplies in the camp are barely maintained."
A long time ago, Hitoshi Yoshimasa reminded Ashikaga Yoshiaki that the money for the Ashikaga Huimen's sacrifice was the most important and must be given in full, but Ashikaga Yoshiaki was indeed powerless.
After the death of Ashikaga Yoshiteru, the local land rights that the Ashikaga family had regained were torn apart during the war.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki succeeded to the throne and has been busy stabbing Yoshiba Shiba and fighting against Oda Nobunaga. As a nun who returned to secular life, how could she know the political means of obtaining money and food?
Wada Weimasa, Niki Yoshimasa, and other great ministers from the Ryuu family, could barely maintain the dignity of the Ashikaga family. However, Oda Nobunaga's beatings made all the ministers of Ashikaga Yoshiaki feel chilling.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki couldn't protect his own people, so Wada Yimasa simply took refuge in Oda Nobunaga and became a second-class boy. Niiki Yoshimasa still wanted to save face, so he went to Shiba's house to seek peace and stopped interfering.
Through the Tenchu Incident, Akechi Mitsuhide eliminated the talented and loyal ministers in the shogunate in advance, weakening the Ashikaga family's ability to control the shogunate.
Ninagawa himself controls the political office, and Hatakeyama Takamasa serves as the administrator. Both of them are Shiba faction, so it would be good if they don't create obstacles for Ashikaga Yoshiaki, and there is no way they can help her.
Ashikaga Yoshiaki has been reduced to the point where he cannot even pay the wages of the Ashikaga Hui clan, so he can only rely on the two hundred years of power from the Ashikaga family to barely appease him.
Matsunaga pointed out the tragic situation of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, implying that he is not qualified to play the role of mediator and that someone has to step in to clean up the recent chaos.
Of course Mitsuhide Akechi knew the situation of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, but she just refused to let go and said.
"The ladies of the shogunate have been cared for by Ashikaga Shogun for two hundred years, how can they care about a temporary setback.
As the saying goes, the more you compare your position and salary, the narrower your mind will be. The more you talk about ethics, the higher your realm will be. Ashikaga horse returns to all the ladies, they must be sensible and grateful warriors, so there will be no problem."
Matsunaga knew that Mitsuhide Akechi was talking nonsense, but he could only laugh and compliment him.
"Since the country has been born, how can we avoid disaster? What Mingzhi Ji said is very consistent with my wishes.
It's just that there are too many lay people in the world. Those who are loyal to the shogunate and don't care about temporary gains and losses like you and me are, after all, a minority.
Therefore, most people still hope that an authoritative figure like Tsutado-don will come forward to stabilize the situation. Tsutado-don can also use this matter to bring back the shogunate's samurai family."
Akechi Mitsuhide shook his head and said.
“If we have to bother Tsuta-den with everything, wouldn’t the whole shogunate be regarded as useless by outsiders?
What’s more, the general personally agreed to Jindo-don’s original statement that he would retire from the residence and return to the throne. Isn’t it appropriate to invite Tsudo-don back now?”
Matsunaga Hide never let go when he saw Akechi Mitsuhide, and even brought up the conflict between Ashikaga Yoshiaki and Shiba Yoshigan, and had no choice but to give up.
"Akechi Ji is right."
Even Matsunaga Hide can’t see clearly. Whose side does Akechi Mitsuhide stand on?
She turned a blind eye to Ashikaga Yoshiaki's embarrassment. She looked on with a cold eye when Oda Nobunaga was beaten passively. When Shiba Yoshigan took this opportunity to expand his influence, she kept trying to push it away.