Even though Harano cursed Aman in his heart for being a foul-mouthed brat, speaking with no regard for seniority, a total wild child, he still felt she was a treasure. Only a "professional" like her could describe a family's situation in such detail — the Maeda Family controlled three castles, nine villages (three of which were co-managed, yielding only partial benefits), a piece of Shrine Territory, with a nominal stipend of about 5000 koku, actual strength between 7000 and 8000 koku, possessing more than ten household samurai, nearly a hundred Lang Faction house members, and if pushed to the limit, could arm over five hundred ashigaru.
This strength was not much when considering all of Japan, but in Haidong County, Owari Province, it was quite formidable.
Previously, he thought the Maeda Family were just average minor landowners, but now seeing it, he felt somewhat presumptuous.
More importantly, he found out information about the future "Kaga Million Koku Daimyo" Maeda Toshie, the fourth son of the Hosokawa Family, Maeda Sonshiro Toshiie, who was now just fifteen or sixteen years old, presumably spending his time at Hosokawa Castle with his cousin and adoptive sister, as well as future wife, Amatsu in childhood friendship.
This guy survived all the way through the Tokugawa Shogunate era, and his conduct in the deceitful Japan Warring States Period was passable. At least he was adept at being a fence-sitter and skilled at choosing sides, so if Harano couldn't return to modern times, by observing and emulating his conduct and policies, he should be able to avoid many pitfalls.
Harano noted this down on paper and eagerly asked Aman, "What about the Oda Family?"
The Oda Family in Owari Province was the main event, and he needed to get a good understanding.
"The Oda Family is much more complicated. They've been in Owari Province for probably one hundred and fifty to sixty years, and have a huge family," Aman mused, gnawing on her fingernails. "From what my grandfather says, the Oda Family used to be a local powerful clan in Echizen, similar to the current Maeda Family, with a strength of seven to eight thousand koku. However, their family status is higher, being a Priest Clan of the Sword God Palace (where they worship the Thief-slaying Sword of Susanoo no Mikoto), and they have continuously held the manor official position of Oda Manor in Shrine Territory — including Oda Manor, they are equivalent to the genuine Lord of a City, with one to two thousand koku of strength, much stronger than the Maeda Family."
After a pause, she asked Harano, "Do you know who the guardian daimyo of Owari Province is?"
"Um, it's Shiba…" Harano was unclear, he only had a vague impression, learned from playing "Taiko 2".
"It's Shiba Yoshinori." Aman supplied for him, disdainfully. "That guy's a puppet long ago, even less than a dung beetle, but his ancestor Shiba Yoshimasa was quite formidable. About a hundred and fifty to sixty years ago, as the Guardian of Echizen, he also held Owari Province.
I heard at that time, the Hoshina Family considered Echizen their base, and all the local powerful families were subdued by them, so they sent strong family, Oda Naomatsu, to Owari to act as Guardian, managing the territory and scouring the land.
Later, when it was Shiba Yoshimasa's turn to go to Kyoto as a manager, Oda Naomatsu followed him there, and his brother Oda Chotake filled in as a junior guardian, while Echizen was under the guardianship of the Asakura Family."
Aman took a breath, picked up the teacup, drank a large gulp to moisten her throat, and couldn't help but sigh, "This is tea from the Great Ming, isn't it? You truly live extravagantly."
"Indeed, green tea from the Great Ming." Harano also didn't expect that green tea existed in the Ming Dynasty and was sold to Japan, but he didn't drink tea for luxury enjoyment, it was for vitamin supplementation and intestinal care, to ensure good health.
Aman emptied the tea bowl, licked her lips, her eyes darting around, her expressive eyebrows rising and falling.
Originally, she was very angry about her failed attempt to rob a corrupt person and was injured by Harano, intending to escape and retaliate, perhaps by spreading some scandalous rumors against Harano; she couldn't suffer a loss for nothing.
But Harano being this wasteful, well, this generous, with such good food and drink, it seemed worthwhile to find a way to stay a few more days. After all, her grandfather was near Nagami Castle, she wasn't sure if the Imagawa Family or Matsudaira Family would attack, nor when they'd come. In the short term, he couldn't come back, so staying here with tea to drink, chicken, and rice to eat, was far better than performing arts to beg for food.
As for gathering intelligence, it seemed that Nagano Castle hadn't changed much, so Shoban Castle, Gudu Castle, Mosen Castle should also be similar. Just concoct what she knew before to manage and it would be fine.
She plotted slyly in her heart, though continued to speak seriously, "Then seventy-eight years or a hundred years later, I'm not too sure, it came to the uncle-nephew struggle for the shogun seat (Onin War) in the Ashikaga Family, where the three managers and four officials each joined a camp, splitting into East and West forces, making a mess. The Hoshina Family split too, with two people fighting for succession, Shiba Yoshimoto joining the East Army, and Shiba Yoshikiyo joining the West Army, and they fought against each other.
At that time, Echizen's guardian Asakura Takakage followed Shiba Yoshikiyo into the West Army. This man was reportedly very strong, and Echizen had a robust foundation, often beating the East Army until they rolled away. Then the East Army bribed Asakura Takakage, seemingly appointing the Asakura Family as the official Guardians of Echizen, letting them betray the West Army."
Speaking up to this point, she sighed again, "The Asakura Family and Oda Family are not alike; the Asakura Family are one of the Hoshina Family's major retainers, serving them for generations, considered as core people, yet just to remove the 'acting' character, to become a daimyo, they unhesitatingly betrayed their lord Shiba Yoshikiyo, directly bound him, and stormed Shiba Yoshimoto's castle, capturing both and sending them to Kyoto, completely taking over Echizen, truly morally corrupt like pigs and dogs — as my grandfather said."