The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 35

……

We plan to officially announce the new name and family crest at the wedding; there's no rush.

After the evaluation meeting at the end of November, Matsunaga Nagayori immediately held a "victory celebration banquet," allowing the soldiers to drink fine wine and eat delicious food.

The so-called delicacies of this era consisted mainly of seafood such as sea bream, lobster, and oysters, along with refined carbohydrates like ochazuke (rice with tea), mochi (rice cakes), and noodles. Vegetables, fruits, and meats were very limited, and seasonings were far less abundant than in later times.

This is quite a luxury for the Tanba region, which is not located by the sea.

After all, people aren't really there for a treat; expanding their network is the real purpose.

Shinzaburo Kubo was enjoying immense prestige, second only to Matsunaga Magoroku, the nephew of the top leader. During this time, he chatted and laughed with colleagues and seniors from all walks of life, discussing the past and present in a very harmonious atmosphere.

The scene was just like a company annual meeting after making a lot of money. Everyone was either enjoying the hustle and bustle of the present, looking forward to a bright future, or reminiscing about the hardships of the past... In short, whether it was true or not, the emotions were very much on point.

Unfortunately, apart from the acting head of the clan, Matsunaga Nagayasu, none of the Naito family members who served as the guardian of Tanba appeared in the Koei Tecmo game. Including the reinforcements brought in from Nishisetsu and Yamashiro, the total number of samurai, both local and from other regions, was only a few hundred, all of whom would be considered insignificant by later generations.

Shinzaburo could no longer rely on his past life's experience to judge who would have a bright future. He could only try to remember as many names as possible, exchange empty words with his colleagues, and, under the influence of alcohol, arbitrarily address each other as brothers.

As the banquet reached its climax, Matsunaga Nagayori, along with his close retainers and several monks in attendance, enthusiastically began playing renga (a type of classical Chinese poetry), each spouting verses with remarkable ease. Among them were Master Myoshu and Matsunaga Magoroku.

Meanwhile, a group of uncultured, rough men started dancing a popular local folk dance, yelling and screaming like a bunch of mentally unstable mountain monkeys having a fit. Shimizu Hachiro and Takeda Kozaemon were jumping around with particular merriment.

One is elegant, the other is common; one is quiet amidst the hustle and bustle, and they complement each other perfectly.

Shinzaburo's alcohol tolerance is quite good; he hasn't gotten too drunk yet and doesn't want to join the group of crazy mountain monkeys.

But he doesn't know how to sing.

Liange (a type of classical Chinese poetry) has a fixed number of characters, the rhyme scheme must match, it must be coherent with the previous line, and it must have a certain artistic conception. Although it does not require particularly high literary quality, it is difficult for someone who has never studied it before to quickly get the hang of it.

Shinsaburo couldn't bring himself to be vulgar, nor could he be refined, so he could only silently drink.

At the same time, I also understood why many generals in the games and movies I saw in my previous life would seriously learn Lian Ge (a type of chanting technique).

068 Sunshine Brings Rewards to All

After finishing the feast at Yagi Castle, we returned to Kubo Village and ate at a feast hosted by the villagers.

This was because when Jin Bingwei heard the good news, his leg pain disappeared, he temporarily stopped drinking, and enthusiastically gathered the villagers to hold a celebration.

Shinzaburo was still tipsy when a group of people lined up to toast him. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and fell into a deep sleep until noon the next day.

I got up, washed my face with the hot water my sister, A-Li, brought me, went outside for some fresh air, and remembered the plans to renovate Noguchi Castle and prepare for my wedding to Miss A-Zou. Suddenly, I realized—

I don't have much money left in my pocket!

Over the past year, he had spent money recklessly, but his income was insufficient. Much of the two hundred kan that his father, Kimbei, had painstakingly saved had been spent intermittently. After paying the Niko Shingu faction one hundred and thirty kan in commission, he had less than forty kan left in his savings.

The salary has increased quite a bit now. Gokurakuji Temple's "Ichijō-ji" (a position in charge of officials) in Kakubo Village, plus the "Daikan-bun" (a position in charge of officials) in twelve other villages, adds up to an income of seventy kan per year.

If we use the Edo period's standard of koku (a unit of dry measure), it would be roughly equivalent to a 400-koku shiki (a unit of dry measure), placing him in the middle class among samurai.

However, these earnings will only be realized next year, which is far from enough to solve the immediate problem. Moreover, there will certainly be other expenses by then, such as the commission of 25 kan for the Ooi Shigeie family.

Noguchi Castle, although built by Matsunaga Magoroku at a cost of 120 kan, is currently only a basic structure. While it can meet military needs, the living experience is quite poor, and I feel a bit embarrassed to let my precious daughter move in.

At the very least, the royal residence needs to be renovated, and funds should be reserved for the wedding.

At first glance, it seems that I should borrow thirty or fifty strings of cash from someone, or ask my future father-in-law for a "fees" fee.

Shinzaburo discussed it with his father, Kinbei.

Old Deng replied without hesitation, "Now that you are the rightful lord of Kubo Village, getting married requires manpower and resources. Why not just have the villagers contribute?"

Shinsaburo was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? He's only just been promoted, and he's already exploiting the villagers... Is that fair?"

Old Man Jin Bingwei laughed and said, "It's not like we're making them work for nothing! Now every household in the village is hoping you'll give them a promotion. Even if you fart, they'll suck it up and say it smells good!"

The words may be rough, but the meaning is sound, and Shinsaburo immediately understood.

As a newly recruited samurai from humble origins, he was obligated to employ his fellow villagers. He might as well take this opportunity to have them do some work.

Anyway, it's only early December, far from the busy spring planting season.

After making some plans, he immediately summoned his two relatives, Kumakichi and Hashisuke, to his home and said to them, "One of you will be renamed Kubo Kumatarou, and the other Kubo Hashibei. From now on, you will serve as my attendants and stay by my side at all times. You are not allowed to leave without permission. In addition to the exemption of taxes and levies on your family's land, each of you will be given one kan of cash and three shi of rice per year."

Both were overjoyed. The sallow-faced and thin Kumakichi—now called Kumatarou—wailed loudly; the dark-faced and short Hashisuke—now called Hashibei—was dancing with joy.

After a short while, Shinzaburo said again, "Your affairs will be announced after the New Year. Before that, I need to make arrangements for the residence at Noguchi Castle and marry Master Meishu's niece. However, the preparations are not yet complete..."

Kumataro and Hashibei immediately declared that their whole family loved civil engineering and that they would move to Noguchi Castle the next day to work, and would not return home until the work was finished.

After the two left, Shinzaburo asked Old Man Kinbei, "The village didn't provide a family tree, we only know these two are relatives, but what kind of relatives are they? And how old are they?"

Old Man Jinbingwei said, “What kind of family tree do ordinary people have? Xiongji is in his early thirties this year, and according to seniority he is my distant younger brother. Qiaozu is about twenty-five or twenty-six, so he should be considered your cousin.”

Shinzaburo kept it in mind, then smiled and said, "I already told you they should be called Kumataro and Hashibei!"

Old Man Jinbei paused, then muttered to himself, "Indeed, this name change makes him sound less like a poor peasant. Adding the 'hereditary' part makes him seem like a samurai. Does that mean I should also be called Kubo Jinbei from now on?"

Shinzaburo couldn't help but smile.

Then, he summoned a dozen or so other able-bodied men from the village who had fought in the Battle of Benmeishan and announced that they would only need to pay half the taxes and provisions thereafter, but they would still be required to participate in every battle. In peacetime, they would be divided into three shifts, taking turns to serve as personal guards, with each person receiving an average of 120 days per year. In addition, they would receive a subsidy of one shi (a unit of dry measure) of rice, and the 'royal loan system' would be gradually implemented.

There's an implicit benefit that wasn't mentioned: if there's an opportunity to promote more people to samurai in the future, they will definitely be selected first from among these people. This is something everyone knows.

They all seemed very satisfied.

Of course, everyone was promised "complete sets of armor," but so far only three people have actually received them. Of the weapons and equipment that Monk Jingcheng and his men collected during the last battle, some were immediately distributed to other villages. There are still four sets of armor, seven spears, two swords, and two bows left. Even if they are all repaired and distributed, there will still be a shortfall. But there's no need to rush; after all, it was said that it would be "implemented gradually," so let's take it slow.

Shinzaburo brought up the matter of renovating Noguchi Castle again, and more than a dozen people all expressed their willingness to help.

After this arrangement, a total of 1700 cash and 15.5 shi of grain were exempted from taxes, while an additional 2 cash and 20 shi of rice were provided in exchange for two attendants on standby and more than ten high-quality peasant soldiers who could take turns on duty. Once the "royal loan" was truly in place, this would be a fairly formidable fighting force.

There were still about twenty households left in Kubo Village, and since there was nothing to adjust, they were summoned and appeased. They were promised that the amount of money and provisions would remain at the current low level, and that they would not be required to perform military service except in extreme circumstances. Then, taking advantage of everyone's good mood, the lord directly used his authority to initiate "general labor service," ordering them to come and do their work.

After this mobilization, there were enough people to renovate Noguchi Castle.

Kumataro and Hashibei, who had just received their names, were full of energy. The dozen or so young men whose wages and rations had been halved were also quite enthusiastic. At least the other twenty or so households could work normally, so the cost of hiring labor could be saved.

Since the basic framework of Noguchi Castle has been established, the remaining work doesn't require much technical skill. At most, we can find a couple of master craftsmen from the "Ban Takuya" to act as consultants, which will greatly reduce expenses.

With only the cost of materials remaining, the shortfall isn't too large, and villagers can use the timber they cut down within their own territory.

This generous "sunshine" not only benefited the masses and strengthened its own military power, but also incidentally brought in manpower to repair the wedding room.

However, this procedure cannot be followed for the other twelve villages in Noguchi Township, as it falls outside the magistrate's authority.

Meanwhile, Ooi Shigeie and the monk Jōjō watched from the sidelines, clearly envious and itching for something more.

For the former, Shinzaburo could only tell him that the commission of 25 kan was already too high, and there was no way to raise his salary for the time being.

Ooi Shigeie explained that he ate several times more than an average person, and without good food, he wouldn't have the strength to fight. His food and drink alone cost more than five kan a year, and his equipment needed maintenance, so he really couldn't afford to spend less. To maintain a top-quality warhorse, he would need to spend an additional ten kan to hire a groom, repair the stable, and buy feed.

Shinzaburo said, "You're right, but there's still no chance of a pay raise."

Oi Shigeie didn't seem to care much, shaking his head and saying, "A few more coins and a few more bushels of rice in salary are meaningless. I'm just waiting to become the lord of the castle."

As for the monk Jingcheng, Shinzaburo told him that he would continue to manage the brewing business at Gokurakuji Temple, and he would always receive one-tenth of the income.

If we can brew the two thousand liters of wine that Master Mingzhou mentioned, and sell it for eighteen coins, that would amount to thirty-six strings of cash, then we can take three strings and six hundred coins.

The monk Jingcheng was quite optimistic and said with great confidence, "Master Mingzhou said that if there is more wine, he can ask his friends in Sakai Town for ideas. Perhaps in the future we can develop to a scale of six or seven thousand liters of wine, and sell more than a hundred kan every year. This humble monk can then receive a dozen kan."

Shinzaburo chuckled upon hearing this and said, "Compared to the extravagant hope of becoming the lord of the city, your dream, Jingcheng, still has a tiny bit of hope."

These words displeased both of them. They argued that the current Warring States period was a time when even the poor could rise to prominence, and that the Matsunaga brothers of the Miyoshi family were a prime example.

069 Talented individuals who bring their own food

At the end of the year, Shinsaburo urgently purchased some building materials and invited two veteran "foreign craftsmen" to provide guidance, so that the villagers of Kubo Village could take advantage of the off-season to decorate their "wedding rooms".

So Noguchi Castle was rebuilt, returning to the bustling state it had been in six months ago.

However, the difference is that the previous twenty-six sentries have disappeared.

This was because, after the victory at the Battle of Motomeyama, the Naito family seized a large amount of territory in the eastern part of Taki District. As a result, Noguchi Castle was transformed from a strategic border town into a hinterland with a certain buffer distance from the front line, greatly reducing its danger.

Therefore, the acting head of the clan, Matsunaga Nagayori, cut off the annual military ration subsidy of fifty koku and demanded that the clan take charge of the city's defenses from now on.

Therefore, the previous "move stones to get rice" event could not continue.

The local people sighed when they heard the news.

Shinzaburo also felt that it was a real pity to lose the martial tradition that had finally been established.

However, the annual expenditure of nearly fifty koku as before is definitely not enough to cover the costs. It would be better to hold a regular "Noguchi Village Martial Arts Tournament" to maintain the atmosphere.

As for the Noguchi Castle sentry post, with Shinzaburo himself, Oi Shigeie and the monk Jōjō, the newly renamed Kumatarou and Hashibei, and a dozen or so peasant soldiers whose pay and rations have been halved, they can ensure there are more than ten people. If they can also request one or two more cavalrymen and strongmen, it seems there will be no need to mobilize the people further.

However, at the evaluation meeting at the end of last month, Matsunaga Nagayori did not appoint anyone as "Noguchi Village Co-optation", it is unknown whether it was because they had not yet had time to make arrangements or if there were other considerations.

……

Unexpectedly, on the ninth day of the twelfth month, a young samurai riding a black horse, with a banner on his back, wearing a golden tunic and a moon-preceded standing helmet, accompanied by two armored foot soldiers, two half-armored flag bearers, and two unarmored servants, came to visit Noguchi Castle. From a distance outside the gate, he shouted loudly, "Inatomi Hikoro Shigenobu of Hirohara Village, Kuwata District, has come to pay his respects to Lord Kubo Genban!"

Shinzaburo looked up from the castle tower and saw that the newcomer had a broad face, wide ears, and a thick beard. He was no stranger; he had seen him before at the victory celebration banquet at Yagi Castle.

Although most of the local lords in the three districts of Amada, Koro, and Kuwata in northern Tanba were independent local rulers who neither obeyed the governor-dealer Naito family nor aligned themselves with the two major powers of Hatano and Akai, there were ultimately some exceptions.

This Inatomi clan member's ancestors were gokenin (retainers) of Hirohara-sho in Kuwata-gun, and they had always maintained a good relationship with the Naito family, considering themselves hereditary retainers. Currently, they also serve Matsunaga Nagayori.

In other words, Inatohiko Rokuro Shigenobu was considered one of their own.

Shinzaburo immediately ordered the guests to be welcomed in and treated well—of course, the so-called "treating well" was just to brew some coarse tea and bake a few cakes.

After entering the Noguchi Castle residence and taking their seats, and exchanging brief pleasantries, Inatomi Hikoro Shigenobu handed over a letter, then suddenly prostrated himself on the ground, saying with great enthusiasm, "I have expressed my wish to become a trusted subordinate of Lord Kubo to the acting head of the clan, Lord Nagayori, and it has been granted! I look forward to your guidance in the future!"

Shinzaburo took the document and saw that it was indeed signed and sealed by Matsunaga Nagayoshi, appointing Inatomi Shigenobu as "co-shin," which greatly surprised him.

The guest before us was not only from a respectable military family with a stable ancestral estate, but also inherited the hereditary official title of "Dan Zheng Shao Zhong" and was always respectfully addressed as "Dao Fu Dan Zheng Da Ren".

Although Shinzaburo has now also obtained a "certificate of official career" and can be called "Kubo Genban," his status is only equal to that of Shinzaburo.

Who would have thought that the other party would actually volunteer to become a "community member"?

Generally speaking, those who could be assigned as trusted subordinates under the magistrate were poor samurai with an annual income of less than 10 or even 5 kan, who could not afford to support warhorses and attendants.

Shinzaburo, feigning surprise and flattery, bowed in return and solemnly asked, "With your reputation as Lord Inatomi Danjo, you would be more than qualified to serve as a high-ranking official or magistrate. Why then do you condescend to reside in Noguchi Village?"

Inatomi Shigenobu stood up, chuckled a few times, and shook his head, saying, "I'd rather be a lowly soldier under 'Tanba Zhong Kui' than a mediocre deputy or magistrate. The Battle of Umeyama, where I slew two demons in one battle, was truly exhilarating! We samurai practice our martial arts every day just to show our skills in times like these, so I hope to serve Lord Kubo Genban and achieve great deeds!"

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo was still somewhat surprised, but also overjoyed. He immediately grasped the other's wrist and said with deep emotion, "Thank you for not abandoning me. I hope we can create a great future together!"

Then, he immediately introduced Oi Shigeie and the monk Jōjō, who were both currently in the city, along with Kumatarou and Hashibei, who had just changed their names.

Meetings with other people are normal; we just exchange greetings and that's it.

However, when he encountered the Oi Shigeie, Inatomi Shigenobu suddenly became very excited, took the initiative to bow and said, "I have heard that under Lord Kubo Genban's command there is a fierce warrior from the East, whose strength is unparalleled. Is that Lord Oi?"

Ōi Shigeie quickly bowed and said, "I dare not accept such praise! It is nothing but empty fame; I would be ashamed to say that I have made Inatomi Danjō a laughingstock."

But a smug smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

Inatomi Shigenobu was immediately overjoyed and laughed loudly, "Now that I am a member of the Doshin, it is naturally inconvenient for me to challenge Lord Kubo Genban, but I can ask Lord Oi to give me some pointers on martial arts."

Shigeie Oi is full of confidence, saying that he is open to any challenge, no matter what it may be.

Inatomi Shigenobu replied, "I dare not boast of my martial prowess, but I do have some expertise in archery."

Ooi Shigeie said that archery skills were fine too.

Shinzaburo also found it interesting, so he ordered his men to bring two haystacks to be used as targets and brought them outside the city for the two of them to compete.

……

Dozens of steps away, Ooi Shigeie took out his treasured rattan bow, stood firmly, straightened his back, assumed the posture of the Shinano Ogasawara school, took a deep breath, drew his bow, and shot ten arrows in a short while, hitting eight of them, with only two grazing the edge of the haystack.

He smiled slightly, then shook his head and sighed, "I haven't practiced archery properly in a long time, and I'm not as good as before."

On the other side, Shigenobu Inatomi, at the same distance, squinted and aimed for a long time before cautiously picking up his bow and arrow. He squatted down slightly, his left leg half-kneeling on the ground, his body bent at a certain angle, and drew the bow using the method of the Hijiki school in the Kinki region. He also shot ten arrows in succession.

The result was... nine shots hit.

Ooi Shigeie's expression froze.

Inatomi Shigenobu, however, seemed to have no guile and laughed heartily without any restraint: "Years of hard work in archery have indeed yielded results. I never expected that I would be slightly better than the brave generals under 'Tanba Zhong Kui'."

Ooi Shigeie chuckled awkwardly, then gritted his teeth and said, "Inatomi Dansho is truly skilled in martial arts! I also hope to learn from you about swordsmanship, spearmanship, and sumo wrestling!"

Upon hearing this, Inatomi Shigenobu felt no offense whatsoever; on the contrary, he was delighted and immediately agreed.

So the two used bamboo bags and knives as weapons to compete in swordsmanship, then used wooden sticks to compete in spearmanship, and finally even had a hand-to-hand sumo wrestling match.

In the three encounters, Inatomi Shigenobu suffered defeats.

It wasn't necessarily that his martial arts skills were lacking, but rather that he was half a head shorter and smaller than Ooi Shigeie, putting him at a clear disadvantage in close combat and making it difficult for him to mount a counterattack.