Prime Minister Bizen

Chapter 304
For this disaster relief, Hideyoshi specially allocated 8 shi of military rations and 2 guan of money to bring Mino to the Hide family.

The 8 shi of grain is almost the annual consumption of 1.5 ashigaru expeditions, which is equivalent to the annual grain income of 4 people. If it is mixed with water and made into porridge, it can basically help nearly 10 people for a year.

It seems a lot, but you must know that Omi and Mino are the most populous countries in Japan, and the combined population of the two places is close to 40.

40 people are 40 mouths. When you give porridge, the surrounding people will flock to it, regardless of whether there is food in stock or not. This amount of food is not enough to feed these people for two months.

Two months later it will be the spring plowing season. The seeds in my hands have just been planted, but there is no food left. How do you let this group of people survive, and how do you continue to operate with work-for-relief.

The materials allocated by Hideyoshi were military rations to prepare for the Battle of Kyushu. The military rations must be polished white rice, and such rice is hard to come by even in daimyo's household.

Looking at the white rice piled up like a mountain in front of him, Hideo whispered to Oku Beibei Captain Kakunan Yuyuki with a look of embarrassment, "You take half of these military rations to Sakai Town, and half of them will be replaced with bran rice and half with rice." The bran, then transport it to Gifu City and wait for me."

Kakunan Yuyuki is a native of Emizhuang, Hideta County, Misaka country. After his elder brother Kakunan Yoshishige inherited the family territory, he became an official of the Ukita Nao family who was still an enemy at the time.

In 1579, he contributed a lot to the attack on Misaku's three-star city and the subsequent invasion of Misaku, and was valued by the Nao family and transferred to the Honmaru Royal Banzhong. (Similar to the bannermen who are specially responsible for stationing)

In 1581, the Ukita Nao family died in battle, and the Xiu family took over as the family governor. After stabilizing the Uki family a little, they reformed the Uki family.

At that time, the Yubanzhong and the Hatakemoto were merged into the new Hatamoto Congregation, and Yuyuki Kakunan served as the squadron leader. Later, with the expansion of the Hatakemoto Congregation, he was gradually promoted to the position of the captain of the Hatamoto Congregation. He is one of the few veterans who are still regarded as close by the Xiu family during the transition from the Zhi family generation to the Xiu family era.

At this time, Jiaonan Youxing has surpassed his elder brother and became the lord of the city, and his elder brother is still a small local samurai in the United States, who is organized under the command of the people of the country.

The most important reason why Jiaonan Youxing is valued by the Xiu family is that this person is flexible in his actions, unlike other old officials who are pedantic, he is a warrior who can use his brain.This is also the reason why he was promoted to become the reserve captain when the reserve team was adjusted.

But at this moment, Tomoyuki Kakunan couldn't figure out why the Xiu family made such a decision. After all, military rations in Japan were strategic materials, and they could only be sold with a license from the master's family.

What's more, this is the military ration supported by His Highness Guan Bai, which is used for disaster relief, but the Xiu family wants to sell these military rations, and then replace them with inferior rations, which really makes him unable to understand.

In the eyes of many Yuxi family officials, although Xiujia is young, he is a very charismatic, kind and rational monarch, not like a villain who will enrich his own pockets.

What's more, this is Guan Bai's food. Could it be that the Xiu family will risk offending Guan Bai's influence to make a fortune for the country?

As a kind reminder, Jiaonan Youxing said to the Xiu family, "Your Highness, it is understandable to replace it with bran rice. After all, everyone usually eats this kind of unhulled rice, but this bran is for animals. "

Xiujia glanced at him and responded calmly, "I know, you just have to do it."

After receiving the confirmed answer from Xiujia, Jiaonan Youxing responded and called his subordinates to start transporting the grain.

This is the second wish that Jiaonan Youxing valued by the Xiu family, the absolute obedience to the Xiu family's will.Although like today, Jiaonan Youxing is full of incomprehension of Xiujia's behavior, but he will still choose to carry out Xiujia's order.

Due to the very tight time Hideyoshi gave to Hideo, after giving orders to Tomoyuki Kakunan and Ryosuke Takahashi, Hideohisa returned to Okayama non-stop with Nobuya Shimizu and others. The original 7-day journey from Osaka to Okayama , I was stunned that Xiu's family ran it in only 3 days.

From leaving Okayama in mid-September until returning to Okayama today, Hideka has been away from Atsushi for nearly 9 months.

If you count the days spent in Osaka, Kyoto, and Yamato in the first half of the year, Hideka's time in Okayama is less than 2 months throughout the year.In the words of Tongfangyuan, "I almost thought that this house had no owner."

Just like the Xiu family this time, they left in a hurry and came back in a hurry, and they didn't even have time to inform Okayama City to prepare in advance, which made the family jump around.

Due to the urgency of time, Xiu's family rode back all the way, and it was already night when they arrived at the foot of Gangshan City.Shimizu Nobu was also standing in front of the closed Okayama Castle, and shouted at the gatekeeper, "Quickly open the door, the Lord Master is back."

The defenders who heard the call leaned out from the oar tower next to the castle, and saw Shinya Shimizu's face clearly through the firelight.Nobuya Shimizu's face has long been familiar in Yuki's family. No one knows that he is the most popular servant around the Xiu family, and the Xiu family takes him with them wherever they go.

Now that Qing Shuixin is also returning to the city, it means that the Xiu family is returning to the city.

The gatekeeper warrior in armor shouted loudly to the underside of the turret, "Open the door quickly! The owner of the pavilion is back, please notify His Highness Dazai in the castle."

The Dazai Palace is Ukido's interpreter family, and Dazai Shaoer is appointed as the official position. Whenever the Xiu family no longer has skills, the interpreter, who is the only relative of Ukido, will sit in Okayama to take charge of the overall situation.

Although Togawa Hideyasu is the chief patriarch of the Ukiya family, when the Hideya family is not in the territory, the Ukita Kane family will take care of Hideya's family affairs and become an existence half a level higher than Togawa Hideyasu.

With the friction sound of the bolt tenon structure of the wooden door "woo~", the Sannomaru crown wooden door of Okayama Castle was opened, and the Hideka's legs clamped the horse's belly and carried the horse into the city.

The soldiers on duty at the city gate had already been ordered to shout "My Lord, return to the city!" along the way. As his voice spread, the lights in Okayama Castle were lit up from Sannomaru to Honmaru.

"Inform all the retainers in the city that three days later (December 3) there will be a discussion in the assessment room of Okayama City. At the same time, messengers will be sent early tomorrow morning to rule the various families in the territory, and they will arrive at Okayama City to participate in the assessment three days later."

As soon as they entered the city, the Xiu family also ordered to Qing Shuixin beside him, "By the way, tell the warriors in the city that it is already late at night, everyone should rest early, and when you ask for advice, you must wait until tomorrow morning to come to me again."

"Yes, I'll go and notify right now." Qing Shuixin also got the order, took a few attendants out of the team, and rushed into different courtyards to notify the warriors of each family.

When Xiu's family returned to Honmaru, the lights had already been turned on in the imperial hall. Due to lack of preparation in advance, Tong Fangyuan and other female relatives did not wait in the outer hall, but sent a maid beside him to welcome Xiu's family.

Ah Fang, the maid of the Xiu family, knelt under the corridor, changed the cloth shoes on the feet of the Xiu family, and put on relatively warm cotton foot covers for the Xiu family, so that the Xiu family could walk calmly on the outdoor corridor in winter.

If there is anything in Japan that best embodies equality, it must be in shoes. From the emperor to the ashigaru, everyone walks around in a pair of straw sandals.

You must know that Hideyoshi, who is now king of the world, was originally a servant for Oda Nobunaga to warm straw sandals in winter.

But the straw sandals that the Xiu family who came from later generations couldn't bear, so he fiddled with cloth shoes. Dozens of layers of thick cloth were piled up as soles, and cloth was used to surround the shape of the feet to make a shoe, interspersed with needles and threads. Makes a pair of highbum boots.

Such shoes are undoubtedly necessary to keep warm in winter. Since then, Xiujia no longer needs someone to warm her body with straw sandals.

"Why didn't His Highness notify you in advance when he came back, so we should make preparations early." Ah Fang complained to Xiu's family.

Xiujia replied with a smile, "I'm running out of time this time, and I'm going to Jiangzhou and Nongzhou again in the near future."

Xiujia was talking, but her stomach was growling uncontrollably.Ah Fang who heard Xiu's stomach growling was a little surprised and said, "Has Your Highness not eaten yet? I'll ask someone to prepare some."

At night, Xiujia also saw that the journey was not far away, so he did not choose to rest in Ibe Castle, but chose to run back to Okayama overnight.

I didn't feel hungry because of the tension before, but now that I've calmed down, all these feelings come back.

Xiujia scratched his head, and said embarrassedly, "It's fine to make something simple. Let me reheat the leftovers. It doesn't need to be too much. I'm going to sleep after eating."

Unexpectedly, the "not much" thought by Xiu's family and the "not much" understood by Ah Fang are not in the same order of magnitude.

The Xiu family sat in their study room and waited for a while, when they heard a commotion outside the house, it was Tong Fang Yuan who came with his wife Wan Wan.

Judging from the delicate makeup on their faces and the fact that they were late for such a long time, it was obvious that they were caught off guard by Xiujia's sudden return and had to remake up.

After greeting each other, Tong Fangyuan first said to Xiu's family, "Ah Fang said, Your Highness is only staying for a short time this time, and will be going to Jinjiang and Meinong soon, isn't it?"

Hideka nodded and replied: "That's true. During the Hida earthquake, my father sent me to help the victims in two places. Because of the devastation, I only gave them a few days to go home and settle down."

While the two were talking, Ah Fang came slowly with 4 or 5 maids carrying dinner plates. On the table was a steaming bowl of red bean rice, a stack of pickled cucumbers, a stack of pickled seaweed, a large piece of barbecue and a Bowl of miso soup.

Looking at the sumptuous dinner on the small table, the Xiu family said helplessly: "I told you to just prepare some casually. Why do you still prepare this side richly?"

Ah Fang knelt aside, bowed her head close to her face and replied, "It is the servant's responsibility to let His Highness eat well. It is rare for a servant to serve His Highness a few times a year, so naturally I must serve His Highness well."

Xiujia knows that it is still a feudal society after all, and there is a natural level gap between himself and Ah Fang.Besides, Ah Fang knew that the Tongfang Courtyard would bring the female relatives to visit, so naturally she didn't dare to treat her casually, so she didn't intend to blame her.

On the contrary, Xiujia picked up the diced meat in the bowl and said in surprise, "Is this beef?"

Hearing Xiujia's question, Ah Fang responded, "A few days ago, there was a fight between two cattle at the foot of Toyama Castle, and one of the cattle had its neck cut and it seemed that it would be impossible to survive. His Highness Togawa sent someone to take the dead cattle back and cut up its flesh. Distributed to the samurai in the city, and some were also distributed in Honmaru."

Along with the three small pieces of beef in front of him, Xiujia was suddenly moved to tears. This was the first time he had eaten beef in the past three years.

Whether it is the Ming Dynasty, North Korea or Japan, cattle, as an extremely important labor resource, are protected by those in power.

Especially after the reclamation order issued by the Xiu family, the cattle were paid more attention to, and even an order was issued that the cattle could only be increased every year, not reduced.If any farm cattle in the county die of disease this year, a farm cattle must be purchased from another place to supplement.

Moreover, many officials of Yuxi buy farming cattle from neighboring countries every year, and use animal power instead of manpower to reclaim wasteland.

While the whole country attaches great importance to farming cattle, the killing of cattle is also strictly prohibited. There has been no beef on Xiu's table for several years.

Looking at the three pieces of greasy beef in front of him, Xiujia was so moved that he swallowed them in one gulp, "Well, it's delicious, if only I could eat such greasy beef every day."

"I still have some at home, and I can keep them in winter now. If you want to eat them in the next two days, I will make more for Your Highness." Seeing the satisfied appearance of the Xiu family, Ah Fang responded.

Xiujia: "Then I'll leave it to you, Ah Fang."

Ah Fang: "It's my honor."

While the Xiu family was having dinner, Tongfangyuan said from the side, "You are only 13 years old, His Highness really doesn't know how to take pity on you, and I haven't seen you at home all year round. After going to Hokuriku, I want you to go to Meinong again." .I heard that the earthquake in Mino was very serious.”

The Xiu family picked up a piece of pickled melon, ate it with red bean rice, and responded, "It is indeed serious. I heard that Guiyun City in Hida Dagan County collapsed, and the entire Uchijima clan, hundreds of people, were not spared."

"Ah?" Hearing the news, Tongfangyuan covered his mouth in surprise, "Is the whole city gone?"

The movements of Xiujia's hands stopped, and she responded: "En"

The Xiu family took another two bites of rice and said to Tongfangyuan, "The matter about Xingzi has been settled. His Highness Guan Bai has agreed to the marriage between Xingzi and Yu Yisong, and Xingzi will marry when she becomes an adult (13 years old).

Your son-in-law is very important now, he is now the governor of the Ogasawara family in Shinano, and has a territory of 4 koku in the 10 counties of Shinano. He is already a big name. "

Hearing that his daughter's marriage was negotiated, Tongfangyuan said happily, "Is it true? Is it the son of the Tokugawa Senator's family?"

Hideka nodded and said, "It's the second son of Tokugawaden, the original His Highness Takaya. Now he should be called His Highness Ogasawara."

After being reconfirmed by Xiu's family, Tongfangyuan clasped his hands together and thanked heaven, "Thank God, everything went well."

"It's not all smooth sailing. His Highness Guan Bai means to adopt Xingzi as an adopted daughter and marry her as a daughter of the Toyotomi family."

Tongfangyuan was taken aback when he heard Xiujia's answer, his expression gradually changed from information to dignified.

After all, once Kyoko is adopted as an adopted daughter by Hideyoshi and married as a daughter of the Toyotomi family, she will no longer be Kyoko's nominal mother.

Thinking that since Kyoko went to Osaka with Xiu's family in September, it will be difficult for the two of them to see each other again. Tongfangyuan's expression is full of loneliness, and he can only whisper in his mouth, "It's good to be married, it's good to be married."

Seeing Tongfangyuan's miserable appearance, Xiujia sighed in her heart and couldn't help but think: Sometimes, parents do this for the sake of their children, okay?Is it really worth sacrificing the family relationship for the rest of my life in exchange for a marriage that I think is right for me?
(End of this chapter)