Prime Minister Bizen

Chapter 309 1585 Ezo Report
Due to the rush to go home this time, Xiu's schedule was fully booked.After seeing off Togawa Hidean and Ukita Kane, Hideo had a short rest before meeting Seto Iemasa who had returned from Ezo.

Due to the invasion of the four countries last year, Hideka was unable to return to Okayama before the arrival of the trade wind.Because of this, the Seto family could only return to Ezo first after leaving an overview. This time, the Hideo family must not miss his report again.

As soon as the two met, Hideka asked him, "Before Laihei left, did you meet the three people I sent to Ezo, Ukita Hidei, Ukita Munkatsu, and Ehara Kiji?"

The Seto family replied, "I saw three adults when I was passing through Oluminato on the Nanxia Road. Before the snowstorm, I sent the three adults to Tomakomai."

Hearing that the three of them had successfully arrived in Ezo, Xiujia's hanging heart finally settled down. Ocean sailing in this era is a very dangerous thing. Although most Japanese ships sail in the offshore, it is inevitable that they will encounter such things as wind and waves.

These three people are not the same as those who were sent to Ezo before. They are from the Xiu family, and they are middle-aged and energetic people from the Xiu family.

Xiujia was already worried that Ezo would lose control, so he tried every means to send a sect to Ezo to guard.

But don’t let a group of people live in Beichu, Mizusa and other countries too well, so why listen to your Hideka’s flickering and go to the Ezo land where the birds don’t shit?

So these three people are the "daughters" that the Xiu family uses to buy horse bones, and they are role models for the Xiu family. If something happens to them, it will be a huge blow to the Xiu family.

The Seto family is handing over the new Ezo map and accounts to Hideka for review as usual, and then begins to tell the situation of Ezo one by one according to the importance of the matter.

"Your Highness, the most important thing for me to come back this time is to convey the news of Master Xuanzhu to Your Highness. Last winter, Ezo ushered in a blizzard that was rare in ten years, and the accumulated snow outside the house was heavier than our house. high.

Master Xuanzhu's house collapsed due to the accumulation of blood and the house's disrepair for a long time, unable to bear the weight of the snow.

Although the master was not injured, but when we rescued the master, his left leg was already frostbitten.The local witch doctor said that if the limb was not amputated, the blood poison would attack the heart. Master Xuanzhu had no choice but to order his left leg to be cut off.

When I came back this time, I brought Master Xuanzhu's request, asking His Highness to send an important minister who can take over the Ezo affairs as soon as possible.The master requested that after one year of handing over with him, he will return to Bizen with me next year for retirement, please allow your highness. "

Hideya listened to Seto Yamasa's request and did not speak for a long time.He naturally knows the difficulty of opening up Ezo, although in the middle of the year, Ukita Hidei, Ukita Sokatsu and Ehara Kiji said one set after another.

In fact, in the accounts that the Seto family is sending back every year, there will be records of people freezing to death or dying of wild animals.

Ezodi is an uncivilized treasure land, and it is also a hell filled with ice and snow and wild beasts.

In previous years, it was often reported that a village had survived a winter and only a few families remained. In the past, these were just statistics for a high-ranking person like the Xiu family.

Hideohisa seems to be a manipulator who travels outside the game of Ezo. Whether it is Japanese, Korean, Jurchen or Ainu in Ezo, they are just a data in his development.

But now, when the friends around Xiujia experienced such pain, Xiujia realized the reality and horror of Ezo.

In the past, Xiujia regarded the development of Ezo as a simple and easy thing. It was like buying a fund, and he didn’t need to operate it himself. Just look at its rate of return every year.

In fact, only the pioneers who were really there have personally experienced the horror of Ezo. For Hideka, it is only a matter of a few numbers, but for them it is the distance between life and death.

After a moment of silence, the Xiu family said to the Seto family, "The furs purchased in the Ezo area should be reserved for the local people first. This situation must never happen again. When you go back, bring some more rice back, and treat yourself well." Take a look at the warriors who have contributed to our family."

The Seto family was presenting Hideo's kindness with a salute, and then explained, "In fact, we prepare fur in advance every year to keep warm, and we also store enough firewood to keep warm before winter.

But in winter, the heavy snow is not only a problem of road closures, the snow is so heavy that the door can be directly closed, and in previous years, it can be cleaned every day to prevent snow accumulation. This year's snow disaster is really serious. Can start self-rescue first.

Due to our preparations in advance, the loss is relatively small. Some Ainu villages basically disappeared when encountering such heavy snowfall.When the snow melts in the next spring, people will find those tents standing on the grassland, but the people inside have long since died. "

Xiujia waved his hand and said, "I know there are natural disasters in it, and I don't mean to blame you. What I want to say is that you need to learn from it, sum up experience, and prevent and reduce the occurrence of such incidents.

In addition, I already know about Master Xuanzhu's request. Let me think about it for a while and I will inform you. When you go north next year, you can take him back with you. "

Xiujia looked through the accounts in his hand. This year's field development did not increase significantly compared with the previous year, but increased from 8.5 shi to about 9.2 shi.

In fact, the development of Ezo fields has never been an easy task. The biggest problem is the melting of snow.

Often the wasteland that has just been reclaimed this year, the swamp that has accumulated water is drained, and after a winter of snowfall, the accumulated water turns into accumulated water, making the land scrapped again.

Every year in Ezodi, the number of acres of fields at the beginning of spring will be reduced by about 1/4 compared with last year's autumn harvest, and they need to be recultivated in the new year.

In previous years, the development of Ezo has gone from zero to 1, with excess human resources, and the development of new land is relatively rapid, so that 3 shi of territory can be developed within 8.5 years.

However, under the premise that the population growth was not much last year, the old population needs to maintain the 8.5 shi open land, and the number of people to open up new land is naturally scarce.

Today's Ezo can be said to have a stagnant population development and a vast land with few people.In order to continue to open up new places of knowledge and practice, it is imperative to continue to transport people to Ezo.

"Why is the new territory opened up this year only about 7000 shi, and the map of this new settlement seems to be the same as last year. Is it because the population of Ezo is underpopulated? The population transportation in North Korea has stagnated?" Hideka Xiangse Hujia was asking.

The Seto family was bowing to the Xiu family and replied, "Reporting to Your Highness, we have stopped the work of transferring people from North Korea."

"Stopped?" Xiujia was surprised when he heard that, closed the account books, and asked strangely, "Why did it stop? Isn't the development of Ezo land just when there is a shortage of population? What should you do if you stop the development of Ezo land and slow down? "

The Seto family expressed rather helplessly, "Your Highness, the Koreans are dishonest, and they are too different from the people of the Ming Dynasty. We gave them fields to cultivate, and allowed him to gather himself into a village. Who would have thought that they would join forces? Come to resist paying taxes and fight us.

Later, Lord Jiushan and Master Xuanzhu discussed the decision to suspend the transfer of people from North Korea.The North Korean side has stopped, and the Ming country has a long journey and is afraid of encountering sea winds. The population transfer is really slow, which is nothing to do. "

After hearing Seto's reason, Xiujia frowned and asked, "Didn't I tell you to disperse the Koreans in the Japanese-inhabited area? Is this to prevent the Koreans from rebelling? Why did you set up another inhabited area?" So they got together?"

When Xiujia ordered the Ezo area to transfer the population from North Korea, he deliberately stated repeatedly that they were asked to disperse the North Koreans to the Japanese-inhabited areas in order to prevent the North Koreans from forming groups.

Although the people of the Korean nation are very humble, there is a special kind of blood in the nation. When encountering problems without asking the reason, it is very dangerous for the ruling class to unite together and talk about it to the outside world.

It never occurred to the Xiu family that such a problem would still occur after being told repeatedly.

The Seto family was also quite helpless, spread their hands and said, "Your Highness, the population of Yamato in Ezo is only over 1, how can we manage nearly 3 Koreans.

Besides, North Koreans do not know their own language, so it is inconvenient to communicate, and they are gathered together for the convenience of management.

Why don't we want to mix Koreans and Yamato people, but now it is very difficult for one Yamato to take care of two Ainu and one Korean. If His Highness doesn't continue to transfer people to Ezo, the Koreans will We can only stop. "

Xiujia shook his head and said, "North Korea's transshipment can't be stopped. If it doesn't work, you can't find some activists from the North Koreans who are keen to be loyal to the family and willing to learn Japanese, and give them high-ranking officials and generous salaries, and hereditary territories." Can you raise them to samurai and let them manage those North Koreans."

Hideka's suggestion is based entirely on the way Japan ruled North Korea in history. No matter in North Korea, Taiwan or the mainland, these two devils are the most ruthless people who treat their compatriots and the people of our country.

These two devils are covered with a layer of dog skin, so they really think that the Japanese have accepted them.When their compatriots regard them as rebellious, they fear and resent in their hearts, fearing that Japan's fall will be liquidated.

They are even more loyal to Japan than the Japanese, and in order to smooth out their deformed psychology, they will double the resentment in their hearts on their compatriots.

Hideya originally thought that this strategy would be accepted by the Seto family, but he refused bluntly, "How can this be possible? How can you easily join them as a samurai? They are just lowly farmers."

Therefore, it is said that the inferiority of the nation has existed since ancient times. After hearing the words of Seto Jiamasa, Hideo was powerless to complain.

Especially those like the Seto family who were granted the status of samurai by merchants. After obtaining the status of samurai, they cherish this status even more and maintain this status even more. Naturally, they don't want the status of a samurai that they have finally obtained to be belittled like this go down.

Xiujia knew that the Seto family would definitely not be able to explain this matter. Even if Xiujia forced the order to be given to him, could he ask Xuanzhu Haas a question.

This reflects the problem of the Hide family's rule over Ezo. The only one who communicates between Ezo and Okayama is the Seto family. How can it be guaranteed that the Hide family can obtain real information about Ezo?
This is a question that the Xiu family needs to think about, but the Xiu family is unwilling to get too involved in this matter at the moment, and continues to ask, "If the Koreans can't do it, and the Ming people are too far away, what do you think?"

"What do you think of the Jurchens, Your Highness?" The Seto family seemed to have expected that the Xiu family would ask this question, and asked the Xiu family, "In the northern part of Korea, there are many ethnic groups living in the eastern part of the Ming Dynasty. Call them the Jurchens. What do you think of transferring them to Ezo?"

In fact, the Xiu family had little interest in this proposal. The Jurchen people were fishermen and hunters, and they were not very engaged in farming activities. What's the use of transporting them to Ezo?
"Do you have a way?" Xiujia asked helplessly.

Unexpectedly, the Seto family was in high spirits, and they talked endlessly, "I heard from North Korean businessmen that the North Korean troops stationed in Xianning Road often capture some strangers from the other side of the Datong River to sell them to the nobleman's house. There are very few people in this business.”

In this way, as soon as you hear it, you know that the North Koreans are putting money on their faces.Even though the North Korean military has 60 troops, it has already been slack five times to the extreme, and even the officers and soldiers cannot allocate weapons in full.

Like the army as a defensive force, except for the general's personal soldiers who can use iron weapons, the rest of them have a wooden stick, which is already a very good weapon.

Of course, such equipment is obviously sufficient for the extremely domesticated people in North Korea.

However, when encountering foreign invasions, they would have no resistance at all. Otherwise, during the Japanese Invasion of Imchen, Sandu fell in just one month, and Badao fell.Even if 60 pigs were killed, it would take more than a month.

If the North Korean army had really beaten the Jurchens, they would not have been invaded twice by Huang Taiji after the Imjin Japanese Invasion, sweeping away millions of people and returning.

However, this does not mean that the Koreans are really not good at fighting. The concept of fullness comes from the integration of the Han, Jurchen, Koreans, Oroqen, and Mongols in the Northeast.

The Koreans who were coerced to the Northeast at the beginning, after being domesticated by the Jurchen generation, soon regained their wildness and filled the Eight Banners of Manchuria and swept the Central Plains.

In fact, the Xiu family had already figured out the truth from his words. These generals stationed in Saibei had to be assessed every year.

As a general, how can you prove that you have made outstanding achievements and defended well?That is naturally a battle achievement, to put it bluntly, it is a head and a prisoner.

But the North Korean army was invincible, and the defenders couldn't even beat the Jurchens who invaded the border. Where did the military exploits come from?

There is no other way but to make a deal with the Jurchens, and buy some Jurchens who were captured among the tribes from the Jurchens and bring them back to report military merits.

The Jurchen of this era also had a relatively high Sinicization of the Haixi Jurchen, and they were basically a civilized tribe of half-farming and half-hunting.Under the command of Li Rusong, the commander-in-chief of Jiliao, the tribes traded with each other and there were few wars.

However, Jianzhou and even the savage Jurchen in the east of Haixi are primitive civilizations. The law of the dark forest is followed among tribes, and it is common for tribes to attack and kill each other.

The captive population can also be used as slaves to serve as labor force, but the severed heads are of no use to these tribes, so they are simply sold to North Korean border generals in exchange for living supplies.

Over time, such an industrial chain has gradually matured in the north of North Korea, and the things bought and sold have also been upgraded from the heads of the dead to the living, forming a large market in North Korea.

(End of this chapter)