Pillars of the Wu family

Summer is coming to an end and autumn is getting stronger. Niigata Town in the northern part of Echigo is also starting to turn warmer and colder. The temperature difference between day and night is gradually widening. The cold current from the northern sea is constantly eroding the warm coastline. This season is the most important season in Echigo During the harvest season, tens of thousands of farmers wearing straw hats waved sickles to harvest grain in the fields. Their faces were full of joy, which was a compliment to the harvest.

Nobuyuki Matsui stood on the terrace of the castle tower and watched the golden rice crops swaying in the wind in the distance. After a lot of hard work, the five newly added polders also have a rich harvest this year. Nowadays, Echigo is full of grain. After the autumn harvest, the accumulated old grain will be transported to the Northeast and Hokuriku for sale in exchange for golden copper coins and Various raw materials.

Li Ding walked over step by step, saw the complacent look, smiled and joked: "Xin Sanlang can't get enough of seeing the wheat waves all day long, if you really want to see it, why don't you let someone take you to the field to have a look, so as not to save you Thinking about it day and night is always unstable."

Seeing his brother-in-law approaching, Nobuyuki Matsui smiled embarrassedly. Both of them had two majestic mustaches. The Kira family's pursuit is too young, which will always make the villagers feel a little distrustful. The villagers Simple and honest, he always feels that he can't do things well if he has no hair on his mouth, so in addition to acting safely, the executive officer has to try to make himself appear more mature as a necessary means.

Nobuyuki Matsui shook his head with a smile: "I'm not worried about this year's good year, but I'm just thinking about when we can open up all the new fields on the Echigo Hirano. The faster the new fields are developed, the faster we will The days to come will be better.”

Niigata Town has improved greatly from the messy environment when it was newly built a few years ago.The newly built three-story castle tower of Niigata Castle stands at the mouth of the sea between the Shinano River and the Agano River.The towering dams block the Taotao River on both sides.Several rows of tender willows are planted under the dam, and a thick layer of alfalfa grass is spread all over the dam. This kind of deep-rooted high-quality pasture just happens to have a great demand for the nourishment of the river. Planting it on the dam can not only stabilize the dyke but also To increase the yield of alfalfa, several horse farms near Niigata were established with the support of forage provided by two long rivers.

Li Ding admired the beautiful scenery of autumn, and said lightly: "There is no rush. The river defense project needs to be inspected and rectified every year. Several new Hori Rivers leading to the dry drain have just been completed. The saline-alkaline sand dug up from the dry drain needs to be completed." Transport it to the riverside, sprinkle it into the river channel, wash it with river water for a few years, and then use a dredging boat to dig up the silt. It is a good natural fertilizer. There is such a large new field on the Echigo Plain, so many rivers and ponds. We should keep calm and do it little by little.”

The Echigo Plain is second only to the Kanto Plain, and even larger than the Lake Biwa Plain. It is only because it is so remote and uninhabited that no one has ever set their sights on it for more than a thousand years. Even the local indigenous Xiayue people do not think it is so dense. What are the advantages of the river network and large plains? The cold current from the Sea of ​​Japan blows to Echigo, and the cold sea breeze mixed with fishy and salty smell makes Echigo not exceed 27 octaves in the hottest summer all year round. In 100 years, it is not likely to encounter a summer with a high temperature of [-] degrees.

At the end of autumn, cold winds and blizzards follow.Although the scenery of the northern country is beautiful, it greatly affects the development of agriculture. In fact, the biggest problem Echigo faces is not the development of new fields, but the increasing pressure on fertilizer supply. Not to mention the highly developed agricultural areas of Joetsu and Chuuetsu, Niigata alone There are dozens of large and small breeding farms within a radius of [-] kilometers of the town, as well as the horse farm run by the Kira family, etc. There is so much land that has not had time to be developed, it is better to build a breeding farm to increase profits.

So many cows and horses can only produce so much manure a day, even if the manure is counted, the amount of manure obtained through high-temperature composting is very limited, and it cannot support the increasing number of new fields. In terms of the overall evaluation, the survey and appointment executive Fujitaka Hosokawa proposed that it is appropriate to slow down the steps for the development of new fields.

Echigo has just exceeded 70 population, of which more than 15 are under the age of 18, and more than 10 are under the age of five. At first glance, there is not much special data that indicates that since Kirayoshi is now going to Echigo, There were 10 newborns, and nearly [-] people died during the same period, of which the population loss due to war accounted for one third of them.

A population of 70 seems to be quite a lot, and less than 30 are left after excluding the old, weak, sick, disabled, women and children. These people are scattered between the ages of 15 and 55. They are the economic pillars of every family and the family members. The main labor force symbolizes the standard of whether a family is rich or not. The Kira family has a total of 5000 permanent staff and is unwilling to expand, because they do not want to break this population red line. economy and agricultural production.

The more soldiers are recruited, the worse the quality of the soldiers will be, and the more time, energy and financial resources it will take to train these soldiers. Moreover, these soldiers may not be able to smoothly transform into elite standing staff, and more than half of them will die on the battlefield. Death benefits are another considerable financial strain.

Nowadays, Echigo uses troops everywhere, and every time he uses soldiers, he has to reward the soldiers so that they are willing to work hard. Otherwise, there will be a risk of death in a war without benefits. The samurai and ashigaru have no intention of fighting. Merit is converted into merit, and the dead and injured have to pay for various expenses such as medical care, cremation, pensions, etc. Although there is no need to worry about food, the money is definitely not enough to pay.

Fortunately, Echigo’s gold and silver mines are rich in reserves, and Sado’s silver mines are still kept in a state of absolute secrecy, such as the Nanyue mines that are rich in lead and copper mines, the Narumi gold mines that are rich in gold and silver, and the output of gold, silver, copper and lead. Rich Iifeng mines, mainly gold, silver, lead, Hashidate mines, etc. have been discovered one after another. A large amount of gold, silver and copper output can bring a net profit of 80 kan to the Kira family every year. This is due to a serious shortage of technical experience and manpower. The data when the output has not reached its peak, one can imagine what it will be like after full development.

Without the support of this wealth, how could Yoshiki Kira dare to offer huge rewards repeatedly, let alone make the samurai of the Kira family famous in Kanto for their wealth. For example, the samurai of the Hojo family once commented sourly: "Where are they? It’s a war, and it’s clearly a victory with real money. If we have so much money, we can still win big battles.”

Looking at the sunset in the sky, it is gradually sinking.In the twilight, the farmers still did not stop their work.In a good season like this, you have to harvest grain day and night. What you are afraid of is that a storm will come at any time and the time for drying and threshing will be delayed. If one step is delayed, the subsequent steps will be delayed, and if it is half a month later, it may be delayed. It's going to snow.

Nobuyuki Matsui glanced at him, and said nonchalantly: "It is said that the country's encirclement and suppression of Japanese pirates has strengthened. Wang Wufeng led his fleet back to the East China Sea, but I don't know how long he can last."

"I went back as early as the beginning of last year. I heard from my family that Wang Wufeng was about to surrender. It is said that he was killed by General Qi. I also heard that Mr. Hu, the inspector and inspector who was in charge, was a fellow of Wang Wufeng. Let him be released. Wang Wufeng actually believed him and returned with the fleet."

Seeing that Li Ding's expression was normal, and his words seemed to disapprove of Wang Zhi's performance, Matsui Nobuyuki breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The Lord hates this Captain Wufeng very much, saying that he has colluded with a group of scumbags from the Western Kingdom and Kyushu to cause trouble. The coast of the Ming Dynasty, so that the shogunate’s survey and cooperation tribute was forced to stop, this person is the villain of the Ming Dynasty, Japan’s Li Jieya.”

Li Ding raised his eyebrows with a strange expression.With a half-smile, he said, "Oh? The Lord of the Town Government intends to ban the Japanese pirates and let me restore the old one, okay?"

"Uh! You can't talk nonsense about this, it's the duty of His Royal Highness the Shogunate. I and other ministers must not talk nonsense." Nobuyuki Matsui was startled, sweating coldly, and hastily shut his mouth tightly.

He was afraid of this sharp-tongued brother-in-law, and he often said some outrageous remarks, which made him very distressed, but Li Ding didn't care about their rules, and said disapprovingly: "The town's government wants to win the world, what's there to hide?" , In our Ming Dynasty, there is a saying that princes and generals are better than each other. When the world is in chaos, there will always be heroes who will emerge as the times require. The Duke of Zhenfu will definitely be such a great hero and must be such a great hero.”

"Hey! Wen Ju, please be careful with your words! Your lord has never said such a thing. Although the Ming Dynasty and Japan are separated by a strip of water, they are not the same. My lord is the royal family of His Royal Highness Gongfang. A well-known loyal minister and general in the shogunate will never do evil things against the law, what Wen Ju said just now must not be spread, and if others misunderstand the Lord's thoughts, there will be big troubles!"

Li Ding saw Matsui Nobuyuki's panic-stricken look, and thought he was talking about what he was thinking, so he said triumphantly: "I don't care about the extraordinary matters of the town government. The decapitation can be done or not, just like me. The Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty once asked Mr. Ji Yulin, and he got the strategy of "building high walls, accumulating grain widely, and slowly becoming king", which determined the prosperity of our Ming Dynasty for 200 years. Presumably he also wants to slowly become king!"

……

The rustling autumn wind blows into Echigo with a bit of dampness and coolness. Autumn is the busiest season in Echigo, and it is also the busiest harvest season in Naoetsu Town, traveling between Shimoetsu Niigata Town, Uonuma Tokaichi Town, and Kariwa Kashiwazaki Port There is an endless stream of caravans, and Echigo's rice, soybeans, potatoes, corn and other crops are transported to Echigo's main logistics distribution center through them.

Farmers in Naoetsu-cho walking town put on thick autumn clothes and long johns. With the rise of several textile towns that started construction in Naoetsu last year, the residents of Echigo took the lead in enjoying thick and warm autumn clothes, and Echigo is widely planted The green ramie was harvested here and processed into thick clothes. Relatively wealthy townspeople began to wear fashionable fur clothes. In fact, fur clothes have always existed. Among the goods shipped from Northeast to Kinai every year, fur is the most common gift. Takeda Shingen once gave the shogunate the bear skin as the main gift.

The textile industry was the most profitable business in the Middle Ages. It should be noted that the major countries that will dominate the world in the future have experienced the rapid development of the textile industry. Even without advanced textile machines, a sufficient idle labor population can still create huge commercial value. This point Kira Yoshitoshi just saw it.

There are a large number of women and elderly people in Echigo. They can only help with some work during the busy farming season as the secondary labor force of the family. But the busy farming season is only a few months, and the rest of the time can only be found to do something casually. Yes, some villages were organized by the old underground people to weave rattan baskets and straw hats, some planted fruit trees on the mountains, and some organized people to go hunting in the mountains, kill the prey, eat the meat secretly, and then sell the fur.

In recent years, Echigo's wealth and development have attracted many tourists from all over the world to travel here. Some smart farmers have started a business as guides, and can earn some money by accompanying wealthy travelers throughout their journey.If you serve well, you can get a generous reward.The gossip about demolishing and rebuilding the village gradually faded away with the arrival of various visitors.Because they found a good deal that made money.

The increasing number of visitors has brought income to villages all over the country. Farmers rely on their ancestral skills to attract customers with wooden handicrafts, animal skins, and strange stones, or open a few shops for food to attract popularity. Some villages with a population of tens of thousands Omura gradually has the function of a small town. Residents from all over the country build many vacant rooms for rent, and they can stay here for three months to half a year as long as they pay a small amount of land money every month. Said to experience the life of Echigo.

The Daguang Room of Kasuga Mountain City is solemn and solemn, and the hall is full of warriors from the three kingdoms of Vietshin.The first big evaluation during the Echigo autumn harvest period was held today. Except for the samurai who were away from the expedition and who could not get away, all the samurai from the Three Kingdoms were basically present. In the evening, as the territory of the Three Kingdoms increased, the amount of accumulated government affairs also increased geometrically, so this big evaluation continued until dark.

Hosokawa Fujitaka rubbed his swollen head, and said in a hoarse voice: "This year's autumn harvest is in good shape, but there are still big problems. With the further widening of the farm fertilizer gap, the growth of Echigo Shigao has entered a bottleneck The further expansion of the output of the farm is far from enough to meet the needs of the field. If the consumption of related chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep is nearly saturated, it will not be able to digest it if it is put into the market, and overgrazing will make many future farmers The developed land has fallen into barrenness, so I suggest suspending the development of new fields, just keep the current state, and develop new fields when the population increases further and consumes related resources."

No matter in any era, food and population are hard indicators of the degree of development. The country is based on the people, and the people regard food as the sky. If the warehouse is real, you will know etiquette. If you have enough food and clothing, you will know honor and disgrace. You don’t care about these things if you don’t have your last meal. Now Echigo is facing adjustments after eating. Some wealthy townspeople and farmers have higher needs. It is a reality that chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep occasionally enter the dining table. It is not surprising that people occasionally go to the noodle house to eat a portion of "mountain whale meat" noodles.

Yoshitoshi Kira was very concerned about this issue, so he asked: "How about the implementation of the decrees in Ueno and Shinano? When will the breeding industry be promoted?"

Matsui Yukan bowed unhurriedly and said: "The implementation of the government order is very smooth. The population of Ueno country has recovered to more than 25. Currently, the population of Shinano under our control is more than 20. However, there are still some gaps in the promotion of the related breeding industry. Risks, what I mean is to start with agriculture to improve their lives, and then follow up the relevant expansion policies after the farmers have enough food and clothing.”

"Yes! The basic statistics of the cultivated land that can be developed in the two countries have come up. At present, we are stepping up the preparation of relevant new land development plans. According to the current situation, the new land that can be developed in the two countries is limited. According to the current information It is estimated that [-] town steps can be developed in the territory of Shinano country, and [-] town steps in Ueno country are expected to be developed. The topography of the two places is relatively complicated, and it will be a very long process to develop the above stone heights.”

"Long? How long will it take?"

"50 years or more!"

The samurai of Ueno and Shinano couldn’t help but gasped. Nagano Yezawa repeated in disbelief: “50 years? How could it take so long! Didn’t it take only three years for Echigo to change from 40 to 200? Is it Wanshi? Hosokawa military department is not kidding us old guys?"

The samurai of the two countries also showed similar expressions, saying that you should not coax us to just tell the truth, but Hosokawa Fujitaka did not show the expected expression, and said with a serious expression: "I did not lie to you, the terrain of Shinano and Ueno The landform must be understood by you who live in the two countries. Although the Shinano country has many mountains and hills that affect the development of Xintian, it is better because the place is large. The Ueno country is not big and faces the hills. , the Echigo area is large and has a large plain, so there is such a high stone height."

The samurai of the two countries are also dumbfounded. The people of Shinano country dare to compete with Echigo, but the Ueno country does not have this confidence. Although Echigo has many peaks, it has more plains. Musashi Hirano, I heard that Echigo Hirano was only half developed and then stopped. If it is fully developed, it will be so high.

Honjo Shino thought for a while and asked: "Then, please tell me how many new fields can be developed in five years or ten years. During this period, how much can the two countries increase in terms of improved cultivation and standardization? "

Hosokawa Fujitaka patiently explained: "There is no relevant plan for the time being. I can't give Misaku the exact figure. If we look at the current situation, it is no problem to open up one-fifth of the total wasteland within five years. At most it will be doubled within ten years, two-thirds should be completed within 20 years, three-quarters within 30 years, and the development should be basically completed within 50 years. It is very different after the harvest. Even the time of spring sowing and autumn harvest is different, and there may be a large error."

The professionalism pursued by the head of the Kira family is unquestionable. Whether it is the high-ranking Kira Yoshitoki or the hundreds of samurai in the hall, they are very convinced by the data reported by him. He is single-handedly leading the agricultural reform of Echigo. He has played a pivotal role in the fame of 200 million shi, Omi Sakamoto's brilliance also has an important contribution to him, he is not proficient in many professions in the internal affairs, he is really the most capable official in the Eastern Kingdom.

"The autumn harvest of Echigo is about half completed. According to the grain income of half of the autumn harvest in previous years and the grain income of various places, I draw a trend chart and roughly calculate that the stone height of Echigo will be between 280 million shi and 290 million shi. For the first time since the planting of potatoes, corn and other crops that consume a lot of fertility has been suspended, the stone height has increased for the first time. As Bingbuden said, until the population expands further, it may be difficult to have more stone height growth in the next few years.” While Matsui was idle, his deputy Mitsui Gaoan brought a chart and posted it on the pillars on both sides.

Although most of the samurai in the hall couldn't understand this kind of thing, they still couldn't help applauding. I don't know what it means to be serious. It doesn't matter if you don't understand it. These big bosses of the Eastern Kingdom don't care what kind of tricks you play as officials, as long as there is a lot of grain in your pocket, that's good.

While the samurai were enthusiastically praising, a ninja quietly approached Mochizuki Yoshinaga, who covered half of his face. His movements were very light and fast, and he leaned over and wandered towards a snake. Most of the samurai noticed that the ninja stayed beside Mochizuki Yoshinaga for a while and then left in a hurry. Such a strange action aroused the curiosity of many people.

Mochizuki Yoshinaga coughed, bowed out of the line and said respectfully: "My lord, I have received the latest news about the Imagawa family. Two months ago, on the [-]th of the seventh month of the seventh month, there was an outbreak of cooperation between the barrels of the Ozhang Kingdom of the Imagawa family's Shangluo army. In the battle, the main line of the Imagawa Army was raided, and more than half of the [-] generations died in the battle. Daisuke of the Imagawa Jibu died in Ozama Tianleping, and the remnants of the Imagawa Army returned to Sumfu."

Not to mention the people from Shinano who were close to Suruga were astonished, even the people from Ueno got out of their seats in shock. Hosokawa Fujitaka, Matsui Yukan and others from Kyoto couldn't help but change their expressions and muttered in a low voice: "Nani ? Imakawa Osamu Daisuke fought Death Barrel Hazama? This...how is this possible?"

The prestige of the Suruga Imagawa family is well known throughout the country, even the old farmers who have no information know that the current shogun has a powerful relative, the Imagawa family. The shogunate pacified Kyushu and shocked the Western Kingdom, and made great contributions to the unification of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Since then, the Imagawa family's reputation has spread far and wide.

During the Onin Rebellion, in order to win over the Suruga Imagawa family, the general of the Eastern Army Katsumoto Hosokawa married Ise Kitagawa, the adopted daughter of the government office deacon Ise Sadakin, to Imagawa Yoshitada as his wife. Unan Zongzui served as the acting elder of the Imagawa family tree, and pioneered the Sagami Hojo lineage. The Suruga Imagawa family and Imagawa Yoshimoto father and son have dominated the Tokaido for nearly 80 years, but they fell on this small Owari Ozawa. People are pathetic!

Yoshihiro Kira stood up and looked at the sky outside Daihiroma with deep eyes. The scenery of Mt. Kasuga under the setting sun is very beautiful. Unfortunately, the beauty of the good days is exhausted, but it is a scene of cool wind and strong autumn, and everything is desolate. Xu Jiuchang sighed and muttered to himself: "Orezama...Orehazama...Imagawa Jibe is dead! Is it finally going to change? Yonglu, Yonglu, the one who protects the family and keeps the family forever! The sky is shattered, and the building is about to collapse, so how can we protect the world?" (To be continued...)