Warring States Eagle

At this time, the status of businessmen in society is actually extremely low.This is known from the fact that the shogunate issued decrees from time to time (abolishing debt relationships and directly plundering businessmen's interests).

Even wealthy merchants with greater influence (special figures who used economic strength to make friends with the daimyo and the shogunate and become imperial monopoly merchants) would be driven at will by the daimyo's elders and eunuchs.Those who get a minimum of respect are usually because they have other literary and artistic identities, such as tea masters and doctors.

Even if a semi-independent merchant autonomous town is formed in the future.The most famous of these is Sakaimachi.Merchants gathered around the rich merchants to form a semi-independent autonomous port for merchants in the gaps where the princes lined up.The characteristic is to pay a fixed amount of tribute to the daimyo; the daimyo's army is not allowed to enter.Such an organization also has limited autonomy, they still have to rely on daimyo, and there is no self-defense by force (businessmen are interested first, as long as there is no possibility of conflict, they will not resort to force); the existence time is very short (such as Sakai After Oda Nobunaga entered the Kinki area, it was banned), and the self-governing town usually decides affairs in the form of a meeting of several wealthy merchants controlled by the daimyo, and there is no independence to speak of.

But now, they have been clearly protected by laws and regulations in the port island opened to the outside world by the Luo family (at least there will be no situation where they will suffer heavy losses if they are decreed by a daimyo). A big name tea party, what an honor for them.They feel respected like never before.So after the tea party, they started bidding fiercely for the houses and warehouses in Hakata, which allowed the Luo family to earn a fortune.

Zhengliang, who came from later generations, is very aware of the role of these lowly businessmen in history.And also know how to play the role of these businessmen.This time invite these people here.Another tea party, another legal protection measure, and so on.The purpose is to win over these businessmen, and then organize them. When the time is right, Zheng Liang will use them to launch some commercial tactics (such as commercial infiltration into the territory of the big family), and use economic warfare to severely intimidate the hostile forces. Bundle.

After asking Togo Heiji to lead the Cabinet officials to organize the auction for these merchants, Masara then met with Kansuke Yamamoto who had been waiting nearby.

"How, did the other party agree?" After Yamamoto Kansuke finished saluting, Zheng Liang asked directly.

"Report to the lord. The Qiuyue family has no choice but to agree." Yamamoto Kansuke said.

What Masara and Kansuke Yamamoto said was that the border of the nearest territory of the Akizuki family's territory was blocked by the Ouchi family, and merchants could not enter or leave.

Since the last attempt by the Ouchi family to attack Hakata failed, Zhengliang sent envoys to the Ouchi family to ask why the Ouchi family broke the peace agreement and launched a sneak attack on the Luo family.And asked the Ouchi family to send the family members of the soldiers of the Ouchi family who were captured by the Luo family to the Luo family as an apology.

Regarding the accusation of the Luo family, the Ouchi family is indeed wrong, but after the last time the two parties negotiated and exchanged the leaders for the Shan family, the Ouchi family is no longer willing to send people to the Luo family. After all, the families of these soldiers are also valuable territorial resources, and they will be given to the Luo family.Doesn't it mean that the noble family bowed to the upstart Luo's family, which is absolutely unacceptable.No matter Ouchi's family or Ouchi's family who are dying.They all considered themselves nobles of noble blood, and would never bow to the lowly Luo family.

Therefore, in order to further put pressure on the Ouchi family, since April, Akabane Shinnosuke, who is stationed at Tachibanayama Castle in Chikuzen Kunizaya County, has begun to lead the second standing ashigaru team across the northern Munakata under the orders of Masarai. The border of the county, into the center of Zongxiang County, the autumn wind blows all around, making Zongxiang County a mess of smoke.

It's not that the Munakata family has tried to annihilate the Luo family's forces that entered their territory, but since the last time the main force of their own navy and part of the family's army fell in the Battle of Hakata, the Munakata family has not had many troops.What is even more frustrating is that due to the lack of protection of the navy along the coast, and the distance between the Ouchi family's navy in Port Moji, it is difficult to support the coast of Munakata County in time, so the Luo family's navy often appears on the coast of its territory. In the coastal area, the Zongxiang family was attacked by the Luo family's navy from the coast in order to avoid the emptiness of the city. They did not dare to go out of the city at all, but could only hide in the city, watching the Luo family's army looting outside the city. Territory population and resources.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the Munakata family immediately asked the Ouchi family for help.But at this time, Yoshitaka Ouchi was also battered.Although it was spring plowing season after April, and the Nizi family in the east had finally stopped attacking the Nagato area, the Ouchi family still had to deploy heavy troops in the Nagato area to prevent the Nizi family from sneaking in.

In addition, in the southeastern region of Buzen Kingdom, the Ouchi family must also deploy heavy troops to support the Otomo family, and at the same time, they must also take necessary precautions.And the continuous battles have also caused the territory to lose a lot of population. In order to ensure the smooth progress of spring farming, farmers and soldiers cannot be recruited at will.In this way, Ouchi Yoshitaka would not have much military power to mobilize.

What's even more troublesome is that the sequelae of the successive battles with the Luo family since last year have begun to manifest.A large number of families lost their main labor force due to the war, which seriously affected the spring plowing in the territory this year, and these families who lost their relatives also became unstable factors in the territory of Dauchijia.At this time, Ouchi Yoshitaka was a little grateful for Zhengliang. If Zhengliang hadn't exchanged a group of captive family members from Ouchi's family, it is estimated that this year's impact on spring farming will be even greater, and the instability of the territory There will be more.

In contrast, because the Luo family has a sound pension system, this impact has been reduced to the lowest point (even if it is a family that is unable to farm because of the loss of the main labor force, the Luo family will arrange paid corvees or slaves in accordance with the territorial laws. Fan team helped him complete the spring plowing).

Many problems and factors caused Ouchi Yoshitaka to be unable to spare manpower to help the Munakata family, so Ouchi Yoshitaka ordered the Akizuki family near the Munakata family territory to send troops to rescue Munakata Home.The disaster that the border of the Qiuyue family's territory was blocked by the Ouchi family and the merchants could not enter and exit was caused by this order.

What I want to mention here is that the previous guardian of Nagato was Naito Xingsheng, Naito Takashi's father.After the disastrous defeat to the Ro's family last year, Xingsheng Naito excused himself from illness and went home to avoid the limelight.But then he was severely stimulated by the rumors released by the Luo family that his son-in-law Aso Nozomi was snatched by the Luo family, so Naito Xingsheng went from a fake disease to a real disease.He fell ill directly on the tatami, and even had to hand over the position of family governor and Nagato guardian substitute to his own son, Naito Takayo, who wore a green hat, in advance. (To be continued..)