Warring States Survival Guide

Chapter 182 The Fire of Ambition Gradually Dies Out
Hiyoshimaru was very good at taking care of horses. After carefully examining the lesions in the horse's eyes, he quickly prepared a herbal concoction and carefully soothed the horse, constantly rubbing the horse's belly, combing the horse's hair and carefully cleaning the horse's eyes. Even if the horse was stimulated, it was very quiet, at most occasionally shaking its tail and snorting, completely losing its irritable appearance.

He is indeed an excellent groom and horse doctor who is very familiar with the nature of horses.

Maeda Toshiie was delighted to see Hiyoshimaru's performance. He kept telling Yuanye that he recommended this man. Hiyoshimaru was very focused and waited until the horse had finished giving the medicine and calmed down completely. He then fed the horse a handful of straw and said with relief, "Okay, as long as you apply the medicine on time, you will be cured in seven days at most."

"Thank you for your hard work." Yuanye did not put on airs and immediately expressed his gratitude in a gentle voice.

Hiyoshimaru said quickly: "No way, Lord Nohara, it's just a small matter." After saying that, he looked around the stable and looked hesitant again.

Yuanye also followed his gaze and said with a smile, "Is there anything wrong here?"

Hiyoshimaru said immediately: "The stable is a bit damp. It should be dehumidified, otherwise it will be bad for the health of the horses. The vents are also too low. The smell here is a bit strong, and the horses won't like it..."

He then pointed out five or six problems with the stable, ranging from feed storage and proportions to lighting in the stable, which made the grooms around him feel uneasy - this villa was given by Oda Nobunaga, and it was like this when they received it, and they had never thought of changing it. After hearing so many problems now, they were a little worried that Yuanye would blame them.

Yuanye naturally would not blame them for such a small matter. They were just ordinary grooms, and many of them were temporarily transferred after arriving in Wanjin. It was natural that their skills were not high. He just asked these grooms to try to make corrections according to what Hiyoshimaru said, and then invited Hiyoshimaru to the house to have a cup of tea and rest. After all, they came to help, and it was not easy to ask them to leave after they were done with their work. He had to entertain them at least.

By the way, he also wanted to ask for advice on centralized horse breeding and horse breeding. Xinwanjin was building a horse-drawn light rail to increase the speed of cargo transportation. Horses were often injured and sick every day, so raising horses gradually became a problem. At the same time, buying horses for a long time was also very expensive. In the future, he also planned to open a horse farm to breed horses himself to supplement the consumption. Now that he happened to meet a professional, he naturally wanted to consult him.

Although Hiyoshimaru was just a member of the Oda family's gang and had a huge difference in status from Harano, he did not show any fear. Seeing Harano's polite invitation, he did not show any fear and agreed generously. He followed Harano into the room. However, Maeda Toshiie was still concerned about the mess at his house, so when he saw that there was nothing for him to do, he left.

Harano and Hiyoshimaru arrived inside and sat down as host and guest. Harano asked someone to serve snacks and tea. After a few polite words, he asked about how to raise horses.

Hiyoshimaru took his inquiries very seriously, without any intention of keeping anything to himself. He told him everything he knew, and he explained in detail how to take care of horses on a daily basis, how to properly allocate horse power, and how to reduce horse injuries and illnesses. Based on Yuanye's inquiries, he also helped him think of several ways to solve some minor problems that arose during the use of the horse-drawn light rail. Even though he actually didn't know what a horse-drawn light rail was, he was very smart and his ideas seemed quite feasible.

As Yuanye asked more questions, he couldn't help but feel that he admired someone with talent. He felt that this man had a clear mind, spoke meaningfully, and was elegantly spoken. He could quote poems and songs, and sounded like he was proficient in arithmetic. He seemed to be much better than Maejima Juichiro - for a Langgang, he knew too much and was better than many samurai.

He waited until the topic of horses came to an end before he could not help but ask curiously, "Has Lord Hiyoshi ever sought education?"

He used the honorific, and a hint of joy flashed across Hiyoshimaru's face, but he quickly lowered his head and said, "Sir, just call me Hiyoshi. I don't deserve your calling me that." He was humble before he replied respectfully, "When I was a child, I studied in the temple school at Guangming Guanyin Temple for a few years and learned a few basic things."

After a pause, he seemed to feel that this was not clear, and added, "In the past few years, I also worked as a cashier in the Matsushita family. I received a lot of instruction from Mr. Matsushita Guest Wei. I also read some books there and participated in the management of the horse farm."

Yuanye knew Guangming Guanyin Temple, and it was from the same family as Araki Guanyin Temple. However, he searched for the Matsushita family in his mind for a long time but couldn't remember where it was, so he asked, "Is the Matsushita family in..."

Hiyoshimaru said quickly, "Matsushita's family is not far from Anxiang City."

Harano suddenly realized that the Matsushita family was not in Owari and was most likely a dependent family of the Imagawa family, which meant that Hiyoshimaru had worked for the Imagawa family.

But it doesn't matter. These days many samurai have to wander around looking for jobs and employers to make a living. What's more, Hiyoshimaru is obviously not from a samurai family, so his job search should be even more difficult. It is normal for him to wander around.

Yuanye thought for a moment and then asked with concern: "So you came to the Oda family after leaving the Matsushita family? I wonder what position you hold in the Oda family now?"

Hiyoshimaru straightened his back and looked more serious. He answered, "It is like this. After leaving the Matsushita family, I returned to my hometown and then went to work in Kiyosu Castle. Now I am the head of the horse department in the residence of Lord Kamisosuke."

Is that Ma Diantou?

Yuanye had been in trouble for several years, and he had acquired some common sense in this era. He knew what a "horse temple" was, and he didn't need to ask Aman again. Horses were important partners, assets, and fighting tools for samurai, so stables were an important part of the house. In the medieval times, feudal superstition was very serious in Japan, so such an important place certainly needed the blessing of gods, and naturally a series of gods related to horses had to be enshrined. This place that enshrined a series of "horse gods" was called a "horse temple." Of course, with the evolution of the times, the role of the horse temple has also changed somewhat. In addition to still enshrining "horse gods", it has also become a temporary resting place for visiting guests and a lounge for horsemen. The meaning of the horse temple head is "head of horsemen" or "stable manager."

This position is already quite good for Lang Dang, as he can often come into contact with the top members of the family, there are some benefits, and it is relatively safe as he does not need to fight on the battlefield. It is considered a very popular management position. Hiyoshimaru was able to become the head of the Ma Dian in a short period of time, which shows that he is quite capable, even if there may be some other factors.

Yuanye thought about it silently, and felt that Hiyoshimaru was indeed good, so he tentatively asked: "Have you ever considered working somewhere else, Mr. Hiyoshi?"

Hiyoshimaru's eyes suddenly lit up, and he straightened his back again, as if he had suddenly grown from 1.5 meters to 1.6 meters tall. He asked softly, "My lord, what do you mean..."

Seeing that he was not disgusted, Yuanye just said it directly, and smiled gently: "As mentioned earlier, Wanjin now has a large number of horses, and it is a bit confusing to use them. I have always wanted to find someone who is proficient in this to manage and coordinate, and even build a horse farm in the future. I wonder if Lord Hiyoshi is interested in this?"

He had indeed always wanted to find someone who could coordinate and manage the "horsepower" to prevent each department from having its own horses, which would not only cause chaos but also easily lead to corruption. The horses in some departments would be exhausted, while the horses in other departments would be so idle that they would grow hair wildly. But such a person was not easy to find, as he needed to understand horses and management. His current internal affairs officials were not qualified for the job. Now he thought that Hiyoshimaru was quite suitable - he understood horses and was a horse doctor. He had participated in horse farm management before, had a flexible mind, and could read and do arithmetic. At least he could give it a try.

And most importantly, he is not a samurai, which is perfect and suits his requirements best.

As for poaching Oda Nobunaga's people, Hiyoshimaru is not an important person, just a head groom. I think he won't care, so it shouldn't be a big problem.

Hiyoshimaru's eyes lit up when he heard him say that, and even seemed to be ablaze with ambition. He swallowed his saliva and asked with difficulty: "Sir, do you mean... to recruit me as a retainer?"

As he asked the questions, his body was already preparing to move, as if as long as Yuanye smiled and nodded, he would immediately kneel down and acknowledge his lord.

Yuanye was stunned for a moment and quickly waved his hands: "That's not what I meant. I just want you to work for me." He does not recruit retainers, nor does he want a samurai group to appear in the Wanjin line. The previous Maejima Juichiro was an accident. At that time, he lacked plans for the future and was in need of people, so he kept him. And until now, Maejima Juichiro is not his retainer, and Maejima Juichiro himself did not recruit retainers - he thought about recruiting some retainer gangs, but seemed to have been reminded by Endo Chiyo, and he quickly gave up this plan.

Hiyoshimaru was also stunned, the fire of ambition in his eyes gradually died down, and the posture that was about to stand up also disappeared.

Yuanye sensed something was wrong and immediately added, "Although I cannot recruit you as a retainer, you don't have to worry about the treatment. How about an annual salary of 100 kan? You can also be provided with a house and horses, and you will not be inferior to the samurai in the slightest."

Hiyoshimaru hesitated for a moment, shook his head gently, and whispered: "My lord, I hope to become a samurai. This has been my dream since I was a child. As long as you are willing to recruit me as a retainer, I will follow you loyally and dedicate my all to you. If not, then..."

"Is that so..." Yuan Ye didn't expect that he didn't care about personal treatment at all. His only requirement was to be a samurai. He really couldn't satisfy him in this aspect, so he didn't offer a higher annual salary to tempt him. He hesitated for a moment and smiled embarrassedly, "Sorry, Lord Hiyoshi, I'm sorry to bother you."

"Nothing, sir." Hiyoshimaru had a good mental state. He did not show any dismay on his face after being rejected. His demeanor quickly returned to normal. He picked up the tea bowl and chatted with Yuanye about other things. "Sir, your tea-making style is quite unique. Is it the latest Ming Dynasty roasted tea?"

"Yes, I like lighter flavors."

"I see. I heard about this when I was in Kyoto..."

Hiyoshimaru then chatted over the tea leaves about some of his experiences in the Kyoto temples. He seemed to be quite young - he looked only slightly older than Maeda Toshiie - but he had been to many places and seemed to have done business. He had a very rich life experience and could talk about any topic, making him an excellent person to chat with.

Yuanye was also quite interested in what he saw and heard in the distance, especially looking at this era from the perspective of an ordinary contemporary person, which he found even more interesting. He chatted with him for more than an hour, and even felt a little reluctant to see Hiyoshimaru leave.

This guy is really talented, more interesting than Maejima Juichiro. It's a pity that he insists on being a samurai, otherwise it would be great if he could join Wanjin.

(End of this chapter)