Warring States Survival Guide

Chapter 241 Seven Injury Fist

With Inuyama Castle captured and Saito Tatsuoki isolated and alone, the two thousand or so men in Harano were now only good for Oda Nobunaga. Oda Nobunaga didn't want to take their share of rations anymore, so after giving them a portion of the spoils, he hinted that they could head home.

Well, the spoils Haruno obtained mainly consisted of a portion of the population of Inuyama Castle. The land, castle, and wealth went to Oda Nobunaga, but Haruno took a portion of the population with him. It can be considered that the allies shared the benefits after winning the battle.

Nakamura Yakuro also achieved his dream. Due to his success in turning the enemy into a defector and building a bridge, he became the governor of three villages near the Kiso River: Kagami, Kinugami, and Nise. However, the area has been at war for the past two or three years, and most of the villagers have fled. The fields are severely abandoned, and the three villages combined cannot even raise 500 koku. So, he can only say that the future is promising.

But at least Nakamura Yakuro has taken a big step forward, since he now has his own territory and can support an army, making him a semi-independent force.

These three small villages, historically speaking, are the foundation of the monkeys' origins. Mikuro was quite generous, directly distributing all the land in the villages to the families of the "Kawabinoshu" for cultivation, strictly implementing the "Five Publics and Five Peoples" policy, and even following the example of the wilderness, actively leading the "Kawabinoshu" to start a water transport business.

He was a genuine businessman with extremely strict rules. He encouraged enthusiastic service, strictly forbade his subordinates from robbing or extorting merchants and travelers, and forbade them from throwing merchants and travelers into the river if they didn't pay him. He even visited the wilderness with gifts, and bought some local specialties from Wanjin at low prices, intending to sell them to the Kinki region through the Nagara River and Kiso River waterways in order to make high profits.

After spending a few days with Yuanye, he realized that you can't get by without money these days. He decided to make a lot of money first, equip himself with armor and weapons, and then go on to make a name for himself.

It's like sharpening your axe before chopping wood!

The other Owari clans and Oda retainers who participated in the war also received rewards. Those who made contributions received land and manors, while those who were less successful were exempted from paying annual tribute for several years. The 500 men sent by Matsudaira Ieyasu (who had completely broken with the Imagawa clan, abandoned the "Mori" given to him by Imagawa Yoshimoto, and changed his name to Ieyasu) also received a large sum of money and happily returned to Mikawa. It was as if the Oda Nobukiyo family had been defeated, and everyone could have a prosperous New Year.

Of course, even with such a large share, Oda Nobunaga still profited the most. Moreover, he was shrewd enough to believe that he could easily defeat Saito Tatsuoki with his own strength, so he preemptively sent away his allies to prevent them from continuing to share the spoils.

After acquiring Inuyama Castle and controlling key strongholds along the Kiso River, he didn't even rest before leading his army northward to attack strategic points in Mino, such as Rakusatsuki Castle and Kajita Castle. It's likely that he will follow the same strategy, first clearing out the area around Inabayama Castle before taking down the Saito family's core territory.

Oda Nobunaga was actually a very steady fighter. He often lost, but each time he lost, he was never seriously injured. His excellent ability to replenish his forces quickly made up for the losses. On the contrary, his opponents were often slowly pushed forward by him, forced into a war of attrition, and eventually, they would mysteriously disappear.

In a sense, Oda Nobunaga and Harano did have some similarities in personality. They each had their own unique ideas, acted very cautiously, and preferred to focus their energy on things outside of war.

The attack was merely a means to reap the final rewards; the outcome was already decided before they even launched their attack.

They weren't exactly famous generals, but they usually managed to survive to the end.

…………

Oda Nobunaga crossed the Kiso River and invaded Mino Province with great force. The Saito family and the powerful clans of Mino did not sit idly by. After several heads or former heads of powerful clans visited them, loudly rebuked them, and explained the advantages and disadvantages, Ando Mamoru reluctantly retreated to Hokuho Castle and returned Inabayama Castle to Saito Tatsuoki.

His son-in-law, Takenaka Hanbei, was furious and resolutely opposed backing down. In the end, he broke off relations with Ando Mamoru and, fearing that Saito Tatsuoki would investigate his rampage in Inabayama Castle when he returned, he simply ran away.

Well, during the six months that Takenaka Hanbei was stationed at Inabayama Castle, in order to prevent an inside agent from opening the castle at night again, he arrested a large number of people and killed quite a few. In addition, in order to expand his military strength, he levied exorbitant taxes and collected annual tribute for five years. Even the local monks couldn't stand him anymore and wrote letters cursing him for being despicable, shameless, and greedy, hoping that he would get out of there as soon as possible.

Now that Ando Mamoru had half-conquered his superiors, he was about to change his mind and prioritize the "big picture." Takenaka Hanbei was in a bind, possibly facing death, so he simply packed his bags and fled to Omi Province to seek refuge with Azai Nagamasa.

It is said that later generations greatly admired him, considering him the wisest man in the land. His "return of Inabayama Castle" was also a testament to his integrity, and he was given an annual stipend of 3000 kan. However, eager to retire, he stayed in Omi for a while and then discovered that Saito Tatsuoki had no intention of pursuing him. So he returned to his hometown, Bodaiyama Castle, to live in seclusion, detached from worldly affairs and content with a peaceful life. In the end, he was moved by Kinoshita Tokichiro's "three visits to the thatched cottage" and came out of seclusion to become the "Zhuge Liang of the Japanese Warring States period".

The truth is, Asai Nagamasa wasn't crazy, and he didn't burn money like that. Even someone like Harano, who worked hard to develop the economy and personally went to sea to fight in order to encourage exports, only dared to give his closest relatives, friends, saviors, and most trusted confidant, Aman, an annual salary of 500 kan.

If he really had to pay 3000 guan, his payroll would explode, and he wouldn't be able to pay his other subordinates at all.

Oda Nobunaga was also a big spender. When he paid his trusted samurai such as Ikeda Tsuneoki and Maeda Toshiie their annual stipends, he usually only paid them four or five hundred kan, and none of them paid more than a thousand. If they paid more than a thousand, he might as well just give them a piece of land and let them earn money and spend it themselves.

People like the Monkey King in history were even stingier. For example, when Yamauchi Kazutoyo first joined the Monkey King's forces, his annual salary was only 20 kan. He couldn't even afford a good horse. Endo Chiyo had to secretly sell her dowry and do business to get him a good horse and a nice outfit. He won the Monkey King's favor during the Kyoto military parade.

Haruno, for one, didn't believe it and had no interest in this "genius strategist." After discovering that Mino had united again, he glanced at the relevant intelligence and then ignored it. Unity was good; it would allow them to fight Oda Nobunaga for a longer period. After all, once Oda Nobunaga conquered Mino, according to his alliance with Matsudaira Ieyasu, he would begin expanding westward, and Ise Province, bordering Owari to the west, would be the first to be affected.

He couldn't remember exactly which year Oda Nobunaga captured Inabayama Castle; his history wasn't that good. However, he vaguely remembered that Oda Nobunaga made his move not long after taking Mino, so it must have been only a few years ago.

Therefore, he had to act before Oda Nobunaga took over Mino, just like in the game of Go, occupying the key positions in advance, at least occupying the border area between Ise Province and Owari Province, so as to contain Oda Nobunaga, otherwise he would go to jail again.

If we assume an overestimation of the enemy's capabilities, and considering the uncertain duration of the battle, next year... no, it's already spring, it should be this year. The final deadline should be after this year's autumn harvest; it can't be later than next year at the latest.

Time was still a bit tight. After returning to Xinwanjin Port, Yuanye was unable to rest and immediately checked how well the things he had been instructed to do during his garrisoning of Matsukura Castle were being carried out.

After inspecting the area, he felt things were going well. Wanjin was currently in a period of rapid growth, with clean governance and high efficiency in all aspects of work. All the bad ideas he had been harboring were perfectly executed, and significant progress had been made.

With the assistance of the Wanjin navy, Wanjin has established relatively stable trade channels with some small lords and local samurai along the coast of the Ise Peninsula. They are actively delivering Wanjin products, mainly refined salt, to their doorsteps, while also actively purchasing "witchcraft items" such as owls, frog hind legs, and beehives needed in the fields. Some people even came up with the idea of ​​"delivery system".

Want to get more salt, dyed fabrics, and porcelain at a lower price?
Sure, three owls can get you an extra stone of low-price quota, or twenty beehives or a hundred frog legs will do. Please hurry up and buy them from the inland!
Meanwhile, the high-priced acquisition of white ramie cloth, as well as fine hemp and cotton materials, was also progressing smoothly. In any case, not many people in this world would turn their backs on money. As long as the people of Wanjin were willing to place orders and pay a deposit, there would always be wealthy families who would be tempted to forcibly drag the farmers out of the fields and make them soak and peel hemp.

Alternatively, some of the miscellaneous grain fields could be forcibly converted into cotton fields in order to produce more lint and make a fortune off the people of Wanjin next year.

This "acquisition operation" has been underway for more than half a year. The "witchcraft supplies" brought back have filled the warehouse. Even "roasted frog legs" and "frog meat stew" have become popular snacks in Wanjin Night Market. The production of feather arrows, beeswax, and strategic reserves of honey have increased dramatically, but the cost has been quite high.

Well, although the purpose of acquiring these "witchcraft items" is to secretly strike the enemy, they are not useless. It won't take long to cross Ise Bay at an angle, and if the weather permits, the pickled frog meat can still be brought back and eaten. As for the beeswax shavings, they can be used to cast cannon molds. Shavings are in short supply, so buying more is not a loss.

Honey is also an excellent antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agent that can be stored for three to five years without spoiling, making it of great strategic importance. Wanjin already reserves a portion of it as an emergency medicine, and it can also be sold as candy, which can improve the happiness of residents.

Even so, Wanjin still couldn't digest so much miscellaneous stuff. Even if it was stored up and not wasted, it would reduce cash flow and increase extra costs. Reselling goods like white ramie cloth to the Kanto and Tohoku regions was a pure loss. It was basically buying at cost price and selling at cost price. Wanjin had to subsidize the shipping costs for ship owners and traders. In fact, if it weren't for Yuanye's call, those ship owners and traders wouldn't have wanted to do this business at all.

Over the course of more than half a year, Wanjin lost a huge sum of money. If it weren't for Haruno's insistence as the first generation leader, this inexplicable project would have been impossible to implement long ago.

This is like a double whammy. If he can't kill the powerful clans and daimyo on the Ise Peninsula, he'll need at least three to five years to recover. In fact, he's already struggling to breathe in Wanjin, and the financial pressure is getting bigger and bigger.

Endo Chiyo and Maejima Juro had both advised him, subtly inquiring whether he had enough quantity and feeling it was time to stop, but Haruno wouldn't listen. He wanted to race against time, and he had to pay the price for it. Instead, he started making money internally again.

First, he wanted to issue bonds to borrow money from the public for working capital, but the credit of Wanjin paper money was very fragile and it could not be promoted. There was no precedent for issuing bonds, and the interest was not enough to entice many people to buy them to preserve value. People could just keep a few pieces of gold at home. The bonds could not be sold much in a short time, so he had to turn to selling land.

Of course, only the land use rights are sold, with a term of twenty, fifty, or one hundred years, and the land use rights, including farmland, are traded to individuals.

He had a large amount of land that had been seized by samurai clans and powerful families. Previously, it had been rented to ordinary farmers for cultivation, with both rent and taxes collected. Now, he no longer wanted these lands, only retaining nominal ownership, and sold them directly to farmers (allowing installment payments) to quickly accumulate funds. He also wanted to encourage farmers to produce more grain and increase their purchasing power—the effort required to cultivate one's own land is completely different from that required to cultivate someone else's land, as history has already proven.

This is similar to China's "housing reform" back then, which made ordinary people pay for the houses they lived in. Yuan Ye is following suit. Anyway, he doesn't dare to set the land rent too high, otherwise he would be hanged if the agricultural population went bankrupt on a large scale. So he simply decided to go all out and squeeze all the money out of the people of Wanjin to tide him over.

He had no choice. Japanese people are very similar to Chinese people. They also love to save money. If they have ten coins, they are lucky if they can take out one coin for daily expenses. If you don't offer something substantial, you can't empty their pockets, let alone put them in debt.

Suddenly, Wanjin became chaotic again. Land has a fatal attraction in any era and at any time. The people of Wanjin got excited again and began to divide the land behind closed doors. Everyone started to pay money, which was a way of sharing the cost of buying owls, frogs, beehives, white ramie cloth and the like at high prices with the wilderness.

Haruno is truly going all out to seize control of the Ise Peninsula; all that remains to be seen is whether there will be any profit after the autumn harvest.

(End of this chapter)