The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 106

Jin Bingwei's father suddenly noticed that his son and daughter-in-law were exchanging flirtatious glances, and he immediately felt uncomfortable. He got up and made an excuse to leave.

Then, as she walked, she thought: Shinsanrou is still the most filial son. Of the two concubines he sent, one is older and experienced, knowing how to be considerate, while the other is still young, lively, and lovely—both are quite good. Now that they've given birth to the sixth and seventh children, why can't they have an eighth?

200 Tea Utensils Business and Imperial Collection

Hiroaki Ooyuki, who was solely focused on making money, truly considered every possible industry to develop, taking into account his own circumstances. Charcoal making, pottery, papermaking, pine resin... he really put in a lot of effort.

However, he knew that he might not be able to carry it out on his own, so he wrote a letter to Wakasa asking for help.

At the time, Shinzaburo was discussing the management of Kohama Bay with close friends when he received the letter. He couldn't help but chuckle and shared it with those around him.

Master Mingzhou, being an elder, first frowned slightly, then smiled and said, "It's certainly a good thing that young people are full of fighting spirit. It's much better than being obedient and unambitious! Why not let them do as they please? Even if none of them succeed, it will still be a valuable experience."

Hasegawa Munehito, who came from a powerful family in Kyoto, only glanced at it briefly before showing his disapproval and calmly analyzed: "The unit price of charcoal is too low, the sales volume of pottery is limited, and it is a small business to run; the process required for papermaking is too complicated, and pine resin must be obtained from specific tree species... In short, it is all complicated."

Then, the monk Jingcheng took the letter, read it carefully, pondered for a moment, and said cautiously, "As Lord Zongren said, papermaking and pine resin are quite difficult, but charcoal making and pottery making are worth a try. With hard work, one may be able to make a profit of one or two hundred strings of cash every year, which is not a bad business."

Incidentally, the monk Jingcheng now refers to himself as "Jingcheng of Gokurakuji Temple" and has obtained the identity of a samurai, but this does not mean that he has returned to secular life; rather, he has become a dual-status monk.

Despite his still listless expression, Hasegawa Munehito interjected, "Then I suggest focusing on pottery. Although it's not usually very profitable, if we happen to acquire exquisite and unique tea utensils, have an artist embellish them a bit, and then send them to Kyoto and Sakai for some promotion, we might be able to make a fortune."

Master Mingzhou nodded with delight upon hearing this: "Indeed! Nansō-ji Temple in Sakai-chō holds dozens of tea ceremonies of varying sizes every year. If Shingoro has any excellent works, I can personally take them there and recommend them to the refined gentlemen."

“With Master Mingzhou around, things are indeed much easier.” When this topic came up, Hasegawa Munehito finally became interested and quickened his pace. “If we can produce eight or ten excellent pieces, the pottery kilns will be sought after. Then, artisans will come to search for treasures and try to collect excellent pottery pieces that have not yet received attention.”

Their back-and-forth banter left the monk Jingcheng speechless. Although he, a country bumpkin, had considerable business experience, he had never imagined such a sophisticated approach.

Therefore, the monk Jingcheng couldn't help but ask, "How much silver is a fine tea utensil worth?"

Hasegawa Munehito smiled, pretending to be serious, and said with a swaying head, "Some time ago, Matsunaga Dansho of the Miyoshi family acquired 'Kujuku-ha Nagashi,' which is known as the best tea maker in the world, for a fee of 1,000 kan."

"How much? A thousand strings of cash? Really?" Monk Jingcheng's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, his eyes widened to the size of eggs, and he was so shocked that his soul seemed to fly away.

“It’s probably fake.” Master Mingzhou couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. “It’s just the buyer and seller praising each other. It’s not hard to sell such a famous item, which is one of the best in the country, for around two hundred strings of cash. If it’s higher, there’s probably something fishy going on.”

"Oh my, that scared me to death... But two hundred strings of cash is still a lot." Monk Jingcheng calculated with his fingers, "Ordinary pottery teapots used by common people cost no more than seven or eight coins for the cheapest ones, and thirty coins for the most expensive ones, with an average price of no more than twenty coins. One fine tea ware is worth ten thousand ordinary pottery teapots!"

“Not all of them are that expensive.” Hasegawa Munehito smiled for a while before kindly explaining, “As Master Meishu said, only the most renowned pieces in the country are in the 200-kan range. Ordinary fine pieces are probably around 3 to 5 kan. As for craftsmen seeking high-quality molds from kilns, they usually offer around 100 mon.”

“Indeed, pottery making is the best option.” Shinzaburo concluded, then pointed and said, “Jōjūn, go and assist Shingoro in preparing for this matter. Take a budget of 100 kan with you first, and apply for more if needed.”

"Eh? My lord, please give me a few more coins!" Monk Jingcheng, relying on being one of the earlier recruits, put on a servile demeanor and shamelessly bargained: "You just received 2,800 shi of autumn grain from the seventeen villages of House Mountain Castle, plus 2,500 guan of transport money from the imperial merchants, so you can just casually sprinkle some money on me..."

“The first payment is 100 kan, that’s all.” Shinzaburo remained unmoved. “Although the income is considerable, it has other plans.”

Jingcheng sighed and remained silent.

Master Mingzhou asked curiously, "I wonder what you mean by 'other arrangements', Lord Sado?"

Shinzaburo smiled and said, "There's no need to hide this matter. First, we need to continue purchasing arquebuses to strengthen our military. In addition, I plan to recruit some subordinates from the Kinki ronin who receive monthly pay and rations but do not have a fiefdom, and I will also build a few longhouses for them to live in."

Hasegawa Munehito was puzzled: "A truly talented person might not be able to accept this kind of treatment."

Monk Jingcheng said thoughtfully in a low voice, "When I was in exile, I was exhausted and hungry. If I had heard of a place that provided money and food, I would have gone to try it long ago."

"This is just to give ronin a place to stay," Shinzaburo explained. "Once they achieve merit, they can gain knowledge and become proper samurai."

After this was said, Hasegawa Munehito felt he could barely accept it, while the monk Jōjō already considered it a great favor to the ronin.

Master Mingzhou pondered another question: "Do these people need a separate title to distinguish them from samurai retainers and half-servant foot soldiers?"

Shinzaburo pondered for a moment and said, "Since we are not granted the authority to manage affairs, but only the right to receive money and provisions from the imperial archives, let's call it 'receiving provisions from the imperial archives' for now."

……

At his command, the Kubo family posted notices in towns and streets such as Obama, Shimajo, and Ōyū Castle, and also promoted the recruitment of "Gōkō-tori-shu" (recruiting members for the "Gōkō-tori").

This draws on the concept of "support rice" popular in the East, where one person's support refers to one shi and eight dou of rice per year, which is equivalent to about five he per day.

Cash wages plus rice subsidies constituted a complete salary.

Shinsaburo set three standards:

The lowest rank was called "Gokura-tsu-sou-sho" (御藏取众小者), which cost 200 kan (贯) plus one person's support, and included living in a longhouse with a large dormitory-style room. This amount was more than enough to support a bachelor.

The higher-ranking ones were called "Yuzang Quzhong Zhongdi", which cost 2.4 million kan plus two people to help them. They were provided with a long house and a small room to live in, which was barely enough to get married, have children and continue their lineage.

Above that is "The Imperial Collection is of the People's Hearts," which includes four strings of cash, eight hundred cash, and four people to support you. Other benefits are negotiable.

The highest rank of samurai is close to forty koku of grain, which is probably practically a figurehead; one can't expect many qualified applicants. After all, these days, those recruited with money and provisions are unlikely to be truly capable individuals.

Shinzaburo didn't have high expectations for the "Mikura no Tsuri" (a group of soldiers who could be recruited from the ground up). He just wanted someone who was more reliable than the temporarily recruited ronin and mercenaries. The key was that they were politically clean and simple and wouldn't have too many entanglements with the various forces, big and small, within the territory.

The corresponding assessment requirements are also very low.

There are three steps: first, give a general explanation of your background; second, demonstrate your physical fitness; and third, see if you have a basic understanding of literature and arithmetic.

Both the academic and military aspects have established three levels of standards: "excellent," "qualified," and "unqualified."

If you pass any one of the tests, you can become a "junior"; if you pass two or pass one, you can become a "middle"; and for those above that level, Shinzaburo will personally assess them to decide whether to hire them as "comrades".

If you possess valuable skills, you may also recommend yourself.

As I said before, you can't expect to attract real talent just by posting a notice; you'll only find mediocre people who are barely usable.

The Kubo family is so short of even mediocre people that they have no choice but to resort to this tactic.

The plan is to recruit a maximum of two hundred "minor recruits" and one hundred "middle recruits," then keep them around to observe them slowly, select the best and eliminate the weak, and build a core team.

As for the concern that spies from other forces might have infiltrated the group?

That would be worrying unnecessarily.

These days, the level of social development is far from sufficient to give rise to the concept of "intelligence agencies," let alone counter-espionage work.

Given the samurai's generally "unwavering loyalty," obtaining confidential information or persuading them to defect on the battlefield would be too easy; there's no need to go to great lengths to cultivate such a relationship.

Like the Ashina family of Aizu, which was eroded by its surrounding neighbors, with the Date, Satake, and Uesugi factions forming a three-way power struggle within the family, there were few loyal retainers. However, thanks to the relatively talented head of the family, Ashina Shishisai, they were still able to dominate the region.

why?

Because the families of Date, Satake, and Uesugi next door are also full of potential traitors, it's not far off.

It's impossible for warlords to solve the problem of vassal loyalty. They should think about how to make even less loyal vassals play a role.

Previously, Shinzaburo had recruited Ishikawa Masayuki, a Mikawa native skilled at escaping, along with several other petty thieves, sending them out briefly in disguise to conduct reconnaissance whenever there was a mission. He also took in Akechi Mitsuhide, a man of exceptional ability and ambition but lacking opportunity, and sent him to Omi Province to work behind the scenes. In this way, he was already a pioneer among the daimyo of various provinces.

If you really encounter an enemy capable of mass-producing special agents, given the huge difference in organizational capabilities, it's better to surrender than fight; that would be more dignified.

201 Special Products

"The stewed beef smells so good! Even though it's not from a specialized beef cattle breed, it still has a unique flavor. How long has it been since I've had this?"

Shinzaburo picked up a piece of fine rib meat with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, savored the aroma of the animal fat, and couldn't help but close his eyes and hum a little tune.

In a village in Oi District of Wakasa Province, a ox carrying goods fell down a hillside and broke its spine. Seeing that it could not be cured, the ox had to be handed over to the nearby Eta butcher in exchange for some money.

Upon learning of this, Shinzaburo immediately sent someone to buy half a cow's worth of meat.

Then I went to a merchant in Kohama Bay and bought some spices like ginger, wasabi, perilla, cinnamon, and dried tangerine peel. These things were considered medicinal herbs back then, and you had to buy them from a traditional Chinese medicine shop or a herbal medicine store. (The difference between a shop and a herbal medicine store was retail versus wholesale, but in reality, there wasn't a clear distinction.)

Set up a large iron pot, light a fire, and stew it over a wood fire; the aroma fills the air.

However, Shinzaburo is now a refined man who has studied "The Tale of Genji" and has a high-ranking monk relative, so he cannot act vulgarly. Openly stewing meat in the city would be somewhat detrimental to his reputation.

It just so happens that I'm going to the port town of Kohama Bay to personally interview a few people, so I decided to arrange a picnic by the sea for myself, which is conveniently located nearby.

Unfortunately, Ah Dou had a psychological aversion to eating beef and claimed to be unwell, so she didn't accompany them. Seeing this, the other concubines also dared not go along.

Delicious food is best enjoyed by oneself.

As for those few candidates who need to be interviewed...

This is quite unexpected.

Perhaps because Shinzaburo had already become a local lord, the notice he posted actually attracted quite a few ronin (masterless samurai) to apply, with a dozen or twenty people volunteering every day. Most of them were indeed just mediocre people filling quotas, but there were also a few relatively capable ones.

There was a man named Kokufu Raito, the second son of a retainer of the Rokkaku family in Omi Province. He did not inherit the fiefdom and was not on good terms with his father and brothers, so he left in anger. This guy was skilled with a spear and a club, could hum a few lines of waka poetry, and had read the Taiheiki. He could be considered a low-level scholar and warrior.

Another was Iwamatsu Shigenobu, a native of Kozuke province who had previously served the Kanto Kanrei, Uesugi. He claimed to have experienced the Kawagoe War but became a ronin (masterless samurai) because he refused to submit to the Later Hojo clan. He was experienced on the battlefield, had some knowledge of military science and personnel management, and also had his own ideas on how to manage troops.

Another character, Naoki Hasegawa, was originally a resident of Minato-cho, Ou Province. Admiring the local culture, he moved to Kyoto, working in a shop and mingling in tea ceremony circles. However, due to his ingrained Tohoku (Northeast China) habits, his career didn't progress smoothly. In reality, his arithmetic, eloquence, and etiquette were all quite good.

In addition, there were eight other people in similar situations, making a total of eleven "wise men from the countryside," worthy of Kubo Yoshiaki's personal invitation and recruitment, demonstrating his respect for talent.

Based on previous promises, it was only natural to hire these people as "Yuzang Quzhong Tongxin" (御藏取众同心), with an annual salary of four strings of cash and eight hundred cash, plus four people to support them (seven shi and two dou of rice).

Shinzaburo specifically instructed that these eleven people should not be placed in the large dormitory in the longhouse, but should instead live in a separate thatched hut.

Then he invited a few new friends to the picnic spot to enjoy the stewed beef together.

Those people had all experienced hardships and wouldn't adhere to traditional taboos like nobles and monks in their ivory towers; they immediately began to feast.

Shinzaburo seemed quite happy.

These days there are no refrigerators, so meat can't be stored forever. It's best to eat it as soon as possible to avoid waste.

……

Just as they were enjoying their creation, a flock of seabirds suddenly flew over with eerie cries and then dropped a barrage of "high-altitude bombs."

"My stewed beef!"

Shinzaburo hurriedly waved his sleeves to cover the large iron pot.

Meanwhile, the surrounding attendants rushed forward to protect their lord's head.

After a while of tinkering, it was finally over.

Looking at the pile of white spots on the ground, Shinzaburo's appetite diminished greatly. He shook his head and sighed, "These seabirds aren't very tasty. They only do bad things. They should be killed as enemies of Korea!"

Everyone was silent.

Only the Frankish Garcia seemed not to fully understand the ways of the East, and laughed heartily, saying, "My lord, bird droppings are actually useful; I've seen people collect them to make saltpeter!"

What? Saltpeter?

Yes, composting manure to produce nitrates!

That's an essential component of gunpowder!

Moreover, it is the rarest raw material in the gunpowder formula.

It can be said that the cost of using firearms throughout the Far East was constrained by the availability of saltpeter.

Otherwise, why would they say that a single shot from a musket costs several coins?

Thinking about it in light of later memories, it seems to be a reliable path.

If you can make this kind of thing, then you don't need to worry about human relationships or social niceties.

Shinzaburo quickly asked Garcia to explain the details.

But the southern barbarian showed a rare expression of shame, shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I've only heard about it a few times, I don't know exactly how it's done."

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

At this moment, Meng Peiyu, the former eunuch of the Great Meng Dynasty, spoke up: "Not only the remains of seabirds, but also the discarded fish and shrimp in the vicinity can be used to make nitrates after they rot. I have only heard about this before, and have not personally experienced it."

Shinzaburo wasn't discouraged; he simply told the two to think hard and provide as much information as possible.

Then, combining his memories from his previous life, he managed to come up with a rough framework for the saltpeter field.

However, the specific details of the process are completely unknown, and it seems that the craftsmen will have to try repeatedly.

At this moment, the eleven newly adopted "Imperial Collection of the People's Hearts" brought a pleasant surprise.

Three of them, who were overhearing the conversation about saltpeter, indicated that they possessed relevant knowledge.

Perhaps in order to gain extra attention from their new master, they spoke in great detail, describing their experiences in great detail.

Naoki Hasegawa, from Mutsu Province, claims to have some knowledge of the traditional method of saltpeter production, having previously worked in this field. This traditional method involves scraping a layer of saltpeter-containing ash from the corners of a house or its foundation, dissolving it in water, boiling it to crystallize, and then extracting the final product by utilizing the difference in solubility at high temperatures.

Meanwhile, in Omi Province, the governor Raito once served as a spiritual guide for a monk named Ishiyama. He overheard fragments of information about the cultivation method for making saltpeter, learning that it involved piling silkworm excrement in a cellar. This process, after a long period of preparation, was realized. Of course, the specific techniques were unknown; they were a secret of the Jodo Shinshu sect and would not be easily revealed.

Iwamatsu Shigenori of Ueno Province said that a few years ago, some people in eastern Japan found a method of refining saltpeter by burning seaweed in ancient Chinese documents and tried it. However, the efficiency was always too low, and the cost was higher than buying it from overseas, so it could not be put into practical use. He had participated in it and learned some lessons from the failure.

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo was overjoyed and immediately gave the three men their first task upon entering the Kubo family—to develop saltpeter.

The basic idea is still very simple.

First, find a piece of land, dig a big pit, and compact the bottom and sides to retain heat and moisture as much as possible. Then, lightly sprinkle some soil or fine sand on top.

A shed needs to be built over the pit to ensure that it is dark but allows ventilation.

Temperature requirements are easy to say; in a narrow country, the weather is generally warm but not hot from spring to autumn.

Put bird droppings, silkworm droppings, and even human excrement, as well as rotten fish and shrimp into the mixture, keep it loose, sprinkle some water, and wait for the reaction.