The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 40

This battle was an "expedition," and Matsunaga Nagayori specifically instructed that only half of the combat personnel should be mobilized, while three-quarters of the logistics personnel should be mobilized.

As a result, Shinzaburo, acting as the magistrate of Noguchi Village, recruited 75 soldiers and 60 support staff, for a total of 135 people.

On the first day, they gathered at Yagi Castle, on the second day they arrived at Kameoka, on the third day they went to Akutagawa Castle, on the fourth day they went to Amagasaki, on the sixth day they went to Takiyama Castle, and on the seventh day they finally entered Harima Province, arriving at Ejikichi Castle.

In seven days, they covered approximately 120 kilometers. While this sounds like a very slow pace, it was already faster than the average marching speed of peasant soldiers of that era.

It should be noted that Hideyoshi's 230-kilometer journey with over 20,000 men took 10 days and was known as the "Great Return," while Oda Nobunaga's 60-kilometer journey with only Makai took 2 days and was known as the "Rapid Drive in the Snow."

Running 15 kilometers a day is the current norm.

When the people of Noguchi Township first left Tanba and arrived in the Settsu coastal area, they were quite excited. However, they quickly grew tired of it.

The main problem was the lack of road maintenance, coupled with bad weather and continuous light rain, which quickly turned the ground into mud. In addition, the constant hot, humid winds blowing in from the sea made it feel extremely hot and humid.

Moreover, there are already a lot of troubles during the march. Every night, tents have to be pitched, and the next morning, the camp has to be dismantled. At night, there are also shifts to keep watch, so there is no mood to enjoy the scenery along the way.

Driven by the tall and imposing "Lord Kubo Genban," the group barely managed to maintain their formation and arrived at Zhiji Castle exhausted, ready to join the battle.

This already earned Shinzaburo a verbal commendation.

Because more than 70% of the dozen or so agricultural military units had members who had fallen behind, Matsunaga Nagayori had to set aside an additional team to pick them up at the very back.

The Tanba army, with a total of only 1,300 combat soldiers and 900 logistics personnel, had suffered more than 50 non-combat casualties after seven days of marching.

Only the two hundred hatamoto men directly under Matsunaga Nagayori's command maintained a good condition.

Because these two hundred men were all samurai lords. Half of the nine hundred support staff were "borrowed" to serve them.

Fortunately, after arriving at Eji Castle, the weather began to clear up, and the Tanba army was assigned to a clean and flat area on the outskirts to set up camp. After everyone set up their tents, they felt that everything would gradually go smoothly.

Shinzaburo's mood improved as well.

Imai Munehisa and Uozumi Hikoshiro came to visit the military camp, bringing a large bag of sweets as a gift. Shinzaburo tasted a few and ordered them to be distributed, so that each of his men could have one or two pieces, instantly boosting the morale of the reserve troops.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Imai Munehisa briefly mentioned his business dealings in the neighborhood, while Uozumi Hikoshiro jokingly offered to find a way to send a woman in, which Shinzaburo sternly refused.

Although there was indeed little military discipline in this era, and some samurai would actually bring prostitutes into the camp, Shinzaburo himself felt that it was very inappropriate.

In fact, the fact that businessmen with connections could easily enter and leave the military camp already made him feel uneasy. However, this was the norm in this era.

Imai Munehisa and Uozumi Hikoshiro said they would be staying at the nearby Daizanji Temple for a while, and then said goodbye and left.

……

At this point, seven days of military service had passed.

As is customary, soldiers eat their own rations for the first seven days before setting out, and then they eat the daimyo's rations.

Generally, the standard is six cups of brown rice per day.

However, when Shinzaburo sent the monk Jingcheng to collect the soldiers' rations, he only brought back three and a half boxes of rice per person, which consisted of half brown rice and half mixed grains.

How great is this?

The saying goes, "An army marches on its stomach." If soldiers are not well-fed, how can they fight bravely?

Without hesitation, Shinzaburo went to argue with the military supply commissioner.

Upon meeting, the other party was already surrounded by a group of samurai, lying on the ground wailing: "My lords, the supplies sent from above have all been given to you. There's not a single grain left. If you're still not satisfied, then cut off my head and boil it!"

Clearly, the shortage of supplies was not something that a logistics official could solve.

But the samurai could find no other outlet for their anger, so they could only point at the military supply commissioner and curse him.

Swearing certainly won't solve the problem. But what else can they do?

Shinzaburo stood aside watching his colleagues curse, feeling both annoyed and helpless.

Unexpectedly, a moment later, someone patted him on the shoulder and said, "Shinsaburo, no, he should be called Genban now... That's not important, come quick and help!"

Looking back, wasn't that my old boss, Matsunaga Magoroku?

Before Shinzaburo could respond, Matsunaga Sonroku hurriedly pulled him aside to a quiet place and whispered a brief explanation.

It turns out that due to the weather, sea routes have been severely affected recently. The Miyoshi family had prepared a large amount of money, food, and supplies, but they were all stuck near Sakai Town and could not be transported to the front lines in the short term.

The higher-ups are currently robbing Peter to pay Paul, and the emergency allocation of some grain is far from enough. Orders have been issued to immediately switch to land transport to get the food to the front lines as quickly as possible. Matsunaga Sunroku, for some reason, was also singled out by the higher-ups and ordered to produce a budget figure before nightfall.

However, Matsunaga Sonroku's arithmetic skills were only so-so. After gesturing on paper for a long time, he felt that everything was still a mess and his mind was getting more and more confused, so he went out for some fresh air. He happened to run into Shinzaburo, who was always very opinionated, and quickly asked for his help.

Upon hearing these words, Shinzaburo first breathed a sigh of relief.

The problem is with transportation, not a lack of inventory, so it's easy to explain.

If we manage to appease the soldiers for a few days, the supplies will surely arrive, and there shouldn't be any mutiny.

As for Matsunaga Magoro's request, Shinzaburo did not refuse, but asked curiously in return, "Your uncle Matsunaga Danjo is a well-known magistrate. Why don't you ask him about this?"

Matsunaga Sonroku looked dejected and said plaintively, "It was he who personally called out my name and insisted that I calculate a number!"

Shinzaburo chuckled to himself.

So this is Matsunaga's family's homework!

It doesn't matter, didn't I help others with their homework a lot in my past life?

Shinzaburo nodded in agreement.

Then, on the way to Matsunaga Magoroku's camp, they began to ask about various details—

How many laborers are currently on standby? How many oxen and horses are available? And how many human-powered carts and animal-powered wagons are available?

Where are the personnel, livestock, and vehicles located? If a temporary conscription or hiring is to be launched, which locations would be most suitable?

How much rations do laborers need per day? How much feed do cattle and horses need? What is the transport capacity when there are carts and when there are no carts?

Are there any areas on the road that are so muddy that vehicles cannot pass?

What is the approximate cost of temporary hiring?

……

After asking questions one by one, by the time they reached Matsunaga Magoroku's tent, they had gathered most of the basic information.

Shinzaburo thought about it carefully and realized that it would be very troublesome to come up with a comprehensive transportation plan by taking all the data into account.

However, if it's just to deal with the elders' test, it doesn't need to be too precise; it just needs to be roughly correct.

So Shinsaburo casually set a standard, planning to transport 3,000 shi of military rations to the front line in five days. He calculated the money and food consumption required in terms of manpower, material resources, and other aspects, and quickly came up with a total figure.

Then he looked at the "answer sheet" and felt it was a bit simple and hasty, so he picked up his pen and added a few more lines to express his "foresight" before handing it to Matsunaga Sonroku.

Matsunaga Sunroku glanced at it briefly, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. He nodded and said, "Thank you, Genban! Time is running out, I'll go and report now!"

079 The Good Intentions of the Evil Bullet

Shinzaburo returned to his reserve unit and explained to everyone that the Miyoshi family wasn't short of food; the delay was simply due to transportation issues, and things would return to normal in a few days.

Everyone was still very dissatisfied, but after complaining for a while, they accepted reality.

At least the higher-ups distributed half of the soldiers' rations to each person; they weren't given nothing at all, so the soldiers could at least eat half their fill.

In fact, if one is not marching or fighting, but simply waiting in the camp, three and a half measures of grain are more than enough.

Someone suggested asking nearby residents to "borrow" some food.

Shinzaburo did not criticize this idea from a moral standpoint, but rationally analyzed it, saying, "Our Tanba army is not the first to arrive at Ejikichi Castle to join the battle; there are tens of thousands of men ahead of us. If there was anything to loot nearby, it would have been looted long ago!"

After these words were spoken, no one had any further objections.

After finally calming his soldiers down, Shinzaburo, with the help of his attendants, went to rest in his own small tent.

As a mid-level warrior who had a horse to ride during the march, he wasn't physically exhausted, but he felt mentally drained.

Based on recent observations, I've discovered that the prestigious Miyoshi family isn't actually that reliable. While they are certainly much stronger than the Naito family, the guardians of Tanba, they are far from being as formidable as I had imagined.

Suddenly, he began to worry about his future.

After tossing and turning for a while, I finally managed to calm myself down and fall asleep. But I was woken up again just moments later.

Still grumpy from waking up, I impatiently lifted the curtain and saw my old boss, Matsunaga Sonroku, again.

The person stood respectfully outside and gave a proper bow to express their apology.

How could I possibly maintain my composure? I could only feign concern and say, "It's alright, it's alright, I haven't fallen asleep yet either."

Matsunaga Magoroku nodded quickly and said, "That's great. Uncle... that is, Lord Matsunaga Danjo, would like to meet you."

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo was instantly wide awake.

I'm talking about Matsunaga Hisahide!

For Koei Tecmo game players, this guy is a real "big shot," much more famous than his younger brother, Matsunaga Nagayori.

only……

The fact that he was summoned at this time means...

"Has my involvement in drafting the grain transport plan for you been exposed?" Shinzaburo asked with a wry smile.

“Exactly.” Matsunaga Sunroku said without hesitation, “Lord Danjo only glanced at it a few times before he determined that the document was written by someone else. But please rest assured, Genban said this with a smile.”

Shinzaburo, however, was unsure, thinking that such a ruthless and cunning man must have the ability to keep his emotions hidden.

But in any case, we can only follow their lead now.

So he woke up Inato Shigenobu and the others, gave them a few brief instructions, and then went out.

……

It was getting late, and we needed to carry a lantern to walk.

There were many patrol teams on duty in the military camp, and ordinary soldiers were prohibited from leaving their posts at night. Matsunaga Magoroku obtained a special pass signed by a high-ranking official and, after five careful checks, was able to successfully approach Echiji Castle.

Ejiki Castle is a small town that can only accommodate 500 people, but a big shot like Matsunaga Hisahide can still occupy a large courtyard next to the main castle.

He also brought many servants with him.

Upon arriving at the entrance, he announced his name, only to be told that Matsunaga Sonroku should wait in the main hall first, while Kubo Yoshiaki would go to see him alone.

Shinzaburo feigned fear and followed the servant through the corridor into a room with eight tatami mats. Before him stood an elderly samurai who looked to be in his forties or fifties.

The man was wearing a blue robe with embroidered patterns and a black hat. He sat upright with his beard completely shaved, revealing his sharp and rugged features.

At first glance, this guy has an air of authority that commands respect without anger, more like a seasoned veteran of many battles than the cunning and treacherous schemer that the public usually imagines him to be.

However, since he is here, it is undoubtedly Hisahide Matsunaga himself.

There was a small table in front of him, on which lay a document. It must have been Matsunaga Magoroku's "homework".

Shinzaburo solemnly prostrated himself on the ground and said with deep emotion, "Tanba Kubo Yoshiaki greets Lord Matsunaga Danjo!"

"Straighten up and raise your head, let this old man take a good look at what the rising stars are like!"

A dry, hoarse voice reached his ears, and Shinzaburo responded, "Yes!" He calmly stood up and met a pair of bright, piercing eyes.

"What a strong man!" Matsunaga Hisahide said in a calm and collected tone, "I had only heard that 'Tanba Zhong Kui' Kubo Genban was brave and skilled in battle, but I never expected that he was also skilled in both literature and martial arts."

The words were meant as praise, but given the current atmosphere, they also created an invisible pressure.

Fortunately, Shinzaburo had witnessed countless workplace manipulation tactics in his previous life and had long since become a seasoned veteran, immune to psychological attacks. He followed suit, maintaining a serious demeanor, and slowly bowed, saying, "Thank you very much! I am extremely honored to receive Lord Danjo's praise."

Matsunaga Hisahide slightly moved his head and nodded, still expressionless, and said, "The plan that Kubo Genban wrote for Sun Liu today is acceptable as a way to help a friend with his errands. But if he hopes to use it to gain my favor, he is delusional."

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo showed no sign of disappointment and smiled calmly, saying, "What Lord Danjo says is quite right."

Matsunaga Hisahide's eyes shifted slightly, quickly scanning up and down, and he said with a cold face, "It's not surprising that the Miyoshi family has two hundred officials capable of making such a plan."

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo showed concern and frowned, saying, "For the large Miyoshi family, having only two hundred qualified magistrates seems insufficient."

Then the two fell silent, and the room became quiet.

Matsunaga Hisahide sat motionless, emanating an invisible pressure.

Shinzaburo remained impeccably polite yet composed throughout.

After a long silence, Matsunaga Hisahide suddenly burst into laughter, his expression softening instantly. He held up two fingers and said leisurely, "That transportation plan could be made any competent magistrate at any time. But the two suggestions attached to it are truly wise words."

Shinzaburo had anticipated this sudden shift in the atmosphere, but he remained calm and composed, bowing again and saying, "I am but a country bumpkin, and my rambling thoughts may offer some small assistance to Lord Danjo."

Just now, after helping Matsunaga Sunroku finish his homework, he felt that the writing was a bit short and lacked sincerity, so he added two more paragraphs.

The first paragraph states that if the Miyoshi family has a long-term plan to advance into Harima, they should not rely solely on waterways to transport grain from Sakai, but should instead establish military outposts along the way to create a continuous supply line.

The second paragraph states that if there are no plans for a westward expedition in the future, and this is just a temporary operation, then there is no need to go to great lengths to handle the logistics and transportation ourselves; it would be better to entrust it to merchants.

Matsunaga Hisahide reached for the document on the table, glanced at it, stroked his smooth chin, and smiled, "I can say this clearly: the Miyoshi family will not have any plans for a western expedition within the next three years. I'm sure Kubo Genban can easily see that as well."