The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 22

After a moment's thought, Shinzaburo Kubo nodded and said, "Given that person's personality, it shouldn't be difficult. There's another person present, whom we already have in mind."

Matsunaga Nagayoshi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “I remember a few months ago, Kubo Village was harassed by savage samurai, and your father was wounded by an arrow. We told the outside world that you had taken this as a warning and worked hard to improve your archery skills. Today, you finally showed your skills and shot down the villains of the Hatano family who attacked the scholar monk, thus bringing glory to the Naito family.”

Shinzaburo Kubo was somewhat reluctant to see the matter of Kinbei's father's injury brought up again, but at this moment he could only nod and smile in agreement.

Matsunaga Nagayori paused for a moment, then pondered for a while before saying, "For their valiant fight against the enemy, they deserve a commendation. However, since the scholars of Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto are involved, simply awarding a commendation to the Tanba Naito family is insufficient. We will request His Highness the Governor of Kyoto to write it in his name."

Your Highness, the Prefect of the Capital, who is that?

He sounds like a big shot, but Shinzaburo Kubo isn't familiar with him.

After Matsunaga Nagayori's explanation, I finally understood.

Now that Miyoshi Nagayoshi is currently attacking Hosokawa Harumoto, the shogunate's regent, directly attacking a prestigious clan would be problematic in terms of public opinion. Therefore, he has supported a member of the Hosokawa branch family with claim to power, ostensibly to help this person seize the throne.

This man's name is Hosokawa Ujitsuna, and he currently holds the rank of Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Right Kyodaibu. He is customarily addressed as "Lord Kyojoin".

The title "Ukyo-daifu" was a hereditary official position held by the Hosokawa family's main branch. Hosokawa Harumoto's side still refers to themselves as "Ukyo-daifu," with both sides holding their own versions of the title, which is recognized by both sides at court.

Then, both sides actually claimed to hold the position of Kanrei (shogun's deputy) of the shogunate. However, the Ashikaga family of the Muromachi shogunate currently had a less than amicable relationship with the Miyoshi family and only recognized Hosokawa Harumoto.

Matsunaga Nagayori, as the acting head of the Naito family, helped Kubo Shinzaburo obtain a letter of thanks from Hosokawa Ujitsuna, which earned him a great deal of honor.

As for why not ask Miyoshi Nagayoshi for it?

Currently, Miyoshi and Naito do not have a nominal superior-subordinate relationship. They are both colleagues under Hosokawa Ujitsuna, who is a "one-sided shogunate kanrei" (regent).

041. Words that are detrimental to unity

Shinzaburo Kubo stayed at Yagi Castle for several days and met with several envoys.

One was a samurai named Teramachi Michiaki, a close retainer of Miyoshi Nagayoshi, and the other was a monk named Sōen, a grand-disciple of the Zen master Sōta.

During the meeting, Matsunaga Nagayori maintained a gentle and confident demeanor, and solemnly introduced Kubo Shinzaburo, the "Tanba Warrior" who had made great contributions.

Clearly, the "injury of the scholar monk" incident was treated like a "funeral celebration".

Finally, a man from Kyoto called "Tsuda Hyogo-suke" arrived. He was the representative of "Hosokawa Ukyo-daibu," also known as "Kyocho-dono." He brought a "letter of appreciation."

The phrase "感状" (feelings/complaints) consists of only a few dozen characters and roughly means that on a certain day of a certain month of a certain year, in Noguchi Village, Funai District, Tanba Province, during the battle between the Naito family, the guardians of the area, and the Hatano family of Taki District, Kubo Shinzaburo was brave and decisive and won the merit of defeating the enemy general, so-and-so. This is an expression of appreciation.

The content was unremarkable, and the name of the enemy general was not worth mentioning. The main thing was that it had the signature of Hosokawa Ukyo-daifu at the back, which was quite rare.

Matsunaga Nagayori solemnly declared it to be "the highest honor," adding that "the entire Naito family should be mindful of learning from this virtuous man." However, Kubo Shinzaburo felt that since this thing couldn't be eaten or drunk, it seemed to be of little use.

Last time, after shutting down the gambling den, I got the "Jile Temple Leader's Post" and ten silver coins, which I feel are even more useful.

Of course, he wasn't oblivious to the atmosphere. On the surface, he still pretended to be humbled and flattered, and respectfully accepted the token of gratitude from "Tsuda Hyogo-suke," who spoke with a Beijing accent.

Having dealt with his duties in front of his superiors, he brought up this matter afterward. Upon hearing it, "Pig-Slaying Hero" Ooi Shigeie was stunned for a long time, then clicked his tongue in amazement, shaking his head and sighing, "I originally thought that as a samurai, one must fight bloody battles and risk death to gain honor, but I never expected to encounter something like this! Is it just to save face for a big shot, ignoring the facts? I even doubt whether the stories of those old samurai I saw back home, wielding their certificates, were true or false..."

Shinzaburo Kubo couldn't help but smile.

……

It was ten days later that I returned to my post after receiving the "certificate of honor".

Matsunaga Magoro had already chosen a location for "building the castle." It was an abandoned ancient pass located on the only way for the Hatano family to invade Noguchi Township. The small hill, several meters high, could be regarded as an earthen rampart, with a moat dug around it. The remaining walls and ruins on it were not difficult to repair.

When Shinzaburo Kubo returned from Yagi Castle, a "Banjoya" in Settsu Amagasaki had already accepted the order and dispatched more than twenty workers to the site.

The first phase of "rope tensioning" has just been completed, and the foundation is being compacted and wooden stakes are being driven in.

The construction site looks bustling yet well-organized, truly befitting a professional team.

Even the temporary tents set up nearby as workers' quarters were arranged very neatly.

For some reason, there were more than twenty elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people standing guard by the roadside, armed with makeshift weapons. Some of them had white hair and beards and hunched backs, some were children who hadn't even grown to four feet tall (about 122 centimeters), and some were using bamboo spears as canes to cough on the ground...

They appear to be performing security duties, but could this group of "vulnerable people," who would be in a welfare home in later generations, really be effective?

Upon closer inspection, there were indeed a few young and strong men inside.

But most of them are indeed the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled.

Shinzaburo Kubo approached the construction site with a puzzled expression.

Immediately, many elderly, weak, sick and disabled people recognized him, bowed and called out "Lord Shinsaburo".

Then, Matsunaga Sunroku, having heard the news, strode out from the tent area, looking furious and indignant. He said, "It's good that you're back. Let's discuss what to do. These troublemakers around here are simply outrageous!"

It appears that during the construction period, this acting official also lived in a tent near the construction site.

We no longer need to stay overnight in Kubo Village.

Kubo Shinzaburo quickly asked, "Please calm down! Lord Sun, what happened?"

Matsunaga Sunroku breathed a sigh of relief, his expression softening slightly. He pulled Kubo Shinzaburo to a secluded spot and slowly explained, “Isn’t it thanks to you that we secured the budget for building the fortress? I thought that during construction, we needed to prevent the Hatano family from sabotaging it, and after it was completed, we would need someone to guard it. So I ordered each of the thirteen villages under my jurisdiction to send two people with weapons to stand by here. Considering that spring planting was not yet over, and that no household could be without able-bodied laborers for an extended period, I specifically instructed that there were no restrictions on the specific candidates so that each village could take turns… But those unruly people, upon hearing that there were no restrictions on the candidates, actually only sent the old, weak, sick, and disabled to make up the numbers! Only Kubo Village sent able-bodied young men! I even promised them two meals of military rations every day! They really don’t know how to be grateful!”

He started off explaining things reasonably, but then he got angrier and angrier, his childish yet dark face turning bright red.

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo Kubo felt both amused and exasperated.

It's true that Matsunaga Sonroku didn't think things through when he gave the order, but it must be said that the villagers in each village also had a bit of a sense of humor.

Fortunately, Kubomura sent capable people instead; otherwise, he would have lost face.

This is going to be difficult to handle...

After a moment's thought, Kubo Shinzaburo didn't give a conclusion first, but instead asked, "Lord Sunroku, didn't you recently take in that Shimizu Village Otona Hachiroza and give him a samurai identity? Where is that guy now? He might be more familiar with this area than I am, and perhaps he has some insightful opinions."

Matsunaga Sunroku replied without hesitation, "I sent Hachiroza to be the supervisor. I asked about this before, and Hachiroza believes that there must be someone colluding behind it, otherwise the thirteen villages wouldn't be so united. So he suggested finding the person who colluded and making an example of them. By the way, Shimizu Village is another village that sent able-bodied men to take turns on duty."

Kubo Shinzaburo was slightly surprised to hear this. After thinking about it carefully and looking at Matsunaga Sunroku's expression, he said in a low voice, "It seems that Lord Sunroku is not prepared to do as Shimizu Hachiroza wishes."

Matsunaga Sunroku shook his head: "That's true. In my opinion, even if we catch the person behind the scenes, we don't have a good charge to pin on them, so it would be inappropriate to kill them rashly. Moreover... I have another concern, which I'm sure Shinzaburo can guess."

After saying this, Matsunaga Sonroku's childlike yet dark face showed an expectant expression, as if hoping that Shinzaburo would guess his thoughts.

"Lord Sun is truly wise!" Kubo Shinzaburo, having been tested by various coded messages in his previous life, was a man who could understand the unspoken meaning from a single sentence. After offering this compliment, he immediately continued, "As far as I know, Shimizu Hachirozusa has a history of several feuds in the area. If the mastermind behind this matter is someone who has offended Shimizu Hachirozusa... then the people might think that he is seeking personal revenge, and that you have been used."

“Ah, how can you say that…” Matsunaga Sunroku waved his hand symbolically, revealing a meaningful smile, and said in a low voice, “Don’t say things that are not conducive to unity. I believe that even if Shimizu Hachiroza has some ulterior motives, it’s just a momentary lapse of judgment, and he may not have any great evil intentions.”

“Of course, of course!” Kubo Shinzaburo said solemnly, “Shimizu Hachiro was able to become a samurai entirely because of Lord Sunroku’s kindness. I believe that unless he is a heartless person, he would not have had any thoughts of enriching himself at the expense of the public while serving under you.”

"In fact, living in the chaotic Warring States period, things like conscience and morality are really not very reliable." Matsunaga Sonroku shook his head and sighed, then slowly said, "Compared to that, what surprises me more is the difference in vision and magnanimity. Some people can only see the little bit of immediate benefit and don't even look up."

Shinzaburo Kubo smiled without saying a word, but inside he was starting to lose his composure.

Actually, he didn't have much hostility towards Shimizu Hachiro; he was just trying to guess what his superior meant and speaking accordingly.

It was clearly none other than Matsunaga Magoroku himself who wanted to say things that were "detrimental to unity."

But they refuse to say it themselves and insist on having someone else say it for them. What can you do?

042 It's better to guide than to block.

During their brief conversation, the two reached a consensus on their views regarding Shimizu Hachiro Sanato.

After a moment of silence, Matsunaga Magoro frowned and said with concern, "Regardless of whether someone is behind this, sending only the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled from each village to comply with orders is ultimately a problem. These days, the Hatano family has probably been scolded by the high-ranking monks of the Rinzai sect, so they've toned it down a bit. But it won't be long before they send people to interfere with my castle construction. If it's still these same elderly and weak people then, how can we defend against them?"

Kubo Shinzaburo pondered the problem carefully and came up with a solution. He then said, "Lord Sun, your previous order was for each village to send two people to stand guard. You will be responsible for providing military rations, right? I wonder what the specific budget is?"

Matsunaga Sonroku replied without hesitation, "Each person can have a maximum of five koku per day. With thirteen villages and two people per village, that's 45 koku per year for 365 days. Lord Nagayori has already agreed to this budget."

Shinzaburo Kubo mentally did the same: five koku is one two-hundredth of a koku, two people from each of the thirteen villages is twenty-six, multiply by three hundred and sixty-five… After quickly calculating, he subconsciously said, “It should be forty-seven koku, four dou, and five sheng…”

Matsunaga Sonroku's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head and smiled, saying, "I am not good at arithmetic."

Actually, compared to most samurai of his time, he was already quite good at arithmetic, but he was still a bit inferior to Shinzaburo.

Judging from their attitude, they didn't really value arithmetic and didn't think they needed special tutoring.

Shinzaburo Kubo was a little embarrassed. He coughed twice to pretend nothing had happened before revealing his thoughts: "We'll change the plan from now on, and we won't provide these military rations anymore."

Matsunaga Sunroku was surprised to hear this and said, "Now that military rations are being provided, only the old, weak, sick and disabled are willing to come. If the supply is canceled, won't even fewer people be willing to stand guard?"

Shinzaburo Kubo confidently said, "Have the villagers bring their own food. However, we will set up a daily reward program."

Matsunaga Sonroku was still baffled by this and became a little anxious. He laughed and scolded, "Just finish already! I really can't guess what's coming next."

Kubo Shinzaburo smiled and apologized before giving a detailed explanation, saying slowly, "Find a large rock that only a few strong men can move, a medium-sized rock that an ordinary strong man can move, and a small rock that even a slightly weaker person can move. After the guards finish their shifts, the people selected by each village will come and move the rocks. Moving the large rock will earn you one liter of rations per day, moving the medium-sized rock will earn you five gou (a unit of dry measure), and moving only the small rock will earn you two and a half gou. If you can't even move the small rock, then you'll get nothing."

As soon as he finished speaking, Matsunaga Sonroku lowered his head to think for a moment, then relaxed his brows, clapped his hands and laughed, praising, "Excellent, excellent! In this way, even during the busy farming season, there will always be people who will take the time to stand guard because they can get rice. And since ordinary able-bodied men can only move medium-sized stones, the rice consumption will not be higher than the original budget. In case some villages are still stubborn and only allow the old, weak, sick and disabled to come, at least I won't have to contribute so much grain."

Kubo Shinzaburo further suggested, "Moreover, Lord Sun, you can record the names of those brave men who can lift large stones and try to provide them with some financial assistance, so that they can be given priority when conscripting soldiers in the future."

Upon hearing this, Matsunaga Sunroku hesitated. After considering it several times, he shook his head and said, "You mean to bypass the villages and directly issue military service to individual villagers... Isn't that a bit too troublesome? Doesn't that mean we need to notify each household one by one?"

Kubo Shinzaburo was just saying it casually, and since the leader had no interest in it, he let it go.

……

Matsunaga Magoro instructed Kubo Shinzaburo to spread the word about the "new policy." He then immediately began to take action.

Our first stop was Kubo Village. Upon arriving home, we were unsurprised to find Old Man Kinbei still drunk and unable to manage, with little Ariko taking care of him. We immediately summoned young Shingoro and his two lackeys, Kumakichi and Hashisuke, and asked them, "When Lord Sun ordered each village to send two people to stand guard, did anyone suggest that since anyone could go, we should just send two old, weak, or disabled people?"

Shingoro, the young boy, immediately stood up and said smugly, "Someone did say that, and they've almost convinced Uncle Kumakichi and Uncle Hashisuke! Luckily, I insisted that we must select capable young men to make our elder brother proud!"

Shinzaburo Kubo breathed a sigh of relief and praised his younger brother: "Well done! It was definitely the right thing to let you temporarily take over the duties of Kubomura Otomiya."

Then he turned to the other two people and gave them a serious reprimand: "You two are both old men who have helped my father govern Kubo Village. How come you are not as clear-headed as Shingoro on this kind of issue? Who exactly told you this?"

The pale and thin Kumakichi and the dark-faced and short Hashisuke were both embarrassed and looking at each other. The former slapped himself and said angrily, "It's that Kozaemon from Takeda Village! We thought he was just giving us a friendly reminder!" The latter said with shame, "We saw that Kozaemon has been getting close to the magistrate lately, so we thought we could just do as he said."

Kozaemon from Takeda Village...

That guy has always been rather hostile towards the local "wealthy and influential families," and Matsunaga Magoroku exploited this sentiment to gather some intelligence. Therefore, he's been exceptionally polite and friendly to Kozaemon lately. Not only did he give him two kan (a unit of currency) as agreed to help with his mother's funeral, but he's even considering the possibility of further promotion.

How could it be him...?

Shinzaburo Kubo kept the name in mind and didn't say anything for the time being, but he did announce the latest "reward plan" for the militiamen on guard duty.

Xiongji and Qiaozhu were quite excited when they heard this, saying that they were relatively strong and might have a chance to move the big rock and get the reward of a liter of military rations every day.

Kubo Shinzaburo felt a sense of disappointment and shook his head helplessly. He said to them, "Look at my current status. I not only have a salary, but I have also gained the right to develop the Gokurakuji territory on my own. There will be even more development in the future. You are all my relatives. Do as I say, and the benefits in the future will be far more than just a liter of military rations a day."

Kumakichi and Hashisuke then awkwardly quieted down.

Fortunately, although these two are a bit slow-witted, they are truly obedient. They never questioned their father, Kinbei, back then, and now they treat Kubo Shinzaburo's words as ironclad rules.

……

Shinzaburo Kubo instructed Shingoro and Kumakichi Hashisuke to continue keeping an eye on Kubo Village, while he himself, along with Oi Shigeie and the monk Jōsō, went to the neighboring Takeda Village and found the "Kozaemon" to question him.

The very first sentence is: "Was it you who advised each village to assign the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled to deal with the orders of the acting magistrate? Lord Sun Liu reduced your village's taxes and rations, and this is how you repay him?"

Shinzaburo Kubo was already much taller than others, and now, dressed in samurai attire with two burly followers behind him, he exuded an extremely imposing aura. A single, cold question from him was enough to terrify an ordinary person.

Kozaemon, who was usually fearless, was so frightened that he took two steps back. After a moment, he mustered his courage and walked back, his neck stiff, and said, "Lord Sun only said that he needed people to stand guard, but he didn't expect the villagers to fight... Can't the old people and children do it too? Conscripting able-bodied men at this time of year will delay the busy farming season for every household..."

Shinzaburo Kubo stared at the other person expressionlessly and said, "Do you know that two families were killed by mounted samurai from the Hatano family? For those two families, it wasn't just a matter of delaying the harvest."

Upon hearing this, Kozaemon's confidence immediately vanished. After a moment of silence, he whispered, "But even if each village sends two people, they're likely to meet a grim fate if they encounter mounted samurai from the Hatano family... Ultimately, only samurai can defeat samurai..."

"If you think that ordinary people should just run away when faced with enemy samurai—" Kubo Shinzaburo interrupted him calmly, "then put away your old complaints. In this generation, those who dare not raise a gun will not be respected."

Upon hearing this, Kozaemon seemed to be struck by lightning. He looked up in astonishment, speechless and dumbfounded. After a long while, he finally reacted, took two steps back, bowed deeply, and said with a sincere expression, "Shinzaburo-sama, you are right! I was so confused!"

Then, after hesitating for a long time, Kozaemon said, "Actually, the one who came to inform each village to send two people to stand guard was Hachiro from Shimizu Village... It was him, uh... He repeatedly emphasized to me that although Lord Sun said there were no restrictions on the selection, and you could only send the old, weak, sick, and disabled, there was nothing we could do, but... uh..."

"But what?" Shinzaburo Kubo's expression grew even more serious, but he still asked in a calm tone, "What else did he say at the time?"

Kozaemon took a deep breath and said angrily, "His exact words were—you worthless weeds, you weren't even worthy of licking Lord Sun's ass, but now that you have the opportunity to serve, you should be willing to be skinned alive and have your blood drawn!"

"I see."

Shinzaburo Kubo nodded slightly.

Kozaemon shook his head in frustration, saying, "Thinking back, it wasn't Lord Sun who said those words... but I was too angry at the time, so I told some acquaintances that since there were no restrictions on the personnel for this mission, why not send the old, weak, sick, and disabled to do the work... and since many people were dissatisfied with the increase in the amount of money and provisions, I persuaded them with just a few words..."

043 Matsunaga Sonroku discusses the art of employing people

After hearing Kozaemon's words, Kubo Shinzaburo could only sigh, "As expected, a small temple has a lot of evil spirits, and shallow water has many turtles!"

Thirteen villages, a small community with a combined population of perhaps no more than two thousand, have somehow developed this kind of infighting that is both laughable and pathetic.

You say that was Shimizu Hachiro's conspiracy... Can such a flawed plan, which can't stand up to scrutiny, really be called a "conspiracy"?

It is indeed a level of strategy comparable to village warfare.

It's estimated that Shimizu Hachiro didn't just instigate Kozaemon alone, but rather stirred up trouble and added fuel to the fire everywhere. Although Kozaemon did have some connections, it wasn't enough to get more than a dozen villages to act together.

However, Shinzaburo Kubo no longer wanted to find the answer himself.

He decided that if necessary, the follow-up investigation could be handed over to the monk Jingcheng, who had nothing else to do.

Because the refugees that Master Mingzhou of Guangfu Temple promised to send have not yet arrived, the reclamation activities near Jile Temple cannot proceed for the time being. Apart from following by his side to boost his prestige, Abbot Jingcheng is of no use and is just eating for free.