Warring States Survival Guide

Chapter 80 Tears Flowing

After Niwa Nagahide asked this question, Yuanye was slightly surprised.

He had thought that someone in the Niwa family was seriously ill and wanted him to go far away to see a doctor, so he went to visit them solemnly, but it turned out that he was here to help them find a job...

He hesitated for a moment, then thought of someone, and without beating around the bush, he asked politely, "Master Niwa, are you going to recommend Master Maejima Juichiro?"

Niwa Nagahide nodded and said, “That’s right.”

Yuanye was a little surprised: "Where are the others?" Don't people show up when looking for jobs these days?

Niwa Nagahide was slightly embarrassed, but immediately recovered: "Shiyilang admires your grace very much, and has often mentioned you in his conversations during this period, but I don't know what you mean, and I know that my ability is poor, so I dare not ask for it rashly. When I learned about this, I volunteered..."

Maeda Toshiie was peeling pine nuts nearby. Hearing this, he couldn't help but interrupt, "It was Shijiro's aunt who asked Wan Qianyo (Niwa Nagahide) to ask. Shijiro probably doesn't know yet. If you don't agree and don't want to add someone to the family, we won't tell him, so that he won't feel bad. He seems to have been rejected many times."

After he finished speaking, he turned to Niwa Nagahide and complained without any hesitation, "We are all family, there is no need to beat around the bush. Can't you just say what you want to say directly?"

Niwa Nagahide was completely embarrassed this time, but he had originally invited Maeda Toshiie to play a supporting role, so he couldn't blame him. He could only force himself to straighten his manners, bow slightly and say, "Excuse me, it is indeed as Maeda-sama said, I was entrusted by Shiyilang's aunt, but Shiyilang admires you very much and has mentioned your achievements many times in his letters home. This is absolutely true, and I can vouch for it with my character!"

Yuanye quickly waved his hands: "I understand, Lord Niwa, there is no need to do this."

Niwa Nagahide immediately said, "What your Excellency means is..."

Yuanye hesitated for a moment. Maejima Jiro was out there on his own with mediocre abilities and was running into obstacles everywhere. He could understand that his family was worried and asked others to help them find a job for him - parents asking relatives, and relatives asking relatives, to help their children find jobs. He had heard of this kind of thing many times before, but he didn't expect that after five hundred years, in a different country, things would be the same.

It turns out that wherever you go, it’s a society based on favors!

As for giving up on Oda Nobunaga and wanting to join him, he could understand that. It was probably like failing the civil service exam N times and then settling for second best and wanting to join a foreign or private company. It was also normal.

He would not discriminate against Maejima Juichiro because of this. After all, they were all trying to make a living. It was just that he could not decide whether it was good or bad to have a retainer...

He hesitated for a while before saying, "I'm sorry, Lord Niwa, I have never thought of recruiting retainers before, but if Lord Jiro is unhappy with his current job, you can come to me, but I can't promise anything for the time being."

After a pause, he asked again, "I wonder what Master Shiyilang's current annual salary is..."

Niwa Nagahide was slightly disappointed, but it was not surprising. The Maejima family had fallen on hard times, and Maejima Jiro was mediocre in ability, martial arts, archery, horsemanship, eloquence, looks, and renga. Everything was mediocre. His only advantage was that he was honest and hardworking. As a result, he left home at the age of fourteen and spent five years without finding someone who was willing to appreciate him. It was normal for Yuanye not to accept him - recruiting retainers was a serious matter, and it took real money, and the amount was not small, otherwise it would not be so difficult.

However, when he heard Yuanye's intention to recruit him as an official and increase his annual salary appropriately, he felt that he was helping his relative and that he could at least have an explanation. He immediately felt much better and said, "Shiyilang's current annual salary is five guanwen, and perhaps a little rice for support."

Five Guanwen? Is it equivalent to 2.5 Langdang? Temporary workers are really worthless, it was like this in ancient times...

No wonder the ancient Japanese were crazy about finding a good lord. It turns out it’s the difference between eating grass and eating meat!
Yuanye really didn't expect that Maejima Juichiro was so cheap. After all, Maeda Toshiie earned 50 kan a year, plus all the miscellaneous subsidies such as rice, clothes, shoes, and rewards, it might take more than a hundred kan a year to support a retainer like him.

Since it's so cheap...

Yuanye was really tempted for a moment. Maejima Jichiro's ability might not be very good, but during the time he had met him, he found this man to be very obedient and honest. He would do whatever he was asked to do and never complained or felt tired. He was literate and had a basic understanding of arithmetic. Perhaps he could hire him back to replace Aman and let him take charge of the chores in the soy sauce workshop - Aman was more suitable to be a street urchin. To be honest, it would be a bit of a waste of talent to let her manage the workshop. After all, it was easy to find a workshop director, but it was not easy to find a ninja like her who had been strictly trained for many years.

His mind raced for a moment, and he quoted his price, giving a lot of face to Niwa Nagahide: "If Lord Shijiro is willing to come and help me, the annual salary will be eight kan... ten kan! The support will remain the same. What do you think, Lord Niwa?" A workshop director who can write and calculate is barely a high-level worker in this era. He thinks it's okay to take the salary of four people. Anyway, he doesn't mind a few kan.

Niwa Nagahide also thought it was a good option. This condition was already quite good among his subordinates. The salary was quite high. If Maejima Jujiro lived frugally, he could still be of great help to his family. Moreover, Harano had not made any final decision. If Maejima Jujiro followed him diligently, he might be accepted as a retainer - anyway, it would definitely be better than following Oda Nobunaga. Oda Nobunaga really looked down on people like Maejima Jujiro, and Harano was definitely easier to talk to than Oda Nobunaga.

He placed his hands on his knees and bowed to Yuanye in a very formal manner: "Thank you very much, Lord Nohara. I am sorry for the trouble. Shiyilang's aunt will also be very happy and will definitely recite sutras and worship Buddha for you. Thank you very much."

Well, he also looked down on Maejima Juichiro, mainly because of his aunt's face.

Yuan Ye was also forced to kneel down and return the greeting: "No, no, you are so polite."

Niwa Nagahide stood up, feeling that he had finished talking about the simple things and it was time to talk about the difficult things. He coughed dryly and said, "Sir Nohara, I'm sorry, but there is one more thing. His Highness Kamizosuke ordered me to purchase iron cannons and asked me to consult you first. I wonder if you are willing to..."

"Oh, purchasing cannons?" Yuanye's mind moved, and he felt that he could take this job. He was quite interested in changing his job to become an arms dealer, so he immediately asked, "How many do you want?"

"300."

Yuanye gave up immediately. With his current resources and manpower, he could not complete such an order even if he bleed. However, he understood what Oda Nobunaga meant - Oda Nobunaga was cheated last time and bought a low-quality cannon for 160 kan. This time he should be equipping his troops. He was afraid of being cheated again, so he deliberately said something and asked Niwa Nagahide to ask him, the "cannon master", for advice.

Of course he would not refuse something that could be done with just a few words, so he asked Aqing to take back Aman's cannon and use it as a sample to explain to Niwa Nagahide the things to pay attention to when purchasing cannons, as well as what kind of cannon is suitable for large-scale equipment.

Niwa Nagahide didn't expect Yuanye to be so easy to talk to. He thought that the most difficult thing was actually the simplest. If he had known this, he would not have asked Maeda Toshiie, a geek, to help out. He listened attentively for a while, and soon borrowed paper and pen to write down everything Yuanye said.

Sawaki Tohachiro was just here for fun today. He just happened to be celebrating with Maeda Toshiie that he was also accepted as a retainer by Oda Nobunaga, so he came along. He didn't expect to learn the skills of arquebus by accident, so he just stood aside and listened very attentively.

It is very difficult to learn new knowledge these days, especially the "fashionable secret skill" of the arquebus. Even Oda Nobunaga had to go to the Kawanami clan to have a chance to learn it. The stingy Hashimoto Iktobe didn't even allow others to sit in. As a result, Yuanye didn't care at all, and answered every question in great detail, as if he couldn't wait for them to purchase 300 arquebuses to destroy all the traitors and restore peace to Owari.

Niwa Nagahide studied for the whole afternoon and gained a lot. He thought his trip to Sakai Town would be smooth and he would not be easily deceived. After he left, he looked back at the "Nohara House" on his horse and could not help but exclaimed: "Lord Nohara is such a sincere person!"

Maeda Toshiie was holding a can of premium soy sauce in his hand, and he nodded repeatedly: "Lord Nohara is indeed a man of high character. Next time we will treat you and have a good chat with him!"

Niwa Nagahide glanced at him sideways. This guy didn't help at all today, but in the end he ate more than anyone else, and he even took things while eating. It was extremely embarrassing. The next time he came to Yuanye to exchange feelings, he would be sick to be with him - he felt that Yuanye was not a person who was curious about things, but was misunderstood because he was very honest. He felt that the two of them got along well.

However, he just complained in his heart and didn't say anything. He turned around and went to find Maejima Juichiro, preparing to give him a surprise.

…………

Yuanye saw Niwa and the other two off, but he didn't feel anything. He was just thinking about one question:
Finally, a samurai came to join him. Although he was just a nobody and a temporary worker, he was from a legitimate local samurai family. Doesn't that mean he will soon become the lord?

So what kind of lord does he want to be?
Cao Cao type or Liu Bei type?

He stroked his chin and thought for a while, and felt that Cao Cao was not suitable for him. He did not like other people's wives, and Cao Cao and he were not compatible in personality. Big-eared Liu was more suitable for him!

Maybe it's time to improve my acting skills. Next time I see a famous general, I should hold his hand and cry, and the tears must flow!

(End of this chapter)