The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Judging from the family genealogy and family markings, this person's ancestors were probably local wealthy families who gradually rose to prominence. His family name was obtained by association, and it is unlikely that he was a descendant of the Masaya family, which belonged to the Seiwa Genji Yoshimitsu lineage, the same as the Takeda family.

Therefore, their family background and qualifications are not very high.

However, Katsuhisa Awaya was skilled in many areas and was widely praised for his conduct. He held considerable prestige among the lower-ranking samurai of Wakasa and was not an easy opponent.

Why does Shinzaburo know so much?

Because the Ruiyun Temple where the resistance was holding its rally belonged to the Linji school of Chan Buddhism, and the abbot knew Master Mingzhou.

We only know each other; we can reveal information that has no value, but we won't help you find out secret intelligence.

As a time traveler, Shinzaburo didn't have much of an impression at first. After racking his brains for a long time, he could barely remember that Itsumi Masatsune and Awaya Katsuhisa were the few Wakasa samurai who could appear in Koei Tecmo's games. One was slightly more intelligent but less principled, while the other was decent in both leadership and martial arts.

It seems that those who have made their mark on history are indeed quite capable.

At a very opportune moment, Itsumi Masatsune chose to defect, thereby gaining the favor of Matsunaga Nagayori and acquiring political capital. Meanwhile, Awaya Katsuhisa performed admirably in the previous battles as the rearguard, holding off Kawakatsu Tsuguji and saving many friendly troops.

It matches the impression from the game quite well.

Therefore, Shinzaburo paid special attention to these two people.

However, he may be the only one in the new ruling team who cares about the strategy against the enemy.

Both Takeda Nobuyuki and Itsumi Masatsune were eager to start dividing up the spoils of victory they had already gained.

Of course, their situations are different.

Takeda Nobutoyo is a traditional daimyo, already in his fifties or sixties, and it's impossible for him to personally seize real power. He simply wants to cultivate some trustworthy individuals. Given his current reputation, this is actually not very easy.

As for Itsuki Masatsune, he simply wanted a piece of the pie. Needless to say, the others who "abandoned darkness for light" had similar thoughts.

……

A careful listing reveals that the fruits of victory obtained previously were indeed considerable, no wonder some people were tempted.

As the main castle of the Takeda clan, Koseyama Castle occupied the most valuable part of Wakasa.

To its north lies Xiaobang Port, with a wide berth stretching over a kilometer along the coast, alongside which a commercial street in the shape of the Chinese character "工" has formed, housing more than 130 shops of all sizes.

What's even more interesting is that this place wasn't a "monmae-cho" or "torii-mae-cho" that developed around temples and shrines, so the presence of religious power wasn't that strong, and all merchants had to obey the management of the "Ohama Daikan-sho".

However, the Wakasa Takeda clan's rule was truly terrible. Over the past few decades, the position of daikan (governor) had been seized by powerful domestic officials, and the tax payment records were extremely chaotic. The amount received each year depended entirely on the actions of their subordinates, with the lowest amount ever being less than two hundred kan.

Furthermore, the southern and eastern parts of Koseyama Castle are alluvial plains with the best arable conditions in the entire Wakasa Province. Administratively, it consists of only a dozen or so villages, but as far as the eye can see, there are vast stretches of paddy fields along the river, and their yields appear to be significantly higher than those of the paddy fields in Tanba. This area has always been a direct territory of the Takeda clan.

There's also Kato Castle and Taniya Castle, which were previously captured by Miyoshi Yoshioki; there's a considerable amount of land in the vicinity. The original lords, the Muto family and the Terai family, are either dead or have fled, and are currently unable to offer any opinions.

What remains are some scattered small villages and small fishing grounds along the coast.

The key points for dividing the cake are these few areas.

After much effort, Shinzaburo has only actually received the title of Nada-sou Castle, located at the border of Tanba and Wakasa. Because Miyoshi Yoshioki demolished Kato Castle and Taniya Castle to strengthen Nada-sou Castle, the castle is now very fortified. However, the surrounding area is not developed, with an estimated value of only about 800 koku.

In the current situation, he does have the ability to fight for more territory.

But it will probably require a complicated negotiation, which will not only be troublesome but also have many potential problems.

Itsuki Masatsune seems to have already aligned himself with Matsunaga Nagayori, so he deserves some respect. Takeda Nobutoyo was sent back by Miyoshi Nagayoshi, who values ​​order, so he cannot be completely ignored either.

Therefore, Shinzaburo decided to achieve his goal in a smarter way.

Just then, Takeda Nobutoyo approached him privately and said in a serious tone, "The Wakasa samurai all followed the rebellious son in the past, and their return to serve now may not be out of genuine sincerity. I think that instead of rewarding these traitors, we should recruit Tanba samurai."

Shinzaburo had already made many calculations, and upon hearing this, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He frowned and said, "However, most of the best Tanba samurai have already started families and established careers. Even if they obtain land, they will probably only take it as their own rather than move here. Unless Lord Hōunken (Matsunaga Nagayori) issues a mandatory order."

This reason is clearly sufficient.

If the Tanba samurai takes Wakasa's command but doesn't move over, then it's meaningless.

The rather simple-minded Takeda Nobutoyo immediately nodded in understanding, then sighed helplessly, "That's very true. But what should we do?"

Shinzaburo pretended to have suddenly had an inspiration after some thought, and smiled, saying, "If someone didn't have land before, they would definitely value the newly acquired knowledge and actions very much."

Takeda Nobutoyo expressed his doubts: "Of course there are some brave and skilled samurai among the various states. However, how can we, both morally and logically, bestow generous rewards upon outsiders who have not rendered any service?"

Shinzaburo explained, "In the last operation, one group of pirates was indispensable. It is only natural to reward them for their contributions."

Then he recounted the story of Yamato Nessa.

Takeda Nobutoyo hesitated and said, "I'm afraid the other Wakasa samurai would not want to associate with such vulgar and uncultured pirates."

Shinzaburo laughed and said, "Isn't this perfect? ​​If you can't integrate with your colleagues, you can't collude with them."

Takeda Nobuyuki reluctantly nodded to indicate that he could accept it, and then changed the subject: "Is there anyone suitable to serve as the magistrate of Obama under Kubo Genban?"

Shinzaburo immediately became wary.

Why does this question seem to have a probing tone?

Looking up, I saw that Takeda Nobutoyo's eyes were darting around, and his hands were clenched unnaturally, clearly showing fear and defensiveness.

Shinzaburo then decisively shook his head and said, "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Lord Jibu, but among my retainers, there is no capable official who can govern Obama Port."

Takeda Nobutoyo quietly breathed a sigh of relief, but said aloud, "That's a real pity."

Shinzaburo added, “If Lord Jibu needs a recommendation, I do have a friend from the Hasegawa family of Kyoto, whose given name is Munehito. He might be suitable. I’ve also recently heard that the two wealthy merchants in Kohama, who run a local housing estate and Sekido, are very reliable. In addition, I am quite familiar with the Sakai district and can ask someone to find a talented person for me.”

Upon hearing that these people were not retainers of the Kubo family, Takeda Nobutoyo's expression finally relaxed, and he nodded slightly, saying, "The names mentioned by Kubo Genban are certainly correct. I have no more worries about entrusting the affairs of state to you."

Shinzaburo maintained his humble demeanor while emphasizing the background element: "I am merely here to assist Lord Miyoshi Yoshioki on his behalf. Lord Jibu, you are the true lord of Wakasa."

Takeda Nobuyuki's expression was complicated upon hearing this; it was hard to tell whether he was happy or sad.

Shinzaburo also remained silent for the time being, allowing the other party to gradually understand.

After a moment, Takeda Nobutoyo spoke again in a low voice: "I do not trust Itsumi Suruga-no-kami. However, due to the circumstances, I am afraid I have no choice but to give him additional gifts, otherwise it would be detrimental to the people's morale."

Shinzaburo offered a seemingly well-intentioned reminder: "It seems that Itsumi Suruga-no-kami and Lord Hōunken (Matsunaga Nagayasu) are getting along quite well these days."

Takeda Nobutoyo sighed twice, both unwilling and helpless.

Shinzaburo had anticipated this development and said with a smile, "I believe there is a good way to test Itsumi Suruga-no-kami's loyalty in less than a year."

He then explained the plan in detail.

After hearing this, Takeda Nobutoyo was overjoyed: "Brilliant! As expected of Tanba Zhong Kui, he always has a way to subdue evil spirits."

Shinzaburo said, "If it is proven later that Itsuki Suruga no Kami had no intention of disloyalty, I ask that Lord Jibu not continue to hold prejudices against him. Calling one's own senior retainer an evil spirit is not very respectable if it is overheard."

Takeda Nobutoyo sneered, "Kubo Genban is far too kind to people! Itsuki Suruga no Kami is a cunning and treacherous man who has done many shameless things that harm the public for his own benefit, but he is good at covering it up. With your help this time, we will definitely expose his true colors!"

Upon hearing these words, Shinzaburo remained silent, only feigning concern for the country and its people, shaking his head and sighing bitterly.

161. Noble Character and Integrity

"The three villages of Kato, Kano, and Okada, plus more than ten fishing villages along the coast of Enshiki County, should amount to no less than 6,800 rice paddies. If that's correct, Lord Nesa can start considering how to choose a name suitable for a samurai."

Shinzaburo remained as nonchalant as ever when they met. He tossed the book on the ground, looked around, and complained, "Why wasn't there any food prepared this time? Even though the roasted bird isn't very good, it's better than nothing!"

Nasa Yamatosuke was dumbfounded, staring blankly for a long time before finally reaching out with trembling hands to pick up the book and carefully read it through. Then he slowly raised his head, his face full of disbelief, and exclaimed, "Lord Kubo Genban is really... really... I don't even know what to say!"

“We’ve met quite a few times this year, why are you getting more and more reserved?” Shinzaburo acted as if he were at home, peeling open a mandarin orange, picking a segment and popping it into his mouth, then frowning and shaking his head: “It’s sour and bitter, you must have bought a local one because it was cheap, right? Only the famous ones from Tokaido are delicious.”

Yamato Nagasawa, however, was not in the mood for joking and continued to sigh, "I originally thought it would be at least two or three years from now, but I didn't expect it to happen within a year..."

“So…” Shinzaburo threw away the unpalatable tangerine, his posture becoming slightly more serious, “When discussing serious matters, I will not speak nonsense. All promises are naturally within the plan.”

“Now that things have come to this, I can only believe whatever you say.” Nasa Yamatosuke bowed and said, “From now on, Lord Kubo Genban is my lord.”

“However—” Shinzaburo laughed, “My name is indeed on this certificate of conduct, but it was ultimately issued by the Takeda family, the guardians of Wakasa.”

“While I dare not compare my wisdom with Lord Kubo Genban, I am not a fool,” Nasa Yamatosuke said solemnly. “Even without witnessing it firsthand, I can roughly guess the ins and outs of this matter.”

"In that case..." Shinzaburo's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. "I hope we can work together to create a great future!"

……

Go back to a few days ago.

Since most of the former officials had not yet "abandoned the darkness and embraced the light," the Goseyama Castle appeared quite deserted.

Takeda Nobutoyo lived in the Honmaru with more than twenty followers, Kubo Yoshiaki occupied the second-highest Northwest Maru, Itsumi Masatsune was in the third-highest Southwest Maru, and the rest, Hongo, Aoi, Ōshio and others, each had a house in the outermost Higashide Maru.

When people gather together for a meeting, the place seems even more deserted.

During this period, Takeda Nobutoyo did want to promote some new retainers, but his reputation was so bad that ambitious people preferred to serve Kubo Yoshiaki or Itsumi Masatsune rather than bother with him.

Murai Takamori, a loyal guard who had followed Takeda Nobutoyo, told Shinzaburo that after years of confusion, he finally saw a glimmer of hope; and a local refugee leader named Oyamada Nobumura hoped to find a patron. They were both properly settled.

On that day, everyone gathered to discuss the issue of dividing the cake, which was of great concern to everyone.

Shinzaburo first put forward the principle of "rewarding merit," and everyone agreed.

Everyone assumed he would be the first to eat the fatty meat, so no one else dared to compete for it; they were just waiting to drink the soup.

Unexpectedly, Shinzaburo said, "Several months ago, the pirate captain Nasa Yamatosuke played a great role in lifting the siege of Saidayama Castle. He has five hundred strong men under his command, and now is the time when he needs men. I think we should recruit him with generous salaries."

Itsuki, Hongo, Aoi, Ooshio, and the others were all greatly alarmed. Although they did not openly object, their faces were quite grim.

However, Takeda Nobuyuki, who was initially hesitant, became very excited upon seeing this and supported Shinzaburo's proposal without hesitation.

Seeing that the situation was difficult to stop, Itsumi Masatsune made up a reason, saying, "Recruiting hundreds of pirates as retainers may damage the integrity of the Wakasa Takeda family."

The rest all agreed.

What he said was indeed not without reason.

Shinzaburo had already thought of a way to refute this, but before he could speak, he saw Takeda Nobuyuki confidently say, "First, grant these knowledge and skills to Kubo Genban, and then have Kubo Genban recruit pirates. In this way, we can cover all aspects."

You know what, this old Deng really does have a knack for coming up with brilliant ideas.

This might just be a way to shift the blame for damaging the family's reputation, but Shinzaburo doesn't care about that.

Yi Jianchangjing had nothing to say, lowered his head and remained silent, his expression still not good.

Shinzaburo was slightly surprised by the development of the situation. After a short while, he came out and reassured the villagers: "The villages south and east of Koseyama Castle are under the direct control of the governor. I believe that the magistrate, Itsumi Suruga-no-kami, should be in charge of the finances. Two-thirds of the annual tribute collected should be transported upstairs, and one-third should be paid as a reward to the magistrate."

Having already been persuaded, Takeda Nobuyuki immediately gave his permission.

Faced with this generous gift, Itsuki Masakatsu appeared rather cautious. He pondered for a while before bowing to express his gratitude and accepting the lucrative position.

The alluvial plains near Koseyama Castle not only yield high output, but their simple terrain also makes it difficult to hide farmland. It's easy to collect 3,000 koku of annual tribute each year, and the official reward is 1,000 koku. With a little effort, there's a chance to get even more.

Normally, a daimyo would hold onto such prime territory firmly and would not hand it over to outsiders, but what could he do when the Wakasa Takeda clan was so incompetent?

Kubo Yoshiaki made a suggestion, Takeda Nobuyuki and Itsumi Masatsune had no objections, and the other underlings didn't have much room to speak.

The last important issue is the personnel arrangements for the Kohama Bay Government Office.

This step yielded a rather abstract result.

With Takeda Nobuyuki's friend Minami Isshinzai serving as chief magistrate, Hasegawa Munehito, recommended by Shinzaburo, serving as second magistrate, and Itsumi Masatsune's younger brother Itsumi Tsunehisa serving as third magistrate, they jointly managed Obama Bay. Together with local tycoons Hikari Takayuki and Sekido Hisahisa, they formed a "group of five" who met regularly.

It may seem complicated, but in reality, Nanhe Yixinzai is a tea master who is almost sixty years old, and Yijian Jingjiu is not very good at business and arithmetic. Only the person recommended by Shinzaburo has the ability and energy to handle the practical matters.

After completing the repairs to Ōkumi Castle and Ōkumi Road, there were no tasks worthy of his attention for a while, so Hasegawa Munehito returned to Kyoto to compose poetry and paint.

He was only willing to take the position now that he had finally found one that interested him, the "Deputy Magistrate of Kohama".

Overall, Shinzaburo was very satisfied.

He achieved more than 80% of the desired effect without causing too much controversy, and even subtly laid some groundwork for future internal purges if necessary.

The remaining allocations of some scattered rewards were basically done on a village-by-village basis, granted to those who had submitted earlier and contributed to the last siege, such as Honjō, Aoi, and Ōo. The details of the process are not worth mentioning; it was best to maintain a general balance.

This also reveals that the Wakasa Takeda clan's retainer structure was unhealthy. Its retainers were mostly independent minor lords, each controlling at least one or two villages, with few samurai of lower rank or experience. This meant they failed to establish direct contact with the lower ranks.

This is the weakness of the traditional "protector daimyo".

Besides those present, there were others who only considered switching sides after Yoshioki Miyoshi entered Koseyama Castle. Naturally, they wouldn't have the chance to share the spoils today, or even to speak in the meeting room. They'd have to contribute in the next battle before they could even get a chance to eat.

Otherwise, how could we face those who were the first to "abandon darkness and embrace the light"?

……

The plan was implemented immediately after the meeting.

After being recruited by the government, Yamato Nezumi set up a makeshift base on a peninsula near Kohama Bay, becoming a person who combined the identities of a pirate and a samurai, and his strength increased.

Hasegawa Munehito accepted the position at the magistrate's office. He came from Kyoto and quickly became acquainted with the local merchants, gaining an initial understanding of the scale of trade and calculating the appropriate tax amount.

Masatsune Itsumi received an important task perfectly suited to the title of "Bōgyō-nin" (a high-ranking official in charge of official duties): to oversee the fertile direct territories of his lord's household. The reward for this task was also quite generous.

Takeda Nobutoyo optimistically believed that although the eastern half of Wakasa Province was still under the control of treacherous officials, the overall situation was gradually improving and was now completely under control, with the restoration of the entire territory just around the corner.

The other minor lords also received rewards to varying degrees.

Everyone has a bright future.