The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 4

After leaving the house, Shinzaburo asked for directions. Kinbei, impatient with the explanation, pulled out a crumpled, hastily drawn map showing the approximate location of southern Tanba Province. He said it was hand-drawn by a monk from Kofuku-ji Temple decades ago, and was now barely legible. Even so, he treasured it immensely.

Shinzaburo stared for a long time, only able to vaguely determine that the straight-line distance between Kubo Village and Yagi Castle was not far.

However, once you leave the village, the valley entrance is a rugged mountain road that twists and turns, requiring at least three or four hours of walking.

They encountered traces of wild animals several times along the way, and even ran into suspicious people of unknown identity, but were not attacked.

The group consisted of twenty strong men, more than half of whom were armed. Neither wild boars nor thieves would be foolish enough to engage in a head-on confrontation.

At noon, we found a gentle hillside to rest and eat some dry rations. After a short rest, we continued on our way and arrived at Yagi Castle around 5:00 PM.

Looking around, Yagi Castle encircled a hilltop spanning several hundred meters in circumference, with several layers of walls, making it a fairly large area. Unfortunately, the structures were all low earthen and wooden, and even the most ornate "Royal Residence" at the highest point of the main compound was only one story high, a single-story building. It was nothing like the Japanese castle I had in mind; it looked more like the fortified compound of a local tyrant.

Shinzaburo couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed.

Old Man Jin Bingwei's eyes were full of envy as he pointed to the hillside and said, "When my family can establish a lineage and have a house to live in in this city, we will be considered to have made something of ourselves!"

Then he turned back and instructed, "The rest of us will wait outside the city. You, Shinsaburo, will be the one to report for duty this time. You'll have to get used to it eventually, so consider today a trial."

Shinzaburo thought that simply checking in shouldn't be too difficult, so he stepped inside.

……

By the afternoon, a considerable number of people had gathered near Yagi Castle.

Outside the city wall, a large group of people sat haphazardly on the grass. Their weapons and armor were a motley collection, and most of them were disheveled and dirty. They were chatting, joking, picking lice, and scratching their feet. It was hard to tell whether they were soldiers or refugees; they were probably peasant soldiers from various villages.

Those riding horses, dressed in full armor, carrying katanas, and accompanied by attendants, walking through the city gates, were likely samurai from the Naito family.

There were also a dozen or so guards on the road maintaining order, bowing to the warriors while loudly cursing the peasant soldiers.

Shinzaburo figured he wouldn't get a friendly reception, and though he was a little annoyed, he didn't dare show it. He could only force a smile and step forward, saying, "We're from Kubo Village, here to answer the call for military service. May I ask..."

Before he could finish speaking, the sound of galloping hooves suddenly came from behind, and someone shouted, "Welcome back to the city, Lord Bizen!"

Shinzaburo was stunned for a moment before he realized that the so-called "Lord Bizen" referred to Naito Kunisada, the current head of the Naito family.

At this moment, whether they were warriors, peasant soldiers, or guards, they all hurriedly made way, retreated to both sides, and knelt down to pay their respects.

Shinzaburo was a beat too slow and had to hop and jump aside. Just as he caught his breath, he saw dozens of armored cavalrymen carrying various colored flags and patterns galloping past. In the middle of them was a general whose appearance was not clearly visible. Wherever the troops went, dust flew up.

People on the roadside were fawningly shouting things like "May Lord Bizen's military fortune last forever," but the general didn't stop for a moment, didn't respond, and hurriedly went into the city.

Then the people kneeling on both sides gradually stood up, discussing among themselves, and lazily returned to their previous positions under the urging of the guards.

This delay made it even harder for Shinzaburo to find anyone to help him. He endured the glare and asked several times before finally finding the round-faced samurai in charge of registration at the door. He quickly and respectfully stepped forward, handed over the "Military Service Notice," and said, "All the people from Kubo Village have arrived. Please take a look, sir."

The round-faced warrior sat on a stool on the side of the city gate, holding a booklet in his hand, half asleep, seemingly not hearing anything.

Shinzaburo had no choice but to ask another question tentatively.

Then the round-faced samurai slowly opened his eyes, yawned, looked him up and down, and scolded him irritably, "I know, you're from Kubo Village! Can't you see I'm busy? I'll come find you later."

Shinzaburo was now at a loss.

Logically, after receiving the conscription notice, the village should arrive at the agreed location on time, confirm the number of people and equipment, and then receive the corresponding "arrival certificate" from the person designated by the daimyo according to the "military service order". Only then is the process considered complete.

If you don't have this "report of arrival" when they investigate afterwards, you'll have a hard time explaining yourself. They'll accuse you of evading military service, and you won't be able to protest your innocence.

The round-faced samurai is completely uncooperative right now, what should we do?

After standing there stunned for a moment, another group from a different village came to report. The village chief leading the group skillfully pulled out a large handful of copper coins and handed them to the round-faced warrior. Then the round-faced warrior's expression finally improved a little. He slowly got up from his stool, lazily completed the counting, and issued the "arrival certificates."

Hi, so that's what happened...

Shinsaburo slapped his forehead, thinking to himself, "I even consider myself a seasoned veteran of society, how come I didn't even realize this basic unspoken rule?"

Fortunately, Jin Bingwei's father was not short of money and had given Yongle a lot of money for travel expenses before he came.

Having just glimpsed the village chief's handful of copper coins, which he estimated to be only a few dozen worthless coins, Shinzaburo simply took out twenty-five Yongle coins—equivalent to one hundred worthless coins—from his baggage, respectfully held them out with both hands, and offered them to the round-faced samurai: "Sir, you..."

The words had barely left his mouth when the round-faced samurai strode forward, gripped Shinzaburo's hand tightly, and clutched the Yongle coins firmly in his grasp. Then, his brow relaxed completely, and he burst into laughter: "Well... Kubomura, is it! You're certainly loyal! Let me check the military service records for this time... two Guzashi, ten gunmen, eight Kona, that makes twenty. Where are they?"

Shinzaburo immediately bowed and gestured for him to lead the way.

The round-faced samurai, with his protruding belly, strolled over slowly. From a distance of several dozen paces, he glanced at the people of Kubo Village and nodded, saying, "No problem, the number of people and weapons are correct."

Then, with a smile, he took out paper and pen, readily signed the "arrival certificate," and even patted Shinzaburo on the shoulder, saying things like "young and promising."

……

Having finally completed the process, Shinzaburo breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the group.

Although it was just a small procedure that didn't take much time, I felt inexplicably tired.

Seeing this, Jin Bingwei's father sat on the ground and laughed, saying, "Now do you understand why everything is difficult when you go out?"

Shinzaburo couldn't help but complain, "The Naito family's magistrate only takes money before he'll count the number of people and issue 'arrival certificates.' Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

"That's exactly what we wanted to do—give you a good beating!" Old Man Jin Bingwei chuckled again and asked, "How much did you spend on bribes?"

Shinzaburo made a hand gesture to honestly answer, "I gave that guy twenty-five Yongle coins."

Old Man Jin Bingwei stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "We gave double the amount. Our Kubo Village isn't short of money and doesn't need their help to cover it up. According to the usual practice, a small gift is enough."

“This thing actually has a market value…” Shinzaburo complained, then defended himself, “I think it only cost a little more money, but it made the Magistrate happy, so that he wouldn’t have to keep arguing about the number of people and weapons, and cause unnecessary trouble.”

When Jin Bingwei's father heard his son's rebuttal, he was about to get angry. But after frowning and thinking for a moment, he reluctantly nodded and said, "That makes sense. You are indeed quite clever, but too lazy. Think about your older brothers back then..."

Just as the old man was about to launch into a long speech, a middle-aged man with a mustache came running up, bowing repeatedly and saying, "Brother Jinbingwei, please lend me one hundred coins for an emergency!"

Old Man Jin Bingwei glanced sideways and chuckled, "Isn't this Hachiroza from Shimizu Village? You're here for military service too, aren't you? Did you forget to bring your money?"

The man with the mustache shook his head with a bitter expression and said, "Of course I brought it with me when I went out, but now I can't find my purse. It was probably stolen on the way. Anyway, I have no choice but to shamelessly ask you for help."

Old Man Jin Bingwei didn't press the matter. He nodded, then counted out a thick wad of copper coins from his pocket, handed it to the other man, and said, "Take these two hundred coins! Be careful next time, and don't lose them again."

The man with the mustache thanked him repeatedly and then asked, "Would it be better to write an IOU?"

Old Man Jin Bingwei waved his hand dismissively: "We've known each other for years, why bother calculating such a small amount of money, just two hundred coins?"

So the man with the mustache left happily.

After watching him walk away, Jinbingwei's father chuckled and said, "That guy is dishonest again! He said he was robbed, but he must have lost all his money gambling. He doesn't even have money to pay tribute to the samurai lord, so he has to beg for money everywhere."

"That man was a gambler?" Shinzaburo was quite surprised to hear this. "Then why did you lend him money, and not even ask for an IOU?"

“Although he’s a gambler, he’s also a useful person,” Old Man Jin Bingwei explained. “Back then, his father was very prestigious in Qingshui Village, and now he has inherited the position of Yiming. Apart from his gambling addiction, he’s quite capable and has helped me a lot in the past. We don’t see each other every day, so giving him a few hundred coins every two or three years is nothing.”

Shinzaburo nodded in realization.

He couldn't help but think of Song Jiang, the "Timely Rain" from the Water Margin.

The only difference was the scale. The clerks in the county government could throw out several or even tens of taels of silver; while Jin Bingwei's father, as a village-level "local worthy," could only throw out tens or hundreds of copper coins.

They then remained silent.

After a while, as dusk approached and a chill crept in, Shinzaburo asked again, "It seems we're just gathering outside the castle today, and there's no need to march. How will we spend the night? Will the Naito family make arrangements?"

“Even if the lords at the top make arrangements, those officials may not be willing to follow them obediently, so let’s find a way to set up straw mats and sleep in the open under the city walls.” Old Man Jinbingwei sneered, “If we are stationed in the field for the next few days, the Naito family will order the distribution of military tents to us, but what we will receive will definitely be junk and may not be usable. In short, we may still have to sleep on the grass.”

Shinzaburo silently kept these words in mind.

Judging from what we see today, the Naito family, the deputy governor of Tanba, is currently in a situation where "the underlings are difficult to deal with," and the samurai lords in charge of the lower-level work all seem to be doing a rather incompetent job.

Despite being called a guardian deity, their territory consisted of only Funai County. With such a small amount of power, they were already experiencing significant internal strife, and their future prospects were probably bleak. It's no wonder they didn't appear in later Koei Tecmo games.

Therefore, even if one desperately needs a samurai identity, one doesn't necessarily have to place all their hopes on the Naito family.

If given the opportunity, it would be better to join a more promising force.

……

Just as I was lost in thought, I suddenly heard the sound of hooves and footsteps again.

Looking up, I saw that a group of samurai with banners on their backs had come out of Yagi Castle.

The leader shouted, "Relay the lord's order! Tomorrow at 3:45 AM, the entire army will assemble and depart! The destination is Kuwata Shrine. We must arrive before noon, or we will be punished according to military law!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a great commotion erupted outside the city.

Someone exclaimed, "Setting off at 3:45 AM? Isn't that way too early!"

Someone pleaded, "It's quite a walk to Kuwata Shrine, and it's too much of a stretch to get there before noon. Could you please give us some more time?"

But the messenger remained unmoved, simply stating, "Military orders are absolute and cannot be altered," before turning and returning to the city.

Shinzaburo couldn't help but shake his head upon seeing this.

It seems my previous assumptions were wrong.

This Naito family, the guardians of Tanba, are not only troublesome with their underlings, but even the King of Hell is rather muddle-headed.

006 Our army is so corrupt

The next morning, while the sky was still overcast, the "army" who had been camping outside Yagi Castle were driven off by the samurai lords, grumbling all the while.

First, the transport teams registered as "Xiao He" set off, carrying supplies from the city on their shoulders and by hand, under the command of several officials.

Next came the "fully armed" and "gun-bearing" personnel, roughly divided into ten reserve teams, each led by a temporary "team leader," who set off in turn.

The villagers of Kubo Village reported to a round-faced samurai yesterday, and they are still following him today.

The round-faced samurai wore a black double-layered tunic, a round bowl with ox horns, and a banner with a standing drum pattern on his back. He rode on his horse, looking around arrogantly, with several attendants beside him, all shouting things like "Lord Hosono Hayato's reserve force is here."

That's when Shinzaburo learned that this person's name was "Hosono Hayato-suke".

This guy seems to come from a fairly well-off family. I wonder if he was naturally wealthy or if he made his fortune by embezzling money.

Shinzaburo didn't quite understand the reasoning behind this, nor did he have time to think about it in detail.

Because I hadn't slept well the night before on the hard, dry straw, and today's march up the mountain was very arduous, I started to feel soreness in my back and waist not long after we started.

If even a "giant" like Shinzaburo, who was in his prime, could behave this way, one can only imagine how others would react.

Soon, some people fell behind due to exhaustion, and the already sparse formation visibly became increasingly loose. The group, which should have totaled less than two thousand people, quickly stretched out into an extremely long line, twisting into a winding arc on the mountain path, to the point where the beginning and end could not support each other. The leader had already disappeared among the peaks, while those behind had not yet left the previous valley.

The division of the teams gradually became chaotic. People from the same village would look out for each other, but the ten makeshift reserve teams were completely lacking in organization. At least half an hour after setting off, Shinzaburo could only recognize the people from his own Kubo village, and didn't know whether the smaller teams behind and in front of him belonged to the round-faced samurai's command.

The round-faced samurai called "Hosono Hayato-suke" didn't seem to be in a hurry. He was too lazy to organize the troops and only occasionally had his servants shout, "Lord Hosono Sabei's reserve is here."

However, while the eunuch remained unperturbed, the emperor seemed somewhat annoyed.

The head of the Naito family seemed to be aware of the marching formation, and soon sent several light cavalrymen to the very back of the column, waving their whips to urge the peasant soldiers lagging behind to speed up.

Screams erupted and wails filled the air.

But the team's pace did indeed quicken a bit.

Because the "Little Lotus" team members from his own village had other missions today, and no one could help carry his bags, Shinzaburo could only wear his old, worn-out iron armor on his back and carry his spear and naginata with difficulty.

As for the elderly Jinbingwei, who was already in his forties or fifties, he was almost supported by Kumakichi and Hashisuke in the latter half of the journey in order to keep up with the main group.

It's quite rare to find such loyalty from these two lackeys of local worthies.

As he walked, Shinzaburo thought to himself, "How can the Naito family win a battle with such poor military appearance?"

The only explanation is that the surrounding forces are all pretty much the same, and this infighting among weaklings has continued to this day.

Of course, no matter what he thought to himself, the Naito family still managed to move their "army" to the vicinity of their destination, Kuwata Shrine, before noon.

When the order finally came and they were told to rest on the spot, most of them immediately collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as they lay down to rest, taking out their dry rations to fill their stomachs, not caring that they were lying on the cold, hard ground.

Some did issue orders to divide the area into camps and set up camps according to the reserve units, but these were naturally ignored. The temporarily appointed captains didn't bother to care either.

But after a while, a group of warriors suddenly appeared out of nowhere, fiercely whipping people and saying that they could only rest after the camp was set up.

At the same time, one could see a certain important figure pacing back and forth angrily nearby, letting out a loud roar: "How can our army be so corrupt? How can Tanba Kenji be so lax? If this falls into the eyes of Lord Miyoshi Chikuzen-no-kami, what will he think of the Naito family?"

Judging from his tone, he is probably Naito Kunisada, the head of the Naito family.

If the boss is angry, the subordinates naturally don't dare to show any attitude.

Even the captain of the reserve team that Shinzaburo and his men were in, a round-faced samurai named "Hosono Hayatosuke," stopped slacking off and hurriedly came over to urge them on, completely losing his previous calm and composed demeanor.

Although this place is near the so-called "Kuwata Shrine," the shrine is very small, consisting of only a few buildings of modest size, just enough to accommodate a small number of high-ranking individuals. To build a complete military camp, a location would need to be chosen, trenches dug, fences erected, and tents set up.

Moreover, there were no dedicated "shovelmen" in the Naito household to handle civil engineering work; all the projects had to be handled by the soldiers themselves.

They set off before dawn and didn't stop until noon, but they weren't allowed to eat or rest. Instead, they were ordered to set up military camps immediately. How could this be reasonable?

It should be noted that the two thousand men present were not well-fed, well-trained elite troops, nor did they possess any military dignity or conviction; they were merely a group of peasant soldiers hastily conscripted.

That being said, how could you disobey when the samurai lords were urging you on with whips?

He could only swallow his anger and get up, forcing himself to cheer up.

Needless to say, there was a lot of resentment brewing behind the scenes.