The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 47

What a load of rubbish!

How about we switch?

Shinzaburo cursed inwardly, but outwardly he smiled and shared a drink with the other man, then began to talk about the battle in the Tanba region.

Katsumasa Ikeda also shared some of his and his father's experiences fighting alongside Miyoshi Nagayoshi.

The atmosphere is very harmonious.

……

Although Ikeda Katsumasa was generous and straightforward, he did not seem to be an alcoholic. He brought ten jugs of sake, but the two of them each drank one jug and then stopped, saying that they would save it for their next visit.

That's a pretty good habit.

Since he was still not very drunk, Shinzaburo suggested that they take a stroll to enjoy the wild scenery of the mountains and digest their food.

Katsumasa Ikeda readily agreed.

The two, accompanied by their respective entourages, strolled casually beside the mine, chatting idly about random political news, enjoying the cool and comfortable atmosphere.

Walking around as a tourist, without having to worry about the copper mine's income and expenses, made me feel much better.

Um... tourists...

Along the way, Shinzaburo gradually felt a strange sensation.

It seems that memories sealed away from a past life are loosening.

The inspirations I've had over the past two days have slowly gathered in my mind, and after a long struggle, they suddenly became clear and coherent.

Remembered!

Before I traveled through time, I actually came here as a tourist!

It was during a trip with my ex-girlfriend near Osaka. We stopped by a place called "Tada Silver Copper Mine Site" because of the rumor that "Toyotomi Hideyoshi secretly buried 400 million taels of gold".

Obviously, the so-called "four hundred million taels of gold" is pure fabrication and there's nothing to say about it.

It is worth noting that later generations called it "Tada Silver Copper Mine", not "Tada Copper Mine".

Furthermore, upon further reflection, the official introduction cites numerous historical records, clearly stating that this area was indeed initially identified as a copper mine, with only negligible associated silver production. However, in the early Edo period, new veins with high silver content were discovered, leading to large-scale mining and making it one of the shogunate's important sources of revenue.

This place is not particularly outstanding as a tourist attraction and fails to leave a lasting impression.

Moreover, after the abrupt breakup with his ex-girlfriend, all those past events were sealed away in his mind, and he was unwilling to think about them easily.

Unexpectedly, I am now being attacked by memories of my past life.

Copper, if it cannot be minted into currency, has limited value. But silver, once refined, is precious no matter what.

Since large-scale development was possible in the early Edo period, there's no reason why it can't be done now.

Even if all the conditions are not met, it's still okay to collect less, right?

The only problem is finding that high-grade silver vein.

With the surveying technology of that era, finding mineral veins was no easy task. However, nowadays, we first identify the target and then verify it, which undoubtedly reduces the difficulty considerably.

Thinking of this, Shinzaburo suddenly felt enlightened.

Finally, a solution has been found for the problem of the "Tada Copper Mine".

If a silver mine is indeed discovered and the mine regains its glory, then whether one stays in this position to enjoy the benefits or uses this achievement to seek another important position, it would be a very pleasant thing.

Slightly tipsy, Shinzaburo laughed loudly in the mountains.

At that moment, Ikeda Katsumasa, who was standing next to him, turned around and asked in confusion, "Lord Genban, why are you laughing instead of being angry after being exiled to this desolate wilderness?"

This reason, however, could not be explained to him. Shinzaburo, quick-witted, patted the other man on the shoulder and said, "Today, I've found myself instantly kindred spirits with Lord Katsumasa; isn't that something to celebrate?"

Immediately, Ikeda Katsumasa's face was filled with both emotion and admiration. After a moment of reflection, he exclaimed, "Lord Kubo Genban, you are indeed a hero of our time, worthy of the title 'Tamba Zhong Kui'!"

Shinzaburo was indeed pleased to have made this person his friend.

After all, Katsumasa Ikeda's family controlled a castle town famous for its sake brewing, wufu (traditional Japanese clothing), and charcoal, with more than eighty ro-dō (a type of retainer) and over a thousand peasant soldiers under their command.

Who wouldn't want to be friends with a tycoon?

A moment later, Ikeda Katsumasa, emboldened by the alcohol, said, “The old retainers of the Ikeda family are all they know how to do is preach rigidly all day long, but they are two-faced people behind closed doors. They are so annoying! It’s much more enjoyable to come out and drink with Kubo Genban. If it weren’t for Araki Juro’s mediation, I really wouldn’t want to go back to Ikeda Castle!”

Araki Jadero?

The name surprised Shinzaburo.

I don't know who "Shichiro" is referring to, but the name "Araki" sounds very familiar.

Is the Araki in Settsu the same as Araki Murashige?

and many more……

Historically, it seems that Araki Murashige seized the opportunity of Nobunaga's march to Kyoto to overthrow his former lord, the Ikeda clan, and rise to become a powerful local lord.

Considering Katsumasa Ikeda's personality and what he said today, Shinzaburo suddenly felt that his new friend's future prospects might not be so bright.

However, since we have only just met, it would be presumptuous to offer advice so rashly.

090 When in doubt, the Wing King appears in your dream.

After seeing Katsumasa Ikeda off, Shinzaburo began to think about finding new mineral veins.

I know absolutely nothing about this.

The original workers at the "Tada Copper Mine" may have some skills, but their current working conditions are clearly very poor, and they are not very trustworthy.

That's when it's time to leverage your "business connections".

Master Myoshu of Kōfuku-ji Temple would obviously know some mining tycoons. But it's unlikely that these tycoons would condescend to help you with something that seems so unlikely.

However, at Sakai-cho's Imai Munehisa's place, there might be some young people with potential who haven't had the opportunity to use it yet.

So, how do we get in touch?

In this era, without telephones and telegrams, the fastest way was by letter.

If I want to send a letter, where should I go to mail it?

Back in my hometown of Tanpo, if I wanted to write a letter, I could only ask a reliable acquaintance to carry it along their route.

Now, Shinzaburo can't find anyone familiar with Sakai Town around him.

As someone who follows the rules, it would be even more inappropriate for me to skip work and go in person.

I asked one of the "Sataymen" among the miners, and they said they seemed to have a way, but they hadn't used it before and didn't know the specific details.

It wasn't until the next day, when Ikeda Katsumasa, the young lord of Ikeda Castle in the south, came to visit again, that Shinzaburo sought his advice and finally received a precise answer.

It turns out that, unlike the impoverished and remote Tanba, the areas of Settsu, Yamashiro, and Izumi, under the jurisdiction of the Miyoshi family, had a so-called "flying foot house-seeking" tradition.

This "Flying Foot Inquiry House" combines the functions of a courier company and a newspaper publisher, helping to send small packages and providing business intelligence from various places—most importantly, information on price fluctuations and changes in the exchange rate of the three commodities.

Moreover, although it is called "Flying Foot", it also includes the service of dispatching fast horses to deliver urgent documents, but the fee is naturally more expensive.

If you are worried about sending very expensive items, they even offer an "insurance" option.

The industry is so mature that Shinzaburo, the monkey from Tanba Mountain, felt like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden after hearing this.

Because this business helped strengthen territorial control, and its profits were not particularly high, the Miyoshi family specifically granted practitioners the privilege of "exemption from all duties" so that merchants could maintain their businesses with peace of mind.

Therefore, "Flying Foot Asking House" developed very well, with many shops in Settsu, Yamashiro, and Izumi.

There is one in the castle town of Ikeda Castle.

Shinzaburo immediately wrote a letter to Imai Munehisa, and then followed Ikeda Katsumasa south for an hour and a half until they arrived at the castle town of Ikeda Castle, where they found the "Hikyu Inquiry Shop" and inquired about the price.

I learned that small items like letters cost ten mon to deliver from Ikeda Castle to Sakai-cho. They were delivered regularly in batches, taking about two to five days to arrive.

Alternatively, one could spend a hundred coins to hire a special courier, who would travel at top speed and arrive in the evening.

Shinsaburo isn't in such a hurry; he'll just choose the ten-coin one.

Just as he was about to reach into his wallet, he was stopped by the person next to him.

That young upstart, Katsumasa Ikeda, shook his head and said, "How can we let our guests pay when we're on the Ikeda family's turf? Put it on my tab, and we'll settle the bill in town at the end of the year!"

The merchant immediately smiled and nodded in agreement: "Alright, then put it on the young master's tab."

Their demeanor was very bold and generous.

This surprised Shinzaburo somewhat.

Then I thought, it makes sense that the present-day Settsu Province is the future Osaka Prefecture.

……

After sending the letters, Shinzaburo simply instructed the copper miners to carry out their daily tasks as scheduled, without making any extra arrangements.

Several older "sand scavengers" were getting anxious as they hadn't seen the new broom sweep clean, so they came over to ask if there were any follow-up instructions.

Shinzaburo smiled and said that the plan was already in place and would be effective in a while.

Everyone was puzzled, but dared not ask any more questions.

After staying home for a few days, Ikeda Katsumasa came over again for a drink, which was quite enjoyable.

On that very day, Shinzaburo received a letter from Master Meishu, delivered by a monk soldier from Kofuku-ji Temple.

The letter stated that this personnel reshuffle involving Shinzaburo involved not only the factional struggle between the "gencho" and "shinsan" branches within the Miyoshi family, but also the delicate relationship between Hosokawa Ujitsuna and Miyoshi Nagayoshi, and even internal factors within the Rinzai sect. It was indeed not easy to handle rashly, and they could only slowly devise a solution.

Shinzaburo pondered for a long time before writing a reply and sending it back to the monks who were delivering the letter.

Two days later, the copper mining station welcomed a well-dressed and handsome young guest.

The man introduced himself as: "I am Hasegawa Munehito. I have come here to serve Lord Kubo Genban at the request of my senior brother Munehisa."

At the same time, a reply written by Imai Munehisa was also handed over.

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo realized that this was another character who had appeared multiple times in later Koei Tecmo games.

However, most of the time they are unselectable merchants or tea people with functional roles.

Since they were able to leave their names, their abilities are probably not a problem.

Shinzaburo then gladly welcomed him, saying, "Since you were introduced by Lord Munehisa, Lord Munehito must be a master miner."

Hasegawa Munehito smiled and said, "I dare not call myself a master, but I have traveled to places like Iwami and Ikuno and have some knowledge of the skills of Tang and Nanban people. It would be great if I could be of any help."

Although both are young men under twenty, this guy's style of speaking and acting is vastly different from Katsumasa Ikeda's.

The two then exchanged pleasantries.

It turns out that Hasegawa Munehito came from the wealthy Hasegawa family of Kyoto, but as a commoner, he did not inherit much property. He then went to Sakai to study tea ceremony under Takeno Jōō, becoming a close junior apprentice of Imai Munehisa. Later, due to his interest in the 'ash-blowing method', he used his connections to work in mines in Kyushu and Kansai for a period of time.

Hearing it this way, it seems even more plausible.

Shinzaburo was very pleased and immediately led the other party to visit the copper mine's work site, and then they studied the various ledgers together.

Then Hasegawa Munehito's smile slowly faded, his expression gradually becoming serious. Finally, he frowned and sighed, saying, "Lord Kubo Genban, the technology at the Tada Copper Mine seems to be quite perfect. No matter how hard I try to improve it, I can't save much cost... I'm afraid it won't be of much help."

Shinzaburo didn't care about that and revealed his true purpose: "What I care about more is the silver ore that occasionally appears when mining copper."

Upon hearing this, Hasegawa Munehito chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Copper and silver are often found together in rocks. Since brass is produced here, it is not surprising to occasionally find silver. However, the quantity is rather small, and it may not be worthwhile to mine it specifically."

Shinzaburo remained calm and continued, "That's true of the existing mine tunnels. But perhaps there are other veins rich in luminous silver nearby that haven't yet been discovered?"

Hearing this, Hasegawa Munehito pondered for a moment, then asked with a puzzled look, "Lord Kubo Genban, have you perhaps discovered some signs? Is there white lead seeping out somewhere nearby? Or is the vegetation unusually colored? Or perhaps extra wild onions have grown?"

Shinzaburo had no knowledge of exploration and did not know what "white lead seepage," "different colors of plants," and "extra wild onions" meant. He could only reply perfunctorily, "I just had a feeling in my mind."

Hasegawa Munehito was stunned and speechless for a long time. After a while, he finally said with a twitch of his lips, "Kubo Genban's words are a bit too... too... cough, in short, they are hard to understand."

Shinzaburo didn't know how to explain, so he hesitated for a moment and said vaguely, "Perhaps it was some venerable one who gave me a hint in a dream. I always feel that there must be a silver mine hidden within a thousand paces."

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Hasegawa Munehito's expression immediately turned serious, and he slowly stroked his chin, saying, "I have also heard about Lord Kubo Genban's encounter with the Immovable King in his dream... In that case, we must thoroughly investigate the surrounding area..."

Eh?

Were you convinced just like that?

Shinzaburo suddenly realized that he might be able to use this excuse more often in the future.

When faced with indecision, one can seek guidance from the Acala (Fudō Myō-ō) in a dream. This can save a lot of unnecessary trouble and arguments.

091 Silver Arrives

Before starting work, Shinzaburo first asked Hasegawa Munehito about the situation of other gold and silver mines in Japan.

The information we received was somewhat different from what we had initially expected.