The Self-Cultivation of Warring States Warriors

Page 5

The eight "Little Lotuses" who came with Kubo Village were sent elsewhere to carry out transport tasks and were nowhere to be seen for a while. The remaining twelve people all had to participate in building the camp. Apart from Kinbei and his son Shinzaburo, the other ten were almost all muttering curses in anger. Only the father and son could not only not curse, but also had to calm their emotions.

Who told you to be the village chief? If someone were to desert and be discovered, the daimyo wouldn't even know the names of the other villagers in Kubo Village; he would only hold Otomi accountable.

……

Urged on by the whip, the team barely managed to assemble, waiting for the army's "strategist" to observe the terrain, calculate the feng shui, and find the location that others considered most suitable for building the camp. The captains of each reserve team then gave instructions one by one, and the "Little Lotus" team members dragged over shovels, planks, and tarpaulins, and construction began.

(The main job of a "military advisor" in Japan's Sengoku period was indeed to consult feng shui)

Needless to say, the labor process was tedious and arduous, and the samurai lords who passed by would beat and scold them from time to time.

Fortunately, although Shinzaburo was a "farmer-soldier" without a family name, as the son of Otomi, he was wearing armor and was naturally half an overseer. He mostly pretended to direct the others in Kubo Village to do things rather than doing them himself.

However, seeing those thin and short villagers working so hard, I couldn't help but feel bad.

In short, after an unknown amount of time, the camp was finally set up, and the two thousand "armies" were finally able to rest. By this time, most of them didn't even have the energy to complain.

Not long after, the "Little Lotus Team" that had been sent out also finished its mission and returned to the teams in their respective villages.

Jin Bingwei was indeed getting old. He lay on the straw mat, chewing on a rice ball made of mixed grains, and fell asleep in no time.

Soon after, everyone else fell asleep, and the tent was filled with snores of varying pitches and rhythms.

So when people outside shouted things like "Lord Miyoshi Chikuzen-no-kami has arrived," no one was in the mood to watch the spectacle.

Only Shinzaburo, who had been trying to slack off all day, wasn't too tired yet. Knowing that this person was the future "Prime Minister of Japan, Miyoshi Nagayoshi," he was curious, so he got up, left his tent, and decided to pay his respects to the "important figure."

But after walking a few steps, they saw guards standing in two rows, ready to defend themselves, clearly not allowing any unauthorized personnel to approach.

From a distance, one could only see a large group of mounted warriors dressed in various armors and carrying colorful flags. There were hundreds of them in total, and it was difficult to tell which one was the key figure, let alone see their faces.

The Naito family also had a large group of people coming out to greet them in a very formal manner—but whether it was psychological or not, it just felt like their presence was far less impressive than the Miyoshi family's.

That makes sense. The Miyoshi family alone has over three hundred fully armed mounted samurai who showed up today. Your Naito family, with all its samurai bearing the same surname, probably doesn't even have three hundred. How can your display compare?

Shinzaburo stayed outside for a while, but never got a chance to see the "big shot's" face.

However, I vaguely heard a conversation between Naito Kunisada, the head of the Naito family, and Miyoshi Nagayoshi, the head of the Miyoshi family.

Naito Kunisada seemed to constantly boast about his military strength, saying things like, "My family has 500 hatamoto and 4,000 brave men, ready to arrive at any time, always at ease," and "If Lord Chikuzen has any orders, the Naito family is willing to be the vanguard," and so on.

This figure is obviously exaggerated, but by today's standards, it's not too far off.

Miyoshi Nagayoshi seemed to be being polite, saying things like "I am deeply honored and flattered," "The fact that the Naito family has come to participate in this grand event is already very encouraging," and "How can we let a gentleman stand under a dangerous wall?"

After all, they were too far apart, so it was difficult for Shinzaburo to hear them clearly. Moreover, the two "important figures" used somewhat archaic and difficult-to-understand language.

However, it's generally clear that Naito Kunisada was urging a group of peasant soldiers to rush and set up camp so that he could make a name for himself in front of Miyoshi Nagayoshi. Meanwhile, Miyoshi Nagayoshi seemed to have little faith in the Naito family's fighting capabilities.

007 was probably sent a dream by a Bodhisattva.

Shinzaburo only overheard some small talk between "big shots" from a distance. Real military intelligence was clearly out of reach.

However, for several days afterward, the Naito family's combat personnel remained in place and did not go out. Only the "Koho" team members, who were in charge of logistics, were busy transporting supplies.

This suggests that they were probably not assigned any combat missions.

In those days, there was no such thing as daily training. The heads of each reserve team would take a headcount twice a day, morning and evening, to ensure that no one deserted, and then they wouldn't concern themselves with anything else.

So basically every day it was just a bunch of idle, stinky men, sitting together in twos and threes, chatting, joking, bragging and talking nonsense, making it look like a gathering of the Sanhe Gods.

Shinzaburo thought to himself, "Perhaps Miyoshi Nagayoshi really doesn't trust the Naito family's fighting strength."

They distrust combat ability, yet still consider him an ally, mostly because they value his status as the "Deputy Guardian of Tanba".

For a century, the position of governor of Tanba Province had been conventionally held by a direct descendant of the Hosokawa family, who were also the Kanrei (shogun) of the shogunate. Since their main focus was on the central government, the Naito family, who were the deputy governors of Tanba, had a great deal of autonomy and their theoretical status was quite high.

Moreover, the newly rising Miyoshi family is currently fighting against the Hosokawa family, the shogunate's deputy. Winning over the Naito family, the deputy governor of Tanba, would be very meaningful in terms of prestige.

I only made it as a mascot; I didn't expect it to actually work.

Of course, judging from what happened a few days ago, Naito Kunisada, the head of the Naito family, is not content with being a mascot, but wants to demonstrate his family's fighting power.

This is human nature.

Given a choice, he would certainly prefer to become a powerful warlord rather than a mascot.

But so what?

The one in charge is clearly Miyoshi Nagayoshi. If he doesn't let you go to the front lines, you can't go.

From Shinzaburo's perspective, he also thinks it's good to just stay offline and not participate in battles, like this.

After all, he was just a lowly armored soldier without even a proper family name. If he were to participate in a regular battle, he might not have many opportunities to make a name for himself, and he might only face mortal danger.

Moreover, the Naito family has been behaving very unreliably these past few days, making it impossible to inspire any desire to serve them.

Not only Shinzaburo, but also Kinbei's father, as well as other people in Kubo Village, and even some "comrades-in-arms" they met temporarily in the military camp, generally thought the same way after talking with them.

Some even said privately, "These days, ambitious daimyo value talent. Someone as tall and strong as Shinzaburo would probably be promoted to samurai elsewhere. The Naito family thinks they're some kind of prestigious family of deputy governors, never giving us a chance to climb up the ranks. Nobody would be willing to risk their life for them!"

I don't know if what they said is true, so I can only smile wryly.

Day after day, it soon came to the morning of the seventh day.

Before setting off, everyone had almost finished eating the dry food they had brought with them.

According to the previous agreement, if the military service lasted more than seven days, the Naito family would have to provide military rations. Moreover, as was customary, the military rations had to be rice, and each person had to be no less than half a liter per day.

This is much better than the usual diet of most farmers!

After all, they were right under the nose of the Naito family head. Even if the officials tried to embezzle and deduct from the money, they wouldn't dare to go too far. They had to make it look presentable.

As a result, everyone's mood actually improved, and many peasant soldiers began to look forward to eating white rice.

To this, Old Man Jinbingwei scoffed: "You've gathered two thousand men, haven't fought a single battle, and you expect to get white rice? Do you think the Naito family lords are bodhisattvas? I bet they'll announce their disbandment just before sunset today, and send us all back to our villages!"

Shinzaburo initially thought the same thing.

Unexpectedly, before noon, the captain of their reserve unit, the round-faced samurai named "Hosono Hayatosuke," suddenly arrived at the camp, gathered everyone together, and excitedly announced:

"Lord Miyoshi Chikuzen no Kami's army has defeated the main force of the Hosokawa clan, beheading tens of thousands. We have won a great victory in this battle! Although my Naito clan did not participate in the battle, we have made great contributions in guarding the flank of the Miyoshi army! Now only a few remnants of the enemy are putting up a stubborn resistance. My lord has already ordered an attack! Therefore, we will issue an extra batch of military rations today, and we will go into battle first thing tomorrow morning!"

Then his servants brought over two large bamboo baskets covered with burlap, saying they were to give each member of the reserve a rice ball and a miso bun. (Since someone brought it up again, I'll elaborate a bit. The *Huangmeiyuan Documents* record that in the 18th year of the Tianwen era, 1200 coins bought 300 buns, and in the 5th year of the Yonglu era, 1950 coins bought 650 buns. At three to four coins each, while relatively expensive for the poor, it wasn't as rare as you might imagine.)

When the round-faced samurai personally lifted the burlap sack, releasing the aroma of rice and wheat, the morale of this small reserve unit, which had been very low, improved significantly.

Everyone stared longingly at the white rice balls and steamed buns, praising the Naito family's generosity.

As for the risks of participating in combat, those were temporarily put aside.

As mentioned earlier, the Miyoshi clan's army had already defeated the Hosokawa clan's main force, and now only a small group of defeated soldiers were putting up a stubborn resistance.

How big of a problem could that be?

—That's what Shinzaburo thought at first too.

But the round-faced samurai named "Hosono Hayato" added: "This battle is a chance for my Naito family to make a name for themselves. Anyone who captures an enemy soldier with a surname and who carries a tachi will be rewarded with five kan of cash! Anyone who takes the head of the enemy's vice-general, Kanai Motonari, or captures him alive will be rewarded with thirty kan! Anyone who takes the head of the enemy's general, Miyoshi Masayasu, or captures him alive will be rewarded with fifty kan!"

Upon hearing the name "Miyoshi Masayasu," Shinzaburo paused for a moment, instinctively asking, "Isn't Miyoshi Masayasu a retainer of the Miyoshi family?"

He's one of the infamous "Miyako Trio"—anyone who's played Koei Tecmo games would remember him. How did he become an enemy of the Miyoshi family?

The round-faced samurai named "Hosono Hayato" was rather patient (perhaps still remembering Shinzaburo's twenty-five Yongle coins), shaking his head and explaining with a smile: "This fellow's surname is Miyoshi, and he is indeed a close relative of Lord Miyoshi Chikuzen, and should belong to the Miyoshi family. However, he lacks foresight and has chosen the wrong side, serving the Hosokawa family. If my Naito family can capture and kill this man, we will surely gain the Miyoshi family's gratitude. Therefore, our lord has offered a reward of fifty kan, so you all must do your best!"

While not everyone was moved by these words, a few people's eyes darted around, or they whispered among themselves.

After all, fifty strings of cash is a considerable sum.

In the Tanba area, this is equivalent to the total income of an average farmer for decades without eating or drinking.

While rare, there were precedents for peasants killing generals. This was known as "hunting of fallen warriors."

Shinzaburo, however, didn't dream of getting rich. Instead, he carefully recalled his historical knowledge from his previous life. After a while, he finally vaguely remembered that Miyoshi Masayasu had indeed been an enemy of Miyoshi Nagayoshi in his early years. Moreover, he had shown great bravery and tenacity in many battles, demonstrating significant "united front value," which led to his "recruitment."

It was precisely because of this that he immediately gained a very high status after being "recruited" and quickly entered the ranks of the "Three Good Men".

If you think about it...

One of the Miyoshi Triumvirate, Masayasu Miyoshi, was recruited by the government because of his "united front value." Meanwhile, the Naito family, the guardians of Tanba, is a power so weak that it no longer appears in Koei Tecmo's games.

Now the two sides are about to fight a war.

Hmm... Although it's said that the enemy only has "a small number of defeated soldiers," something doesn't feel right.

At this moment, Jinbingwei's father reached out and patted him, interrupting Shinzaburo's thoughts in a low voice: "Don't be impulsive! The masters of the Naito family are all talk. How can you take fifty kan? Let's just follow the main force obediently, not seeking any merit, just keeping our lives safe and sound."

Shinzaburo shook his head and smiled wryly, lowering his head and saying in a low voice, "Where did I have any intention of taking credit? I just have a bad feeling. I'm worried that if the Naito family suffers a major defeat, we will also be in danger."

"That shouldn't be the case." Old Man Jinbei pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "Although the lords of the Naito family might be exaggerating, the Miyoshi army's defeat of the Hosokawa main force can't be fake news. They wouldn't dare to lie if the Miyoshi family is involved. Since the enemy is just a defeated remnant, even if we can't win, we won't suffer a crushing defeat, right?"

Shinzaburo sighed, unsure how to explain his ominous premonition, so he made up a story: "Maybe it was a dream from the Bodhisattva last night."

Upon hearing this, Old Man Jinbingwei was immediately shocked. He grabbed Shinzaburo's arm tightly, leaned closer, and said in a serious tone, "My family has been making candied chestnuts for the monks of Kōfuku-ji Temple for decades, so we can be considered to have some Buddhist affinity. Could it be that this is actually being repaid today? You must tell us clearly how the Bodhisattva appeared in your dream! Don't miss a single clue!"

Now it was Shinzaburo's turn to be dumbfounded.

I just made up a random lie, but somehow it's being made to seem quite serious.

Were ordinary people in the 16th century so superstitious?

Fortunately, at this moment, the temporary captain of the reserve team, the round-faced samurai named "Hosono Hayato," looked at the chaotic scene below with displeasure, cleared his throat, and loudly reprimanded, "No noise! ​​Whatever it is, wait until I finish speaking!"

Shinzaburo then took the opportunity to shut up.

Ignore the impatient look on Kimbei's father's face.

008 must be Acala (Fudō Myō-ō).

In fact, Shinzaburo didn't know whether the Naito family would really lose this battle.

As a time traveler, he inevitably had some slight biases.

Unable to come up with a suitable reason, he casually claimed that "the Bodhisattva appeared to him in a dream."

Unexpectedly, Kim Bing-eun's father seemed to be a very superstitious Buddhist, and his reaction to this was quite intense.

This has created an unexpected problem.

After the temporary reserve team leader, the round-faced samurai "Hosono Hayatosuke," finished explaining the order for tomorrow's battle, everyone returned to the camp. Kinbei, the old man, anxiously pulled Shinzaburo to a secluded spot and whispered questions about the details of the so-called "Bodhisattva's dream."

He probably couldn't imagine anyone daring to talk nonsense on such a topic.

Judging from their serious and alarmed demeanor, they couldn't bring themselves to say, "I was just saying."

What else can we do? Just make it up on the spot!

Last night, in a half-dream, half-awake state, I seemed to see a "Great Being" wearing a black kasaya, holding a vajra, sitting on a red cloud, with an incomparably dignified appearance, who gave me the instruction: "Tomorrow's enemy is Miyoshi Masayasu, brave as a tiger and vicious as a wolf. You must not act rashly."

As for their honorific title? Sorry, I didn't have time to ask.

What did that "Great Master" look like? He seemed too sacred to look up and examine closely.

Shinzaburo racked his brains and made up some random physical characteristics. But old man Kinbei was so excited that his face turned red and tears streamed down his face. He said with great confidence, "This must be the manifestation of the Acala Myō-ō enshrined in Kōfuku-ji Temple, who has descended to help our devout family escape disaster!"

Such a resolute tone startled Shinzaburo, who quickly asked, "How did you figure that out?"

Old Man Jin Bingwei smiled proudly, and said with his head held high, "The high monks of Guangfu Temple have told me several times that the manifestation of the Immovable King is black robes, red clouds, and a vajra!"

Upon hearing this, Shinzaburo was speechless and didn't know how to respond.

Indeed, fiction is not mere fabrication, and adaptations cannot be made up haphazardly...

If something goes wrong, an apology won't be enough to solve the problem.

Meanwhile, Jinbingwei's father was so engrossed in his excitement that he didn't notice his son's unusual behavior. He kept repeating, "Since it is His Excellency who has given the order, we must act in accordance with it!"

Shinzaburo, steeling himself, asked, "So what do you want to do?"

Jin Bingwei stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, clenched his fist, and decisively said, "The Venerable One said the enemy is too fierce and that we should not be reckless. Then let's just think of a way to avoid going to war! Otherwise, once we're on the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes, and it's ultimately not a good idea!"

After saying that, he weighed the cloth bag containing copper coins in his hand, then suddenly grabbed Shinzaburo's arm and walked out of the tent.

It was dusk, and guards were already patrolling with torches. When they encountered the father and son walking hurriedly, they shouted, "What are you doing? If you have nothing to do, go back to your tents!"

Jin Bingwei's father was too lazy to explain, so he reached into his hand and handed over a few Yongle coins.

The guard's expression softened slightly, and he changed his words, saying, "It's fine to just walk around inside the camp, but you absolutely must not leave without permission!"

Then, old man Kinbei pulled Shinzaburo to a smaller tent and whispered, "This is where Lord Hosono Hayato, who is in charge of our reserve, lives. He will be in charge of arranging our operations tomorrow."

There were servants guarding the entrance, and they wouldn't let anyone in easily.

Jin Bingwei's father had to use several Yongle Tongbao coins to pave the way before they would even bother to inform them.

You have to wait for the "big shot" inside to approve it before you can go in.

Upon entering, without saying a word, he immediately prostrated himself on the ground in respect.